Michelle Kwan discusses her career, Part II

Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune recently conducted a lengthy interview with former figure skating star Michelle Kwan. Below is an except of the interview, Part 2 of which you can read here.

Q: What is the funniest thing that happened to you as a skater?

Michell Kwan: It was probably the world championships in Germany (2004) when I was warming up before the long program, and a guy came on the ice in a tutu.  He could have picked a lot of skaters to get on the ice and do that with, and he picked me, which seemed kind of cool at first.

I remember people yelling and I was like, “What’s going on?"  Then I saw him on the ice, and I thought about what happens if he has a gun.  For a second, I thought I better get off the ice and run for my life.  Then seeing him stagger around  the ice, I realized if he had a gun he couldn’t aim it, or if he had a knife, he couldn’t get to me with it.

Looking back at the tapes and stuff, it’s not like football where (security) rushes the field.  It was like, “How many security guards does it take to tackle somebody on the ice?”

It was the only time in history that happened in skating, right?

 (NOTE:  The intruder, wearing skates and ski goggles, jumped the rink boards and stripped to the waist to reveal the name of an Internet casino painted on his back and chest. He pulled a tutu over his tights and began to do a clown-like routine as Kwan briefly continued to warm up before it turned serious in her mind.  More than a minute passed before anyone in the security force reacted at all to the intruder's presence on the ice. It eventually took five men in street shoes 40 seconds to herd him off.  Kwan declined the offer of an ice resurface and competed after some minor debris had been removed.  She said after finishing her heart began thumping wildly while she waited for security to apprehend the intruder. Kwan composed herself to skate flawlessly until doubling a final planned triple jump, a performance good enough for a bronze medal, her last of a U.S. record nine world medals.)

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Michelle Kwan discusses Michelle Kwan

Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune recently conducted a lengthy interview with former figure skating star Michelle Kwan. Below is an except of the interview, Part 1 of which you can read here.

1. What is your favorite performance?

Michelle Kwan: On so many levels, it would have to be 1998 nationals.  I had a stress fracture, and I was struggling during Christmas with my foot in a cast.  I remember being really, really sad.  I was thinking, “I have to be at nationals in two weeks.  How is this going to happen?”  I had two choices – one was give up, and the other was to go out there and skate and enjoy it.

I knew the pain was not going to go away.  It was just dealing with it and still being able to enjoy what I was doing.  I think that is very hard to do.   But I thought, “I have to be able to put myself in the frame of mind of having fun.”

That nationals went so well because I went out there with a lightness and freedom and loving what I do.  I tried to do that for the rest of my career.

There was also just being able to experience it and put it in perspective.  Of course, I was also trying to make that Olympic team.  I went beyond my expectations.

(NOTE:  Many consider Kwan’s brilliant skating at the 1998 U.S. Championships the highlight of her career.  Seven of the nine judges gave her perfect 6.0 scores for presentation in the short program – the first 6.0s ever for a woman in the short program at nationals.  Eight judges gave her perfect presentation scores in the free skate.)

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Skater Johnny Weir on marrying boyfriend: 'No more livin' in sin!'

Johnny Weir, the three-time U.S. skating champion who once avoided questions about his sexuality, rang in 2012 by marrying Atlanta lawyer Viktor Voronov in New York on New Year's Eve.

Weir had been providing hints leading up to the nuptials on Twitter, referring to Voronov as the "newest member" of his family on Christmas Day and tweeting: "Its cold, dark and very early, but something wonderful is afoot" on Dec. 30.

Finally, on New Year's Eve, Weir revealed, "I'm married!" and later added a few details: "Wedding in summer! But all the official stuff is done now! No more livin' in sin!"

On Tuesday, Weir sent out another tweet while honeymooning in Punta Cana: "Thank you to everyone for your well wishes to me and@vitya_zvesda! It means a lot to have your blessings! Mama loves you!"

After previously stating he wanted people to see him “for who I am, not what I am," Weir came out last January in his autobiography, “Welcome to My World.”

He hasn't skated competitively since finishing sixth at the Vancouver Olympics but has not ruled out attempting to take part in the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia.

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Photo: Johnny Weir at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Despite fall, U.S. champion Alissa Czisny wins Skate America

Defending U.S. champion Alissa Czisny survived an early fall on her triple flip and held off Italy's Carolina Kostner on Sunday to win the women's title at Skate America at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. Czisny, who also had a crooked landing on a triple loop and doubled another planned triple, outshone Kostner with her fast-paced footwork and technically better spins, also elements that are judged.

