Figure Skating Olympians that We Have Actually Met

As the first figure skating medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics have been announced with the gold in pairs going to Zhao and Shen, a married couple from China, I thought it appropriate to share with my readers photos and reminiscences of some of the figure skating Olympians that we have actually met.

Above I have posted photos of Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in men's skating, taken at Harvard, of Sarah Hughes (the gold medalist at the 2002 Winter Olympics), after the Stars on Ice performance at the Mullins Center in Amherst with some members of the Skating Club of Amherst skaters, and of Johnny Weir with my daughter during a performance at Lake Placid in the summer of 2008, where she was training.

Paul Wylie, a graduate of Harvard, has been the leader behind the An Evening with Champions event at Harvard University, which takes place each year. It is an event that raises money for The Jimmy Fund, for cancer research. While I was a Science Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard in 2005-2006, my family and I went to this wonderful event and we got a chance to speak with Paul Wylie.

The inimitable Sarah Hughes, who has, since the above photo was taken, graduated from Yale University, and whose sister, Emily Hughes, is a student at Harvard and was an Olympic contender (who, unfortunately did not make the team this year) graciously posed with our local skaters for the photo above. Todd Eldridge, also a 2002 Olympian, but, unfortunately, not a medalist, also performed in the same show, and was fabulous.

As for Johnny Weir, who is competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, we met him in July 2008, on a rainy day, while walking on the main street in Lake Placid close to the Olympic training rinks (where the Miracle on Ice took place at the Lake Placid Games in 1980, that I have written about on this blog). Johnny Weir was walking with his mother and we stopped since he was immediately recognizable. Despite the rain, we chatted, and it was clear that the affection that he and his mother share is very special. Needless to say, when my daughter got a chance to skate in the same show as Johnny Weir, while training at Lake Placid, it was fantastic. The above photo was taken during that special performance.

We wish all the figure skaters competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver magnificent performances!

The Science of Skating and Thanks to the Coaches

This past week, The New York Times had a fascinating feature article on the Science of Skating. The article focused on the program at the University of Delaware in which scientists are tracking the motions and movements of figure skaters with goals of improving performance while attempting to also minimize injuries from improper training, overtraining, etc. The NYTimes also featured an article on a skate sharpener in Connecticut named "George," who sharpens skating blades with precision and knowledge of the skaters' skills and level of skating. Some of you may be aware of the President of the University of Delaware, Dr. Patrick Harker, who was the former Dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is well-known in the operations research and management science communities.

My figure skating skills are non-existent, but as the mother of a figure skater, I have been introduced to this magnificent, unique world of artistry, musicality, and intense athleticism. Plus, figure skating combines costumes, drama, competitions, training, and incredible discipline on the part of the skaters (and their coaches). Skating has opened up new friendships, taken us to places we may not have otherwise traveled to (such as Broadmoor and the Olympic training facilities in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid). We have also watched numerous ice shows from Harvard University's to our Amherst Skating Club's annual show at both the Amherst College rink arena and at the Mullins Center at UMass Amherst. Plus, we have had a chance to meet such Olympians as Sarah Hughes and Johnny Weir, whose kindness to the young skaters will always be treasured.

I wanted to take a moment to thank the coaches who have through their hard work and expert coaching steered the skaters in their individual directions to strive for their dreams. From skating coaches, to dance coaches, to off-ice coaches, and to all the volunteers who run the various skating clubs, I give a big Thank You!