In the Loop

OK, a little disclaimer on the rest of this interview.  I took a little liberty on the questions and answers, and so blame me for any grammatical errors.  It is difficult to transcribe an interview from voice to text, especially when you have an inexperienced interviewer (me).  Also, on most of the names mentioned in this interview I link to their profile on the Ice Network.  The problem is you can't see the links until you mouse over the name.  I'm working on fixing that problem.

I think the takeaway from this post should be two things:

1.       1.  Read Aaron’s blog as often as possible.  He loves the sport and updates all of us on a regular basis.  I, for one, have learned a lot about the sport from his blog and he helps keep me updated on the latest news.  Read it here: http://loopaxles.blogspot.com/

2.       2.  He’ll be at the Olympics, while the vast majority of us will be at home watching it on TV.  So, follow his tweets, blog, and facebook.  I’m looking forward to the insider’s perspective.  Follow him on twitter here: http://twitter.com/skating102

So, here is Part Deux!

TP: Are you a figure skater?

AH: I wouldn’t call myself a figure skater.  But once I got really into the sport, out of pure interest I put on some skates and started to skate.  I know how to skate on the ice, but I don’t know how to do any big tricks or anything.

TP: When did you get into figure skating?

AH: Well, it started like so many other people.  With “the knee whack herd around the world”.  It was 1994 Nationals, I was in 8^th grade, everyone was talking about it. Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were all over the news.  But the person I got the most interested in that year, wasn’t Nancy or Tonya…but Michelle Kwan, who got 2^nd place in Nationals but didn’t go to the Olympics.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

TP: Tell us about your writing, is that something you’ve always been interested in doing?

AH: When I blog, I like to do it.  I don’t consider it a chore.  Academically I’ve written a lot with my Masters and Undergrad work.    I find writing easy, but if it wasn’t figure skating I don’t think I would be as interested in writing for writing’s sake.

TP: We know you love Michelle Kwan, and I think she’s brilliant, but who are your other favorite skaters?

AH: Going back to the Kwan era we have, Todd Eldredge, Meno and Sand, Alexie Urmanov (he coaches Sergei  Voronov, who got bumped from the Olympics…I really like him).  Moving into modern skating I like Stephane Lambiel.  I like Yu-Na Kim (I think she’s probably the most deserving of the Gold if she skates well), but I don’t count her among my favorites.  Shizuka Arakawa (I really liked her, I was really happy when she won Gold in Torino), French Ice Dance Team (Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Shcoenfelder), Meryl Davis and Charlie White (I think they’re brilliant).

TP: [I comment on his breakdown of the Olympic field, and thank him for sharing his expertise].

TP: What do you think of the “Be Good Johnny Weir” on the Sundance Channel?

AH: I love it!  I can’t get enough of it.

TP: I’m going to bust into your interview, because I’m so glad to hear you say that.  I absolutely love that show.

AH: Another friend of mine, Hugo Chouinard does the music for the Canadian team and owns Sk8Mix.com …he doesn’t get the show in Canada.  So, I’ve been recording them for him, and I’m going to bring the tapes to the Olympics so he can see the show.

AH: That is good TV right there, I just can’t get enough of it.  The Sundance Channel has been sending me there Press Releases, because they like my blog and wanted me to get the word out to my show.  They felt like my readers would be interested in it.  I think their doing a 2^nd Season, because it has been a hit.

TP: I found this out from you, but I heard Tanith Belbin is going to be rooming with Johnny at the Olympics.

AH: Yeah, Lynn Rutherford tweeted that first.  And I thought, oh no, that is actually kind of brilliant.  That is made for TV.

TP: [I go on and on about how much I love this show…and so does Aaron]  You can listen to the interview for the details.

AH:  When you asked me about my favorite skaters, I’d like to add Johnny to that list.  I have other opinions about Johnny outside of skating, and I think he could be so much better than he is…but his natural ability is superb.  He didn’t start skating until he was 12 years old.  He is gifted in a way in which other skaters aren’t.

TP: What events do you usually hit on an annual basis?

AH: As far as events I never miss…that would be Nationals.  I’ve been every since 1998.  I didn’t go this year because of the God Awful two weekend format.  Nobody likes this format, none of the skaters like it, none of the fans like it.  It was all done to help NBC and give them another weekend to promote the Olympics. I understand US Figure Skating was in a bind and they needed to strike a deal with the major networks, but because of that split weekend I couldn’t justify the trip for the first time since 1998.

AH:  I try to make it to Skate America, a few Skate Canadas, been to World’s when it was in Vancouver and Calgary.  I’ve been to so many skating competitions it is hard to remember all of them.  I’ve been to Worlds three times in the US.  My plan is to make it to a big International Event sometime really soon. I really want to make it, and I have an event in mind.

