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Budweiser bash bids bye-bye to skating week

Posted by Tom at 9:52 AM on Jan 28    Comments (1)
Filed under: Around Town, People & Places, Highlights
Tags: Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do, Sightings, Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do, Sightings, Sightings

I crashed the invite-only skating farewell bash thrown by sponsor Budweiser at The Davenport Hotel last night.

Here are some pics from the party:

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Championship Men's Free Skate press conference

Posted by Brian at 12:11 AM on Jan 28    Comments (6)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Championship, Men, Video

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Press conference following the Championship Men's Free Skate at the Spokane Arena, Jan. 27, 2007. Speaking are: Evan Lysacek, Ryan Bradley, and Johnny Weir.

Evan Lysacek - Just off the ice

Posted by Brian at 11:17 PM on Jan 27    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Championship, Men, Video

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Even Lysacek talks with the press just after his Men's Free Skate performance at the Spokane Arena, Jan. 27, 2007. Lysacek captured 1st place after landing a quad toe triple toe combination.

Championship Ladies Free Skate press conference

Posted by Brian at 6:50 PM on Jan 27    Comments (3)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Championship, Ladies, Video

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Time condensed version of the Championship Ladies Free Skate press conference at the Spokane Arena, Jan. 27, 2007. Speaking are: Kimmie Meissner, Emily Hughes and Alissa Czisny.

Champion Dance - press conference

Posted by Joe at 12:10 AM on Jan 27    Comments (0)
Filed under: Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Audio

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Excerpts from the Championship Dance press conference Friday, Jan 26, 2007 at the Spokane Arena. Speaking are: Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Friday Night Video Update

Posted by Colin at 9:52 PM on Jan 26    Comments (1)
Filed under: Competition, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Pairs, Analysis, Video

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Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch and skating analyst Berkely Villard give you an update from Fridays Championship Pairs Free Skate.

THE SKATING EDGE

Posted by Joe at 9:35 PM on Jan 26    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, People & Places, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Slideshows

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Spokesman-Review staff photographer Brian Plonka spent some of his time at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships looking for often overlooked moments and scenes.

Championship Pairs press conference

Posted by Brian at 8:43 PM on Jan 26    Comments (0)
Filed under: Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Video

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Excerpts from the Championship Pairs press conference Friday, Jan 26, 2007 at the Spokane Arena. Speaking are partners Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski, Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, and Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris.

Interview with Kimmie Meissner after Short Program

Posted by Brian at 11:49 AM on Jan 26    Comments (0)
Filed under: Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Video

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Excerpts from and interview with Kimmie Meissner immediately following her performance which placed her in 1st place after the Short Program.

A red carpet affair

Posted by Tom at 10:39 PM on Jan 25    Comments (0)
Filed under: Around Town, People & Places, Highlights
Tags: Drinks, Things To Do, Sightings, Sightings

The Spokane International Film Festival opened tonight, but the red carpet unrolled across the street at The Davenport Hotel.

Tom Collins, producer and host of Champions on Ice, came to the party in honor of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, which inducted Charles Schulz today.

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Thursday's figure skating update

Posted by colin at 6:37 PM on Jan 25    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Men, Analysis, Video

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Thursday Figure Skating update with Jeff Bunch and Berkely Villard.

Answer: Hairspray. Lots and lots of hairspray.

Posted by Heather at 1:03 PM on Jan 25    Comments (0)
Filed under: Behind The Scenes, Highlights
 

Question: What does it take to get a skater's hair to stay in place through spins and jumps and lifts?

Just ask Jennifer Gates and Melody Aalgaard, two students from Spokane's Total Cosmetology, who are getting the skaters' hair ice-ready this week.

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Skating fans touring the town

Posted by Tom at 6:53 PM on Jan 24    Comments (0)
Filed under: Around Town, People & Places, Highlights
Tags: Drinks, Things To Do, Drinks, Things To Do

I met up with a friendly crew of skating fans as they examined barrels and learned the basics of wine fermentation from owner Greg Lipsker at Barrister Winery.

Wouldn't you know it, the group proved to be a globe-trotting gaggle of nightlife lovers with a history tied to figure skating and a penchant for planning perfect city stays.

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Insight into how jumps are scored

Posted by Colin at 3:12 PM on Jan 24    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Video

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Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch and skating analyst Berkely Villard discuss how the new scoring system impacts how jumps are scored.

Johnny's Angels

Posted by Heather at 2:49 PM on Jan 24    Comments (0)
Filed under: Behind The Scenes, Highlights
Tags: Sightings

Some of Johnny Weir's biggest fans didn't bother getting in line to get his autograph today. They're already on a first-name basis with him. They're Johnny's Angels.

