The Long Ride Home...

My roommate headed out at 7:15 this morning; I chose to sleep just a bit longer. The keys were dropped off at Art's front desk and I was then on my way.

I took a little time to look once more at the mountains and the Lake Placid surroundings. So much changes between visits, that you never know what you'll find the next time you arrive.

The next event I attend will be US Nationals in January; it's months away. In between are many junior and senior internationals and sectional championships. Though it seems months away, it always flies by so quickly - both for me and for the athletes who are back at home perfecting their programs and preparing for whichever event is next. For the long season ahead - I wish everyone Good Luck!

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I hope you enjoyed my coverage from the Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid. Each time I attend an event, I try to keep my blog more up-to-date during the event and each time I think I'm improving.

Special thanks to USFS and Icenetwork for allowing me to be part of their first event of the season and to Michelle Wojdyla for the use of her equipment.

See you in St. Paul!

Daphne

It's Over

The final two events - pairs and ladies free skates - have ended and all the awards have been dispensed. I enjoyed shooting the podium as the dancers were all smiles and you could tell they're happy to have gotten the first event under their belts.

It was a (mostly) calm event and no one was carried off the ice on a stretcher. There were moments of joy and tears of sadness, amazing skates and disappointing finishes, and only a few cuts and bruises along the way.

For me, it was different to see pairs and singles skating in the 1980 rink, which has for the last five years been an ice dance hub during the first week of August. I'm glad that those who had never been to Lake Placid, had the opportunity to see how beautiful it is.

After packing everything up for the last time, I (along with my roommate and a few friends) stop by the Hawaiian Luau (aka the closing banquet for the skaters, coaches and officials). They've turned the Lussi rink into a beach volleyball court, smoothie stand and disco. It looks wonderful; though I think next time the US hosts the JGP, they should do "Mardi Gras".

A trip to Lake Placid is never complete without a trip to Bazzi's or at the very least - delivery of one of their delicious pizza pies to your hotel room. It's time for final chats and packing before heading back to our regular lives.

Zombies in Herb Brooks Arena

Ok, not literally. Most may watch the live feed, so I'm not going to be detailed here.

Canada's Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill drew first to skate in the free dance and performed really well. their final lift - straight line with Hill on one foot and pulling his other leg up behind him - is creative and strong. I hope Skate Canada will assign them to another JGP event. Big hugs for them from their coach, Carol Lane. After a disappointing compulsory dance, they came back strong in the OD and FD.

Second to skate were Anastasia Galyeta and Semen Kaplun of Ukraine. I believe this is their first season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit and they look younger than most of the other teams. They did ok - skating wise - for their first JGP, but are not up to the caliber of the teams closest to them standings-wise. Parts of the program were sloppy. There really wasn't much information available on this team prior to or during the event, so I'm not sure if they're a veteran team or if they formed their partnership recently.

Sara Bailey and Kyle Herring (USA) are up next. I loved 300 (the movie) and am glad that a team picked the music for their program. Kyle is expressive; Sara looks like she is feeling better, but not quite 100%. They had a problem on their twizzles. Overall, they skated ok for their first JGP. Their performance at LPIDC was better in some parts, but kudo's to them for giving all they had today.

France's Maureen Ibanez and Neil Brown are the last to skate in group 1. Neil's parents are Scottish and British, but he was born in France. I don't think I mentioned before that they are a last minute replacement for Scarlet Rouzet and Lionel Rumi who had to withdraw due to injury. Ibanez and Brown are coached by Muriel Boucher-Zazoui and train in Lyon. Their free dance is to music by Cirque Du Soleil and they had a nice performance. I'm interested in seeing how they progress once they've been skating together longer.

Group 1 ends and Group 2 takes the ice. Samuelson and Bates look like the class of the field - they should as they're the reigning silver medalists from last year's JGP Final.

Charlene Guignard and Guillaume Paulmier of France start us off. I'm not sure I like their costumes, but the program is an interesting concept. Music is Zombie by The Cranberries (hence the title of my blog). Problems on twizzles and one of the lifts; the program still looks like they're working on it. I tried to find out more about them this week, but still don't know where they train or who their coach is.

USA's Pilar Bosley and John Corona are up next skating to "Still Loving You" by the Scorpions and Berlin Orchestra. MILES better than LPIDC. Lifts and twizzles were good; they looked more confident as the event progressed and in the free dance skated well. I think they can give even more in the performance. Third place overall earns them a second assignment.

Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates follow Bosley and Corona, skating to "Luna" by Alessandro Safina. They replaced training mates, Madison and Keiffer Hubbell. As I said earlier, this is a fresh, mature look from them. The program is full of choreography that showcases their unison. A few stumbles near the end hurt them score-wise, but through most of it they were selling it and skated well. They look back on track for the season. Looking forward to reports from Austria on how they skate it there.

