 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 |
September 28, 2009
Article by J. Barry Mittan
 For their free dance this season, junior ice dancers Charlotte Lichtman and Dean Copely are using a Charlie Chaplin theme. "Our coach, Marina Zoueva, came up with the idea," Copely said. "She decided before Nationals last year that she wanted us to do it because I'm a short goofy guy and the girls are all gorgeous in Chaplin movies."
"She thought it was right for us because of our skating styles and personality," Lichtman added. "The music is from 'Limelight' but the theme is from "City Lights". I play a blind girl who sells flowers. I have to show how I pick up the flower and give it to him."
"We watched hours of Chaplin movies to see how he moved and reacted and to get the mustache just right," Copely explained. "It has to be a trapezoid, not a square or I'll look like Hitler. It's probably my only chance to have a mustache in a program so I want it to be perfect."
"Michael Lee spent a lot of time with us," Copely said of the performance actor and professional mime who helps coach at their rink. "He played a huge part in making the Chaplin program come to life."
"It's the absolute favorite program I've ever done," Copely enthused. "Our original dance runthroughs are hard, but the free is so fun it doesn't even feel like work."
The choice proved to be a wise one as the couple started off their 2009-10 season by finishing second in the free dance at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championship in August. |
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September 24, 2009
Article by J. Barry Mittan
 Italy's Samuel Contesti was the surprise of the 2008-09 season. The 26-year-old won the silver medal at the 2009 European Championships and placed fifth at the World Championships, scoring a personal best of 226.97 points in the process. His medal at Europeans was the first for Italy in men since 1954.
"I was happy to perform so well," Contesti stated. "I came to skate my best and I did. I worked very hard and I am happy that it worked well. I actually would like to thank my technical staff for the great job that they did."
Contesti, who was born in Le Havre, had previously competed for France until 2006. He won the bronze medal in senior men in the 2004-05 season and the silver medal for the 2005-06 season. Even so, he competed in only two ISU championships for France, finishing ninth at Europeans and 26th at Worlds in 2004-05. |
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September 16, 2009
Article by J. Barry Mittan
 Colorado ice dancers Jane Summersett and Todd Gilles hope to reach new heights this season by winning a medal at U. S. Nationals in senior dance. They've finished sixth the last two years so a leap to the podium is not out of the question. Gilles has been on top previously, winning the junior title in 2005 with Trina Pratt.
Gilles was the first in his family to start skating, beginning when he was four. But his twin sisters, Alexe and Piper, followed him into the sport with Piper also competing in ice dance with Zachary Donohue.
Summersett started skating when she was just a toddler. "My Mom was involved in teaching the Basic Skills Program and she put me on the ice with a walker when I was very young," Summersett recalled. "All of my older sisters skated too."
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September 07, 2009
Article by J. Barry Mittan
 Synchronized skating or synchro, formerly known as precision skating, is the fastest growing discipline within the skating community. In synchro, teams of skaters compete against one another as they form intricate patterns on the ice. In countries such as Finland and Sweden, synchro is more popular than traditional figure skating or ice dancing.
Maggie Maier, who will be 16 in October, is a typical synchro girl. "I like synchro best because of the team aspect," she said. "We have a close group of girls and it's a lot of fun. Coming together as a team is a really unique experience and the best feeling ever."
"We have a lot of fun going to the competitions with the other teams from our rink," Maier noted. "It's great having other teams to cheer for us. We all have our own cheers."
"When you get the elements just right, you can really wow the crowd," she added. "We did death spirals in isolation last year in our free program and that was really cool. Ben Okolski helped us with them." |
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