Heinrich Harrer And Sir Basil Gould: Walking On Knives In Lhasa

Heinrich Harrer photo; published in National Geographic

In 1946, Austrian mountaineer, explorer, champion skiier and author Heinrich Harrer first laid eyes on Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. On the run from a World War II British prison camp, he endured a harrowing journey over sixty one mountain passes in twenty one months before arriving in the city of gold. A 2006 article in The Economist published shortly after his death in 2006 explained that Harrer "had travelled by yak and on foot; he was now verminous and starving, in rags of sheepskin, crippled with sciatica from sleeping on frozen ground, and without a rupee to his name. But gold shone ahead of him."

Taking refuge in the city usually strictly off limits to foreign visitors, Harrer made fast friends with none other than the Dalai Lama and in a few short months, became his photographer and teacher. Early in his stay, he built a skating rink on a frozen second of the Kyi River below the Potala Palace and reportedly introduced the art of "walking on knives" - ice skating - to the Lhasan people. The 2006 Economist article explains "the Dalai Lama, who could not see the rink through his telescope, sent a request for a cine-film of the skaters. Then he asked for a cinema. Mr Harrer built him one, running the projector off an old Jeep engine, and discovered at his first proper audience with the living Buddha that the boy had already dismantled and re-assembled it, all by himself."

A 1955 National Geographic article by Harrer "Escaping from internment in India to the sacred capital of Tibet, an Austrian became the Dalai Lama's trusted tutor" provided more information about Harrer's reported introduction of skating to the Tibetan people. The article explains that Harrer organized skating parties with the Lhasan people after finding several pairs of ice skates left in the city by British diplomats and that the reason the Dalai Lama, who lived much of his life in isolation from the Lhasan people, could not see the skating parties on the Kyi because his view was obstructed by Chagpori Hill, which is pictured in Harrer's photo. The skaters pictured are Wangdula, a monk officer and close friend of Harrer, a member of India's mission in Lhasa and Lobsand Samten, the Dalai Lama's own brother.

Harrer achieved greatness in his long life (he lived to be ninety three) and was part of the four man team that made the very first ascent of the North Face of Switzerland's Eiger mountain and the author of "Seven Years In Tibet", the 1952 book about his experiences in Tibet that was later turned into a popular film starring Brad Pitt. Despite his remarkable achievements and experiences, he was indeed a Schutzstaffel sargeant and a member of the Nazi Party, which he later described as an error he made in his youth when he had not yet learned to think for himself. After seven years in Tibet (you know, like in the book), Harrer mountaineered in Alaska and the Andes, won two Austrian national golf titles and even explored the Amazon River with King Leopold III of Belgium - yes, the same King Leopold III we talked about earlier in the story about in the story about Liselotte Landbeck. It all comes back to skating, doesn't it? Funny that.

Harrer's reported introduction of ice skating to the people of Tibet left a legacy that continues to this day in the Buddhist community. The video below shows monks and citizens alike ice skating around the statue of Guru Rinpoche on the lake outside the temple at Lerab Ling, a Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Centre near Montpellier, France.

Here's where things get interesting. Let's back that train up a little. Heinrich Harrer arrived in Tibet in 1949, right? Remember those skates he found that were left in Lhasa by British diplomats that he reportedly used to teach the Tibetans how to ice skate? Well, they weren't just skates left behind in someone's luggage nor skates only used by those British diplomats. The BFI National Film Archive hosts three silent films shot by Sir Basil Gould. Gould took up post as the Political Officer of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet in 1935. In one of the videos of his diplomatic visits to the Tibetan city from 1936 to the early 1940's, we see... yes, you guessed it... children playing on the ice on their shoes and one of them flying by on what appear to be ice skates. It's right at the very end of the video for those of you in a hurry to read on, but take the time and watch! It's a cool video!

All of this poses an interesting question - if it wasn't Harrer who introduced the children of Lhasa to ice skating was it Gould or one of his contemporaries? It's quite the mystery and there's really a certain intrigue and charm to the whole idea of monks ice skating in Tibet, isn't there? One thing is for sure. As we see ice rinks popping up in some of the more unexpected areas of the world like Brazil and Argentina, India, the Middle East and several very warm weather parts of Africa, skating is becoming a more international sport by the day and the glide of an edge is proving to be a universal language that people from all corners of the the world can appreciate.

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.

Interview With Lorraine Borman

PSA Master Rated Coach Lorraine Borman may not have seen it all, but she's sure seen most of it. She not only coached Rosalynn Sumners from the grassroots level to a World title and Olympic silver medal in the eighties but was also the coach of one of the most brilliant choreographers figure skating has EVER seen: Brian Wright. Now working with skaters in Mexico, she continues to inspire a new generation of skaters to achieve their goals in the sport. It was my privilege to have the opportunity to talk to Lorraine about everything from her coaching philosophy to working with Roz to the state of figure skating today. Grab yourself that cup of tea you've been craving and settle in for an absolutely must read interview!:

Q: You're a PSA Master Rated Coach with almost fifty years of experience in your field. What is your coaching philosophy?

A: First and foremost, I want my skaters to enjoy the journey no matter how far it takes them and the passion for skating. I like to develop the skating skills and component mark almost before the technical aspect. To me, to watch a skater just skate with beautiful edges and grace excites me more than a quad jump even though a quad is impressive. The skater should be a package and with all qualities in technique and artistry. Last but not least, parents invest a lot of money in their skater and the skater invests themselves into the coach, therefore it is the coaches responsibility to make sure that the skater gets 100% of the coaches competence and attention.

Q: What keeps you motivated to get out there on the ice?

A: What motivates me to on the ice everyday is a very easy question to answer. First it is my love for the sport and all that is encompasses. Second is coaching students that are willing to put effort into achieving their goals. I love what I call 'sponge students' or those who absorb everything you are teaching them and transferring it to the ice. Skaters that are willing to learn, show constant improvement, and have the proper perspective on the sport and are a pleasure to be associated with.

Q: How did you end up coaching south of the border?

A: My husband and I moved to Merida, Yucatan to retire and believe it or not, there is a nice size mall rink here in Merida. Well, there was no retiring for me when there is a rink in near distance to me.

Feature from the 1984 Olympics that includes footage of Lorraine and Rosalynn working together

Q: I want to continue, of course, by talking about your work coaching and choreographing Rosalynn Sumners. You trained her to win the World Junior title, three U.S. titles, Skate America, the 1983 World title and of course the 1984 Olympic silver medal. What made and makes Rosalynn such a special skater and what can you share about your time working with her that still resonates with you today?

A: Rosalynn is a talented athlete who fell in love with skating and had a burning desire to be the best she could be. We took the journey from beginning to end together. Rosalynn's trust in me as her coach and my belief in her as a skater is what made her a champion. She had a work ethic that no one else had and loved to come in and train everyday. As a young skater, her energy and personality made it very easy to choreograph for her and train her. Her loyalty and trust in me is what is the glue for us still today.

from the January 18, 1984 New York Times article "The Zayak-Sumners Matchup" by Neil Amdur

Q: There was certainly a lot of media coverage at that time that centered around an intense rivalry between Rosalynn and Elaine Zayak. Was it invented or something tangible in your opinion?

A: The media coverage of Elaine and Rosalynn is really what created the rivalry and because of that it made it tangible. I always coached Rosalynn to focus on herself when competing and if she did the job she was capable of, the outcome would be satisfied. We never thought about "we have to beat Elaine", she was just one of many competitors in the competition.

