Photos and Reflections on a Great Ice Show Today

Today the Wild Weather Ice Show took place at the FMC Ice Sports Arena in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

My husband and I shuttled several of my daughter's Deerfield Academy friends to the arena to watch the show and to see our daughter, Alexandra, skate in her senior solo. There is nothing like the cheering and enthusiasm of Deerfield students!

The event took place at 2PM and the show was fabulous. Skaters skated as soloists, in pairs, and in small groups and there were several invited skaters including Junior National ice dance competitors as well as adult skaters.

Skaters skated to such songs as "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," "Singing in the Rain," "Gone with the Wind," and even "Over the Rainbow" and "Let it Snow."

The emcee and organizer of this rousing show was my daughter's truly special coach, Ms. Suzy McCaughtry. She wrote a touching tribute to my daughter who is a senior at Deerfield that was published in the program. We can't thank Suzy sufficiently for the wonderful journey that she has taken our daughter on -- as her skating coach and mentor. Because of Suzy, my daughter has medaled at regional and national skating competitions, passed additional skating tests, was an invited soloist at the ice show at the 2012 Bay State Games at Williams College, and has had the opportunity to coach young skaters, whom she adores. All such experiences in just the past two years!

I wish that Alexandra could take her coach along with her to college next Fall.

Congrats to all the skaters today for such a memorable afternoon!

2012 Bay State Winter Games at Williams College and Figure Skating

The 2012 Winter Bay State Games are now under way at Williams College in scenic Williamstown, Massachusetts.

The figure skating competition began yesterday and there are over 500 figure skaters taking part!

The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation, with the help of many professionals and volunteers, has made these games a very special venue.

Above I have posted some information from a gorgeous brochure that was produced, since the ice show is tonight at which featured skaters get to perform as well as certain medalists. I have also included photos of several skaters that competed yesterday at the Bay State Games and that train with my daughter at FMC Greenfield under Ms. Suzy McCaughtry, their fabulous coach!

I am not an Ice Mom, although my daughter has been skating for 13 years and competing for over a decade. Only recently have I been able to watch her compete and I enjoyed watching her medal at the State Games of America in beautiful San Diego last summer.

I guess my husband is an Ice Dad and yesterday he took our daughter to the Bay State Games and she medaled. More importantly, she loves working at the beautiful and very challenging sport of figure skating.

Tonight our daughter will be a featured soloist at the Ice Show, which I am so much looking forward to!

I am even prouder that she is now a coach and mentor and last week watched two of her skaters compete (at ages 5 and 6, no less).

Frontiers in Education, Mount Rushmore, and a Tribute to the Beatles on Ice -- All in South Dakota

I am back from Paris and my husband is back from Rapid City, South Dakota. Since this is the first time that both of us were away at conferences while our daughter was at school, she had the experience of being a "boarder" rather than a "day student" at Deerfield Academy this past week (she loved it). Deerfield graciously agreed to house her while we were on professional travel (and her field hockey team won two games during this period so everything worked out well except for some misadventures I had in Paris that I will share in another blogpost).

We have been to Paris multiple times but how many folks can say that they have been to Rapid City, South Dakota (no, I was not entirely envious of my husband)?!

We all reconnected yesterday afternoon back in Amherst (after my Delta / Air France flight from Paris to Boston during which I endured about 3 hours of turbulence).

My husband spoke at the Frontiers in Education Conference in Rapid City and the above photos were taken by him. The conference even involved a special tour of Mount Rushmore. There were quite a few international speakers at the conference. He was fascinated by the landscape and what he saw in Rapid City.

Coincidentally, the ice skating program, Rain -- A Tribute to the Beatles on Ice, was being rehearsed and performed at the Civic Center there so my husband got a chance to see and speak to Todd Eldredge, the Olympic skater (who also happened to have performed at the Mullins Center at UMass Amherst where we had a chance to meet him since our daughter is also a figure skater). The show will air on NBC on Sunday, November 6, 4-6 pm EST.

A Great Coach Who Cares -- Thank You!

There is a terrific article (with photo) about my daughter's figure skating coach, Ms. Suzy McCaughtry, in the Keene, NH newspaper.

The smiles on Ms. McCaughtry, and two of her figure skaters at the San Diego skating arena at the recent 2011 State Games of America, say it all.

She accompanied three of her skaters to this national athletic event across the country and coached and supported them through so many events, resulting in 14 medals in 15 events!

Thanks to a truly great coach who does it with character and incredible style.

