Auxier addresses 2014 Governing
which directly impacts how many skaters we see try our sport and join our clubs and association. I am excited about our team and its prospects over the next few years. Te other perspective it has given me is just how global our sport is to- day compared to when I started, which bears this question: How can we update our athlete support and development strategy to compete in this en- vironment? It is something we will explore. What are your most memorable moments of
the Sochi Games? Wow, there were so many. Te Opening Cer-
emony was incredible, particularly watching our team march in. Getting to judge the men’s Team Event, watching the U.S. team win the bronze and then seeing them stand face-to-face with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin as they came off the ice was oddly amazing. Attending that medal ceremony was just as awesome. Of course, watching Charlie [White] and Meryl [Davis] are moments I’ll never forget. Even during practice it looked like their blades never touched the ice and they were skating twice as fast as any other team. You just knew they had to win. It was all so exciting.
What impact do you think the 2014 Olympic
Winter Games will have on figure skating in the U.S. and internationally? From the U.S. perspective, I think Charlie
and Meryl’s gold, the Team bronze, the exciting pairs’ performances and the ladies’ great finish all boosted the profile of our sport in the U.S. and generated a lot of excitement about what is to
U.S. Figure Skating President Samuel E. Auxier attended the Broadmoor Open in late June, where he judged the competiton with fellow officials, from left, Cassy Papa- john, Terry Kubicka, Kathleen Harmon, Whitney Gaynor, Taffy Holliday, Auxier, Kim Moore and Wendy Enzmann.
Council delegates in Seattle.
come. I judged the men’s free skate and there were a lot of falls, but the men were also pushing the limits of the sport — which is what you would expect at the Olympics. I think Jeremy [Abbott] and Jason [Brown] both raised the bar on com- ponents with their programs. Te ladies’ judging issues unfortunately took attention away from some incredible performances that night, which is a real shame. But that’s why we need to keep fighting for ending anonymity and improving the judging so the focus is on the skating and not on the officiating. You
recently attended the ISU Congress in
Ireland as part of our five-member delegation. Why do you feel anonymous judging on the ISU level should end?
I feel as a judge that I owe it to the skaters
— who work so hard to get to this level — that I must be accountable for my marks. I can’t really do that if they are hidden. We are transparent in
PHOTO BY PETER ZAPALO
the U.S. and transparent with our marks at the Junior Grand Prix events; why not at ISU Cham- pionship events? Te lack of transparency was under the spotlight at the Olympics, and [ladies champion] Adelina Sotnikova felt the anguish of the fans and media much more than the judges or the ISU — and that just isn’t fair. When you were a competitive skater growing up in the Chicago area, did you ever entertain thoughts of becoming the president of U.S. Figure Skating? It was something I had never thought about,
but I’ll tell you this: It is very much an honor and privilege to serve our sport in this capacity and I feel a tremendous responsibility to push it for- ward.
SKATING 11
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