Iced "T":Curiosity finally lured Tara onto an ice rink when she was 6 years old. Her dad, Jack, vividly remembers his daughter "flopping around" during that maiden voyage atop a frozen surface. Rather than make her nervous, Jack and Pat, Tara's mom, went indoors for hot chocolate. They returned a short time later to discover that the ice suited Tara to a tee. She might as well have been on roller skates. Everything came so naturally; she progressed through skating lessons in no time. The tran... Read Full Story

Michelle Kwan is Emily Carlson's favorite figure skater.Check out some fun facts about her!Personal InfoFull Name : Michelle Wing KwanNick Name: Shelly Birthdate: July 7, 1980Hometown: Torrance, CaliforniaFamily: Danny (Dad), Estella (Mom), Ron (Brother), Karen (Sister)Coach: Rafael Arutunian (former: Frank Carroll '92-'02; Scott Williams '02-'03)Choreographers: Tatiana Tarasova, Lori Nichol, Sarah Kawahara, Christopher Dean, Peter Oppegard, Brian Wright, Philip Mills, Nikolai Morozov, Karen ... Read Full Story

11/24/07) - Johnny Weir blew away the field in the free skate Saturday at the Cup of Russia to win his second Grand Prix Series event of the season. Second after the short program, Weir scored 149.81 for the free skate to take the title by more than 11 points. The win earns him a spot in next month's Grand Prix Final. Read Full Story

Jumping was Emily Carlson's favorite thing to practice when she skated. Here is some more information on jumping from Wikipedia:Jumps involve the skater leaping into the air and rotating rapidly to land after completing one or more rotations. There are many types of jumps, identified by the way the skater takes off and lands, as well as by the number of rotations that are completed.Most skaters rotate all their jumps in the counterclockwise direction. Some prefer to rotate clockwise, and a ve... Read Full Story

After a confidence-shaking season last year, Molly Oberstar is back -- thanks to relatives, friends, old coaches and a new mentor.By Rachel Blount, Star TribuneEvery figure skater understands that feeling of solitude that comes while standing all alone on a vast sheet of ice, waiting for the music to begin. Inside their hearts, though, they often carry a small army of helpmates who guided them to that place in the spotlight.Molly Oberstar will be invisibly accompanied by a host of Minnesotans... Read Full Story

The Champions on Ice run is coming to an end, and TV rights deals are shrinking.By Philip Hersh, Special to The Times LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The ice continues to melt under figure skating in the United States.Champions on Ice, the top figure skating tour in the country for more than a quarter-century, is dead after a 38-year run, according to sources familiar with the situation. An announcement is expected in about a week.And International Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta, apparen... Read Full Story

TheStarPhoenix.comA spot on the 2010 Olympic team will be on the line for the country's best figure skaters, when Saskatoon plays host to the 2009 Bank of Montreal Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 14-19, 2009 at Credit Union Centre."We'll have the country's very best skaters in attendance and it's going to be an amazing event and we're excited to bring the event back to Saskatoon," said Debbi Wilkes, Skate Canada Director of Sponsorship and Marketing, at a Wednesday morning press c... Read Full Story

SENDAI, Japan (AFP) — World silver medallist Daisuke Takahashi came from behind to defend the NHK Trophy Sunday, winning a place in the Grand Prix finals in Turin.European champion Carolina Kostner of Italy was the surprise winner of the top women's prize during the four-day event, as world champion Miki Ando made some disastrous errors in the free skating.European champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany overwhelmed their competitors to win the pairs title in the last leg of ... Read Full Story

SENDAI, Japan (AFP)Italian Carolina Kostner performs her free skating at the NHK Trophy Figure Skating competition the last leg of the ISU Grand Prix series in Sendai. Kostner of Italy staged a surprise victory at the NHK Trophy, as world champion Miki Ando deteriorated and failed to make the podium. Kostner herself was shaky at best, with her hands touching the ice after combination jumps and failing to complete several multiple-rotation jumps in her free skating programme to the tune of "Du... Read Full Story

Haha! I used to skate here every summer at good ol' Dobson arena. Vail is a great city, very friendly and quaint. I always enjoyed coming to Colorado and competing!Vail's figure skating club will perform "Ice: A Musical Journey"By Sarah MausolfVAIL, Colorado — A group of girls clad in rhinestone costumes clasps hands and glances nervously at one another.They begin skating in circles to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” migrating from one side of the Dobson Ice Arena to the other.This is ring-arou... Read Full Story