As a professor and a skating mom I recognize this great teacher and mentor who makes the sport of figure skating fun.

Photos of Figure Skating at the State Games of America in San Diego

For this event, I did not have to prepare a presentation but, instead, came to support my daughter who was competing in figure skating at the 2011 State Games of America in gorgeous San Diego, California. She had qualified by medalling at the Bay State Games in Williamstown, MA, this past winter.

She competed in 4 events and medalled in each and brought back 2 silver medals and 2 bronze ones. Security at the San Diego Airport was rather taken aback by the medals that kept on setting off the machines but let us through (and, thank goodness, we could carry on her figure skates because if they had gotten lost there would have been a major problem).

This figure skating competition was most enjoyable due to the excellent organization, great venue, and events such as artistic, interpretive, light entertainment, among others.

It was great to see so many family members and friends supporting the athletes.

Above are some photos taken at the San Diego rink and outside.

A fabulous time was had by all and special thanks go to my daughter's amazing figure skating coach, Ms. Suzy McCaughtry, who traveled to San Diego to support her 3 skaters who were competing there. Might I add that, in total, they brought home more than a dozen medals, but, more importantly, they supported one another and had a fabulous time.

More info on the history of the State Games can be found here.

Getting the Gold When It's Not Expected

To all those who work so hard at their craft, sport, studies, jobs, and even research -- if you hang in there long enough and work hard enough, the recognition will come -- although it may come when you don't even expect it.

What is important is that you stay with your passion, despite the obstacles that may block your way, and that you never stop believing in yourself.

Last weekend, we were at the ISI (Ice Skating Institute) district / regional figure skating competition in Norwich, Connecticut, which covers all of the New England States. Our daughter was competing in three different events. The Norwich skating rink is located right next to a golf course and is in a lovely location in southeastern Connecticut. The competition took place June 23-26, 2011.

Our daughter was very much looking forward to skating at this competition and her events were scheduled over two different days. She had her dresses/costumes packed up and had been training for months, while holding down a heavy set of academic subjects in school and also being on the varsity track team.

Interestingly, there were decorations throughout the rink with a Chinese theme (consisting of lanterns, Chinese sayings, and graphics of what the various Chinese years mean, i.e., the year of the dog, horse, etc.), so we interpreted these as good luck signs.

She had a wonderful time, as did we, and earned gold medals in Freestyle Gold, Artistic Freestyle, and Light Entertainment Freestyle, as well as the Freestyle trophy. (When the incorrect music was played initially for one of her events, she did not panic, gracefully skated to the judges, and provided a backup copy of the correct music and back on the ice she went.)

The organizers of this competition did a superb job of making the events run in a timely manner (something that I very much care about) and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The results are posted here.

Behind every achiever, there stand the coaches and the support network (family members, friends, and the community at-large) and special thanks go to them! The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a nice feature article recognizing the accomplishments and notes our daughter's truly exceptional figure skating coach, who makes skating, learning, growing, and doing one's best, such fun.

Wonderful Videos on the Science of Winter Sports, the Olympics, Thanks to NSF and NBC News

The National Science Foundation, with NBC News, has produced a series of wonderful videos of winter sports, with a focus on last year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and the science behind the sports.

I especially appreciate the videos on figure skating (yes, my daughter is a figure skater, and also plays on a couple of varsity sports teams); the material science behind skates from the boots to the blades and how they differ for speed skates, hockey skates, and figure skates, and the math behind sports. These short videos include faculty speaking on their research in sports. Several faculty from Ithaca College, Cornell University, and Williams College (the host of the recent Bay State Games) give great deliveries of their work, to name just a few. You can see such athletes as Apollo Ohno and Rachel Flatts, to name just two, in the videos.

And for all of the skiers out there, there are several videos focused on skiing, just for you!

These videos are engaging, informative, and very well-done, so enjoy! I even heard "optimization" mentioned in the context of sports, which was great to hear!

You can access all the Science of the Winter Olympic Games videos here.

Bay State Winter Games at Williams College and the Drama of Figure Skating

The 2011 Bay State Winter Games are now taking place at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the Berkshires.

Today is the last day of the three day figure skating competition.

We spent the entire day yesterday there since our daughter was competing in two events.

This year, not only were Massachusetts skaters invited to compete but also skaters from other New England states who do not host their own state games. There are about 450 who registered.

The weather was great and it was wonderful to see so many athletes, their coaches, families, and supporters. We enjoyed watching the skaters, walking through the small downtown with surprisingly wonderful restaurants and cafes (I recommend the bakery at Tunnel City cafe with exquisite treats that reminded me of Paris)!

