Yesterday I published Part 1 of my interview with Jamie Blanchard, web administrator for Figure Skaters Online (FSO). FSO is the official website for many of our favorite skaters. What make it pretty amazing is that the service is completely free and run by volunteers who obviously love the sport of figure skating. What a great way to support the athletes, especially the up-and-coming ones, who need a forum to connect with their fans. Here's Part 2 of our conversation.
Is there a particular skater whom you have really enjoyed working with on his/her official site?
Everyone always asks me if I have a favorite athlete. And whichever skater is asking me who my favorite is, is usually who I say my favorite skater is.:) But in all seriousness, I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the athletes that I have worked so there is no favorite. I might be younger than a lot of the athletes I work with but they’re like my children – and moms can’t pick who they love the most. It is definitely fun to work with some of the more popular skaters like Jeremy Abbott, Rachael Flatt, Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir because you can say "I know them" when they’re on a commercial or a magazine cover. But some of my best experiences are with skaters that never get any coverage, even from their hometown newspapers.
Any upsides and downsides to being part of FSO?
The downside of working with so many athletes is that you leave every competition, especially the U.S. Championships, feeling both incredibly happy and incredibly sad for someone. At this year’s nationals in Cleveland, I had seven athletes in the senior men’s competition, and that doesn’t count the skaters who I know personally but don’t do websites for. I was thrilled for skaters like Jeremy Abbott and Nicholas LaRoche. But while I was celebrating for some, my heart obviously ached for the athletes who weren’t able to reach the goals they set for themselves.
The World Championships were especially exciting for me because I have worked with Evan Lysacek for years. To watch him skate such a fabulous program was just an incredible feeling. But while I was thrilled for Evan, I felt for Jeremy Abbott, who is much better than the programs he skated at Worlds.
How do you come up with the design for the skater's website?
Because I have worked with so many athletes, somewhere close to 50 now, there are a variety of ways I have come to that winning design for the skater. Everyone really is different. Some are very hands on. Some are not. When it comes to designing the sites, the athletes usually just give ideas to their webmaster, and the webmaster comes up with a design, then they revamp that initial design until it’s something the skater is happy with. Some skaters are very specific with what they want their site to look like. Other skaters are so excited to have a site that you could make it lime green and yellow without a complaint from them.
When I was working with Brooke Castile on her website after she won the 2007 U.S. Championships with Ben Okolski, I remember she was very precise about everything. You could tell she was used to designing their costumes because she did not overlook a single detail. It was fabulous to work with someone who was so passionate about the look of their site.
Without the ability to work together in person, it is sometimes hard for me to understand what the skater wants their website to look like. I’ve been through a half dozen designs with some athletes before I get the one that they’re looking for.
Do you have a favorite memory working with a skater?
Evan Lysacek wanted to revamp his entire website around the end of
last year. I think we spent a good couple of months trying to come up with
something but no matter what I designed, neither of us really felt that
it was a good fit for his online image. Our ideas were just not
working out. It was getting kind of frustrating for both of us because
we were inching closer and closer to the 2009 U.S. Championships, which
is when we wanted to launch his new site.
What eventually happened was that Evan decided to get crafty. Using
some construction paper and magazine cut outs, he actually designed the
entire look of his website on something a little bit smaller than a
poster board and sent it to me, maybe a week and a half before
nationals. As soon as I opened that package up, everything we had
talked about over e-mails and over the phone was so clear. It took me
maybe an hour to transform his arts and crafts project into the actual
design of the site. Although I pulled a few all nighters, we launched
the site during the U.S. Championships, and it proved to be a big hit
with the fans waiting for news at home.
The introduction that is now on EvanLysacek.com came after he won the World Championships. When he won, I knew that we should make it a big deal on his website because it is a big deal to be the best skater in the world. I did the intro page without Evan’s input but he didn’t mind the extra recognition of his accomplishment.
Also, one of the projects that I am most proud of is working with the US Athletic Foundation, which Nicholas LaRoche and his sister Tricia started to help athletes get funding for their training. I think it’s a really fabulous initiative that tells so much about Nick and Tricia. They have been through incredible sorrow that I could never even imagine dealing with but they use that in a positive way. (Note: Their parents were killed. It is alleged that their father murdered their mother and then killed himself.) They get up every day wanting to change the world. Nick and Tricia are just fabulous people with great hearts.
I am an adult recreational skater and learning something new every day. Do you skate yourself?
I am embarrassed to say that I never learned how to skate! When I was younger, my hometown of Tucson did not have an ice rink so I took to gymnastics instead. I’ve been skating a few times throughout the years but I’m pretty terrible. Maybe those who can’t skate, design websites for those who can?
What a terrific person Jamie is! Thanks to her and the great staff at Figure Skaters Online for keeping us fans up to date on the latest happenings with our favorite skaters and introducing us to the up and coming ones.
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