Archive

Oct. 12 - Anna Pogorilaya and Leah Keiser qualify for Junior Grand Prix Final in last event of series.  Courtney Hicks drops out of top six in series standings; is second alternate for final.

Leah Keiser
Photo courtesy U.S. Figure Skating

Oct. 9 - Miki Ando withdraws from Grand Prix assignments.  Cites lack of coach.  Says 2013-14 season will be her last.

Oct. 10 - Even Lysacek withdraws from 2012 Skate America with groin injury.  Replaced by Armin Mahbanoozadeh.

Armin Mahbanoozadeh
Photo courtesy U.S. Figure Skating

Oct. 19 - 2012-13 ISU Grand Prix series begins with Skate America in Kent, Washington.

Oct. 20 - Japanese Men sweep Men's event at Skate America.

Oct. 30 - Rachael Flatt announces she will not compete for the remainder of the 2012/13 season in order to recover from her right leg/ankle injury and to pursue her academic goals.

Nov. 10 - Johnny Weir withdraws from Rostelcom Cup after placing 10th in Short Program, the ISU originally citing a hip injury.  Later reports from Russian media identify aggravating an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury. 

Nov. 12 - Mirai Nagasu replaces Polina Shelepen at NHK trophy.

Nov. 14 - We learned today that Gérard Chataigneau, photographer and publisher of the annual Canadian figure skating calendar died from a massive heart attack on Monday.  In addition to the calendar, Gérard provided photography for several books on figure skating and other publications.  Gérard had a great love for figure skating and a joy for capturing the beauty of figure skating with his photography.  He was the source of many photographs that fans have enjoyed of their favorite skaters over the years.  Private services will be held for Gérard on Friday in Mississauga. He was born in Limoges, France on December 2nd, 1944.

Nov. 22 - Evan Lysacek had successful surgery Tuesday (Nov. 21) to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdomen, commonly referred to as a sports hernia. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Craig Smith. The sports hernia was diagnosed during a recent assessment of a groin injury Lysacek has sought treatment for since the summer.

Lysacek is expected to be off the ice for approximately six weeks. Upon returning to the ice, he will be evaluated on a weekly basis. Lysacek’s goal continues to be to compete at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Neb.,  Jan. 20-27, 2013.  As the current Olympic Champion, Lysacek has a bye to the U.S. Championships.

Should Lysacek compete and make the U.S. World Team, he currently lacks the minimum TES needed to compete in an ISU Championship this season.

Nov. 29 - U.S. Figure Skating announces that the 2015 National Figure Skating Championships will be held Jan. 18-25, 2015, at the Greensboro Coliseum  in Greensboro, NC and the 2016 Championships will be held in St. Paul, MN Jan. 16-24, 2016, at Xcel Energy Center.

Nov. 30 - Christina Gao will compete at the 2012 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final next week in Sochi, Russia. As first alternate, Gao was invited to the Grand Prix Final after Russia's Julia Lipnitskaia withdrew due to injury.

Dec 5. - John Coughlin, the 2012 U.S. pairs champion with partner Caydee Denney, is recovering after having successful surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. The surgery was performed in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Philippon.

Coughlin’s rehabilitation will take place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. No exact timetable has been set for his return to practice.

The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the hip joint.  Its function is to deepen the hip socket, making it more difficult for the head of the femur to slip out of place.

Elite athletes in other sports who have had this surgery have taken two to six months to recover.  Singles skater Alissa Czisny is currently recovering from the same type surgery earlier this year.

Dec 7. - Johnny Weir, a two-time Olympian and three-time U.S. champion, announced today he will end his season after deciding not to compete at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Neb.

Weir did not compete for two seasons after the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Last January, he announced his intention to return to competitive figure skating. He received two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series assignments this fall, but withdrew due to a hip injury after the short program Nov. 10 at Rostelecom Cup in Moscow. He also withdrew from Trophée Eric Bompard in Paris the following week. Weir began the season with a fourth-place finish at 2012 Finlandia Trophy in Espoo, Finland.

“It is with deep regret that I announce my withdrawal from the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” Weir said. “Since my return to competition this fall, I have worked very hard to compete this season with many obstacles and detours, but I made good on my promise to return to competition and I am very proud of that. My performances so far have not been to my satisfaction and, combined with the stress of competing, I feel that I need to take a step back, prepare more and be ready for the Olympic season beginning next fall.”

Dec. 8. - U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner has withdraw from Sunday’s Exhibition program at the Grand Prix Final in Sochi, Russia, after sustaining an injury to her left hip and right knee when falling badly on the second jump in a sequence of triple loop to double Axel, which was her eighth of 12 moves. She went down hard but bravely continued her Free routine. She had been second going into the long but dropped to fourth overall.

Dec. 10 - 2010 Olympic figure skating champion Yu-na Kim made a return to competition after a 20-month absence, competing at the NRW Trophy in Dortmund, Germany.  Kim earned 72.27 points in the short program and 129.34 points in the free program, winning her event with a total score of 201.61 points.  She secured the minimum technical scores (28 for the short
program and 48 for the free program) required to enter next year's World
Championships.

Dec. 17 - Three-time U.S. Champion Rudy Galindo and choreographer Lori Nichol have been elected to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. The induction will be held in conjunction with the 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships Jan. 20-27 in Omaha, Neb. Galindo also won U.S. pairs titles with Kristi Yamaguchi in 1989 and 1990.

Nichol is renowned for crafting artistic and technically difficult programs. She choreographed 2010 Olympic champion Evan Lysacek’s programs. Nichol’s choreography credits include eight Olympic medals and 30 World medals. She also will be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame.

“Rudy Galindo and Lori Nichol’s contributions to the sport of figure skating are deserving of inclusion to the U.S. Hall of Fame,” said Larry Mondschein, chair of the hall’s nominating committee. “In addition, both continue to contribute to our sport. As a coach, Rudy is training a new generation of athletes, while Lori remains one of the most recognizable and respected choreographers in the world.”

Dec. 18 - The Japanese pair team of Narumi Takahashi & Marvin Tran, who won the bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships announced their breakup.  Takahashi has been injured which prevented the team from competing thus far this season.  Both skaters will be seeking new partners.

Dec. 18 - Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje will miss the upcoming 2013 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.

Weaver broke her left fibula near the ankle in training on Dec. 14 at their Bloomfield Hills, MI training site, the Detroit Skating Club. She will undergo surgery in Toronto, Ont. later today.

“We really appreciate all of the support of our followers and fans. We wanted to wait until we were sure of the situation, and all the implications before we confirmed what had happened,” said Kaitlyn Weaver. “Andrew and I will definitely keep you posted on the results of the surgery and the progress as the weeks unfold.”