Dancing on Ice returns

Skating with the Stars may have had troubles getting off the ground in the US. Battle of tha Blades has had two successful seasons in Canada. But the british version of celebrities-learning-to-skate-with-professionals is roaring into it's 6th series tonight.

The series features Torville & Dean as coaches and joint-hosts and Robin Cousins as head judge. As with all these shows, the celebrities are rather B-list,  but it's all in the name of fun TV. The 2 finallists skate their own version of Bolero each year in an homage to T&D

Here is a list of this years celebrities and their professional partners

• Angela Rippon (newsreader/presenter) & Sean Rice
• Chloe Madeley (model and daughter of Richard & Judy) & Michael Zenezini
• Craig McLachlan (Neighbours actor) & Maria Filipov
• Dave Vitty ("Comedy Dave" from Radio 1) & Frankie Poultney
• Denise Welch (Actress and Loose Women presenter) & Matt Evers
• Dominic Cork (Cricketer) and Alexandra Schauman
• Elen Rivas (Model and Frank Lampard's ex girlfriend) & Łukasz Różycki
•  Jeff Brazier (TV presenter) & Isabelle Gauthier
• Jennifer Metcalfe (Hollyoaks actress) & Sylvain Longchambon
• Johnson Beharry (British soldier honoured with Victoria Cross) & Jodeyne Higgins 
• Kerry Katona (Atomic Kitten singer and tabloid personality) & Daniel Whiston
• Laura Hamilton (TV Presenter) &  Colin Ratushniak
• Nadia Sawalha (Eastenders actress) & Mark Henretty
• Sam Attwater (Eastenders actor) & Brianne Delcourt
• Steven Arnold (Corionation Street actor) & Nina Ulanova
• Vanilla Ice (American Rapper) & Katie Stainsby

Let the fun and falls begin!

Life in the gym

Gymnastics may get only a limited abount of publicity but here are some behind the scenes video clips of future present British talents.

Jennifer Pinches, 'A Different Life' 2005

Danusia Francis, Blue Peter, 2005

Beth Tweddle, profile following 2006 Worlds

Venus Romaeo, Olympic Dreams, 2008

Daniel Keatings, Sportsvibe, 2009

Also (a good laugh for anyone who hasn't seen it) Becky Wing and Thomas Gibbs feature in the hilarious Breakfast Show Sporting Challenge, 2009

Gao looks to be a contender at Nationals

Universal Sports this week posted an article on US skater Christina Gao. The now main female student of Brian Orser is looking to improve on her impressive senior debut last year at the US championships where she was 5th in an olympic year. A metioric rise for someone who 2 years earlier was 12th in the Novice competition!

This year Gao has looked to improve the maturity and difficulty of her programmes. She was 6th at the Junior Grand Prix final this season after jump errors in the short programme. In the free skate she was third behind the Russians, Sotnikova and Tuktamisheva.

Here are some of the questions and Gao's responses from her interview with Universal Sports

What were you goals heading into summer training?
This year I want to be mentally stronger. That was my main goal, being able to find my zone. I used to watch Michelle Kwan and every program she's so focused and that's why every time she could perform under pressure.
I worked harder than I have in any other season. After being at Nationals that was the Olympic one- it really opened my eyes. Also watching the Olympics. The last time I watched I was 12, so you don't really pay attention that much. [Watching the 2010 Olympics made me] determined to be the best I could be.


It must have been even more personal to see your former training-mate Yuna Kim win?
It was amazing to watch somebody you see every day and then look on TV and there she is, Olympic champion. That's every skaters dream and she actually achieved it. Seeing how she trained, how she dealt with pressure and the media -I was lucky to see that. Of course now she's gone, but I miss her and I wish her all the best.


What do you like best about your new programs?
I love the choreography in both of them. I love the triple-triple in both, but I hope the whole program can be like, ‘Wow.' That's what I want.


Assess your fall season on the Junior Grand Prix.
I didn't do that well at the Final, but I'm really happy with how I did at both my Junior Grand Prixs. It was definitely - wow, those 13-year-old Russian girls throwing out triple-triples like it's nothing. It was good for me mentally to be able to think, ‘You can't get distracted by that. Yeah they're much younger and really good, too, but focus on myself and doing my job.'


What is it like training with U.S. teammate Adam Rippon?
He's like my big brother. We tease each other all the time. He works really really hard, he's determined and that really sets the tone for everybody else in the rink. He's a really good role model. People feed off of that energy.


Has he challenged you to do jumps with your arms over your head?
No no. I don't think I could do that. I don't even know how he does that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Yu-Na Kim has recieved an official apology from Japanese broadcaster NTV after they reportedly filmed her training without permission. Kim is in training for a return to competition at the world championships in Tokyo in March.

“She’s gearing up right now,” said David Wilson, “But it’s a difficult situation. She has never taken a year off like this.” (Globe and Mail)

There is a chance that as well as facing off against her old rival, Mao Asada in Tokyo, She may be facing off against a former team-mate if Gao can make the world team.

Skating in January

January is a busy month in figure skating as Powerhouse nations USA and Canada hold their nationals and the European Championships kick off the major international season.

The ISU has announced the provisional entries for the 2011 European Championships in Bern, Suitzerland, January 24-30th.

Key Names to look out for:

• The French men (Joubert, Amodio, Preaubert), facing off against the relatively inexperienced Russians (Gachinski, Menshov) and familiar Czech faces (Verner, Brezina) 
• Kiira Korpi will be the only familiar Finnish face, her main rivals being a rejuvenated Carolina Kostner, the Russians Alena Leonova and Ksenia Makarova (pictured).
• 3 strong Russian pairs will aim to challenge Savchenko & Szolkowy in the pairs event. 
• Italians Faiella & Scali are penned to return to competition, facing Pechalat & Bourzat, The Kerrs and Bobrova & Soloviev in the ice dance. 

