{"id":5525,"date":"2011-10-10T11:25:50","date_gmt":"2011-10-10T15:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/?p=5525"},"modified":"2017-09-03T21:50:44","modified_gmt":"2017-09-04T01:50:44","slug":"review-ice-champions-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/2011\/10\/10\/review-ice-champions-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Ice Champions Live!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>By Amber Lewis
\nSpecial to Figure Skaters Online<\/em><\/em>
\n__________<\/h5>\n

On Oct. 1, Michael Weiss\u2019 seventh Ice Champions Live! was held at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., raising over $80,000 for the Michael Weiss Foundation, which has given out over $455,000 in scholarships to help pay training expenses for rising skaters.<\/p>\n

Christine Brennan of USA Today emceed the event and she recalled how she once participated in a benefit to raise money for Weiss\u2019 training. Before starting the foundation in his name, Weiss, who headlined Champions on Ice, Stars on Ice and several Disson Skating shows, won three U.S. Championships. He is a two-time World Championship Bronze Medalist and a two-time Olympian, placing seventh in 1998 and 2002.<\/p>\n

The show opened with local star Brianna Laxson, the reigning intermediate ladies pewter medalist and she showcased great extension and beautiful lay backs.\u00a0 Emmanuel Savary, a Michael Weiss Foundation recipient and the 2010 U.S. Championship Novice Men’s Silver Medalist, skated to the Glee version of \u201cSomewhere over the Rainbow.\u201d\u00a0 His skating is very fluid, with great use of his arms and an infectious smile.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest hits of the night was 2010 and 2011 Novice Champion Nathan Chen, performing to \u201cStereo Hearts.\u201d\u00a0 He showcased some hip hop moves, a great feel for the music and had several huge triples including a triple-triple combination.\u00a0 He has been a scholarship winner since the program\u2019s inception and received the first standing ovation of the night. “The scholarship has helped me a ton,” Chen said. “I get a lot more training with higher level coaches.”<\/p>\n

Richard Dornbush, another scholarship recipient and the reigning national silver medalist, skated to a bluesy number.\u00a0 He landed a triple jump and included several inventive moves including a sit spin with his free leg held up near his head.\u00a0 He had some troubles with his triple Axel, missing it in the program and the finale, but went back out after the show ended and landed it.<\/p>\n

Courtney Hicks, the reigning U.S. Junior Ladies Champion who won Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Australia to start her season, landed two triples and a double Axel before showing off her signature spin, the Tw-Hicks. A Michael Weiss Foundation scholarship recipient, Hicks said \u201cThe scholarship helped a lot. I get more lessons and can work on performance skills and jumps. It\u2019s so great to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agnes Zawadzki, the 2010 Junior Ladies Champion and 2011 Senior Ladies Pewter Medalist, skated to the Beyonce version of \u201cAt Last.\u201d\u00a0 She had a beautiful Ina Bauer and showcased improved speed in her Biellman spin.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family doesn\u2019t have that much money, so the scholarship helps a lot,” she said. I\u2019m very thankful. You always have to give back and this show is so much fun.”<\/p>\n

Sinead and John Kerr were a real treat, performing to \u201cRolling in the Deep.\u201d\u00a0 Their routine was solid and entertaining and featured their signature reverse lift and a nice duo hydroblade.<\/p>\n

Ashley Wagner really played to the crowd in her performance of \u201cOn the Floor.\u201d\u00a0 She landed a triple jump and a double axel before showcasing a gorgeous spiral and good speed through her Bielmann.<\/p>\n

Two Olympic Champions also performed.\u00a0 Ilia Kulik hit huge triples, an aerial and a cool split to stand move to earn the second standing ovation of the evening.\u00a0 Brian Boitano landed a triple-double combination and really played to the crowd to earn another standing ovation.\u00a0 In the finale both skaters landed 3 double axels in a circular pattern.<\/p>\n

Weiss closed out the show with a performance that looked like it belonged on a gymnastics mat, including a headstand, headspring, kickup and an x out back flip.\u00a0 During his \u201cShook Me All Night Long\u201d performance he engaged the audience by throwing ice at the front row and showing off his spread eagle on his heels.<\/p>\n

After the show, skaters expressed their thankfulness for the Michael Weiss Foundation, which has also helped many skaters who were unable to attend the show, including 2008 U.S. Champion and 2010 U.S. Olympian Mirai Nagasu.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s meant so much to my family. We were struggling financially before he helped,” said Savary, who finished 14th in his JGP debut earlier this season in Latvia. “I\u2019m really excited to be here. I love to skate and make people smile.”<\/p>\n

Dornbush, who was the highest finishing man at the 2011 World Championships, where he placed ninth in his debut, also expressed his excitement. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just financial support,” Dornbush said. “Having him behind you is the greatest thing. I\u2019ve always wanted to do the show and I can now that my season is starting later this year since I\u2019m on the senior Grand Prix.”<\/p>\n

Wagner has never won a Michael Weiss Foundation Scholarship, but still felt it important to come out and support the show.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a great cause,” she said. “He\u2019s always supported younger skaters.\u00a0 It used to be that you had to do your time [to receive financial support] and this gives them opportunities.\u00a0 You need a new generation to keep skating going.”<\/p>\n

It was a great evening for a great cause.\u00a0 The performances were entertaining and engaging from beginning to end, and every single skater was extremely gracious to the fans attending the event.<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Leah Adams<\/h5>\n

Figure Skaters Online strives to be an accurate source of information related to the sport of figure skating. To report an error, please e-mail the <\/em>news editor<\/em>. Include the article date and title in your e-mail.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Oct. 1, Michael Weiss\u2019 seventh Ice Champions Live! was held at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shows"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5525"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5871,"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525\/revisions\/5871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}