Scott Hamilton happy to be skating again

Scott Hamilton’s voice, though muffled by a bad cellphone connection, was unmistakably joyful.

“I’m back to being an ice skater. How weird is that?” he said the other day. “Isn’t that bizarre? I never thought I’d be doing this again.”

Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic figure skating gold medalist, returned to performing last weekend for the first time in 5½ years, skating in Cleveland for the benefit of the Scott CARES initiative at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center.

The show, which also featured figure skating gold medalists Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Ilia Kulik, among others, raised more than $1 million for the initiative, which provides advice and resources to cancer patients and their families.

It was Hamilton’s first performance for a crowd since he was treated for a benign brain tumor in 2004. It was far from perfect, but simply being back on the ice with friends who were as close as family was enough to make it a different kind of gold-medal effort.

“It was fun. It put me back in touch with what I loved about skating,” he said. “When I stopped skating 5½ years ago I didn’t want to skate anymore. I’d gotten to a place where I wasn’t happy on the ice, and now being back out there I am happy about skating again. I was able to kind of release whatever feelings I had before that put me into retirement, whether it was chemistry or brain chemistry from having the brain tumor.

“That’s one thing I really wanted to know. Did I stop skating back then because it was really time, or was it body chemistry or brain chemistry that was stopping me from enjoying and skating at a level I could feel good about? And just being with my friends again in that capacity and skating again made me feel like what happened 5½ years ago taking away skating wasn’t something in my control. It was an issue with my health.

“And I’m hoping I can just keep working towards being the best skater I can be and performing more and more often and getting better with each performance.”

Having his sons, 6-year-old Aidan and 22-month-old Maxx, there to see him added to his joy.

San Jose to host 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

The 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place in San Jose, the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. announced today. The nationals will be held at the HP Pavilion on Jan. 22-29, 2012.

San Jose also hosted the nationals in 1996 when Michelle Kwan won the first of her nine championships.

The 2010 nationals and Olympic trials will be held in Spokane, Wash., in January.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Jennifer Kirk blog: U.S. women must hope a weak beginning turns into a strong ending at Vancouver

Jennifer Kirk, who won the 2000 world junior figure skating championship, finished third at the U.S. championships in 2004 and fourth in 2005, will write a weekly blog for The Times providing insights into the skating world during the months leading into the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Since retiring from figure skating in 2005, Kirk, 25, has been working on obtaining a college degree in broadcast journalism and has spent the last few months blogging about skating at Trueslant.com/jenniferkirk.

Americans Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu came to the weekend’s Cup of China event with high hopes. Facing a relatively weak field, both had a reasonable shot at medaling. 

It was shocking, then, when the ladies’ podium was void of an American flag. After dealing with their respective struggles in Beijing, Flatt and Nagasu were left with disappointment and empty hands heading home from their first Grand Prix event of this Olympic season.

What’s most significant about the weekend’s event isn’t that Flatt and Nagasu left a relatively mid-level Grand Prix event without a medal, but rather what it means for the larger hopes for American ladies’ figure skating.

Without a clear standout star among the American women, to some degree, the hopes of an Olympic medal rests in the hands of a relatively unpredictable group of young women who have yet to establish themselves as consistent threats for international medals. 

This week’s Cup of China served as a microcosm of this predicament. That said, it’s important to note that although the Cup of China was a disappointment, Flatt and Nagasu have the ability to rebound from the weekend’s setbacks and revive American ladies’ skating. But it will take some work.

Jennifer Kirk: Plushenko must be reckoned with--but he's not a lock for Vancouver gold

Jennifer Kirk, who won the 2000 world junior figure skating championship, finished third at the U.S. championships in 2004 and fourth in 2005, will write a weekly blog for The Times providing insights into the skating world during the final months leading into the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Since retiring from figure skating in 2005, Kirk, 25, has been working on obtaining a college degree in broadcast journalism and has spent the last few months blogging about skating at Trueslant.com/jenniferkirk.

When reigning Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko announced his plans to compete this season following a 3½-year hiatus from the competitive arena, most were initially skeptical about the success of his return. Would he be in competitive form? Was he going to be able to adapt to the various changes in the judging system? Would he regain his standing as the No. 1 male skater in the world?

