Interview With Daniel Kulenkamp

As we start another quadrennial Olympic cycle, it's all about those fresh faces and skaters stories that we will see unfold in the coming years leading up to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. One of those skaters is Daniel Kulenkamp, a young and up and coming skater who trains in Arizona and made his Junior Grand Prix debut earlier this season, handily placing in the top ten in his first try. I appreciate so much Daniel taking the time from his busy training schedule to talk to me about his career so far, goals for the future, favourite skaters and much, much more in this Skate Guard interview:

Q: You've had some great successes so far in your competitive career. After finishing fifth on the novice level at the 2013 U.S. Championships, you moved up to the junior ranks this past season and so far this season have won the junior men's events at the Golden West Championships and U.S. Challenge Skate and competed internationally on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. Looking at what you've accomplished in competition, what memories or moments are most precious to you?

A: My fondest moment so far in skating is when I found out I had been assigned the 2014 Croatia Cup. I had just finished a twelve hour drive home from Salt Lake City (this was right after Challenge Skate) and was sitting at home when I got the call. It's been a dream of mine for years to compete for Team USA and when I got the news I started jumping up and down while still talking (which is something I never do). I was so overwhelmed by emotion; my hard work was paying off. 
Another moment that's very close to me is from the 2013 U.S. Championships in Omaha. A good twenty friends drove down from Minnesota just to see me compete at my first national competition. After I finished my short program, they threw so many stuffed animals on the ice; I think it may have been the most I saw all week. That moment means so much to me, because it reminds me how many people I've got behind me. I am so fortunate to have such a great support group. Figure skating isn't an easy sport, but it does make it easier when you've got great friends and supporters. 

Q: You're from Minnesota but currently live and train in Arizona. What first drew you to the sport and when did you first decide that skating was something you wanted to focus your attention on seriously?

A: I started skating when I was very young, at four years old I think. My dad had coached high school hockey for many years, but he wanted me to take some lessons on figure skates before he gave me a hockey stick. After a year or so of taking lessons, my parents asked me if I wanted to try hockey. I seem to remember not liking the feeling of hockey skates as much as figure skates. As I kid, I didn't like change, and I didn't see why I needed to switch to hockey skates, so I stuck with skating. I also had a goal to get all the badges that they had displayed on the wall. In addition to skating, I played soccer and was a pretty good swimmer. Around the age of twelve, I decided to focus mainly on skating. I didn't enjoy swimming too much, but I absolutely loved skating. I loved performing for people and I loved to jump. This is when ideas of making it to the Olympics started entering my head.  However, moving to Arizona last March was the biggest commitment of all. I knew I needed a change in training and I had taken lessons from Doug and other coaches at the Ice Den while on vacation there a year earlier. It just felt right to me. The atmosphere at the rink was so positive, and the coaches are just phenomenal. It's where I wanted, and needed, to be. 

Q: This year, your short program is set to Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" and your free skate to a Frank Sinatra medley. How did both of these programs come together and what do you love most about performing them?

A: "Black Dog" was actually my show program at the Ice Den's annual show. The theme was 'Britice Invasion,' and I was having trouble coming up with ideas. I asked Doug, and his wife Lara came up with idea for "Black Dog". I thought it was a bit outside my comfort zone, but was excited for it all the same. Steven Cousins choreographed it, and we all fell in love with it. So many people loved it we thought we'd give it a chance as my short program, and so far it's worked out pretty well. As for my long, I've always wanted to skate to Frank Sinatra, but never had the opportunity. I love his music and this seemed to be a perfect time to do it. My long program this year is one of my favorite programs I've done. 

Q: What are your main focuses in training and how do you plan on improving your base value and TES score as well as PCS scores as the season progresses?

A: One of my main focuses in training is pushing the choreography of my programs, both physically and emotionally. Both my short and long are at the point where I can execute them cleanly, so I want to improve the choreography and the emotional connection to the audience and judges. I also continue to focus on keeping jumps consistently clean and well executed, as well as adding more difficult entrances to jumps and spins.

Q: You've worked with some pretty fantastic skaters in their own right - Doug Ladret, Caryn Kadavy, Steven Cousins... What has each brought to your skating?

A: I like to say that Doug has fast-tracked my skating. With his guidance, I've gone from placing thirteenth at the U.S. Championships last January, to competing at a Junior Grand Prix less than a year later. My technique has improved greatly because of him. He really is my rock when it comes to training and competing. Doug knows exactly what to say to keep my head on straight. He also did a fantastic job choreographing my free skate. He and his wife Lara have been such great influences, on and off the ice, and I love working with both of them. Steve is awesome. He has a great personality and a good outlook on skating. He's pushing my choreography to new heights as well as throwing me far outside my comfort zone. He's great to go to for advice about anything; it was great to talk to him about what to expect at my first international competition and I used many of the things he told me when I was in Croatia. It prepared me for the new things I didn't know about or didn't expect. Caryn helped bring my choreography to a new level throughout my last year at novice and first year at junior. At a time when my attitude towards skating wasn't so positive, she helped me fall back in love with the sport. 

Q: On a day when you're NOT skating, where would we find you?

A: You'd most likely find me at home reading a book or somewhere with my family. I'm a big family guy, and I love spending time with my parents, grandparents, and brother. They are my biggest source of support and I’m incredibly lucky to have a family like them. I’m also an avid reader.

Q: Who are your three favorite skaters of all time and why?

A: My three favorite skaters are Scott Hamilton, Ryan Bradley and Evan Lysacek. Scott Hamilton, in my opinion is the best entertainer in skating's history. His show programs are so great and he's an Olympic Champion on top of it. I love his story of perseverance in the face of all the troubles he had. His story truly is inspiring. I like Ryan Bradley because he always stayed true to himself. He's a great entertainer, and his competition programs always reflected that. I like Evan because he worked hard. People said no one ever worked harder than him, which is something I try to emulate every day in training. 

Q: What's one thing most people don't know about you?

A: I speak Spanish. I'm not fluent yet, but I've been speaking it for over a year now and I love it. Arizona is such a great place to practice. 

Q: What is the biggest lesson skating has taught you?

A: Really loving what you do. That's the most important thing. Any goal worth pursuing is not going to be easily attainable. It takes years of perseverance and sacrifice to make it happen. If you don’t love what you’re doing, the hard work and sacrifices necessary feel pointless and painful. There’s been a lot of difficult things that skating has put me through - and I'm sure there will be more in the future - but every situation has been worth it to me, because I know what I'm aiming for. Though it will be difficult, I can't wait for the next challenge. 

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Bring On The Men: Men Skating Through The Next Ice Age

If you haven't heard of Linda Eder... here, let me help you get that rock you've been living under off of you. There, that's better, isn't it? In all seriousness though, Linda Eder's this powerhouse of a singer and I actually used to perform a lot of her music in my 'past life' as a drag queen. From her stunning cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to her knock-your-socks-off rendition of "I Am What I Am", she's kind of got it going on. She's well known for her killer interpretation of "Bring On The Men" from "Jekyll And Hyde"... a song I actually probably performed myself in well over a hundred shows. I shit you not. At any rate, bringing on the men is ALWAYS a fabulous idea in my opinion... and Nathan Birch and Tim Murphy of The Next Ice Age are doing exactly that in their newest venture Men Skating. Men Skating uniquely brings together an all male cast of exceptional artists for ensemble skating of the first quality. The debut show today in Maryland is a private, invitation only event and will feature the likes of Rohene Ward, Ryan Bradley, John Kerr, Wesley Campbell, Jonathon Hunt and Shaun Rogers. Nathan and Tim were kind enough to open up about the concept behind Men Skating and what to expect from this exceptional meeting of the minds on the ice.

