2013 Skate America - Friday Practices

Quick post with photos from Friday's dance and pairs (first group only) practices. Includes video of Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir doing the throw quad Salchow.

Friday Dance and Pairs Practice

2013 Skate America - Thursday Practices

Greetings from Detroit! After an eventful trip to the arena during which we got a little lost in the more "interesting" part of the city, we made it to the Joe for part of men's practice and ice dance practice. Here are the photos and a few videos (Davis/White and the Shibutanis' run-throughs)!

Thursday Men and Dance Practice

I also took a trip to Ann Arbor and Canton yesterday morning. The University of Michigan campus is so pretty! Here are the photos from the trip:

Ann Arbor & Canton

LIFE ON THE EDGE Prequel Part III

Here's the final installment of Emily and Sergei's first meeting! If you haven't read the first two installments, you can find Part I here and Part II here.

Emily

Sergei excused himself when a parent asked to speak to him, and I watched them talk near the boards. It was the first time I could get a long look at Sergei without him catching me staring, although I’d probably gawked a little too long in the first moments of our meeting. When he’d turned around and I’d seen his electric-blue eyes, the only thing I could think was, Whoa.

And it wasn’t just his mesmerizing eyes. He had a gorgeous smile, neatly cropped golden brown hair, and that slight stubble that always seemed to make guys hotter. Plus, he’d been incredibly nice so far, and he didn’t appear to be scary-intense like a lot of other coaches. Of course, he might just be putting on a good introductory front.

Aubrey waved to me as she rounded the rink and headed my way, and I met her at the edge of the bleachers. She glanced from me to Sergei, who was still in deep conversation.

“How’s it going so far?”

I led her further away from the ice and hushed my voice. “You said he was good-looking. You didn’t tell me he was OMG smokin’ hot!”

She laughed. “I guess he’s not my type.”

“Well, he needs to not be my type either if I’m going to work with him every day without drooling all over.”

“Hey, at least you’ll have something nice to look at while you’re working your butt off.”

Sergei and the mom parted ways, and I shushed Aubrey as Sergei approached us.

“Sorry about that,” he said to me. “Hi, Aubrey.”

“Hey, I’ll let you guys get back to it. Come find me before you leave, Em.”

She started to walk away, and I called after her, “Did your mom remember the video camera?”

“Yep, she’s got it with her.”

I turned to Sergei. “I asked her to tape our first few lessons so my parents can see them. They’d like to drive down and meet with you on Saturday if you’re free.”

“Sure. I teach a group class in the morning and I can meet with them after.”

“Great.” I bobbed my head. “Just a warning that my mom can be pretty intense and will probably interrogate you.”

He chuckled. “Thanks for the warning. I’ve had to deal with some very extreme parents over the years, so I’ll be prepared.”

“She’s not like a crazy skating mom or anything. She doesn’t micromanage my skating, which is great, but she’s very protective.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to address all her concerns. If you feel like this is the right place for you, then I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her that you should stay.”

I smiled at the intensity in his deep blue eyes. It was the good kind of intensity – the kind that made me feel like he was already in my corner, willing to fight for me on this new path I was taking.

“So, what comes next?” I asked.

“I want you to get a feel for skating with a partner. We’ll start with some very basic exercises.”

I followed him onto the ice, and he took off his fleece jacket and stored it behind the boards. Whoa popped into my head again as I saw what he’d been hiding underneath. His lean muscles filled out his gray T-shirt perfectly, and the short sleeves showed off his biceps. His arms weren’t beefy but just solid enough for me to tell he worked out.

Stop staring!

I quickly turned away and zipped up my own jacket. This rink was colder than my home club. And right now it was probably better if Sergei didn’t touch my bare arms and shoulders. I needed to get more comfortable with him and all his hotness before we started too much skin-on-skin contact.

Sergei glided over and stopped in front of me. “The first basic is stroking… hand-in-hand crossovers. There’s a certain way the guy holds the girl’s hand that’s not the traditional way you’d think of.”

He moved closer and took my left hand, and I got a whiff of his woody cologne. Jeez, he even smelled really good.

He showed me how to curl my fingers toward my palm, and he gripped the back of my hand with his fingers clasping my wrist. His hand had warmed since I’d shaken it earlier.

“This is the first hold we’ll use. There a few different ones I’ll show you later.”

I nodded. His grip felt very strong, very secure. I concentrated on that instead of his piercing eyes gazing down at me. My pulse was already racing enough from the anxiousness of wanting to prove myself.

