LOS ANGELES SPORTS COUNCIL HONORS GOLD The Los Angeles Sports Council
named 2014 U.S. champion and 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist Gracie Gold 2014 Sportswoman of the Year.
Gold, who resides in Redondo
Beach, California, and trains at the Toy- ota Sports Center in El Segundo, Cal- ifornia, with coach Frank Carroll, will be honored during the 10th annual LA Sports Awards on March 15 at the Bev- erly Hilton Hotel. The LA Sports Awards are present-
ed annually by the Sports Council to cel- ebrate the greatest moments of the year in sports in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. The ceremony also will fea- ture the presentation of the Sportsman, Coach and Sports Executive of the Year awards, plus a countdown of the year’s Top 10 moments. The Sportswoman of the Year
award is given to the local female athlete whose performance and character best exemplifi ed the ideals of sportsmanship during the 2014 calendar year. Previous honorees include beach volleyball players Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor (2005, ’12) and track star Allyson Felix (2007, ’09). The star-studded awards dinner and gala will be televised on Fox Sports West/Prime
Ticket and will include special appearances by some of the athletes and coaches whose achievements helped make 2014 such a memorable sports year. During the 2014 calendar year, Gold was true to her name, winning her fi rst U.S. title,
propelling her to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, where she helped Team USA win a bronze medal in the inaugural fi gure skating team event with an exquisite free skate. She also claimed her fi rst Grand Prix Series gold at NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan, in November.
HQ Profi le:
JAMES AITKEN I am the coordinator of video production at U.S.
Figure Skating headquarters. I am responsible for fi lm- ing and editing video in-house, including social media projects, highlight videos and live events. I also con- duct interviews, shoot backstage footage and produce various graphic animations. What is your favorite part about this job? “I get
a lot of creative freedom. Every video is an opportunity to try something unique and show a diff erent side of the athletes. The footage I get at events like the U.S. Championships is very personal, and I have awesome access to the skaters. It’s cool to get to know them and talk about video ideas with them.” What do you like to do in your spare time? “I just moved to Colorado and can’t get
enough of it. I’m out exploring the mountains, hiking, biking, running, skiing. I want to see and do it all. Adventure time!” What would people be surprised to know about you? “I grew up on a farm in Ne-
braska. During summers as a kid I’d sell fresh sweet corn on the side of the highway in the back of my dad’s truck.” What would be your ideal vacation? “I have family in Fiji and I got to visit once for
Christmas. I went spear fi shing with natives in the open ocean and it was life-changing. I’ve got to go back. It was paradise.” Tell us a little bit about your family “I have a fraternal twin brother, but also a young- er set of siblings — a boy and a girl — who are also fraternal twins. Two sets of twins.”
SKATING 7
MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES
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