skating

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Skater in Doping Scandal Has Disastrous Performance

Russia's Kamila Valieva finishes in 4th in a stunner

(Newser) - It might be the biggest surprise of the Beijing Olympics: Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian skater embroiled in a doping controversy , had a disastrous free skate on Thursday and finished out of medal contention in fourth place. "Stunning" is the word used by Christine Brennan of USA Today, and...

One Dead After Reservoir Ice Gives Way Under Skaters

William Smallfield, 72, died at Calif.'s Stampede Reservoir on Saturday

(Newser) - Eight people headed out for an afternoon of ice skating over the weekend on a frozen reservoir in Northern California. Six of them ended up falling through the ice, and one elderly man is now dead, reports NBC News . Per a series of releases from the Sierra County Sheriff's...

Olympics Figure Skater Dies at 20 in Moscow

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya was born in Russia but won a world junior title for Australia

(Newser) - A former figure skating champion who was born in Russia but skated for Australia has died in Moscow at the age of 20, CNN reports. Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya's death was confirmed Saturday by skating officials , but no cause was given. A pairs' figure skater, Alexandrovskaya obtained Australian citizenship in 2016...

Trump's Name Scrubbed From NYC Ice Rinks

Wollman Rink, Lasker Rink have been run by his organization since 1980s

(Newser) - For years, skaters at a pair of ice rinks in Manhattan's Central Park have been surrounded by the Trump name. Now, no longer. The official names of the New York rinks are Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, but Donald Trump started running them in the 1980s, at which point...

American Figure Skater in Bizarre Controversy

Mariah Bell was accused of deliberately slashing rival

(Newser) - American figure skater Mariah Bell has been cleared of wrongdoing after a bizarre incident during warm-ups for the world championship in Japan on Wednesday. The agency that represents 16-year-old South Korean skater Lim Eun-Soo accused the 22-year-old Bell of deliberately kicking her with her skate, cutting her calf, the Washington ...

Japan's 'World-First' Ice Rink Blasted as 'Immoral'

Apparently not everyone likes the idea of skating on top of 5K dead fish

(Newser) - A recently opened ice rink in Japan was advertised as a "world first"—only to subsequently be accused of being "immoral" and "weird" and having "no soul," CNN and the Guardian report. The skating rink in the Space World theme park in Kitakyushu came...

Holocaust-Themed Skating Number Doesn't Go Over Well

One of the skaters on Russian reality-TV show is wife of Putin's spokesman

(Newser) - Using the theme song from the 1997 Holocaust film Life Is Beautiful wasn't what raised eyebrows Saturday during an ice-skating performance for a Russian reality show. It was the overall Holocaust theme that produced what the Jerusalem Post calls a "largely cold reception" to Olympic champion Tatiana Navka...

Canadian City May Build 'Freezeway' for Skating Commuters

Edmonton student proposes an alternative way to get around

(Newser) - Edmonton, Alberta averages below-freezing temperatures from October to April—and some locals have decided it's time to make winter work for them, the BBC reports. City officials have latched onto an idea by a landscape architecture student, who himself was inspired by a city councilperson's joke decades ago:...

National Mall's $700M Plan: Skating, Theater, Gardens

'Overused' lawn set for major renovations

(Newser) - The National Mall is getting a serious facelift: Soon, we'll be going skating, watching outdoor theater, and exploring vibrant gardens in America's so-called "front yard." The $700 million project will mark a big change from the "overused" grass currently between the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol...

Frigid Weather Paving Way for Epic Ice Race

124-mile Dutch race may be held for first time in 15 years

(Newser) - A brutal cold snap has brought misery to much of Europe, but in the Netherlands they're hoping the cold lasts long enough to allow the return of the world's biggest ice race. The Elfstedentocht—11 Cities Tour—race is only held when the ice is thick enough along...

Canada's Virtue-Moir Capture Ice Dance Gold
 Canada's Virtue-Moir 
 Capture Ice Dance Gold 
Vancouver Olympics
Feb 23, 2010 4:50 AM CST

Canada's Virtue-Moir Capture Ice Dance Gold

Russians knocked out of long-standing domination on podium

(Newser) - Long after the arena emptied, ice dancer Scott Moir stole back onto the ice. Clutching his gold medal, he knelt down and kissed the Olympic rings at center ice. He and partner Tessa Virtue had knocked the Russians from their traditional perch atop the ice dance podium—only the third...

Ohno's 7th Medal Breaks US Record
 Ohno's 7th Medal 
 Breaks US Record 
TOPS BONNIE BLAIR
Feb 21, 2010 5:52 AM CST

Ohno's 7th Medal Breaks US Record

Overcomes rare misstep to grab bronze; two more chances remain

(Newser) - Apolo Anton Ohno made history the hard way, overcoming a rare mistake that dropped him to last place before rallying to earn his record seventh Olympic medal. Ohno overtook two skaters on the last lap of the 1,500-meter short track final last night for a bronze, surpassing speedskater Bonnie...

Figure Skating Talks Up Its Tough Side

Canadian campaign aims to ice sport's sissy stereotype

(Newser) - Canada's figure skating authorities have launched a controversial campaign to convince people the sport is as manly as any other, the Globe & Mail reports. Skate Canada, concerned about dwindling interest in the sport, is trying to scrap figure skating's sissy stereotype and play up "the danger, speed, risk,...

'Bowman the Showman' Found Dead
'Bowman the Showman' Found Dead
Jan 11, 2008 2:50 AM CST

'Bowman the Showman' Found Dead

Figure skating champ's body in LA motel, overdose suspected

(Newser) - Former US figure skating champion Christopher Bowman was found dead yesterday in a Los Angeles motel room, AP reports. Authorities suspect a drug overdose. Bowman, 40, won US figure skating titles in 1988 and 1992 and wowed the crowds at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics. His flamboyant personality and...

Mexicans Chill on Free Rink
 Mexicans Chill on Free Rink
Jan 3, 2008 5:20 AM CST

Mexicans Chill on Free Rink

Populist mayor gives city residents world's biggest ice rink

(Newser) - People in sun-drenched Mexico City are waiting as long as six hours for the thrilling opportunity to skate on what officials say is the world's biggest ice rink—at no charge, the Washington Post reports. The free 34,000-square-foot rink—with free skate rental—highlights the class divide in Mexico,...

Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40
Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40
Dec 16, 2007 3:31 PM CST

Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40

Ex-bodyguard changed name, 'died a long time ago,' brother says

(Newser) - A plotter in the 1994 attack on skater Nancy Kerrigan died this week of natural causes at age 40, the AP reports. Brian Sean Griffith, ex-bodyguard to figure-skating Olympic hopeful Tonya Harding, confessed to helping organize the attack on Kerrigan days after it happened. Griffith served 14 months and...

Kids Skate on Heelys to Emergency Room

Skater shoes set off scraped knees epidemic

(Newser) - A new craze has kids gliding across hard surfaces on tiny skate wheels built into their sneakers—but the "heelys" are deceptively unsafe, a new study says. The report claims the skate shoes sent 1,600 youngsters to the emergency room last year.

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