Man, I hate it when I'm wrong

Last week I posted that I was looking forward to the upcoming (07-08) figure skating season because it was expected that many of the skaters that had taken last season off would return. It looks like everyone I had listed is not coming back, after all.

This article lists the entries to the Grand Prix series. Sasha Cohen and Eveny Plushenko aren't on the list. Then my one and only reader anonymous wrote this in my combox:

Irina is pregnant with her first child. She withdrew from COI [Champions on Ice] this summer because of it. It was posted on the site at one point. So, there is a possibility that she might compete during the 2007-2008 season, but I kinda doubt it.

I went and did research about this, and sure enough, it seems to be accurate. I found a couple of articles, but I'll direct you to this one. It's even been reported on her Wikipedia page. I'm very happy for Irina, especially in light of her health struggles the past several years. I wish her the best, but I'm inclined to agree with anonymous.

In other drop-out news, Canada's Emanuel Sandhu has requested to be dropped from the Grand Prix.