Skate Canada, for all things Canadian skating

Skate Canada is the site to go to for anything and everything skating in Canada.

It is the main organization for figure skating in Canada, and is responsible for regulating municipal figure skating clubs. It also hosts many competitions for both the competitive stream as well as the non-competitive stream. It is the home page of the Canadian national figure skating team who will represent Canada at the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

It also provides a section called "Know Your Skating" which provides more information on the sport and its requirements. This includes the various elements, judging schemes and a glossary of skating terms.

The site also provides the results of many events held in Canada such as Skate Canada, a part of the Grand Prix circuit. There is also information on how to purchase tickets and also on upcoming events.

Many opportunities to be a part of the Skate Canada organization are available and listed on the site. These include volunteering, coaching and officiating.

Overall, the website is effective in giving information about figure skating in Canada and is the legitimate authority for Canadian skating. It also includes a "Hall of Fame" of past members of Skate Canada and their contributions to skating.

Visit Skate Canada

International Skater Profile: Sasha Cohen

Skater Bio

Name: Alexandra (Sasha) Cohen

Birth Place: Los Angeles, California

Birthdate: October 26, 1984

Team: United States

Career Highlights: 2006 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, 2006 U.S. Champion

Sasha Cohen has always been one of my personal favourites. She was supposed to make her comeback in this season however she withdrew from both Skate America, and Tromphee Eric Bombard. However, during her prime a few years ago, she was a fierce competitor. She has beautiful spins and one of the most amazing spirals I have ever seen.

Sasha is extremely artistic and is able to express that through her skating. Her jump posture is beautiful however she has difficulty keeping focused and holding her landings. Her flexibility makes her able to do some of the more difficult spiral sequences and allows her to do her amazing 180 degree spiral.

Sasha also delivers some amazing performances. I especially enjoyed her Romeo and Juliet program. This video is from the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Although she falls on her first two jumps she still medals and wins the silver. It does however showcase her beautiful spirals and artistry.

Overall, Sasha has a beautiful artistry in her skating, it's a shame she can never quite seem to get her technical elements to match.

Canadian Skater Profile: Joannie Rochette

Skater Bio

Name: Joannie Rochette

Birth Place: Ile Dupas, Quebec

Birth Date: January 13, 1986

Team: Canada

Career Highlights: Five time Canadian national champion, 2009 World Championship silver medalist, 2008/2009 Four Continents silver medalist, Represented Canada at the 2006 WInter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Joannie Rochette is one of Canada's shining stars. Her athleticism and grace make her a well-balanced athlete. Her split is amazing, and her spins are phenomenal. I also enjoy her many exhibitions but especially her current one to Madonna's "Die Another Day". My skating club did a number to that song a few years back and I've always felt it is one of the most edgy and innovative songs to choreograph to.

So here are some of my personal favourite programs by Joannie.

First, her exhibiton to "Die Another Day". I love this program because of the intricate choreography. Joannie is a wonderful performer and shows it brillantly in this routine. I personally enjoy the sequence that starts around 2:07 when Joannie walks through the lasers. Overall it's an entertaining routine that shows her fun side.

My other personal favourite is another of her exhibitions to Celine Dion's "Vole". It is beautiful choreography, showcasing her grace as well as her strength. Her spins are goregous in this performance and the footwork between elements is beautiful as well.



Joannie's definitely going to make the Canadian Team proud at the 2010 Olympics. With her grace and strength there's no way she won't make it to that podium.

Visit Joannie at her official website.

Skate Canada—Canadians win big

Skate Canada finished up this past week, and the Canadians proved that they're still a force to be reckon with. The Canadians managed to rack up two golds and two silvers.

Quebec native Joannie Rochette took home the gold in the women's event. The Canadians continued medaling when Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson received bronze in the pairs events.

It was no surprise that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir would win for ice dance, however, it was Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje who surprised everyone by placing third in ice dance.

Patrick Chan placed a shocking sixth in the men's event. However this is the first competition he's been in since his injury. So it'll take him some time before he's back performing at 100%.

Overall, it was a good showing for the Canadians especially on home ice. In only a few months the Canadians will return home again to compete in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Ice Mom Blogs it like it is—in the skating world at least.

The blogging community gives us information any topic you can imagine and skating is no different. One of the most interesting blogs I have come across is Ice Mom, a blog about skating from the skating mom perspective. Diane, the creator of Ice Mom explains the reason for her blog, the blog community and the upcoming Olympic Games.

Salchow Central (SC): What made you decide to start blogging about figure skating?

Ice Mom (IM): I decided to start Ice Mom because I felt like I was pretty much on my own when it came to the figure skating world. I started the blog about 18 months ago when my daughter and I were new to skating. I searched online for product information and resources that would tell me how the figure skating world worked and what the expectations are. I was making so many mistakes and learning so much that I thought I'd leave a breadcrumb trail for other parents who were trying to figure it out.



SC: What is your favourite part of blogging?

IM: My favorite part of blogging is seeing my audience grow. It's fun to read comments from parents from all over the world, from parents with way more experience with figure skating than I, from coaches, and from judges. The most difficult part is coming up with ideas for posts. Well, that's not entirely true. I have tons of labor-intensive ideas for posts. I have fewer ideas that work for my Monday lunch hours.



SC: Do you feel that blogging about skating has kept you connected to the skating community?

IM: I feel way more connected to the skating community since I began the blog. I'm always looking for story ideas, so I have a heightened awareness when I go to the rink. I've met bloggers and skater glitterati online, too. I correspond with Aaron, who runs the popular Axels, Loops, and Spins blog, I'm in contact with A Team on the Edge's authors, who are the parents of the current U.S. national men's champion, Jeremy Abbot. The few people who know me personally are always hunting for stories for me, too.



SC: What are you most looking forward to about the upcoming Winter Olympics?

IM: The Winter Olympics will be fun to watch, especially for those lucky enough to make the trip to Vancouver. I'm very interested to watch the pairs teams because I just finished blogging about The Second Mark by Joy Goodwin, which is about the 2002 Olympic judging scandal. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo will compete again and I'd like to see if they attempt their throw quad Salchow. That'd be cool.



You can find more from Ice Mom Diane at http://icemom.blogspot.com

Figure Skating Blogger Speaks About Blogging, Community and Olympics

Jennifer Kirk is a former competitive skater who’s love for the sport has been manifested into a blog for TrueSlant.com. She loves what the blog has given her—a voice. “I never really had an outlet to speak out about some of what goes on behind closed doors in the skating world and other injustices in the sport. “ Kirk said in interview.

She’s enjoyed the light she’s been able to shine on the sport and being able to include her own experiences in her blog. The blog hasn’t only given her a way to express her love for the sport but also to keep in touch with the skating community. “I've connected with many skaters whom I had been in close contact with during my career but fell out of touch with after I left the sport. “

As well, the blogging world has given Kirk a way to still be apart of the skating world even after leaving competitive skating. And as for the upcoming Winter Olympic games? Kirk said that she can’t wait to see all the disciplines but especially the comebacks. Kirk mentions Shen and Zhao among the comebacks she wants to see. But Plushenko is the one Kirk is most looking forward to, “I think because of Plushenko's return, the men's event will probably be the most exciting this season.”



Follow Jennifer's blog at www.trueslant.com/jenniferkirk/