Results of 2008 World Synchronized Skating Championships

The 2008 World Synchronized Skating Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary, from March 28 - March 30. Twenty-two teams (16 skaters are on a team) from 17 countries entered the event, with Finland's Rockettes (see above) winning their first Worlds. The U.S.'s Haydenettes placed fourth and Miami University placed ninth. Synchronized skating is hugely popular in Europe and rapidly gaining in popularity here in the U.S. I suspect that once it becomes a competitive medal sport in the Olympics, interest will surge that much faster. It's been featured as a demonstration sport in international events (link to Team Surprise's performance during exhibition at 2008 World Figure Skating Championships in Sweden), so it's just a matter of time before Olympic status.

Complete results from Worlds are as follows:

FPl	Name	Nat	Points	SP	FS
1	Rockettes	FIN	210.48	2	1
2	Surprise	SWE	205.71	1	2
3	Nexxice	CAN	198.81	4	4
4	Marigold Ice Unity	FIN	198.03	3	5
5	Haydenettes	USA	195.87	6	3
6	Les Supremes	CAN	188.59	5	6
7	Team Berlin 1	GER	171.52	9	7
8	Paradise	RUS	169.75	8	8
9	Miami University	USA	168.04	7	9
10	Tatarstan	RUS	147.42	11	12
11	Hot Shivers	ITA	146.24	12	10
12	Starlight	SUI	140.65	13	11
13	Boomerang	SWE	138.65	10	15
14	Passion	HUN	134.50	14	13
15	Olympia	CZE	130.45	16	14
16	Atlantides France	FRA	126.19	15	16
17	Tokyo Woman's College	JPN	117.69	17	17
18	Sweet Mozart	AUT	104.11	18	18
19	Fire on Ice	AUS	97.19	19	19
20	Zagreb Snowflakes	CRO	96.63	20	20

"It comes down to what you do. . .wearing rhinestones and velvet."

• I'm The Slo-Mo, which one are you? [Current Skate of Mind]

• American Girl Doll of the Year Mia St. Clair now a computer game --what took so long!?! [USA Today]

• Pretty much everyone's interviewed Sasha Cohen, so let's turn it over to the six-year-olds. [TimesUnion]

• Sad news for 2008 Worlds champion Jeffrey Buttle and family. [globeandmail]

• Combat nervousness before competitions with crackers. [SkateCoach]

• Does Ben Agosto of Tanith & Ben need to let his hair grow longer? These are the pressing questions on people's minds. [Detroit Free Press]
  

• Disney really can do everything, even put Finding Nemo on ice! [News-Bulletin]

• Recap of judging scandal from yesteryear from Starving Fish News. [YouTube]

• Report from Worlds that I liked. [Ice Skating Int'l]

• Enuff about Johnny! Who cares!?! [Gawker]

• Best quotes from Worlds (see right). [TheStar]

Ice Theatre of New York: Gitano

Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) was founded in 1984 by Canadian ice dancer Moira North and is dedicated to developing ice skating as a theatrical art form through performances and educational programs. Each year at Rockefeller Rink, ITNY puts together a Lunchtime Ice Concert Series where the artists showcase new works to the public. They also provide skating clinics for public school students as part of their educational outreach programs. Recently, I attended their first concert for 2008 at Rockefeller Rink and as usual, the pieces were great to watch. I always come away with a different appreciation of skating after attending an ITNY performance.

The piece was called Mi Andalucia, a three-part work that joins elements of Andalusian dance, flamenco and bull fighting. The choreography is by world-renown ballroom dance choreographer Peter diFalco. This is the second section, Gitano, which embodies the sorrow and exuberance of flamenco, and is performed by Olympian and co-Artistic Director of ITNY, David Liu. The piece was commissioned by ITNY and the Gertrude Vanderbilt Endowment. David has one of the best body lines in skating that I've ever seen. Like Katherine Healy, David also has extensive ballet and dance training; unlike Katherine, he chose to pursue skating over dance during his competitive years, and the skating world is thankful for that decision.

David told me that when he first started working with Peter on Gitano, he felt as though he had two left feet! The rhythms of the flamenco are "quite complicated" and the footwork was, in the beginning, "challenging." It took a few months for the two men to complete their choreography, as Peter had moved from New York to North Carolina, where he currently resides.

ITNY's next (and final) performance at Rockefeller Rink for the Lunchtime Ice Concert Series is tomorrow, April 2, at 1 p.m. (raindate following day), so if you're around the area, come on by!