Czisny finished with 177.48 points, just ahead of Kostner's 177.35.

Skating to "Valse Triste" by Jean Sibelius and dressed in deep purple, Czisny's fall came on the second jump of her program. On her next jump, the triple loop, Czisny had an unsteady landingm but the 24-year-old gathered her composure and finished with highly rated spins and circular step work.

Viktoria Helgesson of Sweden won the bronze medal with a score of 145.75. Caroline Zhang, an 18-year-old from Brea who was third after the short program, had three falls in her long program, which ranked last among the 10 skaters Sunday, and fell to sixth place overall.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Alissa Czisny celebrates her gold medal victory ahead of Carolina Kostner of Italy (left) and Viktoria Helgesson of Sweden (right) for the Ladies Free Skate competition. Credit: Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Germans win Skate America pairs gold medal

Robin Szolkowy and Aliona Savchenko, the defending world champions, won the pairs competition Sunday at Skate America at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, coming from fifth place after the short program with a free skate that beat the field.

Szolkowy and Savchenko, of Germany, finished with 183.98 points. Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China were second with 178.66 points and Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch were third. The top Americans, Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, were fourth and brought the crowd to its feet with their program, skated to the classical Puccini music "Nessun Dorma." The performance was without major mistakes but it was also cautious and didn't contain as many difficult elements as those done by the medal winners.

Szolkowy made reference to the error-marred short program he and Savchenko had done by saying, "I hope you missed us yesterday. Today's performance, though, was quite OK."

Zhang and Zhang were also happy. After missing much of last year because Zhang Hao was injured, the two had practiced their Sunday free skate only four times. "I was pretty pleased with it," Zhang Hao said. "We're still lacking condition and endurance, but that is still something we can work on. I don't think this is a major problem."

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Robin Szokowy and Aliona Savchenko perform their routine during the free skate portion of Skate America on Sunday at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. Credit: Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

White, Davis win second Skate America ice dance title

Reigning world ice dancing champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States earned a standing ovation and also accumulated five perfect marks of 10 while winning their second consecutive Skate America ice dancing gold medal at the Citizens Business Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Davis and White, skating elegantly to music from the Johann Strauss piece "Die Fledermaus," evoked the atmosphere of a Viennese ballroom in the 19th century as they floated across the ice and scored a commanding win with 178.07 points.

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France, who performed an Egyptian-themed free dance to music called "The Pharaoh and His Mummy," were far behind with 156.29 points. Bourzat, who could barely catch his breath in between coughing spells, said he was going straight to a doctor after receiving his medal.

Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas of Lithuania, who received an invitation to the event only two weeks ago after a Russian couple withdrew because of illness, moved up from fifth place after the short dance to take the bronze medal. Tobias is originally from New York and is a trained ballet dancer.

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Photo: Meryl Davis and Charlie White perform their free dance Saturday at the Skate America event in Ontario. Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Brezina wins Skate America; Corona's Dornbush does quad

Michal Brezina, a 21-year-old from the Czech Republic, survived a mistake-filled long program to win the men's title at Skate America on Saturday at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.

Brezina, who finished fourth at the world championships last year, had a 10-point lead after the short program and that was enough to keep him ahead even as he turned an attempted quadruple salchow into a single, popped a triple loop, fell on his triple lutz and stumbled during his step sequence.

Still, Brezina finished with 216.00 points to win his first Grand Prix tournament gold medal. Kevin van der Perren, a 29-year-old veteran from Belgium, completed one of only two fully rotated quadruple jumps Saturday in the long program to move up from fourth after the short program, to second with 212.48 points while reigning world silver medalist Takahiko Kozuka of Japan, who fell twice including on his quad attempt, was third with 212.09 points.

Richard Dornbush, 20, of Corona moved up from fifth after the short to fourth place with the help of his completed quadruple jump, only the second time in competition he has landed the quad. Dornbush, who skated a Western-themed program to music from "A Fistful of Dollars," did a solid quadruple toe loop to open his program and followed that with a nicely done triple lutz, but as the program progressed, Dornbush stumbled out of a triple axel and had two falls while scoring 202.27 points.

"Best part of the program was the quad," Dornbush said, "then I made a lot of mistakes which I regret but I'm so happy I landed the quad."

Brezina, who skated last, said it was his coaches who told him not to attempt either of the planned two quadruple jumps he had in his long program performed to music from "The Untouchables." Winning was nice, Brezina said, but next time he competes, in a Grand Prix event in Paris? "I'm going to do the quad no matter what," he said.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Michael Brezina performs during his long program on Saturday at Skate America in Ontario. Credit: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

Michelle Kwan to co-chair International Olympic Committee conference in L.A.

The Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games announced Thursday that figure skater Michelle Kwan, a five-time world champion, nine-time U.S. champion and twice an Olympic medalist, and movie producer Frank Marshall, a five-time Oscar nominee, will be co-chairs of the fifth International Olympic Committee Women and Sport 2012 Conference, to be held early next year in Los Angeles.

The event will take place Feb. 16-18 at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live.

The Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, which promotes Olympic ideals and organizes bids to hold the Games here, will organize and stage the event in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“It’s an honor to co-chair and participate in such an important international event,” Kwan, a U.S. public diplomacy envoy, said in a news release. "Historically, this conference has played a meaningful role in identifying ways to improve and increase participation of women in the world of sport around the globe. Women athletes are making progress; for the very first time, the 2012 Olympic Games in London will showcase women competing in every sport on the program. I look forward to this conference and to the continued advancement of women in sports.” 

Moscow will host World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships will take place in Moscow from April 24 to May 1, the International Skating Union said Thursday.

The announcement came a day after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised support for the event, which was initially scheduled for this week in Tokyo but was moved because of the disasters in Japan.

Tribune writer Philip Hersh has more on the announcement here.

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Photo: Vladimir Putin. Credit: Alexey Nikolsky / EPA

With family safe, Dungjen and Sato deal with their skaters' uncertainty

No U.S. figure skating coaches are more sensitive to the situation in Japan than Yuka Sato and her husband, Jason Dungjen.

Sato was a world champion for Japan. Her father, Nobuo, and mother, Kumiko, coach some of Japan's leading skaters, including reigning world champion Mao Asada. 

First things first: Dungjen said by telephone Monday afternoon that his wife's parents are fine, as are all the members of Sato's family, although some of their friends had to be evacuated from the areas near Sendai where there is a risk of radiation from a damaged nuclear plant.

Sato told the Detroit Free Press that her mother was in Toyota City, about 300 miles from the earthquake epicenter, and her father was in Tokyo when the quake hit.

Now that they are sure their loved ones are safe, Dungjen and his wife can deal with their other concern: What kind of training program to devise for the skaters they coach who were headed to Japan for upcoming competitions?

"The worst thing right now is the uncertainty,'' Dungjen said.

Alissa Czisny, the reigning U.S. woman's champion, was headed for the world championships next week in Tokyo. Jeremy Abbott, the 2009-2010 U.S. men's champion, was going to the World Team Trophy competition April 14-17 in Yokohama.

Philip Hersh: Ottavio Cinquanta says International Skating Union must decide fate of world championships within 'three or four days'

International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta says there must be a decision on the future of the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships within "the next three or four days.''

The ISU announced Monday the worlds would not take place in Tokyo as scheduled next week because of safety concerns as a result of the earthquake-related devastation in Japan.  In its statement, the ISU said postponement or cancellation were under consideration.

Speaking to me exclusively by telephone from his home in Italy, Cinquanta said any thoughts of having the event at an alternate site must take into consideration "respect for the Japanese [and the fact that] it is not easy to move the championships.''

Cinquanta told me the issue was not whether Japanese skating officials would consider it disrespectful to move an event they had spent so much time and money planning before knowing whether it might be possible to hold it in Tokyo sometime soon.

"This is the World Figure Skating Championships, not the Japanese Figure Skating Championship,'' Cinquanta said.  "[But] I must take into consideration respect for the Japanese no matter what we do.''

Cinquanta said he would make a personal choice on the best course of action but the ISU Council would ultimately decide the fate of the championships.  He expected to speak with council members by Tuesday.

Cinquanta said he has had no discussions yet about specific alternate sites.

The best possibility for an alternate site would be China or South Korea, because their governments likely would cover all or some of the costs.

The South Koreans might see taking over at the 11th hour as a goodwill gesture that could help Pyeongchang's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.  The International Olympic Committee will choose the 2018 host this summer.

A spokesperson for Skate Canada told me the figure skating championships would not be moved to Canada, which is to host the 2013 worlds in London, Ontario.

U.S. Figure Skating officials have told me there has been no discussion so far of moving the championships to the United States.

-- Philip Hersh

Photo: Ottavio Cinquanta speaks during a press conference Saturday. Credit: Uwe Lein / Associated Press