Meissner, Abbott, Bradley star in An Evening with Champions
Three-time and reigning U.S. champion
Jeremy Abbott headlined the 42nd annual An Evening with Champions show at Harvard Uni- versity in Cambridge, Mass., debuting his new self-choreographed “Bring Him Home” free skate.
The show, held September 29–30, fea-
tured professional skaters and current compet- itive stars, who donated their time and talent to raise money for the Jimmy Fund, which sup- ports cancer research and patient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. After mesmerizing the audience on Sat-
urday night, Abbott showed off his entertaining “Spy” short program at the Sunday matinee, which included a quad toe.
Harvard graduates Paul Wylie and Emily Hughes co-hosted the show, which
was directed by Timothy LeBlanc and choreographed by Jason Wong. Kimmie Meissner, the 2006 World champion, performed her “Skinny Love” ex-
hibition, partly to prepare for the Medal Winners Open, which took place a few days after the show. Hughes interviewed her after her program. “I competed against her for years, but I’m happy to say we’re good friends
now,” Hughes said. Ryan Bradley, who has performed nonstop since winning the U.S. title in 2011,
skated to “Footloose” and was a big hit with the crowd. Jason Brown, participating in the show for the fi rst time, skated an energetic
and entertaining hip-hop number to MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This.” U.S. bronze medalist Agnes Zawadzki also made her show debut, skating to music by Whitney Houston. “It’s for a good cause,” Zawadzki said. “You always need to give back.” — Sarah S. Brannen
Three-time U.S. champion and two-time Olym- pian Michael Weiss is the spokesperson for 2013 National Skating Month. Weiss, also a two-time World bronze medalist, retired from competitive skating in 2006 but has remained active on the skating scene. Weiss and wife Lisa are the par- ents of two children, Annie-Mae, 14, and Chris- topher, 13, who both skate. Weiss was named 1999 Father of the Year by the National Father- hood Initiative in Washington, D.C. He is the founder of the Michael Weiss Foundation, which raises money to support a scholarship fund for promising Olympic-caliber skaters.
Max Aaron (left), the men’s champion at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Salt Lake City, attended the Utah vs. BYU football game while he was in town. Joining him were local skater Jordan King (center) and First Aid medic Colby White.
Nathan Chen becomes a ‘Face’ to remember Sports fans across the nation got
their fi rst introduction to junior jump- ing sensation Nathan Chen, 13, when Sports Illustrated featured him in its pop- ular Faces in the Crowd column (Oct. 1): Nathan, a 13-year-old who trains in
Lake Arrowhead, Calif., defeated 21 com- petitors to win his fi rst Junior Grand Prix event, in Linz, Austria. He held a 14-point lead after his short program and landed six triple jumps in the second half of his free skate, including a triple fl ip-triple toe loop combination for the highest scoring mark of the competition (11.34)
and a 37-point margin of victory. A two- time U.S. novice champion, Nathan won the U.S. junior men’s title in January. Two intermediate fi gure skaters
also earned a spot in “Faces in the Crowd” in February this year. They are Tomoki Hiwatashi of Hoff man Estates, Ill., and Ashley Shin of Flower Mound, Texas. The three young fi gure skat-
ers join some pretty heady company. Here’s a list of well-known athletes (and a famous designer!) and their ages when they debuted in Faces in the Crowd:
Jack Nicklaus, 17, (golf) 1957 Lew Alcindor, 16, (basketball) 1964 Terry Bradshaw, 17, (track & fi eld) 1966 Vera Wang, 18, (fi gure skating) 1968 Chris Evert, 14, (tennis) 1969 John McEnroe, 17, (tennis) 1976 Earvin Johnson, 17, (basketball) 1977 Jackie Joyner, 15, (track & fi eld) 1977 Carl Lewis, 16, (track & fi eld) 1978 Herschel Walker, 17, (track & fi eld) 1979 Greg LeMond, 18, (cycling) 1979 Kristi Yamaguchi, 16, (fi gure skating) 1988 Tiger Woods, 14, (golf) 1990 Michelle Kwan, 12, (fi gure skating) 1993
SKATING 7
PHOTO BY TAMAGNADARR
PHOTO BY SARAH BRANNEN
PHOTO BY TIFFANY KING
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