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[cekoni]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/olympicpulse ... s+hideaway
Feb 10, 8:35p ET

Russia's hideaway

Team Russia quietly practices before heading to Vancouver

The Russian team is putting the finishing touches on their training in an unexpected location - Abbotsford, British Columbia. This quiet town has played host to members of the Russian team since Jan. 31. The skaters have been training at the Abbotsford Recreation Center, training twice a day on private ice.

Currently training in Abbotsford: Pairs skaters Yuko Kavagutiand Aleksandr Smirnov; Maria Mukhortovaand Maksim Trankov, Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov; dancers Jana Khokhlovaand Sergei Novitski, Yekaterina Bobrova and Dmitry Soloviev; men's skater Artem Borodulin, and Kazakhstan skater Denis Ten.

Several Russian volunteers run the practices and have been spending time with the skaters. This past weekend, the mayor of Abbotsford invited them all to a hockey game. Coach Tamara Moskvina had a large pot of coffee and a plate of sugar cookies shaped like maple leaves with red sprinkles in the practice room.

NBCOlympics.com caught a practice session on Feb. 9. Here's a glimpse of what happened.

Pairs:
The marquee team training in Abbotsford is, without question, Kavaguti and Smirnov. Fresh off a victory at the European Championships, they enter this Olympic Games with an excellent chance to make a the podium at their first Olympics. (They were third at the 2009 Worlds.)

Here at Abbotsford, they showed easy, powerful lifts with secure positions and displayed a lot of ice coverage. The team spent this particular session working on their free skate. Kavaguti landed a throw quad Salchow with a slight touchdown by her free leg on the exit, but moments later, in a free skate run-through, landed a beautiful, clean one. Kavaguti stepped out of a side-by-side triple toe attempt and then doubled the jump in their free-skate run-through, but later in the session landed several together with Smirnov.

They landed several double Axel-double Axel sequences; that combination didn't give them any issues. Also looking strong were their triple throws, both the Salchow and the loop. Besides the small errors from Kavaguti on her side by side jumps, the team skated clean the entire session. Kavaguti and Smirnov were relaxed, smiling, and looked very confident on the ice. They seem calm, strong and steady.

Their coach Tamara Moskvina stepped onto the ice several times to direct them and at times, videotaped bits of their practice. Moskvina made some small changes to Kavaguti and Smirnov's programs after Europreans. Moskvina commented, "I changed some things, some moves, if I tell you the 135th arm movement was changed you wouldn't understand." All their major elements remain in the same order.

When Moskvina was complimented on Kavaguti and Smirnov's improved triple twist, Moskvina replied, "Not better, it is good!" And when asked what she tells Kavaguti before performing the quad Salchow throw, Moskvina replied "Don't do quad. Don't do quad. Just skate, just glide."

According to Moskvina, Kavaguti's shoulder is doing just fine. At Europeans during the free skate, Kavaguti appeared to injure her shoulder but Moskvina commented in Abbotsford that it wasn't a shoulder issue; it was a costume issue. She said Kavaguti's dress didn't come out as it was supposed to so she tore it open.

Kavaguti and Smirnov are very excited to be competing in their first Olympics, but Moskvina is taking it in stride - after all, this is her tenth Olympics. She brought her first team in 1976 -- this one, she says, is an anniversary. (Oleg Vassiliev, who coaches the second Russian team, was a member of Moskvina's first gold medal team in 1984.)

Kavaguti is very close with Elena Berezhnaya, who shared the 2002 Olympic pairs title alongside partner Anton Sikharulidze She trained with Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze for a long time, and Berezhnaya often comes to Kavaguti and Smirnov's practices in Russia to watch and help out.

The second Russian team of Maria Mukhortova and Maksim Trankov were having trouble on their side-by-side triple Salchows during this practice session. Their coach, Oleg Vassiliev, replayed the start of their free skate music three times for them to try the jumps - but they never hit them. Mukhortova kept popping or stepping out and, as they tried more, Tranknov started popping his attempts too. Their triple toe - double toe combinations were very solid, however.

This team showed a lot of polish, despite the mistakes. They skate quietly, but swiftly, across the ice, with more flow than that of Kavaguti and Smirnov. They also demonstrate smooth, pretty lift positions and transitions. But while they outshine Kavaguti and Smirnov in the ice coverage department, their program lacks the nuance and detail of their teammates' programs.

Like Moskivna, Vassiliev taped portions of Mukhortova and Trankov's program and the team watched it together during practice.

