“To put out a short like that, we have a lot of things to be proud of,” Frazier said. “It wasn’t perfect but a huge improvement from Four Con- tinents. Overall, the feeling was just good. It was a big step in our career.” After that solid start, though, the skaters’
free skate left them disappointed. T ey doubled intended triple Salchows, and Denney fell on the team’s double Axel-double Axel sequence, putting
them 12th overall with 172.51 points. T is total, however, was almost fi ve points better than their total at Four Continents. “It wasn’t our best at all,” Denney said. “For
it being our fi rst Worlds, it’s all a learning experi- ence.” “Anyone would be disappointed to come in
well-trained and not put out the free skate they know they could,” Frazier added. “It’s been a
great season overall, but today we didn’t perform this program like we normally do.” Canada’s Meagan Duhamel and Eric Rad-
ford emerged with the gold medal with a score of 221.53. China’s Wenjing Sui and Cong Han cap- tured the silver medal with 214.12 points, with their country mates Qing Pang and Jian Tong securing bronze with a score of 212.77. — Troy Schwindt
er you want. They take your measurements and have it delivered to your hotel in a day or two. All of that for, let’s just say, extreme- ly reasonable prices, assuming you’re a de- cent negotiator. So when we had time off during the week, we hit the markets. Since the ice dancers were done Fri-
day, we took advantage and used Satur- day to go sightseeing. My good friend Raj Misir organized a bus to take 12 skaters and coaches to tour the Old City of Shang- hai — the urban hub of the ancient city. We spent a few hours walking through the City God Temple and the attached Yuyuan Garden. There were some renovated fea- tures, yet still the architecture was beau- tiful and the history of the area impres- sive. The weather was absolutely perfect so we took our time and stopped to take photos together. After a few hours we were all quite
If fi gure skating were like high school,
Worlds would be the prom. Not just because of the glamorous gowns the ladies wear to the closing banquet, but also because Worlds is “the big dance” — the marquee event of our skating season. It is the only time in the season that all of the skaters are together, so Worlds can be just as much a social event, like prom, as it is a fi erce com- petition. During Worlds in Shanghai, the skaters didn’t just share the ice, we ate our meals together, toured the city together and shopped together at the infamous un- derground fake markets. As a returning Shanghai tourist, I knew
just where to go for the high quality fake goods and custom tailoring. A good sense of direction is an asset in the fake market because the place is a verifi ed labyrinth. The market is massive, with seemingly endless storefronts that all sort of look the same. It’s very easy to get turned around and very diffi cult to get back on track, unless you can read or speak Chinese.
It is no secret fi gure skaters are com-
petitive. How couldn’t we be after a life- time of skating competitions? Yet my com- petitiveness pales to that of the Chinese shopkeepers in the market. They will meet you out at the subway stop to quickly start their sales pitch before you can even enter the market. As you walk through the halls, they will shout out, some will even grab and try to pull you into their shop. Then, once you’re inside they are usually a tough sell, often going back and forth in a bidding war. The entire negotiating process is exhaust- ing, yet strangely addicting! There is something so exhilarating
about bartering for a pair of fake Beats headphones or $5 fake Ray-Bans, common- ly called Fay-Bans. The fi rst time I got a taste of this shopping underworld was at Cup of China in 2013. I knew I was hooked after my third purchase of Fair Jordans (fake Air Jordans). Then someone clued me in to the custom tailoring. You pick the style, cut and fabric for a new suit, shirt, dress, or whatev-
starving and so set out looking for lunch. We found a Thai restaurant with outdoor seating for the 12 of us, so we sat down. This place turned out to be very delicious, but also one of the spiciest meals of my life. We ordered various dishes and passed them all around for everyone to try. Soon, half the table had tears streaming down their cheeks from the heat. I think steam was ac- tually coming out of my ears. We sat in the sun, laughing and enjoying the good food and company of one another. The experience at Worlds in Shanghai
was great, both on the ice and off . The skat- ing aspect is always what we focus so much attention on, but off the ice is where we make memories and friendships that hope- fully will last. The time we spent touring the city, dining and shopping together was really as memorable and special as the on- ice experience. Whenever I’m asked what my favorite part about skating is, I always say, “The people.” It’s true. The people who I share these experiences with are the most important to me. They were what made Shanghai so great, and a big reason why I continue to love skating so much.
SKATING 27
PHOTO BY JENNY MAST
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA GIRAUD
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