"Years ago when I was focussing on choreography for national and international competitors, I wound up working with a lot of male figure skaters such as Parker Pennington, Scott Smith, Brent Bommentre and Michael Solonoski," explained Nathan. "I used to think how fun it would be to combine their talents together in an ensemble cast. Recently, former students Ryan Bradley, Jonathon Hunt and Shaun Rogers were all available during a specific time window. Wesley Campbell had done some of our master classes, so I was familiar with his elegant skating. I have admired Rohene Ward both as a skater and a choreographer for some time, and I am fascinated as to how easily he can perform difficult maneuvers in both directions. I have also admired John Kerr as a skater and choreographer. He and his sister Sinead are a wonderful dance team, but when he performed a solo at The Michael Weiss Foundation, I was floored by his skills. Each of these athletic artists have partnering and solo skills that can be showcased in formats well beyond the usual four minutes. As we are at the very beginning of Men Skating, it is important to note that there are many more great male skaters we would like to include in the future. I admire all skaters, but considering the positive feedback surrounding this launch, I think others find the concept appealing as well. Choreography for all men is not original, but an entire skating show with only men hasn't been done before to the best of my knowledge, so we're going to give it our best shot!"

Those of you who read the September 2013 Skate Guard interview with Nathan will know that he is a former member of John Curry's Company and The Next Ice Age's work has continued to very much carry on Curry's vision. Nathan explained "John Curry built an all male quartet for The Next Ice Age in the early nineties. It was also his last ensemble dance, which is significant in itself. 'On The Beautiful Blue Danube' was originally performed by John, Tim, myself and Shaun McGill. We presented it a few times with different skaters over the years, so the official first dance of Men Skating is already done! In 1933 'Ted Shawn And His Men Dancers' debuted in Boston, making history, after laying important ground work at Jacob's Pillow in the Berkshires. Tim and I are from the Boston area originally, and we still have many connections there, so it seems we are being handed a baton from above, so to speak. It sounds crazy, but I can hear Ted and John saying 'Go ahead Tim and Nate. Do this for skating.'"

I asked Nathan specifically about 'Javelin', a new piece created specifically for Men Skating. "The music, composed by Michael Torke, is surprising, percussive, strong and really American sounding in the way Bernstein helped define the genre. It is big, sweeping and contemporary, and when I was contemplating Men Skating, I thought the opening had to reflect these attributes." At the time of this interview, Nathan, Tim and the skaters were set to begin rehearsals in a matter of days for today's taping. Nathan expressed that "while things may change, I feel the dance is going to be about brotherhood. The six guys coming to Baltimore have all been friends for well over a decade, so they are a brotherhood already. This idea can be expanded to the larger community of male skaters. Each of us share a kinship, whether we turned out as gypsies, teachers or champions. Each of us share an understanding of what it was like growing up as a figure skater. It is an unspoken respect that requires nothing other than quiet acknowledgement. This bond - this brotherhood - is something we can all share equally without dogma, judgement, or fear. Technically, the dance will reflect the music. Percussive sections will feature quick short steps that will juxtapose with the more lyrical passages that cry out for long glides and extensions. There will also be jumps, spins, lifts and other physical pyrotechnics. None of these skaters have an arsenal of tricks that is half full. They of course wonʼt all go into this one piece, for reasons of balance, but beauty - paired with muscle - should serve 'Javelin' well. We first met Michael Torke in 1997 when he came to the final rehearsal of Timʼs 'Bright Blue Skating' (set to his piece 'Bright Blue Music') at The Kennedy Center. We were huge fans of his music long before we met the man we consider to be a friend today. He also came to my premier of his 'Book Of Proverbs' at The Columbia Festival Of The Arts, and Tim restaged 'Bright Blue' for The American Dance Festival. So this marks the 4th time we have used Michaelʼs glorious, optimistic, and emotional music."

One thing I really was curious about was the long term vision of this project. Nathan sees "this as a commercially viable entity. The title says what it is, so that should help with promotion and advertising. We will probably rotate skaters in and out, depending on scheduling. Also, I want to use other skating choreographers. There are so many good ones! John Curry said many times that the best skating choreography in the future may come from the skaters themselves. With The Next Ice Age, Tim and I have presented our own work with few exceptions, but we want Men Skating to be different. Our vision is for it to present many points of view by choreographers with a skating background." From a long term perspective, Nathan and Tim want to give back: "There will also be a charitable arm to this project focussing on menʼs health issues. I got to share that with Tenley Albright and she got really excited. She said she was at a conference on women's health not long ago, and someone chimed in 'Why does no one ever talk about menʼs health'? I really admire the work Scott Hamilton does in Cleveland with his C.A.R.E.S. initiative. Many other luminaries in skating support similarly deserving causes and I applaud them all. If it takes off, Men Skating can be a platform for men's health, which encompasses so many issues and affects our society in profound ways. So you see, this is much larger to me than an ice show concept."

Personally, I have to say... I think this is just fantastic. It's fresh, it's new and it's exciting. With all of the hype around the Grand Prix events right now, it's refreshing to see something completely different that has nothing to do with upgrades, downgrades, levels or points on the table that is placing the value of skating's artistry as the main dish on the menu. You know, I may be up in Nova Scotia and literally just so geographically removed from all of the incredible things like this that are going on but if there's one thing I've learned from coming back to the sport after so many years away and writing about it, it's that if you can find a voice, use it. The good that will come of that far outweighs the bad. The good that will come from Men Skating is going to be - in my humble opinion - immeasurable.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Interview With Ashley Wagner

I want to preface this interview with Olympic Bronze Medallist, Four Continents Champion and two time U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner with a big thank you. Without the support of U.S. Figure Skating, Skate Canada, skaters, agents, clubs, federations and readers alike around the world I wouldn't have the opportunities to interview many of the fabulously talented skaters that I have. From the bottom of my heart, a big thanks for making this blogger from Eastern Canada very happy and giving all of you the chance to hear skaters stories from their own mouths! This interview is really special, I think. There's a wonderful sense of humor and refreshing honesty and candor about Ashley Wagner and I think if you take the time to carefully consider her words here, there might just be a big lesson in this interview as well I think. We talked about everything from the Olympics to her programs this season, focuses in training, love of performance and so much more but I personally think her answers to my last two questions in particular are just wonderfully, wonderfully well said. You know, Ashley is kind of the skater that is just a STAR out there in my eyes and I hope you'll find in getting to know her more in this interview that she's a pretty cool person as well. Grab yourself a hot bevvy, sit back and enjoy reading an interview I have every confidence you're going to love as much as I do:

Q: You've had an incredible career so far - you were part of the U.S. team that won Olympic bronze in Sochi, have won two U.S. titles, the 2012 Four Continents Championships as well as wins at Skate America and the Trophee Eric Bompard and an impressive four trips to the World Championships, including two top five finishes. Looking back on everything you've accomplished so far in your career, what moments or memories stand out above all of the rest as the most special to you?

