LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Have a great Valentine’s Day! Normally February comes and goes in my
household with little fanfare when it comes to Val- entine’s Day. As my wife, Debbie, and I get ready to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in April, she’s come to expect my signature Valentine’s Day card and personal delivery of her favorite cup of coff ee — hazelnut latte — to her offi ce at the high school.
She usually leaves me a nice card and box of
chocolates somewhere for me to discover. Then we go out to dinner if Valentine’s Day falls on a week- end, because I usually go to bed early during the week.
As you can tell, we’re pretty simple and not
very exciting, but it works well for us. My wife knew going into our marriage that I wasn’t much of a ro- mantic, so the fact that I even remember Valentine’s Day is a big deal. We’ve certainly become practical in our gift
choices over the years. I don’t buy her jewelry or ex- pensive clothes. I’m still considered a hero, in fact, for my present of a can crusher a couple of years ago during the holiday season. We only splurge on each other when it comes
to home improvements and vacations. Honey, I love those new windows! The reason I’m writing my column about Val-
entine’s Day is that there’s certainly love in the air for several of my U.S. Figure Skating headquarters coworkers and friends, who will be getting married in the coming months, as will others in the skating world. I’m sure Valentine’s Day will hold a special meaning for them, especially this year. It’s amazing; I sit next to four people who have
recently become engaged and have wedding dates planned — two this summer, one in the fall and one in summer 2016. My bet is that they’ve already made their dinner reservations for Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Saturday this year! To have a little fun, I emailed a few skater folks
and asked them some questions related to their Val- entine’s Day traditions and memories. I asked Marissa Castelli, a two-time U.S. pairs
champion, what is the most romantic place to have dinner in Boston. “Top of the Hub,” she said. “It is at the top of
the Prudential Center and the view is amazing. You can look over all of Boston while having an amazing meal. Very romantic.” Marissa, though, said she’s not really into Val-
entine’s Day. “I would just as soon stay home, order in Chi-
nese food, grab some Puff s and watch a sappy mov- ie,” she said. When it comes to being a fan of candy hearts
and chocolates, Marissa doesn’t pull any punches. “I prefer a big bag of chocolates rather than a
heart-shaped box; you get more chocolate in a less clichéd way.” Engaged last year, Alexa Scimeca and Chris Kn-
ierim enjoy watching movies together and provid- ed us with their top fi ve “sappy” movies. The 2013 U.S. pairs silver medalists, who train in Colorado Springs, share an apartment with their cat, Scarlet.
4 FEBRUARY 2015
Scarlet actually played a role in Chris’ engagement proposal. Their top fi ve favorite romantic movies are: 1.
Safe Haven; 2. P.S. I Love You; 3. The Notebook; 4. A Walk to Remember; 5. Titanic. Ice dancers Isabella and Anastasia Cannuscio
grew up in their family’s restaurant business in New Jersey, where they witnessed a few love connec- tions. “One year someone actually proposed,” Isabel-
la said. “They had their fi rst date at our restaurant, so of course he wanted to bring her back to the place where it all started. When they asked for their des- sert, my aunt wrote ‘Will you marry me?’ in choco- late syrup, and put the ring on the plate. She said yes, but after the heart-shaped pizza and raviolis, who could say no?” Chocolate-covered strawberries were also of-
fered up for the special night. “We would also give out a single rose to all of
the tables at the end of the night,” Anastasia said. On a personal level, both sisters have boy-
friends and they usually go out to dinner and ex- change cards. “We don’t really do anything too extrava-
gant,” Isabella said. “Just a nice, relaxing evening.” Olympic pairs skater Mark Ladwig, who’s mar-
ried with two young boys, describes the perfect date.
“It’s staying in, making and eating a gourmet
meal with great ingredients — and not having to do the dishes after,” he said. Boston-area coach Bobby Martin admits Valen-
tine’s Day gets lost in his family’s busy lives, but they reconnect during their annual trip to Lake Tahoe in mid-February. “We have a very special bond and try our best
to celebrate the little things throughout the year,” said Bobby, who with wife Barbie have two daugh- ters, Bella and Bridgette. I asked Bobby if he had fi ve words to describe
his wife of 18 years, what would they be? “Is she in the room? Will she read this or not?
Just kidding. Hilarious, sassy, sexy, loving, glamor- ous.
“One word to describe me? Lucky!”
U.S. FIGURE SKATING Licensees
U.S. FIGURE SKATING Suppliers
U.S. FIGURE SKATING Sponsors
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52