rinse and repeat

I'm getting so repetitive. I did Chicago pictures, and then Stars on Ice, and now I have more Chicago pictures, and next I'll have more Stars on Ice. I'm completely predictable, and I apologize. Someday, when I get caught up, I'll work on being more original.


In the plaza at old the First National Bank building, Marc Chagall installed a mural in 1974 called "The Four Seasons." It's meant to be a whimsical representation of Chicago at all times of the year. This is the side that faces Dearborn, I believe. 1/125, f/2.5, ISO 400.


Reverse side of the mural. 1/125, f/2.5, ISO 400.


In the suburb where my mom works, there are all of these stop signs with "additions" to them. My favourite one says "in the naaaaame of love," but when I went back with my camera to find it, I got a little lost in the neighbourhood near her office. So I just settled for this one. 1/3200, f/3.2, ISO 200.

Next: yep, more Stars on Ice.

stars on the ice

On February 23, I went to my first Stars on Ice show of this year's tour. It was also the first show I'd been to on the American tour since 2004. A friend of mine was in Chicago for the show, so Jules and I got our road trip on and went back to my hometown. I did pretty well with the coloured spotlights this time - it helps that Stars on Ice is such a well-rehearsed show and that the lighting is all very professional. The show was just fantastic, and I especially loved the addition to the cast of one of my favourite dance teams, 2006 & 2007 world silver medalists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.


Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman were the 2002 world bronze medalists, but in my opinion, the highlight of their career has been their contribution to pro skating. They've become the pairs team with the big tricks, and this is one of those tricks. Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler invented it in the 90s, and it's called the "Fly High and Say Bye." John tosses Kyoko over his head backwards, then spins 180 degrees while she's flying over him to catch her, then pushes her back through his legs. It's hard to explain. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


2006 Olympic medalist Sasha Cohen's programs often highlight interesting positions and her flexibility. This is from her program to "Anytime, Anywhere," a song that I pretty much cannot stand. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


This photo of 2002 Olympic champions Jamie Salé & David Pelletier ended up being one of my favourite photos that I took all season. I love the purple effect with the spotlight just behind them, and their classic pairs spiral is just fantastic. This program is set to "Thankful" by Josh Groban, and it's a celebration of their relationship and a dedication to their son, born last fall. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


1994 World champion Yuka Sato is best known for her uber-fluid skating and soundless edges, so this fun program to "Swing with Me" was a bit unexpected. Shooting with a fixed 200mm lens means that I have to embrace the close-up, and it's worth it when I get shots like this one. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon definitely have some of the best lifts in ice dance. This one is from the finale, set to that song about making a memory by Bon Jovi. Patrice has such solid lifting skills, and Marie-France hits the most gorgeous positions. They're just fantastic, and provided another fabulous level for the SOI cast, which has not regularly featured ice dancers in recent years. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next up: Either some more Chicago or some more Stars on Ice...I can't remember which comes first chronologically.

that's chicago.

I'm so excited for my first hometown post on this blog! I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, but have been living in central Michigan for over 2 years now. I'm only a 3 and a half hour drive from my parents' house, so I go home every chance that I get - usually about once a month. This set of photos are from a day downtown with some friends while I played tour guide, one of my favourite pastimes.


The "Diamond Building," as it's commonly known, is actually the Smurfit-Stone Building, and the big metal blog is "The Bean," which is actually called "Cloud Gate." It was a new sculpture installed in Millenium Park, which opened in 2001, I believe. And no, I did not photoshop that beautiful blue sky. 1/2500, f/10, ISO 200.


This is Holy Name Cathedral, on North State Street. I think it's the "headquarters," for lack of the proper term, for the Chicago Archdiocese of the Catholic Church...but again, those might not be the right terms. At any rate, it is a beautiful building, tucked right into the city. 1/200, f/11, ISO 200.


Detail from the Chicago Tribune Building. I had a traumatic experience here in sixth grade, regarding the county spelling bee, almost qualifying for the state bee, and not having the right list of words that all the other kids have. You put the pieces together. It's still too painful for me to talk about. Pretty building, though. 1/320, f/5, ISO 400.


I admit, I almost deleted this photo in my camera when I was looking at my pictures from the day on the train out of the city. I forgot to reset my aperture after I went back into the sunlight, and this looked way too overexposed to be salvaged. I was upset, because the broken ice on the river was just gorgeous that day. I kept it, though, and I managed to tweak some settings on the image, and now look at it! Yay! 1/320, f/5, ISO 400.

