Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:10 am
WHY they cannot make a DECISION????? ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Japan Earthquake/Tsunami 16 Mar 2011 09:40
ISU World Figure Skating Championships and ISU World Team Trophy 2011
Further to the ISU Statement of March 14, 2011 and the ongoing internal evaluation of the situation, the ISU is doing its utmost in order to give further information on Friday March 18 or Monday March 21 if possible.
ISU to consider new plans for skating worlds The International Skating Union will consider moving the world figure skating championships if Japanese organizers are unable to commit to hosting the event at a later date by Monday. By Associated Press | Posted: Mar 18, 1:06p ET | Updated: Mar 18, 1:38p ET
ROME (AP) - The International Skating Union will consider moving the world figure skating championships if Japanese organizers are unable to commit to hosting the event at a later date by Monday.
The championships were scheduled to begin next week in Tokyo but were postponed due to the earthquake and tsunami that have left the country in crisis.
ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta sent a letter to Japanese organizers Tuesday asking if they would be capable of hosting the championships in several months, such as October.
"If they don't respond by early Monday morning we're going to move forward," Cinquanta told The Associated Press on Friday.
Last week's twin natural disasters in Japan left at least 10,000 people dead and have resulted in a nuclear crisis.
"I'm still waiting for a response. We can't turn our backs on Japan in this moment," Cinquanta said from his Milan office.
Alternatives that Cinquanta mentioned include holding the worlds at the end of April or the beginning of May, with the United States, Canada, Finland, Germany and Russia as possible hosts.
The worlds were held in Turin last year, but Cinquanta ruled out returning to Italy.
"I'm Italian and that wouldn't be right," he said.
U.S. Figure Skating said it sent a letter to the ISU on Wednesday offering to host the championships in either the arena in Lake Placid, New York, or the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Both the Lake Placid and Colorado arenas are on the small side, but most larger arenas in the United States are unavailable due to NHL and NBA games.
The American federation said it has not received a response from the ISU.
"The Americans are very nice and helpful," Cinquanta said. "I have a lot of respect for the Americans."
Yu-Na Kim headed back to South Korea With worlds in limbo, Olympic champ headed home (03/18/2011) - With the 2011 World Championships in a state of uncertainty, Olympic champion Yu-Na Kim will head home to South Korea this weekend, say her representatives at All That Sports via The Korea Herald. READ MORE: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110318&content_id=17006140&vkey=ice_news
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:13 pm
BEVERLEY SMITH A world figure skating championship ‘nightmare'
Globe and Mail Update Published Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2011 9:20PM EDT Last updated Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2011 9:23PM EDT
Didier Gailhaguet, president of the French figure skating federation, says he does not see how the Japanese Skating Federation can stage a world championship following the disasters that have struck that country in the past week.
“It is a nightmare,” he said by phone from France on Wednesday. France brought home its European champion, Florent Amodio, this week after he had gone to train on a southern Japanese island with coach Nikolai Morozov the week before the world championships were to be held (March 21 to 27). The world championships have since been postponed indefinitely, although the International Skating Union is expected to make an announcement on the event's fate on Friday or Monday.
“We were really concerned about the radiation,” Gailhaguet said. “We thought it best for him to get back. He really wanted to stay, but it was too dangerous. Two days after that, I think we made the right decision.”
French coach Didier Lucine had also been in Japan, and he too returned.
Gailhaguet said skating delegations are “anxious” about going to Japan for the event and he believes that some skaters could be “scared.”
However, he said he agrees with ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta that the skating world must respect the Japanese federation, although at the moment it would be too difficult to hold a world championship.
He also does not like an ISU suggestion that the world championships be postponed until October, because it pushes the event too close to the next season's Grand Prix events. The first of six Grand Prix – Skate Canada – will be held in Mississauga Oct. 21 to 23 and the other five follow in successive weeks in various cities.
Gailhaguet also thinks that the NHK Trophy, Japan's Grand Prix event, could also be in jeopardy because of the disasters, which he feels will not be settled within months. “It could take a year,” he said.
If the world championships were to be held in October, skaters would need to train for four routines: two from last season for the 2011 world championships and two for the coming season. “As soon as the world championships would be over, they would start the Grand Prix,” Gailhaguet said. “If you want the skaters to be at their peak in September or October, [for the next season], you are going to need a rest.”
On the other hand, federations need to respect Japan's difficulties, he said. In trying to find a compromise to benefit Japan, he said the world championships that are already scheduled to take place in Nice, France, in March of 2012 could be shifted to allow the Japanese to hold the world championships then.
However, Gailhaguet suggested that the Nice event be shifted to March of 2013, which has already been awarded to London, Ont., and therefore, that the Canadian event be moved to March of 2014, a month after the Sochi Olympics.
“There's absolutely no way we'd go for that,” said William Thompson, chief executive officer of Skate Canada. He pointed out that Canada had already taken on a post-Olympic world championship in 2006, with all of its attendant difficulties. “We have 2013,” Thompson said. “That's just not in the cards at all. Nice try, Didier.”
Patinage artistique : Florent Amodio commençait « à flipper » au Japon (16/03/2011 13:00)
In the middle of preparing for the World Championships on an island in southern Japan, Florent Amodio was repatriated to France on Monday evening following the nuclear threat that hangs over the land of the Rising Sun. Following the postponement of the World Championships that were to take place in Tokyo from March 21 to 27, the reigning European champion does not know what his schedule is for the coming weeks, but has continued with his intensive training.
VOnews.fr Florent, how was your return to France?
Florent Amodio: I returned on Monday evening. I left for Japan on Tuesday, March 8. So I was only just in Japan for 5 days. I was in a training camp for the World Championships in Fukuoka on the island in the south of the archipelago. During the earthquake, we felt absolutely nothing. It was only when I got many text messages from my friends and family asking if I was alright that I realised anything had happened. It is true that by the time we left on Sunday night, we had started freaking out a little with the problems in nuclear power plants.
VOnews.fr: The world championships have been postponed. Do you think they could not be held this year?
Florent Amodio: I do not know. In any case, I've got to stay focused. I resumed training on Tuesday morning. In Japan, I was preparing myself really well. That's why we waiting until we were really sure that the event was going to be cancelled before deciding to return to France. But the situation there is so serious that it's easy to understand and sympathise if Worlds can't take place this year. This is only a sporting event.
VOnews.Fr: Had you planned to include the quadruple jump in your program during the world championship?
Florent Amodio: It would have depended on the circumstances. If I'm was contention for a podium, I think would have played safe. But if I'm a little further beind in the standings after the short program, I should take risks and the quad is one. I'm almost there with this jump. I land it regularly in training. The take off and the rotations are there, but the landings can still be perfected. I'll work out the strategy for including it with my coach in due course.
Updated: Waiting for Japan's answer, skating federation prexy weighs offers to move skate worlds
So where does the fate of the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships stand now?
It's still hard to tell, although the flurry of interest from other countries willing to host the event sooner rather than later seems to have changed International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta's thinking about having the event in April or early May.
I got Cinquanta on the phone Friday to ask him about several new developments since we talked Wednesday, when he expressed doubt about moving the worlds that had been scheduled to start Monday in Tokyo to an April or early May date in another country. He also seemed a bit exasperated that the Japanese Skating Federation had yet to respond to a number of questions the ISU posed in a letter it sent Tuesday to Japanese officials.
