E Ice and E Edge Volume I, Issue I Summer 2013
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e Ice and e Edge Volume I, Issue I Summer 2013 Editor’s Note Dear readers, fans, and fellow " gure skaters, Words can hardly describe the anticipation and excitement with which I present to you the very " rst edition of e Ice and e Edge magazine, a one- woman endeavor at providing a fresh and fascinating take on the world of com- petitive " gure skating. From conception to logistics to publication, this project has been months in the making, and I consider it the utmost privilege to be able to share it with you. Ever since the love for the ice rooted itself into my mind some decade or so ago, I’ve sought a way to demonstrate this interest to the rest of the world. I’ve joined online skating communities, volunteered with competitions at my local rink, and created a blog on which to share this magazine with a wider audience. Ultimately, however, my purpose is simple. It’s not about triple Axels, embar- rassing costumes, or even the crowning glory of the Olympic skate-of-a-lifetime (I’m looking at you, 2010 Yuna Kim). It’s not about the joy of skating. My mission statement is that the sensation of being a fan of " gure skating, both in the current cycle and as a starry-eyed spectator of earlier eras, has never failed to provide me with an incomparable sense of wonder. No matter what cri- ses might have enveloped me at the time, " gure skating has always been ready to assume the role of a comforter, a therapist, or simply a pillow on which to rest my head at the end of a tiring day. It is my hope that I will be able to share this feeling with you for many years to come. erefore, I would like to thank the " gure skating community at the Golden Skate forums for their undying appre- ciation of the sport; my friends and family for sitting with me through the tough times of near-defeat; and, most of all, everyone who is or ever was involved in the most beautiful, gratifying sport in the world. Happy reading, Kitty Xie Featured Skater ELIZAVETA TUKTAMYSHEVA (RUSSIA) Sixteen-year-old Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Glazov has already left a long trail of accomplish- ments in her rapid rise through the elite ranks. As a disciple of Alexei Mishin, the renowned coach of 2006 Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko, Tuktamysheva—the reign- ing Russian champion—currently re- sides and trains in St. Petersburg. In 2010, she won both of her Junior Grand Prix assign- ments, followed by silver medals at the Final and at the 2011 World J u n i o r Wagner’s Championships. ! en, in her inaugu- ral senior season, she swept away older and better-experienced ladies with technician her precocious maturity and competitor, and poise to claim Tuktamysheva isn’t lightening the two Grand Prix t i t l e s load just yet. In July, she polished and, soon after, the Youth Olympic gold. her Olympic- season programs at Mishin’s training camp Last season, however, Tuktamysheva attrib- in Pinzolo, Italy. She’s also uted a series of lackluster performances to taken on Samsung as a sponsor; she’s being a changing body. She regrouped to win the touted as the home-team face of the Olym- bronze medal at the European Champion- pics, a role which will take e# ect at Skate ships, but faltered at the World Champion- America, her " rst competition of the sea- ships in Canada, where she placed tenth. son. ! en will come the Rostelecom Cup Combined with teammate Adelina Sot- the Grand Prix Final (she hopes), and 2014 nikova’s ninth-place " nish, this meant that Russian Nationals, where the " ght will be Russia would only receive two ladies’ spots tough; where she plans to defend her crown. for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. ! en, with any luck, she’ll be holding one of the two tickets to Sochi. —KITTY XIE Still regarded as a formidable 2013 Summer Ice Shows On and o# the ice, they’re the big- ! e Ice, a Japanese sensation since 2007, followed gest adversaries of their generation. from July 24-28. Asada led an all-star troupe that included Takahiko Kozuka, Takahito Mura, Je# rey Yuna Kim and Mao Asa- Buttle, Javier Fernan- da, unequaled superstars dez, Kevin Reynolds, in their respective coun- Jeremy Abbott, Maxim tries of South Korea and Kovtun, Kanako Mu- Japan, have carried nearly rakami, Satoko Mi- a decade of competitive yahara, Gracie Gold, rivalry to the glamorous Adelina Sotnikova, stage of exhibition skat- Mirai Nagasu, Kait- ing. Traditionally, Kim’s lyn Weaver, Andrew show “All ! at Skate” Poje, Maia Shibutani, commences with the o# - Alex Shibutani, Na- season, followed by Asa- rumi Takahashi, and da’s “! e