A: Being chosen to represent the U.S. at the Olympics definitely stood out to me. Although my election in no way shape or form came about the way I had hoped, being placed on the team showed me that my federation believed in me and what I had accomplished in my career. Also, standing on the Olympic podium is a moment in my life I will never be able to forget. The energy and the experience that I'll share with my teammate for the rest of our lives is truly incredible!

Q: I first got to see you skate live at Stars On Ice here in Halifax and was absolutely impressed by your ability to relate to and reach out to an audience which I don't think television or internet coverage of skating really gets across about skaters as much as when you watch them live. Would you say that relating to audiences is something that came natural to you or is it something that you've worked really hard on over time?

A: I LOVE performing! It's the whole reason I skate. I am such a show pony and I thrive on the challenge of making all eyes turn to me. It's a rush! I try to choose pieces of music that I personally relate to and feel inspired by so that when it comes time to perform, the audience can genuinely understand what I'm trying to reach out and say, because it is more natural to me.

Q: As compared to some of the other top U.S. ladies competing right now, you really stand out as a mature presence in U.S. ladies skating. I think some of that obviously as to do with the fact you're older than many of your biggest competitors but there's also just that "it factor" going on too. You've got two new programs this season. What can you share about the creative process for both and what can we expect from you in competition this year that we haven't seen before?

A: This year, my maturity was something that really came into play when trying to choose pieces of music. Some of these girls weren't even alive when I started skating, and they'll keep on getting younger and younger from now on, so it's up to me to find a way around that. I have a lot of experience in the sport and Raf and I decided it was time to showcase that. We chose pieces of music that were very strong and emotional, even passionate. The Adagio from "Spartacus" is a HUGE selection of music and it is easy for the music to take over if you let it. The whole program is about me taking control and reaching out to the audience so they can understand just how desperate of a time my character is going through. The long is to "Moulin Rouge" and I know from the start I wanted a character that I could almost act out the program with. I wanted it to be more for the audience and everyone watching the program at home.

Q: If you were to take on pairs skating, who would be your ultimate partner?

A: I think at this point I would have to say Adam Rippon. He has been my friend for so long and I feel trust is a huge factor in pairs. Also, I wouldn't be afraid to yell at him! On second thought, he's the prettiest person I know, so maybe that wouldn't be a good idea! You can't have your partner be prettier than you, can you?

Q: What are your main focuses in training right now?

A: The triple/triple is a huge part of my training, as well as running programs and getting my endurance up beyond marathon running levels!

Q: Who are your three favourite skaters of all time and why?

A: Michelle Kwan - need I say more? That one is obvious. Katarina Witt! She was so unapologetically sexy and strong and I loved that about her! Max Trankov and Tatiana Volosozhar as well. They were perfection. Everything they did was set to max for stunning.

Q: What's one thing most people don't know about you?

A: (laughing) I just want a big hug! At the end of the day, I think people have really started to see me as this aggressive attention seeking athlete. In reality, beyond the rink I'm a normal person. I love cooking and baking, watching guilty pleasure TV shows, am hopelessly addicted to shoes and love biking to the beach. So be nicer to me on Twitter! I'm actually a nice, normal person!

Q: What is the biggest life lesson that skating has taught you?

A: That it's just skating. At the end of the day, my life will not crumble around me if something goes wrong. I go home, rinse off my makeup and start over the next day. People get so wrapped up in this sport - fans and athletes alike - but I just do it because I love it, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

2014 Skate Canada International

The second stop on the yellow brick road to the ISU Grand Prix Final in Barcelona was Skate Canada International, right here in Canada, where we don't say "eh" half as much as people think we do (or in my case, at all), most us have never seen an igloo let alone lived in one and figure skating has remained immensely popular for well over a century. I'll start things off with a little disclaimer. Please keep in mind with all the "coverage" of any competition on Skate Guard as always I'll post videos of some of the most standout performances. Many of them might be geoblocked in your country, and for that I apologize. Around the time of major competitions, videos go up every minute and come down and get geoblocked just as fast. If you're unable to watch videos in your country, I've got some great advice for you. Go to YouTube, and under your search settings you can select 'Upload Date'. If you type in keywords for the competition or skater you want to see, you can narrow it down to 'Today' or 'This Week' and usually find just what you're looking for in minutes! And now, on to the event at hand...

The skating in Kelowna was for the most part absolutely EXCEPTIONAL. After the odd 'senior B' international competition, this was the first big outing in front of a sizable audience for the majority of these skaters and they certainly did not disappoint. Before I get to my own thoughts I want to share some of Danielle Earl's. Danielle is a wonderful skating photographer and fan who was in BC for the event. On day one, Danielle commented that she "loved Veronik and Julianne and loved Maddie and Max, Meg and Eric and was impressed with the debut of Kirsten & Mike." She also loved Stephen Carriere and Adam Rippon's performances despite Adam's rough skate in the short program. She also commented on how much she enjoyed the short dances of Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje and Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gaszi "because it was a super outside of the box paso".

With the ultimate double whammy of overused skating music choices of "Carmen" and "Phantom Of The Opera", Japan's Takahito Mura had me upset before I even watched him skate. There's a lot to like about his skating... good jump technique, power and speed, but the reigning Four Continents Champion just lost me with these program choices and sleepy choreography. Although his jumps were anything but average, I just felt like boxes were being checked when I watched both of these programs... which is a real shame considering he really is a very fine skater... his clean free skate featured two quads, two triple axels and five other triples. Like it or lump it, Mura's win and score of 255.81 well rewarded his technical excellence.

Let's talk about Javier Fernandez. His short program to "Black Betty" was entertainment and athleticism perfectly coupled. With a music choice like that and a couple of stopping and posing sections, it would be very easy for skating purists to dismiss a program like this easily... BUT when you land the quad, triple/triple and triple axel and top it off with showmanship and footwork that is nuanced and well edged enough that the IJS structure of it is forgivable and even musically plausible, you win me over, that's for sure. A score of 86.36 set him up well for the free skate but after missing all three quad attempts in his free skate, he unravelled a bit and conceded the title. Fernandez settled for silver and a score of 244.87, ten points back of Mura.

Max Aaron... had some great moments technically but I gotta be honest... "Footloose" doesn't work for me at all. Max has long been criticized for the presentation side of things and I'm pleased to say he really made me eat a little bit of crow when he stepped things up a notch last year. This year, the free skate choreography is suited to his skating style (and two triple axels and a quad are nothing to scoff at) but the short program just doesn't seem to pull him out of his shell enough for a steppy piece of music like that. If you're going to take music like that, you've got to be able to work it out like someone would if they were skating to... I don't know... "Proud Mary". That said, I get that it's not easy doing three triples and a quad in as few minutes, but with such depth in the men's field as there is right now, this short program is going to need some serious attention paid to projecting to the audience and selling the choreography if it's going to be kept. All of this said, a bronze medal and score of 231.77 was a strong result for Aaron.

