At the end of last season I wrote about CBC’s Battle of the Blades, which has now been running for a month. In truth, I didn’t want to like the reality TV show. I thought it would be way too cornball. Now, well into the series, I admit that I’m enjoying the show. Now, the [...]

It wasn’t until I was flipping through the channels one evening and saw Emanuel Sandhu standing on an empty stage that I realized he was a competitor on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Now, deep into the competition he’s in the “final flight” and has a chance to win the ti

First off, hello! The figure skating season is about to begin which means it’s time to start blogging here on Boot and Blade. Thanks for joining me again this season. Want to brush up on the sport before the first Grand Prix event? Check out How Figure Skating Works by Keltie Thomas, a delight

Battle of the Blades is Dancing with the Stars meets The Cutting Edge for figure skating fans. Next year, the CBC will launch an elimination-style TV competition featuring some of the “biggest names in hockey and figure skating,” according to CBC executive director of network programming

Apologies for the very late posting on my thoughts on Worlds! For what it’s worth, here’s my two cents: What We’ve Got Here is a Failure to Communicate The pairs event was a tough way to start the competition for the Canadian team. But, I think Dube and Davison’s mediocre sho

Apparently the figure skating TV viewing audience in Canada is way down because figure skating is just too darn gay. In this article, Skate Canada says it’s encouraging skaters and officials to use words like “strength” and “power” when they talk about the sport. Skate

At the Four Continents Championship in Vancouver last month I saw the ‘Skate Bug’ for the first time. It’s a radio device that connects listeners with live event commentary. One part fits in your ear; the other part is hand held. With the Skate Bug, listeners can get real-time even

Before the winter recreational skating season winds down, get out to your local rink for a few more laps. If you live in Richmond, BC there’s a very good reason to get out to a public skate early next month. The Scleroderma Association of British Columbia is holding the annual Spencer Skate fo

The discussion of prize money at International Skating Union (ISU) competitions seems verboten. The spectators sitting beside me at Four Continents had no idea that any of the ISU events offered a cash prize; the TV commentators don’t bring it up; nor do the media report it in their articles.

I’ve got a confession to make. I get star struck around famous skaters. Not today’s superstars–I saw Joannie Rochette in the hallway and didn’t think much of it. No, I get silly around skaters who were phenoms when I was a young(ish) skater–Tracy Wilson, Kurt Browning a

Day two of Four Continents and I’m giddy! I’ve seen some splendid skating thus far. Highlights include Dube and Davison’s free skate and Cynthia Phaneuf and Patrick Chan’s short programs. More to come on this later. Midway through the women’s short, two Mexican skaters

I hope Canadian skating fans enjoyed nationals as much as I did! I was a bit hesitant to write predictions, but I did quite well if I do say so myself. Patrick Chan was indeed up for the task and, as Kurt Browning remarked, “attacked” both programs confidently. This is a great showing f

The Canadian Figure Skating Championships are on this week in Saskatoon and I’m going out on a limb and making some predictions. 1. Patrick Chan will have a very different Canadians this year. Defending a title comes with a lot of pressure. I’m confident that he’s up for the task,

The Canadian Figure Skating Championships are on this week in Saskatoon and I’m going out on a limb and making some predictions. 1. Patrick Chan will have a very different Canadians this year. Defending a title comes with a lot of pressure. I’m confident that he’s up for the task,

I’m in Panama on holiday for most of December and so missed the Grand Prix Final competition. After being without Internet access for a week I logged on today to see that Canada came home with no medals. While that result is disappointing, it’s a good reminder about just how competitive

Some people believe that spending time in a refrigerated ice rink delays the aging process. Think about this: A cold refrigerator makes foods last longer, so perhaps a cold ice rink preserves our bodies! Figure skaters do look young. Even if ice skating isnt a true "fountain of youth," spendi

Figure Skaters Sinead Kerr and John Kerr of the Great Britain Do an "Unusual" Ice Dance Lift! - Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images Amusing Action Photos of Competitive Figure Skaters Photo of the Week: Figure Skaters Sinead Kerr and John Kerr of the Great Britain Do an "Unusual" Ice Dance Lift!

As I watched Skate America this past weekend, I began to think about which U.S. figure skaters may qualify for the 2010 Olympic Figure Skating Team. After seeing Rachael Flatt win Skate Americas ladies freeskate, I think Rachael has a good chance of being an Olympian. Evan Lysacek showed that h

Katie Stader Holmes is a figure skating coach based in Kansas City. She has created a very unique 2010 Figure Skating Calendar. The calendar includes photos of decorated figure skates! The funds from the sale of her ice skating calendar will help pay for medical expenses for her autistic child.

