2003 World Junior Championships
2000-2001 Junior Grand Prix Final
I have been interested in figure skating for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't really until 1994 that my obsession began. For most skating fans '94 is remembered for the Harding/Kerrigan incident, but in Britain it was much more about the return of Torvill and Dean. 24 million people in this country watched the free dance from Lillehammer, a record viewing figure for sport, and one of the highest viewing totals ever for anything on TV. Most people lost interest again fairly rapidly after that, disappointed that the medal was bronze rather than gold, and disillusioned with a sport that they therefore felt was unfair (I don't have an opinion on the result that night, I really knew nothing about skating then and I haven't seen any of the performances since). But it was enough to turn me from someone with a vague interest in skating to a committed fan, and I surely can't be on my own in that.
Since then I've learnt as much as I can about skating, through books, TV (including endlessly rewatching videos), and more recently, the internet. I love this sport because it's so technical, there's always something new to learn, and it's always complicated. I even love the convoluted scoring system (well, maybe not OBO...). I think perfectly performed elements are things of beauty in themselves, and don't care so much about programmes and choreography, although I do like to see skaters try something different and unusual. I have my favourites and of course I always want them to do well, but most of all I like to see good competitions, and I like to try to understand why results end up the way they do. I love skating as a sport more than as entertainment or an art form.
I keep intending to get something more interesting than just a bunch of my reports up here, but whether that will ever actually happen I have no idea.
SkateWeb - The URL of this site should be imprinted on your brain, because whatever skating information you're looking for, this is the place to start. Links to everything you could possibly want.
Figure Skating Universe - A great message board for Europeans, ice dance fans, and anyone with a certain sense of humour. It does take some getting used to, but it's really not as scary as it looks ;o)
International Skating Union - This is the kind of website that makes me think mine isn't so bad after all. It's ugly and it's a pain to find what you want, but if you dig around, there is some useful stuff there. Sign up to their mailing list to keep up to date with rule changes and the like.
National Ice Skating Association - The governing body in Britain.
Isle of Wight Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club - Well, I have to give a plug for the locals ;o)
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