Last weekend Plushenko answered those questions.

Winning his first and only Grand Prix event of the season, Plushenko kicked off his return to competitive skating with a bang. Skating a squeaky-clean long program and commanding the ice in Moscow, he picked up exactly where he left off in 2006. Not only did Plushenko take the gold, but he crushed the competition, winning by 25 points over Takahiko Kozuka of Japan.

What was most impressive about Plushenko’s skating in Moscow was his unwavering confidence. Though  his victory dance after the completion of his long program could be perceived as cocky by some, this blend of cockiness and confidence proved to be the reigning Olympic champion’s winning ingredient. Plushenko seems incredibly committed to his quest of winning a second Olympic crown, and after two events of the Grand Prix series he’s the front-runner heading into the Games.

Jennifer Kirk: Kim is in her own field of gold

Jennifer Kirk, who finished third at the U.S. figure skating championships in 2004 and fourth in 2005, will write a weekly blog for The Times providing insights into the skating world during the final months leading into the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Since retiring from figure skating in 2005, Kirk, 25, has been working on obtaining a college degree in broadcast journalism and has spent the last few months blogging about skating at Trueslant.com/jenniferkirk.

World Champion Kim Yu-Na's skating at last weekend’s Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris made a bold statement: Olympic gold is mine to lose.

Picking off where she left off at the World Championships last spring, Kim blew away the field of 10 in Paris.  Debuting two new, more sophisticated programs, Kim skated with a level of ease rarely seen in skaters so early in the season.

Even her addition of a more difficult combination -- the triple lutz-triple toe loop -- to both her short and long programs didn’t seem to faze “Queen Yu-Na,” as she’s referred to by her fans, and she easily smashed the previous world record (set by her), scoring a combined total of 210.03 points.

If Kim continues to deliver as she has in the last few events, it will be nearly impossible for any lady to snatch gold away from her in Vancouver. This reality must sit heavy with 2008 world champion Mao Asada, who has played the role of Kim’s closest rival over the last few seasons.

 Asada defeated Kim at the 2008 World Championships and again at last year’s Grand Prix final, setting herself up in a great position to defend her world title last March in Los Angeles. However, after missing her triple lutz in her short program and crashing on the landing of her second triple axel in her long program, Asada was left to watch Kim become skating’s newest leading lady and was left without a medal in an international event for the first time in her career.

Unfortunately, Asada’s performance quality at Trophee Bompard seemed to mimic that seen at last season’s World Championships.  It appears that Asada has come to realize that the only way that she’ll be able to contend with Kim’s exceptional consistency and technical abilities is to capitalize on the one element that Kim does not have in her arsenal: the triple axel. Asada reportedly spent most of her practice time in Paris with a myopic focus on her triple axel, choosing to abandon the training of her triple lutz and triple-triple combination.

While Asada has had fleeting success with the triple axel in her long program at past events, this season she’s made the bold move of putting it in as part of her short program combination. This isn’t smart. Asada’s triple axel is nowhere near consistent enough to rely on as a short program combination, and by attempting the axel, Asada is only increasing the odds that she will make a mistake in the first phase of the competition.

Sasha Cohen out, but the women will still be the main attraction at Grand Prix figure skating event in Paris

Jennifer Kirk, who finished third at the U.S. figure skating championships in 2004 and fourth in 2005, will write a weekly blog for The Times providing insights into the skating world during the final months leading into the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Since retiring from figure skating in 2005, Kirk, 25, has been working on obtaining a college degree in broadcast journalism and has spent the last few months blogging about skating at Trueslant.com/jenniferkirk.

Since the world championships last March, the top skaters in the world have had little time to rest. The past few months have been spent furiously training and polishing every detail of their skating in anticipation of the Olympic season. This week a group of these skaters will test their off-season work in Paris at the Trophee Eric Bompard, the first of six International Skating Union Grand Prix events.