In our latest conversation, Cinquanta made it clear that:
*For reasons involving sponsors, broadcasters and respect, the ISU wants to give the original host, Japan, every chance to have an event the ISU decided four days ago to postpone indefinitely.
``We do not want to fight with Japan,'' he said. ``We want to have a `soft' agreement.''
*But Cinquanta said he will wait only ``Monday or Tuesday at the latest'' for a response from the Japanese federation to questions the ISU posed about issues that must be resolved to keep the event in Japan, possibly in October.
``We have skaters waiting for the final decision,'' he said. ``We cannot wait longer.
``We have to protect the interests of our skaters and member federations.''
*The idea of moving the championships to another Asian country so the time zone would be similar to that in Japan is highly unlikely because the ISU has received no expressions of interest from countries like China or South Korea.
``Due to the similar time for (broadcasting) the event, we could have been inclined to second this desire,'' he said. ``As far as other Asian countries, this seems a very remote possibility. At the moment, we do not have any indication (from other Asian countries) regarding this possibility.''
Russia and the United States have sent the ISU letters expressing their willingness to stage the worlds in April or early May. Officials in Malmo, Sweden also have come forward, as has the management of the Turin, Italy rink that was host to last year's worlds and the 2006 Olympics.
(Update: No Malmo. I had missed Thursday story on Swedish TV web site that said the Swedish Skating Federation nixed the idea of trying to put together the world meet on short notice. So much information and rumor flying it's hard to keep track of it all.)
``We have several countries available to organize championships, but the championships were officially allotted to Japan,'' Cinquanta said. ``We want to be fair with them.
``I don't say they should have returned the championships to us but at least to respond to our message.'' Even as they all expressed great concern about the devastation in Japan after last Friday's earthquake and tsunami as well as a sensitivity and understanding that this is an exceptional situation, skaters have been almost universally opposed to the idea of having worlds in October.
``Skating is nothing, nothing in this,'' reigning U.S. men's champion Ryan Bradley told icenetwork.com. ``It's just a tiny thing in this huge catastrophe.'' When the idea of a postponement to October became public, I sent Bradley a message seeking comment only on his feelings about that.
``I'm not sure I like the idea very much,'' he replied. ``It basically means that there will be two world championships next season. For someone in my position, that would throw a huge wrench into plans for my career.''
One top skater, who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of the situation, said using the summer to prepare for worlds might keep athletes from doing shows that provide income needed to fund their training. While that also seems of little consequence compared to what is happening in Japan, it is a legitimate consideration when discussing an October worlds.
It was enough of a consideration that Cinquanta expressed concern it could affect participation at a worlds in April or May because some skaters may have contractual obligations to shows then.
If worlds are to be moved, I would think Moscow is the logical choice. According to the Moscow News, the Russians are proposing the 14,000-seat arena used for the Grand Prix of Russia, which has a practice rink nearby. Moscow also has plenty of hotels and direct flights to most of the word's major cities.
But with all due respect to the views of athletes like two-time U.S. women's champion Alissa Czisny, who made an eloquent argument for having the worlds in another country as soon as possible that I posted yesterday, I have not changed the opinion I expressed in this blog four days ago.
I still think the worlds should be cancelled out of respect to the thousands who have died, the thousands still missing, the thousands in emergency shelters and the millions leaving under the threat of a radiation catastrophe.
Cancellation could deprive some athletes of what may be their only appearance at a world meet.
U.S. figure skating champ Czisny: moving worlds best choice for skaters
I sent two-time (and reigning) U.S. figure skating champion Alissa Czisny a message yesterday asking what she thought of the option of having the postponed World Championships in October.
I wasn't the only one who wanted Czisny's opinion. This is the answer she sent me and posted on her Facebook site. It rings with emotion, sympathy, maturity and reasoning that befits an honors graduate of Bowling Green State University.
Czisny's entire response follows, unedited except for paragraphing to create smaller chunks of type:
Given that so many have asked, I've decided to post my thoughts on the "3 options." I understand the magnitude of the decisions that JSF (Japan Skating Federation) and ISU (International Skating Union) are faced with, and I can't fathom the difficulties they must be encountering as they are dealing with this situation. These are just my own humble opinions. I ask that you respect my opinions, as I respect yours. READ MORE : http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2011/03/cizisny-moving-worlds-best-option-skaters.html
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:18 am
Today is 20March,Sunday.....
Russian skate boss: we need 1 1/2 months to prepare for worlds By Philip Hersh Russia's proposal to become substitute host of the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships would put the event in May.
That is what Russian Figure Skating Federation general director Valentin Piseev indicated when he told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, in a story published on its web site Saturday, it would take Russia 1 1/2 months to prepare to host the worlds.
The World Championships were scheduled to begin Monday in Tokyo. The International Skating Union, which governs the sport worldwide, postponed the championships indefinitely in the aftermath of the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami that have devastated Japan.
ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta told me Friday he is waiting until Tuesday at the latest to see if the Japanese Skating Federation can stage the event at a later date, possibly in October. The Japanese federation would have to solve a number of issues the ISU outlined in a letter it sent last Tuesday.
Russia told the ISU it would be interested in staging the worlds in Moscow if the Japanese decide there is no way for them to have it during 2011.
In the Komsomolskaya Pravda story, Piseev said the Russian federation would also need extensive government support and ``a lot of money'' to pull off the event. He noted it took Russia two years to prepare for the 2005 worlds, which also were in Moscow.
The government support seems likely, since Russia's vice minister of sports was the point man for the expression of interest.
``In principle, nothing is impossible,'' Piseev said.
U.S. Figure Skating has offered Lake Placid, N.Y., and Colorado Springs, Colo., as possible hosts for a worlds in late April or early May.
World Figure Skating Championships "We are awaiting news from Japan" The hypothesis returns of holding the competition elsewhere, between late April and early May. Ottavio Cinquanta: "I will submit the Japanese position to my Council. Then, by Monday or Tuesday, we will decide" MILAN, March 17th, 2011 - "We requested written clarification from the Japanese federation on their intentions; this is because the country is the host of the event and because we must pay the utmost respect to their people in this tragic moment." Ottavio Cinquanta, president of the International Skating Union once again spoke about the World Figure Skating Championships originally scheduled to start in Tokyo on Monday, but which were inevitably cancelled by the same body, given the current situation. On Tuesday the Milan-born director had advanced three hypotheses: complete cancellation or a postponement to October, in Japan or in a different host country. At this point, however, the hypothesis returns that the competition could be held far from the Japanese borders, between late April and early May. MONDAY OR TUESDAY — Cinquanta explained: "We are receiving many applications and collecting the thoughts of everyone. Out of responsibility, we must also operate with respect for the athletes and coaches who are waiting to see if the current season has ended or not. It’s a decision that should be taken with utmost urgency in this sense as well. But now I need a clear stance from the Japanese federation. When I have that, I will submit it to my Council and at that point we will decide what to do. I think that by Monday, or Tuesday morning at the latest, we will reach a decision. And a complete cancellation remains the most extreme solution." Andrea Buongiovanni
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:12 pm
Today 21 March 2011 ------------------------------- ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2011 – ISU World Team Trophy 2011 21 Mar 2011 07:04
Since the outbreak of the crisis, the ISU was and remains in close contact with the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) who in turn did likewise with the competent Japanese authorities. After having explored all possible options to maintain the 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Japan, the JSF has now informed the ISU that regretfully and reluctantly they must decline hosting the Championships in Japan. Also, the JSF agreed to the postponement of the ISU World Team Trophy initially scheduled to be held in April 2011 to be held instead in April 2012 in Japan at a place and exact dates to be agreed upon. The ISU agrees with this conclusion.