He led me into the flow of the skater traffic moving clockwise around the rink, and we faced forward side-by-side, slowly building up speed until Sergei said, “Ready?” and we switched to back crossovers, Sergei’s hand still locked around mine. I watched our feet, making sure I stayed in sync with him and kept the same pace. The last thing I wanted to do was trip and look like an idiot.

With each circle of the rink I felt more comfortable with the timing of our stroking, and I noticed Sergei’s grip never wavered. As we slowed down and returned to facing forward, he held on to my hand. This was definitely something that would take some time getting used to. I’d been skating alone all my life with only my thoughts to keep me company. I realized how nice it might be to always have someone beside me, going into battle with me.

We worked on the crossovers a bit more plus a few other fundamentals over the next hour. Sergei’s patience was evident right away as he carefully explained every movement he asked me to execute. When the hour was up, I wished we could keep going, but I knew Sergei had a lesson with a novice girl who was also looking for a partner.

“So, has this solidified your dream to be a pairs skater or will you leave here and never return again?” Sergei smiled.

I laughed. “You can’t scare me away that easily.”

“I’m glad to hear that. There’s a lot more I’m looking forward to showing you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be here. We have two hours tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, Courtney won’t be here, so you’ll have her slot.”

“Awesome.” I bounced lightly on my skate guards. “Thank you again fitting me into your schedule and helping me start from scratch. I know it won’t be easy finding a partner for a newbie, so I’m going to work above and beyond to get where I need to be.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to work with you. I’m excited to start from scratch. This way, you’ll learn everything my way and I won’t have to break you out of any bad habits.” His smile grew a little wider.

My cheeks grew warm, and I hastily dropped to the bleachers to take off my skates. “I like that you put a positive spin on it. I think there’s too much negativity in our sport.”

“I agree. Negativity will not be tolerated in my camp. Learning is done best in a positive environment.”

Okay, Sergei had to have some big flaw that I was missing. No coach could be this amazing. Was he going to suddenly turn into a jerk once we got into hard-core training?

He sat beside me and set his hand gently on my shoulder. “We’ll find the right partner for you, Emily. It might take a few tryouts or we might find a match on the first one. Either way, I see unlimited potential in you.”

I looked up into his encouraging gaze and came to a firm conclusion. He really was that amazing.

Monday Moves

Today in Monday Moves I'm saluting the ice dance team who's responsible for turning me into an ice dance uber fan. This performance was the first time I saw Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto skate, and I was immediately taken with them. They were so young but SO good. The move of theirs that I live for is their curve lift. Such beautiful line and stretch!

Lots of action ahead on the blog this week! Tomorrow I'll be posting the final installment of the LIFE ON THE EDGE prequel, and starting Wednesday I'll be in Detroit for Skate America. As usual I'll be providing plenty of photos (and hopefully a few videos). While in Detroit I plan on visiting some of the area training rinks, so also look for photos from my journeys!

LIFE ON THE EDGE Prequel Part II

Continuing the story of the day Emily and Sergei met, here's Part II of the "prequel" to LIFE ON THE EDGE. If you haven't read Part I, you can find it here!

Sergei

With a nod and a raise of my hand I signaled Emily to cool down, and I retreated to the bleachers while she circled the rink. I bent forward and rested my elbows on my thighs, continuing to watch Emily do easy stroking. My heart rate still hadn’t come down to normal level.

I had an incredibly tall task on my hands.

Not because I thought Emily couldn’t learn how to skate pairs. After seeing her body awareness, there was no doubt in my mind she could do anything I taught her. No, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was finding her a partner with just as much talent.

Emily exited the ice and snapped on her guards as she sat next to me. Pulling a bottle of water from her bag, she took a long drink and then recapped it.

“Are we going to start on the pair elements now?” she asked.

One side of my mouth twitched upward. I might have to actually rein in some of her eagerness. We couldn’t rush through the fundamentals, and I could see her wanting to get to the big tricks sooner rather than later.

“Let’s talk for a minute.”

I had to choose my words carefully. I wanted her to know how much I admired her ability, but I couldn’t give her too much praise. Not that she appeared to have a huge ego and wouldn’t handle it maturely. From the few minutes I’d spent with her, I didn’t get that vibe at all.

“You have an amazing connection to the music,” I said.

Her workout-induced flushed cheeks deepened to darker pink, and she looked down at her water. “Thank you.”

“And you must be a toe jumper.” I’d noticed she’d done only the jumps with a toepick takeoff and none of the edge takeoff ones.

“Yeah, Lutz and toe are my favorites. My Sal and loop are…” She made a so-so motion with her hand.

