ISU Makes Grand Prix Series Selections; 3 SCNY Members Chosen

The ISU has made its assignments for the 2013 Grand Prix season—it's 18th season—and three SCNY skaters have been selected to compete.

Three time U.S. Champion Johnny Weir-Voronov was selected to compete at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, November 9th-11th and at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris, November 16th-18th.

2012 U.S. Men's Silver Medalist Adam Rippon was selected for the Cup of China in Shanghai, November 2nd-4th and the NHK Trophy in Miyagi, Japan, November 23rd-25th. 

2011 World Bronze Medalist Maia Shibutani was selected with her dance partner and brother Alex to compete at the Rostelecom Cup and the NHK Trophy. 

The 18th Grand Prix series will consist of six international competitions: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Cup of China, Rostelecom Cup, Trophee Eric Bompard and NHK Trophy. Skaters' results from all competitions are tallied based on a points system, and the top 6 points-scorers from each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final, which will take place in Sochi, December 5th-9th.    

Congrats to all SCNY members who were selected this year. We'll be rooting for you!

Great Skates on YouTube

About once a week these days, I am struck with an urge to root around YouTube for old skating videos. The quality of what I find is not always great—many times it's a low-resolution video from before the advent of HD, or it's a cam-rip of someone filming their television. 

While not necessarily endorsed by the networks that broadcast them, many of the more famous performances are nonetheless available to watch on YouTube, and they are simply fantastic! Old videos from the '50s. New videos from this past year. You can find pretty much anything. 

A few weeks back, I read that legendary coach Christa Fassi had been elected by the PSA to the Figure Skating Coaches Hall of Fame. Thinking about that this week, I was inspired to search for a video of one of her husband's (Carlo Fassi) most famous pupils—Dorothy Hamill—who just so happens to have been an SCNY member. I found several, including a good quality video of her historic 1976 Olympic long program. I've seen it probably a hundred times before (she was one of my idols!), but for me, it never gets old. It's such a solid performance.

That got me thinking about another Olympic gold medalist, also from SCNY: Carol Heiss-Jenkins. I'd grown up hearing about how wonderful she was, but I'd never seen her skate. Sure enough, not even two minutes later, I was watching her 1960 Olympic-winning freeskate. It was interesting to see how large a role footwork and edges played in her program. While jumps took center stage in the '70s, '80s and '90s, the return to an emphasis on edgework in the last decade makes this video even more valuable.

My afternoon of YouTubing wouldn't be complete without digging up a performance by SCNY's third Olympic champion, Sarah Hughes. Her 2002 Olympic long program is just as amazing now ten years later as it was when I watched it live! 

There are hundreds of skating videos on YouTube and around the Web. Have you found any good ones lately? If so, let us know where to find them in the comments section below!

ITNY's Celebrity Skate Benefit Takes the Ice this Week

Ice and theater go together like peanut butter and jelly these days! This relatively new discipline in the skating world is growing fast and fabulous, combining the choicest elements from each of the other disciplines of skating—including freestyle, pairs, dance and synchro—with theatrics to create a highly creative and visually stunning brand of performance. 

Aside from a few "Showcase" (USFS) and "Spotlight" (ISI) performances in my youth, I didn't have the opportunity to try it out. But skating in New York, I'm exposed to some of the best ice theater around.

This city is home to a world class professional Ice Theater troupe, Ice Theatre of New York. It's right here on our doorstep, and this Thursday, May 17th, the troupe is hosting a Spring Fling at Chelsea Piers to raise money for rehearsals and performances for their upcoming season. It's billed as a "glamorous evening of skating, cocktails and light bites," and I have no doubt it will be a wonderful time. Ice Theater will be performing two new ensemble pieces, the Junior Ice Theatre performers will take the ice, followed by a celebrity skate-off that will feature the on-ice talents of 'All My Children' star Rebecca Budig and NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan, among others. Who will be judging the skate-off? Two-time Olympic champion Dick Button! 

Tickets are available for purchase online, or by calling (212) 929-5811. The evening begins with performances at East Rink at 7 p.m., followed by a reception on the Sunset Terrace around 8:15 p.m.

Here's a fantastic video of ITNY's performance at the Moncler Grenoble Fashion Show this winter at Wollman Rink:

Have you ever done any ice theater? Tell us about your experience in the comments section!

Skate-to-Learn Exhibition This Weekend

If you are a skater like me, you probably have a vividly happy memory of the moment you first fell in love with figure skating. That was a great feeling, right? This weekend, you can help hundreds of kids get the chance to experience that same joy.

How? Just come to the second annual Skate-to-Learn exhibition this Sunday, April, 29th at 3 p.m. at Sport-O-Rama in Monsey, NY. This SCNY-sponsored show's proceeds benefit Brooklyn Ice, a program that has provided free figure skating lessons and enrichment classes to children living near Prospect Park in Brooklyn since 2005. Proceeds from the show will also benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hackensack and Lodi. 