While the ISU gave priority to find a solution to keep the 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championship in Japan, the ISU fully understands the JSF decision. As we all struggle to come to terms with the unimaginable tragedies following the monstrous earthquake of March 11, the ISU reiterates its expressions of grief and sympathy to all those affected by loss of life, injury and loss of homes. The ISU admires the resilience, strength of character and faith of the Japanese people in recovering from this tragedy.
In light of this catastrophe, the consequences on sports events and in particular the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and ISU World Team Trophy become relatively secondary. Nevertheless, it is the ISU’s duty to find the best possible solution for a possible rescheduling and relocation of the Events taking into account all points of view.
Based on spontaneous proposals from ISU Member federations received to host the Championships and possibly additional Members who might be interested and available, the ISU Council is evaluating the different options taking into account all relevant aspects and points of view. This primarily involves the tremendous logistical challenge to organize and conduct such major Event on short notice. Also, the Council cannot ignore legal and contractual constraints as well as timing conflicts with other skating or sporting events.
Considering the scope and complexity of the situation, quick evaluations and decisions were and remain extremely difficult to make and the ISU counts on the understanding of the Figure Skating community for taking a minimum but reasonable amount of time to reach conclusions in cooperation with the concerned ISU Members and entities.
The ISU Council is conscious that a solution satisfying all points of view is probably difficult to be achieved and begs all involved for their understanding and cooperation in these truly exceptional circumstances.
An update of the situation will be communicated in the coming days.
Ottavio Cinquanta Fredi Schmid President Director General
http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,4844-128590-19728-18885-312898-3787-4771-layout160-129898-news-item,00.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With Japan out, ISU looking elsewhere for Worlds Japanese organizers have told the International Skating Union they can't host the world figure skating championships this year and the sport's governing body plans to select a new site for the competition by the end of this week.
By Associated Press | Posted: Mar 21, 7:50a ET | Updated: Mar 21, 8:29a ET
ROME (AP) - Japanese organizers have told the International Skating Union they cannot host the world figure skating championships this year and the sport's governing body plans to select a new site for the competition by the end of this week.
The championships were scheduled to begin this week in Tokyo, but were postponed due to the earthquake and tsunami that have left Japan in crisis.
The ISU had offered Japan the possibility of hosting the worlds in October, but the Japan Skating Federation wrote back over the weekend saying it was handing the competition back to the ISU.
ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta told The Associated Press on Monday that he has asked members capable of hosting the worlds in late April or early May to send in their offers by Tuesday, and the ISU council will then vote Wednesday or Thursday.
Cinquanta said he is hoping to have "at least three or four" candidates, and "possibly as many as seven or eight."
"We'll see what comes in and then we hope to have an announcement by Friday," he said. "We're trying to move as quickly as possible. We gave Japan as much time as we could, but unfortunately the situation there is very serious and we've had to move on. But our thoughts are still with Japan."
U.S. Figure Skating sent a letter to the ISU last week offering to host the championships in either the arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., or the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Both the Lake Placid and Colorado arenas are on the small side, but most larger arenas in the United States are unavailable due to NHL and NBA games.
Skate Canada has also told the ISU it would help out in whatever way it can.
The massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeast Japan likely left more than 18,400 people dead.
The Japanese federation also agreed to postpone the ISU World Team Trophy, which was scheduled for April, until 2012 at a date and site in Japan to be determined. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No world figure skating in Japan; alternate hosts sought By Philip Hersh
Good thing I woke up early this morning.
Because developments related to the fate of the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships have been coming fast and furious Monday from International Skating Union headquarters in Switzerland, which is six hours ahead of Chicago.
The major points:
*There will be no World Figure Skating Championships (or World Team Trophy) in Japan this year.
*The ISU has sent a letter to its member federations asking that formal applications to act as a substitute host for the World Figure Skating Championships be submitted by Tuesday evening Swiss time.
ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta said he hopes to have an answer by Friday. The ISU statement about Japan's decision that it could not hold the events does not assure the worlds will be held but talks of ``possible rescheduling and relocation.''
*Those interested in taking over the event must meet several key conditions, including:
1. Available dates in April or May beginning ``if possible'' with the week of April 18.
2. A main arena with a MINIMUM of 8,000 seats. That would apparently rule out one of the two arenas U.S. Figure Skating proposed (Lake Placid) when it wrote the ISU last week to express interest in the possibility of taking over the event. The other proposed site, Colorado Springs, barely meets the minimum.
3. 700 hotel rooms, which would possibility rule out either U.S. site, although U.S. Figure Skating would have covered some of the housing with dormitory rooms at the U.S. Olympic training centers in Lake Placid and Colorado Springs.
4. And, the big ticket ($2 million?) item, putting up the TV production and signal ``free of charge'' to the ISU and its TV rights holders.
The worlds were to have begun Monday in Tokyo. The World Team Trophy was scheduled for April 14-17 in Yokohama.
Russia and Finland also have let the ISU know they are interested in exploring the idea of taking over the world championships.
Although it was not spelled out in ISU statements Monday, the 2011 World Team Trophy apparently has been cancelled. The ISU said the event would take place somewhere in Japan in April 2012. That issue is of consequence only because the Inernational Olympic Committee was to have based its impending judgment of whether a eam event should be added to the 2014 Winter Games at least partly by how well the 2011 World Team Trophy came off.
According to an ISU statement, the Japanese Figure Skating Federation finally decided Monday there was no way it could be host of either the 2011 worlds or team trophy in the aftermath of the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami that have devastated parts of Japan and damaged nuclear plants, creating the threat of severe radioactive fallout.
The ISU had discussed the idea of postponing the World Championships until October so they could stay in Japan, but that clearly was not viable given the uncertainty of how long it will take Japan to recover from the catastrophic damage.
Russian government and skating officials said last week they were willing to consider having the world meet in Moscow, with Russian Skating Federation president Valentin Piseev saying it would take 1 1/2 months to prepare.
A Russian federation official told me Monday by telephone that the proposed Moscow dates would be either April 24 - May 1 or May 15-22. The Russians do not want to have the figure skating conflict with the World Ice Hockey Champpionships April 29 - May 15 in Slovakia.
U.S. Figure Skating's expression of interest mentioned April or May.
The Finnish Skating Federation said Monday it has offered to host the worlds April 24 - May 1 in Helsinki, which is preparing to have the World Sychronized Skating Championships April 8-9.
One can only wonder why the ISU did not work behind the scenes to have another site already confirmed for worlds during the six days it took the Japanese to answer an ISU letter about whether it could stage the event sooner or later this year.
An decision Friday would leave just four weeks until April 24.
I wrote last week that Moscow seems the most logical choice, given its having a 14,000-seat arena that was used for the 2005 worlds; major international airports; and a plethora of hotel rooms.
An advantage for Finland - over Russia and the United States -- is it does not require entry visas for most countries.
