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Post by Admin on Jan 1, 2014 3:30:47 GMT
Figure skater Agnes Zawadzki has a few things in her life that she loves. The first is peanut butter: "I throw it on top of anything or just eat it right from the jar," says the 19-year-old who has twice captured bronze medals in the U.S. Nationals. The second is a stuffed elephant, a good-luck charm that is also a remembrance of her father, who died when she was 10. It travels with her to competitions and will be at the 2014 National Championships in Boston, which are Jan. 5-12. The third thing Zawadski is thrilled about is the fact that, because of solid performances by Americans at the World Championships, the United States will send three female solo skaters to Sochi. Zawadski is doing all she can to nab a spot. "If I complete two solid programs at Nationals," she says, "Sochi is definitely within reach." Here's a look into her training: Ice timeMy day typically has a late start. I'll head to the rink about 10:30 a.m. to warm up, skate from 11 to 11:45, take a break until 1:15, when I skate again until 2. Another break, and one more 45-minute skate from 4 to 4:45. After I'm done on the ice, I will either do some strength training, run, or do yoga. Artistry + jumpsI've been working a lot of my artistry in my programs. In order to win, you can't just rely on jumps anymore; you need the whole package. My biggest challenge is my skills in-between the jumps and spins: crossovers and basic skating skills. I'm trying to get more power from my crossovers. Getting her Om onWhen I strength train, I do a lot of plyometric exercises and focus on my core. You need long, lean lines in figure skating, so I don't want to bulk up too much. I also love a good yoga session. High mileage skaterRunning really helps clear my mind and relax after a stressful day. It brings me closer to my inner Zen. I'm up to 2.5 miles at a time, and want to run 6 to 8 miles without stopping. I typically run by myself and put my iPod on shuffle. I'm good with any music as long as it gets me pumped and moving. Eating cleanI eat mostly gluten-free when I'm at home, but that's harder to do on the road. I try to eat organic too, sticking to a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and a minimal amount of fat and oils. A typical lunch might be chicken, quinoa, veggies and a piece of fruit. I have the worst sweet tooth; when it hits, I'll let myself have a piece of dark chocolate. I often look up healthy versions of desserts. For Thanksgiving, I made vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole, and it was the best I've ever had. Prepare to be distractedI'm studying psychology, but am taking this year off of college. I do work with a psychologist on a daily basis, though. Right now, we're concentrating on what kind of distractions might come up at Nationals and what could throw me off. For instance, we practice my not having enough time to finish my complete warm-up. We also focus on the way I talk to myself before and during my programs. I was in the 12 Days of Sochi video and it was such a blast. I love to sing. I sing in the car or at home or really, wherever I can at the top of my lungs.
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Post by Admin on Jan 8, 2014 7:41:22 GMT
Kristi Yamaguchi captured the nation's attention back in 1992, when she figure skated her way to a gold medal at the Deauville, France, Olympics. She'll return to the games this year — though not as a competitor — when they begin in Sochi, Russia, next month.
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Post by Admin on Jan 8, 2014 22:12:50 GMT
Nancy Kerrigan, who was attacked by associates of Tonya Harding and went on to win the 1994 Olympic silver medal in women's figure skating, is going back to the Winter Olympics as an announcer for NBC. "One of America's most well-known Olympians, Nancy will provide insight into what it takes to prepare for and compete in figure skating at the highest level," said Jim Bell, executive producer of NBC Olympics. Kerrigan has worked in television at previous Olympic Games. She was a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and hosted Nancy Kerrigan's World of Skating on CN8 (now The Comcast Network) in Philadelphia. Kerrigan also served as lead color analyst for icenetwork.com from 2007-2008. Prior to her 1994 performance at Lillehammer, Kerrigan won the bronze at the 1992 Albertville Olympic Games. With the back-to-back performances, Kerrigan became the first U.S. woman to win figure skating medals in consecutive Winter Games since Carol Heiss won the silver medal in 1956 and the gold in 1960.