Next up: same day in Chicago, but a different occasion - Stars on Ice!

a little bit of bball

I like to think of myself as a good sports photographer, not just a good skating photographer, but I quickly learned at the women's Alma vs. Olivet game on February 23 that I'm not so hot at photographing basketball. The lens had a bit to do with it - the gymnasium isn't quite large enough to shoot comfortably with a fixed 200mm lens, but I never got the white balance or the other settings right, either. And then there's the problem of getting a lot of backs, because they would turn just before I clicked the shutter. Since I'm so familiar with skating, I can anticipate turns and changes of direction better. I guess that if I shot basketball all the time and suddenly tried skating, I might feel the same way. Finally, I was there to play in the pep band, so priority number one was playing whenever the clock stopped, and I wasn't completely focused on capturing great moments. Still, I did get a few shots that I like:


I kind of like this shot, with the Alma girl unfocused and the girl from my team about to go after her. 1/250, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Talking strategy and taking a rest on the bench. 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Natalie, a friend from my major, shares a funny moment with her fellow cheerleaders. 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Free throw! 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Air time! This is probably my favourite shot from the game. 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Here's a back shot, but I took this one on purpose as she was throwing the ball back in bounds, and I kind of like it. 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next up: Chicago in February.

off the ice

Well, I'm finally at my last post from the 2008 Canadian Figure Skating Championships. It was quite a week, so I wanted to give it the blogging that it deserved...for my own memory's sake, if for nothing else. I hope some of you have enjoyed seeing the images and reading some of the stories that made the week, though! This last post is "off the ice," and I'm just posting some pictures that I like that I took away from the ice during the week. I tried to capture more of the off-ice dynamic as the week went on, but I still don't have much - that's the difficulty in covering a huge event like this by myself!


Keegan Murphy was 10th at the 2006 Canadian Championships, and then he decided to retire from competitive skating. This year, though, perhaps it was the draw of competing in his hometown, because he decided to make a comeback. He finished 16th overall, but the experience alone seemed like it was worth it to him. He represents the Sunset Figure Skating Club in Vancouver, and I think he coaches there, too. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 400.


At the press conference following the men's free skate, this was the face of the 17-year-old who beat an Olympic medalist to win his first Canadian title with a phenomenal performance. 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


Lauren Senft is from Vancouver and had a lot of support in the crowd. Earlier, the signs were all right-side-up, and the "and Augie" part was held up, too. This time, though...oups? 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


When the dancers sat down for their press conference after the free dance, the woman running the conference announced Allie Hann-McCurdy & Michael Coreno by saying something like, "You listed one of your goals as making the podium at the Canadian Championships...you've done that now, so maybe you have to update your goals." This was that moment. 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, newly crowned Canadian dance champions, after the press conference. 1/50, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


In 2004, Cynthia Phaneuf came out of nowhere to become the Canadian champion. In 2005, she was 2nd to Joannie Rochette. In 2006, she was sidelined by injuries that kept her out of competition for over a year, and she even questioned coming back at all. In 2007, she fought back to a 4th place finish. And this year, she was on the podium again, winning the bronze medal. She's still not at her best yet, so I look forward to seeing what she can do next season. 1/100, f/2.8, ISO 1600.

That's a wrap on Canadians! I'm not sure what's up next...I think it will either be a basketball game, or a trip to Chicago.

smooches!

Theme photo post again! While I was going through my thousands of photos of the 2008 Canadian Championships, I noticed a lot of smooching. So I started setting the smooching photos aside, and my conclusion is that ice dancers are far smoochier than pairs skaters. Anyway...these are just some fun smooching photos from the week. It's all just so adorable. Disclaimer for the rumour mill: most of the kissing is choreographed! I'm not saying that all of these teams are couples off the ice, too.


I didn't get a chance to say it in the junior OD post, but Catherine St-Onge & Alexander Browne had one of the most charming Italian folk original dances. I loved it! 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Here's another one from the junior OD. Sophie Knippel & Andrew Britten performed a Russian folk dance, and they went on to win the bronze medal in junior dance. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Mylène Lamoreux & Michael Mee opened their Yankee Polka CD with an air kiss. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Lauren Senft & Augie Hill had a charming folk dance to music from Cape Breton, which, true story, I am kind of fascinated with the idea of visiting someday. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Jessica Miller & Ian Moram congratulate each other after a great short program - my favourite short program of the pairs event, and good enough for fourth place. 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 400.


I can sense the relief in this photo of Jessica Dubé & Bryce Davison. Jess & Bryce had to fight back from a 5th place, borderline disastrous short program. This was taken after they finished their free program, which vaulted them to the silver medal. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Claire Tannett & Wendell McGrath after their free dance. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Jamie Salé & David Pelletier, while being inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame, took a moment to thank each other. 1/800, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next: just a few more photos from the Canadian Championships to wrap things up!

good things must come to an end

Sunday. The final day of the Canadian Championships. It's always bittersweet, especially because Skate Canada generally schedules one free skate for Sunday. For as long as I can remember, it's been the free dance, but this year, it was the ladies' free. So after staying up way too late on Saturday night with the girls, I arrived at the arena at about 8.40 on Sunday morning, just in time for the first ladies' free. After the free skate, there was a bit of a break, and then the ice was reset for the hall of fame induction and the medal ceremonies. Finally, the last event of the competition was the gala, known at Canadian events as the "Parade of Champions," which I think is a pretty terrible name, but I guess no one asked me. The lighting was terrible for the medals and the gala - kind of half-dimmed, with a spotlight that wasn't always where it was supposed to be. The photos are very grey, and I'm not a big fan of most of them, so I'm cramming all of Sunday into one post.