And just for a few more complications:
World team members Meryl Davis and Charlie White, U.S. champions in ice dance, are supposed to do some of the final U.S. dates (after the 2011 world meet was to end March 27) on the Stars on Ice Tour.
Reigning Olympic ice dance chamopions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada and Canadian singles skaters Shawn Sawyer and Cynthia Phaneuf, all world team members, are to skate in the Canadian piece of the Stars on Ice tour April 21 - May 13.
comment from fb WB of Jer was : "...The reality is that there is more than just skating and a venue. Worlds is a very expensive event. Flights, housing, food, transportation, volunteers, committees, sponsor commitments, media coverage contracts and set up. This all take...s a lot of money and a lot of time. We heard someone last week say that it was about $5million. Not sure it that's right, but it has to be a close estimate. It would be worse to not give a timeline. At least skaters aren't in limbo now. They have a target date so they can ramp up their training. It almost doesn't matter where it is held - it is now a question of when. The federations can deal with the rest. At least now the skaters can focus and train knowing that there will be a Worlds. That does beg the question about World Team Trophy. " I think they know this subject better
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Tue Mar 22, 2011 2:43 pm
22 March 2011 --------------------------------------------------------- ISU: World Arena in Colorado Springs candidate to host figure skating championships By John Henderson The Denver Post
This week's postponed World Figure Skating Championships may move from tsunami-ravaged Japan to Colorado Springs in April, U.S. Figure Skating spokesperson Scottie Bibb said Monday.
The ISU announced Monday that the Worlds, scheduled to start Monday and continue through Sunday in Tokyo, would not be held in Japan and is seeking alternative sites.
Bibb said the USFS last week sent a proposal to host the Worlds either in late April at the World Arena in Colorado Springs or early May in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The ISU requires a minimum of 700 hotel rooms and an arena seating capacity of at least 8,000, the exact capacity of World Arena. Lake Placid's Olympic Arena seats 7,700.
"I don't think they'll be a stickler for a couple hundred seats," Bibb said.
World Arena has hosted many ISU events, including the Four Continents in 2006 and '07 and will host it again next February. It last hosted the World Championships in 1975 when the World Arena was next to The Broadmoor hotel.
The USFS can use the dormitories at the U.S. Olympic Training Center near downtown.
"I don't think it'll be terribly hard to pull off," Bibb said. "Obviously it's a gigantic event. Certainly we're capable of doing it. It's a lot of work in a short time span. Usually you get a year or close to two to prepare.
"We'd have a month and a half."
Russia and Finland have also submitted proposals to host the event. The ISU will decide by Thursday evening MDT. It has not ruled out cancelling the event although Bibb said she feels the ISU is leaning toward holding it.
"It's horrific what's going on in Japan right now," Bibb said. "We have friends and colleagues over there and people we don't know who are suffering. It's been a stressful and difficult time for everyone involved. Those skaters absolutely feel terrible for the folks in Japan but feel they have a job to do and want to do it.
"The next step is waiting." SOURCE: http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_17665258#ixzz1HGk1hO5H ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russia to bid to host 2011 Figure Skating World Championship 18:15 21.03.2011 Russia will send its bid on Tuesday to the International Skating Union (ISU) to host the 2011 Figure Skating World Championship, a Russian deputy sports minister said on Monday.
The World Championship was due to be held March 21-27 in Tokyo, but the ISU announced on Monday that the Japanese Skating Federation (JSF) declined to hold the competition in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country 10 days ago.
"The official request to hold the Figure Skating World Championship in Moscow will be submitted with the ISU on Tuesday," Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh said.
The official said Russia intends to propose the ISU to hold the championship either starting in mid-April or after May 15 so that it would not coincide with the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia on April 29-May 15.
"Such two important and major events must not coincide. If choosing between these two variants, it would be preferable for us [Russia] to hold the championship in April," Nagornykh said.
Earlier on Monday, the Finnish Skating Federation already sent its bid to the ISU proposing to hold the championship in Helsinki between April 24 and May 1.
The ISU initially planned to move the championship in Tokyo to the fall, but announced that it "fully understands the JSF decision."
"As we all struggle to come to terms with the unimaginable tragedies following the monstrous earthquake of March 11, the ISU reiterates its expressions of grief and sympathy to all those affected by loss of life, injury and loss of homes," the ISU said in its statement on Monday.
The death toll from a powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan 10 days ago has risen to 8,450, with 12,931 people missing. The disaster triggered a number of explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, spreading fears of massive radioactive contamination.
MOSCOW, March 21 (RIA Novosti) SOURCE: http://en.rian.ru/sports/20110321/163129997.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISU president: World figure skating will move to North America or Europe
By Philip Hersh
With so many questions about what now seems the almost certain move and rescheduling of the World Figure Skating Championships, I thought it was time to get some answers from International Figure Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta.
Here the moist salient points of our conversation, which took place Monday a few hours after the ISU announced a) that Japan had decided it could not hold the 2011 worlds and World Team Trophy and b) the ISU has asked for formal applications by Tuesday from federations seeking to become substitute host:
1. The new site will not be in Asia.
``We cannot do the event in China or Taiwan or (South) Korea,'' Cinquanta said. ``It would be a slap in the face to the Japanese.''
2. Although the ISU statement about Japan's decision used only the word ``possible'' to describe the move of the worlds, Cinquanta said, ``I believe we will hold the championships at the end of April or early May in Europe or North America.''
Russia, Finland and the United States have expressed interest in becoming the substitute host.
Canadian officials had said they are not interested in taking over the worlds, in part because the 2013 championships are scheduled for London, Ontario. But Skate Canada CEO William Thompson told the Associated Press Monday, ``(We) will submit a hosting bid if we can find an appropriate location with arenas, hotels and transportation infrastructure.''
3. Cinquanta hopes to have the substitute site approved by the ISU Council by Thursday or Friday.
3. There will be no World Team Trophy in 2011. Japan will have that event in April 2012, and there already is a deal for that with a Japanese broadcaster.
A few other matters:
*Cinquanta said the cancellation of the 2011 World Team Trophy will not affect the International Olympic Committee's acceptance, already provisional, of having a team event on the program at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia The IOC was to make its final decision after seeing how the 2011 World Team Trophy was handled.
``They will probably confirm what they have already decided: that there will be a team event in Sochi,'' Cinquanta said.
In a Monday email, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said IOC President Jacques Rogge ``will be in a position to make a proper decision despite the postponenment of the event.
``We have asked the ISU for additional footage (of the only other World Team Trophy, in 2009),'' Adamns wrote. ``The other elements we wanted to see are of technical nature. They already have been addressed between ISU and the IOC.''
*Both the United States and Russia are expected to take the next step and submit formal applications to be host of the 2011 World Championships. Both countries have time-consuming entry visa procedures under normal conditions.
``In case one of these two countries is chosen, of course it would be of paramount importance they guarantee to provide visas in due time,'' Cinquanta said.
USFS spokesperson Scottie Bibb said in a Monday email ``we have been in contact (with the State Department on the visa issue). They are aware of the possibilities and will assistas necessary.''
*The ISU's conditions for substitute hosts include 700 available hotel rooms. U.S. Figure Skating's proposal to have the worlds in either Colorado Springs, Colo. or Lake Placid, N.Y. figured on using dormitories at the U.S. Olympic training centers in either city for some of the housing.
That kind of housing is fine with Cinquanta.