TP: I was going to ask if you’ve ever been to Vancouver, but it sounds like you were there for World’s when Vancouver hosted it.

AH: I’ve actually been to Vancouver lots of times.  I grew up in Seattle and we would just go to Vancouver for the weekend.  I was just up in Vancouver less than a year ago for the Four Continents Cup, I went to that event to see the Olympic Venue to see it in action…thinking, “I won’t get a chance to see it during the Olympics”.

TP: If you were going to make some predictions this year at the Olympics?

AH:  I think if Plushenko stands up on two feet, he’s going to be handed a Gold Medal.  People say he doesn’t have the same components as like a Patrick Chan or an Abbot, but I don’t think that matters.  The judges love him.  I see Evan Lysacek on the podium.  I think he is going to make himself skate well, and I think he’ll be on the podium.  Third spot is up for grabs, Patrick Chan, Ado, Brian Joubert.  If I had to pick one to make it to the podium, I’d say Joubert.

On the ladies side: I think it will be Kim Yu-Na, I think Mao Asada and her triple axels will probably get her on the podium.  I think that Rachel Flatt is going to surprise us.  She is very consistent and she doesn’t have the pressure that the other ladies have.  So, I think she has a shot at the podium.

TP: What are your thoughts on the new judging system?

AH: I get the system, because the old system was way too subjective.  The old system was ripe for scandal.  Salt Lake City is a perfect example of how that system could be misused.  I support the new system, but they have to fine tune exactly how the scoring system and slow motion replays work.  How aggressive they should be on deductions.  They need to hone in on the component score.  They need to find a way to be consistent.  I think it’s a workable system, it just has to be improved and they’ve got to get rid of the anonymous judging.

Olympic Pairs Short Program tonight at 7pm Eastern!

Can I get a hallelujah? How long have you been waiting for the Figure Skating Events to begin? Days, weeks, months, or 4 years?  Click here for schedules, news, and information: NBC Olympics

I personally can’t wait. This will be my first Olympics as a hardcore figure skating fan, and I am super excited for the US Team, the world, and the sport in general.  If anyone wants to know…below is my Figure Skating Fantasy Team for the Vancouver Olympics.

2010 Olympic Winter Games Event

Ladies A
Yu-Na Kim, KOR

Ladies B
Laura Lepisto, FIN

Ladies C
Tugba Karademir, TUR

Men's A
Jeremy Abbott, USA

Men's B
Johnny Weir, USA

Men's C
Javier Fernandez, ESP

Pairs A
Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov, RUS

Pairs B
Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett, USA

Pairs C
Anais Morand/Antoine Dorsaz, SUI

Ice Dancing A
Meryl Davis/Charlie White, USA

Ice Dancing B
Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates, USA

Ice Dancing C
Christina Beier/William Beier, GER

Believe It!!!

Exclusive Interview with Aaron Harris, Gold Blogger for One Winter, Five Dreams and Axels, Loops, and Spins – February 9^th, 2010 – Part I

This is Part I of an exclusive interview I did with Aaron Harris from Axels, Loops, and Spins.  He will be blogging for Panasonic’s “One Winter, Five Dreams” project the next few weeks.  Aaron is well known in the Figure Skating World and has been a prolific blogger on the subject since July 2007.  We are proud to have had the opportunity to get some time with him two days before he left for Vancouver to cover the Olympics.

Here is a link to his blog: Axels, Loops, and Spins: http://loopaxles.blogspot.com/

Here is a link to the “One Winter, Five Dreams” project:  http://5dreams.panasonic.net/

This is my first time to transcribe an interview…and as it turns out, it is much more difficult than I imagined.  So, this is Part I, just so I can get it online.  The rest of the interview and a link to the Audio Interview is coming soon.

I highly suggest you follow Aaron Harris on twitter (http://twitter.com/skating102) , facebook, and read his blog daily if you are interested in Figure Skating or the Olympics at all.

So, without further ado, and no more gilding the lilly I bring you Aaron Harris and Travis Phipps discussing The Olympics, Figure Skating, Blogging, and of course Johnny Weir!

TP: How are you doing?

AH: I’m exhausted, but I’m ok.

TP: When do you take off (for the Olympics)?

AH: Thursday afternoon.