When I'm behind the camera, I'm not as emotionally invested in the performances as I am when I'm just watching. That being said, my level of emotional investment in figure skating is kind of sky-high to begin with. So even when I'm working, a great performance can still make me cry. Not many get me crying after the first jump, though, which is what Lesley Hawker's free skate did for me. Skating last in the penultimate group, she needed a big comeback, and the performance that she gave was probably her best skate ever. As soon as the first jump was landed, she just settled into the music and skated with such freedom and passion. This photo was snapped during her footwork near the end of her program, and I just love the expression on her face, even if it looks like her arm has been amputated at the elbow. Someone in seventh place after the short program does not often get a standing ovation, but by the time Lesley's music finished, the audience was already on its feet. Although it wasn't quite enough for the podium, it's definitely among my top five moments of the week. 2nd in the free, 4th overall. 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 800.


It's only taken me three years, but I finally got a photo of Joannie Rochette doing a split jump! This performance wasn't quite as incredible as Lesley's, but she has more difficulty in her program, so she defended her title well. This win gave her four consecutive victories at these championships. 1st in the free, 1st overall. 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Seven years ago, Jamie Salé & David Pelletier were crowned world champions in Vancouver, not here at the PNE, but at GM Place. This year, they were finally inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame with a touching ceremony and a lot of tears. Being able to share this moment with my friends was so meaningful, since many of us originally met because of our shared fandom for Salé & Pelletier, back in the day. Another one of my top five moments of the week...even though Dave is wearing brown shoes with a grayish suit. You can't see them in this photo, but I think he's also wearing black socks. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


I could have picked any one of about five photos of Shawn Sawyer from the gala to post. He always has such great line and dramatic positions. Bronze medal winner. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Jessica Dubé & Bryce Davison had a new show program to Barry White music that was just hilarious. It kept repeating the line, "So...what do you wanna do?" and I may have gone through a phase when I tried to turn that into my catchphrase. Don't worry, the phase was short-lived. Love this photo. Silver medal winners. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Here's a funny story about this program. Jeff Buttle began the season using this, "I Pagliacci," as his short program, and I loved it. But before Canadians, he announced that he would be returning to using last year's program. When I saw him later on Sunday night, I told him that I loved his short program, but then I felt like I had to clarify which one, so I said, "But not the one you skated this week...the other one." Jeff, always a class act, ignored the fact that I kind of dissed the program that he decided to use, just grinned and exclaimed, "Thank you!! I skated that one in the gala today!" My very eloquent response: "I know!! But...it's not the same." Props to him for not acting like I was a power tool. It's not that I don't like the other program, really, I just thought this one was fantastic, and I have a weakness for operas. Silver medal winner. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Anabelle Langlois & Cody Hay's win this week was definitely a surprise - even to them! I was sitting next to my friend Chele during the pairs free, and I can say with a fair amount of certainty that she is their biggest fan. It was awesome to be able to share that moment with her, so I wanted to post this photo - it's my favourite that I took of them all week. 2008 Canadian pairs champions. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Jamie & Dave were asked to skate in the gala after their induction, and it was the first time I'd seen them skate since their son was born a few months earlier. I couldn't believe what incredible shape Jamie was already in! It was such a treat to be able to photograph the team that got me back into skating after I let my fandom lapse in what I call the "Nagano Aftermath" between 1998 and 2001. I love their classic pairs spiral, and that they held it with such control that I literally have about six photos of it that are almost identical. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz, 2003 world champions and 10-time Canadian champions, were the honourary chairs of the event and they emceed the gala together. They stopped skating together in fall 2003, and for a couple of years, rumours have been flying about a reunion. I'm not sure I'd call this a complete reunion, since it wasn't a full program, but they surprised the audience by skating together for a few moments, doing some of their old trademark moves. As someone who became a fan of theirs in 1996, it was fantastic to be in the audience for this. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 800.

And that wraps up the highlights from the week! I still have two more posts on the week in the works - one of photos from "around the rink" and one "theme" post, kind of like the one I did for the senior compulsory dance with all of the kicks.

footloose and fancy free

Saturday, January 19, at the 2008 Canadian Championships. Part two of a highly emotional day. 15 senior dance teams skated their senior free dances. On the line: 1 title...but everyone knew who was going to get that, anyway. What was really on the line were two additional berths on the team going to the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships and four additional berths on the 2008-2009 senior national team, and the top group of teams certainly put up a great fight. There were some unexpected results, and there were some great efforts. And since I'm feeling generous, and obviously everyone loves ice dance as much as I do, here are photos of the top ten teams, besides Mylène Lamoreux & Michael Mee, who placed 7th. I had a brain fart during Mylène and Mike, and I shot their whole dance on the wrong settings. I did the same thing with Siobhan Karam & Kevin O'Keefe, who skated right after that, but because Mylène & Mike had white costumes, I wasn't able to salvage any good shots of their dance.


