Confession of the Month

I know, I know, I haven't kept up with the monthly confessions. But, you know, from now on ...

Yesterday I was emailing another skater on Facebook and we got to telling stories. We always do. And I told her about our hotel dinner show in Atami, Japan, and that whenever there was a show with fewer audience members than skaters, we didn't always take that show so seriously.

Shocker? Oh, come on. You would have done the same thing.

One of the favorite things to do was a playing a game of tag.

It would start in the Opening number, someone was "it" and they would have to tag someone without straying too far from the choreography. The person hoping not to get tagged couldn't stray too far from the choreography either.

And this went on throught the show. When one number was done, the skater that was "it" had to wait until they were back out on the ice in another with at least two more skaters. It didn't count to tag someone backstage.

That certainly helped a forty-five minute show fly by. I get a smile just thinking about it.

What Did You Think?

I wished I could have seen the movie. I was thinking about my figure skating friends last night knowing that they were going.

Can anyone tell me what you thought?

Here's the RISE facebook page itself, asking the very same question. So far 248 people "liked" it.

February 11 - A Good Day For Democracy

Free Nelson Mandela!

We interrupt this silly little skating blog to remind you that on this day twenty-one years ago, Nelson Mandela was released from eighteen years in prison on Robben Island off of Cape Town, South Africa.

Miss Ice Charades is a biiiig fan of Mr. Mandela. And it was pretty exciting for the cast of Ice Express, starring by Randy Gardner, choreographed by Karen Kresge, featuring Jozef (the bobbin' Czech) Sabovčik and Cindy Stewart who landed in South Africa three weeks later. March 1990, Jo-burg, as the locals call it. There were Nelson Mandela t-shirts everywhere and perhaps a feeling that the country was heading in the right direction.

Judging by the World Cup they recently hosted, I would say they were right.

I am forever grateful, thanks Karen, that I got the chance to skate in the country in the year they freed Nelson Mandela.

Another February 11th? Thirty-two years ago on this day the Iranian revolution took place when the Shah's forces were overwhelmed. And today?

A good day for democracy.

Remembering the 1961 Plane Crash

This from Laura at Required Elements: A new exhibit for the 1961 plane crash that killed the U.S. figure skating team has opened at the skating Hall of Fame museum in Colorado.

The movie RISE is next Thursday. Do you have your ticket yet?




Now the most important question: Have you read the book yet?



Read. The. Book. First.

and have a great weekend!

And About That Super Bowl

Congrats to Ice Mom and all the Packer fans out there.

It's hard for this lifelong Viking's fan to say that, but the Packers played a great game. Still there was a brief moment of joy for any Viking's fan just before the game when the Viking's safety Madieu Williams was selected Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year!

It's been months since I've screamed that loud for a Viking.

This, That and the Other

Johnny Weir is moving to Manhattan. A good place for him, I think. He's got Sky Rink for practicing, HQ of the publishing world all around, and the Parson's School when he's ready for a change.


And, I didn't catch any Super Bowl ads yesterday, but I poked around the internet and it seems Alissa Czisny was in a Chrysler commercial for all of two seconds. She's skating outside in bare arms ... couldn't someone have loaned her a sweater? It's freezing out there. Ah yes, Ice Charades, but figure skaters are tough.

Yes they are.

But for those that don't want to freeze while taking to the ice, the deadline to book the Ice Capades Mini-Reunion is coming up.

Ice Capades Mini-Reunion – on Royal Caribbean’s “Explorer of the Seas” Update

– Bermuda Cruise – June 18, 2011

Now that the holidays are behind us and much of the country gripped in icy winter weather, it is time to start thinking about sunshine, pink sands and beautiful clear waters!

For all of you that have not registered, they have added inventory and have staterooms available for this fantastic 5 night Ice Capades Reunion cruise to Bermuda, June 18, 2011! Please contact them as soon as possible to book your stateroom as they don't expect the new inventory to last!

If you are thinking of going but need someone to share a cabin with, let them know! They currently have one female seeking to share a cabin with like!

Please contact Greg Smith w/Expedia 800-410-5451 X 420 when you wish to make a payment on your booking. Remember, your entire fare MUST be paid by the final due date, APRIL 1, 2011.

Happy (Chinese) New Year!

The year of the rabbit starts today!

BTW, how's your New Year's Resolution, a.k.a. the N.Y.R., going? How's mine going? Not going so well.

$h!t!

Well, that's a little better.

My N.Y.R. was to swear more this year, something I thought was attainable. Easy. But I got off my goal with a parent-teacher conference and binged on two 8-year-old birthday parties totally in Spanish. I can't swear in Spanish.

$h!t!

Back in my showgirl days, swearing was an artform, and I admired those who had the flair. I hadn't had any training in swearing as an amateur, so when I turned pro in the show, I had some quick learning to do.

Sure, swearing as an exclamation is easy. Chorus work, really. When you're standing at the curtain backstage, ready to take the ice and you look down at your skates and discover you forgot your bootcovers and are looking at a $4 fine ... $h!t! is natural. Relieves the stress, tells everyone around what's going on and they start to clear the path for you to run back to the dressing room.

But swearing as an adjective? $h!t!, that's harder. One thing I learned in ice shows, the more beautiful the mouth the f-ing swear words came out of, the more impact they had. When the sourpuss, balding, curmudgeonly stagehand in the corner goes on a tear, well, we've all heard that before. But coming from a beautiful showgirl?

Like I said, art.

I think my time to elevate swearing to an art form are behind me, but a girl can try, right?

In the words of Team America, fu(Є)k, yeah!

Happy New Year folks!