Q: I've always been just jaw on the floor in awe of the choreography that Brian Wright created. You coached him at the Seattle Skating Club and I actually found a quote from a 2003 Seattle Post article where you said "The first time he tried a triple loop, he landed it. The first time he tried a triple toe, he landed it." What made Brian Wright so special as a student and a person?

A: Brian Wright was a very special person on and off the ice. He was extremely gifted in athleticism and just loved to skate for enjoyment and perform. We were very close when he was young and taking from me and we would play all the time to different music and different styles of skating on the ice. He really embraced the idea of being different and exploring. Brian had a great sense of humor and we had many, many laughs. He touched many people and he is sorely missed.

Q: Having obviously spend hundreds of hours teaching both, what are your thoughts on the current IJS system as compared to the 6.0 system? What works and what doesn't?

A: Oh boy... IJS versus 6.0. I now believe the new system has improved the judging of skating but it still has a way to go. The ISU changes rules far too much within the four years between Olympics. I believe if the ISU decides rules after the Olympic year, these rules should stay for four years and not change every year. Small changes my be necessary but every year they change the spin rules and I feel that the skater doesn't have time to develop these new rules every year. I also did not like the footwork rules for a long time because everyone looked the same but choreographers are getting more innovative and are making the footwork a little more interesting.

Q: What can you share about your own skating career?

A: I was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in Kelowna, British Columbia. I started skating at four years old and Barbara Ann Scott opened our new ice arena when I was four. Kelowna was a small town when I grew up and we only skated six months of the year. My defining moment of skating is when I saw the World Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver. I was twelve years old and I said to my mother, "I am going to coach a World Champion".

Lorraine with other coaches in Mexico

Q: And you did. Of the skaters competing 'at the top' today, who excites you the most to watch?

A: There are so many good skaters today but I just love Tatsuki Machida, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Denis Ten.

Q: What about your three favourite skaters of all time?

A: I have four most favourite skaters. Rosalynn Sumners, Torvill and Dean, Robin Cousins and Janet Lynn. The commonality of these skaters are power, consistency and wonderful performance quality.

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

A: What most people don’t know about me is that I used to be a hurdler in track and a competitive swimmer. Also, I am now becoming a budding artist.

Q: What's the biggest lesson that figure skating has taught you about life?

A: The most valuable lesson figure skating has taught me is to never give up and any to be able to cope with tough life lessons.

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 Danielle Earl

Aside from the odd say something selfie, I can't say I have much experience in the photography business. That's actually putting it mildly. In honesty, I pretty much can't snap a good picture to save my life. That's probably why I'm even more in awe of the brave souls that spend hours upon hours in cold ice rinks with camera in hand taking beautiful pictures of skaters. Danielle Earl from Waterloo, Ontario is quickly making quite the name for herself for doing just that. It was my absolute pleasure to have chance to talk to his new kid on the skating photography block about why she does what she does, her background in figure skating and so, so much more in what is actually the first interview with a skating photographer I've had here on the blog. I think you're going to love reading!:

Q: Believe it or not, but you're the first photographer that I've interviewed on the blog. No pressure or anything. First questions first, what first drew you the art of photography?

A: I'm flattered that I;m the first one! No pressure, eh? Originally, what drew me to photography was trying to help out a friend, but after I continued for a while it ended up being the challenge of freezing the perfect moment in time though my go-to answer is that I just really like pushing buttons and taking pictures means I get to make my living pushing a button; BEST JOB EVER! Now, I find it is less about the technical aspect of photography (because really, it's pretty much just dealing with varying degrees of crappy lighting) and more about the connections I make with the skaters and their families and the memories that I am able to capture. It can be about celebrating the great moments and finding the positive in the not so great moments. Maybe I just like to have the ability to freeze time.

Q: What can you share about your own background in skating? Were you a skater yourself and how did you get started in the figure skating photography business?

A: I skated from age four to eighteen with very little success. I was in the STARSkate stream but rarely competed and never really got a consistent axel or double jumps, though I like to think that I may have landed a couple of double toes at some point. I basically skated for fun and exercise and the social aspect of it all. I ended up quitting because I had a weird freak fall at an ice show rehearsal when I was about sixteen and I ended up seriously injuring my tailbone, which caused (and still causes) me severe back pain. Naturally, since I wasn't really able to skate much, I transitioned into the photography side fairly easily. I have taken photos of skating since I was fourteen. I started out taking a photo of my friend's pair tryout for her Mom to put on Facebook and was immediately hooked. I used every opportunity that I could to get to the rink and practice taking photos, mostly Saturday night pairs sessions at the Kitchener/Waterloo Skating Club. I still try to get to the rink to watch and photograph when I have a free weekend. The Western Ontario Section sponsor photographer hired me when I was fourteen and I worked for him for about five years, which was when I decided that I was going to commit myself full time to building a business. Here I am, just chugging along and hoping for the best!

Q: What have been the most rewarding and in contrast frustrating parts of what you do?

A: Oh man. The most rewarding…. Easy. The people. All of the wonderful skaters and parents and people that I've met over the past few years have made this so, so worthwhile. It's not easy to spend fourteen plus hours a day standing rinkside with hardly any breaks but when I see people's reactions to my photos, the hard stuff becomes less hard. I've seen many a parent cry with pride over photos that I've taken of their child. The ability to give that gift to someone is incomparable. Also, on a purely selfish note, I always just feel so privileged to be able to capture the culmination of all the hard work and dedication skaters put into this sport. I am forever in awe of what skaters of all levels can do and I'll never get over how lucky I am to be trusted to capture that talent, work ethic and drive in a photo that lasts forever. The most frustrating part of what I do is trying to educate people on photo etiquette. By that, I mean trying to educate people that what I do and what other photographers do is a commodity and that, as hard as it may be to understand, taking my images for free is not okay. That's the most frustrating part because I never want to offend someone and call him or her out for taking a photo without paying for it, but at the same time I need to stand up for myself and say "Hey! This is how I make a living and the more photos you steal, the less I'm going to be able to afford to travel to competitions and photograph you in the future." It’s a bit of a struggle for me at the moment.

Q: You've obviously had chance to meet a who's who of Canadian figure skating through the work you do. What is the funniest experience you've had with a skater?

A: This is actually such a hard question! I can’t pinpoint a specific experience that has been the most hilarious. I have great moments all the time with skaters and I feel like to pick one out of the crowd would be belittling all the other funny moments I've had with other people.

Q: Where you are not only taking great pictures of skating but also in turn watching a hell of a lot of it, you've obviously got an opinion like me, Tom, Dick Button, Harry and everyone else. What direction do you think the sport needs to go in to ultimately get more bodies in those seats at competitions again?

A: I think that it comes down to the skaters being more accessible, but in a positive way. When I edit photos I watch a lot of YouTube so that I can stay focused on the task at hand. I suspect this is a product of the technology era I was born in, but it works for me! One of the YouTube channels I watch is the Broadway.com channel and they have top Broadway stars doing weekly vlogs to show the behind the scenes of their show and the theatre and the people they work with to make the shows so amazing. To me, this bring a whole new level of accessibility to the stars and people end up getting invested in their lives, which in turn can make them want to see the show which equals more bums in seats. In skating times past, the atmosphere between competitors was not always civil, which provided drama and intrigue for the casual watcher. Who doesn't know the Nancy and Tonya story? Now, the skaters are all friends for the most part, so that drama and excitement is mostly gone. This is where something like what Broadway.com is doing with their vlogs would be really cool. It would be up to the athlete to get the footage and then they can send it to someone somewhere to get it edited and uploaded once a week to give people something to get invested in. The only thing people are currently investing in is the expensive tickets to see the skaters that they hardly know anything about other than their skating stats and the tiny glimpses they get on Twitter and Facebook. I think social media is very powerful and has the power to draw in a younger, broader audience if used appropriately. I also think that if ticket prices were a little lower then they would sell more as well, but of course that's usually based on the venue cost.

