Yu-Na Kim's commemorative coin set is NOT issued in Korea!?!

• Johnny Weir appears in story about the Spirit Awards at 0:13. I'm guessing the editors thought he was an actor. [WSJ]

• Yu-Na Kim prepares for her ice show Festa On Ice on April 16 in Korea. But first she needs to defend her world title on March 22. [Chosun Ilbo]

• What percentage of judges are really honest -- 10%, 50% or 90%? [Tony Wheeler's Thoughts in the World of Figure Skating]

• Christopher Dean and Jill Trenary officially call it quits. He's been living overseas for a while -- is anyone surprised? [Daily Mail]

• A moment of total win for Stephen Colbert. [Aunt Joyce's Ice Cream Stand]

• 2006 Olympic silver medalist Stephane Lambiel retires from competition and begins his exhibition extravaganza. [AFP]

• Evan Lysacek agreed to do Dancing With The Stars before the Olympics! [ET Online]

• Complete results from the 2010 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [icenetwork]

• Joannie Rochette will skate a special exhibition number for Thin Ice, a skating reality show airing on ABC on March 19 and 21st. [MGM Grand Foxwoods]

• Yu-Na Kim commemorative coin set (see right) to be issued on April 8 and not in Korea. [Chosun Ilbo]

• Yu-Na Kim, I mean, Stella Yu-Na Kim, is Catholic. Did you know that? [UCA News]

• Continuing with the religious theme, listen to Scott Hamilton on God's Word Collectibles. [Inspirations]

Johnny Weir decides not to compete at World Figure Skating Championships in Torino

Johnny released a statement this afternoon explaining his decision to withdraw:

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support during the recent Olympic Games. The 2010 Olympics will be a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life.  I feel that I skated two of the best performances of my career, making my coaches, my family and above all- myself very proud. But I would not have been able to skate the way I did without the encouragement of my fans worldwide.

And while I am still embracing my Olympic memories and have the momentum to move forward, I have decided that it is not advantageous at this time for me to partake in the World Championships in Torino, Italy. After my sixth place finish in Vancouver, I believe that I must take time to reassess my strategies and goals.  While I understand the importance of competition, I feel that a short break at this time would be personally beneficial to me. I know all may not share my stance, but I can assure everyone that I will be re-energized after I’ve had time to rework my technique. I want to be a better competitor and win medals for my country and I hope everyone can respect my decision to take this time off.

Once again, I want to thank everyone who supported me this season.  Specifically, I would like to thank my coaches Galina Zmievskaya, Viktor Petrenko, Nina Petrenko, Priscilla Hill and David Wilson for helping me make my Olympic dreams a reality. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their never- ending support. Finally, I want my fans to know that I love them and I work every day to make them proud. I will continue to work hard and I hope my work for next season will be the most exciting of my career.

Felicia Zhang and Taylor Toth: Ready to take on the world

Felicia Zhang and Taylor Toth are the 2010 U.S. junior national champions in pairs and they are currently in The Hague, The Netherlands for the Junior World Figure Skating Championships. I caught up with them a few weeks ago when they were in New York City to perform at Rockefeller Rink as part of Ice Theatre of New York's free ice concerts. In addition to being a busy up-and-coming pair team, Felicia and Taylor are also Ice Theatre apprentices and perform with the ensemble whenever they can.

At U.S. Nationals in Spokane in January, Taylor needed five(!) stitches to his head when he and Felicia collided with another team during practice. Although doctors recommended to Taylor that he not compete that afternoon, Taylor and Felicia decided that they were going to continue and they won! But it was a very scary way to begin their competition. I asked the duo about the accident as well as their thoughts about the Olympics and expectations at Junior Worlds.

Schedule for 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships

The 2010 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships begin next week in The Hague, The Netherlands. The U.S. is sending a strong contingent to Junior Worlds. For the junior ladies, the U.S. is sending Christina Gao, Kiri Baga and Agnes Zawadzki. For junior men, it's Grant Hochstein, Armin Mahbanoozadeh and Keegan Messing. In ice dance, Piper Gilles and Zachary Donohue, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, and Rachel Tibbetts and Collin Brubaker were selected. And for pairs, it's Brynn Carman and AJ Reiss, Britney SImpson and Nathan Miller and Felicia Zhang and Taylor Toth.

The daily competition schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m. - Compulsory Dance

• Tuesday, March 9 at 7:15 p.m. - Pairs Short Program

• Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m. - Men's Short Program (1st half)

• Wednesday, March 10 at 2 p.m. - Men's Short Program (2nd half)

• Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. - Pairs Free Skate

• Thursday, March 11 at 1 p.m. - Original Dance

• Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. - Men's Free Skate

• Friday, March 12 at 9 a.m. - Ladies Short Program (1st half)

• Friday, March 12 at 2 p.m. - Ladies Short Program (2nd half)

• Friday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. - Free Dance

• Saturday, March 13 at 12 p.m. - Ladies Free Skate

• Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. - Exhibition Gala