Like Xan, he is an adult skater

Photo by Astrid Riecken / For The Washington Post


I've got to say thanks, Xan for the idea of this post ... she bared her soul about this last month. If you haven't read it yet, please go here and read it first.

Don't worry, I'll wait for you.

Okay, are you done? Good.

Let me first say, I have such admiration for adult skaters. It's not easy to skate. It isn't easy for a kid and it doesn't get easier as you get older ... it gets harder.

Yet adult skaters go out and practice because they love the feeling of movement, they push themselves when many adults are retreating (yes, that would be me) and they make up the biggest group of Ice Charades fans (thank you)!

So that's why I love this article from the Washington Post.

The article written by Monica Hesse, profiles Mickey Bolek, a successful hairdresser, as he competes in the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Nationals.

And I love this little gem too:

The oldest skater here today is Elaine Evans, 72. She won’t be competing; she just skates recreationally. “As long as you’re willing to pay for those gorgeous young Russians,” you can buy happiness, she says. She gazes at her gorgeous Russian ice dancing coach/partner. “Best investment I ever made.”

What makes me a little sad though, when thinking about adult skaters ... what if they would have been champions, if they weren't for some reason denied the chance to skate when they were young?

Am I the only one who has thought this way?

More Birthdays This Month

... to my great friend and circus darling at Ringling ... Happy Birthday, John!

No April Fools' Joke

Ice Charades is five years old today! That means I'm learning to master complete sentences by now.

Woo hoo - give me some cake.

Questions/Comments about the World Figure Skating Championships

I'm back ... did you miss me?

I hope it feels like spring wherever you are, because here it's still too damn cold.

So I'm back to blogging and I'll have a lot to talk about, but since everyone is concentrating on Worlds right now, I thought I would bring up the nagging questions that have come up for me.

I'll let the experts deal with the judging and scoring, because I know that needs critique (and criticism) from the outside. What would a world-class figure skating competition be without controversial scores from questionable judges?

But my more trivial concerns from Worlds have been:

1) Why so much Japanese advertising on the boards? Do they realize that most of the world (and more specifically, the viewing audience) doesn't read kanji, katakana and/or hiragana? OR are there that many Japanese viewers watching? Aaron - you're there right now ... are the Japanese fans vast outnumbering any other country?

2) Does anyone else think that the amount of stuffed animals and/or flowers thrown on the ice is a bit stingy this year? Is this the Euro crisis on display? I'm used to the visuals of flowers girls, their arms bursting with bouquets. This time, not so much.

And last, but not least -

3) Am I out of touch or does it seem as if the skaters are sponsored like NASCAR drivers or professional bikers, in that when they get to the Kiss-n-Cry, they need to zip up their jacket so that all of the company logos are visible? Is this relatively new?

I welcome any and all input and I am excited for the finals in mens and womens!

Taking a break

... see you in the Spring.

What Coaches Should (Not) Wear

This post sounds like it's coming from Xan's blog, but really it is just a rant coming from me.

yes, I'm talking about what a coach shouldn't wear .... and I'm talking soccer. Most soccer coaches wear either a suit and tie or a athletic outfit with the team logo. While the suit and tie doesn't seem that comfortable for coaching a game (hockey coaches seem to do this a lot too) it shows their respect for the game.





And I like and appreciate that.

Other coaches want to be more comfortable to pace the sidelines and move about during the game, so they wear comfortable track suits with the teams colors. They probably feel they can think better dressed like that or it embraces the team spirit more.



I like and appreciate that.

But I found it distracting and a little disrespectful to be watching Zambia's coach, Herve Renard, last night when his underdog team beat the heavy favorites from the Côte d'Ivoire(Ivory Coast) to win the Africa Cup last night.





Congrats to you, Herve Renard, and your team on a great win, but you look like you're thinking more about going out to dinner or a disco, rather than coaching a championship game. The shirt is a little tight to be comfortable, don't you think? I saw you pulling it down a lot during the game.




Excuse me, Miss Ice Charades, but Herve Renard is French. He probably is thinking about where he is going out to dinner. Plus, he says this is his lucky shirt.

Well, because he's French, that may explain the style. But because he's French, what are the chances he's cleaned that shirt?


Next post, back to skating, I promise.

Superbowl Half-time Review

Why not? Since it's a light week in skating news .... a review of Madonna's half-time performance ...

From a very random look at my Facebook skating (and other) friends, Madonna got great reviews. Several shout-outs. Several "likes." It doesn't surprise me that performers themselves like a performer like Madonna.

Go ahead, try to do a few of those knee-bending squats she does all the time. I can't - I get tuckered out after three. But that's why Madonna looks like she does.

And she performed as she always does ... solid.

I was even more impressed with the guys and gals who designed that stage - WOW. And the lighting! Wow - again. Perhaps that is going on the road with her when she tours.

But I've got to say, what if you were one of those people who paid beucoup bucks to sit on the 50-yard line and come half-time all you saw was the back of Madonna's head and the scaffolding holding up that awesome stage? The concert should have been in the round, so everyone got a show. Don't worry, there were enough cameras to cover all four sides for continuous TV coverage. But, TV trumps all, I guess.

I was glad to see an homage to marching bands. In my opinion, that's what they really need at the half-time for a football game. Bring out the best marching bands and let them dazzle the crowds.

If any of you have ever seen Blast (the Show), you know this can be done. If you haven't seen the show yet, you won't be disappointed. Madonna seemed like an odd choice for NFL fans, to me. But anyway, the nod to marching bands was a nice touch.



The only question I have is about the guy on the rather-low high-wire? WTF? Was that Richard Simmons?