I was REALLY happy to see Stephen Carriere pull off such a strong result at this event. I'm a big fan of his skating and although he wasn't perfect in this event, he was showing a nice clean quad in his free skate and a quiet confidence that we didn't see from him last season. Carriere finished fourth in both segments of the event and fourth overall with a score of 231.67.

I have a lot of respect for Konstantin Menshov. A "late bloomer" by skating standards, Menshov has soldiered on and stuck with skating despite a deep field of Russian men and never looked long in the tooth for a minute. He reminds me a TAD of Alexei Yagudin, his spins are well centered, his short program music is fantastic and when he does land a quad, you're like "giiiiirl... that was a GOOD one!" The only thing about Menshov is that he also kind of reminds me of Laetitia Hubert, who I just loved but yelled at the television set over more than once. There's a very hit and miss thing going on when it comes to the jumps and I would really just love to see him continue to find success this season. As compared to the rest of the crop of Russian men, he's certainly the most inspired. Menshov finished fifth with a score of 225.03.

With Elladj Balde suffering a concussion and being forced to withdraw last minute, Canada's hopes in the men's event rested on Andrei Rogozine and Liam Firus, both fine skaters but also both placed in a VERY deep field. Liam landed six triples and Andrei landed five in the free skate so despite their bottom rung results, neither skater can walk away from this competition thinking they didn't put in a strong and admirable effort.

Anna Pogorilaya is a very dangerous name if you're a Russian young lady hoping to make this season your breakout one. She might not have the flashy star power of some of her rivals but she's got a seemingly effortless triple lutz/triple toe, nice quality to her spins and a certain understated elegance that defies her sixteen years. I see a little of Maria Butyrskaya in her as well. With lots of positives and very few negatives, I don't want to say "her future is bright" because like Nam Nguyen in the men's event at Skate America, I think her time is now. With a flawless short program and a free skate that featured seven triples (two of them lutzes), she cleaned up at this event and won with a convincing score of 191.81.

Ashley Wagner... how I LOVED it that she went out and skated so brilliantly in this competition. Her skating is adult, mature, sophisticated, fresh and exciting. I saw her skate in Stars On Ice two years ago. Our seats were in the front row right on the ice and what impressed me even more than the gorgeous triple loop she landed literally right in front of me was the twinkle in her eye. There's something so human and so exciting about the way Ashley skates that makes you take notice. This was my first time seeing her "Spartacus" short program and with a nice triple flip/triple toe, triple loop and double axel there was as much to love technically as there was stylistically. Her free skate might not have been perfect but it was pretty damn close and she didn't let up on those jumps one bit. Her total competition score of 186.00 was well ahead of the scores of any of the U.S. ladies competing at Skate America and if Ashley keeps skating like this, she's going to be tough to beat.

In the absence of skaters like Mao Asada, Akiko Suzuki and Miki Ando, one could easily think that the cup of Japanese ladies skating was no longer runneth over. Not so. Satoko Miyahara has stepped in to fill that void and done so marvelously. I'm one of these people who can spot a junior in a senior event a mile away and unlike many of those skaters who really struggle in making the transition from the junior to the senior ranks convincingly, this absolutely isn't the case with Miyahara. For a teenager, she's got this very Michelle Kwan-esque quiet command of the ice and for the most part, she's getting all of the way around on the triples. Her bronze medal at this event with a score of 181.75 tells me that her name is one we are going to be hearing a lot of this season. No doubt!

I make no secret of my admiration of Alena Leonova. Despite missing a trip to the Sochi Olympics last season, her performances last season were anything but poor and this season, she's got that delightful "Chaplin" short program and a nicely contrasting tango free skate to "Asi se baila el Tango" and "Otono Porteno". Alena has always been kind of typecast as a short program skater and again, here she performed very well in the short although she got dinged on spins. After going for the triple flip/triple toe at the beginning of her free skate, things unfortunately unravelled for her bigtime in the free skate, where she only managed one clean triple. I don't think it's back to the drawing board at all though... I think this was a bad skate and the motivation she may need to push even harder to contend with the deep field of Russian dynamos. Her score of 164.15 dropped her from third after the short program down to sixth.

With Kaetlyn Osmond rebounding from a serious injury (to say the least), Canada's hopes in this event rested on Alaine Chartrand, Julianne Seguin and Veronik Mallet. While Seguin didn't fare as well as Chartrand and Mallet, the Canadian ladies made their cases as to why they may each be medal contenders at the Canadian Nationals... and I for one am actually really quite excited about the ladies event in Kingston this year. We're starting to get some very real depth in our ladies field and that's no joke. This is not 1995 anymore... times have changed. Chartrand finished seventh, Mallet tenth and Seguin in twelfth.

I don't have a lot to say about the pairs event other than gushing about Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. Before this event even started, they already had some strong performances under their belt in early season competitions such as the Skate Canada Autumn Classic and their introduction of the throw quad salchow to their already insane technical repertoire has been serving notice to their competitors that they are going to be a very tough team to beat this season. After a clean short program to "Un peu plus haut" by Ginette Reno, the duo who train in Quebec with Julie Marcotte showed great fight in their free skate, going after and stepping out of the throw quad salchow and landing side by side triple lutzes though making a couple little bobbles. That said, it was a GREAT free skate and a great start to the Grand Prix for this team. Their score of 210.74 kept them way ahead of silver medallists Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China and bronze medallists Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia.

This was my first time watching the new partnership of Kristen Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro and I was quite pleasantly surprised as to how well they work together. The triple twist looked good and I think some of the little things I noticed like the death spiral for instance are going to come together quickly for them. For their first competition together, this was a lot better than most and I think their program choices should serve them well. I'm excited to see how their their skating progresses looking forward to Nationals in Kingston.

I thought Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje looked very on point in this event. In winning the short dance with a score of 68.61 (almost ten points higher than their closest rivals), they took a traditional approach to the paso doble - right down to the costumes - and interpreted the music beautifully with excellent unison, clean edges and above all, confidence. In a well done paso, the man should have a back so straight that Dick Button could iron a shirt on it while the lady should exhibit more curve in her posture to show contrast. The paso isn't so much about the hips as it really is about the back and I think this team nailed that. Their free dance to Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" was artful and flowed beautifully from one movement to the next with clean edges and good speed. I think this program has enormous potential and their win at this event with a score of 171.10 was absolutely deserved.

Speaking of pecking order, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier made a huge leap from eighteenth in the world to eighth last year (holy ten places, Batman!) but I think a lot of that owed to the fact that their "Hitchcock" free dance last year was just so compelling that it was hard not to give them the marks they deserve. While I'm not entirely sold on their more traditional free dance this year, the little things in this team's skating count for a lot - good edges and carriage and smooth transitions from one thing to the next. Their performance in the free dance was very well received by the judges and a score of 152.60 moved them up from fourth place after the short dance to give them the silver medal.

Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue were, as always, excellent despite a little problem at the end of their free dance. Their score of 148.23 was well back of Chock and Bates' 171.03 and the Shibutani's 160.33 at Skate America, but the skating to me was a lot more relatable. I think their "The Great Gatsby" free dance is the best free dance they've put out there as a team and the music choices used to illustrate the story of the dance are modern, unorthodox and refreshing. The presentation and package of this team is great and I think with just a little more attack and speed they could really force the judges to reconsider the U.S. ice dance pecking order. As for the Helen Lovejoy "Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?" cries over Zach's hoodie vest, it's a modern program. It works for me.