It's difficult to get good shots of the side-by-side footwork in ice dance. I was shooting from the 10th row, but with the aperture set to 2.8, it's tough to get both skaters in focus when everything is moving so quickly. However, in Bethany Puttkemery & Kevin Gallagher's dance, I flipped my camera to horizontal and got this shot while they were at the far end of the ice from me. I probably won't be able to print this photo any larger than 5x7, but I shoot primarily for web, so that's fine. Love Bethany's skirt action and the bright colours in this dance to music from Swing Kids. 10th in this dance, 10th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Andrea Chong is so expressive, but she skates with her eyes closed most of the time, if my photos are any indication. It doesn't matter in this shot, though. She & partner Guillaume Gfeller had a bluesy free dance to "It's a Man's World" with a very mature presentation, despite their ages and the fact that this was their first season together. Their coach and choreographer, Julie Marcotte, is, in my opinion, one of the best choreographers in Canada, especially for ice dance. 8th in this dance, 9th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


After all that babble about how difficult it is to take a good photo of side-by-side footwork, here's another. The straightline footwork isn't usually one of the highlights of a dance for me, but this element from Lauren Senft & Augie Hill really accents their free dance to music from Chicago, since they stay in the character of the dance, even though the steps are difficult. Very close 9th in this dance, 8th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Here's one of the dances I shot on the wrong settings, so I apologize for their glowing quality. However, I do love the motion in this shot. Siobhan Karam & Kevin O'Keefe had a great dance to music from Notre Dame de Paris. They're in their first season together, but they are so well-suited for each other. Unfortunately, they had to skate in the penultimate group, and I felt like the scores skyrocketed when the last group began. So although some aspects of Siobhan & Kevin's dance were much better than the dances that followed them, they didn't have the same standard of inflation on their scores, and they were unable to make a move into the top five. But what a great moment, though. I was at their first competition together last August, and the progress that they made in four months was astounding. 6th in this dance, 6th overall. 1/320, f/2.8, ISO 400.


I have really high standards for tangos, okay? They're so lame if you don't do it right, and no one likes a lame free dance - not when there are so many other styles that could have been picked. So I'm usually very opposed to first-year senior teams choosing a tango. However, Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier proved that there are exceptions to this rule. Their tango free dance was simply fabulous. It was so well-skated, so well-choreographed, and even though the scoring system has made a cookie-cutter approach to ice dance possible, this young team pushed the limits of the system and didn't earn their points in the same way that most of the other teams do. The judges ranked this free dance 2nd of the night, which was so well-deserved, and they finished in 4th overall, less than a point from the podium. Vanessa & Paul were awarded a spot on the 2008 Junior World team, where they won the silver medal. Watch out for them next year! 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Mylène Girard & Liam Dougherty had a bit of a rough start to their season (and their new partnership), with a disappointing placement at an international competition, but instead of being discouraged, they trained harder. With this free dance to music from The Mission, they presented a side of their skating much softer than what was seen in their flamenco original dance, and they really won me over with it in December at the 2008 Senior Challenge, the qualifying event for Canadians. I didn't think this performance was quite as wonderful as Challenge, but it was still excellent, and they earned a place on the 2008-2009 national team. Very close 3rd place in this dance, 5th place overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Allie Hann-McCurdy & Michael Coreno train in Burnaby, BC, practically just down the road from the arena in Vancouver, so they had a lot of support from the audience. They looked like they had a blast skating their free dance to "Rhapsody in Blue," and it is a style that works well for them, but I thought that the dance lacked the choreographic complexity of the other teams in the top five. I actually thought that Siobhan & Kevin, who placed sixth, even had a better dance, and more flow across the ice. Still, Allie & Mike skated this very well, and although it was a close fight, they managed to hang onto 3rd place. After placing 8th last year and considering quitting, their first podium finish was a huge accomplishment, and they were also awarded the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2008 World Championships in Sweden last month. They finished a respectable 19th there. 5th in this dance, 3rd overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje were last year's big surprise, when they finished 3rd in their first season together. This year, they had a lot to prove, so they chose a very mature free dance to "Blues for Klook." On a personal note, I kind of hate that music, but I thought that the style worked well for them. The first half of this dance was great, but unfortunately, Andrew fell in the middle section of the dance. Since it was not on a specific element, their deductions for the fall weren't huge, and they managed to hang onto the silver medal and a return trip to the World Championships, where they placed 17th. This shot is from the first few seconds of the dance. Verrry close 4th in this dance, 2nd overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Since the skaters at these championships skated in reverse order of the standings, the audience was given the wonderful treat of watching Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir close the event when the rest of the competition had already been decided. Watching them without worrying about anyone else made me enjoy this program to music from Les Parapluies de Cherbourg even more. I'll be honest - this shot is a little too blurry in its original resolution, but I was able to sharpen it to post here. Tessa & Scott skate so fast and with constant changes of position that it makes my job as a photographer quite a challenge. I so desperately wanted to get a great shot of this lift - it's pretty much the high point of the whole dance, timed perfectly with the music, but my shots started to blur as Scott came around the curve and Tessa's face came into better view. Ah well. I get better at photographing them every time I see them, so I'm hoping for some good results next week. Anyway, back to this event...although Tessa & Scott skated this program without any mistakes and put on a mesmerizing performance, I don't think they peaked here, which was good. In my opinion, their best performance of this free dance came in March at the World Championships, where they won a silver medal - in only their second trip to the event. These kids are amazing. 1st in this dance, 1st overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.