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Wednesday Figure Skating Update

Posted by Colin at 1:49 PM on Jan 24    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Ladies, Men, Analysis, Video

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Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch and figure skating analyst Berkely Villard watched Wednesday's practices at the Spokane Arena and give you an update on what they saw.

Skating Etiquette 101

Posted by Heather at 11:42 AM on Jan 24    Comments (1)
Filed under: Competition, Highlights
 

It's a packed house at the Convention Center right now for the junior men's short program competition. And with that many people squished together on bleachers, somebody is bound to annoy somebody else with their poor observance of Skating Fan Etiquette.

That's why I'm here to help you with a little lesson.

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Audio interview with Senior Ladies Alissa Czisny

Posted by Colin at 10:21 AM on Jan 24    Comments (1)
Filed under: Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Audio

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After practice Wednesday morning, Alissa Czisny talks to Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch and skating analyst Berkley Villard about her upcoming competition.

Skating fans ... kind of

Posted by Tom at 9:08 PM on Jan 23    Comments (1)
Filed under: Around Town, Highlights
Tags: Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do, Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do

Angie Kelleher, Erin Miller and Melissa Pederson don't consider themselves skating fans.

"We're all Taco Tuesday fans," said Miller, 25 (center), while hanging at Azteca Mexican Restaurant, across the street from the Convention Center.

The group is, however, going to the pairs finals on Friday. They got passes through work.

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Tuesday's video figure skating update

Posted by colin at 2:04 PM on Jan 23    Comments (1)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Ladies, Men, Analysis, Video

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Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch and skating analyst Berkley Villard look at the senior men and woman who took to the practice ice Tuesday morning.

Pairs skater John Baldwin speaks about being mugged in Russia

Posted by Colin at 2:53 PM on Jan 22    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Pairs, Video

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Senior pairs skater John Baldwin talks with Spokesman-Review reporter Jim Meehan about being mugged in Russia last Dec. It is the first public interview he has given about the attack.

Monday Video Update

Posted by Colin at 1:41 PM on Jan 22    Comments (0)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Novice, Pairs, Analysis, Video

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Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch and skating analyst Berkely Villard give you your U.S. FIgure Skating update from the Spokane Arena Monday Afternoon.

Spokane's one-of-a-kind spots

Posted by Tom at 10:49 AM on Jan 22    Comments (5)
Filed under: Around Town, People & Places, Highlights
Tags: Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do, Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do

Taste of the Town blog reader Joan writes:

"I'm coming up from Portland for the skating. Never visited Spokane before so I don't have a clue. Strangely enough I plan to skip the cotton candy as well as the merry-go-round and malls, but I would love to try some one of a kind restaurants and shops downtown. Any recommendations? I heard about the skywalks, does that mean I'm going to be knee deep in snow this week? I'd like to walk around."

Joan will be happy to know that the skywalks cover a decent portion of what's considered the downtown core, so folks will be able to keep out of the snow - to a point.

As for one-of-a-kind restaurants and shops, the city won't disappoint.

Here are a couple of suggestions to kick things off:

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Preschoolers and ice skating: Can it be done?

Posted by Heather at 10:32 AM on Jan 22    Comments (0)
Filed under: Behind The Scenes, People & Places, Highlights
 

Who would be crazy enough to bring 20 preschoolers to an ice-skating event? And could it even be done?

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Time-lapse video of Spokane Convention Center setup

Posted by Colin at 8:45 PM on Jan 21    Comments (3)
Filed under: Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Video

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Spokane Public Facilities District provided this cool weeklong time-lapse video of the ice rink setup at the Spokane Convention Center.

Sunday evening update from the Arena

Posted by Colin at 7:36 PM on Jan 21    Comments (1)
Filed under: Competition, Behind The Scenes, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Novice, Junior, Dance, Pairs, Analysis, Video

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Spokesman-Review's Jeff Bunch gives a video update from the afternoon and evening events at the Arena and Convention Center.

While you're out: a booze and bites primer

Posted by Tom at 4:46 PM on Jan 21    Comments (2)
Filed under: Around Town, Highlights
Tags: Dining, Drinks, Entertainment, Things To Do

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships draw the most attention downtown Spokane's seen since Samuel L. Jackson filmed the critically panned "Home of the Brave" here. Maybe more, even.

But at some point, the focus has to shift from the Double Toe Loop to the Double Cheeseburger. Or the Dry Martini.

Area restaurants and bars are banking on it.

Here's a short list of spots that've altered their programs to make your tastebuds turn a triple axel. I'll post updates throughout the week's events.

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U.S. Figure Skating Championship Video Preview

Posted by Colin at 4:22 PM on Jan 19    Comments (4)
Filed under: Competition, Multimedia, Highlights
Tags: Analysis, Video

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Spokesman-Review writer Jeff Bunch and skating analyst Berkley Villard preview the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.