Rudy Galindo's "Ice Castles"

Click HERE to read an article that was published on Icenetwork.com last week about 1996 U.S. National Champion Rudy Galindo's upcoming induction into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame. I am so proud of Rudy for his achievement! He deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments as an amateur skater, both in singles and in pairs.

My family has had a soft spot for Rudy, ever since he captured our hearts in a thrilling, unexpected victory over reigning champion Todd Eldredge at the 1996 Nationals in Rudy's hometown of San Jose. His freeskate to "Swan Lake", and the emotions that followed as Rudy found out he won the championship, are two of my favorite moments in all the years I've been watching the sport. I still get chills when I watch the video.

Rudy's story of overcoming a split with his one-time pairs partner, Kristi Yamaguchi, with whom he won 2 National titles, loss, hardship, and poverty to become the best skater in the nation and the third-best skater in the world, catapulted him into stardom. Rudy's story was published in a book soon after his winning season. He continued to delight audiences on the professional circuit and on Tom Collins' Champions on Ice tour for many years.

I had the pleasure of seeing Rudy skate live twice, once back in 2002, and another time more recently at The Caesar's Tribute: A Salute to the Golden Age of American Skating in Atlantic City in December. Both times, Rudy performed his iconic "Village People" medley, featuring the songs "In The Navy", "Macho Man" and "YMCA." He was terrific!!

Rudy combines impeccable skating technique with beautiful lines, unique spins, and plenty of personality and passion. Below is a video of Rudy skating in the 1997 Legends of Figure Skating Competition, the year after his retirement from amateur skating. Rudy skates to the theme from "Ice Castles," an inspirational skating movie with a music perfectly suited to Rudy's elegance and grace.

Enjoy!!

Rudy's "Ice Castles":

Back to School Motivator: Stephane Lambiel's "Dralion" by Cirque du Soleil

One of my favorite skaters, Switzerland's Stephane Lambiel fights through and delivers a first-class performance in this short program from the 2006 World Championships in Calgary.

Enjoy!

Stephane's "Dralion":

Tribute to Russian Singles Skating: Evgeni Plushenko's 2001 World Championship freeskate

Evgeni Plushenko, an 8-time Russian National Champion, 3-time World Champion ('01, '03, '04), and 3-time Olympic medalist (silver in 2002, gold in 2006, silver in 2010) is the epitome of a flamboyant, powerhouse Russian skater. The 28-year exudes athleticism and panache.

In 2001, Evgeni defeated his great rival, Alexei Yagudin, to win the coveted World title with a flourish of triple jumps and choreography infused with personality and pizzazz, as the great Dick Button would say.

I hope you enjoy Evgeni's performance that established him as the best in the world in the 2000/2001 season, and as the one-to-beat heading into subsequent Olympic season.

Evgeni's 2001 World Championship freeskate:

2009 Interview with Erika Choi Smith and Nate Bartholomay

Albeit a little outdated, and despite the fact that American pairs team Erika Choi Smith and Nate Bartholomay have split since this year's Nationals, here's a 2009 interview with the couple that I compiled after their stint as guest performers in that spring's Penn State Ice Show. Click on the link to my online portfolio, HERE. Story is located in the second row on the far right.

Happy Belated Birthday to me: Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dimitriev's "Piano Concerto No.2" by Sergei Rachmaninoff

As a belated birthday gift to myself, I'm posting one of the most spellbinding performances that I've ever seen. Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dimitriev's 1994 Olympic freeskate to Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No.2" is a work of pure genius. Though Natalia and Artur finished second behind Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov that night in Lillehammer, many, including myself, felt they should have won gold. No matter, Natalia and Artur, the 1992 Olympic champions, were stunningly brilliant and gave the skating world a marvelously compelling performance that I will never forget.

Enjoy!

Jeffrey Buttle's "Prelude in C Sharp Minor" by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Simply Brilliant!

Click HERE to see Jeffrey's "Prelude in C Sharp Minor" short program from the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia. Jeffrey won the silver medal.

Happy 34th Birthday, Michael Weiss!

In celebration of 3-time U.S. Champion Michael Weiss' 34th birthday, here he is at age 25 skating his 2002 Olympic free program to "Nessun Dorma". I remember watching this performance live on TV. It was great to see Todd Eldredge, Michael Weiss, and Elvis Stojko all skate so well in the second to last group before the medal contenders. This strong freeskate moved Michael up from 8th after the short program to 7th place overall.

Here's thanking Michael for years of enjoyable skating and wishing him a very happy birthday!!

Michael's 2002 Olympic freeskate: