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Susan Wessling |
It is that time again …
We are looking for your input as we open the doors to the IFS Academy for its newest class. We have changed the
format a little bit for this year. Let us know what you think. We want to
know whose performances you enjoyed the most this season in the competitive
arena. In honor of the upcoming Olympic Games, we also want you to tell us
who your favorite medal winners are from past Games. We feature a host of
star performers from today and yesteryear in our Academy section; we hope you
take the time to fill out a ballot and help choose the honorees.
One of the most beloved Olympians of all time has to be Dorothy Hamill,
whom IFS is proud to present as this issue's
cover story. When the Olympics open in Torino in 2006, it will mark 30 years
since Hamill won her gold medal in Innsbruck, Austria. From her Maryland
home, she talked candidly to IFS about that
golden time in 1976 and how the experience helped shape her life. Hamill is
surprisingly humble about her talent (she said she never realized she had a
unique talent; she attributes her success to staying power), her famous
hairstyle that caused a frenzy in the United States, the "Hamill Camel," and
her favorite skaters of today. Her sense of humor and winning personality
shine through as she reflects on her skating career. Hamill has never looked
more beautiful either, and she is as graceful and endearing as ever.
The competitive season may have ended in March, but that doesn't mean there
wasn't a lot happening on the skating scene the past few months. The tour
season produced a wealth of fun memories. Take a look at our Tours section on
pages 23-25 to see the action from HSBC Stars on Ice and the John Hancock
Champions on Ice tours. The biggest names in figure skating are highlighted
here and we talked to some of the stars about their experiences on this year's
tours. The tours provide a great opportunity to see yesterday's champions and
tomorrow's stars. The section that follows — Showstoppers —
highlights some of the off-ice fun as well. Touring isn't simply about
skating. The performers may only be in each city they visit for a short
period of time, but receptions and stops to some wellknown sites spice things
up. Check out the happenings!
In this issue of IFS, we also have caught up
with some of the new medalists from the World Championships. It was a
thrilling competition with many newcomers to the podium. What do they think
about their experiences? How are they spending the summer? What are their
training schedules going to be like? Gold medalist Stéphane Lambiel,
silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto and bronze medalist Evan Lysacek
all share their thoughts, as do World ice dance bronze medalists Elena
Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov. This married couple proved its staying power
this season. Over a long career as eligible skaters, Grushina and Goncharov
have made steady progress, from achieving their first medal at Europeans this
year to gaining a spot on the podium at Worlds. World champion Irina
Slutskaya and silver medalist Sasha Cohen may not be new to the World podium,
but they have some interesting insights on their experiences as well. We put
the spotlight on these skaters and many others in these pages.
While the Olympic year is right around the corner, changes have abounded in
the top tier of U.S. Figure Skating, which recently elected a new president in
Ron Hershberger at the organization's Governing Council. The association also
voted to adopt the International Skating Union's new scoring system. Our
Skating Inc. section has an update on both of these fronts.
Next year promises to be an exciting one. If the World Championships are
any indication of what to expect, then expect the unexpected! IFS will be on hand to provide all the latest coverage
and in-depth analysis while looking at the lighter side of the sport as
well.
Until next time …
Susan Wessling
Editor in Chief
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