What Is the Grand Prix of Figure Skating?

October 28, 2010 by

Last week, the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating began with the NHK Trophy in Nagoya, Japan. The way the series works is that senior-level skaters are assigned to represent their countries based on their previous competitive placements and international ranking.  

Skaters in the Grand Prix earn points based on their placements. The six skaters in each singles category (men and ladies) and six teams in each category of pairs and dance who earn the most points out of the six Grand Prix competitions move on to the Grand Prix Final.

Many of the top skaters in the world skate in the Grand Prix series, so it’s good to follow to increase your skating knowledge.

The International Skating Union (ISU) websitehas information on each Grand Prix event as well as all the major international skating competitions each year.

Here’s a recap of the NHK Trophy by PJ Kwong at CBCSports.ca: NHK Trophy event offered dramatic twists.  

For inspiration, here are videos of the gold- and silver-medalists in singles from the NHK Trophy. This is the beginning of the international season, so the skaters’ programs will become even stronger as the season progresses!

Here’s the short program of the NHK ladies champion, Carolina Kostner from Italy:

Here’s the long program of the NHK ladies silver medalist, Rachael Flatt from the USA:

Here’s the short program of the NHK men’s champion, Daisuke Takahashi from Japan:

Here’s the short program of the NHK men’s silver medalist, Jeremy Abbott from the USA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYucIfyuPY4
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October 28, 2010

Coach John Wooden Continues to Inspire

June 24, 2010 by

In my last post, I talked about former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Here are my favorite quotes by Coach Wooden. 

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.

Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.

You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

Here’s a short tribute to Coach Wooden:

What is your favorite Coach Wooden quote?

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June 24, 2010

Coach John Wooden Lives on Through the Pyramid of Success

June 10, 2010 by

This month is dedicated to the many life principles former UCLA coach John Wooden gave us in his 99 years.  Coach Wooden passed away on June 4 but left us his wisdom and knowledge though his books and the “Pyramid of Success.”

Coach Wooden is considered to be one of college basketball’s most successful coaches, leading his basketball teams at UCLA to win 10 national championships and 88 consecutive games.  He made sure his athletes learned life principles such as discipline, respect, and doing their best. 

In his retirement, Coach Wooden put these principles to paper with his “Pyramid of Success” presenting the life principles he learned though his sport and life.  Below is the pyramid with the bottom representing the fundamentals and growing upward to the harder-to-reach principles. For more on Coach Wooden, go to his official website at CoachWooden.com.

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June 10, 2010

Inspiration from the 2010 U.S. Ladies Champion, Rachael Flatt

February 22, 2010 by

I’ve known Rachael for many years.  She is one of the hardest workers I know and has dedicated many years to achieving this goal!  Rachael is also a nice person and a tremendous scholar.

Rachael entertains the audience in this video of her short program at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Rachael is known for consistently skating well!  Her consistency and strong technical ability helped earned Rachael this national championship.

Be sure to watch Rachael at the Olympics!  She competes in the short program on Tuesday, February 23, and the long program on Thursday, February 25.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ86PSYCZaE
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February 22, 2010

Inspiration from the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Ice Dance Champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie White

February 18, 2010 by

I’ve known this ice-dance team for many years, and we were members of Team USA together at a number of international competitions.  Both nice people, they definitely deserve this second title.  They have great footwork, intricate lifts, and amazing twizzles!

Watch this video of Meryl and Charlie’s awesome free dance from the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.  And don’t forget to watch Meryl and Charlie at the Olympics!  They compete in the compulsory dance on Friday, February 19, in the original dance on Sunday, February 21, and in the free dance on Monday, February 22.

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February 18, 2010