Mukhortova and Trankov made a trip into Vancouver on Monday to get their credentials and take a tour of the Pacific Coliseum. Mukhortova was surprised to see padded boards at the rink saying "I've never seen a rink like this before!"

Vassiliev said of the team's current condition "Training has been mostly fine, the kids are healthy, the ice is good, people are helpful, it's good." On bringing a team to the Olympics he commented that it's never easy to do, regardless of their situation. It's difficult to understand the pressure on the couple to do everything perfectly, the skaters' health, and that they're skating in a good condition. "My job is to help the skater as much as I can, to pull out as much as I can do at that moment. They're really good, Maria and Maxim, they are challenging for gold if they do what they can, if they do it all they will win gold."

The team worked with a sports psychologist last year, but Vassiliev said this year they stopped seeing him. "They are stronger than the psychologist," he said. They do mental exercises in practice to prepare themselves for competition.

As far as getting along, Vassiliev says, "They're better than they used to be. Much better."

And when asked if the team would continue after this Olympics, he replied, "I can answer you in ten days."

Mukhortova has never seen the movie Love Story (their free skate music) but knows the music from Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier's 2002 Olympic program. Salé and Pelletier are her favorite couple, and Mukhortova asked Vassiliev for three years to use the music and finally this year he agreed. Mukhortova and Trankov met David Pelletier briefly at Skate Canada this year, but have yet to meet Salé. They are excited to meet her here.

Ice Dance
Khokhlova and Novitski worked on their free dance for most of the practice session. Before doing a few free skate run-throughs, they performed some nice spins and twizzles. Their coaches were both on skates and followed them all over the rink. Coach Irina Zhuk chased them every time they ran through their program, skating close behind telling them to move.

The team's elements look very solid in the free dance, but it still looks new and not yet cohesive. There are still many moments of simple stroking and space between the two skaters (in dance, the goal is to skate as closely together as possible). However, they do skate with a lot of speed during their elements, particularly the circular footwork at the beginning. Their lifts were also exciting to watch; very fast with Khokhlova's bravery on full display.

Bobrova and Soloviev also ran through their free dance, skating the whole program full out. They have beautiful bodylines, and unique positions, especially in their spins. During one spin, Bobrova pulls herself into a Biellmann position with her foot beside her head and her blade higher than her face. The team has a lot of speed in their program, especially in the last thirty seconds, and they use every opportunity they can to speed up.

Men
Artem Borodulin was on fire. He landed three huge, clean, tightly-rotated triple Axels at the start of the session, two beautiful quad toes (stepped out of a third attempt), and lots of triple Lutz-triple toe combinations. He worked on triple flip-double toe with an arm variation on the second jump. He has a lot of style and energy and while he still looks a little young, he is very secure and aggressive.

[Scarlett]

Танит Белбин: «Жить в одной комнате с Вейром – это будет что-то»

Серебряный призер Олимпиады в Турине Танит Белбин рассказала о том, чтобы в Олимпийской деревне будет жить в одной комнате с Джонни Вейром.

«Да, это будет что-то. Он сказал, что везет с собой декорации для комнаты, шторы, ковер и много чего еще. Он также возьмет для нас средства по уходу за волосами», – отметила Белбин.

«Конечно, церемония открытия Игр важна для нас. Мы снова хотим испытать то чувство, какое было четыре года назад. Мы знаем, каким волнующим зрелищем это будет. Но мы также знаем, что сможем переключить свое внимание и снова тренироваться», – приводит слова ее партнера Бенджамина Агосто Icenetwork.
http://www.sports.ru/others/figure-skat ... 69968.html

[Scarlett]

Максим Шабалин: «Не будем говорить о планах на Олимпиаду, сначала надо выиграть, потом скажем»

Чемпионы мира Оксана Домнина и Максим Шабалин рассказали о тренировках перед Олимпиадой, о мотивации и о том, почему их семьи не приходят на соревнования.

«Когда мы с Максимом стояли на подиуме чемпионата мира среди юниоров, я поняла, что хочу стать олимпийской чемпионкой. Сейчас мы тренируемся не два раза в день с небольшим перерывом, у нас одна большая тренировка в день с 7 до 15 часов», – сказала Домниной.

«Нам надо работать над скоростью и выразительностью. Для нас каждый день как соревнование, мы находим мотивацию с каждой тренировкой кататься все лучше и лучше. На предыдущих стартах такого не было, потому что не было сильных конкурентов.