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

A: My answer to this is always "the one I’m currently watching", which is completely true, but I do have a particular fondness for Tessa and Scott. There's something magical about them on the ice that I just can't explain. I'm also a big fan of Katia Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov in pairs, Patrick Chan in men as well as Sasha Cohen and Joannie Rochette in women. That's definitely more than three but I honestly can’t pick!

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

A: I am probably one of the most shy, introverted people you will ever meet and I get very anxious and nervous when talking to people, so if I ever say something really dumb when speaking to you it's because I'm mentally freaking out. Also, I was a choir nerd in high school and I am obsessed with musicals. My sister and I have seen "Anne Of Green Gables" in Charlottetown ten times. I have a secret dream of being in a production one day. I'm currently obsessed with the soundtracks from "Matilda: The Musical" and Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella".

Q: What are the biggest lessons that both figure skating and photography have taught you in life?

A: The biggest lessons I have learned… definitely the power of hard work, practice, patience and perseverance even when things aren't going your way.

Want to check out Danielle's work? Visit her website at http://www.danielleearlphotography.com. I think you'll be quite impressed!

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.

Henry Eugene Vandervell, Figure Skating Pioneer

Photo courtesy BIS Archives

Henry Eugene who, you ask? Henry Eugene Vandervell may not be a name that resonates with you or rolls right off your tongue, but without the important pioneering and inventive work of his nineteenth century Briton, skating quite definitely may not have evolved into what it is today.

Born in 1824, Henry Eugene Vandervell was a British gentleman who, with Thomas Maxwell Witham, famously penned the 1869 book "A System Of Figure-Skating: Being The Theory And Practice Of The Art As Developed In England, With A Glance At Its Origin And History". He also designed a skate with a curved radius, fixed to the boot instead of strapped on, at the tender age of sixteen, almost fifteen years before he joined The Skating Club in London.

Although Henry and Thomas' much talked about book was not the first detailed text on the subject of skating (British Second Lieutenant Robert Jones of the Royal Artillery published the world's first instructional book on the sport in 1772), it was certainly one of the first to offer really thorough instruction and education to would-be skaters. Offering a healthy dose of figure skating history of the time including a look at the Regent's Park Tragedy and Jackson Haines, the book also amusingly sports chapters with names like "The Combination Of The Inside And Outside, Or Vice Versa, Forwards Or Backwards On One Foot, Called Also The Serpentine Line", "The Skating Club Figures", "Loops And Q's", "Alternating Movements" and perhaps most interestingly, a chapter on "Nondescript Figures" such as "The Canadian figure", "Imitation of the ordinary walk", "the Mercury figure" and "Cutting out a name". The diagrams of the school figures therein the book are really quite concise considering what you might expect in the 1860's and although the changes of direction, edge and what foot is used are clearly marked, the actual turns used are marked by little black and white footprints.

If you do a little more digging in the book, you learn that Henry and Thomas actually invented the Counter and Bracket turns during the winter of 1860 and 1861 after finding themselves on the Long Water at Kensington Gardens that winter studying the differences of major turns and edges. The Counter and Bracket turns (along with the Rocker) were in the interim of Henry and Thomas' book being published then introduced to the more traditional and staunch English Style of figure skating in the coming years. They soon caught on in figure skating's Continental Style of the era and were later represented in the 1881 book "Spuren auf dem Eise: die Entwicklung des Eislaufes auf der Bahn des Wiener Eislauf-Vereines" by von D. Diamantidi and M. C. V. Korper. The latter book's illustrations and instructional diagrams of school figures would prove to be those later adapted and used in world competition.

Henry's writing and invention of the Counter and Bracket turns with Witham wouldn't prove to be his only important contributions to figure skating. In 1880, he would pioneer the concept of testing by developing bronze, silver and gold tests for Britain's then National Skating Association which was based in Cambridge, England. T.D. Richardson shared a letter by Henry to his friend Montagu Sneade Monier-Williams written on Hallowe'en 1900 and inscribed as a dedication in a copy of his book which was later donated to the Isthmian Library: "To my friend, H. E. Vandervell. As a token of admiration and respect. First, in the sixties, to lay the foundation of Scientific figure-skating, and today still foremost in the encouragement of every progressive movement in the Skating World. The letter in question contains the following: The first class test gave me a lot of anxiety. The object I had in view was to entice the skater... and to give him a little pat on the back as he went forward to the desired end... The N.S.A. figure tests were originally designed to take in the masses as well as the classes. The former never appear to have caught on to any extent, but it might be well to remember that we had their interests at heart if they knew what was good for them!" Much like Henry's other contributions, the concept of testing gained popularity internationally. As we all know, it is really the cornerstone of development for skaters at all levels. Those of us who have skated have all taken tests and a generation from now, I'm certain those to come will too.

It must have come as a shock to Henry and the disciples of that rigid, straight legged, corseted "English Style" when between 1865 and 1870, an American named Jackson Haines, with a style that was a complete polar opposite of what Henry was practicing, arrived in Great Britain showing off the free skating he had popularized with skaters on the continent. Whether or not he was impressed at the time or not, Henry was forced to consider the possibilities of what would come to be known as Continental Style skating when he invented a three-tier test system and served as the Chairman of the National Skating Association's Ice Figure Committee for close to three decades.

Henry passed away on September 3, 1908 but his impact lived on. He was remembered posthumously with an induction into the World Figure Skating Hall Of Fame in 2015. One also can't forget the Vandervell Trophy, which was presented to Great Britain's National Skating Association in 1951 by his sons, to be awarded to the British skater who gave the best performance each year. The first winner of this trophy in Henry's memory was 1952 Olympic Gold Medallist Jeanette Altwegg. In years to come the trophy would be won by speed skaters and figure skaters alike. My understanding is that it is still presented to this day and I'm sure someone with such a passion for the sport's early development is looking down smiling at 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 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 Nineties Comebacks That Never Were

In one of the very first blogs on Skate Guard which was called "Come Back, Come Back, Whoever You Are", I took a look at some of the sport's greatest comebacks. Four of the six were in the nineties and three of those as a result of the ISU's decision to allow professional skaters to return to the eligible ranks in time for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, Josee Chouinard, Viktor Petrenko, Midori Ito, Elaine Zayak, Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur and Susie Wynne and Russ Witherby were among the well known skaters to take advantage of this opportunity and as we know, the results varied.

As we looked at in the first serving of "Figure Skating Hodge Podge", there were other skaters who were perhaps lesser known who also attempted comebacks during that period. Here's the blurb on two of those skaters: "Vern Taylor, a three time medallist at the Canadian Nationals in the seventies and the first person recognized to have successfully landed a triple axel in competition at the 1978 World Championships, furnished a comeback of his own. Competing at the 1994 Canadian Nationals, he did not crack the top 10 but still showed he could do triple jumps and his love for the sport. Two years later, Shannon Allison, who won the bronze medal behind Liz Manley and Charlene Wong at the 1988 Canadian Nationals and effectively just missed a trip to the Calgary Olympics, came back as well in 1993. Like Vern, her comeback wasn't as victorious as her previous efforts. She was struck with bronchial pneumonia and finished eleventh at the 1996 Canadian National Championships, which she qualified for by finishing second at the Western Canadian Championships that year. Allison happily moved on and returned to coaching and her education." Now, I wanted to talk a bit about some of the comebacks that never got off of the ground.