``In exceptional circumstances, you have to accept exceptional solutions,'' he said. ``If this is the only way to have the championships, we tell the athletes you have to accept for one week to stay in a dormitory. When I was a (speed) skater, I stayed four to a room many times.''
The 2011 World Championships were to have begun today in Tokyo. The World Team Trophy was scheduled for April 14-17 in Yokohama, Jaoan.
New worlds location likely to be announced Friday oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Cinquanta says event will be held late April/early May By Klaus-Reinhold Kany and Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com
(03/21/2011) - In a telephone interview earlier today, ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta said a decision on the date and location of the 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will likely be made by March 25.
"The ISU has [made an offer to] all federations to send an official and precise application by Tuesday [March 22] night to hold worlds at the end of April or the beginning of May.
"Then the ISU will spend the next two days considering the applications. Probably on Friday there will be an ISU council meeting via telephone, which will decide which city will get worlds. It will be a city in Europe or North America."
On March 21, the ISU director general sent out a memorandum outlining the requirements for a host city, including available dates from April 18 onward; an 8,000-seat arena; a nearby practice facility; availability of 700 hotel rooms; and TV production for the entire event, with a signal free of charge to the ISU and TV rights holders. A formal application was attached.
U.S. Figure Skating has offered Colorado Springs, Colo., and Lake Placid, N.Y., homes of Olympic Training Centers, as possible locales. Russia and Finland have also submitted bids. SOURCE: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110321&content_id=17048544&vkey=ice_news -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh,now "Friday"
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:58 pm
Chan's ready when the world is
For Patrick Chan, what would have been a week spent preparing to perform against the world's greatest figure skaters has turned into a week of waiting and wondering when and where the world figure skating championships will be scheduled.
Or, whether they'll even happen at all.
The four-time Canadian men's champion told CBC Sports Weekend's Scott Russell that he's trying to keep his momentum up without wearing himself out.
"It's a bit like caging a tiger; you're kind of holding back and trying to conserve your energy," said Chan.
That tiger — 20-year-old Chan — is ready to be released when a re-scheduled date and venue for the world championships is confirmed.
The competition was supposed to be held in Tokyo from March 21 to 27, but the recent earthquakes and tsunami that hit Japan have changed plans. Although rescheduling the world championships is a pressing concern for the International Skating Union, Chan said the bigger issue is the well-being of those affected by the devastating disasters.
"I'm just concerned about the Japanese skaters and citizens and my friends that live in Japan. So right now, my thoughts are with them," Chan said.
Chan said that waiting for the international competition to happen tests an athlete's ability to adapt to any given situation.
"I've had a really great season and you know what , if world's doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, you just move on. Who says I can't repeat what I did this year next year? But that's what determines a great athlete — someone who can be very versatile and figure out things and be the same consistency next year.
"I don't believe much in peaking at the right time," he said.
Competing in the world championships is Chan's immediate concern, but he told CBCSports.ca the delayed event can effect a skater's long-term future.
"It does change a lot of things. This means I've got to start planning for a new program as soon as worlds is over, immediately after. It does affect my time off, unfortunately," he said.
Chan, who has been competing since he was five, said that through his many competitions, he's never experienced anything like this before.
"This is unknown territory for me," he said.
"This is something I can't control, but I'm glad I can experience it and say I was there for when worlds was either postponed or cancelled," Chan said. "I think it's good for any skater to have experienced or have in their pocket."
International Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta sent a letter to Japanese organizers Tuesday asking if they could still host. He told The Associated Press that his organization will "move forward" if it doesn't hear from the Japanese by early Monday morning.
Alternatives include holding the worlds at the end of April or the beginning of May, with the United States, Canada, Finland, Germany and Russia as possible hosts. Whether or not the event is on home soil, Chan is ready to perform.
"I think its just a matter of keeping myself busy while I'm waiting and once we get the go ahead, I'll be ready and I'll give it my best," he said.
In its statement of March 21, 2011 the ISU communicated the decision of the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) to decline holding the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2011, initially allotted to the JSF and scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan this week.
In the meantime, the ISU has received applications to hold the Event during the months of April or May of this year from its Member federations in Austria (Graz), Canada (Vancouver), Croatia (Zagreb), Finland (Turku), Russia (Moscow) and USA (Colorado Springs or Lake Placid).
The ISU thanks those Member federations for their spontaneous reaction during these truly dramatic and exceptional circumstances emanating from the crisis in Japan and highly appreciates their efforts for having prepared an application on such short notice. The ISU reiterates that in the light of the dramatic situation in Japan the staging of sporting events becomes relatively secondary and a solution satisfying all involved is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, it is in the best interest of the ISU and its Members to hold the Championships as soon as possible.
The ISU has reviewed all applications received and after careful evaluation the ISU Council decided to allot the Championships to the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, to be held in the Megasport Arena in Moscow/Russia, on April 24-May 1, 2011.
The organization of this major Event with little time to prepare will require a high level effort from the Figure Skating Federation of Russia which has assured the ISU of its full cooperation including in areas such as easy access to entry visas and security. The preparation for the updating of all relevant details (time schedule, Announcement, entry confirmations etc) have already begun and the ISU will revert as soon as possible with the necessary information.
Under these extraordinary circumstances the ISU asks for the full cooperation and understanding of the skating community and all involved entities in making this a successful Event. The full cooperation of all participating ISU Member federations hopefully attending in full strength will be of utmost importance.
Finally, the ISU is convinced that the Japanese delegation coming to Moscow deserves and will receive special attention and respect. At a time like this, words cannot express feelings but the ISU wants to let the skating friends of the Japan Skating Federation and the people of Japan know that the thoughts and wishes of the Skating family continue to remain with them.
President Ottavio Cinquanta Director General Fredi Schmid
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:13 pm
ISU statement on world champs in Moscow Event will take place in Moscow April 24-May 1
(03/24/2011) - In its statement of March 21, 2011 the ISU communicated the decision of the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) to decline holding the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2011, initially allotted to the JSF and scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan this week.
In the meantime, the ISU has received applications to hold the event during the months of April or May of this year from its Member federations in Austria (Graz), Canada (Vancouver), Croatia (Zagreb), Finland (Turku), Russia (Moscow) and USA (Colorado Springs or Lake Placid).
The ISU thanks those Member federations for their spontaneous reaction during these truly dramatic and exceptional circumstances emanating from the crisis in Japan and highly appreciates their efforts for having prepared an application on such short notice. The ISU reiterates that in the light of the dramatic situation in Japan the staging of sporting events becomes relatively secondary and a solution satisfying all involved is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, it is in the best interest of the ISU and its Members to hold the championships as soon as possible.
The ISU has reviewed all applications received and after careful evaluation the ISU Council decided to allot the championships to the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, to be held in the Megasport Arena in Moscow, Russia, on April 24-May 1, 2011.
The organization of this major event with little time to prepare will require a high level effort from the Figure Skating Federation of Russia which has assured the ISU of its full cooperation including in areas such as easy access to entry visas and security. The preparation for the updating of all relevant details (time schedule, Announcement, entry confirmations etc) have already begun and the ISU will revert as soon as possible with the necessary information.
Under these extraordinary circumstances the ISU asks for the full cooperation and understanding of the skating community and all involved entities in making this a successful event. The full cooperation of all participating ISU member federations hopefully attending in full strength will be of utmost importance.