2011 World Junior Champions Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin (to me) didn't show the same polish as Weaver and Poje even if they did have some great elements like intersecting twizzles and close footwork with good unison throughout. I thought their paso doble was a little sloppy at times, with rounded shoulders from Monko but the lifts these team does are really quite good. I find with these two that the focus always seems to be on Kirill instead of Ksenia and after a fifth place finish at Russian Nationals last year, I really didn't see anything that extraordinary in either their paso or "Sarabande" free dance to necessarily place them on the same playing field as teams like Gilles and Poirier and Hubbell and Donohue. Their sixth place free dance dropped them out of medal contention and left them in fourth place with a score of 143.48.

We remember the German ice dance team as those fun loving zombies who stole our hearts and BRAINS a couple of seasons a couple of seasons back? Last year, their programs were kind of lost on me and just didn't have the same spark as we'd seen when they were coming to get us, Barbara. Always unconventional and kind of reminding me a bit of Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, they showed up with more of a street (but certainly not pedestrian) short dance set to "La Maza" and "Ameksa" which was reminiscent of the "Caval Pata" street tango Lia Trovati and Russ Witherby skated one year at the Legends Competition. The judges didn't receive it well though and a score of 55.35 in the short dance made making up the ground they needed to medal a difficult task. Their "Swan Lake Reloaded" free dance had this cool little trip hop vibe going on and some neat lifts and although a delightful step back into the void, I think this team would find so much more success in professional competitions if there were more of those around today. I just can't see Yuri Balkov digging the trip hop, but then again... you never know what he taps his toes too. They finished the competition in fifth with a score of 140.95.

The next stop on the ISU Grand Prix Of Figure Skating is the LEXUS Cup Of China next weekend in Shanghai and I'm excited to be blogging about that event as well! There are lots of great skaters competing including Yuzuru Hanyu, Richard Dornbush, Misha Ge, Julia Lipnitskaia, Christina Gao, Gabby Daleman, Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang, Anna Capellini and Luca Lanotte, The Shibutani's and Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam. Be sure to stay tuned to Skate Guard this week for my interview with two time U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner! You are NOT going to want to miss it.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The Second Annual Skate Guard Hallowe'en Spooktacular

Skaters in the Guelph Figure Skating Club's 1980 "Fairytales On Ice" Carnival

It's the ghost wonderful time of the year! Hallowe'en has once again fallen upon us and all of you loyal Skate Guard readers know that means. It's time for a yearly Skate Guard tradition... The Annual Skate Guard Hallowe'en Spooktacular! Dim the lights enjoy this creepy collection of darker stories that have peppered skating's history through the years!

DIMOND CENTER

The Dimond Center is a mall located in Anchorage, Alaska that plays host to the Dimond Center Ice Chalet, an in-mall skating rink. The Ice Chalet offers the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Program in conjunction with the Alaska Association of Figure Skaters (AAFS). So you're thinking... run of the mill rink in a mall right? Not even close. According to More Than Horror, "the locals say that when the Dimond Center was first built in 2002 the grounds under it were Native American burial grounds. While digging up the grounds to build the mall, workers came across a few graves, but due the fact there was so few of them, they continued construction. People claim to see wolves roaming the halls and hearing the sound of flute music playing... the ghosts of people dressed in Native American clothing often appear to people in the hallways of the building. There is a evil presence in one of the stores that a lot of people are afraid of. They say it appears as a dark shadow and then a deep feeling of fear comes over whoever happens to be in the room... supposedly if you
try to stay in the room you will be pinched or hear a loud hiss in your ears." I suppose have its perks. If you take your kids to the Dimond Center to learn to skate, they are bound to have posture and gorgeously straight backs just like Dorothy Hamill. They'll have to... they'll be scared stiff!

GINBAN KALEIDOSCOPE

Written by Rei Kaibara and illustrated by Hiro Suzuhira, Ginban Kaleidoscope was a series of light novels that were adapted for Japanese television in 2005 and 2006 as an anime cartoon. The plot of both the books and television program revolves around Tazusa Sakurano, a Japanese figure skater and Olympic hopeful. At a figure skating competition in Canada, Sakurano falls on a triple lutz attempt and loses consciousness. At the exact instant Sakurano loses consciousness, Canadian stunt pilot Pete Pumps dies when his plane crashes as a result of mechanical failure. Like something straight out of The Exorcist, Pumps' spirit inhabits the Japanese figure skater's body for one hundred days... and she falls in love with him. The plot appears quite similar in some ways to Ice Angel, the 2000 made for TV movie which touches on the themes of reincarnation and figure skating. At any rate, if you're an Olympic hopeful and are going to be possessed, I suppose someone with a lot of experience in the air isn't exactly a bad fit. The moral of the story? Land that triple lutz or you just might end up spitting out pea soup everywhere, right?

CARLTON HOTEL SKY RINK

Another haunted rink? I couldn't possibly! This one's a little different though. After closing its doors in 1997, the Carlton Hotel Sky Rink in Johannesburg, South Africa has attracted its fair share of ghost hunters. Dirk Chalmers wrote "The Carlton Sky Rink is the creepiest place I've ever seen. If you're old enough you'll remember it differently, but today it manages to tick two boxes at once - rad party venue and the perfect spot to hide dead bodies. It's rough around the edges but it's pretty much the same place it was when my parents used to skate there back in the day. It just looks like nobody did much since then besides rip out the ice and switch the lights off. On our way out, we stopped by what is definitely the most horror movie appropriate room of them all: the shoe room, filled to the brim with dusty unused ice skates. Or perhaps... murder weapons..." The Carlton Hotel Sky Rink is actually a gutted former ice rink located on the top of an abandoned hotel - which was actually quite the high end affair in its heyday. Henry Kissinger, Hilary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Whitney Houston and Mick Jagger all took up temporary residence in the hotel at one time or another. The eerie calm of this abandoned and mothballed hotel with this spooky rink left over a decade ago to fall into disrepair just seem the perfect backdrop for a horror story, wouldn't you say? Who knows, maybe Kissinger, Thatcher or Houston return for a visit from time to time? Stranger things have happened. Ottavio Cinquanta's still around, after all.

AISLE 13: HALLOWE'EN HOLOCAUST GHOSTS

Revisiting "The Hallowe'en Holocaust: A Closer Look At The 1963 Holiday On Ice Explosion", we remember that in Lori Sankowsky's book "Ghost Hunter's Guide To Indianapolis", she recounts a story of her visit to what is now the Pepsi Coliseum - the site of the grisly October 31, 1963 Fairgrounds Coliseum explosion that killed eighty two people at a Holiday On Ice show. Like something off Most Haunted, Lori and her companion Keri heard audible clicks in the silence of the arena that stopped when they asked "is someone there?" and experienced sensations of overwhelming heat even though their infrared thermometer had not changed from their initial reading of sixty seven degrees. The book includes a photo showing a red orb appearing near aisle thirteen of the rebuilt arena where by accounts the apparition of a woman has been seen previously. Whether you believe in that kind of thing or not, it's certainly not the first time figure skating has had a haunted connection.