The initial deadline for applications to reinstate was April 1, 1993. According to an April 2 article in The New York Times, "As the deadline for amateur reinstatement passed yesterday, the United States Figure Skating Association received an application from Christopher Bowman, who finished fourth at the 1992 Olympics at Albertville, France, and a surprise from the past." That eleventh hour application certainly would have been something if it had actually transpired. Keeping in mind Bowman had only turned professional and started touring with the Ice Capades after the 1992 Oakland Worlds, he still very well could have been competitive with Boitano, Scott Davis and Mark Mitchell in 1994 had his demons not continued to haunt him.

One skater who seriously considered reinstatement but opted not to was Olympic Silver Medallist Liz Manley. In her 1999 book "As I Am: My Life After The Olympics" she explained in detail the reasons behind both her considering and deciding against the idea of returning to the eligible ranks: "When I began to work with Jozef (Sabovcik) and suddenly got my triple axel back, the thought of participating in another Olympics was tempting... After Michael (Rosenberg) spoke to David Dore, he told me the CFSA wasn't enthusiastic about my desire to return to amateur status... in retrospect, I think they simply had too much time and money invested in Josee... After a dismal showing at the 1992 Olympics, I believe the CFSA was under a great deal of pressure to produce another medallist and had groomed Josee for the role. For a couple of years leading up to the Olympics, Josee had been promoted endlessly to the media and fans alike. Even without an agent, she had a string of commercials and endorsements going into the Games and it must have been the CFSA that was behind that. They had much riding on a good showing from her. When it looked as if I was going to appear back on the scene, it just didn't fit into their plans.." Manley also said that CFSA (now Skate Canada) was unwilling to offer her a bye through Sectionals and Divisionals to Nationals and cited that as a deterrent. Ultimately, missed income from professional skating proved to be the last nail in the coffin in Manley's decision not to ultimately come back and compete in Lillehammer. She said "If I only had myself to think about, the prospect wouldn't have seemed so daunting. But I was also responsible for my mother. We had a mortgage to pay and the small stipend I would receive from the CFSA just wouldn't cut it. As excited as I had been about the possibility of competing at another Olympics, the thought of struggling again to make ends meet was enough to change my mind." It would have something though... and with Liz landing the lutz, sal and toe quite consistently in 1993-1994, she certainly could have been competitive.

After the success and television ratings of the skaters that reinstated for the Lillehammer Olympics, the deadline was later extended to April 1, 1995. This allowed other skaters to consider their options and was when Midori Ito and Josee Chouinard decided to return. Some skaters, like Brian Orser were quite content where they were. Brian told me "I think I entertained the idea for about thirty seconds! It was very brave for these 'greats' to come back, but for me I wanted to continue on the direction and path I was already on." Others who were having success in professional competition thought they were up for the challenge. In a post skate interview in the fall of 1994 after her technical program at the 1994 U.S. Open Masters Cup, Rory Flack told interviewer Nicole Watson "I'll actually be with Worcester with Nutcracker On Ice and it will be my last professional tour and then after that, I'll reinstate and see how that goes." Considering Rory was landing all of her triple jumps through lutz in the mid nineties and hadn't achieved high results in competition during her eligible career, I think she could have fared well had she have opted to return, but with those massive split jumps and her backflip professional competition was so well suited to her and I'm happy she decided to stick with it and had the opportunities she did! Maya Usova and Alexander Zhulin, who had turned professional following their silver medal win in Lillehammer and won the 1994 World Professional Championships in Landover, Maryland. had at one point stated that they intended to reinstate and compete at the Nagano Olympics but opted to stay in the professional world. Other names that were tossed around at the time were Mark Mitchell and Natasha Kuchiki. Another highly speculated comeback was that of 1994 Olympic Gold Medallist Oksana Baiul, who many expected to return after a difficult year on the pro circuit but was absent from the list of reinstated skaters presented by the ISU in April 1995.

Just as Bonnie Raitt belted out "let's give them something to talk about // a little mystery to figure out", here's a mystery alright! According to a September 20, 1997 article in The New York Times by Jere Longman, Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov, the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Gold Medallists also had dreams of returning to the eligible ranks. After obtaining Swiss citizenship in 1995, the married couple dreamed of performing at the Nagano Games and representing Switzerland. I love this quote from Oleg Protopopov (then in his mid sixties): "Even if we are in the last car of the train, we are still moving with the train. Medals don't matter. I keep mine in a chocolate box. Our motivation is to show people that at our age you can still be strong and mentally and physically in good health.'' The deadline for applications to reinstate had already passed though and Cinquanta - who had succeeded Olaf Poulsen who was ISU President at the time the reinstatement rule came into play - wasn't about to make any exceptions. Oleg Protopopov's response?: "These are not the last Olympics. Why not Salt Lake City? We already have two gold medals. We are not in a hurry.'' Okay, can I just say how much I love that? Sadly, their comeback never happened but we have been blessed to see them skate at the annual Evening With Champions show at Harvard University as recently as the year before last.

Part of the draw to get professional skaters to return was the introduction of prize money to eligible events at a time when many skaters were making a very comfortable living from appearance fees and prize money at pro competitions. The ISU even tried to cash in on the popularity of professional skaters by getting involved with pro-am and open competitions, but many of these lacked the luster of the professional only events as the professional skaters struggled with performing ISU short programs whereas the some of the "amateur" skaters presented interpretive free skates that never would have held up in professional competition in terms of performance quality. While it would have been fascinating to see how some of these nineties comebacks that never were would have played out, the reality of the matter is that back then when professional skaters HAD many opportunities to compete outside of the auspices of the ISU and IJS things were ultimately VERY different. That's a whole other can of worms I've already gotten into more than once... but with the recent U.S. Open announcement things seem to be turning around beautifully.

Times have changed and the lines between "amateur" and professional are blurry at best. Applying for reinstatement is nothing now. You just fill out a form. That said, we always wonder about the stories 'that never were'. Which of these nineties comebacks that never happened would have fared the best in your opinion? I want to know your thoughts!

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.

Interview With Roxanne Rheault

It's been a long road for 2011 Canadian Junior Champion Roxanne Rheault. Illness and injury slowed her progress in competition, but an impressive fourth place finish on the senior level at this year's Canadian Championships in Kingston, Ontario proved without a doubt that she is in it to win it and back in top form. I think you're really going to like this interview. Roxanne was refreshingly candid about her journey so far, goals for the future, life off the ice and much more. If you're not a fan yet, I guarantee you that you will be when you finish reading:

Q: You've had a momentous career to date, winning national titles in Canada on both the juvenile and junior levels and earning your best finish on the senior level (fourth place) at this year's Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Kingston, Ontario. Of your accomplishments so far, what moments are you proudest of?

A: It always feels really good when you succeed because you know the hard work has paid off. The one that I'm the most proud of is probably this year. Considering the fact that it was a little difficult these past two years because of a mononucleosis and some toe and ankle injuries, I'm happy I have been able to come back stronger! The National Team has always been one of my dreams and now I can finally say that I am a part of it!

Q: You really upped the game technically this year, adding a triple/triple combination to your jump arsenal and going for the triple lutz and two triple flips in your free skate. What do you feel your strongest jumps are and on which have you been really hoping to improve?

A: My best jumps are the toe, the flip and the lutz. I'm working on my double axel/triple toe and triple toe/triple toe. It's getting better every day! What I improved the most this year is my consistency on all of my jumps and on my confidence. I'm still working on it with a mental trainer!

Q: You are coached by Annie Barabé, Sophie Richard, and Yvan Desjardins at the Champions Training Centre at Contrecoeur. What makes your skating club the best out there?

A: I think that we have a big and complete team with a lot of coaches that have their own speciality. Annie's team is recognized for the elegant and "polished" skaters but the most beautiful thing with this team is that we are basically like a family!

Q: What are your ultimate goals in skating and what are your focuses in training right now?

A: One of my goals is to be ready this summer and maybe get an international competition. I'm changing my short program and I would like to incorporate the triple lutz. Like I said, I'm working on my double axel/triple toe and triple toe/triple toe too.

Q: You've got a very elegant movement to your skating. Is dance something you'd ever pursue?

A: I have always been an artistic person that loves to dance on and off the ice. I planned to start doing ballet this year and if I had more time in my schedule I would like to do some other style of dance. If I wasn't a skater, I would probably be a dancer!

Q: On a stormy night, what book would you most like to be curled up reading and what would your midnight snack that went with it be?

A: I really like to read the same old book that makes me smile, dream and believe in my craziest dream over and over again. This book is "The Secret" and my snack would be slices of apple and hot chocolate.

From the vaults: Roxanne's winning performance on the juvenile level at Canadian Nationals in 2007

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

A: My favourite skater has always been Cynthia Phaneuf. Whenever she was skating, either she was having a good performance or a bad one, she was always giving her 100% to make everyone believe the story she was trying to tell by her skating. She was like a model for me and I was lucky enough to have the chance to skate with her. When I was younger, I also really liked Sasha Cohen for her unique skills of arabesque. I'm not a flexible person so I always found her amazing! Finally, I really like Kaetlyn Osmond. I think she is dynamic, powerful and she always gives a show when she`s on the ice!

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

A: I'm a comic, funny person but when I'm in front of people I don't know or in a public area, I become shy. But as soon as I'm comfortable, I start joking around and make everyone laugh. I think that's what I like the most in life: to make people laugh!

Q: What is the most important lesson skating has taught you?

A: Finally, the most important thing that skating has taught me is that if you believe you can do it, you will and if you do what you love in life with your heart, it always have better results.

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.

The 2015 World Championships: The Good, The Bad And The #NoSheBetterDont

In the post U.S. and Canadian Nationals, European Championships and Four Continents Championships blogs, I introduced a new format for event recaps: The Good, The Bad And The #NoSheBetterDont. To repeat my reasoning behind the brevity, this autumn I spent hours upon hours recapping all six ISU Grand Prix competitions and the Grand Prix Final in detail. Here's the thing. Agonizing over Suzie Salchow's take-off edge on her flip and the level of her spin combination really isn't my bag any more than jamming my hand in a car door is. I wanted to enjoy the competitions for the rest of the season rather than extrapolate the results to death but still wanted to represent all the major competitions with content on the blog as well... which brings us to the final competition recap of the season. I'd say the last event recap but that would be a lie. I'll have a full review from the opening night of the 25th Anniversary of Canada's Stars On Ice tour in here in Halifax coming for you in May! This year's World Figure Skating Championships were a roller coaster of highs, lows and everything in between so I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and dive into the highlights of the Shanghai, China competition:

A FIRST FOR CHINA: The unprecedented boom in popularity of figure skating in the last decade is undoubtedly due to the success of Japanese, Korean and Chinese athletes in international competition. With packed arenas and passionate fans from Sendai to Seoul, it's easy to forget that all of his is a relatively new phenomenon. The 2015 World Figure Skating Championships actually marks the first time that China has EVER hosted the World Championships! The country joined the ISU in 1956 but it wasn't until the eighties when Canadian and American coaches helped develop the country's figure skating program and skaters started appearing in world competition. Yes, we've seen World Champions come out of the country (Lu Chen, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao and Qing Pang and Jian Tong) but the fact remains that few major international competitions have been held in the country that houses the Great Wall. Only once since the event's creation in 1999 have the Four Continents Championships been held in China (back in 2003) and the country has never hosted the World Junior Championships. When Germany lost its Grand Prix spot to China in 2003, the Cup Of China became one of six static Grand Prix events to be held annually in the country. However, the first international competition of note to be held in China was actually a competition held as part of the inaugural Junior Grand Prix circuit back in 1998. Held in Beijing from October 21 to 25, 1998, the Junior Grand Prix China event was the seventh stop on that year's series and proved to be an excellent opportunity for young Chinese skaters to shine at home. In the men's event, the Chinese men (Zhengxin Guo, Song Gao and Yu Wang) actually swept the podium and Xiaodan and Hao Zhang won the pairs event beating pairs from Russia, Canada and the U.S. Young Huan Wang earned the bronze medal in the ladies event and Chinese ice dancers even produced a strong showing. The teams of Rui Wang and Wei Zhang and Lian Qi and Hao Goa finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Chinese skaters made a strong argument from the very start that they could rub elbows with the world's best on home soil and come out victorious. Even some of the skating world's future major players would also participate in that 1998 competition. Future World Champions Qian Pang and Jian Tong, Stéphane Lambiel and Jeffrey Buttle all competed in that event, as did future World Medallist Massimo Scali and U.S. Medallist Matt Savoie. Given the fact that this was the first World Championships to be held in China after a relatively short history of holding international competitions in the country, from a historical context the medal wins of Chinese pairs Wenjing Sui and Cong Han and Qing Pang and Jian Tong in their home country at this event was all the more impressive. The performances themselves were nothing to sneeze at either. In the words of Dick Button, "first rate, first rate."

O CANADA: Based on the fact that Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford were undefeated all season, I think it's a safe bet to say that entering this competition they were the absolute favourites. Anyone with half a brain in their head knew that this was their competition to win or lose. They didn't phone it in though. They went out there and delivered programs of purpose and passion and skated like the World Champions they now are. Despite a bobble on the side-by-side spins and a hand down on a throw quad Salchow that was so big I thought it was going to go right out the rink, these were two performances that we will remember YEARS from now. Class acts all the way and just electric to watch! Their story is unconventional and full of perseverance, determination and anyone who skated lights out like they have all season not only deserves a gold medal but also a hell of a lot of respect. Did I tear up a little? Yeah I did.