Finally, the ISU is convinced that the Japanese delegation coming to Moscow deserves and will receive special attention and respect. At a time like this, words cannot express feelings but the ISU wants to let the skating friends of the Japan Skating Federation and the people of Japan know that the thoughts and wishes of the Skating family continue to remain with them.
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:24 pm
It Isn’t Over Until She Says
By JOANNE C. GERSTNER Published: March 26, 2011 BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Alissa Czisny has been working for years on letting go of situations she cannot control, from a string of on-ice disappointments to real-life heartache. And just as she seemed ready to end her figure skating career on a high note, having freed her grace and talent from a tangle of nerves to win the United States championships in January, she watched as Japan’s unfolding tragedies led to the postponement of the world skating championships. While it sat in limbo for weeks until last week’s announcement that it would be rescheduled for Moscow in late April, Czisny refused to let it get to her.
She had endured too much stress and anxiety in her career already and, at 23, is still skating only because she did not want her biggest disappointment — failing to make the 2010 Olympic team — to be the defining moment of her career.
“I’m enjoying this much more than I ever did,” Czisny said. “I’ve always loved skating, but this year has been something special for me. I struggled with this decision to keep going; it would have been really easy to quit and say I’m not going through this again.
“I want to keep going for myself. I want to see what I can become. I don’t want to have any regrets. I think now I can say I will be able to walk away from skating, when the time is right, with no regrets.”
That time could come after the world championships, now scheduled for April 24- to May 1 at Moscow’s Megasport Arena. Russian organizers were among several groups that offered an alternative site for the event, which was supposed to be held last week in Tokyo. But with the continuing crises after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, the event was postponed and then Japan decided to forgo the option of staging the event later in the year.
So Czisny now has a chance to write a new finishing chapter on her career, one that includes bouncing back from its lowest moment in 2010, when she finished 10th at the United States championships, killing her chance to make the Olympic team. She was the defending champion and knew it was her last chance at an Olympics.
Czisny said she went into a two-week funk. She knew what skating insiders thought: she possessed world-class talent but was mentally and emotionally fragile. Maybe it was time to retire.
She was also dealing with the news that her twin, Amber, had been found to have cancer. Amber, who is not revealing her type of cancer, says she is in remission. But at the time, she tried to hide the depth of her illness from Alissa.
“Everything just fell apart at one time,” Czisny said. “I felt numb for a while after nationals, then really sad over what happened. I needed to make some decisions, change my life.”
She regained her emotional bearings and decided to fight for her career. She was going to skate for one more year, on her terms.
“If she was going to continue to skate, she needed to do it for herself and not because of or for other people,” Amber said. “A lot of people just walked out on Alissa after last year and gave up on her because she didn’t handle the stress that they put on her. Imagine every person you know telling you how disappointed they are in you.”
Czisny made a series of gut-wrenching decisions. She parted with her coach, Julie Berlin, who had been coaching her since she was 11. She then approached the Detroit Skating Club coaches Yuka Sato-Dungjen and her husband, Jason Dungjen, to see if they would take her on.
“I was curious at first: I wanted to know why she wanted to keep skating,” said Sato-Dungjen, a world champion and two-time Olympian. “We saw what happened at nationals; it was heartbreaking. Did Alissa still have the heart to go through this? She said she did, so we said yes to coaching her. She believes in herself now.”
Czisny also moved from her parents’ home into her own apartment, paying her own bills. It was a risky move, as her mid-five-figure training costs were no longer mostly covered by U.S. Figure Skating or sponsors because of her Olympic-year failure.
Team Dungjen adopted a positive reinforcement tack with Czisny, trying to defuse her self-destructive perfectionism. They tinkered with her jump mechanics, but mostly with her mental approach, emphasizing that a bad practice was just a bad practice, not impending doom.
Czisny also credits Amber for unwavering understanding and support. Amber was a national-level skater before chronic injuries forced her retirement at 17. Amber helped her sister bounce back.
“When everything you have spent your whole life leading up to a moment like that and your world crashes down around you, it is the worst place that you can be,” Amber said.
These are much better days. After the United States championships, Czisny appeared in Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad starring the rapper Eminem. The commercial focused on the hard times Detroit has been through, and how its residents’ strength and determination were leading it back. Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” thumped in the background while Czisny carved a Biellmann spin on an outdoor rink in downtown Detroit.
“That line in the commercial, right before I came on, really hit me when I saw it: ‘It’s the hottest fires that forge the hardest steel,’ ” Czisny said. “I didn’t know what the commercial was going to look like until I saw it on TV, and it was just perfect.”
The world championships could be the last competition of Czisny’s career, as the year of skating on her terms is almost up. But she said she was not thinking about that yet. There is still a challenge ahead.
“I honestly don’t know if this is it,” Czisny said. “I’ve done a lot this year, I’ve grown a lot and I feel really good about myself right now. I did this for me, to prove to myself what I am capable of. I proved I am strong to myself.”
Yhanks for the wonderful pics and links!! Megasport Arena looks enormous and great place. I was impressed by the Alissa Czisny story. I hope she will have succes at worlds and that her twin sister will recover!
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:08 pm
Chan says he's ready to rock in Moscow Canadian champion hopes to ride quads to first world gold By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com (04/15/2011) - Patrick Chan says he is ready to take on all comers in Moscow, where the delayed 2011 World Figure Skating Championships begins Apr. 24.
"My goal is to go out and skate the way I do in practice," Chan told reporters on a teleconference today. "I really want to come home with gold from worlds. I feel its time, and I'm in good shape to do it."
Many athletes give out confident sound bites before big events. This season, the 20-year-old Chan has talked the talk, and then walked the walk.
He declared he would add a quadruple toe loop to his repertoire, and at 2010 Skate Canada in Kingston, Ontario, he landed the jump for the first time in international competition. He executed quads in his short program and free skate at the 2010-11 Grand Prix Final, where he won gold with an eye-popping 259.75 points.
Now, after turning in a spectacular two-quad free skate at the 2011 Canadian Figure Skating Championships in January to win his fourth national title, he thinks the time is right to add a world gold to the silver medals he won in 2009 and 2010.
"I honestly don't think I peaked too early or anything," he said. "I only believe in repeating [in competition] what I do in practice. In practice, I skate clean [programs] everyday."
The world championships, originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo in March, were canceled after Japan's tragic earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. After a period of uncertainty, the ISU awarded the event to the Russian Skating Federation. Like all of the competitors, Chan and coach Christy Krall, who coaches the Canadian at Colorado Springs' World Arena, had to recalibrate training sessions to adjust for a month's delay.
"Ever since we heard the news and the final confirmation of where [the event will be], we started remapping the strategy and weekly training regimen, and how much I should recover and build back up," he said.
"I had already started to tone down training [leading in to Tokyo] and when [worlds] was postponed, I had to ramp back up...now we're in the stage of [going] back down and focusing on recovery so in Moscow I will be well-rested."
That means that while Chan has been doing run-throughs every weekday, he's also taken time out to work on his golf game on weekends. It's all part of an overall strategy to stay relaxed.
"I see [being a favorite] more as an excitement; I really like being looked up to," he said. "I can't forget about the other skaters. I'm not the only favorite. There are tons of skaters, including the Japanese [Daisuke Takahashi, Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka] who will be even more motivated to skate for their country.