Williams College, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States, was also bustling with other events, including a female basketball game vs. Middlebury.

Figure skating is a very challenging sport since it demands incredible discipline and athleticism, but also artistry and musicality. The competitive level was very high this year, which speaks well of this sport. There is also drama associated with this sport from a skater we saw whose hand touched her blade while skating her program and then had to be treated when she got off since she was bleeding (some seemed more worried about her skating dress, though, than her well-being). There were also tears among some of the competitors when they did not do as well as they had hoped. But they did their programs and competed and deserve applause for trying to do their best!

Some skaters were scheduled to skate in more than a single event so the waiting can be taxing and enervating. I suspect that skaters handle the waiting better than their parents! One is also always curious about the size of the flights (that is, the number that one gets to compete against) and over the years, the skaters who stick with this beautiful but difficult sport, get to know one another and to remember the results from various competitions over the years.

What I continue to find fascinating is who sticks with this sport, despite the dedication required, the difficulties associated with it, not to mention the cost. It is breathtaking to watch -- will the skater land the double jump? Will she (most of the skaters were female at this competition) do all the jumps and spins in her program? And even, will she be able to go on the ice to compete (we have seen some who, literally, were too frozen in fear to get on the ice in previous competitions). In this sport (unless one is doing dance or pairs) one is literally alone on the ice with the judges and spectators' eyes staring at you and one can't hide!

A former MBA student of mine, who is an auto executive, and who (I get the most interesting students, I must say) was also a competitive figure skater, sent me an email recently -- he asked me whether I am one of those mothers who can't watch their child compete (indeed, I am, but I am getting better and can now sneak a peak at the beginning of my daughter's program and towards the end).

Congratulations to all the skaters who competed at the 2011 Bay State Games at Williams College and thanks to the organizers for a wonderfully run event! Thanks also to the coaches who nurture their students and who help them to achieve their dreams!

And, yes, my daughter qualified for the State Games of America that will take place in the summer of 2011 in San Diego, California! The competition was tough but she loves this sport and that is what really matters!

A Perfect Evening at the Rink at Deerfield Academy

"It was one of the best nights of my life," my daughter said yesterday and her day began by showing up at 7:30AM to take the SATs. It was also a day that my husband and I attended a college counseling session (very well-done, I must say) at Deerfield Academy.

But last night will be a night we will long remember.

It was the night of the Choate vs. Deerfield hockey game at Deerfield and these two prep schools are historically big rivals. Also, our daughter had been asked (it was suggested as early as last year) to skate during the second period break and she had received permission from U.S. Figure Skating to put on a performance.

We had entered the rink (honestly) to the smell of bacon cooking outside in single digit temperatures (Deerfield folks will understand) and one could hear the cheering from the fans outside.

I have never been at an event at which there was so much school spirit -- it was truly extraordinary to experience and so much fun -- from the students jumping in unison in the bleachers to the hockey players being high fived going on and off the ice by other sports team members (I think -- lacrosse especially with notable enthusiasm) to fans of all ages from little kids to friends in wheelchairs. Some students were selling hot chocolate and everyone was so engaged!

My daughter's wonderful skating coach came to put her on the ice and to support her, as did her husband, who had been a youth hockey coach for years and is a graduate of the UMass School of Management, where I teach.

Luckily, my daughter's skating dress is green (Deerfield's school color with the motto -- Bleed Green) and she was welcomed with such cheers onto the ice. She skated with pure happiness (without even a warmup and on hockey ice) and the experience was simply fantastic.

If only all schools at all levels could engender such mutual support of their students with such tremendous school spirit -- think what the world could accomplish!

And Deerfield Academy beat Choate in overtime with a score of 4-3!

I have not yet read Amy Chua's book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, but even my daughter's English class got to read Janet Maslin's review of it in the New York Times last week. From the experience that so many of us had last night it is clear to me that children can succeed and have a fabulous time on their journeys as children with the support of their schools and the community cheering them on!

Above I have posted some photos from last night's game that capture the spirit and the fun of the event.

I would also like to add that Choate played extraordinarily well and the game was a heart-stopper!

Thanks to all concerned -- from the terrific coaches to the extraordinary teachers, the truly kind and thoughtful staff, and the wonderful administrators as well as to the super students -- for the fantastic memories! The hockey refs even high-fived my daughter when she finished her program!

