 Skate
Today has teamed up with Barry Mittan to provide you an insight into
the personalities of the people in this wonderful sport and to give
you a more personal connection when you watch them on television or
see them at an event. Mr. Mittan is the author or editor of several
books and hundreds of figure skating articles. All of Barry's stories
are reviewed by the skaters, and their coaches or others if requested,
before publication to ensure the greatest accuracy.
All current
articles and many previous articles may be read in their entirety by
following the links below. Mr. Mittan retains all copyrights for these
articles and they may not be reproduced without permission. Please visit
www.jbmittan.com for more details.
Archived Articles
2008
January - March 2008
2007
2006
2005
2004 |
October 25, 2009
Article by J. Barry Mittan
 Germany's Stefanie Frohberg and Tim Giesen started training together only in April 2009 but they have already done well internationally. They first competed at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid, NY, where they finished fourth. In October, they placed fifth at their second JGP in Dresden, Germany.
"I was really nervous when we started and really happy after," Frohberg said.
"We're hoping to win the German Nationals and go to Junior Worlds," Giesen said. "If all goes well, we'll continue until 2014. Another year in juniors would be good for us, but I'll be too old next season."
Giesen, 21, was born in Wuppertal but later moved to Berlin. He started skating at six. "My older sister was a skater and I was always at the rink," he recalled. "I wanted to skate better than my sister. I competed in singles until I was eleven but I was really bad. I couldn't jump. But then a dance coach invited me to skate with a girl, Frauke Stein, and I really liked it." |
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October 08, 2009
Article by J. Barry Mittan
 The ice dancing world now has a third Reed sibling competing internationally. Allison Reed, the younger sister of Japan's Cathy and Chris Reed, has teamed up with Otar Japaridze to skate for Georgia.
The new couple placed 12th in their first international competition, the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany in September 2009, qualifying the team for the Olympic Games and a chance to compete against her siblings.
"We'll be doing some other competitions," Japaridze said. "The Georgian Federation is happy to have a dance team."
"My birthday was June 8, so I was just old enough to be in the Olympics," Reed noted. "I had to be 15 by July 1." |
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