The overall quality of dance this year was just incredible. I thought the same thing two years ago, when the race for the 2nd Olympic team spot gave me an ulcer, and the rest of the competition was enjoyable, too, but this year surpassed 2006. It's definitely a huge rebound after last year, which was quite disappointing for dance. For example, this year, Mylène Lamoreux & Michael Mee scored 160.91 points overall and placed seventh - a perfectly respectable finish and two places higher than they finished last year. However, last year, 160.91 points would have been enough for third place and a trip to the World Championships. Of last year's top ten teams, only six returned, so many were expecting that 2008 would be a rebuilding year. Perhaps it was, but if this was only a rebuilding year, then I can't wait to see what next year holds.

Next time: highlights from Sunday that will probably include the ladies' free and the hall of fame induction. Maybe I'll post the Parade of Champions with those, too, depending on how many photos I want to put up.

emotions running high

On Saturday at the 2008 Canadian Championships, four titles were at stake. The senior pairs, senior men, senior dancers, and junior men all skated their free programs. The day was exciting, emotional, and definitely quite long. I didn't even stay for all of the junior men - I conducted some interviews during their free skate, but I was just too tired to stay for the rest of the competition, especially since I knew I had to be at the arena before 9 the next morning. Still, even just seeing three events wore me out! Here are highlights from the senior pairs and senior men, the first session of the day.


I don't remember much about Becky Cosford & Brian Shales' program, except that I think it was pretty decent, but I do love this shot. They moved from 12th up to 8th with this. 8th in this program, 8th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Jessica Dubé & Bryce Davison were supposed to win this title easily - they were the defending champions, and the only Canadian pair team to have made the Grand Prix Final this season. They'd already beaten one of the top teams in the world at an early international competition. But mistakes in the short program left them in 5th heading into the free, a particularly difficult position, since that meant they weren't even in the final group of skaters. But Jess & Bryce are certainly fighters, and they skated a beautiful program that brought the audience to its feet. Although they finished second overall, it was only by a fraction of a point, and they went on to win the bronze medal at the World Championships in March. 1st in this program, 2nd overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Jessica Miller & Ian Moram are one of only three teams in the world that consistently try a quad throw, plus they have great lifts. This is their double twist, which got great marks, since she gets a lot of height and has a nice, tight position in the air. 6th in this program, 6th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


I just love a good reaction photo! Here, Meagan Duhamel & Craig Buntin are absolutely thrilled at the end of their program. As a new team, they had a lot to prove at these championships, and they really lived up to the hype, earning a spot on the World Championship team. 3rd in this program, 3rd overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Joey Russell won the junior title two years ago, and has had a pretty decent transition to seniors. I love the position he gets here. 8th in this program, 9th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Ken Rose had an awesome skate here - no major mistakes, and he skated with a lot of energy. This was snapped just as he finished his program. 4th in this program, 7th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


I have such a soft spot for Shawn Sawyer, since he's a nice guy and always stops for a chat. I think I told the socks story a few blogs back. He definitely earned his "you rock my socks" socks with this program, which vaulted him back to the podium. He was 3rd in 2006 (and went to the Olympics), but had finished 4th last year, and when he was 6th in the short program this year, he knew he needed a big free program. I think this was the landing of his final jump. The best part about this picture is that he skated first in the final group, so at this point in time, he had no idea how the others would skate, and whether his effort was enough for the podium or not. He was just thrilled with the skate itself. 3rd in this program, 3rd overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Fedor Andreev, arguably one of skating's most attractive men, had taken time off from the ice for a few years to model and race cars and be in movies, and who knows what else. He'd only been training for a few months when he arrived at the Canadians in Vancouver, and no one expected much from him. This program wasn't as solid as his short program, but it was enjoyable - and he sure does know how to make skating look great. I hope he'll be back again next year. 11th in this program, 8th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Unfortunately, Chris Mabee didn't have the best free program, and couldn't match his silver-medal-winning performance from last year. He's such an entertaining skater, though, and a classy guy - he skates at countless club shows throughout the spring every year, and also does speaking engagements. 7th in this program, 5th overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


There were so many wonderful moments in Vancouver that week, but this was probably the most incredible of them all. Patrick Chan, a 17-year-old from Toronto, has been talked about for a few years, but in his prior two performances at Nationals at the senior level, he's been inconsistent. This year, though, he was flying high off a great fall season, and he brought a clean triple Axel with him. This program is impeccably choreographed to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," and although he's young, Patrick is such a musically mature skater. With every jump he landed, the crowd got a little louder, and by the time he got to his final elements - his straightline footwork and final spin, the audience was louder the music, and people started standing before he even finished. This is a championship skate that's going to be remembered for years, and I don't think it will be Patrick's last, either. 1st in this program, 1st overall. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.

