 |
Susan Wessling |
The time we have been waiting for is finally here: the 2006 Olympic Games
in Torino are just around the corner. The pressure has been building all
season as skaters have prepared for the big event. Now it is time for the
fans to sit back and enjoy the competition. Generally known as one of the
most watched sports events on television, Olympic figure skating offers
everything that makes great drama, with its athleticism, artistry and intense
competition. Reality television has been dominating the broadcast schedule in
recent years. Well, the Olympics are the ultimate reality show.
In this issue of International Figure Skating,
we have tried to capture some of that excitement. This issue is chock full of
news from around the world as we highlight some of the top contenders chasing
their Olympic dreams. One of those competitors is Sasha Cohen, the two-time
and reigning World silver medalist. Cohen is the subject of this issue's
cover story. In 2002 Cohen finished one placement away from an Olympic medal.
Will 2006 be the year she finally makes the ascent to the top spot on the
podium? Only time will tell; but Cohen is pulling out all the stops as she
prepares for the Games. In a candid interview with
IFS, Cohen talks about her devastation at leaving
Salt Lake City without an Olympic medal in 2002. In her conversation with us,
she also outlined her preparations to change that situation this time
around.
Cohen is a beautifully artistic skater with the technical skills to win
gold. But the competition will be fierce with reigning World champion and
2002 Olympic silver medalist Irina Slutskaya determined to win the ladies'
title at these Games. Slutskaya was the sport's comeback story of the year
last season, overcoming what seemed like insurmountable obstacles to win every
major event she entered — including the World Championships. There are
two other former World champions in serious contention for the 2006 Olympic
title: 2004 champion Shizuka Arakawa and five-time champion Michelle Kwan. We
have looked at this battle — as well as at how the competition is
squaring up in the other three disciplines — in our special eight-page
"Olympic Predictions" spread. IFS staff members
analyzed the competitors and came up with a consensus on who we think are the
favorites to win gold, the medal contenders and the dark horses for each of
the four disciplines.
This season's International Skating Union Grand Prix Series gave us much of
the fodder for our analysis of the four disciplines. At press time, the
majority of the schedule had played itself out.
IFS staff was there for the first two major Grand
Prix events of the season, Skate America and Skate Canada. The results, for
the most part, were not predictable and the stories that emerged out of these
events were nothing short of amazing. We hope you enjoy our coverage, both of
the competition venues (in our in-depth stories complete with some of the
moments our photo editor captured) and off the ice (in our Inner Loop
section). Our Short Program, International section and feature stories also
provide further insight into what is happening on the elite skating scene with
today's eligible contenders. In addition, we have recapped the ISU Junior
Grand Prix Series, so you can get a good look at the stars of tomorrow.
IFS was also on hand for several of the
popular shows that open the season: "An Evening with Champions," "Sarah Hughes
and Friends" and "Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate V." These shows featured a mix
of today's ISU-eligible skaters as well as performers now in the professional
ranks. As we went to press, Stars on Ice was preparing to open its season
with its annual preview show on Thanksgiving weekend. It is the 20th
anniversary season for this popular show, and IFS
congratulates all those who have helped put together this tour. We will
feature coverage of the preview show in our next issue.
Our March 2005 issue will prove to be an exciting one as we have decided to
hold the presses to include our Olympic coverage. We hope our loyal
subscribers will be patient as this scenario means we may be a little late
getting to your doorsteps as well as on the newsstands. We think it will be
well worth it, as IFS provides you firsthand
coverage of one of the biggest shows on earth.
Sincerely,
Susan Wessling
Editor in Chief
|
