Skating

The ladies figure skating short program tonight was probably the best event in the Olympics. The final two flights were full of talent, and grace. But for the top six, they pretty much will hold onto their positions providing they stay on their feet. In a field where most us of thought placements would be […]

Australian Aborigines are upset over the ice dancing program of Russian pair Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin. At times, Shabalin led Domnina around by her ponytail. They mugged, stuck out their tongues and mimicked the hand over mouth gesture that was once associated with American Indians. After the dance ended, the crowd gave the Russians […]

When Charlie White, and Scott Moir were 8 years old, they got into a fight during a hockey match. White played for a Michigan team, Moir for an Ontario team. I don’t think either of them would have guessed that a decade later, they would be world class ice dancers, training at the same facility, […]

Heartbreaking news from the Olympic Games. Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, defending world silver medalist, lost her mother, Thérèse, last night in Vancouver. The cause of death is not yet determined. The Rochette family had just arrived in Vancouver, when her mother was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital. As of this moment, Rochette still intends […]

Tonight was full of drama at the original dance portion of ice dancing. There was a a lot of folk and country music. What is up with the cowboy-cowgirl costumes. Did they think because this event was in Canada that it would be adored by fans? It felt like a frat Halloween party. Particularly the […]

NBC just showed celebrities in the crowd at the men’s figure skating long program (video below). One was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. I kind of get that — he’s had a face lift, so has some appreciation for style. But Dungy, the fomer Colts coach and anti-gay marriage fundraiser? In an arena filled with […]

Figure skater Johnny Weir leaves every hint that's he's gay as Christmas, but he isn't publicly saying the words just yet.

No Winter Olympics is complete without hot discussion of costumes on figure skaters! As I watched the pairs short program yesterday, I was pleased to see Ukraine's Volosozhar and Morozov step away from the conventional duds… into those electric blue spandex suits. Some reviewers thought they were ridiculous — but I say they were a […]

As expected, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were crowned the Olympics Pairs Champions, the first skating gold medal ever for China. But nobody showed up to compete. The Germans fell, the Russians fell. But the big surprise tonight was their teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian moving up from fourth to second place with a […]

Sometimes when history is made it is so obviously overdue that it overshadows itself with larger questions. An article posted on Vancouver's official Olympic Web site points out that history will be made today when French pairs skaters Yannick Bonheur and Vanessa James step on the ice to skate their short program. The reason? Both […]

The Americans and Canadians disappointed everyone at the pairs figure skating short program. While the Canadians sit sixth and seventh respectively, the Americans sit 10th and 14th. Mistakes befell the an inexperienced American contingent going into this Olympics. However the teams sitting 1-4 are of no surprise to the skating world. The showdown has been […]

In spite of a solid short program that landed her in 2nd place heading into Saturday’s free program, skating fans will not have the pleasure of watching Sasha Cohen compete in the Vancouver Olympics next month. Teenagers Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, to earn the two Olympic berths allotted to […]

The women's event in the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships kicks off in Spokane tonight, and if you don't follow the sport outside of the Olympic games you probably won't see as many familiar faces as you're accustomed to. The competitive lifespan of most skaters normally overlaps about 2 Olympic years, but this year in […]

Editor’s note: Dan Majerle is a longtime friend of Outsports and hard-core figure skating fan. His posts will appear throughout the skating season. 7 Days, 13 Hours, 14 minutes and 07 seconds says the countdown widget on spokane2010.com – the official website of the 2010 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships – and this skating fan […]

Figure skating diva Johnny Weir wowed the audience at the annual Stars, Stripes and Skates benefit in Danbury, Conn., over the weekend, skating publicly to his new 2010 Olympic short program for the first time ever. From the Danbury News-Times: “I always feel prepared for an event,” Weir, 25, said describing his thoughts on competing […]

When Johnny Weir’s manager called me a couple weeks ago to see how we could work together, the first thing that popped into my mind is: don’t ask him, “Are you gay?” I’ve written several times in the past that I think Johnny (right, with his mom) has already answered that question and it isn’t […]

Johnny Weir on ice. Photo by Leah Adams I was honored to talk earlier this week with Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir. I was a fan of him before, and that interest grew exponentially after talking with him for a half hour. Some divas are phonies, projecting an image that is not themselves; Johnny is […]

ABC World News tonight is talking about the efforts by Skate Canada to make the sport of figure skating more tough, macho and masculine. Producer Eloise Harper talked to me for the segment; It's on tonight if you catch it. I mentioned to a couple friends this week that they had wanted to talk to […]