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A Russo-Japanese
Pair |
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April
24,
2008 • © J. Barry Mittan
About one hundred years ago, Japan and Russia
were at war. Now they are at peace and two of
their athletes have joined hands to compete in
pairs figure skating. They are 26-year-old Yuko
Kawaguchi, who was born in Aichi, Japan and 23-year-old
Alexander Smirnov, who is from Tver in Russia.
This is not the first Japanese-Russian team to
compete in pairs, but this is the first such
team to compete for Russia.
The couple, who have been together since May
2006, won the Coupe de Nice in both 2006 and
2007 and took the bronze medal at the Cup of
Russia in both of those years as well as a bronze
at Skate Canada in 2007.
Their goals for the 2007-08
season were to make the Grand Prix Final, win
first or second place at Europeans, and to fight
for a spot on the podium at Worlds. They placed
fifth at the ISU Grand Prix Final and won the
bronze medal at Europeans. They were fourth at
the World Championships in 2008, up from ninth
in 2007... Read
More
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Skate Canada Hall of Fame Inductions
April 30, 2008 - © Skate Today
Skate Canada has announced they will be welcoming four new members into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame: Donald Knight, Marijane Stong, Jim Proudfoot and George Gross. Knight will be inducted into the athlete category, Stong into the professional category as a coach while Proudfoot and Gross will be inducted into the builder category as sport journalists. The date and locations of the inductions will be announced at a later date.
Dubreuil and Lauzon to wed in August
April 30, 2008 - © Skate Today
Canadian ice dancers, Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, will marry on August 23, 2008 in Montreal, Quebec. Dubreuil, 33, and Lauzon, 32 are two time World silver medalists and four-time Canadian champions. The couple were engaged in November. Skate Today extends our congratulations to the couple.
A Night of Champions
April 24, 2008 - © Skate Today
Do not miss "A Night of Champions" featuring Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre, U.S. World Team competitors and the 2008 National Bronze Medalists, with a guest appearance by Richard Dwyer, Mr. Debonair. The show will be held at the Philadelphia Skating Club on Saturday, April 26, 2008 starting at 7:30pm with Cocktails and Hor d'oeuvres provided by McShae's of Narberth. Tickets will be available at the door.
Olympic figure skater Cecilia Colledge passes away
April 24, 2008 - © Skate Today
Cecilia Colledge passed away on April 12, 2008 at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass. Colledge was the youngest athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics. She was 11 years three months old when she competed for Britain in the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. She won a silver medal at the 1936 Olympics in Germany. She was the 1937 world champion, five time British champion and three time European champion. Cecilia was inducted into World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1980.
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto Announce Coaching Change
April 23, 2008 - © Skate Today
U.S. ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto have announced they will be leaving their coach, Igor Shpilband, and choreographer, Marina Zoueva. The dancers will begin training with Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov at the IceWorks Skating Complex in Aston, Pa.
In a release from US Figure Skating, Belbin and Agosto said the decision to leave Shpilband and Zoueva was a difficult one, but they felt it was necessary to gain fresh input and bring a new perspective to their skating.
Alban Préaubert withdraws from Worlds
March 21, 2008 - © Skate Today
Alban Préaubert from France has withdrawn from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Champions in Gothenburg, Sweden. Alban pulled out shortly after his practice just prior to the Mens event. According to the medical bulletin, Préaubert is suffering from a muscle injury in his back.
Yamaguchi melts the dance floor
March 19, 2008 - © Skate Today
Kristi Yamaguchi and her partner Mark Ballas melted the dance floor with a very hot foxtrot. Kristi scored a 27 out of 30 points. Her dress was stunning. In her Dancing With the Stars Blog, Kristi said, "We have some crazy costumes in skating, but I think the glamour of it all goes up a notch in ballroom. I love that! Going into wardrobe for the first time, I was like, "Yeah! Look at all those Swarovski crystals!"."
Following their performance, Kristi had to brace herself for the judges, something she has been used to from her many years as a competitive skater.
"Absolutely wicked! The timing, precision, you played it so beautifully, the sync, for the first round, one of the best performances I have ever seen," Bruno Toniolli told the couple.
"You made that look so effortless and that is perfection to me," added Carrie Anne Inaba.
"The ice maiden has just melted my heart," Len Goodman replied.
Do not miss the next Dancing With The Stars Mondays 8/7c and the Result Show on Tuesdays 9/8c.
Watch the first performance here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=681xPB0-vck
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