Pre-Show
Leanne and I arrived a bit early and by 1:30 pm, had exhausted all of the possibilities of doing something, so I suggested that she take me by the Training Center to skate then, instead of on Sunday, like we had originally planned. Little did we know the treat that we would get.
As I signed in for the freestyle session, I noticed that one Mr. Todd Eldredge had also signed in. I came in and laced up my skates just as Todd was warming up off-ice. He stretched and then did some off-ice jumps (which were incredible), then laced up his skates and warmed up on-ice. No one else had come for that freestyle, so it was just me and Todd. At first I was a bit nervous, but I started to loosen up and actually had quite a decent workout.
The first jump that Todd did was a huge double axel, then followed up with a monstrous triple axel. He proceeded to go through his other jumps (including some nice triple salchows) but no spins. I am also happy to report that he worked on the quad for a bit and landed at least 5 beautiful quad toes. I also noticed that he is more likely to pop it rather than fall on it. And yes, I did actually workout more than watching him, I swear. It's just that I'm a keen observer :o).
I didn't want to bother him while he was on the ice, because it is disrespectful in my opinion, and was happy to see the other kids (who came later) also respected him. He left about 20 minutes into the second session, and that's when the kids came and asked for his autograph, which he happily signed.
The Show
The show was fantastic. While there were certain highlights (Todd, of course), the general quality of the show was great.
I will skip most of the details, and focus mainly on the highlights, in order of appearance.
The first person who impressed me was Kailee Watson, who is scheduled to go to a NAC event next week. She skated to a symphonic version of "Live and Let Die." She had great speed and a layback that Dick Button would approve of, and was a very good spinner with decent jumps.
The next person was Felicia Beck. She is extremely flexible, and also quite a good spinner. She almost blurred a Bielmann spin. She shows great potential as she has very strong presentation, lots of gorgeous in-betweens and is a good jumper to boot. I also want the name of her costume designer.
And the stars of the show:
Angela Nikodinov: She skated to a Celine Dion song which I can't remember the name to. She put in an excellent performance and it looks like Richard has really worked some magic with her. She landed a 3toe and 2axel which were very strong, has an improved spiral, and of course a lovely layback. You can tell she is training hard this year and I am looking forward to next season.
Dan Hollander: Skated to "Sailing Away"/"Dude looks like a Lady." I swear, no matter how many times I see it, I love it even more. He just makes me laugh. He landed a beautiful 3salchow, 2toe, and a backflip. Definitely a highlight.
Sasha Cohen:Hotelzimmer Sorrento Skated to some music that Silverstein and Pekerak used for their exhibition in Kennewick last year. It sounds like it will be her short program this year, as it was about the right length. Her jumps are looking stronger, though I still think she does too many moves to show-off her flexibility. I am hoping that she doesn't commit the same freefall that Naomi did last year, but you never know.
And last, but certainly not least, Todd Eldredge: Todd was introduced with the bio that we all know by heart now, "Started skating at the age of five in hockey skates, but traded them in two weeks later..." I thought it was a bit cheesy, but oh well.
Todd skated to "The Glory" in what I feel may have been the last performance of it, but well done, nonetheless. The ice was considerably shorter and smaller, as there was seating on the ice, but Todd landed a 3loop, huge 3axel, 3toe (substituted for the 3lutz as he had no room to set it up), 3toe, and 2axel in which he put his hands down on as he was very very close to the boards. He received the only standing ovation of the night.
During the finale, set to the music "Vogue", Todd did a death drop and then vogued with everyone else, with the expression on his face that read "How the hell did they get me to do this?" to which Leanne and I were cracking up.
Following the finale, there was a presentation to the choreographer from Carol Probst (owner of the International Training Center), in which Todd ran his fingers through his hair to make sure he was presentable.
Leipzig cheap hotelsFollowing the show, everyone came out for group pictures, and we were amused by the normal Todd antics, which included Todd throwing ice chips and standing in front of Angela.
Post-Show Reception
Afterwards, a reception was held, which was accessible to everyone who wanted to stick around. Todd as usual, was very accessible and signed lots of autographs and took lots of pictures.
When we first saw him, he had been pinned against the pro shop glass by three ladies who kept him talking for about five minutes. Todd was in a good mood and once again was sharply dressed in an off-white short-sleeve button-down shirt and black slacks. Didn't get to say much to him as there were lots of other people waiting for autographs, but I did get a chance to compliment him on his performance.
We then went and talked to Dan Hollander, who was pleasant as usual. Also found out that he is doing Champions on Ice next year, which I was very happy hear. He deserves it. I thought it was cute when I asked for a picture and he hopped up on the rail that he had been leaning on so we would be on the same level. Very endearing.
alberghi a HoofddorpWe stayed at the reception a little longer, then called it a night. All in all, a very enjoyable day and performance.
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