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Jan. 16 - Italian figure skater, and 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner has been banned for 16-months after Italian officials found her guilty of assisting ex-boyfriend Alex Schwazer in covering up his doping. Kostner admitted she lied to officials when they arrived at her home looking for Schwazer so that he could provide a sample for a drug test. She told them he was not around but claims that she did not know he was using performance-enhancing drugs. Kostner is appealing the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and was quoted in the press saying "I lied on his request. But I never, never covered for him, because I had no idea what he was doing." Ah, the things we do for love. Jan. 24 - Toller Cranston, six-time Canadian champion from 1971 to 1975 and Olympic bonze medalist, passed away at 65 years of age in San Miguel, Mexico where he had lived for many years. He was also 1974 World bronze medalst , and silver medalist at the 1971 North American Championships, the last year that competition was held. Cranston was a modern pioneer of artistic skating and in his later years earned renown as a painter. Jan 25. - Ashley Wagner declines her selection to the Four Continents Championships in order to focus on training for the World Championships. She was replaced by Samantha Cesario. “After further consideration, my coaches and I have decided to focus on my training for the World Championships,” Wagner said. “The U.S. Championships were a great event for me but were also physically and mentally taxing and I feel that the extra training time will benefit me going into Worlds.” Jan. 25 - Skate Canada team assignments announced. Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Men Ladies Ice Dance Pairs World Junior Figure Skating Championships Men Ladies Ice Dance
Pairs World Figure Skating Championships Men Ladies Ice Dance Pairs Mar 28. - At the Men's final press conference Javier Fernandez reveals the Grand Prix Final in 2015 will be returning to Barcelona. Apr. 1 - Team Russia is the top qualifier for the 2015 ISU World Team Trophy followed by the USA, Japan, Canada, France and China. The teams ranked 1 to 6 in the ISU World Team Standings qualified for the event. Team Russia qualified with 8517 points. Team USA collected 7641 points while Japan earned 6543 points. Canada has 6400 points, France got 4993 points and China qualified with 4368 points. The names of the competitors of each team will be announced by each country. The ISU World Team Trophy format is based on a competition consisting of the six best national teams from ISU Members with a special provision for the host ISU Member to be included. Each team will be composed of two Men, two Ladies, one Pair Skating couple and one Ice Dance couple, i.e. a total of eight skaters per team. The teams qualify based on a scoring scale used for the ISU World Standing points scored by its best two Ladies and best two Men as well as its best Pairs Skating couple and best Ice Dance couple primarily at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events and Final of the 2014/15 season and the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2015 plus possibly the ISU European Figure Skating Championships/ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2015, the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2015 and ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in the 2014/15 season. The teams will compete for a total prize money of 1,000,000 US$, made available by the organizing ISU Member, Japan Skating Federation. Apr 2. - U.S. Figure Skating announced the eight athletes who will represent Team USA at the 2015 ISU World Team Trophy April 16-19 in Tokyo. World Team Trophy features the six best figure skating teams of the 2014-15 season, consisting of Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia and the United States. LADIES MEN PAIRS ICE DANCE Each team consists of two ladies, two men, one pairs team and one ice dance team. Each skater will receive points based on placements in the short program/dance and free skate/dance. The points will be combined across the four disciplines and the team with the highest point total will win. Apr 22 - Report from a coach contact - "Just got word this morning from a coach's prayer group that Paul Wylie has suffered a serious heart attack and is in a drug induced coma. Please send any good thoughts and prayers right now for Paul and his young family." Later today Kate Wylie released the statement "Paul experienced an unexpected heart abnormality while exercising with friends early Tuesday morning. He is currently being cared for by Charlotte’s best cardiac physicians. He is resting comfortably as we wait for the outcome of the tests and a treatment plan is put in place." Sep 25 – Joshua Farris, the 2015 U.S. bronze medalist, 2013 World Junior champion and 2015 Four Continents silver medalist, will not compete at his 2015 Grand Prix Series events, Skate Canada and NHK Trophy. Farris is recovering from a concussion and will resume training when approved by his physicians, and his Colorado Springs coaching team, Damon Allen and Christy Krall. “I couldn't be more disappointed to withdraw from my Grand Prix assignments,” Farris said. “I am steadily healing and hope to be back on the ice as soon as possible. I appreciate all of the support from my fans, family and friends.” Oct 21 - Gretchen Donlan & Nathan Bartholomay have withdrawn from Skate America as Donlan recovers from symptoms related to an acute viral illness including fever, exhaustion and dizziness. Jessica Pfund & Joshua Santillan, who train alongside Donlan & Bartholomay in Ellenton, Florida, will now compete at Skate America. “We’re disappointed that we aren’t able to represent Team USA at our first Grand Prix together,” Bartholomay said. “We worked really hard to this point to get selected for this event and it’s disappointing that we are in this situation. Ultimately, of course, Gretchen’s safety is most important.” Donlan & Bartholomay have competed twice this season, finishing fifth at the U.S. International Classic and sixth at Nepela Trophy. Pfund & Santillan made their international debut last week at the 2015 Autumn Classic International, placing third. Nov 21 - Reigning U.S. champion Jason Brown has withdrawn from the 2015 NHK Trophy due to a back strain incurred during training. Brown, under the care of Olympic Training Center medical staff, is continuing to train with restrictions. Brown’s doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Brown had an outside chance to make the Grand Prix Final, but now with only one Grand Prix result, that is now impossible. That leaves Adam Rippon the only remaining American with a chance to make the final. Brown is next scheduled to defend his U.S. title at the 2016 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which are set for Jan. 15-24 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. “I absolutely love competing in Japan and will miss being around the most incredible fans. I look forward to returning to Japan very soon,” Brown said. “I’m so disappointed to withdraw from NHK Trophy but I know how important it is for me to get healthy for the rest of the season and this will give me time to rest and recover.” Nov 22 - Tomorrow, it is expected that Skate Canada will announce that Mississauga, ON will be the site of the 2016 Skate Canada International competition. Dec. 16 - U.S. Figure Skating announced today the selection of Kansas City, Missouri, as host city for the 2017 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The 2017 U.S. Championships are scheduled for January 14-22, 2017, with all junior and championship level events being held at Sprint Center and all juvenile, intermediate and novice events being conducted at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Missouri. All-event tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Nov 27 - Garrett Swasey, the 1992 Junior National Ice Dance Champion with partner Christine Fowler-Binder was killed in the line of duty in an attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, CO. Garrett, 44, was a police officer with the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs police department for the past six years. Contributions can be made to a memorial education fund for his two young children at www.youcaring.com/the-family-of-officer-swasey-rachel-swasey-and-children-477034 Nov 23 - Skate Canada announces that Mississauga, ON will be the site of the 2016 Skate Canada International competition. |