Boot and Blade

Did you know that Yu-Na Kim was the second highest earning athlete at the 2010 Olympics? She made more than 8 million dollars last year in product endorsements. And that was before she was Olympic champion! Yu-Na has been hard at it, endorsing everything from mascara to smoothie drinks to air conditioning units. Brian Orser even gets in on the action in this ad:

Despite this (and many other) cheesy ads, I’m delighted that figure skaters can now cash in on their hard work and fame. For years, amateur skaters couldn’t even take a cash honorarium for show skating or they risked losing amateur status. Here in Canada we’ve seen Joannie Rochette in Cold FX ads. Now, I’m just waiting for the Tessa and Scott Sunny D commercial. Or maybe they’re more Burberry material.

May 2nd, 2010 | Tags: brian orser, figure skating stars, japander, yu-na kim | Category: Skaters | Comments (2)

Feeling motivated to get on the ice and strut your stuff after watching Olympic and World figure skating competitions? On Sunday, April 11th at 12:30 pm head over to the Richmond Ice Center for a free family skate and a good cause.

The annual “Skate for Scleroderma” raises awareness of Scleroderma, a chronic autoimmune disease that hardens skin and organs over time.

In addition to free skating and skate rentals, there will face painting and prizes and awards for most pledges collected.

What: Skate for Scleroderma
When: Sunday April 11th at 12:30 pm
Where: Richmond Ice Center, 14140 Triangle Road, Richmond

April 6th, 2010 | Tags: Spencer Skate for Scleroderma | Category: Events | Leave a comment

For those of you looking to BootandBlade.com for analysis of Worlds (bless you!), it will be a little late coming. I’m on a much-needed holiday this week and am hoping to make it back to my PVR chock-a-block full of World’s coverage before hearing the results, and blogging about them.

So, if you can wait a week… check back to get my review and analysis. Happy viewing!

March 24th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (1)

During the Olympics I got the chance to chat with some local and international media about the figure skating events, the outcomes and the sport’s appeal.

I made some predictions about the Ladies event on the Global TV’s morning show and chatted with Lisa Christiansen on CBC 3’s “Appetite for Distraction” about my favourite Olympic moment and what makes figure skating both wild and wonderful. And, I gave my two cents about figure skating fashion faux pas on ABCnews.com.

I had a great time sharing my thoughts and passion for the sport and, hopefully, made figure skating a little more accessible for the newest skating fans.

March 8th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Last week I spoke with ABC News for their story about Olympic figure skating costuming, Vancouver Olympics: In Figure Skating, Women Go Classy, Men Stay Flashy. The article asks this question: Why are men donning outrageous costumes while the women are toning it down with sophisticated dresses? It was fun to weigh-in on the discussion along with figure skating costume designers. Here’s what I had to say:

Some lifelong fans, like Julie Szabo, a figure skating blogger, think that whatever the reason, some of the men’s costumes are getting too creative.

“I think it takes away from the skating when the skater comes out with crazy costumes,” Szabo said. “So much time and effort is spent designing the perfect programs but sometimes the same consciousness is not put into the costumes.”

Blogger Szabo described the women figure skaters as trending towards glamour: “I think we are going to see the women continuing to be a little bit more sophisticated, in part because their programs are becoming more sophisticated and the costuming is a response to that.”

In case you were wondering, here’s my choice for the worst-dressed man in the competition:

Czech Republic's Thomas Verner skates to "Zorba the Greek".

You can read the complete article here.

February 27th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (7)

Seven-time Canadian Champion Elvis Stojko has been speaking out about a lack of masculinity in the men’s figure skating event. As a life-long figure skating fan, I too have seen a rise in effeminate costumes and choreography. When Dick Button, Brian Boitano and Kurt Browning were skating, men didn’t do ladylike layback spins or make a show of their flexibility.

But, is men’s skating really in dire straits, as Stojko suggests?

I don’t think so. For starters, the media presents a skewed version of male figure skaters. Johnny Weir dominated the news thanks to his outrageous costumes and overtly feminine skating style.

But he’s an outlier. He’s not representative of all male skaters. In reality, there are many competitors whose costumes and choreography don’t make the crowd giggle: Jeremy Abbott, Patrick Chan, Vaughn Chipeur, Brian Joubert to name a few.