GHOSTS OF HOT ICE

The ice rink at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England is the oldest purpose built ice theatre and the world and has played host to the popular Hot Ice show for the last seventy years. It ALSO paid host to a team of paranormal investigators in 2002, when the popular British television program Most Haunted set up shop. Blackpool writer Juliette Gregson has claimed that she herself "heard someone or something skating on the ice... when I have gone to look nothing was there. Lights and equipment move of their own accord and doors have been wide open when they have closed with padlocks. Staff working late at night, walking across to the tractor bay, have felt really cold, chilled to the bone and an 'awful' presence." Doors which are wide open have slammed shut on their own acccord, despite there being no wind or breezes. Apparitions have even reportedly been seen in the rink's dressing rooms. With so many famous skaters connected to that rink as show performers in its seventy year run, it is almost impossible to guess just who just may be revisiting that rink. Could it be Betty Callaway, coach of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who while performing met her first (and later, third) husband Roy - a principal skater in the show - there? What about former Blackpool Pleasure Beach chairman Doris Thompson, who passed away just hours after the funeral of her son and managing director of the venue, Geoffrey Thompson? The secret just may stay safe... beyond the veil.

THE DEVIL WENT UP TO NEW JERSEY

In 1978, two teenage boys went skating near Chatsworth in the Barrens and smelled an odor like dead fish and saw two red eyes staring at them. They didn't stick around for tea but did claim they had encountered The Jersey Devil. On his website dedicated to research of the Jersey Devil legend, Dave Juliano explains more about this well known folklore figure: "The Jersey Devil, the supposed mythical creature of the New Jersey Pinelands, has haunted New Jersey and the surrounding areas for the past 260 years. This entity has been seen by over 2,000 witnesses over this period. It has terrorized towns and caused factories and schools to close down, yet many people believe that the Jersey Devil is a legend, a mythical beast, that originated from the folklore of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Others disagree with this point of view... There are many different versions of the birth of the Jersey Devil. One of the most popular legends says a Mrs. Shrouds of Leeds Point, NJ made a wish that if she ever had another child, she want it to be a devil. Her next child was born misshapen and deformed. She sheltered it in the house, so the curious couldn't see him. On stormy night, the child flapped its arms, which turned into wings, and escaped out the chimney and was never seen by the family again. A Mrs. Bowen of Leeds point said, 'The Jersey Devil was born in the Shrouds house at Leeds Point.'Another story that also placed the birth at Leeds Point said that a young girl fell in love with a British soldier during the Revolutionary War. The people of Leeds Point cursed her. When she gave birth, she had a devil. Some people believe the birth of the devil was punishment for the mistreatment of a minister by the Leeds folk." Whatever the case may be, I think we should leave this one for Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium to sort out. You won't catch me skating outdoors in New Jersey anytime soon, I'll tell you that.

I want to close this special Hallowe'en edition of the blog with one of MY all time favourite skating spooky skating performances, choreographed by the late and great Brian Wright. Here are World Professional Champions Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding skating to "Sadeness".

I hope you all have a wonderful Hallowe'en! The next blog will take a look at my thoughts from this weekend's Skate Canada competition in Kelowna, British Columbia and don't forget that next week I'll be featuring a fantastic interview with Olympic Bronze Medallist and two time U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The Hallowe'en Holocaust: A Closer Look At The 1963 Holiday On Ice Explosion

I've long been a fan of the wonderful work done by Allison Manley and PJ Kwong on their respective Manleywoman SkateCast and Open Kwong Dore podcasts. Considering I didn't have a sweet clue about interviewing people when I started the blog last year, I really admire and look up to both Allison and PJ for what they continue to accomplish in doing these important interviews. Sadly though, I hadn't found time to listen to a lot of the less recent ones. That all changed in June. I decided to take a break from my usual routine of listening to music while working my day job and went on a three week bender of playing catch up on many of the interviews I had missed. My jaw dropped and my head shook back and forth in sheer disbelief when I listened to Allison's 2008 interview with iconic coach Ron Ludington. I think I even said "what?" out loud. Ludington shared the story of what he called 'The Hallowe'een Holocaust', an explosion at the Fairgrounds Coliseum during a Holiday On Ice show on October 31, 1963 that injured four hundred and killed between seventy and ninety. How had I never heard of this horrible tragedy?!

After listening to Ludington's gruesome first hand account of the tragedy, I set out to learn more about what happened that day. It was one of Indiana's greatest tragedies. An archival article "1963 Coliseum explosion killed 74" from the Indianapolis Star provides detailed background on just what happened that day: "It was opening night for the Holiday on Ice show, with more than 4,000 spectators on hand. Propane, being used to keep pre-popped popcorn warm, was leaking from a faulty valve. At 11:04 p.m. an explosion sent bodies flying nearly 60 feet. A second blast took place a few minutes later, caused by heat rising and air rushing into the vacuumized area. The victims were either severely burned or crushed by concrete. Indianapolis was not equiped to handle the volume of dead. Coroner Dennis Nicholas elected to use the Coliseum as a makeshift morgue. The bodies were placed on plywood and lined up on the ice according to gender and age. Family members passed through the rows of bodies to identify their loved ones. Sixty five people were killed that evening and eight others would die in the days and weeks that followed. The 74th victim died Feb. 7, 1964. On Dec. 19, 1963, a Marion County grand jury indicted State Fire Marshal Ira J. Anderson and Indianapolis fire chief Arnold W. Phillips on misdemeanor charges of failing to inspect the Coliseum. Edward J. Franger, president of Discount Gas Corp; Fred Helms, Discount's vice president; Richard Ensign, Discount's Indianapolis manager; Coliseum manager Melvin Ross; and Coliseum concession manager Floyd James were charged with manslaughter. There was only one conviction. Franger was found guilty of assault and battery. That verdict was later overturned by the Indiana Supreme Court. In the end victims and survivors received about $4.6 million in settlements." Among the dozens who perished in the tragedy was former Lafayette mayor Dwight Keim.

Joe Young photo from the Indianapolis News of the Coliseum's ice surface being used as a morgue after the explosion

Thomas Drabek's case study "Disaster In Aisle 13 Revisited" states the explosion actually occurred at 11:06 PM and not 11:04 and provides the exact number of spectators of that fateful show as 4327, also correcting the death toll to eighty two in total, higher than the toll listed in the Indianapolis Star archival article and more in line with the number that Ludington suggests in his interview with Allison. He examines and theorizes in depth as to the social science behind disaster research with relation to the response to this particular tragedy.

