2009 Grand Prix Final begins on Thursday in Toyko, Japan
The 2009-2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final begins this Thursday, December 3, in Tokyo, Japan. Throughout the skating season which began in October, senior and junior-level skaters competed in a variety of international events and racked up as many points as possible in order to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. For the senior competitors, only six skaters/teams can qualify so the Final provides a good glimpse into the Olympic showdown of the top skaters in the world come February. And for the junior competitors, only eight skaters/teams can qualify, so we get to see these young

Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony on December 2
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (see above) will be lit on Wednesday, December 2 and televised nationally on NBC from 8 - 9 p.m. EST. The rink is closed ALL DAY for the event and will reopen on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. On tap for this year's show are co-hosts Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock") an

Seattle and Vancouver: Any ideas?
Going to be headed up to the Pacific Northwest in mid-December for a little vacation, as well as scoping out the Olympic sites in British Columbia for interesting stories (sadly, heading back there in February is not in the cards).If you're knowledgeable about the skating world in the Seattle/Vancouver/Whistler area, drop me a line at susan [at] icedigitalmedia [dot] net or post a comment on this post. Any Olympic hopefuls training in the area? What about up an

Brian Joubert withdraws from Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final
From CTVOlympics.ca today:French figure skater Brian Joubert has withdrawn from next week's ISU Grand Prix Final in Tokyo after injuring his foot during a training session on Wednesday.According to an AFP report, the French Sports Federation does not know how long he will be sidelined. With the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games less than three months away, his status could be in jeopardy. His federation said Joubert is expected to undergo an operation on the foot.The 2009 World bronze medallist was training in Poitiers on Wednesday when he landed awkwardly while attempting

Tai Babilonia video of (almost) nude skate at Rockefeller Rink for animal rights
Here it is folks -- World and U.S. pairs champion Tai Babilonia at Rockefeller Rink in NYC yesterday. She skated around in flesh-colored underwear for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and its "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. Now that the hubbub has died down (the PETA media alert stated that she would be in a thong and topless so that description drew A LOT of photographers to the rink), my unofficial poll results of 20 of my closest stranger friends who saw this are below: 50%