SK A TE AMERIC A NUGGET S
To the rescue Although he’d record his best-ever placement at a
Grand Prix event, Adam Rippon almost missed out on competing at Skate America entirely. “Yesterday I had a bit of a boot issue,” Rippon said
‘Sky is the limit’
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue came within a sliver (1.49 points) of winning the ice dance bronze medal at Skate America. The skaters vowed to continue the fi ght through the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Champi- onships. “Everybody is going to make a lot
of improvements, and that goes for us as well,” Hubbell said. “I think the sky is the limit to the amount of emotion and connection Zach and I can show as a team.”
Hubbell and Donohue, who train
at Detroit Skating Club under a coach- ing team headed by Pasquale Camer- lengo, won their second Nebelhorn Trophy gold medal in September. They can’t be too disappointed about the start to their season, considering Hub- bell was off the ice for six weeks this summer after suff ering a concussion during training on May 29. “I had post-concussive syndrome,”
the 22-year-old said. “I struggled with balance, memory and headaches for a while. It was only in July that I was able to get back on the ice.” Fortunately, Camerlengo had got-
ten an early start choreographing their free dance, set to Lucia Micarelli’s “Bo- hemian Rhapsody in Nocturne.” Hubbell gritted her teeth and the team showed the program at Skate Detroit in late July and Champs Camp in August. By Nebel- horn, they were back on track, although Hubbell was still working to regain com- plete fi tness. A couple on and off the ice, the
2012 U.S. bronze medalists placed fourth in the U.S. last season, missing the World Team. In 2012, they were 10th at the World Championships. “I think everyone is aware of our
relationship and the audience likes seeing it on the ice,” Donohue, 22, said. “You can tell when a couple is skating whether they have a true connection. We have to highlight that this season.”
— Lynn Rutherford
after his short program, for which he earned a person- al-best 80.26 points. “The heel detached from the leather. I had to really push myself to get here, and I worked so hard that a little problem with the boot wasn’t going to stop me from skating. I would have hopped around on one foot if I had to.” After the initial break, Rippon was forced to leave his
Adam Rippon
practice session early, and the status of his ability to compete was in question. Enter Raj Misir, the general manager of Jackson Ultima Skates. “I was actually on the golf course when I got the call,” the Toronto-based Misir said. “I
got in the car, drove and worked all night. I brought Adam’s spare skates with me, but his coach felt it would be better if we could get the old skates fi xed up.” “I just want to thank Jackson for getting me though this competition,” Rippon said.
“And my coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, who has the patience of a saint for dealing with my broken equipment.”
— Mimi Whetstone
Asking good questions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto accomplished so
much during their competitive ice dance careers, including an Olympic silver medal, two World silver medals and fi ve U.S. titles. During that time, they were asked virtually every question imaginable by reporters. Today, Belbin is rising up the coaching ranks and
works as an announcer and interviewer for icenet- work at major events. At Skate America, the 29-year- old Michigan resident caught up with skaters as they came off the ice and walked into the AT&T Athlete Lounge. Being asked thought-provoking questions is something that she appreciated as a competitor and what she strives to provide as a sports journalist. “The best questions that I was ever asked as an athlete were the ones that I didn’t
Tanith Belbin interviews Skate America pairs champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia.
hear as often, particularly toward the end of my career,” Belbin said. “I always was struck by the questions that prompted me to consider my skating in a diff erent way, or perhaps compared it to something I never made the connection to before. And I really appreciated those questions; that’s something I attempt to do in an interview is just allow the skater not only to hear my perspective on what they are able to do, but also perhaps compare it to something and make a connection they hadn’t before.”
— Troy Schwindt Marathon men
Chris Shibutani feverishly worked the iPad between stop-and-go traffi c. Son Alex had not one, not two, but THREE smartphones going. Father and son tacti-
cally exchanged information. “Dad, turn on Howard — no, Sixth!” “It’s blocked off over there. Uh! We’re being sent back on the highway.” While Chris and Alex tried to navigate around 27,000 runners in the Detroit Marathon,
sister Maia rested her head on “Number One Son” Adam Rippon’s shoulder in the back seat. The three athletes, who had all earned Skate America medals the night before, were
late for the annual Friends of Figure Skating Breakfast. Always fan favorites, the Shibutanis and Rippon chose to forego an extra hour of sleep to attend the breakfast so they could personally thank the fans who support them. “Please make sure they know we’ll be there,” Maia said, and a text was sent. Finally, Alex retrieved an email from the Joe Louis Arena’s head of security. “Take 94 east to 75 south to 375,” he told his dad. “After the ramp, stay to your left.” Mission accomplished. Marveling at how deftly the father-son team managed the situation using four mobile
devices, Rippon leaned forward and smiled. “Only the Shibutanis could do this,” he said.
— Barb Reichert 24 DECEMBER 2013
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76