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aftershocks

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17,317
^^ Witnessing history. :) So many transitions are happening these days.

I see you mentioned that the old building was sold and they are temporarily leasing there until the new facility is ready. So will the old building with all of its history remain as a recreational skating facility? Hopefully, it won't ever be torn down (fingers-crossed).

I can't imagine how the club and its members were existing at the 80-year-old rink with only one ice surface for so long, especially with the current demands the sport places on its athletes. But it makes sense that the club's officials realized they'd have to find new property to build on as far back as the late 1990s. I guess it took time for them to raise funds, conduct long-term planning, find architects and builders, and above all locate the right property. Over a period of 20 years of planning and preparing, it's no wonder the cost of space in Boston skyrocketed.

Norwood is close enough to Boston for the facility to still be called, The Skating Club of Boston. If they are just now breaking ground, it will be something if the facility is completed next summer. But I guess if they have a good construction crew and the weather cooperates, it will all work out.
 

clairecloutier

Well-Known Member
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14,559
^^ Witnessing history. :) So many transitions are happening these days.

I see you mentioned that the old building was sold and they are temporarily leasing there until the new facility is ready. So will the old building with all of its history remain as a recreational skating facility? Hopefully, it won't ever be torn down (fingers-crossed).

@aftershocks, I am not sure what will happen to the old building after the move. That is a good question. If I hear anything, I will let you know. I agree it would be a shame if it is lost, with all that history!

I can't imagine how the club and its members were existing at the 80-year-old rink with only one ice surface for so long, especially with the current demands the sport places on its athletes. But it makes sense that the club's officials realized they'd have to find new property to build on as far back as the late 1990s. I guess it took time for them to raise funds, conduct long-term planning, find architects and builders, and above all locate the right property. Over a period of 20 years of planning and preparing, it's no wonder the cost of space in Boston skyrocketed.

My understanding is that during that 20 years, the Club had several "near misses" where they thought they had property lined up, and perhaps even signed intent agreements of some sort, but then things fell through. At one point, I believe they had plans to build in Allston, which is like a neighborhood of Boston, but that fell through. And there was a previous deal in Norwood that fell apart, before the current plan took shape. So it has been a journey.
 

clairecloutier

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14,559
So I already posted this link in the main GSD thread, but here it is again in this thread.

Mark Mitchell & Peter Johansson: Finding Success on Their Terms

I recently visited Mark & Peter at their rink in the Boston area to chat with them & learn more about their Mitchell Johansson Method program.
 

clairecloutier

Well-Known Member
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14,559
Guess who has a birthday today, July 18? Olympic champions Tenley Albright and Dick Button, that's who!

In honor of the occasion, I thought I'd post some text from Tenley Albright's speech at the recent Skating Club of Boston groundbreaking event. It was a short speech, but she shared some great memories from her early skating days.

 

clairecloutier

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Here is an interview I did with U.S. junior pair team Kate Finster/Balazs Nagy. They start their international season this week in Lake Placid.

 

clairecloutier

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Hi everyone ... So I know things have been pretty quiet on my web site this fall/winter. It's because I've been busy writing some articles for Figure Skaters Online and U.S. Fan Zone.

But I am back now with a new interview that I think you'll enjoy. It's with Roman Sadovsky, who won a surprise bronze medal at NHK this fall and who competes this week at Canadian Nationals. Check it out!

 

text_skate

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1,944
I've been busy writing some articles for Figure Skaters Online and U.S. Fan Zone.

But I am back now with a new interview that I think you'll enjoy.
Thanks @clairecloutier. Interesting interview.

I've to admit, I really miss (insert as much more "really" and "miss" as you like - it won't be enough) your pairs recaps for the resp events. Isn't there a magazine, who'd be willing to pay for it? I'd say with some crowdfunding, you'll even be able to raise money for your own blog...
 

clairecloutier

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I've to admit, I really miss (insert as much more "really" and "miss" as you like - it won't be enough) your pairs recaps for the resp events. Isn't there a magazine, who'd be willing to pay for it? I'd say with some crowdfunding, you'll even be able to raise money for your own blog...


Thanks so much @text_skate! I do miss writing pairs recaps, but had to choose between that and some other work this fall. I've not had any magazine offers yet, but it's something to look into. I might try some crowdfunding next season--we'll see! :D
 

aftershocks

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17,317
I love all the work you do for fans and skaters, Claire. Thanks a bunch! In advance of even reading your interview with Romsky, I know it will be a treat. You ask good questions. :)

Might you sometime do a feature on Avonley/Vadym, plus an updated feature on all the top U.S. senior pairs, along with a Pfund/Santillan Q&A? And also juniors Fleming/Isbell, Smirnova/Siianytsia, and TJ Nyman and his new partner?

I recognize that is asking a lot from you as there are only so many hours in the day available, especially for you being a Mom with growing young twins. :) Thanks again for all your efforts!
 
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Mad for Skating

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2,892
Hi everyone ... So I know things have been pretty quiet on my web site this fall/winter. It's because I've been busy writing some articles for Figure Skaters Online and U.S. Fan Zone.

But I am back now with a new interview that I think you'll enjoy. It's with Roman Sadovsky, who won a surprise bronze medal at NHK this fall and who competes this week at Canadian Nationals. Check it out!