TP: Tell us a little about the project “One Winter, Five Dreams”

AH: Was launched several months ago by Panasonic when they decided to follow 5 athletes, from 4 different sports that wouldn’t have the most conventional way to the Olympics.   They aren’t your Evan Lysacek’s, Patrick Chan’s,  Kim Yu-Na’s. They don’t come from ideal training situations, they don’t come from places that have heavily supported Olympic Federations, they are people that have really had to work hard.  They have been following these 5 athletes on the One Winter, Five Athletes website.  They also put out a contest looking for a blogger.  Not only blogging about these 5 athletes but also the Olympics in general. I like blogging and I love the Olympics, so I entered the contest by filling out a questionnaire.  I tried to be as sincere as possible.  Apparently my efforts were good enough, because I won.

TP: What was the process for selecting the winner?

AH: I suppose they followed my blog, but other than that there wasn’t any other process except for me getting the email stating that I won the contest.

TP: When did you find out that you won the contest?

AH: I actually knew for a week before I posted it on Twitter.  Panasonic asked me to wait until the Olympics were closer prior to announcing it on my blog. They told me last Friday that I could announce it; however, they still don’t want me to go into great detail because they want to announce it in Vancouver.

TP: Do you have a “Day Job”, because I know you spend a lot of time on Axels, Loops, and Spins?

AH: Yeah, I work for a non-profit medical organization in medical imaging…and I’m not really allowed to use their name either.  On the blog it can be deceptive because I can write a post in the evening and have it pop up first thing in the morning.

TP: How long will you be in Vancouver?

AH: I leave on Thursday (February 12) and return on March 1^st, so I’ll be there the whole time.

TP: Wow, I can’t tell you how jealous I am.

AH: Everyone on facebook and twitter has been saying the same thing.  I said that if there is a problem taking off in the snow storm that I’ll get out and push the plane, and everyone else is saying, “if you take me with you, I’ll help you push the plane!”

TP: Where do you live?

AH: West Central Illinois. Right in between Chicago and St. Louis.

TP: Have you decided what you’re going to wear to the Opening Ceremonies?

AH: I have no idea, I’ll figure that out when I’m frantically packing.

TP: Do you have a schedule, do you get to attend all of the events, how is it all going to work?

AH: Some of it, I’m sure I’ll learn as I go, but Panasonic has told me a lot…but they want me to keep that a secret for the time being.  But as it unfolds I’ll be blogging about it.

TP: We’ll keep an eye on your blog as the Olympics comes around, and we’ll send everyone your way for minute by minute updates.  So, everyone keep your eyes open for that.  But in the meantime can you tell us a little bit about your blog, how long you’ve been blogging, and what got you started?

AH: Sure, I started blogging in 2005 just before the Torino Olympics.  You can actually see on my blog archives the very early beginnings of Axels, Loops, and Spins.  It was spotty writing, nothing consistent, and I kept track of Michelle Kwan because I’m a big fan.  I got away from it, and took break for almost a year, but got back into it in the Summer of 2007.  Started the “Pic of the Week”, and then it became real steady.  Went to several events and wrote about those.  I found that what will drive traffic to your blog is mainly frequent updates.  When I started hooking it up with Facebook and Twitter and that is when I started getting a lot of traffic.

TP: [This is where I spend some time complimenting Aaron on his prolific writing and thanking him for his consistency ;) ]

More to come!

Brianna de la Mora and Taylor Wilson took home the Gold at the United States Junior Figure Skating Championships, in Strongsville OH. They represent the Texas Gulf Coast Figure Skating Club, and are coached by Elena and Val Prudsky.  We’ve been very impressed with them since we first saw them skate at the Houston Fall Invitational over Labor Day in 2009.  At that time, they had only been skating together for 2-3 months.  We saw them skate again at the Southwest Regional Championships in Grapevine, TX. We’re very excited about their future and glad to hear that Taylor is going to stay close to home and go the University of Houston next year.  Brianna is only 10 years old and skating with fire.  We couldn’t be happier for the both of them, and we are certain you’re going to be hearing more from these two!

Mandy Garza and Brandon Frazier brought home the Bronze in Novice pairs at the US Championships in Spokane.  Mandy and Brandon represent the Texas Gulf Coast Figure Skating Club, but train with Dalilah Sappenfield’s group in Colorado Springs.  They rose from 4^th in the short program to 3^rd with an impressive 2^nd place finish in their Free Skate.  Mandy and Brandon have only been skating together for about 8 months, and this was their first Nationals.  I doubt this is the last we’ll be hearing from this pair.  They plan on moving up to Juniors next year and competing in the Junior Grand Prix Circuit.

Please join us in congratulating Brianna, Taylor, Mandy, and Brandon for seeing success after a lot of hard work.

If you know a skater, that you would like to see highlighted in our blog, please let us know by dropping us a line at info@cherryloop.com.  We love this sport and we especially love watching our skaters work hard and see success!

