Skating Into the Sunset: Alissa Czisny Announces Retirement

Two-time U.S. National Champion Alissa Czisny has announced her retirement from amateur competition. Czisny will remain in the skating world, but in the form of professional shows and coaching. Czisny has been out of competition for the last two seasons due to injuries and recovering from two surgeries. Click HERE to read the news article on IceNetwork.com.

Over the years, Czisny has had many ups and downs, but through it all, she always composed both herself and her skating with the utmost class, grace, and style. Her skating skills, line, and positions were always exquisite; her only downfalls were her jumping technique and confidence issues that often held her back. Despite her inconsistency, Czisny was known for her hard work, tenacity, and optimism, all of which helped her to capture a handful of national and international titles. Czisny finished her career with two U.S. National titles ('09, '11--the second of which was won without flaw), two Skate Canada titles ('05,'10), a Skate America title ('11), and a Grand Prix Final Championship ('10).

I'll always remember Czisny as a classy champion with endless beauty and elegance-- on and off the ice.


Here are some of Alissa's most memorable performances over the years:


2005 Skate America, "La Bayadere" by Leon Minkus, (second place):





2007 U.S. Nationals, "Sabrina" soundtrack, (third place):




2009 U.S. Nationals, "The Swan," (first place short program):



2011 U.S. Nationals, "Winter into Spring" by George Winston, (first place):



2012 U.S. Nationals, "La Vie en Rose,":



2011 Exhibition at All That Skate to "Moon River":

Wednesday's Kwan-spiration: "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban

Ode to Todd Eldredge: Favorite Performances

It was recently announced that 6-time U.S. Champion Todd Eldredge is moving to McKinney, Texas to work with The Dallas Stars organization at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter. Todd, along with his wife Sabrina, and his former coach Richard Callaghan will head up the coaching staff.

For the last several years, Eldredge has lived and coached in Florida. Having not heard any news on him in awhile, it was good to hear what he's up to and that he's embarking on an exciting new endeavor. Click HERE to read the news article.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Todd at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston in January. I saw him from a far at first, but then worked up the nerve to go up to him and say hello. I told him how much I admired his skating over the years and how my family and I always rooted for him. He was very down-to earth and couldn't have been any nicer.

Though Todd's name may not be recognizable to the casual fan, all of the die-hard fans will always remember Todd for his easy-going attitude, good sportsmanship, and the ability to make his programs build, always culminating in a series of split-jumps and blurring spins. What's more, Todd will be remembered for his incredible tenacity. He endured a good amount of injury, hardship, and disappointment in his long-running career, yet he always came back fighting. I felt intense heartbreak for Todd when he tumbled from third to fourth place at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, and then again in Salt Lake City when he fell on his quad in the short program, taking himself out of medal contention. But in the end, when I look back on Todd's career, I don't think of those setbacks, and only remember the moments that made me rise to my feet in applause, made me swell with pride, and brought tears to my eyes. He's a great American champion and will always be one of my favorites!

Let's take a look back at some of Todd's best performances:


1.) Todd's "Gettysburg" freeskate from the 1995 Worlds in Birmingham, England. Leading after the short program, Todd fell on a late Triple Axel attempt in his freeskate, but then courageously threw one in in the final seconds. Todd finished a close second to Canada's Elvis Stojko:




2.) Todd's winning performance to the "First Knight" soundtrack at the 1996 Worlds in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. This is one of my all-time favorites freeskates of Todd's, and of anyone:



3.) Todd's "Independence Day" freeskate from the 1997 Champions Series Finals. Todd followed Elvis Stojko's historic performance featuring the first-ever Quadruple Toe Loop-Triple Toe Loop combination in history and turned in a spectacular performance of his own. He finished second overall to Stojko:

4.) Todd's 2001 World Championship program to the "1492" soundtrack. After taking a couple of years off, Todd returned to the competitive arena to rival the new generation: Russian phenoms Evgeni Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin. Todd turned in a terrific freeskate and finished third:



5.) Todd's freeskate from the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was out of medal contention after the short program but fought back to deliver his best Olympic performance in three showings and one that certainly made all his fans proud:


6.) Todd's "Your Song" exhibition from 2002. Todd skated this number on the post-Olympic Stars on Ice tour in 2002. My family attended a show in Wilkes Barre that year. Todd skated this, and his Olympic freeskate, and got rousing standing ovations for both. I remember him skating with such freedom and joy, as if the release of the Olympic pressure had liberated him. One of my favorite exhibitions of his:

Golden Finale: Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy Capture DWTS Title

Congratulations to Meryl and Maks on their outstanding run on Dancing with the Stars! Their title is truly deserved. It is a testament to their unbelievable chemistry and soulful and spirited dancing this season. Their dancing has been a true gift to the world and I'm truly going to miss watching them create magic week after week.