GET INTO THE GROOVE: Fresh off her tumble down the stairs at the Brit Awards, Madonna (err... actually a damn good lookalike) was back in business in the kiss and cry with Georgian skater Elene Gedevanishvili, who ironically took a tumble of her own in her short program set to "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" from "Yentl". The lookalike might have actually been Elene's mother Maka, but my dark sense of humor can't help but wonder if the "pop goddess" might have relished in taking in a major international event where more people were falling than SHE was. Ashley, Gracie, Polina too. Elene Gedevanishvili, we love you. Vogue.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER SWEETIE: If you read the figure skating message boards and social media, you know that there are more than a handful of skating "fans" who are more than happy to take it upon themselves to suggest skaters be sent out to pasture once 'they reach a certain age'. You know, to make room for the younger ones. I've personally never heard of a more illogical argument in my life. If you love skating, skate until your ninety five. Compete until you are ninety five. I've long argued this point and have got a few eye rolls along the way but you know what? Why should anyone give up something they love doing to appease an armchair critic? This year's World Championships sent a firm message that a skater's competitive career does NOT have to end in their early twenties. No less than FORTY of the competitors in Shanghai were twenty five years of age or older: Evan Bates, Chafik Besseghier, Alexei Bychenko, Anna Cappellini, Nicole Della Monica, Meagan Duhamel, Marco Fabbri, Elene Gedevanishvili, Matteo Guarise, Charlène Guignard, Ondřej Hotárek, Mitch Islam, Vanessa James, Yuko Kavaguti, Kiira Korpi, Takahiko Kozuka, Chris Knierim, Juri Kurakin, Luca Lanotte, Peter Liebers, Valentina Marchei, Dylan Moscovitch, Qing Pang, Andrew Poje, Eric Radford, Cathy Reed, Chris Reed, Adam Rippon, Alexei Rogonov, Barbora Silná, Alexander Smirnov, Nikolaj Sørensen, Jeremy Ten, Jian Tong, Alper Uçar, Aaron Van Claeve, Mari-Doris Vartmann, Sergei Voronov, Kaitlyn Weaver and Hao Zhang, Reading through that list of names, I guarantee you that you're going to find way more than one or two you love watching and would love to see compete at next year's Worlds, right? Seems to me it was sixty year old Annie Lennox who stole the show at the Grammy's. I thought so.

REWRITING THE UNWRITTEN SCRIPT: Although Italians Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte were the defending World Champions heading into this competition, they finished third at the only Grand Prix event they ultimately attended this fall behind France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron and Americans Maia and Alex Shibutani. They didn't compete at the Grand Prix Final and settled for silver, again behind the quickly dominant French team. With France's top entry, Weaver and Poje and Chock and Bates being all the rage this season with international judges, the Italians seemed all but written off the podium before they even skated. Usually when that happens to a team, the skating suffers as a result of that pressure. Then the unexpected happened for this team in the short dance. They skated like World Champions. Sure, they might have not have won but in their Paso Doble the Italians skated like someone had lit a fire under them. They moved seamlessly, going from twizzles to their midline step sequence to their final element, the level four rotational lift, with control, power and a certain determination. The mere fact that the judges gave them the nod over the French, Russian and American teams who had bettered them earlier in the season in the short dance showed to me that their purposeful Paso didn't go unnoticed.

BRIAN'S BOYS: When I interviewed 1987 World Champion and two time Olympic Silver Medallist Brian Orser, he told me that his "favourite skaters of all time are Robin Cousins, Stephane Lambiel, Janet Lynn and Kurt Browning. BUT... today my favourite skaters are Yuzuru Hanyu, Javier Fernandez and Nam Nguyen." I don't think that Orser's impressive stable of elite men could have asked for any better showing at this event. Javier Fernandez, in winning Spain's first World title EVER, was resplendent. I didn't personally feel the judges got it right in the short program when they placed Hanyu over a flawless Fernandez, but I have to give them credit where it's due for making the right decision in the free skate, even if neither man was textbook perfect.

Equally as impressive in my opinion as the gold and silver medallists was Orser's third top male student Canadian Champion Nam Nguyen. I called it earlier this season that Nguyen would be right up there with them at the Worlds but faith in the talented sixteen year old seemed to wane a little after he placed eleventh at the Four Continents Championships. Finishing fourth in the free skate ahead of U.S. Champion Jason Brown and Russian Champion Maxim Kovtun with a score of 242.59, Nguyen moved up to an impressive fifth. Three skaters in the top five at Worlds? Orser isn't just doing something right... he's the coach to beat!

HISTORY FOR TUKTAMYSHEVA: Set to the strains of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" made famous in skating circles by Olympic Gold Medallists Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Russia's Elizaveta Tuktamysheva made history in her short program by becoming the first woman in history to perform a four triple short program featuring a clean triple axel. She's been upping her technical game at every turn and her work with famed Russian coach Alexei Mishin unquestionably paid off in her gutsy gamble to include the jump in the short in the first place. The only woman to attempt the triple axel in this event, she became only the fifth ladies skater to perform a triple axel at the World Championships, the first being of course 1989 World Champion Midori Ito of Japan. What does a triple axel look like in terms of a points advantage? Tuktamysheva lead after the short in Shanghai with a TES score of 44.09 to Elena Radionova, who did a triple lutz/triple toe, triple loop and double axel. The base value for the triple axel is 8.50 versus 3.63 for the double axel. Her positive GOE of 1.57 on the jump more than helped seal the deal... and that axel for the record was a BEAUTY! Her free skate wasn't perfect but it was absolutely deserving of the win in comparison to her competitors, I do have to say that I thought her PCS score of 65.99 was a little generous considering the movement in the program was more founded in flair than fine tuning. It was absolutely entertaining though and one has to remember that like Duhamel and Radford in the pairs event, this competition was hers to win or lose and she fought through that free skate just like they did to EARN the title. Not bad for a skater who was tenth at Russian Nationals last season, now is it? Her win was even more historically significant considering it was the first time a Russian ladies skater stood atop the world podium since Irina Slutskaya won in Moscow in 2005.

EXQUISITE CRAFTING: Norway's Anne Line Gjersem's short program to Celine Dion's "Fly", a piece of music first skated to by Olympic Silver Medallist Liz Manley and then popularized by Olympic Bronze Medallist Joannie Rochette, was just so gorgeous that I thought it warranted mention. I'd interviewed her twin sister and biggest competitor Camilla back in September who told me of competing against her twin "Skating is a huge part of our lives. We also have our rivalries but in a good way. We have always pushed each other and it's been healthy for our development and progress." Anne Line may have ultimately ended the competition in seventeenth place, but this beautiful program was a hook, line and sinker to me in terms of hitting home the point that lyrical music has been introduced to ISU competition for a REASON.

AMURICA!: The U.S. figure skating team has plenty to be proud of. Their only medal was Chock and Bates' silver in the ice dance event - which I'll offer my opinion on later in the blog - but the team's overall showing was outstanding. In the men's event, Jason Brown delivered two outstanding performances to finish fourth overall and give the competition a much needed dose of big girl artistry. I couldn't have been more impressed with his performances! Adam Rippon, who dazzled at the U.S. Championships to earn his first ticket to Worlds since since 2012, also put out two fine skates to finish in eighth place overall. All three American ice dance teams placed in the top ten and pair Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim finished an impressive seventh in the pairs event. All of this said, you want to know who really impressed me?

The American ladies. Both Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner had more than one error in their short programs but were kept in contention on the strength of their second marks. I didn't quite know what to expect from the U.S. ladies in the free skate but boy, did they not disappoint. Of the three, Wagner certainly delivered the more mature, engaging performance but Gold and Edmunds both looked focused and confident. They delivered technically superb programs with clean triple lutz/triple toe combinations that earned positive GOE's. Gold and Wagner actually finished 2-3 in the free skate ahead of the silver and bronze medallists from Japan and Russia, which nails home the point that the international judges DO in fact appreciate the quality and fight in their skating. The depth in U.S. ladies figure skating may be considerable but these two talented skaters absolutely still in their prime and the cream of the crop.