As I continued to dig a little deeper, the details became even more macabre. Dale Burgess' article "Coliseum Explosion 62". Burgess explained that at the time of the explosion, the stars of the show were waiting behind the curtains for the show's later finale as an ensemble group performed "a gay Dixieland" number as bodies, many of them wrapped in mink, "erupted onto the ice". Almost reminiscent of Wallace Hartley and the other musicians of the Titanic playing music until the ship was lost beneath the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Burgess states that after the blasts "the band kept playing in the best tradition of show business, and the skaters hurried off the ice to make way for rescue teams". Walter Spangler, a Shriner who was in attendance that horrific night gave his account of the tragedy: ""About 90 percent of the crowd, like myself, were Shriners and their families. We were sitting almost directly opposite the explosion and the show was virtually over. Suddenly there was a dull thump. It wasn't an explosion as you usually think of one. There was no percussion. Immediately there was a tremendous column of fire - about 15 feet in diameter, and 40 to 50 feet high. Along with it was literally a column of bodies. I saw dozens of people flying through the air. Their arms and legs outspread. Then there was just screaming,"

Here's where things go from horrific to just plain unusual. In Lori Sankowsky's book "Ghost Hunter's Guide To Indianapolis", she recounts a story of her visit to what is now the Pepsi Coliseum. Like something off Most Haunted, Lori and her companion Keri heard audible clicks in the silence of the arena that stopped when they asked "is someone there?" and experienced sensations of overwhelming heat even though their infrared thermometer had not changed from their initial reading of sixty seven degrees. The book includes a photo showing a red orb appearing near aisle thirteen of the rebuilt arena where by accounts the apparition of a woman has been seen previously. Whether you believe in that kind of thing or not, it's certainly not the first time a rink has been considered haunted. I learned all about that when writing Skate Guard's Hallowe'en Spooktacular.

In any event, the tragedy known as 'The Hallowe'en Holocaust' may not be as well known as the horrific plane crash that killed the entire U.S. figure skating team only two years previously but like the victims of that fateful plane crash, the victims of that 1963 explosion at the Holiday On Ice show at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis absolutely deserve to be remembered.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The 2014 Skate America International Competition

When I started the blog, I had no intention of going down the yellow brick road of event recaps... then the Sochi Olympics and Saitama Worlds happened! "By popular demand", I hope you will enjoy the more extensive "event coverage" this year. I will be blogging about my thoughts on each of the six senior Grand Prix events, the Grand Prix Final, the European Championships, Four Continents Championships, World Junior Championships and of course, the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships set to take center stage from March 23-29, 2015 in Shanghai, China. Where the powers of be have decided in their infinite wisdom to again hold the Canadian and U.S. Nationals at the same time this coming January and I'm dead set on making the trip up to Kingston, Ontario this year, I don't know that I'll be able to follow the U.S. Championships closely if I'm in Kingston, but we'll see how things all play out. Bottom line... as much as professional and artistic skating is really my thing, I do still have an immense respect and appreciation for the efforts of these talented skaters competing in the ISU ranks and I know how many of you do as well, so I want to keep skating in the forefront as much as possible. If that means blogging about those cookie cutter IJS step sequences I despise so much, so be it. It's all about keeping skating in the forefront!

Please keep in mind with all the coverage of any competition on Skate Guard as always I'll post videos of some of the most standout performances. It's always possible that they might be geoblocked in your country, and for that I apologize. Around the time of major competitions, videos go up every minute and come down and get geoblocked just as fast. If you're unable to watch videos in your country, I've got some great advice for you. Go to YouTube, and under your search settings you can select 'Upload Date'. If you type in keywords for the competition or skater you want to see, you can narrow it down to 'Today' or 'This Week' and usually find just what you're looking for in minutes! And now, on to the event at hand...

The 2014 Hilton Honors Skate America was held in The Windy City of Chicago and I totally just said Chicago in a Chicago accent.

At twenty four years of age, last year's Skate America Champion Tatsuki Machida entered this competition fresh off his most successful season yet. Winning the silver medal at the World
Championships behind Olympic and World Champion Yuzuru Hanyu, Machida looked ready to ride and continue his time on the top. His short program was clean and featured a quad/triple combination and his free skate boasted two quads, a triple axel/triple toe-loop as well as three other triples. He earned a total score of 175.70 and repeated as this event's gold medallist.

After injecting a whole lot of life, energy and excitement into the skating world with his "Riverdance" free skate, the expectations on Olympic Bronze Medallist Jason Brown to come out and 'top' his material from last season were probably a bit of a tall order. Intelligently, he went in a different direction and "Juke" and "Tristan et Iseult". I personally feel not one but BOTH programs absolutely play to his advantages and artistically shine. Rohene Ward masterpieces? Can we even act surprised? Jason blew my mind at the Nebelhorn Trophy and I expected a lot of him at this event. He wasn't perfect, but let's just remember that this is October and not February or March. Rather than approach Jason's skating with Helen Lovejoy cries of "won't someone PLEASE think of the triple axel?", let's appreciate the great programs he's bringing to the table. His overall event score of 234.7 is nothing to scoff at.

The surprise to some of the event was the bronze medal winning performances of Canada's Nam Nguyen. A student of Brian Orser, Nguyen came out gangbusters at this event and couldn't put a foot wrong and made a bold statement that his time isn't the future, it's right now. He landed the quad and I have to say flat out that I thought his PCS score in the free skate of 71.64 (lower than Artur Gachinski?) didn't make a lick of sense to me. If he keeps skating like this, the judges are going to reward him duly. I thought he was just fantastic.

2014 Olympic Bronze Medallist Denis Ten told me "I had to deal with so many challenges and in particular with injuries for last two years. These problems sometimes didn't let me train properly and also to compete well at international competitions. However, when it's a very important event I know how to get myself together no matter what's going on." Ten finished in fourth at Skate America with a score of 224.74 but despite some errors in the free skate, I thought he showed some great fight for the landings. Ten has proven to be a slow and steady wins the race kind of skater who has peaked when it counted the last two years, so that's definitely something to keep in mind.

Changing his mind on retirement from ISU competition, the four time and reigning U.S. Champion and Olympic Bronze Medallist Jeremy Abbott returned to competition with a new "back to basics" strategy this season. He choreographed his own short program to Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" and worked with famed choreographer Sandra Bezic on his free skate to Samuel Barber's "Adagio For Strings". Jeremy was outstanding in the short program and finished second in that portion of the event with a score of 81.82. His short program (to me) proved case and point the argument why lyrics belong in competition. If entertainment and artistry draw in new fans, that's the whole point of it all. He unraveled a bit in the free skate and dropped to fifth overall, which I'm sure will give the sockpuppets of the internet plenty to go on about. While he did land five triples in his free skate, he just seemed a little off but it was his first time out of the gate with this program and I have every faith it'll come together for him. Artistically, the glimpses of genius were already there. My only other note about the men's event is that anytime Chafik Besseghier wants to show us his chesteses, he is more than welcome. Hay Girl Hay!

The buzz in the off-season has been about Russia's Elena Radionova. At fifteen years of age, she's won the last two Junior World titles and in her senior Grand Prix debut last season, she medalled at both of her assignments, including last year's Skate America. Again, she proved why she's the talk of the town here with challenging programs and her consistent triple/triple combinations. My criticism of Radionova's skating is that it almost looks like she's skating on a fast forward setting. While she hits absolutely stunning positions in her spins and without question has the jumps, the in-between's and choreography are not there just yet in my opinion - but that will come with time. There's a growing period for developing the style that takes you from juniors to seniors and while I feel her short program suits her well enough, the free skate isn't working for me and gives the impression of a young girl trying on her mother's dresses. It just doesn't aesthetically do it for me. I think the example I can give goes back to Tara Lipinski. I wasn't a big Tara fan in 1996, loved her in 1997 and then kind of went "meh" in 1998. If Radionova can channel her inner 1997 Tara Lipinski and package herself in a way that plays to her strengths (which are many) she might sway me to her camp but I think a lot of my opinion on her skating comes from - truth be told - maybe a little of my own ageism. At any rate, she won gold with 195.47 and served notice that although she's not queer, she's here and we're going to have to get used to it.