Judge Carrie-Ann Inaba summed up the couple best in her commentary on Monday evening: "This is what true dance is about: the soulful expression of your true self; it has honesty, integrity, and substance. What you did there was the most stunning example of divinity in motion."

Let's take a look back at their last dances together on Monday night's show: a tango and their freestyle, as well as Tuesday night's 24-hour fusion challenge, which co-host Erin Andrews said sounded like a deodorant.

Argentine Tango:




Freestyle:




Fusion of foxtrot and cha-cha:

True Grit: Michelle Kwan's Tosca

When I need inspiration, I look to Michelle Kwan. Her "Tosca" freeskate from the 2004 U.S. Championships in Atlanta, Georgia is nothing short of amazing. It has nothing to do with the seven triple jumps that she landed. It has everything to do with the heart that she showed. No matter what the naysayers said, or the incredible pressure that Michelle was under, she always found a way to be strong, stay positive, mentally tough, and lay her heart on the line.


According to Wikipedia, the definition of grit in psychology is a positive trait based on an individual's passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. Commonly associated concepts within the field of psychology include perseverance, hardiness, resilience, ambition, need for achievement, and conscientiousness. Michelle Kwan embodied the concept of grit throughout her career. She approached every challenge head-on and skated with attack, joy, and conviction, and heart. She was motivated by the desire to be the best, to give everything and hold back nothing.


In the last year or so, I have let fear creep in and take control of my life. I have held back because of doubt, indecisiveness, and negativity. I can't always define what it is that I'm afraid of. Is it a fear of not living up to my potential? Or is it a fear of my potential being without measure? I sometimes fear that I'm not following the correct path, but in truth, I don't always know what the correct path is. My best friend once told me that it doesn't matter if I don't have all the answers, or if I don't always have a clear idea of what it is that I want to achieve; the most important thing is to be driven by the desire to be the best version of myself, the desire to move forward in all ways. In order to move forward to be my best, I need to be strong, positive, persistent, and above all, have true grit.

Flashback to the 1994 World Championships: Stojko & Candeloro

If I wasn't already sold on figure skating before the 1994 World Championships in Chiba, Japan, I was irrevocably hooked after watching the men's competition. The top three at that year's event, Canada's Elvis Stojko, France's Philippe Candeloro and Ukraine's Viachaslav Zagurudniak were epic. Elvis' freeskate to the soundtrack of "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," and Philippe's freeskate to the music from "The Godfather" are two of the best freeskates that I've seen in my twenty years of following the sport. These freeskates have everything: incredible triple jumps (and in Elvis' case, a nearly-landed quad-triple), great, passionate movie soundtracks, and artistic concepts that skillfully showcase the best that each skater has to offer.


Elvis Stojko's "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story":

Philippe Candeloro's "Godfather":

Charlie White's DWTS Swan Song: Foxtrot with Sharna Burgess

Last week's episode of Dancing with the Stars featured the surprise exit of Olympic ice dance champion, Charlie White. Charlie and his partner Sharna began their DWTS journey back in March at the top of the leader board. They had their ups and downs along the way, but overall, Charlie was a fantastic competitor on the show--both on the floor with his joyful musicality and off the floor with his gracious, positive attitude. Anyone going through challenges should look to Charlie White to see how to handle pressure with a balanced perspective that places focus on the journey, not the result. He's been an inspiration to me in these last few weeks, encouraging me to stay happy, motivated, and enjoying my present moment as much as I can. It is obvious to me that Charlie had fun on DWTS and used that energy to deliver happy, buoyant, lighthearted performances throughout the show.

To the dismay of many fans, including the flabbergasted judges, Charlie and Sharna were voted off last week, just missing the cut into the show's two-part finale, beginning tonight on ABC. I felt that his exit was premature. I didn't think Charlie would take home the mirrorball when the show is said and done, but I did think that the strength of his body of work on the DWTS season, was enough to warrant him a spot in the final showcase. He paid his dues and truly deserved a spot in the finale.

So, readers, what do you think??



Here is Charlie and Sharna's foxtrot to "New York, New York" :