Figure Skating -- A Truly Unique Sport

With the blizzard of 2010 upon us and New England looking like a winter wonderland (albeit with major travel disruptions and even our trip to NYC rescheduled) I thought the time perfect to write about a truly unique sport -- that of the sport of figure skating.

My daughter donned her first pair of skates as a kindergartener at that fabulous school, the Bement School, in Old Deerfield, Massachusetts. Every winter, the husband of the head of the school, Ms. Shelley Jackson, Rob Jackson, would create an outdoor rink for the children to skate on and there, I suspect, my daughter's love of figure skating was born. Over several winters my husband would build a skating rink in our front yard where neighborhood children would learn to skate and parents and the neighborhood dogs would congregate to watch and have fun (yes, oftentimes, we even served refreshments).

Numerous figure skating lessons followed, along with skating competitions throughout New England, and performances in ice shows even at Lake Placid, where we have gone several times for my daughter to further train. When I was on a Fulbright in Innsbruck, Austria, and our home had a view of the 1964 Olympic ski jump, we brought the figure skates with us but the rink closed in March (we were told that the skaters there trained with weights until it reopened late in the Fall). Her second grade teacher, Frau Shwerma, taught the class to rollerblade, so we compensated with that.

Figure skating demands stamina, terrific balance, endurance, athleticism, and something which makes this sport truly unique -- musicality and artistry. And all of this while one is balancing on metal blades on the ice and trying to land after doing several jumps in the air! Figure skaters have tremendous discipline but many, for a variety of reasons, drop out of this sport. But for those who, sometimes through just sheer drive and love of the sport, continue, it can be used in numerous positive ways -- from entertainment of audiences to teaching the young skills and good sportsmanship.

Now my daughter is a teenager and still goes to school in historic Old Deerfield but at Deerfield Academy.

The above classic books she received from one of our wonderful neighbors recently when she delivered a plate of holiday cookies that we had baked.

The book in the collection, which intrigued me the most, is The Ancient Art of Skating by Robert L. Merriam, which was published by Deerfield Academy in 1957.

It begins with: The Ancient Art of Skating being a brief discussion of man's gliding on the ice from the earliest times to the present and including information about skates, dress, ladies, learning, figure skating, hockey and artificial ice.

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Come to an End

My daughter predicted what the score would be for the men's hockey final game today at the Olympics with a score of 3-2 even before the game started but she was expecting/hoping that the US would be the victor and get the gold medal. We watched the game until the US tied the game with 2-2 with only seconds remaining and did we cheer! Then the game went into overtime (but it was time to drive her to the rink where she teaches Basic Skills in skating and skates herself).

We heard the news when we returned home and saw the Canadian men's hockey team with their gold medals and the US men skating off the ice looking pretty dejected.

The New York Times already posted an article on this intense game, which concluded these 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It also has a graphic of the medal talleys for various countries with the US garnering the largest number of medals with 37; Germany, in second place with 30, and Canada, in third with 26 (not bad for all that this country and its people invested in these games). In fact, Canada won 14 gold medals at these Olympics (the most of any country), whereas the US won 9, as did Norway, with Germany getting 10 gold medals. I was born in Canada so I am pleased that these games, overall, were quite successful and filled with many wonderful athletic memories.

At the same time, we saw tremendous courage in such athletes as Joannie Rochette, whose mother passed away in Vancouver just 2 days before Joannie skated her short program. Joannie, who is from eastern Canada, went on to win the bronze medal in women's figure skating this past Thursday. She is a true heroine and Olympian.

These Games were marred by the death of the Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, at age 21, during a training practice run, just hours before the opening ceremonies.

Many of the male hockey Olympic medalists (especially the gold and silver medalists) will very soon be back with their NHL teams and the figure skaters will be getting ready to compete again in the 2010 World Figure Skating Championship that will take place in late March in Turin, Italy.

School isn't a Backup Plan. It is a Life Plan. Olympic Figure Skaters

The ice dancing competition is now over at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Canadians (Virtue and Moir) received a gold medal with the US (Davis and White), the silver, and the Russians (Dominina and Shabalin), the bronze. The renowned and magnificent ice dancers, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, placed fourth but are still Olympians.

Tonight the short program of the women's figure skating competition takes place in Vancouver. The media coverage has been fascinating in print, TV, and online.

To achieve greatness in sport (and in anything, frankly) hard work, discipline, focus, and dedication are number 1 (but some talent and luck help as well). In figure skating, it is not uncommon for skaters to be homeschooled so that they focus entirely on their chosen sport. Sometimes, however, this approach can lead to burnout, and to injuries, although the training that is needed to excel in this difficult sport is immense.

