Let’s take a moment to appreciate the one and only J-Go on his birthday…
The Man:
The Musician:
The Pocket Vortex Legend:
Hey J-Go, it’s your birthday… sha-na-na-na-na!
Posts Tagged ‘Sport’
Rotate…
May
2
2007
Technical details of rotating rollerblade (in-line skating) wheels (see picture).
Step One.
Step Two.
Details:
Right Wheel #1 with Left Wheel #3
Right Wheel #2 with Left Wheel #4
Right Wheel #3 with Left Wheel #1
Right Wheel #4 with Left Wheel #2
NB. Rotating your rollerblade wheels makes a greasy, dirty mess… so if you’ve just got a manicure and bought a nice new pair of white Capris, I’d steer away from taking your blades apart on your white living room carpet.
Here’s a picture from my latest adventures in rollerblading: The Granville Street Bridge looking down at Granville Island.
Rollerblading Adventure: Part 1
Apr
19
2007
Getting There.
Yesterday, my rollerblading destination was Jericho Beach in Point Grey (approximately 8km round trip according to the gmap pedometer). I stripped my gear to the bare minimum (body, one lens, extra battery, 2GB card) and packed it into my camcorder bag, which is much smaller and lighter than my big, honking, “beast” bag.
I set off and headed down 2nd Ave all the way to Point Grey. It was smooth sailing. That is until I got to Jericho (see below). Here is an important lesson I learnt yesterday. Jericho Beach is not the best place to rollerblade. Biking? Yes. Walking and running? Tally-ho. Rollerblading? Not advised.
Let’s review some places where you shouldn’t go rollerblading:
1. Gravel pathways or fields of long, wet grass.
2. Muddy swamp land.
3. The soft, slippery, muddy banks of a duck pond.
4. Mossy parts near forested areas.
5. Sandy Beaches.
Please do not attempt this if you are a Novice rollerblader. This is serious business. If you are a beginner and attempt to rollerblade around the slippery, muddy banks of a duck pond, the chances are pretty good that you will fall into said duck pond. The likelihood that I, an experienced and “professional” rollerblader, would fall into the duck pond is say 50%. So the odds are in my favour.
PS. Next time, can someone please remind me to bring shoes? Some flip flops? Anything really. Some plastic bags I can strap to my feet?
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Rollerblading Adventure to Jericho Beach.
2007 Figure Skating Worlds in Toyko, Japan
Mar
20
2007
The 2007 Figure Skating Worlds kicked off today with the Ice Dance Compulsory Dance, the Rhumba, and the Pairs Short Program. For more, check out the 2007 Team Canada Blog and Skate Canada News.
Canadian dancers, Dubreuil and Lauzon chawktawed their hearts out and are sitting in 1st place. Fabulous. Keep your fingers crossed for the Original Dance on Thurdsay. Canada’s young dance teams are also doing well. Virtue and Moir are in 9th place and Weaver and Poje are in 18th place.
Click to view:
Tessa Virture and Scott Moir’s Rhumba.
Weaver and Poje’s Rhumba.
3 Canadian Pairs teams in the Top 10 at Worlds. Awesome. Valérie Marcoux and Craig Buntin finished in 6th place. And the lovely Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison finished in 7th position. Langois and Hay placed 10th.
Click here to watch:
Marcoux and Buntin’s Short Program
Marcoux & Buntin’s Long Program
Dubé and Davison’s Short Program.
Dubé & Davison’s Long Program
*youtube clips of French-speaking, Canadian skaters in Japan, have commentaries that are in Russian. It’s so linguistic, I’m giddy.
Good Luck to the Great Jeff Buttle currently sitting in second place. Hooray!
Update:
Silver Medalists, Dubreuil and Lauzon’s Free Dance
6th place, Virue and Moir’s Original Dance
Canadian ice dancers are so hot right now
Jan
22
2007
Presenting the 2007 Canadian Champions:
Jeffery Buttle
Joannie Rochette
Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison
Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon
Check out Skate Canada for a detailed list of results.
To watch some of the gold medal performances from Nationals, click on these links Jeffery Buttle FS, Joannie Rochette SP, Dubé/Davison FS Dubreuil/Lauzon OD.
I have to say that I’m loving all the new young dancers in the top 5: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, Lauren Senft and Leif Gislason. Very exciting! Ice dance is alive and well in Canada. Kudos to the new judging system actually allowing movement in the standings. I remember when the top 10 spots were safe-guarded by the Russian mafia. Back then, you were more likely to see hell freeze over than see movement in the ice dance rankings. Except that one time in 1997, when there was a 5/4 judging panel split in favour of the Azerbaijani team’s romantic Arabian-themed free dance over the Lativian team’s fast-pasted 1930s swing-themed free dance. They placed 20th and 21st respectively. It was tense.
Canadians photo momento of yours truly during my passionate “Far and Away” Irish folk-themed free dance.
Photo of the Bradshaw dance crew at Thornill, home-base of the Canadian Ice Dance Academy, Toronto. Great memories!
And a magical behind-the-scenes Canadians moment that speaks for itself and the zaniness of Jon Lane. 
My First Figure Skating Carnival
Jan
20
2007
Age: 7
Location: Saskatoon Figure Skating Club
Theme: Jungle Animals
Music: “When the Lion Sleeps Tonight”
Costume: Sequined Lion made by my Mum, the talented seamstress.
Skating Hall of Fame: Ryan Smith
Jan
18
2007
Speed. Edges. Grace. He has it all. Ryan Smith, born in the small Ontario town of Orillia, can twizzle the pants off anyone. Ryan has stood on many ice dance podiums all over the world. I met the superstar skater Ryan Smith in the Calgary airport on the way home from the 2000 Nationals in Calgary. Officially meeting Ryan Smith was a magical moment for me as I had admired his skating prowess for some time.
Let’s set the scene shall we:
Event: Official meeting with Ryan Smith, uber ice dancer
Time: 6am on the day after the Closing Gala
Location of uber star: Lying, half on, half off a big pile luggage on the floor of the Calgary airport. NB. Skates are not comfortable to lie on. That’ll leave a mark.
I said: “Can I get you some water?”
Result: Friends Forever
Lesson Learned: Pouring your heart and soul into four thrilling performances (+ gala) can sure make you tired. It must be, as Ryan was so exhausted that he had to be dragged from the small dirty patch of airport linoleum which he fell asleep on to make the flight home.
No one captures the beauty and power of latin rhythms on ice better than Ryan Smith (Pictured here with the lovely Brenda Key).
Dazzle me
Jan
17
2007
Figure Skating: A magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan, bedazzlement. A sensual ravishment.
The 2007 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships start today with the Senior Men’s and Women’s Qualifying round. Results are posted as they happen on the Skate Canada Website The Junior Dance Compulsory (Silver Samba) also began today. Lovely dance that Silver Samba. Thanks to the Fantastic Greg Ladret for teaching me. I think I still owe you a dance…
I always look forward to Senior Dance, sure to be thrilling this year with a spot open on the medal podium. Compulsories start on Thursday. Drawn dance: The Golden Waltz. Tricky. I want to send out special shout out to Senior Dancers Colleen and Adam Drybrough coached by the ice dance legend and co-creator of the Midnight Blues, Mark Bradshaw (The glory of Mark (with Christine Fuller) pictured below. Hot).
More figure skating posts, pictures, nostalgia, and magic moments to follow. It will be: Spectacular Spectacular.
About
Lisa Bettany is co-founder & creative producer of Camera+, a passionate photographer & world traveler.
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