I've been thrilled that Liza Tuktamysheva has kind of been the comeback kid this season. Last year a tenth place finish at Russian Nationals derailed her Olympic hopes but rather than give up, she came back fighting... and that's what I like to see. I like her musical choices this season even if I do think the "Bolero" music is a little big for her britches choreographically perhaps. I'd like to see a bit more between the jumps in terms but she does have this very athletic package that reminds me a tiny bit of Debi Thomas and I don't know, I kind of like it. I'm just happy her and Alena Leonova are proving that they too are in this to win it this year and NOT to be met with dismissive narratives with little founding. Liza threw down two VERY strong programs, winning the short program in fact. Her overall score was 189.62 and the silver medal was hers.

We can't talk about Gracie Gold at Skate America without talking about the highlight of the whole competition... Frank Carroll in the kiss and cry. How awesome was that? I died! After some tentative skating in practice, Gracie actually really surprised me here. Despite a couple little blunders with a two footed jump and a problem on the spin in the short, her free skate might have got dinged for two many toe-loops but the jumping itself was actually just great. I can't say the programs themselves did a lot for me but as Carol Lane aptly said on CBC's coverage... "just because a program doesn't appeal to you style wise doesn't mean it's not a good program." Gracie took home the bronze and a score of 179.38.

Samantha Cesario told me that "one of my main goals is to perfect a triple/triple and up my technical side to keep up with the talent we have here in the U.S. as well as internationally. Another main goal is to improve on my skating skills and speed while continuing to bring entertaining programs to the audience." She threw down in Chicago with a free skate that featured seven triples, earning a score of 174.58. She's a mature, elegant skater and I think she's putting the U.S. ladies on notice that she's up for the challenge and a podium threat at Nationals this season.

After a disappointing 2014/2015 season that saw her deliver strong performances, finish third and be left off the U.S. team in favor of two time U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner, anyone else but Mirai Nagasu would have thrown in the towel. The 2008 U.S. Champion's determination to succeed was evident in her renewed focus and drive heading into this season, but a fifth place finish behind Polina Edmunds and Courtney Hicks at the U.S. International Classic earlier this fall wasn't the comeback that she had perhaps hoped for. The judges seem to love to nitpick Mirai's landings on jumps and as usual, for that reason she found herself out of favor with them. The skating itself was gutsy, inspired and athletic and I have a lot of respect for her for sticking with it. Her sixth place finish here "is what it is".

Maé-Bérénice Méité came into this event with the goal of "really getting better and better and to get better places on the Grand Prix". She finished sixth at Skate America in Detroit last year so her ninth place finish at this event wasn't a great event for her but the attack was as always there and I like her material this year. Another skater I wanted to mention was Brooklee Han. Although she finished tenth, her free skate was simply fantastic and much like Nguyen in the men's event, if she keeps skating like this the judges are going to have to take notice.

After missing the 2013/2014 season due to Smirnov's ruptired patellar tendon, Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov returned to - and won - their first competition of the season, the Nebelhorn Trophy, last month. I just love their free skate. It has this very sweeping old school quality and there is more than enough meat choreographically going on. Take that wonderful section before the overhead lift and throw triple loop for instance. It's got to be at least a Pasha on a scale of one to Angelika Krylova back row Carmen theatre face. Coming from me, that's a compliment. I'm the kind of skating fan who would have loved to have Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin turn their "Raputin" program into a full length TV special with Laetitia Hubert, Olga Markova, one of those Hallowe'en sound effects tapes, Toller Cranston, a smoke machine, confetti cannon, cash bar and the off off off Broadway cast of Cats. Their winning performances at this event were convincing and technically unreal. Although the speed might not have been there, a throw quad salchow is NOTHING to sneeze at and I think this team's storyline this season is one that is going to serve the skating world notice.

In winning silver in the pairs event ahead of the Chinese pair, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier were fantastic. The U.S. pairs are really stepping it up a notch and this particular team I think is really one to watch. I also predict a great future for Vanessa Grenier and Maxime Deschamps, who (despite some problems on the technical elements) showed flashes of brilliance and a lot of promise.

The ice dance event was all about the Americans, with Maia and Alex Shibutani squaring off with Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Both teams have impressive résumés and brought somewhat comparable styles to the table at this event. After a high energy crowd pleasing free dance set to Michael Jackson music last year, 'The ShibSibs' opted for a much more subdued style in their free dance set to ""Rosen aus dem Süden" and "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss. Chock and Bates also opted for a more traditional free dance set to "An American In Paris". Whereas the music choices might not have had me on the edge of my seat, the skating was anything but lifeless. I thought both teams brought a high technical standard to the table.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates' short dance didn't really work for me as a paso doble but I certainly appreciated (as always) their speed, lifts and carriage. With regard to their free dance to "An American In Paris", I again thought their speed and lifts were incredible and the closeness in their twizzles was something else. I didn't have any issue with their TES score... but PCS wise, the slow section was lovely but there's a certain contrived quality of the choreography that just didn't do it for me. The final up and down merry-go-round liftamigger in the program didn't work for me either. I think my opinion with regard to this team really comes down to the fact that "An American In Paris" was preceeded by "Les Mis" and "Doctor Zhivago". They are so technically good and the program choices that they continue to select are so far from what I personally go for that it's just hard for me to relate with their skating. That said, they are a damn good team and a score of 171.03 is certainly impressive.

Now... time to talk about the ShibSibs. I personally thought they should have won the short dance. Their free dance was a very effective program with great timing, expression, twizzles (which were confident, a highlight, full of speed and textbook) and character. What they did ON the ice as opposed in the air was far for more impressive than any acro-tactics we saw from some of their competitors. I can't say the waltz entirely grows on me as much as the Michael Jackson program did, but that said, it's a classic, effective program and I admire their sticktuitiveness. 160.33 and ten points back of first? Yeah, I don't know how I feel about that at all.

Stepanova and Bukin's "Eleanor Rigby" free dance was a complete fail for me, despite those badass sitting twizzles. However, I did enjoy that dance spin where she was... Stepanova him. The lifts were creative but the program lost steam and the innate connection between music and movement just wasn't there from start to finish. They won the bronze medal with a score of 143.87 (over twenty five points back of first) but I think the strength of their short dance should serve them well as they go through the season. Let's not forget how that worked for Cappellini and Lanotte in Saitama.

A couple of other notes... A huge jump for Paradis and Ouellette in the free dance. Marie-France Dubreuil has created some magic with this team and you can just see her influence in their skating. That closing rotational movement in their free dance was to die for and fourth place overall (coming from last after the short dance) was just crazy. Good for them! With regard to Orford and Williams, I love me some old school "Titanic" and actually skated to the soundtrack myself when that was the in thing in the late nineties. The program really caught my attention at the beginning but the jig section just needed a little more outward projection and camp for it to really sell itself more. The lifts were great and I think with a little fine tuning, this dance will be just fine by Nationals.

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