Sarah Skates

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  1. Ashley Wagner Wins Top Spot in U.S. Figure Skating

    1/28/12 11:09pm by Sarah Skates
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    Ashley Wagner © Damon Tarver/Cal Sport Media/ZUMAPRESS.com

    The U.S. Figure Skating Championships always come with suspense. Top skaters buckle under pressure, and many find the event so challenging, they fall on jumps or footwork where they ease through every day on practice ice. This year was no different, as reigning champion, Alissa Czisny struggled in the Free Skate, leaving just enough room for two time bronze medalist, Ashley Wagner, to win.  Read more >

  2. The Next Generation of Figure Skaters

    1/26/12 10:35am by Sarah Skates
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    Karen Chen photo by Sarah Granger

    What do Peggy Fleming, Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi all have in common? In addition to their Olympic gold medals, they all hail from the Bay Area. While not the natural climate one would consider a place for breeding world class figure skaters, there are some incredible skaters and coaches here – and it’s only getting better. This week, we have a real treat: the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, aka “nationals” are taking place in San Jose at the HP Pavilion.  Read more >

  3. World Figure Skating Championships Postponed Indefinitely

    3/15/11 6:00am by Sarah Skates
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    Miki Ando

    One week from today, the biggest figure skating event of 2011, the World Figure Skating Championships was to commence in Tokyo, Japan. Due to concerns over effects of the earthquake and tsunami on the region, the International Skating Union and the Japanese Skating Federation today announced that they will be postponing the event indefinitely. On the advice of the Japanese authorities, they concluded that given safety concerns for competitors and spectators, staging of the event at that time just "is not possible."  Read more >

  4. Olympic Champion Yu-Na Kim Falters, Loses Crown to Rival Mao Asada

    3/28/10 6:29pm by Sarah Skates
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    World Figure Skating Championships

    I always enjoy the World Figure Skating Championships just following the Olympics because the Olympic champions typically drop out and there tends to be a surprise winner in Olympic years. In 2006, American Kimmie Meissner came from a 6th place finish in Torino and won Worlds. This year, Worlds was back in Torino following the Vancouver games, unusually with all of the top ladies from the Olympics except Joannie Rochette contending for gold.  Read more >

  5. Olympic Ladies Make History on Ice

    2/26/10 9:07am by Sarah Skates
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    Usually when the Olympics come around, I have a favorite skater  in each event. This year, my favorites won in each of the three events preceding the ladies. But once the final group of ladies took the ice, I realized I really just wanted them all to skate their best. Having written about all of them for so long, I know all of their stories. As a skater myself, I just wanted to share in their enjoyment of the sport and their Olympic moments.  Read more >

  6. Rochette Positioned for Olympic Podium Days After Mother's Untimely Death

    2/24/10 2:43am by Sarah Skates
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    Vancouver 2010 hasn't been the constant high that usually comes with the Olympic Games. With the death of the Georgian luge competitor before the opening ceremonies began, a dark cloud formed over Vancouver that hasn't quite departed yet. As many have already heard, Canadian ladies' figure skating champion, Joannie Rochette, lost her mother to a heart attack earlier this week.  Read more >

  7. Ice Dancing Underway, Public Still Skeptical of Olympic Judging

    2/20/10 1:07am by Sarah Skates
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    Is anyone really shocked that the Russians are in front of the pack in Ice Dance after the Compulsory Dance? With the long history of Russians winning in Pairs and Ice Dance, it should be no surprise. As I wrote last week, people were speculating that the draw for the dance was rigged. And of course after Evan Lysacek's narrow win over 2006 champion Evgeny Plushenko, the "new" judging system skeptics were out in force. Should the quad be worth more? Is the judging really impartial?  Read more >

  8. Olympics 2010: Russian Ice Dancers Dress Like Aborigines, Gall Australia

    2/11/10 11:00am by Sarah Skates
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    It's officially Winter Olympics time again. Tomorrow the torch makes its way to Vancouver and the Opening Ceremony will showcase incredible athletes from around the world in a glorious celebration of cross-cultural unity. Well, mostly.  Read more >

  9. New U.S. Figure Skating Champion Crowned and Ready to Lead Ladies to the Olympics

    1/24/10 8:07am by Sarah Skates
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    Last night, the top American ladies took competitive ice for the last time before the Olympics. With only two spots available on this year's team and arguably at least six skaters who could place in the top ten in Vancouver, it was all about who would skate cleanly, perform her best and rack up the most points. And as always, the unpredictability kept the audience on their feet.  Read more >

  10. Big Skating News: Sasha Cohen's Back, Dazzling U.S. Nationals

    1/22/10 11:00am by Sarah Skates
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    Remember Sasha Cohen? She made the U.S. Olympic team in 2002 and finished fourth, just behind Michelle Kwan. In 2006, she was the Olympic favorite and she took home the silver medal. She hasn't competed since the 2006 World Championships and now she's back, looking like she never left competitive figure skating. picapp_gallery("898368","7616964,7616957,7616963,7616969,7616965,7617059,7616881,7617702,7616877","","1","1","2")  Read more >

Sarah Granger

Full Name
Sarah Granger
Member Since
October 2010
About Me: 

As BlogHer's resident figure skating blogger, I've covered national and international figure skating events including the Olympics for BlogHer. I've been a figure skater for over 30 years, I've competed all over the country as a child and as an adult (including winning medals at national and international open events), and now I'm a skating mom.

A former board member of the Skating Club of San Francisco, I've been a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Association since 1979 and a long time member of the Ice Skating Institute. I've trial judged on occasion, volunteered for numerous competitions and chaired exhibitions.

I never tire of spending time at the rink. I took my skates to two famous figure skating countries in order to experience skating there - Switzerland & Russia. (Photo is of me skating in Gstaad, Switzerland.) Skating and writing are two of my favorite activities, so I relish the opportunity to bring them together here.

Note: If you're looking for my posts about politics, see the account under Sarah Granger, where those reside.

 

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