The US nationals take place Jan 22-30 in Greensboro.  Unseen Skaters has a list of provisional entries. There will be no Evan Lysacek or Johnny Weir competing here but still a decent battle for world team places, particularly in ladies and men's event where the US is the deepest.

Canada's Nationals take place Jan 21-23 in Victoria, BC. Skate Canada has posted the starting orders here. Cynthia Phaneuf will be a clear favourite for the ladies event. Jessica Dube will also skate ladies whist her pairs partner Bryce Davison recovers from his leg injury. A strong pairs field will include grand prix medallists Moore-Towers & Moskovitch and promising new partnership Duhamel & Radford. Olympic champs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are penned to compete, suggesting Virtue's recovery from surgery is going well. Patrick Chan will be expected to breeze to his 4th National title. Jeremy Ten will miss the competition following ankle surgery this week.

The ongoing antics of Johnny Weir

Love it or hate it, Johnny Weir has become one of figure skating's most public faces. The skater who finished 5th in Turin and 6th in Vancouver has gone on to find fame with a fashion line, a movie and now an autobiography.

For many years Weir has refused to confirm or deny that he was gay, stating that it was private and had nothing to do with his performance on the ice. However, in his new memoir, "Welcome to My World" Weir spoke openly about his sexuality for the first time. Whilst few will be surprised by the news or hold it against him, it does beg the question why he took such offence at questions of his sexuality until now. He claims he 'came out' to challenge stigma in the wake of gay youth suicides.

Today Weir wrote on his twitter account: I don't remember ever pretending to be something other than I am, nor do I remember living with my coats inside a wardrobe. I just live.

Caroline Zhang changes coaches (again)

US skater Caroline Zhang has added another name to her long list of coaches. The former world junior champion and 2-time US medallist has switched to Peter Oppegard (the coach of Yu-Na Kim).

This may be an odd choice as Oppegard likely has his hands rather full with the Olympic Champion in his group. Although Zhang often skates at the rink in Artesia anyway and the attraction of skating with Kim is fairly obvious!

Zhang was one of the best juniors worldwide, but as she grew her odd technique and slow, careful skating began to catch up with her. Since entering the senior ranks Zhang has changed coaches from MingZhu Li, to Charline Wong, Back to Li, to Tammy Gambill and now to Oppegard in search of the answer to her technical problems.

The changes won't take place overnight and Zhang will be hard pressed to make the world team this year, but it will be interesting to see her progression at Nationals, later this month.

Faces for 2011 (Gymnastics)

Gymnasts 'come of age' on the first of January each year.
In 2011 it is the year for young talents born in 1995 to step up to the senior ranks.

Here are a few of those young talents that we will have to opportunity to see a lot more of in 2011.

Tan Sixin (China)
Her elegant and precise beam and bar work won her recognition at the Pacific Rim and Youth Olympic games in 2010 (remember when her coach felt she was robbed of the bars gold!) Also her new floor routine showed a growing personality - expect her to grow into a senior role very quickly.

Viktoria Komova (Russia)

Goes without saying really - the only thing that stopped her being a dominant senior gymnast in 2010 was the age on her passport!

Laura Mitchell (Great Britain)

Born on 3rd January she barely missed out age wise on being a senior this year. A strong all-arounder (she won the GB junior championship with ease and missed out on a trip to the youth olympics only because of an ankle fracture in the weeks leading up to the games. A bubbly character from the same club as Nicole Hibbert and Danusia Francis, she will fit very easily into a senior GB squad.

Other young Brits

Also look out for Ruby Harrold, Jessica Hogg, Billie Mackenzie, & Rebecca Tunney.
They benefit from a basis of strong talent, inspiring gymnasts ahead of them (think Beth and the other GB seniors) and a good level of financial support behind them in the wake of good results in 2010

Diana Bulimar (Romania)
This smiley face from the youth olympics will almost certainly be seen amongst the senior ranks very soon. With several of the seniors retiring, the relatively small Romanian team will be looking to draw on the skills of it's young talents. 

Jordyn Wieber (USA)

Having outscored all of the US seniors at the Classic and collected an armful of medals at the Pacific Rims, it looked that like Komova, all that was holding this powerhouse back was her passport.
She has been plagued by ill-timed injuries though, can she put them behind her in 2011?

 Sabrina Vega (USA)

Overshadowed somewhat by Wieber and Kyla Ross (who, being born in 1996 is still too young to compete senior in 2011), this student of Romanian great Teodora Ungureanu has bags of style and a personality to match - look to see her be a senior contender in 2011. 

Natsumi Sasada (Japan) 

A beautifully stylish young gymnast who was devistated to just miss out on a medal in the all around at the Youth Olympics, she is a pleasure to watch and we likely will be watching her a lot more this year. 

Carlotta Ferlito (Italy)

The girl who pipped Sasada to the YOG bronze medal in the all around, then backed up her claim with further medals on vault and beam. Italy may have a new face to be proud of!

And some faces for 2012 and beyond. 

Some of the top juniors in 2010 (the 1996 babies) will be contenders for a medal in London but are still too young to compete senior in 2011. Look to see them build up their experience (and medal collections on the junior ranks this year. 

Anastasia Grishina (Russia), Kyla Ross (USA), Larisa Iordache (Romania) & Venus Romaeo (GB)