Campbell's Cup, Part 1

Well, I blew it! Due to a TiVo-accident, I only was able to view the last three skaters in the Campbell's Cup--Sasha Cohen, Mao Asada, and Kimmie Meissner. I was furious with myself! I promise to do better next time, when ABC telecasts Skate America in two weeks. As for now, I'll write about what I saw.

Before that, though, I've done some surfing around to see what's out there about the Campbell's Cup. This is what I've found so far (and I'll add more as more shows up, especially on the U.S. Figure Skating Assoc. webpage):

U.S. men win at Campbell's Cup; U.S. women fall short (AP story)

Japan's Mao Asada, Mai Asada and Miki Ando swept the women's segment as Olympic silver medalist Cohen and world champion Meissner missed the triples, costing them valuable points.

Doncha just love those brilliant reporters. Sure, I only saw three skaters, but I saw right past the above statement. Yes, the women Japanese were superior, but Mao Asada made some errors as well. Yeesh, it's the first competition of the season! Things are always rough at the edges this time of the year.

The U.S. Figure Assoc. webpage already has some good stuff up. Michelle Wojdyla has a couple of articles and some great photos there. USA, Japan and Canada All Winners at Campbell's Cup is worth reading. Wojdyla obviously knows what she's talking about. Her blog is great fun to read.

(10/15/06) - Non-skating people don't quite get that “first day of school” feeling that comes with the Campbell's Cup. Yes, I know the Junior Grand Prix has been in full swing for a couple months, and skaters across the U.S. are now in the regional championship mindset. I spent a week in Lake Placid in August for the ice dance championships. But even so, Campbell's is special. Maybe because it's the first event of the season that comes with the ABC trumpet music.

Wojdyla mentions the physical changes in Miki Ando, but I suspect she might have been confused. I say that because during today's telecast, the commentators mentioned the physical changes in Mao Asada, that she's grown several inches. Mao looked great. I suspect that she'll have a very successful season. I also enjoyed reading about the practices, since that's one thing I looking forward to at the Nationals.

I loved this entry in Wojdyla's blog. Too funny, as they say.

Kimmie [Meissner] is standing next to me and is holding two large white pads. One of the women asked her what they are, and Kimmie replies they are football pads she puts under her tights to protect her hips and rear end. “My butt pads” was the term Kimmie used.

Wow, Wojdyla certainly didn't get much sleep this weekend, calling her night's sleep "a nap." She also reports that Marie-France and Patrice's program is better than their "Somewhere in Time" from last season. Can't wait to see that--how is it possible?

Here's another gem:

As the Zamboni finishes, all of the men (minus Johnny) are literally lined up side by side at the edge of the ice. I can't help but call out “On your mark…” and all three Japanese men instantly hit a speed skater starting position. I've got to say, the three guys seem to be having a blast these last two days. While they work very hard on the ice, off of it, they are silly and very enjoyable to be around.

And this picture. The Japanese guys are so cute!

Okay, enough for tonight. I'll complete my thoughts about Campbell's later, probably tomorrow.