Harvard's "An Evening with Champions" annual benefit show ~ September 29-30, 2012

[snoopysnake]

I think it's Bennett Gottlieb.
I couldn't understand what Paul Wylie was saying. It sounded like Benton Copley to me, which is similar. Since then, I've looked for someone with a name similar to Benton Copley who might be skating at New Englands, and Bennett looks like the closest name to what I heard.

Bennett Gottlieb skated to "Shout." He's a rising star at Skating Club of Boston.

[DORISPULASKI]

Thank you! Before you mentioned that, I was just guessing.

[n*ice mom]

The Protopopovs skate almost daily in Lake Placid. I know for sure I saw them on the ice last week. I wonder if Oleg had a fall or something that caused them to pull out. However, it could also be because Oleg has not regained his skills from before his stroke to feel comfortable skating for an audience. They are the sweetest couple.

[skatesindreams]

n*ice mom, here they are at last year's show:

EWC 10-15-11 Protopopovs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQhQ9DsLDU

[Frau Muller]

Paul mentioned that Olegs doctor was the one who said he could not skate at this time. Using his iPad though, Paul recorded a video shout out from the audience. It was a very thoughtful thing to do.

Thanks for this info. It's a shame that they couldn't have at least been there...taking a bow.

[Sylvia]

Re-posting this link here:

BTW all my EWC photos are in that set

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marnian...th/8047776482/

THANKS to everyone who shared videos, photos & reports!

[lulu]

The Protopopovs skate almost daily in Lake Placid. I know for sure I saw them on the ice last week. I wonder if Oleg had a fall or something that caused them to pull out. However, it could also be because Oleg has not regained his skills from before his stroke to feel comfortable skating for an audience. They are the sweetest couple.

What a treat it must be skate at the same rink with such legends. I hope Oleg is doing well. They've done so much for figure skating and have been such an integral part of EWC, it would have been wonderful for them just to come out on the ice, even if they didn't skate, but I admire their continuous dedication to their sport after so many years.

[SaSherka]

Some photos have been posted on the SCoB's Flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scboston/

[j-daria15]

http://forevernatural.hubpages.com/h...champions-2012
Finally, I published photos from Eve with champs

[NadineWhite]

I'll post my pictures in a bit (hopefully later tonight but since I have yet to post my Skate Canada pictures, I make no promises) but here is my (in no teknic, not very informative) review. Where I use the word "nice" too much.

Yasmin Siraj: GFB. Really, very nice. I enjoyed it a lot.
Kylie Duarte & Colin Grafton: I remember really liking it but thinking their double twist was really low. My mom really liked them as well.
Jason Brown: He did "Can't Touch This" in a sequined vest. Definitely not what I was expecting. But it was great. He's my mom's new favorite.
Emily Hughes: A cover of Paint it Black sung by a woman but I don't know who. It wasn't really a great song choice for her and I have a feeling she hadn't been planning on skating here for very long because there wasn't much choreography. But it was nice to see her anyways.
Douglas Razzano: He did the Jersey Boys versions of Rag Doll and Walk Like A Man. Another one where I kind of felt like he was milling around and didn't have much choreography. But I do like Jersey Boys.
Anastasia Cannuscio & Coin McManus: Turning Tables. Not that we needed another Adele program, but it was actually a great exhibition. Lots of very nice choreographic details and I thought they sold it well. He did have a big stumble, though.
Kimmie Meissner: GFB. She was beautiful. She has become so much more expressive over the last few years. I really enjoyed watching her. She did doubles up to 2A. Emily and Paul talked to Kimmie and she said she started skating again last summer and that she was skating in Tokyo soon.

Intermission

Blake Rosenthall: Blake is apparently a junior at Harvard now. She did a cute number to Let's Get Loud which was in clear violation of the "no one may skate to anything that could have been used for the SD last season" rule, but she did a nice job.
Christina Gao: I think she was doing her SP. She fell on a triple loop but I thought the program suited her. (Although I thought the dress was too weighed down with fabric, actually)
Ross Miner: Frank Sinatra's version of Luck Be a Lady. He was really fun to watch. A lot of personality in this number. Also he is far more attractive when not wearing things like last year's SP costume. I volunteer to personally burn that.
Kim and Brent: Amy Winehouse's Mercy. A lot of fun, of course. It ended with Kim getting dragged around on the ice while attached to Brent's foot. I've always loved them. But Brent has to shave.
Agnes Zawadzki: I Will Always Love You. This was a surprising choice of music for her. I actually really enjoyed it although I'm not sure a giant 80s ponytail was required (my mother says "no wonder I was thinking I liked her hair"). She's improved so much since she left Tom Z.
Ryan Bradley: Cut Loose. Classic Ryan Bradly. Lot's of fun, totally hammed it up, did a back flip, wore really tight pants, and took his shirt off. The ladies definitely enjoyed it. I was also very amused by his conversation with Paul and Emily. Right after he finished skating Paul asked him what he'd been up to and Ryan said "As of recently, trying to breathe."
Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir: Michael Buble's Feeling Good. There are plenty of "Feeling Good" Exhibitions in the world but theirs was really great. Lots of great choreographic moments. Also I loved Marissa's dress.
Jeremy Abbott: Bring Him Home free skate. Okay, I enjoy Jeremy's skating and programs but I'm not an uber because I can't take the emotional turmoil. I don't know about transitions and difficulty because I wasn't watching for that. But he sells this program beautifully. I loved it. If he ever skates it clean, I'll probably cry. For all Les Mis is overused, Bring Him Home is a perfect fit for Jeremy.


Overall it was an absolutely great show. If anyone in the area isn't planning to go, get tickets and go tomorrow. There were very few performances that I didn't really enjoy. The Harvard Students did a great job!

Here are the pictures (it's a miracle!). Not my best with the Hockey glass and the fact that I was sitting pretty close but whatever. For the record, there are no pictures of falls. Anyone on the ice decided to be there.

Some of my favorites:
Yasmin layback
Kylie & Colin
Anastasia & Colin lift
Kimmie
Kim and Brent begging for Mercy
Agnes
Ryan backflip
Marissa and Simon
Jeremy (for the lolz)

Thanks so much for all your lovely reporting, acompanied with pics, et al, as I'm only now getting around to watching the vids via youtube.

Thus far I watched Agnes because I love the song. However I found it such an odd unusual choice for her because the song makes me think of delicate, and Agnes is anything but, she's built like and skates like a power skater. Her thighs definitely remind me of Tonya Harding, all that unleashed power, still say she's capable of doing a real 3axel.

[maureenfarone]

Thanks so much for the reports, pic, and links. I really enjoy Kimmie now - she is much more graceful and expressive. Glad she has found a niche in the shows! Love Jeremy and Ross.

Wish they would offer a DVD of this. I would have paid quite a bit for a DVD the year that Matt Savoie skated, but as far as I know, none was ever offered.