I studied her as she took a sip of water and slipped on her jacket. If I could find her a partner with the same jumping skills, they could push the sport to a new place. I was already envisioning the throw Lutz and side-by-side triple Lutzes, two elements no other pair was doing.

Slow down. You’re getting way ahead of yourself.

But it was hard not to with this potential superstar sitting next to me. There was the issue of her anxiety, however…

“Your coach told me a bit about your competition troubles,” I said. “Have you ever seen a sports psychologist?”

She toyed with her necklace again. “I didn’t want to ask my parents to take on another expense. They’ve put so much into my skating, and I kept thinking I could get over the nerves on my own…”

She was too good to have nerves be her downfall. I had to find some way to help her overcome them.

“I thought skating pairs might be good for me because I’d have another person to focus on,” she said. “I think just being alone out there and having my thoughts consume me is what causes me trouble. If I have a partner to focus on, maybe I won’t get so bogged down with the fear and anxiety. Maybe I’ll finally feel the freedom I do when I skate without the judges watching.”

She lifted her eyes to mine, full of hope, and my desire to help her kicked into overdrive. A million thoughts of how to coach her through her issues ran through my mind.

There was something about her, not just the talent she’d shown on the ice, but something else that stood out even more. A brightness that hadn’t dimmed even after all the disappointment she’d experienced with skating. Her energy was so positive, so engaging.

“If you decide to commit to pairs, I promise you will have all the confidence you need to compete.” I tapped the bleachers for emphasis. “After the work we do together, you will be the strongest, most focused competitor you can possibly be.”

The light in her eyes grew even brighter, and I couldn’t help but smile. I was making some big promises, but she made me believe they would all come true.

“I have a really good feeling about this,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if I was making the right decision coming here and giving up school, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this is where I’m supposed to be. I know that might sound kinda silly…”

“No, not at all.” I paused as I realized just how certain I was, too. Thirty minutes ago I didn’t know what to expect from our meeting, and now my head was spinning with plans for the future.

“I have the exact same feeling.”

****

Look for the final installment next week. You'll get the rest of the story from Emily's point of view!

Monday Moves

Welcome to another edition of Monday Moves! This week I'm loving the side-by-side triple Lutzes done by Canadian pair Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. As readers of the Edge series know, side-by-side triple Lutzes are one of Emily and Chris's signature elements. I always dreamed of a pair doing this element, and Duhamel/Radford are the first team I've seen to include it in their programs on a consistent basis (I've seen only one or two other teams over the years try it). Duhamel/Radford also do the throw triple Lutz, another Emily and Chris element. I love this teams's technical ability! Meagan is a former singles skater just like Emily :)

LIFE ON THE EDGE Prequel Part I

I thought it would be fun to go back in time before the start of LIFE ON THE EDGE and show the day Emily and Sergei met, so I've written a "prequel" to the series. The story will be told from both Emily's and Sergei's POV. It's a little long, so I'll be posting it in parts :) Here's Part I!

Sergei

A current pop tune blared through the rink as I stood in one corner of the ice, watching Trevor and Leigh execute a slow-developing double twist. My newest pair team looked in my direction, and I motioned for them to join me near the boards. I’d been coaching them for just a few weeks, and their cautiousness with every element was high on my list of things to work on with them.

“Keep your speed up… attack it quick and tight.” I looked back and forth between them, and they nodded briskly. “Remember that you are in complete control of it.”

After more nods they skated away hand-in-hand, and I glanced at my watch. My potential new student Emily was due any moment. I glided to the ice door and retrieved my skate guards from the bleachers, snapping them on while keeping an eye on the rink entrance. When Emily and I had spoken on the phone, she’d sounded very enthusiastic about trying pairs after twelve years of skating only singles. I’d called her coach in Boston, and she’d given Emily a glowing recommendation, saying her jumping ability was at a high level. Her career had never taken off, though, because of crippling competition anxiety.

A loud grunt swung my attention back to the ice, where Trevor caught Leigh awkwardly in his arms on the twist exit. I kept my focus on them as they skated past me to set up for a repeat of the element.

“Sergei?” a sweet voice asked tentatively behind me.

I turned and met the brightest pair of blue eyes I’d ever seen. A hint of green shone in the blue, like the color of the ocean on a clear day. Her gaze stayed locked on mine, eyes widening with expectation under a lock of dark blond hair that fell over her brow.

“Yes.” I smiled and stuck out my arm. “You must be Emily.”

She remained frozen for a moment, still staring, before quickly removing her gloves and shaking my hand. “Thank you so much for meeting with me.”

