Figure Skating

Olympic figure skater, Kim Yu-na, told reporters that her former coach, Brian Orser, knows the reason they are no longer working together.

Orser said that Kim’s mother told him that he was no longer her coach. Kim Yu-na stated on a website that things had been very awkward for a few months. She did say that it was her decision. She says she would not let her mother make this decision for her. She consulted her mother before she made her decision.

Kim’s management agency is AT Sports, and they did confirm that she did put the posts on the website. They also confirmed that she made an angry tweet that was directed at Orser, but it was deleted very quickly. They did not give a reason that it was deleted.

Kim has trained with Orser since 2006. She will continue to train at the Toronto Cricket. This is the same place she was working with Orser. AT Sports says that she has been basically training herself since May, and they are not planning on a new coach. Orser said he noticed a change in Kim after the world championships in May. She was not sure if she wanted to continue to compete.

Orser has helped Kim with training when she won the 2009 Olympic world title and was the Grand Prix final champion three different times. Kim and Orser will not be working together anymore, but they do still wish each other the best.

As the ladies’ short program has yet to start, there isn’t much news regarding women’s figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Right now, all eyes are on the competitive, tension-filled men’s event with the two front runners being Evgeni Plushenko and Evan Lysacek. Thursday night concludes the men’s event which is sure to be filled with surprises and intense competition.

The ladies take the ice for their short programs next Tuesday, February 23rd. With a competition field of 30 skaters, it’s really anybody’s game. The reality of women’s figure skating is the lack of predictably or back-to-back titles. Plenty of level-four spins, footwork and spiral sequences, and transitions are sure to make the short (and long) programs exquisite and exciting to watch. However, regardless of the beauty, the medals are going to go to whoever lands the jumps.

All eyes are on Miki Ando, Mao Asada, and Yu-Na Kim. If Mao Asada lands her triple axels, she could easily take the gold. Yu-Na Kim is beautiful and dominant, but her nerves (and the pressure) seem to have been getting to her lately Japan’s Akiko Suzuki has recently entered the scene and done very well in competition.

Of course, there’s Canada’s favorite Joannie Rochette, Italy’s Carolina Kostner, America’s Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu, and a whole host of other ladies who, if they land their jumps, could possibly make it to the podium and become Olympic champion.

Tune in to the short programs next Tuesday, followed by the long programs on Thursday the 25th for what is sure to be an outstanding, nail-biting Olympic competition.

You can get in on the action with some Olympic online betting.

“Handel Suite No. 4″ (Free Dance) – Albena Denkova & Maxim Staviski

Sports Betting

Um. Where is this from? Google brought it to me a while ago, but yields no results now. Edit: twilight111ca wrote to me and said “This is an exhibition piece of Margarita Drobiazko & Povilas Vanagas from Lithuania.” So there we go! Thanks, and I can’t wait for the football season so I can get into some winning streaks with some sweet NFL Odds.

2006 Olympics figure skating gold medal. 16:9 HD format display. very good video and audio. ps enjoy!

NFL Odds

Stars on Ice first came about in 1986, when popular figure skater Scott Hamilton was cut from Ice Capades. After losing his job, Hamilton decided to group together his resources and take his career back into his own hands, by creating his own small-scale figure skating show. The idea behind Stars on Ice, was to bring together a few of the world’s best figure skaters and have them showcase their talents on tour, to crowds of avid figure skating fans. In its debut year, the show featured Scott Hamilton, Dorothy Hamill, Toller Cranston, Rosalynn Summers, Brian Pockar, Lea Ann Miller, Bill Fauver, Lisa Carey and Christ Harrison and was an instant hit.

As time passed, the show continued to grow in popularity and began to quickly transform from a small-scale production, into the highly anticipated annual tour it is today and in 1991, a Canadian version was even created. The modern Stars on Ice is produced by Scott Hamilton and features numerous dates in both Canadian and American locations, over a period of roughly three months in total. The event features both individual performances and couples skating.