And because I love reactions:

In an interview the next day, Patrick said that one of the best parts of his program was getting to fist-pump when it was over. He'd never had the chance to fist-pump before.

Next time: The rest of Saturday's action - the senior free dance.

the third day

Day 3 at the 2008 Canadian Championships featured short programs from the senior men, senior pairs, and senior ladies. I think that the junior ladies skated their free programs first, in the morning, but my friends and I opted to walk around downtown that morning, where we took a copious amount of photos with the Olympic countdown clock.

Still trying to get the settings right on my camera, three days into the competition! I like very white ice in my photos, but this was making the skaters practically glow-in-the-dark, so I had to settle for grey ice on the raw images, and then a bit of photoshopping to get the colours balanced the way that I like them. I have quite a few photos to share from this day and I'm putting them all in one post, so I'll quit the chit-chat and get to the pictures.


One of the things I love about Canadians is discovering the lesser-known competitors that don't usually get shown on TV. Ian Martinez was a great discovery this year - he skated with such energy and was obviously having a great time on the ice. He was also a big hit with the schoolkids in the upper bowl. 9th place. 1/160, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Last year's junior champion, Jeremy Ten, is a hometown kid and had a lot of pressure on him, since he was involved in a very competitive fight to make the World Junior team. Unfortunately, he didn't skate as well as he was expected to, but he is a very musical skater with a good spread eagle, as pictured here. 14th place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


This is officially one of my favourite photos from the entire season. I've always wanted to get a great split jump photo, and this moment from Shawn Sawyer's short program was my first. I wish his eyes were open, but I guess I can't be faulted for that! 6th place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


I was so excited to get two split jumps in a row - this is Chris Mabee in a Russian split jump, but unfortunately, you can see that the camera crew from CBC was given priority over the photographers, as they were on a platform above the judges, and therefore, in our sight lines looking towards the opposite end of the rink. It was so frustrating! 3rd place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Jeff Buttle (who became a World Champion this year, two months after these championships!) is not the most photogenic skater - lots of open-mouthed, eyes-closed, occasional snot-flying moments in his programs. However, he does have an extremely photogenic entrance to his triple Axel. 1st place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Here's a neat double-image of Meagan Duhamel & Craig Buntin's double twist from their short program. It's a lateral one, which is very difficult and fairly rare, even among the best teams in the world. The most impressive part is that Duhamel & Buntin have only been skating together since last June, and before that, Duhamel had not skated pairs at all since January 2006. Look at how clean their catch is, and how high it is above Craig's head. Many teams collide on the catch, in a stomach-to-nose kind of thing. Not very photogenic, and not correct, either. Meagan's arms above her head gets them extra points, too. Great element for them. 2nd place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Jessica Miller & Ian Moram are one of the smoothest pairs teams in the world, in my opinion, and this bluesy short program really highlighted their strengths. I love this entrance into their throw, and since I was sitting on the opposite of the rink for this event, I got a great photo of it. 4th place. 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Unfortunately, sitting in the opposite corner with my friends, and being fairly high up, meant that I didn't get as many good shots of the pairs or ladies this evening. I do like this one of Jessica Dubé & Bryce Davison, though, coming around the corner in their flamenco short program. Jess & Bryce were expected to win the event easily, but they had an unusually rough short program. 5th place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


I love reaction shots! Kristen Walker wasn't seeded very high, and had to skate quite early in the ladies' short program. This was taken as she pumped her fist at the end of her clean program. 6th place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


Lesley Hawker is just one of my favourite people in skating. She's so friendly and a little hilarious, and my friends and I love cheering for her. She didn't land her first triple jump until she was something like 18 years old, so she's older than most of her competitors. Her skating stands out because of her maturity and because of the way she just beams whenever she's on the ice. Unfortunately, she got nailed for several smaller mistakes in this program. 7th place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


And what's a photoblog of a ladies' event without a spiral photo? Joannie Rochette is unquestionably the best skater in Canada right now, and she certainly has one of the best spirals, if not the best. This short program to Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto is probably my favourite of all her short programs, and it was wonderful to see it live. 1st place. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.

Next: Day 4! Probably free programs for the senior pairs and senior men.

dance originally

Still on Day Two of competition from the 2008 Canadian Championships. This is Thursday, if you're keeping track, and the senior original dance was the last event of the day. It's great when dance gets top billing - it doesn't happen often, but Canada has a tradition of great dance teams, so every once in a while, dancers get some respect. But enough with that, and on to the pictures, and more of the saga in Mel's battle against the blinding arena lights.