Last summer, I asked a very famous figure skater about what she thought about the arrest of Nicole Bobek. (Nicole Bobek was the 1995 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating Champion.) She told me that it was so very sad, but also mentioned that she and most figure skaters should know that what goes on in the

"Kaleidoscope," a FOX television special that will air on Thanksgiving Day, will be celebrating skating, song and survivorship. Olympic figure skating champions and cancer survivors Scott Hamilton and Dorothy Hamill will be performing. This will be the first television performance for Hamilton

Yesterday, I heard that 2006 Olympic Figure Skating Silver Medalist, Sasha Cohen, is back training under her longtime coach, John A.W. Nicks. He is her primary advisor, but Rafael Arutunian, who has taught her during her comeback to the world of competitive figure skating, is still in the pictur

I just watched the 2009 U.S. ice dance champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie Whites winning performance from the NHK Trophy that was held in Nagano, Japan. Their free dance brought tears to my eyes. Their dance spin, straight line-rotational lift with many changes of position, and a dance lift wit

A certain figure skating coach does everything "team style." Its common to see her skating students cheering and banging the boards when someone lands a difficult jump or completes a difficult spin. When her skaters do complete run-throughs of their short or long programs, the arena gets really

Japanese Figure Skating Nobunari Oda - Photo by Getty Images Nobunari Oda Profile Famous Men Olympic Figure Skaters Photo of the Week: Nobunari Oda - Japanese Figure Skating Champion originally appeared on About.com Figure Skating on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 20:49:03.Permalink | Commen

Elvis Stojko won the Canadian figure skating title seven times. He also is a three-time world figure skating champion and a two-time Olympic figure skating silver medalist. He has been caled "The Terminator," "The King," "King of the Quad," and "Quad God"...read more Elvis Stojko - Photo by Bria

"We Make Competitions a Breeze" is EntryEezes motto. There are a few glitches, but that motto sums up what EntryEeze.com has done for figure skating...read more EntryEeze Logo - Courtesy of EntryEeze.com EntryEeze.com Makes Figure Skating Competitions "A Breeze" originally appeared on About.com

Joshua Farris is a very talented up and coming figure skater. Since my last name has "Farris" in it, sometimes, ice skating fans think we are related. I wish I was, since Joshua is so fun to watch. He also is a delightful young man and has a very nice family! The similarities of our last names c

Ryan Jahnke, 2003 U.S. National Mens Figure Skating Bronze Medalist and World Figure Skating Team Member, has created MySkatingMall.com. Jahnkes vision is to create a way for figure skating families to buy and sell gently used figure skating clothes and equipment. He hopes the site will help

U.S. Figure Skater Ashley Wagner - Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Ashley Wagner Profile U.S. Figure Skaters Who May Qualify for the 2010 Olympics Photo of the Week: U.S. Figure Skater Ashley Wagner originally appeared on About.com Figure Skating on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 17:26:29.Perma

The "Taryn" is a figure skating move invented by a southern California figure skater named Taryn Horchek. Taryn has had years of ballet training, and took some of what she knew from ballet to the ice. 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Champion, Caroline Zhang is known for her great flexibity. The

Figure skating coach, Janet Champion, has worked with numerous elite figure skaters. She has been on the board of the Professional Skaters Association and has received numerous awards for her contributions to figure skating. Champions husband, Dr. Louis Schlom, passed away on October 22, 2009.

Jack Courtney, 1975 and 1976 U.S. National Pair Skating Bronze Medalist, was a champion roller skater before he switched to ice. What is remarkable about Courtneys record is, that in 1968, he won roller worlds in BOTH SINGLES and PAIRS! He also won the U.S. Senior mens title in singles in roll

Olympic Figure Skating Champion Dorothy Hamill and Ice Skating Champion Rachael Flatt - Photo by JO ANN Schneider Farris 1976 Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill Profile Rachael Flatt - Young Figure Skating Champion Photo of the Week: Olympic Figure Skating Champion Dorothy Hamill and Ice Skating C

After seeing last weeks Trophee Eric Bompard Grand Prix of Figure Skating event, sports journalist, Philip Hersh, says that Kim Yu-Na of South Korea should just be given the 2010 Olympic womens figure skating gold medal right now. He may be right. Kim may be impossible to beat in Vancouver. Fi