It Figures

By this last day at the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, all of the technical equipment will have been removed and packed away. This often leaves some rink side seats free for some of the volunteers to finally be able to put their feet up and enjoy some wonderful skating - like Sunday's Exhibition Gala.

So often the exhibitions feel like an afterthought on the part of the skaters with no attention paid to the routines or how they are presented. This was not the case on this day as the pacing of the show was very fast and it included skaters that had been ranked first to fifth in each of the disciplines.

The men’s free skate final was the last jewel to be placed in this week’s figure skating crown at the 2008 ISU world figure skating championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.

There was no way to predict how it would play out. At the conclusion of yesterday’s short program, there were fewer than five points separating the sixth-place skater - defending world champion Brian Joubert of France - from leader Jeffrey Buttle of Canada.

What I can tell you is that these two competitors were the standouts in the free skate today. It was clear from the onset that Joubert was not going to go down without a fight. He skated second last and his ultimate second-place finish in the free program vaulted him to the lead in the standings until Buttle’s brilliant performance as the final skater in the event gave him an edge of over 14 points and the top spot on the podium.

Goteborg, Sweden should play host to the world championships every year if the skating is going to be like this!

Friday dawned with 46 competitors vying for 24 spots in the men’s competition. Each of the skaters was required under a new rule this year to skate their short program, instead of using qualifying rounds, as a way of determining who would get the chance to skate in the free final.

It turned into a bit of a horse race, pretty much as predicted. The great news for Canadian skating fans is that Jeffrey Buttle was the leader after the short program with a 1.31-point lead over American Johnny Weir.

Meanwhile, there was a two-point penalty taken off the short program total of defending world champion Brian Joubert of France.

The women’s competition is over and a new champion was crowned Thursday at the 2008 ISU world figure skating championships in Goteborg, in Sweden. We also saw the ice dancers perform their original dance segment.

The women skated their short programs Wednesday, and Thursday's free competition was eagerly anticipated as Italy’s Carolina Kostner led by a slim 0.18-point margin over rival Mao Asada of Japan. Yukari Nakano, also from Japan, was in third place.

What took place in Thursday afternoon’s competition was very compelling.

The women's short program and the pairs free were the events of the day at the 2008 ISU world figure skating championships in Gothenburg, Sweden on Wednesday.

New this year is the fact that there are no longer qualifying rounds for the women and men to determine the ranking and skating order for the short program. The ISU has reverted to a system whereby all of the competitors skate their short program and the top 24 go on to skate the free.

In total, 53 women performed their short programs and there were some real standouts. The leader is Italian Carolina Kostner, the European champion, who took the top spot with higher levels of difficulty in her spiral sequence and her spins than her next closest rival, Mao Asada of Japan. Teammate Yukari Nakano is in third and skated a very strong and sophisticated short program. She is followed in the standings by Finland's Kiira Korpi, South Korea's Yu-Na Kim and Canada's Joannie Rochette.

Interesting to note there is less than five points separating first from sixth place and only 0.18 separating the top two, which will make for a very exciting event free skate final Thursday.

The compulsory dance event, the on-ice opening ceremonies and the pairs’ short program kicked off the 2008 ISU world figure skating championships from Gothenburg, Sweden, on Tuesday.

First out of the gate were the ice dancers competing this year’s selected dance for worlds, the Argentine Tango.

As with the tango rhythm, the character of this dance reflects a particularly strong masculine presence. The judges were looking for unison, strong timing and superior technique.

The excitement of world figure skating championships will begins Tuesday in Gothenburg, Sweden. There are 203 skaters and teams entered in the event from 48 nations, which makes for the largest field ever.

This is the eighth time that Sweden has hosted the worlds since 1897 and the first since 1976. Regardless of the disciplines here, there are many different ways to look at the fields.

For instance, defending men’s champion Brian Joubert of France looked very strong early on in the season but was felled by a virus that has taken quite a toll on him.

It was like a scene from a tabloid magazine.

A mob of people, including about 10 photographers, two television crews, security personnel and handlers were all surrounding Japan's Mao Asada out for a walk around the rink just prior to the Gala Exhibition at the 2008 ISU Four Continents Championships in Goyang City, Korea.

The women's event was outstanding here and the free program started with a .90 difference between first and third place from the short.

With the ISU Four Continents Championships about to get underway in Goyang City, Korea one thing is certain: the level of skating will be outstanding.

Having been to most of these championships since their creation in 1999, this has not always been the case. Often this has been an event where skaters from lesser-known countries have come to compete.

That said, the developmental opportunity available to these skaters has meant that some of the breakthrough performances have been memorable to say the least.

The competition is over for another year at the Canadian figure skating championships here in Vancouver and all that is left is a wealth of memories.

Memories like the standing ovation after Joannie Rochette’s free program today where she captured gold and clinched her fourth women’s title. She had gone into the free program portion with a one point-ish lead from the short program which she increased to over 13 points overall.

Chasing her heels the whole way was Mira Leung, in second after the short program, who had a free program with a couple of mistakes but nevertheless showcased her emerging maturity and style. The bronze medal went to Cynthia Phaneuf who skated a beautiful program and really seems poised for the next successful phase in her career.