Lisa Johnson & Joseph Scott had a successful jig-themed free dance in 2007, so they brought the idea back for their original dance this season. I like this photo because I froze a frame with great unison. 12th place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Christina Bourgeois & Jonathan Pelletier's flamenco dance demonstrates one of my rules of skating photography: flying fringe always makes a better picture. And if you're wondering if this is Megan's dress from 2002, you're right; I asked her. 11th place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Andrea Chong & Guillaume Gfeller skated a soft country dance to music by that band that Norah Jones is in that I can never remember the name of. I love this photo, with the way that I just barely got Guillaume's eyes in the shot. 9th place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Lauren Senft & Augie Hill dropped a spot, to 8th, with their Cape Breton folk dance, but the experience of skating well at home meant that they scored big with the audience - and even bigger when Lauren modeled the Vancouver hockey jersey that someone threw her before she left the ice. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier's Romanian folk dance was among my favourites of the season, and they skated it sooo well here. And this picture is so much fun! 4th place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Siobhan Karam & Kevin O'Keefe's Irish folk dance was another favourite of mine this season. I don't always love lift photos, because it's hard to get two faces that look good, but I just love Siobhan's expression here. 6th place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Wow, this event was kind of like a hit parade, wasn't it? I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but Allie Hann-McCurdy & Michael Coreno had another one of my favourite original dances of the season. Theirs was a charming Canadian waltz & jig, and this photo is obviously from the jig portion. 3rd place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.


I still think that Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir could have picked a better rhythm for them than Russian folk, but this dance definitely is more enjoyable live than on television. They're the class of the field, no question, and they bring the drama. 1st place. 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next time: Day 3!

more junior highlights

Day Two of competition at the 2008 Canadian Championships, Part One. Another long day, and an exciting one. However, it was a little sad, too, as it marked the end of the junior dance competition. As I wrote for my blog at ice-dance.com, junior dance has become one of my favourite events over the course of the season. I got to see some of these teams perform as many as three times during the year, and watching them show what they've learned this season at Canadians was so much fun. As always, some teams will move on to other partners or other endeavours, so I knew that I was seeing some of these teams for the last time, although I didn't know which ones at the time.


Alissa Pettinicchi & Derek Green hadn't even been skating together for a full year when they showed up at Canadians. Alissa, at 14, was one of the youngest girls in the competition, but she really lit up the rink. I just loved this lift of theirs, and I was glad that I was able to get a good shot of it during the free dance. 18th in this dance, 18th overall. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


As a journalist, I aim to be fair and I try not to appear more supportive of one team than another, but it's tough when a team impresses me as much as Tarrah Harvey & Keith Gagnon did this year. I saw them for the first time two years ago, but they did not make an impression on me then, so when they showed up at Lake Placid last August with beautiful, polished programs, I felt like I was seeing a brand new team. They're not new, though - they've been skating together for 10 years. And in both 2006 & 2007, they finished 13th at Canadians on the junior level. After finishing 13th twice in a row, a lot of teams would have called it quits, but Tarrah & Keith wanted to skate at Nationals in their hometown, Keith told me in an interview, so they kept going. And when they heard that Megan Wing & Aaron Lowe were moving back to Vancouver to coach, they decided that they were going to give this season all they had. So they switched coaches, changed their training regiment completely, and ended up improving by 9 places. Their free dance was just this fantastic moment, in the middle of the morning, thanks to a Nationals schedule that is never kind to junior dancers. But there were all of these schoolkids on field trips in the arena, and the noise of the crowd just kept growing as Tarrah & Keith literally skated the best dance of their lives. Absolutely among my favourite moments of the whole week. 3rd in this dance; 4th overall. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


This is from Anna Stanislavska & Dylan Fieldhouse's free dance, which was skated well and had a lot of character. I wasn't quite ready for this gem of a moment, so I was zoomed in too far, but I think I still managed a decent shot. 5th in this dance; 5th overall. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.

The next event on the schedule was the junior men's short program. I spent a lot of the event editing photos and working on some writing, but there was one skater in particular I wanted to see, so I managed to catch the last group. I also decided to change the settings on my camera after this, since some of my junior free dance photos were obnoxiously bright. Trying to achieve the right balance of settings for the lights was a challenge for the rest of the week, but at least it meant that I always had something to chat about with the other photographers.


Everything about Paul Poirier's short program says, "I am an actually an ice dancer, but I do this free skating thing, too." This photo actually screams, "I am an ice dancer!!!" Check out that edge. Awesome. 6th in the short program, ended up winning the silver medal later in the week. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.