"There is also Brian [Joubert] and Tomas [Verner]...I'm not the only one bearing the weight."
Chan added that he and Krall are sticking with the game plan that brought such acclaim in Kingston, with one quad in his short and two quads, along with a triple Axel-triple toe loop combination, planned for his free skate. If landed well, those jumps -- along with Chan's typically high Program Component Scores -- will make the Canadian hard to beat.
"I'm curious to see how other skaters have handled [the worlds delay]; I think I gained a lot in the extra month," he said. "If anything I've improved."
What would Brian Boitano do?
Chan doesn't consult sports psychologists, preferring to stick closer to home for positive reinforcement.
"It's the way I was brought up," he said. "My first coach, Mr. [Osborne] Colson, didn't believe in psychologists and since then I don't either." Instead, Chan relies on his coaches, his father, and -- since the middle of this season -- 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano. What the two discuss, though, is a secret.
"I can't indulge you and reveal that," Chan said. "It's all about being positive, keeping positive thoughts in your mind on the ice."
milana
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: SHEDULE FOR WORLDS CHAMPINSHIP Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:33 am
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:42 am
Bradley ready to be the main attraction at worlds U.S. champ feeling fit, confident headed to Moscow By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com (04/21/2011) - Add Ryan Bradley to the list of skaters who think the extra-long 2010-11 competitive season has worked out to their advantage.
On a conference call with reporters yesterday and in telephone interviews last week, the Colorado Springs-based skater proclaimed himself fitter and more confident heading into the 2011 ISU World Championships, than he was when he won his first U.S. title in January.
"It's been five weeks of [extra] training, now that's behind us, its game time, and I feel stronger than ever," he said, adding later, "I'm skating well, and this timing is working out perfectly for me. I can't wait to get off the plane and get down to business."
Bradley has more reason than most to be grateful for the extra training time. He skipped the fall Grand Prix season after undergoing surgery in May for a broken bone in his right foot and has been playing catch-up ever since.
Like other competitors, he ramped down his training level when the world competition, scheduled to take place in Tokyo in March, was canceled due to the after-effects of earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan.
"Especially at my age, it's all about timing the reps," he said. "I would do one run-through a day; we'd mix it up, do the short one day and the long the next. My body would tell me what [rest] it needed."
After worlds was moved to Moscow and slated to begin April 24, Bradley began doing two run-throughs each day, building back his stamina.
"I got really lucky with the way this all panned out. I was short time training for nationals, I wasn't quite where I wanted to be. This extra five weeks, [even though] it's under horrible circumstances, gave me time to catch my body up and get more confident in the second half of the program. I can't tell you how much I've improved.. I feel like a much more solid skater, [rather] than just a jumper."
Bradley's long-time coach, Tom Zakrajsek, built flexibility into the training schedule.
"At Ryan's age, it's somewhat about conservation," Zakrajsek said. "At times, he would do 35 minutes of the session instead of 45.
"He is training way better now, than he was before nationals. His run-throughs are stronger, his stamina is stronger, his jumping is efficient and the speed of his spins is improved."
Bradley, who at age 27 is one of the older competitors, agreed.
"At nationals, I was scrambling," he said. "Jump-wise, I'm way more confident now in the quad, the triple Axel. When I hit the 2:15 minute mark [in the free skate], I'm just as confident in the Axel as I am in the short program."
Since January, Zakrajsek -- along with Ryan's sister Becky Bradley, who has coached her brother this season -- tinkered with Ryan's comedic free skate to a Mozart medley, adding a one-foot sequence to the circle steps in hopes of gaining a Level 3 from the technical panel. They have also tweaked his spins, shooting for higher levels than those gained at the U.S. Championships.
But the meat of the routines - what Bradley calls his "jump boxes" -- remains the same. He plans a quad toe-triple toe combination in the short, and two quads and two triple Axels in the free.
"Run-throughs are going phenomenally well," he said. "I know I will probably have one of the hardest programs at worlds. It's a great feeling; it makes me feel like I'm competitive with the best in the world."
Entering worlds as the top American is a new position for Bradley, who has competed much of his career somewhat overshadowed by Evan Lysacek, Johnny Weir and Jeremy Abbott, winners of the seven U.S. titles prior to Bradley.
In his two prior trips to worlds, in 2007 and 2010, Bradley placed 15th and 18th, respectively. This time around, his sights are set considerably higher.
"My first year making it I was second at our nationals and I still went to worlds feeling like the third man," he said. "We had these giant entities, Johnny and Evan, and they were the top two, and I was along for ride. And that went into my head a little bit.
"Last year I got the call [as an alternate] and competed with a broken foot. This year, we have such an awesome young team, two young guys I know really well [Ricky Dornbush and Ross Miner]...I'm the leader of that team, which is great, a huge confidence booster."
Bradley thinks his injury-shortened 2009-10 could play out to his advantage.
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:52 am
Virtue, Moir say delay has helped them Olympic champions anxious to show off polished programs in Moscow By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com
(04/19/2011) - With the 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championships kicking off on Apr. 24th in Moscow -- more than four weeks after initially planned in Tokyo -- some skaters may show up in Russia past their peak. Others may benefit from the extra practice.
On a media teleconference Tuesday, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir declared they are firmly in the second camp.
"We're right on track, we're right where we want to be now," Virtue, 21, said. "I feel like we're a new team."
After recovering from the initial shock of the Japanese earthquake and subsequent cancellation of worlds, the team ramped down their training a bit, but picked things up after the event was moved to Moscow. The extra weeks' practice enabled the Olympic champions to add some finishing touches to their Latin free dance, which has yet to be performed in competition.
"It's a terrible tragedy what happened in Japan; it kind of makes you take a step back and realize how . . . little the skating world is," Moir, 23, said.
"With Tessa and I, and the challenges we've had this season, [the delay] can only be a good thing. . . We really got into a groove and got some training done and a lot of things have changed, that's to be expected." The Moscow worlds will be Virtue and Moir's first full competition of the season. On Oct. 6, Virtue underwent her second surgery for chronic exertional compartment syndrome, with doctors operating on both of her calves. The team withdrew from its Grand Prix events and the 2011 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, which they had won three seasons running.
At the 2011 ISU Four Continents Championships in Taipei, their first ISU event in 11 months, Virtue and Moir won the short dance, narrowly defeating training mates Meryl Davis and Charlie White. They withdrew after stopping a third of the way through their free dance, after Virtue felt pain and tightness in her thigh. Davis and White skated on to win the event.
Today, both skaters emphasized the injury in Taipei was not related to Virtue's previous surgeries.
"I feel great," Virtue said. "The issue with my quad [in Taipei] was coming from my back. It stemmed from a particular lift we were doing, a split lift, and now we do an upside-down position [in the lift] instead of a split. That isn't putting quite the torque on my back."
"The goal was to get Tessa healthy," Moir said. "She had to recover from that injury. We know how to train, we've been doing this long enough. . . We needed the time, we needed the mileage [on the free dance], we're excited to go and show it off at worlds."
The skaters say monitoring sessions from Skate Canada officials, as well as competition simulations complete with costumes at their Canton, Mich., training rink, have helped compensate for their lack of competition this season.
"What has changed is the comfort level," Moir said. "Over the past month, we're really made it our program. In my opinion, it is a lot more demanding than [last season's free dance] the Mahler program. We needed the extra time. The comfort level is a lot higher than it was at Four Continents."