See you on the ice!

Travis and Robin

Custom Harlick Figure Skating Boots with CherryLoop Logo!

Well, I don’t how many people will be that interested in our new boots, but I know I am! 

I mentioned in a blog post back in November that we dropped by the Harlick manufacturing facility for a little visit.  It was an incredible visit by the way.  We met Phil Kuhn, his wife Ginger, and the rest of the small staff that is responsible for a good percentage of the skating boots on the ice today.  We already knew Rudy quite well from our trip to the Southwest Regional Championships.

 They gave us (my wife Robin and our three figure skating daughters) a tour of the facility.  You would not believe what all goes into making a pair of Harlick Skating Boots (Quality in every pair – that is their tagline ;)).  Suffice it to say, you have to be there to believe it.  Every single pair of boots, including stock boots are made by hand and with painstaking detail.  I can assure you, no stone goes unturned.

Phil also gave me a quick tutorial on the “correct” way to put blades on the boots.  I won’t go into the details, but let me just tell you…there is a lot more to it than just screwing on the blade.  He also showed me little tips and tricks to make certain every skater I fit will have the best possible fitting boots.  I watched and participated in about 5 custom fittings, including fittings for our 3 girls.

Now we’re getting to the good part.  It just happens to be time for our middle daughter to get a new pair of boots, and so we put our money where our mouth is.  We purchased a pair of Custom Harlick Boots.  These boots have the Double Duo Bond, White Elk Leather, with Flex Notch, 50/50 Lamb’s Wool and Foam Rubber Tongue, Growth Insoles, Orthopedic Arch, Clarino Lining, with a standard wax finish…AND our CherryLoop logo on the outside of each boot.

You too can have the CherryLoop logo (we’d pick up the charge if you were interested), an initial, a little animal; etc, etc…the sky is the limit on what Phil can put on the boot. Here are some samples: Harlick Artistic Boot Designs.

We will be doing Harlick custom and stock fittings at the Sooner State Games in Tulsa, OK.  We are also available for fittings by appointment, and we are happy to walk you through the process on the phone.  We absolutely _love_ the Harlick Boots and we want you to be as happy with your boots as we are with ours!

Here are some pictures of the infamous boots and some pics from our visit to Harlick:

Side by side Harlick Boots with CherryLoop Logo (We're going to make the loop with Swarovski crystals)

Close up of CherryLoop logo Top view of boots (shows the 50/50 tongue)

Outside of the Harlick Facility Inside (look closely at some of the boxes in this pic...some famous names)

Travis, Phil Kuhn, and Ginger Kuhn Click on the pic above for a slide show tour of the Harlick Facility

Congratulations Ashley Cain and Joshua Reagan – Gold Medal at Nationals!

We would like to congratulate Ashley Cain and Joshua Reagan of the Dallas Stars Figure Skating Club for taking the Gold in Novice Pairs at Nationals in Spokane, Washington.  Ashley also grabbed a Silver medal for her solid performance in the Novice Ladies competition.

Ashley and Joshua finished in second after the short program, and then went on to win the free skate and pull into first overall.

Ashley’s week was very full competing in both events, but obviously she handled the pressure, hard work, and lack of sleep very well indeed.

We could not be happier for Ashley and Joshua.  We first met Ashley and her family last year at the Houston Fall Invitational, and then we got to know them better at the Southwestern Regional Championships in Grapevine, Texas.  We will be watching with great interest as her skating career continues to blossom.

For more information, interviews, and quotes from the skaters themselves read the ongoing coverage at Ice Network.  Here are some articles relating Ashley and Joshua at Nationals:

Cain, Reagan take novice pairs title

Aliso Viejo and Colorado Springs teams also medal

Cain edges Kulgeyko in novice ladies short

Coaching a family affair for Texans

Keiser jumps her way to novice title

Cain picks up second medal of Championships

Ashley Cain with Gold Medal – CherryLoop booth at the Southwest Regional Championships, Grapevine, Texas

We are proud to announce that CherryLoop.com has recently partnered with the MySkatingMall.com.  You will soon be able to buy and sell gently used figure skating items directly from the online mall.  Imagine an eBay or Amazon type store just for figure skaters.  Not only is this a much needed service, but MySkatingMall is taking the idea one step further.  5% of every purchase made at the mall will be donated to the skaters club of choice!  This serves and supports the entire skating community.  Your club makes money from your purchases, you save money by buying gently used items at a discounted rate, you can sell items that otherwise would have sat in your closet.

Ryan Jahnke, 2003 World Team Member and PSA Master Rated Coach, is the founder of MySkatingMall.