IMPRESSIVE WORLDS DEBUTS ALL AROUND: From American men's skater Joshua Farris rebounding in the free skate to Canadians Alaine Chartrand, Seguin and Bilodeau and Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch to ladies skater Valentina Marchei who made the smooth transition to pairs skating with Ondřej Hotarek this season and so many more, the newbies at this year's made a very strong statement as well. No national bias I swear, but I thought the Canadian pairs a particular impression. Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch's lifts had me swooning. Alaine Chartrand's solid short program that included a double axel, triple lutz/triple toe combination (although the toe was called underrotated) and an easy looking triple loop couldn't have been a better birthday present for her. While experience pays off, sometimes sheer determination and skill speaks for itself too.

AND THE BEST MUSIC AWARD GOES TO...: Canada's Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau! From their short program that opened with the imagination capturing Appenzell yodel ""s'Rothe-Zäuerli" from the soundtrack of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" to their free skate set to a captivating arrangement of Peter Gabriel's music including "In Your Eyes" (which Canadian ice dancers Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam also used beautifully this season), this young and promising team not only made an impressive top ten debut at Worlds but did it with music and programs that commanded attention. 

SLEEP DEPRIVATION: If you want to write about figure skating, you've got to watch a hell of a lot of it. Usually not a big deal, but when the competition is being held halfway around the world the not so slight time difference can be killer. A late night followed by an early morning followed by a nine hour shift followed by a five AM morning shift led way to three failed nap attempts, a 3 AM ladies free skate, a restless night of tossing and turning, the men's free skate and another failed nap attempt on Saturday. Figure skating, you may have officially messed up my internal clock but it's OK... I still love you.

THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU, BARBARA FUSAR-POLI: Well, not so much anymore. The 2015 World Figure Skating Championships marked the end of a brilliant career for the always quirky and entertaining six time German Champions Nella Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi. My favourite program of theirs was of course their unique zombie themed free dance from two seasons ago. Although this team really wasn't able to generate that same level of excitement with their programs last season, they stepped things back up a notch THIS season and I was really looking forward to what was to be their swan song in Shanghai. By all accounts, their practices were going swimmingly but suspected food poisoning left Gazsi ill. They sadly withdrew before the short dance. I'm hoping this anti-climax won't really be the last we see of this envelope pushing duo, even if the performing we see them do in the future is as professionals.

KIIRA KORPI'S SHORT PROGRAM: If the three time European Medallist was giving her best interpretation of "A Day In The Life", that day was definitely a Monday! With a performance that made Lu Chen's 1997 "Take Five" short program look a hell of a lot less bad, Korpi crumbled in Shanghai and finished thirty first of thirty five competitors, failing to qualify for the free skate. She missed all three of her jumping passes, falling on the triple flip thus having no combination to speak of, popping her triple loop into a single and stepping out of that too and waxeling her axel into a failed single. Her TES score of 16.26 was the lowest of the night in the ladies short program. I honestly felt so bad for this girl. She just CANNOT seem to catch a break! In an interview on the Finnish Federation's site, Korpi said "I'm in shock. I wasn't able to skate under pressure after the first mistake I made. I've been feeling mentally tired this season." She also explained that her ankle still doesn't allow her to practice the triple lutz or any triple/triple combinations. One can only hope for better days for this lovely skater. I don't think they can get much worse than this one!

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: My heart went out to Canadian Champion Gabby Daleman and Jeremy Ten, who both struggled with jumping passes in their free skates in Shanghai. The in-between's of their skating are both clearly a cut above many of their competitors and it was nice to see the PCS scores reflect that. Ten's "Hallelujah" free skate might have had the second lowest TES score of the event with -4.00 in deductions for failed jumping passes but his PCS score was still higher than seven of his competitors. The same can be said for Daleman, who ultimately finished twenty first with a free skate PCS score of 44.27 which was higher than six of her competitors. Even if the jumps didn't go their way, that didn't stop either skater from staying committed to delivering their programs with the same intensity and dedication to choreography. I really think that's a sign of dignity and class. Missed opportunities maybe... but failures they were not.

A NO GO FOR COOMES AND BUCKLAND: First Nick, then Penny... British Champions Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland's bad luck started (or should I say continued) when they announced the week prior to the World Championships that they wouldn't be able to compete due to Penny's illness. After being forced to withdraw from illness at the European Championships as well due to Nick falling ill, this couldn't have been a more disappointing end to their season. It's a damn shame. I quite like this team and thought their Muse free dance this season showed some great potential when I saw them perform it at the Rostelecom Cup. Drink lots of green tea and come back and wow us next season... please!

A PETER GRIFFIN "COME AAAAAAAAAN!" MOMENT: If I was going to point out one skater who I thought got royally screwed and lost in the numbers game in Shanghai, it would be France's Maé-Bérénice Méité in the short program. Her highest finish at Worlds was eleventh back in 2013 but this is a skater with an impressive track record internationally including a top ten result at last year's Olympics but the judges have seemingly been paying her less and less attention as the years pass by at the big events. In her short program, she finished twelfth with a score of 57.08 despite landing a triple toe/triple toe, triple flip and double axel and was placed behind a Russian skater who fell so hard on her triple loop it looked like she hit her head on the ice and Americans Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold, who (to be fair) both made more than one error. I'm not suggesting that Méité's performance was top five material, but what I am suggesting is that she skated well on the day in question and others didn't. One only has to look to something as simple as Hanyu beating Fernandez in the men's short program to know that a couple of points fairly distributed to skaters can make all the difference. Méité could have used a little more love from the judges in Shanghai for putting a really fine effort out there. I was happy to see her make the top ten with a free skate that showed a lot of fight.

LEGENDS OF THE FALLS: This just wasn't Anna Pogorilaya's competition, which only adds fuel to my personal fire that the Russian Federation should have sent World Silver Medallist Alena Leonova to compete in Shanghai. They didn't, but that doesn't mean I'm going to shut up about it. Poor Anna not only had that epic fall in her short program (which I mentioned when talking about Méité) but followed that bruiser up with epic falls on her second triple lutz attempt and the triple toe-loop on the back end of her double axel combination. Based on her positioning on take off and in the air, there were another two other jumps in that free skate she was damn lucky to have landed on her feet on. These weren't just falls. They were FALLS! Just looking at her lutz technique and the lean, I think it's time to change the technique before girl seriously injures herself because that was just plain scary to watch. 

BAD DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE: 2015 marked the first time since 2008 than no Russian pair stood on the podium at the World Championships, when of course Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, Dan and Hao Zhang and Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison were the medallists. The Russian men and ice dance teams were also not able to crack the Cinquanta code to the podium this year. This was all quite interesting to me considering that Russia was victorious in the team event in Sochi and has long been historically known for the depth of their talent pool. I think the country's showing in the ladies event however more than made up for it, don't you?

THE MUSIC OF THE.... NIIIIIIIIIIGHT: Olympic Gold Medallists Brian Boitano and Robin Cousins both gave haunting interpretations of Andrew Lloyd Webber's haunting song "Music Of The Night" during their careers as competitive professional skaters, so good in fact that anyone who knew enough to know to leave well enough alone probably never would have picked up the "Phantom Of The Opera" soundtrack and said "do you know what would be a good idea for a program this season? Phantom?" No, just no. The Phantom's emerged fast and furious all week in Shanghai. Two of the three Japanese men's competitors (Yuzuru Hanyu and Takahito Mura) used Webber's score for their free skate as did teammate Kanako Murakami in the ladies event. Think it stopped there? Not even close sweetie. The Philippines' Michael Christian Martinez and America's Gracie Gold were also among the Phantasmic family. There would have even been representation in the pairs and ice dance events had the Austrian pair or Polish and South Korean ice dancers qualified for their respective finals. This warhorse was the clear 2015 program of choice and much as podcaster extraordinaire Allison Manley kindly pleads skaters to "never skate to Carmen", this Canadian blogger is Phantomed out. Going through music for 2016? Don't even think about it sweetie. Slowwwwly, gennnnntly, put that CD your pocket... if you don't, I'll stick my finger in a sockkkkkket!  