Besides the split lift, the short and free dance elements are little-changed since Four Continents.
"The patterns [in the programs] have stayed the same, pretty much," Virtue said. "We've changed a little bit of the diagonal footwork in the free dance."
To gain even more practice miles, the team will depart Detroit for Moscow on Saturday, two days before the U.S. world ice dance teams also training in Canton, including U.S. champions Davis and White; silver medalists Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani; and bronze medalists Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein. The early departure gives them the benefit of each official practice on Moscow ice.
Posts : 257 Join date : 2011-01-16 Age : 52 Location : Russia
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:51 am
Plushenko, Volchkova Speak On the Worlds
22 April 2011 The 2011 World Figure Skating Championships are arriving in Moscow with the sweet taste of the successful bid to host — and the bitter aftertaste of the tragic events that made it possible.
That was the perspective imparted by star performers in Russian figure skating – Olympic gold medalist Yevgeny Plushenko and Olympian and trainer Viktoria Volchkova – when they spoke with The Moscow Times on the eve of the championships.
Though the event is a chance to increase the sport's popularity and inspire future figure skaters in Russia, the series of tragedies that forced Japan to decline to host saddened the Russian skaters, many of whom have trained and competed with Japanese colleagues.
"There was great grief over what happened in Japan," Plushenko said in an interview Thursday. "My sympathies are with the Japanese. I love and respect this people. Over the years I've performed a lot in Japan."
Yet, the championships will help inspire a new generation to reinvigorate a figure skating legacy that has lost its luster in recent years, Plushenko said.
"It's very cool that six years later, another world championship will take place in Russia," he explained. "It's very good that Russian spectators will watch international athletes, the elites of figure skating. Our children ... will see the elegance of figure skating and learn a little."
The pre-eminent Russian skater, who won the men's singles competition at the world championships three times, wanted to compete at this year's championship. But Plushenko, who currently skates professionally, wasn't able to reinstate his amateur status in time.
Plushenko will attend the event to watch fellow greats, he said — and to scope out the competition that he will face if or when he returns to the competition circuit.
"I'm interested to watch Nobunari Oda, Daisuki Takahashi, Artur Gachinsky," Plushenko said, naming two leading Japanese skaters and a Russian skater who is both 17 years old and the highest-ranked men's figure skater among Russians.
"In general, in men's singles, I'm interested to watch my competitors for next season," Plushenko noted.
Well-known Volchkova called the event an "extra push" for Russian skating's popularity and development, and she said performing at home could give Russian skaters an advantage.
"The world championships will add popularity" for the sport in Russia, Volchkova said. "And for our athletes, of course, to perform on their home turf [will give] support and will make a big difference."
Both Plushenko and Volchkova said Russian skaters had a good chance of winning at the championships, especially in the pairs event, since the Russian team of Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov have significant experience competing on the international level. Current Russian pairs champions Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov have a lot of potential, Plushenko said, despite the fact that they teamed up only last year.
Still, the current Russian lineup hasn't yet reached the level of past Russian and Soviet greats, Plushenko said. Such pair skaters as Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze or Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin were "great athletes, the elite of figure skating," Plushenko said.
"Currently [Russia has] quality athletes, professionals at what they do, but they still need to grow," he noted.
The new hope of Russian figure skating, according to Volchkova and Plushenko, is Gachinsky.
"He's mastered all the most complicated elements of figure skating," Volchkova explained. "He still needs a little time and experience," she said.
Plushenko predicted that overall, the Japanese and American teams will be the strongest at the championships. "I consider the Japanese team that's coming to the world championships No. 1 in both men's and women's singles," Plushenko said.
A Japanese sweep of the championships perhaps would carry some poetic justice. Volchkova said the Russians will give them a run for their money.
"In all categories, especially pairs, Russia has very strong athletes," she said. "They'll pose worthy competition."
Plushenko also thought the competition was worthy, but through a different lens.
Majorov impresses, but some say rink is too hot to handle
(04/25/2011) - Takahiko Kozuka hopes his win in the men's preliminary round today brought some small cheer to his earthquake-shattered nation.
"I wanted to skate to deliver courage to the people," the Japanese champion said.
"I was a little bit nervous, but it felt really good. I skated well, I think."
Twenty-four men took the ice for today's qualifying, with the top 12 finishers joining 18 direct entrants in the men's short program contested later this week.
As expected, Kozuka outclassed the field, defeating Sweden's Alexander Majorov by more than 28 points. Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic was third.
Moving fluidly over the ice to a Liszt piano concerto, Kozuka reeled off eight triple jumps with ease and elegance. His opening quadruple toe loop was judged under rotated by the technical panel, but he landed two triple Axels, the second as part of a three-jump combination. He also gained Level 4 on all three of his spins.
Although the program's 165 points is well under his season's best 170.43 free skate, it was a fine start.
"I trained very well at home; the quad is going well," said Kozuka, who hails from Nagoya, far from the earthquake-hit northeast section of the country.
Originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo in March, the world championships were first postponed, and then awarded to Moscow. Like other skaters, Kozuka made adjustments.
"I stopped training for a while and then picked it up again," he said. "The situation is a little difficult, it never happened before."
Nobuhiko Yoshioka, Japan's team leader, stressed that preparations have been difficult for all skaters.
"At first after the postponement, our team's motivation was low, but it is the same for all of the athletes, not just the Japanese," he said.
To honor the dead, Japan's team members are pinning black ribbons to the sleeves of their team jackets. As a tribute to those suffering, they have also affixed stickers reading "We are always with you" in Japanese and English characters to the jackets.
"All of the skaters on the team don't live near the earthquake, so they are safe, but they think they should do something for the people." Yoshioka said.
"They are skaters, what they can do is skate. We decided to join together here and make some message." After the free skate events on Saturday and Sunday, Yoshioka said Japan's male skaters -- including Kozuka; Daisuke Takahashi; and Nobunari Oda, will climb into the audience and accept messages of support in addition to donations.
Majorov, who won bronze at the 2011 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, had a career-best free to earn 136.64 points.
The 19-year-old hit his opening triple Axel, followed by two triple-triple combinations.
"I didn't expect so much," the Russian-born skater said. "I felt calm, a little tired in the beginning, because it is so hot in here.
"Still, I did everything. I had my triple Axel last year, too, but I struggled with it more. Next season, I want to add the quad toe to my programs; I worked on at junior worlds, and landed it there in practice for the first time."
Brezina, who has impressed in practice, fell on his quad toe and triple Lutz, and also failed to land a planned triple flip-triple toe combination. Still, he easily qualified for the short program with 130.87.
"I got a little too tired, it's really hot," he said.
"It was the same temperature in practice, but I did not do full run-throughs. I did parts of my program without the steps in the middle. Maybe that was a mistake."
Reminded that at the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships, skaters complained of the frigid Bern rink, the Czech said, "I would prefer it someplace in between the two."
Brezina elected not try a quad Salchow despite landing the jump in practice.
"We decided before that if the first quad was okay, I would go for the second one," he said. "If I fell on it, like I did here, I would just do a triple Salchow."
Germany's Peter Liebers landed a triple Axel en route to a fourth-place finish. Viktor Pfeifer had an error-free outing to place fifth.
Subject: Re: 2011Worlds Championship 
Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:10 am