Balance (not a pun) is important and Rachel Flatts, the 17 year old figure skater from Colorado Springs, who will be competing for the US tonight in Vancouver, is the picture of efficiency, on ice and off it, according to a great article in The New York Times. What is especially impressive is her dedication to her schoolwork at Cheyenne Mountain High School, which she attends and takes 4 AP courses at, while maintaining an A average. We have relatives in Colorado Springs and have seen the school and my daughter has even skated at the Olympic training facility in Colorado Springs, where Rachel trains.

Rachel's parents are accomplished. Her mother is a retired scientist and her father is a president of a biofuels company.

Rachel's mother, Jody Flatts, is quoted in the Times article as saying, Other families have their girls home-schooled or taking classes on the Internet, but we never put Rachael’s education on the back burner for skating. School isn’t a backup plan. It’s a life plan. What a wonderful quote!

Best of luck to Rachel Flatts and the other female skaters tonight and on Thursday night in the long program!

Miracle in Vancouver -- Evan Lysacek Gets the Gold in Men's Figure Skating!

For the first time since 1988, a Russian did not win the gold medal in men's figure skating at the Winter Olympics, and the American, Evan Lysacek, stood at the top of the medal's podium at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

This is not quite like the Miracle on Ice, a theme I have written about, when the US men's hockey team received the gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, but close!

I had written earlier in this blog about Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, who had coached such Olympians as Michelle Kwan, but whose students had never, until now, received a gold medal at the Olympics. I liked Carroll's quote, that you are only as good as your last student. Now, Carroll, the coach, and Lysacek, the figure skater, are clearly at the top of their careers

According to The New York Times, when the final scores were posted, Carroll turned to Evan Lysacek and said: My God, you’re the gold medalist! You are the Olympic champion! They hugged. Congratulations to both of them for their incredibly hard work, discipline, dedication, determination, and for believing that technical mastery and artistry would yield the top prize in figure skating!

Kudos also to Johnny Weir who skated beautifully and who earned 6th place.

Yes, Evan Lysacek, despite not doing a quad, got the gold, and Plushenko, of Russia, got the silver. Takahashi of Japan was the bronze medalist.

Time to celebrate the comeback of US Figure Skating!

A Mom with a PhD who Can't Watch her Daughter Skate in Competitions

Finally, someone understands that I am in "good company." USA Today reports that several parents of Olympic figure skaters can't bear to watch their child compete in events and that includes the mother of Evan Lysacek, who is second in the 2010 Winter Olympics after the men's short program in figure skating with the finals taking place today in Vanouver. I plan on watching him compete against Plushenko of Russia, who is in first place after the short program and against Johnny Weir, whom I have written about in an earlier post, as well as the other amazing skaters from around the world.

In the USA Today article, it is noted that even Michelle Kwan's dad used to leave the rink when she competed (and as you may know she is now a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts and is reporting on these Olympics for Good Morning America).

I may have a PhD and have given talks to hundreds in audiences in different countries around the world with maybe only a few butterflies in my stomache, but there is something so surreal and challenging about figure skating that when your own child is doing those jumps and spins in the air that I just don't have the courage to watch. Luckily, my husband is tougher so he sometimes videotapes and takes photos. Needless to say, the other skating moms get a kick of me leaving the rink at those times.

Plushenko trains in St. Petersburg, Russia, a magical city, which I had a chance to visit when I was there for a conference and gave an invited talk a few years back. Plushenko has gotten a lot of TV coverage and media press for his quad jump and his return to competitive skating after a few years "break." He managed to place first (but it's not over yet) last Tuesday after eating only a banana all day, he said, to stay fit and to be able to compete against the "younger ones."

The drama of figure skating competition will continue tonight with the men's finals in Vancouver!

I congratulate all the US gold medalists: Lindsey Vonn in skiing (despite her shin injury which was even treated by a special cheese from Austria), Shaun White in snowboarding, and Shani Davis, an African-American speed skater, as well as all the medalists at these Olympic Games!

As for the fashion police (yes, academics sometimes need a break from their seriousness and their research, teaching, and service), they seem to be taking note of the figure skating costumes at these Olympics and noting the fashion "dos and dont's." Even one of our local newspapers in Massachusetts has been picking out some "doozies," which can't help but bring smiles. These skating outfits on a skating pair remind me of polyester Burberry lederhosen. Perhaps, it is best to just stick with "uniforms" but those just might detract from the originality, artistry, and much more of what makes figure skating so special (of course, there are those snowboarding outfits at the other extreme, as well).