Awesome interview! Thanks for always doing such an excellent job.
 

clairecloutier

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14,559
Hi everyone. I have a new interview (finally) on my web site. It's with Meagan Duhamel. As you know, Meagan has had a lot going on since the Olympics: She had her daughter Zoey in 2019, she's done both on-ice and off-ice coaching, and she won Battle of the Blades recently. We had a great chat about what's been happening in her life since Pyeongchang. Also, we talked about where pairs skating has gone since 2018, and which pairs will be in contention at 2021 Worlds. Hope you enjoy it!

 

clairecloutier

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14,559
I couldn't resist doing some last-minute pairs predictions for 2021 Worlds!


I'm excited for this event tomorrow. Worlds is my favorite pairs event ... especially the pre-Olympic Worlds. Hoping everyone does well tomorrow!
 

mjb52

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5,995
I feel like B/K lost the most after Kostornaya with the cancellation of Worlds last year. They were going in as the bright young things that everybody loved and this season has been more of a struggle. I am so torn between all the Russian pairs (and I like the other top teams from other countries too), but I especially hope they have a performance they feel good about.
 

Karen-W

Checking Senior Bs for TES mins...
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36,124
I couldn't resist doing some last-minute pairs predictions for 2021 Worlds!


I'm excited for this event tomorrow. Worlds is my favorite pairs event ... especially the pre-Olympic Worlds. Hoping everyone does well tomorrow!
Pairs is my favorite discipline too!
 

Frau Muller

From Puerto Rico…With Love! Not LatinX!
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22,095
My next-to-favorite...ever since Protopopovs in 1964...watched from a b&w TV in San Juan...CBS coverage one week delayed. Just like yesterday. 😉
 

clairecloutier

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14,559
So I recently did an interview with Olga Ganicheva, who, with her husband Aleksey Letov, runs a coaching group at the Skating Club of Boston. Ganicheva/Letov are the coaches of Lu/Mitrofanov, Chan/Howe, Jimmy Ma, and Alexei Krasnozhon, among others.

Olga/Aleksey are very busy, so I only got a relatively short time to chat with her. But we talked about her and Letov's background in Russia, their recent move to Boston, how their group works, and her thoughts on the pairs event at Worlds.

 
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So I recently did an interview with Olga Ganicheva, who, with her husband Aleksey Letov, runs a coaching group at the Skating Club of Boston. Ganicheva/Letov are the coaches of Lu/Mitrofanov, Chan/Howe, Jimmy Ma, and Alexei Krasnozhon, among others.

Olga/Aleksey are very busy, so I only got a relatively short time to chat with her. But we talked about her and Letov's background in Russia, their recent move to Boston, how their group works, and her thoughts on the pairs event at Worlds.

What an interesting interview! I was particularly surprised (and impressed) that their pairs and singles skaters share ice time.
 

mjb52

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5,995
Great job @clairecloutier, I thought this part was interesting:

"Q: Did you compete internationally?

Ganicheva: We were both international masters of sports in the Soviet Union [a formal designation for athletes competing internationally]. And we both competed in international competitions and in Grand Prix [events]. But we never competed at Worlds or Olympics. We stopped skating [competing] in 1996. The country was broke. And our families couldn’t support us, because no one had money [at that time]. Ice rinks closed. So we decided to stop skating and start working. That was Aleksey’s decision and my decision."

It's crazy to think that was only 25 years ago. Look at skating in Russia now.
 

clairecloutier

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14,559
Hi everyone ... I have a new interview up with Drew Meekins.


For those who may not remember ... 15 years ago, Drew won the Junior World pairs title with his partner Julia Vlassov (2006). Injuries and other factors kept Vlassov/Meekins from achieving similar success on the senior level. However, Drew went on to a flourishing coaching and choreography career in Colorado Springs, where he has worked with many top U.S. skaters and coaches (and also Yelim Kim and some other international skaters who have trained there). Now, Drew is starting his own pairs group at the Broadmoor--with support from the Arena and from U.S. Figure Skating. At present he has 5 pairs in his group, with hopes to build from there. We talked about his competitive career, transition to coaching, new pairs group, and some current issues in pairs skating.
 

clairecloutier

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14,559
I've posted a Pairs Season Preview on my web site, for those interested.

Pairs Season Preview 2021
https://adivinesport.com/2021/10/22/pairs-season-preview-2021/

It's kind of a look at the state of pairs skating in general. I haven't gotten to write about pairs for such a long time ... so I had a lot of thoughts! :D

For those who might have missed them earlier, I also wanted to share links here to some recent articles I've done for other web sites, including a pretty in-depth interview with Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov. (As I say in my preview, don't count these two out for the Olympic team--I consider them to be very much in the mix!)

Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov

Molly Cesanek/Yehor Yehorov
 

Spun Silver

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Messages
12,130
I've posted a Pairs Season Preview on my web site, for those interested.

Pairs Season Preview 2021
https://adivinesport.com/2021/10/22/pairs-season-preview-2021/

It's kind of a look at the state of pairs skating in general. I haven't gotten to write about pairs for such a long time ... so I had a lot of thoughts! :D

For those who might have missed them earlier, I also wanted to share links here to some recent articles I've done for other web sites, including a pretty in-depth interview with Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov. (As I say in my preview, don't count these two out for the Olympic team--I consider them to be very much in the mix!)

Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov

Molly Cesanek/Yehor Yehorov
Wonderful article, Claire! I've missed your pairs posts too. I caught up on some of your other work too. All of it is excellent!
 

kwanatic

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2,759
So glad you're back Claire! It took some soul-searching for me to get back to covering skating again too. I don't know about you but I just couldn't stay away in an Olympic year.:D Looking forward to your posts! ❤️
 

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