BRONZE FOR RADIONOVA: I'm sorry, but the skating skills of this precocious jumper are not of a senior standard and her free skate at Worlds was like watching a commercial illustrating everything I detest about what the IJS system stands for and demands. She finally showed signs of humanity here and unravelled on some of her jumping passes to finish sixth in the free skate with a score of 121.96 in that portion of the event but the strength of her short program score was somehow enough to keep her on the podium. The fact that her PCS score of 61.95 was still the fourth highest of the night was a joke to me as the foundational skating skills, musical interpretation and expression of other skaters that are even in her age bracket like Edmunds and Miyahara were on a different level entirely. Can this girl jump? Yes. However, like Japan's Rika Hongo, some care needs to be paid to completely redeveloping her posture, edges and understanding of movement to music before I'm going to be able to take her seriously. Hongo has been improving in this area as the season has gone on. Radionova sadly in my opinion has not. I want this skater to prove me wrong next season. I really do!

THE TWIZZLE AND LIFT COMPETITION: When IJS was introduced, great care was given by "the powers at be" developing the system to be incredibly specific when refining the technical criteria of ice dancing. Like in the singles and pairs event where jumps, spins, throws and lifts take center stage and are assigned levels and GOE's, the same thing obviously goes on in ice dancing. Great pains have been made to quantify the unquantifiable and as a result ice dancing has become more about the twizzles, lifts and various step sequences that about the whole package. And of course, the secret to success is somehow managing to find a way to check of the boxes and get those levels while still demonstrating musicality, good edges, speed, posture, balance, chemistry, choreography and creativity. That's the idea on paper. In winning every event they've entered all season, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje have clearly demonstrated that whole package with exquisite programs performed with finesse and flair. In Shanghai, they got nitpicked at every corner. After finishing second in the short dance with the performance of the night, they came out and performed their gorgeous free dance to "The Four Seasons" as well as they have all season, They were rewarded with the third highest PCS score with marks for skating skills, transitions/linking footwork/movement and composition/choreography lower than both the Americans and Gabriella Papakadis and Guillaume Cizeron that won. 

Don't get me wrong here. I think the French team is pretty fantastic and their free dance was an absolute pleasure to watch. They've improved by leaps and bounds this season, but even with that said a meteoric jump from thirteenth the previous year to first isn't a reason to say "Look? Now skaters aren't judged solely on their reputation and they can make these big moves! Isn't that wonderful?" Give me a break. I can hear the crickets as well as you can. It's still ice dance and it's still unheard of. Comparing the 2014 free dance PCS scores from Worlds to the 2015 scores, you'd think they'd improved so exponentially that they were juggling bicycles on stilts during a twizzle section expertly timed to a 2/4 beat.

Add to the PCS scores level three's on the circular and diagonal in hold step sequences and a -1.00 deduction for an extended lift and poof! It's all explainable, right? Wrong. 

To add insult to injury, the silver went to the Americans. You know how it is. If you're from Canada and cheering for Canadians and not a huge fan of the skating of the top Americans, you're going to hear about it. If you're like me you might even have a chuckle at the decades old double standard. It's all a trope. The fact of the matter is I have watched Chock and Bates' free dance set to "An American In Paris" start to finish a handful of times this season and right from the first time I saw them skate it at Skate America, it didn't work for me. They're without question a talented team with good lifts, speed and edges but the choreography by Igor Shpilband is unimaginative, contrived shtick. You know how Disney makes these straight to video films and they're probably on The Land Before Time 25 now? I just feel like this team is capable of so much more than the same generic cliché free dances we have seen from them the last three seasons. This team has every reason to be pleased with the execution of their free dance and result in Shanghai with the exception of those twizzles which they got off very easy on. However, I thought the program lacked creativity and sincere passion as compared to either Weaver and Poje's or Papadakis and Cizeron's performances... and wouldn't you know it? The Choreography and Interpretation marks were generous as always. That said, their short dance which earned them 74.47 and the lead in that part of the competition was the best performance I've seen from them all season hands down even if that program isn't my cup of tea either. Their first twizzles were so on point they could have been in a freaking instructional video. I just sincerely fear this may be next:

Now that we've all learned about double dream feet, let's get back to the ice dance event. It was nice to see Gilles and Poirier rewarded with a sixth place finish after their incredible growth this season but must have been a bitter pill for the Shibutani's to swallow going the classical route this season to appease the judges and ultimately finishing fifth with their finest free dance ever on the World stage. 

One of the most egregious examples of utter foolishness in my opinion was the skewering of Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam. Dropping from eighth to thirteenth place was quite the slap in the face for a beautiful team and free dance. Their PCS score was actually higher than at Four Continents so it looks like the level on their midline step sequence and the twizzles are what did them in. I don't know about you, but the more ice dance is technically quantified the more frustrating it all becomes to me. The eternal optimist in me is grateful for the phenomenal skating but the realist sees an Italian referee and a result that doesn't reflect the bigger picture of the performances we saw out there.

MINIMUM SCORES AT THE "WORLD" CHAMPIONSHIPS: In an obvious effort to save money, in recent years the ISU introduced a Minimum TES requirement for skaters to be even eligible to compete at the World Championships (below table courtesy good ol' Wikipedia):

Minimum technical scores (TES)
Discipline	SP / SD	FS / FD
Men	34	64
Ladies	27	47
Pairs	25	43
Ice dance	29	39
Must be achieved at an ISU-recognized international event in the ongoing or preceding season. SP and FS scores may be attained at different events.

Although this ruling eliminated the need for skaters (or unseeded skaters) to have to tire themselves out by competing in an initial Qualifying Round or Preliminary Round, in effect this not so brilliant move from the ISU vastly limited the number of ISU member nations to even send ONE skater or team to the World Championships to thirty seven. Thirty seven? Depending on the source, there over one hundred and ninety countries in the world and seventy three of those countries are ISU members. That effectively means that thirty six countries didn't get to even send a single entry to the WORLD Championships. Talk about inclusiveness. If many countries aren't even going to bother to offer decent television coverage of the competition itself, I'm not quite sure what all the hoopla is about in terms of saving money anyway, right? As I wrote when talking about the EXACT SAME ISSUE in the Four Continents blog: "If you're just going to cut half of the skaters after the short program anyway and get rid of qualifying rounds, I don't see what the harm is in allowing them the opportunity to go and LEARN from skating against some of the world's best. I'm reminded of Père Henri's wonderful sermon from the end of the movie Chocolat: 'Listen, here's what I think. I think that we can't go around... measuring our goodness by what we don't do. By what we deny ourselves, what we resist, and who we exclude. I think... we've got to measure goodness by what we embrace, what we create... and who we include.' Cinquanta doesn't get it... not by a long shot." It's easy to sit back in our armchairs in countries with outstanding training centers and resources and say that maybe the skaters who didn't meet these TES scores "aren't good enough", but that's completely missing the point as far as I'm concerned. 

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