Until late last week the biggest story surrounding this week’s event was the comeback of 2006 Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen. Unfortunately, Cohen issued a statement Friday announcing her withdrawal from Trophee Bompard, citing tendinitis in her right calf. Cohen has spent the last three years away from competition and struggled with her jumps in recent performances. Despite her injury, Cohen says she still plans to compete at her second Grand Prix event, Skate America, next month.

Although Cohen is out of the mix this week, the ladies event will be this main attraction. Reigning world champion Yu-Na Kim appears hungry for her first win of the season and poised to face her biggest rival, 2008 world champ Mao Asada.  While Kim was the easy winner at last season’s world championships, Asada beat her at the Grand Prix Final just a few months earlier and was very strong on the series last fall. 

Kwan to skate in show ... for fun or a comeback?

Figure skater Michelle Kwan, whose trophy case is lacking only an Olympic gold medal, has left her options open regarding the Vancouver Games next February and whether she will make one more attempt at that elusive prize. Hip surgery, getting a degree from Denver University and her diplomatic work for the State Department have kept her busy, but she's now planning to skate in front of an audience for the first time in three years.

Is it just a favor to world champion Kim Yu-na, who invited her to perform in Seoul, South Korea, in August? Or the first triple salchow toward another Olympic appearance for Kwan, who will turn 29 on Tuesday?

Time will tell. But Kwan's agent, Shep Goldberg, confirmed Friday that Kwan will skate in Kim's show, to take place Aug. 14-16. The last time the five-time world champion and nine-time U.S. champion performed in front of a crowd was August of 2006, six months after an injury forced her to withdraw from the Turin Olympics.

"Michelle has turned down other invitations, but she and Yu-na have a mutual admiration society going," Goldberg said. "Michelle is feeling healthy and has her abilities up to the standards she sets for herself, which are very high standards."

Kwan won a silver medal at Nagano in 1998 and bronze at Salt Lake City in 2002. To compete in Vancouver, she would have to go through regional events and win one of two Olympic berths at the U.S. championships, which will be held next January in Spokane, Wash.

Her fellow Southern Californian and longtime rival, Turin silver medalist Sasha Cohen, has already announced she will try for a place on the Vancouver Olympic team. The upcoming figure skating season should be very interesting.

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Michelle Kwan appears at the American Idol Season 8 Grand Finale on May 20. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Two local standouts grace cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids

Even though he missed out on the starting quarterback job at USC, that hasn't stopped Matt Barkley from making the cover of a nationally recognized magazine.

The Santa Ana Mater Dei graduate is featured front and center on the cover of this week's issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids, highlighting the magazine's "20 under 20" list of top athletes from across the nation. Barkley, 18, is considered one of the nation's top high school recruits and has gained a lot of notoriety since winning the 2007-08 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year Award as a junior.

Barkley wasn't the only local kid to make the cover, though. Mirai Nagasu, a 16-year-old figure skater from Arcadia, is also featured. Nagasu won the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating National Championships and is considered a favorite to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Unfortunately, an ankle injury played a role in her fifth-place result at this year's national championships.

For more on young athletes, check out The Times' high school sports blog, Varsity Times Insider.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Photo: Sports Illustrated

Lysacek and the Lakers: Just a bunch of champions

Evan Lysacek and the Lakers practice in the same facility, the Toyota Center in El Segundo. They've won major titles as the result of their performances at Staples Center, where the Lakers won three NBA championships and Lysacek last month claimed the world figure skating championship.

So it makes sense for Lysacek, an Illinois native who has enthusiastically adopted Los Angeles as his home, to share the floor with the Lakers -- if only briefly -- before they resume their first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz.

Lysacek will be introduced at the game Monday and will present the game ball for the opening tipoff, a well-deserved honor. It will also be a rare occasion when he's surrounded by athletes who are taller than he is: He's about 6 foot 1, extremely tall for a figure skater.

-- Helene Elliott

Jeffrey Buttle's wish for the next figure skating champion

Jeffrey Buttle of Canada won't be trying for a second successive title when the World Figure Skating Championships take place this week at Staples Center.

In a thoughtful essay now on our website, he explains why he retired.

--Helene Elliott