Мы не собираемся присутствовать на церемонии открытия Игр. Это для публики Олимпиада – праздник. Для нас – очень серьезное соревнование. Но на Играх не будет присутствовать моя семья. Они будут очень нервничать, и я почувствую это. Они дважды приходили на соревнования, и дважды я совершал падение.
http://www.sports.ru/others/figure-skat ... 69330.html

Не будем говорить о планах на Олимпиаду, сначала надо выиграть, потом расскажем о планах. Во время Игр также буду следить за хоккеем, надеюсь на финал Россия-Канада.

На вопрос об участия на Играх в Сочи отвечу отрицательно. Хотя посмотрим. Никогда не говори никогда», – приводит слова Шабалина Icenetwork.

[Юляша]

Стефан Ламбьель понесет флаг Швейцарии на открытии Игр-2010
11 февраля 2010, 21:08

Швейцарский фигурист Стефан Ламбьель понесет флаг страны на церемонии открытия Олимпийских игр.

Швейцарский олимпийский комитет заявил, что Ламбьель был выбран из-за своих высоких достижений и харизмы.

Сам фигурист сказал, что для него это решение «чудесный сюрприз», и что он понесет флаг с «большой гордостью».

Стефан Ламбьель был серебряным призером Игр в Турине, а также чемпионом мира в 2005 и 2006 годах.

http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/369923

[masha]

Стефан Ламбьель понесет флаг Швейцарии на открытии Игр-2010
11 февраля 2010, 21:08

Швейцарский фигурист Стефан Ламбьель понесет флаг страны на церемонии открытия Олимпийских игр.

Швейцарский олимпийский комитет заявил, что Ламбьель был выбран из-за своих высоких достижений и харизмы.

Сам фигурист сказал, что для него это решение «чудесный сюрприз», и что он понесет флаг с «большой гордостью».

Стефан Ламбьель был серебряным призером Игр в Турине, а также чемпионом мира в 2005 и 2006 годах.

http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/369923

Здорово! Очень рада за него! Вот и " флаг ему в руки и барабан на шею"!
Может за Францию ещё Жубер понесёт, и за Канаду с Америкой , сами знаете кто! Тогда моему счастью не будет предела! ( За Америку пусть несут втроём)!

[cekoni]

Photos - slide shows...

Practice begins at Pacific Coliseum:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galle ... c+coliseum

Johnny Weir in Vancouver:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galle ... +vancouver

Jeremy Abbott in Vancouver:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galle ... +vancouver

[cekoni]

Pics and videos from Russian training camp in Canada

http://alq.livejournal.com/51953.html#cutid1





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http://olymp2010.rian.ru/olympblog/2010 ... 29974.html

Зрители стоят в очередях, чтобы посмотреть на российских фигуристов

Олимпийский чемпион Турина по фигурному катанию и одна из главных российских спортивных звезд Евгений Плющенко прибывает сегодня в Ванкувер. Там он встретится со своими коллегами, которые уже не первый день тренируются на канадском льду, вызывая ажиотаж среди местных зрителей.

С особым замиранием сердца зрители наблюдают за Юко Кавагути и Александром Смирновым. Они обкатывают произвольную программу. Видео и фото с их тренировки разместил на своей страничке в "Живом журнале" блогер alq.

"Это удивительная возможность увидеть лучших фигуристов мира в расслабленной атмосфере. Спортсмены обожают выступать перед публикой даже на тренировках, это помогает им в подготовке к самим соревнованиям", - считает Бев Вигер, ответственная за проведение олимпийских соревнований по фигурному катанию.

Как передает Первый канал, канадцы преодолевают сотни километров и стоят в очереди по несколько часов, чтобы увидеть тренировки российских спортсменов. За подготовкой фигуристов можно наблюдать с трибуны.

"Я не могла упустить такую возможность. Я всегда восхищалась легендарными русскими фигуристами - Гордеевой и Гриньковым, а теперь буду болеть за вашу молодежь", - говорит телеканалу Виктория Новак.

"Мои жена и дочь меня заставили сюда ехать за 300 километров. Они у меня просто с ума сходят от ваших фигуристов. И, похоже, собираются провести на этом стадионе весь день", - цитируются на сайте Первого канала слова Питера Дженкинса.

Как сообщалось в декабре, увидеть тренировку, например, Евгения Плющенко, можно за 30 канадских долларов. В общей сложности любителям этого вида спорта предоставили возможность посетить семь тренировочных сессий.

По словам президента Федерации фигурного катания на коньках России Валентина Писеева, заключительный предолимпийский сбор команды в небольшом канадском городке Эбботсфорд проходит хорошо.