The 2009 American Stars on Ice show is set to begin in Washington state in late January and visit various cities, before coming to an end in Portland, on April 11. The American tour will feature Sasha Cohen, Ilia Kulik, Todd Eldredge, Xue Shen, Hongbo Zhao, Yuka Sato, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Michael Weiss, John Zimmerman and Jennifer Robinson. The Canadian Tour will run in April and May and will feature Kurt Browning, Jamie Sale, David Pelletier, Jeff Buttle, Sasha Cohen and many others and runs from April 23 until May 12, in various Canadian cities.

Stars on Ice 2008/2009 Canadian Dates:

Apr 23, 2009 – Halifax Metro Centre – Halifax, NS

Apr 25, 2009 – Scotiabank Place – Ottawa, ON

Apr 26, 2009 – WFCU Centre – Windsor, ON

Apr 27, 2009 – Essar Centre – Sault Ste. Marie, ON

May 1, 2009 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON

May 2, 2009 – Copps Coliseum – Hamilton, ON

May 3, 2009 – John Labatt Centre – London, ON

May 6, 2009 – MTS Centre – Winnipeg, MB

May 8, 2009 – Pengrowth Saddledome – Calgary, AB

May 9, 2009 – Rexall Place – Edmonton, AB

May 11, 2009 – Prospera Place – Kelowna, BC

May 12, 2009 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, BC

Stars on Ice 2008/2009 American Dates:

Jan 23, 2009 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA

Jan 24, 2009 – KeyArena at Seattle Center – Seattle, WA

Jan 25, 2009 – Rose Garden Arena – Portland, OR

Jan 29, 2009 – ARCO Arena – Sacramento, CA

Jan 30, 2009 – HP Pavillion at San Jose – San Jose, CA

Jan 31, 2009 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA

Feb 6, 2009 – Jobingcom Arena – Phoenix, AZ

Feb 7, 2009 – San Diego Sports Arena – San Diego, CA

Feb 8, 2009 – Citizens Business Bank Arena – Ontario, CA

Feb 12, 2009 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO

Feb 14, 2009 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX

Feb 15, 2009 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK

Feb 20, 2009 – Scottrade Center – St Louis, MO

Feb 21, 2009 – Allstate Arena – Chicago, IL

Feb 22, 2009 – Xcel Energy Center – St Paul, MN

Feb 27, 2009 – BankAtlantic Center – Ft Lauderdale, FL

Feb 28, 2009 – Amway Center – Orlando, FL

Mar 1, 2009 – St Pete Times Forum – Tampa, FL

Mar 2, 2009 – Germain Arena – Ft Myers, FL

Mar 4, 2009 – Philips Arena – Atlanta, GA

Mar 6, 2009 – Verizon Center – Washington, DC

Mar 7, 2009 – The Palace of Auburn Hills – Detroit, MI

Mar 8, 2009 – Bradley Center – Milwaukee, WI

Mar 13, 2009 – Wachovia Center – Philadelphia, PA

Mar 14, 2009 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI

Mar 15, 2009 – XL Center – Hartford, CT

Mar 20, 2009 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH

Mar 21, 2009 – Mellon Arena – Pittsburgh, PA

Mar 22, 2009 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, MI

Mar 24, 2009 – US Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH

Mar 26, 2009 – Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza – Wilkes Barre, PA

Mar 27, 2009 – Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Long Island, NY

Mar 28, 2009 – IZOD Center – East Rutherford, NJ

Mar 29, 2009 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY

Apr 3, 2009 – GIANT Center – Hershey, PA

Apr 4, 2009 – Arena at Harbor Yard – Bridgeport, CT

Apr 5, 2009 – TD BankNorth Garden – Boston, MA

Apr 10, 2009 – Verizon Wireless Arena – Manchester, NH

Apr 11, 2009 – Cumberland County Civic Center – Portland, ME

Stars on Ice tickets available at:

ShowTime Tickets

604-688-5000

1-800-480-SHOW(7469)

www.showtimetickets.com

I’m thinking summer = gymnastics floor exercises or swimming. Winter is maybe figure skating and ice hockey so look for some action at your favorite Sportsbook.