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Post by Admin on Jan 9, 2014 5:47:56 GMT
Ashley Wagner, U.S. Olympic Hopeful and U.S. Figure Skating Champion, hasn't taken much time off the ice recently in her preparations for the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. However, learn more about Ashley's journey, where she dreams of going on a weekend getaway, and her Road to Sochi with Hilton. “In my mind, if I have a 98 percent success ratio, I can go into a competition and know that I have that practice behind me and there’s numbers to support it,” Wagner said in December before an exhibition in East Rutherford, N.J. “I’m very much a technical person. When someone gives me a solid fact, I can believe in that more than saying to myself, I’ve done it a lot so I think I’m O.K.’ ” She began skating during recess at age 5 in Eagle River, Alaska, outside of Anchorage, on a flooded and frozen school parking lot. Her mother gave her the choice of skating or ballet. “I was very much a tomboy,” Wagner said. “I just couldn’t do the pink ballet tutus.” Because of her elegant looks, Wagner is often portrayed as a cover girl type, but she readily admits that she is not a soft, graceful skater. Rather she is powerful and athletic, strong instead of delicate. “I never want to be perceived as a porcelain doll,” she said. As this Olympic season unfurled, Wagner rethought her approach in the long program, skated to Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Once, she thought of Juliet as a victim of star-crossed love. Now she views her as strong-willed, unwavering in her pursuit of Romeo, however tragically. “I never want to be a victim; I’m way too hardheaded to be that delicate,” Wagner said. “I was getting bored, so I tried to mix up my interpretation. Juliet as someone who won’t take no for an answer is going to be with Romeo no matter what the cost, that helps me connect to the character a lot more. It’s hard to relate to a 14-year-old girl, especially when you’re 22. I went through my awkward teenage years. I don’t want to go back.” Ashley Wagner is regarded as a top medal hope for the United States in Sochi, if she can make the team. Over the past four years, she has also sought to broaden her interests beyond skating to paddle boarding and hiking, and to widen her circle of friends, to avoid being consumed by skating. “The last Olympic season, it got into my head — I have to eat, breathe, sleep the Olympics,” Wagner said. “That’s actually a very miserable way to go about it. I need to have something beyond the rink so that if I have a bad day on the ice, my life isn’t crumbling around me.” Ashley Wagner looks to book her ticket to Sochi at this week's Olympic Trials. At the Grand Prix final, an important Olympic tuneup in December in Japan, Wagner fell in the long program on the triple lutz, which usually involves a long, diagonal approach and requires lifting off from the back outside edge of one skate and landing on the back outside edge of the other. The fall left Wagner cautious, and she under-rotated her combination jump. But she was resourceful enough to hold on for third place. The Sochi Olympics will not likely be so forgiving. Kim Yu-na of South Korea, the 2010 Olympic champion, and Mao Asada of Japan, the reigning silver medalist, will be in a field that also includes Carolina Kostner of Italy, the 2012 world champion, and young, emerging Russian skaters. By her own admission, Wagner is likely to need “to be perfect” to reach the Olympic medal podium. “Kim and Mao are incredible athletes,” she said. “The judges see them as superior. It’s an uphill battle to begin with. I will not be forgiven for my mistakes. I have to be better than my best.” She feels mature enough now to handle the pressure of expectation. “She’s just a fighter,” said Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic champion. “You shouldn’t count her out.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2014 5:44:08 GMT
Figure Skating (Feb. 6-20) Though figure skating plays a lead role in every Olympics, it will be under an even bigger spotlight this year because of the new team event that kicks off before the opening ceremony begins. Ten teams will choose an entry from each of the four disciplines (men, women, pairs and dance) with the top five advancing to a set of long programs in the final. The new event will give another chance for some of the sport's traditional powers (the U.S., Canada, Russia and Japan, among others) to battle for another medal. In the respective singles events, two skaters who have enjoyed periods of dominance will have a chance to add to their storied resumes. South Korea's Kim Yu-na took two years off after winning the ladies' event in Vancouver and was as good as ever in winning the world title last year. Kim has been battling the effects of an injury to her right foot, but if healthy, she could become the first ladies repeat winner since East German Katarina Witt in 1984 and 1988. Expect Kim to be pushed by two-time world champ Mao Asada of Japan and 15-year-old Russian sensation Yulia Lipnitskaia, who just won the European Championships earlier this month. U.S. champ Gracie Gold will have her day, but she may not be ready to chase the podium just yet. For the men, Canada's Patrick Chan has won three world titles but is still looking for his first Olympic medal. He'll get pushed by flashy Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, jumping whiz Javier Fernandez of Spain and Kazakhstan's Denis Ten, the California-trained surprise silver medalist at worlds last March. The dance competition should mark the final chapter of an outstanding North American rivalry between Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and U.S. stalwarts Meryl Davis and Charlie White. The two couples have separated themselves from the field since the last Olympics when Virtue and Moir turned in a virtuoso performance to win gold. The teams have traded gold and silver at the past four world championships with the Canadians winning in 2010 and 2012 and the Americans finishing first in 2011 and 2013. Expect them to go one-two again in their final years of competition. The pairs event should be a European affair with four-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Stolkowy of Germany battling with Russian pairs Tatiana Voloszhar and Maxim Trankov, the reigning world champs; and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, who took the Russian national title this year on the Olympic ice in Sochi.
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