Yu-Na Kim beats Barack Obama as 2008 Person of the Year

The Korea Times reports that figure skating phenom Yu-Na Kim is Korea's 2008 Person of the Year. The runner-up? President-Elect Barack Obama. (Link to article) And it was definitely a close call. Let's do the side-by-side comparisons:

• Barack won the Presidency of the United States of America! Yu-Na won Skate America and Cup of China!

• Yu-Na and Barack have inspired all young people from all over the world to either have the best triple-triple combination or be the most powerful person in the world.

• Yu-Na and Barack have left their homeland to expand their view of the world. Yu-Na was born in Korea and currently trains in Toronto, Canada with former Olympian Brian Orser. Barack was born in Hawaii and spent four years in Indonesia as a child before returning to the states.

• Yu-Na and Barack both live by the "Change is coming" mantra. Barack wants to completely overhaul the status quo and begin a new era of Democratic rule. Yu-Na is setting precedent by putting South Korea on the map and pushing aside the dominance of Japan, Europe and the United States.

So what was the deciding factor that pushed Yu-Na ahead of Barack? Well, I think it's gotta be the "emoting" factor. Barack's "coolness" and even keel temperament didn't connect with the voters on this one. But take Yu-Na -- lots of expressions and emotions going on with this young lady, and that's what people were drawn to. So congratulations to Yu-Na and better luck in 2009 Mr. President!

Election Day at Rockefeller Rink

How cool is this? For Election Day coverage, NBC has carved out (or imprinted?) all 50 states on the ice at Rockefeller Rink as part of converting the area into Election Plaza. The rink closed today (Tuesday) at 3 p.m., but as a season pass holder, I was able to skate at Rockefeller first thing in the morning. I'm not exactly sure how they crafted the outlines of the states, but it seems like they used some cloth tape material and then constructed a thin layer of ice over it (you could feel a bump when you skated over it). The rink is closed on Wednesday for workers to remove the map.

 

NBC folks will be placing red-colored or blue-colored cloth pieces on the map as the results come in. I'll be watching...

Sarah Palin gets in trouble for building a hockey rink

• Kurt Browning hosts Canada's Walk of Fame awards, honoring Michael J. Fox, Bryan Adams, and Kids in the Hall. [CBCNews]

• Compelling "Where are they now" story with Deann (Beideck) Olson. [seattlepi.com]

• Pairs legends Oleg and Ludmila Protopopov, 76 and 72, stay young in Maui, Switzerland and Lake Placid. [Lake Placid News]

• World champion Elvis Stojko describes current state of skating as "generic." [West Island Chronicle]

• Celebrities Tim Robbins, Alan Thicke, Juno director Jason Reitman, D.B. Sweeney and 90201's Cameron Bancroft support Right to Play. [winnepegsun.com]

• Ice dancers Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon get married in Montreal. [icenetwork]

• In case you were wondering who the Team Physician is for the U.S. Figure Skating Team. [jockdoctors]

• U.S. Open now concluded with Serena Williams (see right) victorious. I wonder if she still fantasizes about being a figure skater...[trashbagaesthetics]

• Oksana Baiul working on autobiography, due 2010, which she calls her "gift to the Olympics." [kyivpost]

• Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin built a hockey rink in her Alaskan hometown and then the legal troubles began. [WSJ]

Joe Biden and skating

How can someone be from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and not skate?

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, spent ten years there, and also attended Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, which has a hockey club for boys and girls. Guess what, World Junior Champion Adam Rippon is also from Scranton and skating is very popular in that area. I refuse to believe that Biden, surrounded by skating growing up and while in school, was not tempted to embrace that world. Hockey is an aggressive sport - surely Biden dabbled in it to prepare for a life in politics! This may sway my vote one way or the other. Hey, we know that Barack Obama took daughters Malia Ann and Natasha roller-skating, and has at least held a hockey stick (albeit at a political rally and not on a rink) (see below).

My exhaustive five-minute research also revealed that John McCain grew up in Northern Virginia and was a wrestler in school. Mitt Romney, McCain's probable running mate, tried his hand at, hmm...my crack research team is hard at work on that one. No word on whether the Ralph Nader ticket has a skating background. As part of our continuing 2008 presidential election coverage, we pledge that Lifeskate will get to the bottom of this important issue for all skaters.