The final team of the event is Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam of Canada. I saw the program at LPIDC and they've been working on perfecting it since then. It's a latin theme and the music includes Besame Mucho (rhumba) and Tango Tango (samba). The performance was better than LPIDC - both in performance and expression. They're at a good point with the program for this early in the season. Good job!

Busy...Busy...Busy...

I apologize for the silence. It's been such a busy week! I will post more of my thoughts either later tonight or when I return home. I also have photos from practices and the original and free dances to post as well.

Luna

At the final dance practice, several others in attendance voiced their opinions on the JGP LP soundtrack. I guess I'm not alone.

Sara Bailey is starting to feel better. Though the Bailey/Herring family groups had decided they might not wear their all-American shirts today, I encouraged them to. I think it does Team USA good to see them in the stands dressed in colors of support. Kyle is supporting Sara through their free dance practice - signs of a good partner.

Samuelson and Bates have an elegant, beautiful program to "Luna" by Alessandro Safina. Their coach told me that he saved this music for a time when they would be mature enough to present it well. Even at 8:30 am, it's lovely and shows a more grown-up side of Emily and Evan. The costumes are also different than what I've seen them wear. I think they'll fit in well at Nationals at the senior level. Bosley and Corona look more confident in their practice - a medal is within their grasp. Pasquale Camerlengo built their free dance to highlight Pilar and John's strong skating skills and it works for them. I think this type of program and music suits them very well and it's the best free dance they've had.

Ralph and Hill are skating their "Rainforest" program that helped them win a Canadian National title at the Novice level in 2007. They have a good practice.

Again, I'm making mental notes of program highlights.

After practice, I have a great breakfast a diner on Main Street. I ordered two biscuits and bacon - not knowing the biscuits were about three times the size I expected. Leaving the rink during the timeframe between practice and the free dance competition was a great idea. I feel more refreshed and ready to tackle the remainder of the event.

The Very Short Soundtrack

For some reason, whoever is managing the music at the rink (during practices when no one is skating their run-throughs or when groups are warming up) has an extremely short list of songs to play. At this point, I've become tired of these songs:

• "It's Not Over" by Chris Daughtry
• "Wake Up Call" by Maroon 5
• "Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna
• "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows

Original Dance & The View from Here

Prior to the OD, I developed an intense migraine headache. Lack of food or caffeine and dehydration causes them, at least for me. Two bottles of water and a hamburger later, I'm ready to go.

Emily had stitches at a local hospital after the practice ended this morning.

The original dance competition was very enjoyable and you can see quite a bit behind the camera lens. Sara Bailey and Kyle Herring presented their Greek original dance minus the head scarves they wore at LPIDC. Sara has been nursing an extremely sore throat which is unfortunate. Ibanez and Brown's (France) program to folk music from India is entertaining. Though they are still working out the new team kinks, they appear to be a good physical match. Their countrymen, Guignard and Palmier, do not receive a music deduction for their country OD, which surprises me, though it is a fun performance.

I thought Kalinka might be the most over-used piece of music this season, but it suits Samuelson and Bates. Though it contained some mistakes, the performance was not lacking in presentation or enthusiasm. I'm looking forward to seeing how this program develops over the season.

Bosley and Corona's Turkish OD was much improved from Lake Placid. John's costume had been reworked and Pilar added a head scarf. When I had seen it earlier in the week, I wondered if it would get in the way of the performance, but it didn't. I think there is potential in the program, but at least the second half of the spin needs to be changed as it's much slower than the beginning part. The Ukrainians, Galyeta and Kaplun appear young and new to international competitions, but give a respectable performance to Armenian folk music.

My favorite original dance of the event is Ralph and Hill's African folk program. They skated it well, and with great expression. Their 3rd place result helped them inch up to 5th overall which to me is a better indication of what they are capable of in their first season on the JGP. Lenko and Islam's Russian folk OD was well skated. I like their costumes, including his hat/head scarf.

There is just enough time between the OD and ladies short program for me to pull photos for Ice Network. I then realize that men's awards will be that night and devise a plan for the podium shots - I'll be on the ice (or rather on a carpet on the ice).

After the ladies short program, I went to Nicola's with a few friends for a much needed break and some dinner.

The men's free skate was eventful and I felt more comfortable behind the camera. When I go back to the media room to switch to a shorter lens for the podium shots, I find out that Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox has a no-hitter going into the 8th. Baseball news is one little connection to the world outside Lake Placid. The Sox lost the four previous games, including three against the Yankees and the race for the division is getting too close for any Sox fan to handle.

Being on the ice in the 1980 rink is quite an experience. I have even more respect for the athletes for what they accomplish on such a slippery surface. It's a different perspective looking up at Section 8/9, our LPIDC home base. The medallists receive their awards and look extremely pleased with their medals. The presentations go quickly and with a quick victory lap it's soon over.