Required Elements

Tran's Naturalization Troubles

2012-05-17T05:00:16Z

Pairs world bronze medalist Mervin Tran has been trying to gain Japanese citizenship (he's Canadian) so he can compete in the 2014 Olympics with partner Narumi Takahashi. But the plans are not going as smoothly as he'd hoped.

According to The Mainichi, the Japanese government does not want to approve Tran's application on the basis of special services to Japan:

A ministry official, however, said Tuesday that because Tran had no history of residency in Japan, it would be difficult to grant him an exception.

"Having considered the case, we just found no precedent," the official said. (The minister, vice minister, and parliamentary secretary) all agree with the way we see it."

It is unclear whether this is the official ruling or if there is hope still for Tran. I'll update as new articles come out.

Johnny Weir on Say Yes to the Dress

2012-05-17T01:36:59Z

Johnny Weir will be making an appearance on Say Yes to the Dress this season, though I'm not sure the exact date his episode will be airing. The new season premieres June 15. Remember, Weir got married on New Year's and will be having a big wedding this summer. I have not heard about Johnny's wedding being turned into a reality show yet and I am shocked and dismayed by that. This offseason has been so boring already I am itching for some Weir hijinks. But maybe he's too busy actually training to get back into competition to go find reality show contracts to sign. We'll see soon enough!

Alcohol! The cause of, (and probably not the solution to) Kim Yu-na's Problems

2012-05-11T00:59:40Z

Olympic gold medalist Kim Yu-na of South Korea has been known to do a commercial or two in her day. Ah, who are we kidding - there's not much she won't endorse. But she's gotten into a bit of hot water since lending her mug to some mugs of beer. Kim's modeling work with Hite beer has sparked a backlash.

The Korean Academy of Addiction Psychiatry has called for a ban on sports starts advertising alcohol, highlighting Kim particularly and sports stars influence on youth culture, according to The Jakarta Post.

Additionally, a recent editorial in The Korea Times urged Kim to pull out of the campaign. "So when I plead her to yank herself out of that beer commercial, the power of my plea comes from the fact that she is a role model for many young people and should determine by her good sense whether that commercial serves any good purpose," reads the editorial.

This brings up a topic I sometimes think about. When do you say no to advertising for something, no matter how much money you are getting paid? I always wonder about the ethics of athletes posing as spokespeople for junk food or fast food, but I suppose you don't have to necessarily eat something or support something to put your face on it (though your face is a tacit endorsement of the product). But I guess the alcohol endorsement goes even a step further given the more immediate negative effects alcohol can have and the fact that it's illegal for the younger population. Kim obviously does not need the money; I would imagine she could probably have been a bit more picky in her endorsement. Interestingly, the NFL and MLB apparently do not allow their players to endorse alcoholic beverages in the United States, which I think is probably the smartest move for the leagues' images.

What do you think? Athletes should be able to endorse whatever they want -- or should they be more picky about their gigs?

Todd Eldredge Update

2012-05-11T00:46:20Z

Todd Eldredge, world and national champion, recently underwent hip replacement surgery. He is keeping fans updated on his progress via his twitter handle @toddeldredge. Icenetwork recently reported on his recovery. The article states the Eldredge hopes to be back in Stars on Ice next year. He may be able to head back out on the ice in six months.

From the article:

My biggest motivator is my son! I want my son to be able to see me skate in person, so I figure I have a couple years before he really can have an idea that that's his dad out in the lights performing. I think that has to be one of the most inspiring things a father can feel. I'll let you know afterward."

Eldredge is very excited about becoming a father for the first time. His fiancée, Sabrina Corbaci, expects to give birth to the couple's son soon. Corbaci, a graphic designer, was a U.S. novice pairs medalist, with Eddy Zeidler, in 1991 and 1992. She also has a 7-year-old son, Ryder. Eldredge said the couple hasn't set a date for their wedding yet.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be an elite athlete and have to take off six months, let alone come back and relearn jumps on a new hip! I'm sure it will be a formidable task for Eldredge but it'll be pretty amazing for him to get back out there. Best of luck to him on his recovery!

News Roundup

2012-05-01T13:17:41Z

Some of the skating news from the recent weeks:

-The Japanese Olympic Committee is trying to help pairs skater Mervin Tran to gain citizenship so he can skate for Japan in the next Olympics. That world medal definitely made it a bit of a bigger deal that Takahashi and Tran be able to skate in the Olympics. Tran is Canadian. According to Icenetwork:

Tsunekazu Takeda, president of the JOC, said Thursday his committee "was willing to make a special request (on behalf of Tran) to the government if necessary."

