Angela Maxwell's post Nationals update

I can't believe NBC didn't replay Angela Maxwell's free skate at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. I mean, they replayed a whole bunch of other stuff from previous days and how could they not replay her free skate? It was amazing -- a total standout! Angela came in 13th in the short and seventh in the free - She finished eighth overall in her senior debut. (Last year she competed as a junior and won the silver medal and the previous year she competed as a novice and won the gold.) (photo at right, Angela at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey)

Skating to Themes from Inuyasha in her free skate, Angela completed six triples and she has such spring and snap to her jumps which made her long program really exciting to watch. The judges awarded her 101.20 points for the program and oh, what could have been, if her short program marks had been a little higher. For you all icenetwork subscribers, do check out her short and long programs on icenetwork's video page.

But anyway, I asked Angela to sum up her experience from Nationals after she had returned home to New York (she recently relocated from Dallas). I've received a number of inquiries from folks in Japan who wanted to congratulate her on her performance. Angela's mother is Japanese and I think there is a lot of appreciation from the Japanese skating fans for great skaters, and it doesn't hurt that one of their own, so to speak, is doing so well. Here is what Angela wrote:

Well, I just got back from Nationals. It was very exciting competing at the senior level for the first time, and skating along-side the top skaters was a wonderful experience. I was very happy with how I skated. Olga [Orlova, her coach] and I worked hard after the finals to get my jumps more consistent and improve the in-between skating. She really put in an abundant amount of time working with me, and I appreciate her hard work very much. But now that I have a little downtime, I'm going to visit my friends, family and my new dog! I'm really excited for the new season, and I look forward to training hard this year, and getting a good start. Thank you everyone!! I am very grateful to have fans!! Bye-bye!
 
Angela
<(^_^)>

Takahiko Kozuka plays John Travolta - Clip of the week

Is there anything Japan's Takahiko Kozuka (小 塚 崇 彦) can't do? He can even pull off 70s disco! What's his appeal? Other than fantastic skating ability, a heartthrob who doesn't realize he's a heartthrob? After winning Skate America and coming in second at Trophee Eric Bompard, Takahiko went on to the Grand Prix Finals where he won the silver medal. With 2007 world silver medalist and three-time Japanese national champion Daisuke Takahashi taking this season off to undergo surgery on his right knee, it was Takahiko and Nobunari Oda (織 田 信 成) vying to be top man in Japan at the recent Japanese National Figure Skating Championships. In the end, Nobunari took the title followed by Takahiko.

Below is Takahiko channeling John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

Note: Skate begins at :45.

What is the most important quality a coach should have?

I wanted to pass along a bit of advice that coach Gary Shortland shared with me. Gary is a former British competitive ice dancer (with partner Charlotte Clements, they were two-time senior British National Dance Champions, see right) who currently teaches at the Extreme Ice Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. I asked him, from a student's perspective, what qualities should a skater look for in a teacher/coach?

Gary named three that he felt were at the top of the list. First, professionalism. It goes without saying, right? Time is money for both sides so respecting the role of coach and student is very important for a productive relationship. The second aspect that Gary felt the student should focus on was the level of the coach. Granted, not everyone needs an Olympic-caliber coach to be a good skater and get great basics and foundation under their belt. I personally choose instructors based on a combination of my own observations of how they teach, how they skate, word-of-mouth from fellow skaters and in some stances, without knowing anything and just wanting to experience a different teacher.

And the third quality that Gary wanted to emphasize was something I had never thought of, but of course, it makes the most sense. And that is: Choose a coach who looks like he/she enjoys being at the rink. I just thought that was the most profound statement I had heard in a while! So simple and yet so much in the statement about being happy with your work environment, which comes across to your students, which makes them appreciate their surroundings, makes them more receptive to learning, and I can go on and on. Am I reading too much into Gary's third quality? Who know but it's something to keep in mind if we're ever searching for an instructor!

Hands: Developing awareness and articulation

Our guest columnist is Annette T. Thomas, a dance teacher and choreographer, who has trained at Carnegie Hall, the San Juan Ballet Company, and the Connecticut Regional Ballet Company under world class instructors. With 30 years of dance and figure skating experience behind her, Annette is certified in Russian Method Classical Ballet, and is a member of the Professional Skaters Association, U.S. Figure Skating, the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, and the Wisconsin Dance Council. Annette began working with figure skaters in 1998 and has conducted numerous off and on-ice workshops in the areas of conditioning and artistry. She is also the author of Fundamentals of Alignment and Classical Movement for Figure Skaters, which has received international acclaim from ice and roller skaters and their coaches.

Hands: Developing awareness and articulation
by Annette T. Thomas

We often neglect our hands and fingers during training. They seem too small to matter, but stiff uncontrolled hands are a sure sign of uncontrolled tension throughout the body, just as elegant and expressive hands are a sure sign of total control. Hands are very much a communication device; they speak to the audience as much as your facial expressions do. Developing awareness and articulation in your wrists and hands will help you not only to communicate with confidence and style, it will also help you to integrate your hands into your entire body line and flow of movement.

Here are some basic exercises to help you work on awareness, strength, flexibility and articulation. Work each movement to its limit. From left to right: Fists, Splayed, Claws, Bowed back

You can find additional hand exercises in Annette's workbook Fundamentals of Alignment and Classical Movement for Figure Skaters. Article and photos are copyright 2009 by Annette Thomas. Material may not be copied or distributed without the consent of Annette Thomas.

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Rachael Flatt wuz robbed! Maybe.

• A 57-year-old, "6-foot-2, 200-pound geezer" tries his hand at figure skating and...loves it! [NYT]

• Elvis Stojko coaches Mexican skaters to the 2009 ISU Four Continents Championships. [IFS]

• The joy of going in circles. [NYMag]

• What the Buck's take on the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Starts at 3:40. [What the Buck]

• Figure skating sketches from a doodler. [All Manner of Oddities]

• Catching up with three-time U.S. pair champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand. [icenetwork]

• Actress takes a year of intensive skating lessons to prepare for sports drama called Triple. [Coolsmurf]

• Canada's Olympic broadcast team for Vancouver 2010 tops 140+ reporters! [CTV.ca]

• Chinese coaches train Turkish ice skaters. [Today's Zaman]

• Sasha Cohen (see right) promotes the benefits of yoga. [USA Today]

• Rachael Flatt, 2008 World Junior Champion and 2009 U.S. silver medalist, supports Reading Is Fundamental. [RIF]

• Rachael Flatt also named to Scholastic Honors Team. [IFS]

• 30 seconds with Kristi Yamaguchi. [NYT]

• Reporter ponders whether judges made sure Alissa Czisny won the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. [Chicago Tribune]