Secondly, figure skating is not simply a jumping competition. It is jumping plus artistry, plus footwork, spins and style. If power and strength was the only factor then why bother with routines at all? Why not just stage a jump-off? It’s the artistic aspect of figure skating that makes it unique and, as such, invites a wide range of presentation styles, some which may not appeal to the majority of viewers.

I admit that I sometimes pine for the days when all men competed in tuxedo-style costumes, but I don’t think figure skating needs to be transformed into a pure power sport to keep its audience.

In a recent Salon.com article, a journalist asked Stojko if figure skating would appeal to a NASCAR fan if the men were more masculine. Why should it? I’m a figure skating fan who’s never watched a NASCAR race. Does that discredit NASCAR? Certainly not. Just because NASCAR fans aren’t sitting on the edge of their seats hoping Johnny Weir lands his triple axel doesn’t mean that figure skating needs an overhaul.

Today, the judges are rewarding the all-around athlete/artist whose combined abilities add up to a truly great performance. And, if the athlete that delivers the most well rounded performance happens to wear a wreath of roses on his head while waiting for his marks, and blow kisses to the crowd, then so be it.

February 27th, 2010 | Tags: elvis Stojko, Johnny Weir, men's figure skating | Category: Skating Thoughts | Comments (1)

Watching Joannie Rochette battle through the short program last night was inspirational and, of course, heartbreaking. Her courage is astounding.

Many fans have expressed their support for Joannie with messages and texts. In this statement, she says that she appreciates all the support:

We both want to thank all the people here and across Canada for their support. We have received so many emails and texts, and we wanted people to know that we read everything that you are sending. We also want everyone to know that these messages are helping us to get through this. We are going to do it with Thérèse (Joannie’s mom). Even though we aren’t able to respond to everyone, please keep them coming for both of us.

You can send Joannie your support as she prepares for the long program. Here’s how:

• Post a message on Joannie’s website
• Leave a message on her Facebook fan page
• Comment on Joannie’s Olympic profile page (sign-in required)

February 24th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I feel so lucky! I was one of 11,000 skating fans at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver to witness Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir dance their way to Olympic gold. It was an evening of perfection led by the Canadian duo whose complex, powerful and emotionally profound free dance left the audience in an awestruck, romantic haze. Virtue and Moir are the first Canadians to win Olympic gold. Even more astounding, they are only one of three non-Russian dance teams to claim gold since Ice Dance became an Olympic sport.

Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the silver medal with an athletic, crowd-pleasing program. With risky lifts and high-quality dance elements Davis and White were even able to breath some life into the ever-popular though woefully overused music from Phantom of the Opera.

This article captures the feeling in the arena tonight and does well to point out that the theatrical Russians laid down a solid and entertaining program, but were light on skating skills, speed and power.

Celebrating Virtue and Moir’s win in Vancouver tonight was a truly magical moment for this lifelong figure skating fan!

February 23rd, 2010 | Tags: Charlie White, Meryl Davis, olympics, Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue | Category: Ice Dance, olympics | Comments (2)

Choreography is the new quad.

Patrick Chan and Joannie Rochette’s routines are evidence of just how critical good choreography is in making a skater competitive on the world stage. In Chan’s case, his intricate, dramatic footwork sequences and artistic embellishments almost make up for a shaky triple axel and no quad. It’s choreography, I believe, that put Evan Lysacek ahead of Evgeni Plushenko in the Olympic free skate.

Canadian Lori Nichol is the reigning Choreography Queen. In a sport where artistry is a close second to triple jumps, Nichol has a fascinating job. And she’s darn good at it. Last week, the Associated Press published a story about Nichol and her work with Lysacek. If you’ve ever wondered how a world-class figure skating program is woven together, you’ll enjoy this article.

Here’s an excerpt:

“I’m trying to do layer upon layer,” Nichol said of choreographing a program. “I’m trying to appeal to those that I know have spent the hours and time and really understand the incredible difficulty of some of the things we’re doing on the ice.
“And then I try to do (a program) so that anyone can enjoy it. I think of what my mom’s watching and think of what my neighbor’s watching and how do I make this program enjoyable for them? And how do I make it so it’s something the judges will be able to understand and respect?

February 21st, 2010 | Tags: choreography, Evan Lysacek, Lori Nichol | Category: olympics | Comments (1)