Japan has strict criteria for becoming a citizen, including maintaining residency in the country for at least five years. Japan's immigration laws also rule out dual nationality, meaning Tran would have to give up his Canadian citizenship.

Tran's hope lies in something called the Nationality Act, which states that the Diet of Japan (Japanese Congress) may confer Japanese nationality to a person who has provided extraordinary service to Japan, similar to the "aliens of extraordinary ability" provision that was invoked in expediting Tanith Belbin's U.S. citizenship prior to the 2006 Olympics. This provision, however, has never been invoked in Japan.

-Todd Eldredge underwent hip replacement surgery in Michigan. 40-year-old 1996 world champ Eldredge is having his left hip replaced...years of skating and jumping have obviously taken their toll. Eldredge's fiance is pregnant with their child, according to Detroit Free Press, so hopefully the hip will help Eldredge run around after a toddler. Congrats to him.

-Last month, Evan Lysacek was named a U.S. sports envoy according to the Chicago Tribune. After being named an envoy, he made a trip to Belarus and Sweden where he performed in shows and skating clinics.

-Ice dancers Charlotte Lichtman and Dean Copely have ended their four-year partnership. They were the 2011 U.S. Junior champs and world junior bronze medalists.

-Ice dancer Kieffer Hubbell has teamed up with Anastasia Olson.

Yuzuru Hanyu Will Work With Orser

2012-04-26T14:31:28Z

World bronze medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan will not work with coach Brian Orser according to Icenetwork. Hanyu had been training under Nanami Abe in Sendai, Japan. Hanyu is still attending high school in Sendai but will make trips to Toronto to work with Orser. Not sure how easy of a schedule that will be to get used to for Hanyu, but I guess he decided he needed to make the switch to reach the next level of skating.

Hanyu had a breakthrough year this season that culminated in his world medal. He has a young but often elegant style and he's been racking up the technical points when he lands the jumps and he has a quad.

Orser's got a full house of skaters. Some of this famous current students are Javier Fernandez of Spain, Christina Gao of the US, and Elene Gedevanishvili of Georgia. I'll be interested to see what changes or improvements he can spark in Hanyu, who seems to be on the way up either way.

Japan Victorious at World Team Trophy

2012-04-24T17:13:13Z

Japan narrowly beat out the United States in last weekend's World Team Trophy, 55 points to 53. Canada came in a distant third with 42 points.

The headlines of the event went to Daisuke Takahashi for edging out Patrick Chan of Canada in the men's competition. America's Ashley Wagner came back from short program woes to win the free skate over Japan's Akiko Suzuki and Italy's Carolina Kostner, both world medalists. Let's hope Wagner can keep the momentum going for next season. Akiko Suzuki won the event, followed by Kostner and Wagner in second and third.

Russia's Bazarova and Larionov won the pairs event over Canada's Duhamel and Radford and Japan's Takahashi and Tran, while America's Davis and White won the ice dance portion.

A Closer Look at Chan's Coaching Situation

2012-04-20T18:56:20Z

Patrick Chan's split with Christy Krall, the coach who has been credited with getting him to a consistent (and oftentimes glorious) quadruple jump, seems a big deal to me. Some publications have been looking into it.

The official word is that Krall resigned. Krall told the Canadian Press that she had gradually been moved out of the coaching role as choreography Kathy Johnson moved more into it. Here's what Krall said:

But Krall said her role had diminished while Chan's other coach Kathy Johnson, a modern dance teacher who studied dance at Juilliard but also works with skaters, had assumed a larger role.

"It's all good, it works, it's successful," Krall said. "But I was stepping out of the coaching role I was in and becoming an instructor, and I personally wanted to do more than that.

"Things were switching inside the dynamics of my partnership with Patrick."

Krall has coached Chan in Colorado since he split with Don Laws just weeks before his fifth-place finish at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Chan is going to continue working with Johnson in Colorado and will be making more trips to Toronto, his home. The article also notes that Chan had been dealing with a lack of motivation and frustration this season and even wanted to quit. (I am confused. It's not like he won the Olympics or something. OY).

Anyway. So now Chan is mainly with Johnson and I guess wants to continue to focus on the artistic side of the skating, and in that case, the ISU will have to raise the possible scoring totals for program components because he already gets such high marks in all the artistic areas as it is.

Examiner writes a love letter to the Johnson/Chan relationship. It doesn't actually interview anyone but gushes about the connection between Chan and Johnson. So lucky for Chan, the lovefest will continue.

Chan just recently came in second in the men's portion of the World Team Trophy.