The opening ceremony was between the junior men's short program and the junior pairs' free program. People were arriving and actually wanting to sit in their seats, so my friends couldn't sit near me any more, and since I wasn't shooting the junior pairs for any reason except for some fun, I ended up sitting with them fairly high in one of the corners. I didn't get a lot of great shots, but I was able to shoot lifts and twists better than I could in the photo row, which was nice.


Of course, I'm not actually picking a lift or a twist photo to show. Oh well. This is part of Monica Pisotta & Michael Stewart's spiral sequence. Although they were 2nd in this program, they managed to hang on to the gold medal overall, which also earned them a spot on the team for the Junior World Championships. 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400.


After the junior pairs were done, my friends and I ran into Shawn Sawyer, one of the competitors in the senior men's event. We've known him for a few years, so we chatted with him for a bit, and he made us promise to throw him socks. At the 2005 Canadian Championships, we were kind of into the phrase, "you rock my socks," so one of our friends, Erin, wrote "you rock my socks" on a bunch of pairs of dollar-store socks, and threw them to some of the skaters. Shawn thought that his socks were the greatest thing ever, so he always asks for more. Anyway, there were these bunches of balloons decorating the "BMO Fan Centre," so Shawn grabbed a couple and pretended to run off with them while I snapped his picture - all under the suspicious eye of a volunteer that, I suspect, may have been on the decorating committee. 1/60, f/4, ISO 400.

Next time: senior original dance & the conclusion of day two.

let's polka!

The Yankee Polka is one of the hallmarks of the senior compulsory dances, in my opinion. Most people have a love-hate relationship with it, and by "love-hate," I mean that most people either love it or hate it. I fall into the "love it" category. Really love it. The music is irritatingly perky, including one track that is an instrumental version of "O Susanna." The costumes are so random. Braids, pigtails, and Heidi-buns! Whee! It was the first compulsory dance I saw live, at the 2004 Four Continents Championships in Hamilton. I was sitting with a group of 10 enthusiastic skating fans, and we clapped all the way through it. So when the Yankee Polka was drawn for 2008 Canadians, I was ecstatic. Christina, Jen, & Michele arranged their flights to arrive in time for it on Wednesday night, so that we could all watch it together.

In compulsory dances, I like identifying a particular part of the dance to photograph, and challenging myself to get a good shot of every couple at the same moment. I was sitting in a great place to get the fun kick toward the end of the pattern, so I made that my mission for the CD. I missed the kicks of quite a few of the earlier skaters, but once I got to the second half of the teams, I managed to get a good kicking photo of almost all of them.


Claire Tannett & Wendell McGrath execute a sharp kick with good unison, but it's not as high as some of the teams that came later. This was their first year in seniors, and it could have been their first time competing the Yankee. They were 14th in this dance. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Mylène Lamoreux & Michael Mee have great expression in this dance, but freezing a frame in this kick can be very revealing - you can see that they're not quite in unison. Nice, sharp arms, though. 8th place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Lauren Senft & Augie Hill are a first-year, international team. She's a hometown girl from Vancouver; he's from Chicago and also Texas. They train in Michigan. They represent British Columbia. Sometimes I call them Laugie. And their kick is adorable, but again, not perfect unison. That's understandable, though - it often takes years to develop that. 7th place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Siobhan Karam & Kevin O'Keefe are another first-year, international team. Siobhan was born in Ottawa; Kevin was born in Maine. They also train in Michigan, and they represent Eastern Ontario. And they had a surprisingly good Yankee, especially for a new team. Unison is close, and look at how close together their hips are - skating closer together is always more difficult. 4th place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier were last year's junior champions, and they competed junior internationally this year, so Canadians were their first senior competition. This was their first Yankee Polka, and they did well. Beautiful unison on the kick, and great expression from Vanessa. 6th place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Allie Hann-McCurdy & Michael Coreno train in Vancouver, so it was great for them to do so well in front of a home crowd. I love the energy in this picture, although you can see that the kick wasn't the strongest part of their dance. 2nd place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje are a second-year team, and another Canadian/American pairing, only Kaitlyn is the American - originally from Texas. Andrew is from Kitchener, Ontario, and they represent Northern Ontario, even though neither of them is from there and they do not train there. Love Kaitlyn in this photo, though - nice extension, expression, and dress ruffle. 3rd place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir are one of the top teams in the world, as I think I mentioned a couple of entries ago, and easy favourites to win this. They came out and skated confidently, although their smooth style isn't that well-suited to the perky Yankee. Their pattern was bigger than the other teams, so even though I was sitting in exactly the same seat, I didn't have the same angle for their kick. It still shows off their beautiful unison, though (they've been skating together for over 10 years), and crisp lines. It's also hard to tell in this photo, but Tessa is rocking some Heidi-buns in her hair. 1st place. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.



And one final gem. I love candid shots of skaters with their coaches at the boards. Some are all business before they skate, and some laugh and joke around to keep relaxed. Here are Lisa Johnson & Joseph Scott with coach Rebecca Babb (I think?) just before their 12th-place Yankee Polka. 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next time: Day two of competition.