Ice.” World- Ryuichi Kihara. Initial- class skaters of both the ly slated to appear was current and previous era Ashley Wagner, who are invited to perform. withdrew in early July due to scheduling con- From June 21-23, All ! at Skate—now in its third $ icts. ! e show’s opening and closing ceremonies year—featured group programs choreographed were complemented by respective men’s and ladies’ to live Korean-language renditions of songs from group programs. To enthusiastic applause, Asada the Broadway musical Les Misérables , inspired by skated the debut of her Olympic-season short Kim’s World Championships-winning free skate. program to Chopin’s Nocturne in E-$ at Major. Guests included Ashley Wagner, Joannie Ro- chette, Haejin Kim, Kurt Browning, Stephane Kim and Asada are not slated to meet on the Lambiel, Javier Fernandez, Jinseo Kim, Aliona Grand Prix circuit until the Final in Asada’s home Savchenko, Robin Szolkowy, Tatiana Volosozhar, country, assuming that both qualify. After that, Maxim Trankov, Vladimir Besedin, Oleksiy Pol- their next (and very possibly last) joint event will ishchuk, Fiona Zaldua, and Dmitry Sukhanov. be the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where they are an- ! e sold-out crowd showered appreciation on ticipated to reprise their 2010 Vancouver show- main performer Kim, who skated a watered- down as an unforgettable curtain call to the sport. down version of her Les Misérables free skate and also introduced her new exhibition program to —KITTY XIE Avril Lavigne’s cover of John Lennon’s Imagine . Wagner’s Wagner’s Olympic Dream She gave herself an epithet that made her world- als, however, an onslaught of food poisoning com- famous. bined with the pressure to defend her title caused her to unravel in the middle of the long program. In 2011, after " nishing a heartbreaking sixth She fell twice in succession and in a decision that at the US Championships, Ashley Wag- stirred plenty of controversy, barely managed ner—then 19—showed her disappointment. to triumph over newcomer Gracie Gold. After skipping Four Continents, Wagner entered the “! e past couple of seasons, I’ve felt like the World Championships with one goal: to regain Almost Girl,” she said in an interview soon af- three spots for the US ladies at the 2014 Winter ter returning to her rink in Virginia Beach. Olympics. Despite losing her footing in the step “I was tired of almost being national cham- sequence of the long program, Wagner placed pion, almost making top two [at Nationals], al- " fth. Taken with Gold’s sixth-place " nish, it was most making the world team, almost making good enough to secure an Olympic berth for the the Olympic team. Almost, almost, almost.” bronze medalist at the 2014 US Championships. It was thus that Wagner became the plucky Afterward, Wagner spoke to NBC in tones underdog, but in the wake of 2011 Nation- of exhausted pride. “I was on the team that als, many wrote her o# as “" nished”; “past her lost the spot [in 2008, when Kimmie Meiss- prime.” Wagner, however, was already taking ad- ner placed 7th, Bebe Liang 10th, and Wag- vantage of her liberated spring schedule to strat- ner 16th], and I’m on the team that got it egize for the upcoming season. After more than back. So I feel like that debt has been repaid.” " ve months of deliberation, during which her teammate and rival Alissa Czisny " nished " fth ! en with the o# -season came trouble. Soon af- at the World Championships, she made the star- ter the World Team Trophy, where Wagner was tling announcement that she was relocating to second—a fraction of a point ahead of Gold— Aliso Viejo, California to train with John Nicks. her choreographer of two years, Philip Mills, formally ended their cooperation. ! en John ! ree thousand miles from home, Wagner " nal- Nicks, the iconic " gure always awaiting Wag- ly $ ourished. Nicks, the octogenarian coach of ner in the Kiss & Cry, decided that he would Peggy Fleming and Sasha Cohen, used his " rm no longer travel to her competitions, but would but hands-o# methods to transform his new pu- continue to coach her at home in Aliso Viejo. pil into a world-class threat. Just six months lat- er, Wagner stood on top of the national podium But, as ever, Wagner was determined to sur- wearing a hard-won crown laden with expecta- mount her di% culties. In June, a new pairing tions. Undaunted by the media frenzy, she went was revealed: Wagner and Rafael Arutyunyan, on to win the 2012 Four Continents Champion- a renowned technical specialist who may be the ships, and came within a hair of medaling at 2012 linchpin in getting Wagner a consistent triple- Worlds, where she was fourth. Czisny, who un- triple combination.