Figure Skating in the News...

With the Olympics over, I thought it might be worthwhile to see what's in the news.

Skating season winds down
Having Brian Orser guest star in the annual skating carnival really capped off the year for students of the Drayton Valley Figure Skating Club, according to Ginnie Vickrey. The event, titled Entertainment on Ice was a way for skaters young and older to showcase their talents and entertain their community at the Omniplex.

Games provide perfect backdrop for sports
Hannah Eppley usually takes her skis when her family heads to a mountain to enjoy some winter sports. But, Hannah, 11, of Port Huron quickly is gaining interest in another winter sport - snowboarding. She's been closely following the Olympic dreams of snowboarder Hannah Teter and others for the past two weeks.

"It looks fun and exciting, and it would just be fun to try," Hannah Eppley said. "Seeing people like Hannah Teter snowboarding got me interested."

Hannah isn't the only one whose interest is piqued when the winter Olympics roll around every four years.

Ice & snow to melt hearts
Arrivederci to zeroes & heroes
You take what you want from the Olympics, so feel free to rip these Winter Games today if the itch is there. There are plenty of good reasons to do so, from Bode Miller to Speedy Peterson to Mike Modano. There was the Austrian drug runaround, and the Wayne Gretzky denials, and one of the clumsiest women's figure skating events this side of "Skating with the Stars."

Not everyone caught a case of Olympic fever
It could have been skier Bode Miller's all-talk-and-no-medal performance.

Maybe it was Michelle Kwan's withdrawal from the figure skating competition because of an injury.

Whatever the reason, Americans weren't sitting on the edges of their couches, cheering as the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, unfolded on NBC and its five other networks.

The Winter's Tale
Looking back on the athletes, expectations and moments that made Olympic memories each day in Turin
OPENING: U.S. Alpine Team Brings High Hopes

The 20th Winter Olympics open with great expectations for the U.S. Alpine team, targeting a total of eight medals with stars Bode Miller and Lindsey Kildow ready to lead the way. A new scoring system will make its Olympic debut in figure skating, in hopes of eliminating the controversies that have long affected the sport. At the opening ceremony, Italian cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo, a five-time Olympian, is the final torch-bearer. Athletes from 80 nations parade into Olympic Stadium on the eve of 16 days of competition.

Cappellini Gets Last Chance for Junior Worlds Medal
Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte

TThe 2006 Junior Worlds will be the last chance for Anna Cappellini to medal at the event. She was fifth in 2004 with Matteo Zanni and the couple had a good chance at a medal last season after finishing third at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, but Zanni became ill and they had to withdraw after the original dance. Now Cappellini is back with a new partner, Luca Lanotte, and one final chance in Slovenia. After winning the Italian junior title, the couple set a goal of making the podium at Junior Worlds in Slovenia.

Wanna skate?
You spent two weeks glued to your TV watching the Winter Olympics. Now it's your turn: For two weeks you watched, worried and wished for gold as the U.S. Olympic team took to the ice and snow in Turin, Italy.

Now that it's over, you're thinking, "Hey, maybe I could do that."

Whether you are — or your child is — the next Sasha Cohen, Chad Hedrick or Pete Fenson (he's a curler), Houston has plenty of opportunities for wannabe Winter Olympians.

An icy disappointment
ALBENA Denkova and Maxim Staviski, Bulgaria’s top figure skating duo, finished fifth in the figure skating final at the Turin Olympic Games on February 20.The Bulgarians accrued 189.53 points. Gold went to the Russians Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, who garnered 200.64 points. Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto of the US took silver with 196.06 points and Ukrainian husband and wife team Elena Grushina and Roslan Goncharov swept the bronze with 195.85 points.

Perfecting skills on ice
The Hancock Recreation Center’s latest session of the Learn to Skate Program is almost finished. All the students have been perfecting their skills on the ice. The program is designed to give personal attention to each student and create a faster learning environment. Learn to Skate Director Christy Bryant is also Head Skating Pro for the center and is a full-time figure skating coach. The group lessons are offered Saturday mornings from October through February and are for skaters of any age.