For those of you who think that I am the only mother of a figure skater who is also an academic, in fact, you are mistaken. My friend, Dr. Zelda Zabinsky, a scholar in global optimization, even used to design and sew figure skating dresses for her daughter, who is now pursuing her own PhD!

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!

You're Only as Good as Your Last Student

Frank Carroll, the coach of several Olympic figure skaters, including Evan Lysacek and Michelle Kwan, said it well: You are only as good as your last student. The New York Times had a recent terrific interview with him in which he was asked whether having one of his students get a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics (in this case Evan Lysacek) would be meaningful to him -- something that has eluded him.

I do think that his quote has relevance also to a professor and especially when one considers one's most recent PhD student to graduate. My most recent PhD student, who received his PhD in May 2009 was Dr. Patrick Qiang. Above is an announcement for an upcoming talk of his at the university where he is now a faculty member.

Interestingly, another former PhD student of mine who received his PhD in 2006 from UMass Amherst, Dr. Dmytro Matsypura, also has some great news to report. He has received tenure from the University of Sydney in Australia where he has been on the Faculty of Economics and Business for the past 3 years. He is in the Discipline (something like a Department in a US-based university) of Operations Management and Econometrics. Plus, he has been granted a sabbatical. He will be coming back to his alma mater as a Visiting Scholar.

Being a professor is like being a coach and Frank Carroll said it brilliantly!

Busses from Massachusetts Off to the Vancouver Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, begin in less than 3 weeks. The above mittens my daughter received recently from our friends in Vancouver, the Wassermans, whom we met in Stockholm, Sweden, when we lived at the Wenner Gren Centre, a housing complex for 150 families from across the globe, who are engaged in research. Dr. Wasserman was conducting research at the Karolinska Institute, the renowned medical research facility, whereas my husband and I were based at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). The Wassermans also visited us when we lived in Innsbruck, Austria, when I was on my first Fulbright.

Although we won't (regrettably) be traveling to the Olympics (either as spectators or athletes) there is a local story to this international athletic competition.

Amazingly, there are busses that will be used for transporting the athletes at the Olympic games that are from our area in Massachusetts. The Greenfield Recorder is reporting that the Kuzmeskus Bus company of Gill, Massachusetts, will be providing 6 bus drivers and 3 busses to shuttle the Olympians! The company is owned by the Kuzmeskus family. Their grandson, Trevor, was a classmate of my daughter's at the Bement School and I recall how the first school birthday party that she attended was at the bus garage for Trevor's 6th birthday.

Appropriately, Trevor is a hockey player and my daughter is a figure skater (when she is not engaged in other sports and pursuits).

There is, however, not only a transportation connection between our area and the Olympics. Jon Quick, a former star hockey goalie at UMass Amherst, has been selected to the US Olympic hockey team.

With the US figure skating national competition now completed in Spokane, Washington, the various US Olympic skating teams (men's, women's, pairs, and dance) have also now been identified.

We wish all the athletes, as well as their coaches, family members, friends, and the organizers of these Olympics exquisite competition and experiences!

Miracle on Ice and the Winter Olympics --15 Million Minutes of Fame

Today's Boston Globe has a feature article on Mike Eruzione in its Sunday magazine, complete with a cover photo. The article is entitled, 15 Million Minutes of Fame. As you may (or may not) recall, Eruzione scored the winning hockey goal in the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in 1980. The article covers the US winning the hockey gold medal by a team that was assembled by the coach, Herb Brooks, and the life that followed for Mike Eruzione. Some of you may have seen the movie, Miracle on Ice, that was based on this extraordinary team, their coach, and the series of victories that led to their gold medal. On January 15, 2009, we had the Miracle on the Hudson with the "safe" landing of the USAIR plane in the Hudson River by Captain Chesley "Sully"Sullenberger. Nice to reflect on the Miracle on Ice, as well, especially with the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

We were at the Olympics training facility at Lake Placid two summers ago since my daughter, who is a figure skater, was training there. I thought that I would share the photos above which we took there, as we start to anticipate with a lot of excitement the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, that begin on February 12, 2010. The photos include one of the tableau of medals given out at the 1932 Olympics at which Sonja Henie, the figure skater (and later medical doctor and motion picture star) excelled. The rink in the photo above is where the Miracle on Ice took place.