Her delicate hand warmed my cold one, and I chided myself for not wearing gloves when I’d been on the ice. I had to be about a foot taller than her, and in my skates I towered over her even more. To put us on equal ground, I motioned to the bleachers. “Let’s sit.”

She swung her skate bag from her shoulder and set it on the first row while taking a seat. I joined her as she stuffed her gloves inside her bag and unzipped her black Skating Club of Boston jacket.

“How was your drive?” I asked. “I heard there was snow in Boston.”

“Oh, I drove down last night and stayed at Aubrey’s house. I didn’t want to chance getting stuck in bad weather this morning.”

Conscientious. A quality I always looked for in a student.

“Will you be able to stay there permanently if you come to train here?”

“No, my parents have a summer house in Hyannis where I can live. It just doesn’t have electricity or anything right now since we only use it when they’re off from school.”

“Your parents are teachers?”

She nodded. “They’re professors at Boston University.”

“What do they think about you putting college on hold? You said when we talked that you graduated in December?”

“My mom’s not too happy I’ll be giving up my scholarship to BU if I move here.” She fiddled with the small silver cross on her necklace. “But she understands how important skating is to me and how excited I am about trying something new.”

Intelligence. Enthusiasm. Dedication. Three more vital qualities. On first glance, this girl seemed to have all the intangibles. Now I just needed to see her on the ice.

“Before we start working on the pair basics, I’d like to see you skate on your own,” I said. “Just so I can get a feel for your style and technique. You can do whatever you’d like – just let the music guide you. Jumps, no jumps… anything you want to do.”

“Sure.” She was already digging into her bag for her skates before I’d finished.

While she laced up her boots, I looked up at Trevor and Leigh stroking with slightly more speed around the ice. They were one of a couple of teams in my new program. When the club’s director had called and asked if I was interested in starting a pairs program on the Cape, I couldn’t say yes quickly enough. American pairs hadn’t had much international success in recent years, and I wanted to change that. My goal was to build a group of teams at all levels who would support each other and learn from each other and who would ultimately compete with the top teams in the world. It might take some time, but I was willing to put in the years of work to make it happen.

“I just need a few minutes to warm up. I did my off-ice stretching before I left Aubrey’s,” Emily said with a smile.

I nodded with approval. She really was diligent.

Emily shed her jacket, leaving her in a white, long-sleeved Red Sox T-shirt over her black pants. She hopped onto the ice, and her long, wavy ponytail flew behind her as she zoomed around the rink. I wouldn’t have to worry about increasing her speed.

I positioned myself behind the boards, and after Emily had sufficiently warmed up, she slowed to a stop at the ice door beside me. She made two careful steps toward the bleachers and removed her T-shirt, revealing a black tank with thin straps that crisscrossed over her back. The stretchy shirt and pants showed every detail of her figure. She was slender but not an unhealthy skinny that I’d seen with so many female skaters. She had just the right amount of curves and muscle for her petite size.

Folding her shirt neatly, she placed it on the bleachers and then smoothed her dark blond hair and tightened her ponytail. Meticulous and methodical, I thought, adding those to the other observations I’d made. Once she returned to the ice, she gave me another expectant look.

“You can use the next song that comes on to improvise,” I said.

“Hit Me Baby One More Time” promptly came over the sound system, and Emily and I both laughed.

“This isn’t quite what I had in mind,” I said.

I went over to the stereo and flipped though the stack of CDs, selecting a classical compilation disc. After tuning to Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, I returned to Emily.

“Something a little more traditional.” I smiled.

“I love this piece,” she said and skated to the center of the rink.

She took a few deep breaths and began to move along to the soft music. Her arms stretched gracefully like those of a ballerina, and her blades didn’t make a sound as she floated effortlessly over the ice. My heart rate sped up as if I was the one out there skating. But I wasn’t. I was standing completely still, watching Emily get lost in the music. And I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

She owned every movement and was in total control of her body, making beautiful shapes to match the lyrical tune. As she glided into a deep inside-edge spiral on the crescendo of the music, a long chill ran down my spine. I’d watched a lot of skating over the years, and I knew special talent when I saw it.

Emily was beyond special.

Besides the emotional choreography she was creating on the fly, she was also throwing in textbook triple jumps. Her Lutz rivaled that of the best ladies skaters in the world.

How is this girl not national champion? How bad must her competition anxiety be?

****

Part II will be posted next week! In the meantime, check out a bonus scene from REACHING THE EDGE and a sneak peek at FIGHTING FOR THE EDGE that I posted last week.