bmwracer wrote:

With this weather, it won't take much to keep the rinks cold.

Seriously.

But how the hell does she do this??? I couldn't do it standing still, never mind trying while on skates.

gaijinmark wrote:

But how the hell does she do this??? I couldn't do it standing still, never mind trying while on skates.

The women in HBO's Cathouse documentary seemed to do it no problem. Only in spike shoes not skates...
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Way to go Mikitty!!

Miki Ando wins World Title

MOSCOW (AP)—Miki Ando was skating for a world title. In her heart, she was skating for those in her wounded homeland.

She defeated Olympic champion Kim Yu-na of South Korea, prevailing in a duel of exceptional elegance at a world championships originally scheduled for Japan before it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March.

�gI was skating for Japan and I never cared about the result,�h said Ando, who also won at the 2007 worlds. �gI�fm really happy to have a gold medal,�h Ando said. �gI worked hard and I�fve become a little bit of a stronger skater than a year ago.�h

Carolina Kostner of Italy took the bronze.

^ Omedeto gozaimasu, Miki-chan!

Now that it's July, what better time to bring up the ice skating thread!

Miki Ando becomes mother, will continue skating

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's two-time world figure skating champion Miki Ando has revealed she secretly had a baby during a break from competition, but vowed to come back and seek a spot in next year's Sochi Olympics.

Pictures showing the 25-year-old and her baby girl were splashed over the front pages of sports dailies Tuesday, the morning after her revelation on a late-night television show.

"I became a mother after successfully giving birth in April," the 2007 and 2011 world champion said with a big smile on the TV Asahi network.

Ando, who has shunned competition in the last two seasons, did not say who the baby's father was. But media speculated he might be a 27-year-old professional Japanese figure skater who retired from competition after the 2010-2011 season.

Her interviewer quoted Ando as saying off camera that she definitely wanted to get married when "various arrangements have been made with the partner".

Ando said she would pursue her dream of competing in her third Olympics in February and then retire.

"I want to continue working hard on the rink in a responsible manner," she said.

Ando, who in 2002 became the first and only woman to land a quadruple jump in competition, said she became aware of her pregnancy last October when she pulled out of the 2012-2013 Grand Prix series citing insufficient conditioning.

gaijinmark wrote:

Now that it's July, what better time to bring up the ice skating thread! Miki Ando becomes mother, will continue skating TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's two-time world figure skating champion Miki Ando has revealed she secretly had a baby during a break from competition, but vowed to come back and seek a spot in next year's Sochi Olympics. Ando said she would pursue her dream of competing in her third Olympics in February and then retire. "I want to continue working hard on the rink in a responsible manner," she said. Ando, who in 2002 became the first and only woman to land a quadruple jump in competition, said she became aware of her pregnancy last October when she pulled out of the 2012-2013 Grand Prix series citing insufficient conditioning.

Good for her.

I hope she rocks it!!
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I wonder if she will still continue to be affiliated with Japan ice skating even after her retirement, maybe as a conditioning coach or something.

I've tried ice skating before. I'm definitely not good at it, but I enjoy it. It's been a long time since I've been on ice skates, though.
We only have 2 ice rinks in this tropical country of ours. When I get more practice, I might have a go at the rink at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.
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Found this site dedicated to Japan's women skaters: http://www.japanskates.com/

gaijinmark wrote:

Found this site dedicated to Japan's women skaters: http://www.japanskates.com/

Interesting.
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Burned out at the ripe old age of 23: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/mao-asada-to-take-a-year-off-from-competitive-figure-skating-1.1828009

^ And now she's decided to call it quits permanently: https://www.yahoo.com/news/figure-skating-japans-former-world-champ-asada-retires-145150721.html