Figure skates are a type of ice skate used by figure skaters. The skates consist of a boot and a blade that is attached with screws to the sole of the boot. Inexpensive sets for recreational skaters are available, but most figure skaters purchase boots and blades separately and have the blades mounted by a professional skate technician.

wire ribbonFigure skating boots are traditionally made by hand from many layers of leather. The design of figure skating boots changed significantly during the 20th century. Old photographs of skaters such as Sonja Henie from the 1920’s and 1930’s show them wearing thin, supple boots reaching to mid-calf. Modern skating boots, on the other hand, are extremely rigid to support the foot and ankle in jumps, and are cut much lower — just over ankle height — to allow the foot to flex. Because the stiffness of the boots makes good fit essential, many skaters either order custom boots or have their boots “bumped out” over pressure points by a skate technician.

In recent years, boots made of synthetic materials with heat-moldable linings have become popular with many skaters because they combine strength with lighter weight than leather boots, and are easier to “break in”. The latest development in boot technology is a boot that is hinged at the ankle to provide lateral support while allowing more flexibility. Boots used in ice dance are usually slightly lower in the back to allow for greater bend in the ankle. Some boots also come with a flexible elastic back.

The typical colors for boots are black for men and white or tan for women, although other colors are available.

Close-up of a figure skating blade, showing the toe picks, hollow grind on the bottom surface of the blade, and screw attachment to the boot.

Figure skates differ most visibly from hockey skates in having a set of large, jagged teeth called toe picks (also known as toe rakes) on the front of the blade. The toe picks are used primarily in jumping and footwork, and should not be used for stroking or spins. Toe pick designs have become quite elaborate and sometimes include teeth on the sides of the blade.

The skate blades are typically made of tempered steel, coated with a high-quality chrome. Lightweight alloy blades are becoming more popular with high-level skaters. Blades are about 3/16 inch (4 mm) thick and may have a slightly tapered cross-section.

When viewed from the side, the blade of a figure skate is not flat, but curved slightly, forming an arc of a circle with a radius of 180-220 cm. The “sweet spot” of the blade is below the ball of the foot. [1] This spot is usually located near the stanchion of the blade, and is the part of the blade where all spins are spun on.

The blade is also hollow ground; a groove on the bottom of the blade creates two distinct edges, inside and outside. The inside edge of the blade is on the side closest to the skater; the outside edge of the blade is on the side farthest from the skater. In figure skating it is always desirable to skate on only one edge of the blade, never on both at the same time (which is referred to as a flat). The apparently effortless power and glide across the ice exhibited by elite figure skaters fundamentally derives from efficient use of the edges to generate speed.

Ice dancers’ blades are about an inch shorter in the rear than those used by skaters in other disciplines, to accommodate the intricate footwork and close partnering in dance. They also possess a smaller pick near the bottom to allow for better edge-work and less focus on jumping.

Various specialty blade types exist, including:

Tapered figure skating blades have a design which causes them to be thicker at the front near the toepicks and thinner at the tail of the blade; therefore, the edges are not parallel.

Side honed figure skating blades have a concave design which causes them to be thicker at the stanchions and the edge stripe and thinner in between. They are easily recognizable because they cause reflections to be inverted.

Parabolic figure skating blades were first introduced by HD Sports in order to employ new scientific developments in the creation of figure skating blades. The middle section of parabolic blades is thinner than that of normal blades, while both ends are typically wider than those of regular blades. [2] This translates into less steel and a lighter blade overall. Their design is meant to improve skaters’ blade stability, footwork, and edges.

Ice skates have a history dating back thousands of years. Specific figure skates were created in response to the rise of figure skating’s popularity in the 19th century, coinciding with the beginnings of formalized competitions such as the World Figure Skating Championships.