Last year, the show raised over $17,000 for charity. This year's show will feature Russian champion Ksenia Makarova, accomplished pairs teams Gretchen Donlan and Andrew Speroff and Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, and performers from Ice Theater of New York, and many other SCNY skaters.

This week, I had the chance to chat briefly with two of the founders of this very successful show--accomplished skaters Christine Mozer and David Cruikshank. These two teens came up with the idea for the show and fundraiser in 2010, after they heard about Brooklyn Ice needing funds to continue at a new rink. With the help of some dedicated fellow skaters, they put together a show called CitySkate that year, which raised over $15,000, and then in 2011, started the Skate-to-Learn exhibition. 

Christine, who represents SCNY, says she's very excited about the show this year, and proud of the SCNY members who have chipped in to help produce it. "In watching the shows from year to year, it is great to see how cast members of previous shows continue to improve and share their love for the sport," she said.

Looking back on the last two years, David (who represents the Hickory Hill FSC) is floored by the success. "We decided to put on a show because we thought we could get our friends to help out by skating in the show and helping with the day-of-show logistics and things like that," he said. "We never imagined the shows would be this successful."  

Both Christine and David are heading off to college next year, but they've no doubt that the show will go on and continue to be a great success. Show coordinators are always looking for volunteers to skate or help out backstage, so if you're interested, email skatetolearn2011@gmail.com. If you'd like to attend the show, you can buy tickets at the door or send an email to that address. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for kids and seniors. 

If you can't make the show this weekend, but still want to help out, you can send donations to Courtney Taylor c/o Figure Skating Office, Sport-O-Rama, 20 College Road, Monsey, NY 10953.

SCNY's Adam Rippon Helps Team USA Win Silver at ISU World Team Trophy

USFSA.org

Team USA scored big at this year's ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo this weekend, thanks in large part to Adam Rippon's great skates. Rippon added six points to the team's 53-point tally with his season's best scores in both short and long programs, placing seventh overall in the men's event. Congrats to Adam! 

Team Japan won the event and Team Canada came in third. This is only the second time the ISU has held a team competition—the last one was held in 2009, when Team USA took home the gold. There was to have been another last year, but the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March of 2011 put a hold on things. From here on out it looks like this competition will be held every two years. 

Skaters on a recreational level are no strangers to team competitions, especially if they've ever participated in ISI-sanctioned events. SCNY has been incorporating a team event at Mid Atlantics for the No-Test through Pre-Juvenile events for a few years now, using a scoring method similar to that used in the World Team Trophy competitions.

To participate in the Mids team competition, all you have to do is indicate your home rink on your entry form—that will be the team that you skate for. Many skaters skate at multiple rinks, so the choice as to which rink you represent is yours. That is all you need to do and there are no additional events or fees. The winning team will be awarded a trophy to take home to their rink.

Sochi 2014 is slated to make Olympic history by featuring a team competition for the first time. I'm a huge fan of watching figure skating's summer cousin, gymnastics, which seems to place more emphasis on the overall team aspect of competitions than the individual's performance. I always wondered why figure skating events on a world scale didn't have a similar team competition. I feel like it amps up the spirit and collegiality of a skating competition when you're not just in it for yourself. 

What do you think? Should there be more team competitions in the higher echelons of figure skating? Let us know in the comments section below!

SCNY Rink Closes for the Season, Looking Forward to Next Year

Since Wollman Rink closed at the beginning of this month, I've been going through a bit of outdoor skating withdrawal. 

Until I first set my blades on the iconic rink in Central Park two years ago, I had never skated outside. All my practice and competition and recreational skating was within the confines of a refrigerated building. When I took my first lap around Wollman, it felt truly like flying. 

Feeling nostalgic for this past season, I found this quick photo I snapped with my phone as I was leaving the rink last November. I think it really captures the essence of what makes Wollman so special. 

Wollman is affiliated with SCNY and is home to both the largest basic skills program and the largest basic skills competition in the country (the Wollman Open). Skating at Wollman will open back up in October of this year. To keep us all tided over until then, please share your favorite Wollman experience in the comments below!

SCNY Team to Have Adult Synchro Tryouts

Attention adult skaters! Are you new to skating and looking for a fun challenge? Or are you a seasoned competitor looking to stay involved in the sport?

Gotham City Synchro is looking for new skaters, ages 25 and up, to join the synchronized skating team for the 2012-2013 competitive season. 

Tryouts are Thursday, May 3 from 6:00-7:20 a.m. at City Ice Pavilion. There's a $20 fee for ice time, cash or check payable to the Skating Club of New York. No synchro experience necessary. Visit the Gotham City Synchro website for more information. 

GCS is coming off a successful season that included two bronze medal-winning performances in a challenging competitive field. This coming season, the team will skate in the Masters division and will compete at the Eastern Sectionals in Lake Placid and the National Synchro Championships in Plymouth, Michigan. 

Gotham City Synchro is a skater-run organization founded in 2007. They represent SCNY, and the team's average age is over 35.