"Ребята чувствуют себя хорошо, все здоровы, тренировки идут по плану. Отношение местных жителей просто потрясающее. На тренировках постоянно присутствуют зрители, очень много русскоговорящих", - рассказывает он и добавляет: "Чувствуется, что те, кто приходит посмотреть на наших спортсменов, не будут болеть на Олимпиаде за канадцев".

[cekoni]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-feature ... ars+injury
Feb 11, 9:57p ET

Lysacek ditches quad, fears injury

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- World champion Evan Lysacek likely won't do a quadruple jump at the Vancouver Olympics, not wanting to re-injure his left foot.

Lysacek said Thursday he feared he had another stress fracture after feeling pain in his foot following the U.S. championships. Two days at the doctor's office assured him he didn't, and his foot feels fine now. But after the stress fracture he had last spring, he doesn't want to take any chances by doing a quadruple toe loop.

"My foot is good. I did therapy, and it feels really good," he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "(But) I can't do many toes. It's a big risk factor for me."

Lysacek won his world title without a quad, only announcing afterward that he had competed with a stress fracture. He spent some time in a walking boot after the season ended, and has been careful about how much stress he puts on his left foot, not attempting a quad during the Grand Prix season.

But he put the quad in his free skate at the U.S. championships and was training it for Vancouver when he started feeling pain.

Skaters use their toe pick to help with the takeoff on toe loops. But because of how the foot is angled, it puts a lot of torque and stress on the foot -- moreso for some skaters than others.

"It's a big risk factor for me with my foot," said Lysacek, who did only one triple toe and one double during Thursday afternoon's practice. "This just happens to be a jump that's too dangerous for me to do."

The practice was the first on the Olympic ice for Lysacek, who just arrived from Los Angeles on Thursday morning.

"It's beautiful, just beautiful," he said. "I'm so happy on the ice here."

---------

Evan Lysacek in Vancouver (photos from training)
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galle ... +vancouver

[cekoni]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-feature ... swiss+flag
11.02.2010

Skater Stephane Lambiel to carry Swiss flag

VANCOUVER (AFP)(AP) -- Figure skater Stephane Lambiel will carry Switzerland's flag at Friday's opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

The Swiss Olympic committee said Thursday that Lambiel has been chosen for his achievements and charisma.

He calls the decision by the Swiss committee a "beautiful surprise for me" and says he will carry the flag with "enormous pride."

Lambiel won the silver medal at the Turin Olympics and was a world champion in 2005 and 2006. He is making a comeback at the Olympics after briefly retiring because of a groin injury.

-------------------------------------

Twitter's with "fresh" news from skaters training:

http://twitter.com/nrarmour
http://twitter.com/Ewingsports
http://twitter.com/lesleyskate
http://twitter.com/Christi_Millar
......

[Юляша]

http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-fi ... 201Tu.html
http://www.isuresults.com/results/owg2010/SEG005.HTM

14.02.2010 - 16:30 (Local Time, GMT -08:00)

Pairs - Short Program


Warm-Up Group 1

1 SHEN Xue / ZHAO Hongbo CHN

2 SERGEJEVA Maria / GLEBOV Ilja EST

3 SULEJ Joanna / CHRUSCINSKI Mateusz POL

Warm-Up Group 2

4 DENNEY Caydee / BARRETT Jeremy USA

5 HAUSCH Maylin / WENDE Daniel GER

6 JAMES Vanessa / BONHEUR Yannick FRA

Warm-Up Group 3

7 BAZAROVA Vera / LARIONOV Yuri RUS

8 EVORA Amanda / LADWIG Mark USA

9 LANGLOIS Anabelle / HAY Cody CAN

10 KOSTENKO Ekaterina / TALAN Roman UKR

Warm-Up Group 4

11 DELLA MONICA Nicole / KOCON Yannick ITA

12 KEMP Stacey / KING David GBR

13 MORAND Anais / DORSAZ Antoine SUI

Warm-Up Group 5

14 MUKHORTOVA Maria / TRANKOV Maxim RUS

15 VOLOSOZHAR Tatiana / MOROZOV Stanislav UKR

16 KAVAGUTI Yuko / SMIRNOV Alexander RUS

Warm-Up Group 6

17 DUBE Jessica / DAVISON Bryce CAN

18 PANG Qing / TONG Jian CHN

19 ZHANG Dan / ZHANG Hao CHN

20 SAVCHENKO Aliona / SZOLKOWY Robin GER