JSM's BEGGING FOR BAN THREAD #13 2/13/10 -

[Green Eyes]

Tragedy strikes Rochette

The mother of Canadian figure skating champion and Olympic medal hopeful Joannie Rochette died suddenly in Vancouver Sunday morning, shortly after arriving to watch her daughter compete.

Canadian team officials said Therese Rochette passed away after being rushed to Vancouver General Hospital.

Cause of death has not been determined. She was 55.

MORE...


http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=48407.html#tragedy+strikes+rochette

That is so sad, she was so young.  Prayers to the family.

[joesamas mama]

I am wonderful JSM..thank you for asking...

That's great Cookie!! 

[joesamas mama]

Here is what I did today!

  That looks fun!

It was. Mom got my little guy a snowman kit for xmas and we finally got to use it. It is like 40 degrees here right now so the snow was perfect. The other pic is my back yard creek.  We had so much fun out there - my hubby is the biggest kid I do believe!

I never heard of a snowman kit. Your creek is frozen over, looks like we may have it again this week. I don't trust weathermen though. It will be 50 and sunny on Tuesday, since they are calling for snow.

[joesamas mama]

I've been reading, catching up, and I have to say, you guys with your Olympic commentary had me giggling like a school girl.  You guys are a hoot!  (That's what I meant, JSM, when I called you a hoot the other day) You make me laugh.  Such insight, such imagination!  You are all gifted

  Hi MindonFire, you need to be here tonight for the OD when the Russians skate. I am hoping Tevye gives us her great costume commentary because their costumes are CRAZY and controversial. 

[joesamas mama]

New hazard on the bobsled course today.  I give the bobcat a 6.3 (only because I am channelling the Russian judge today and am still on the old scoring system as too old to upgrade  ) for the single jump

  Oh My

[joesamas mama]

Oh, and btw, JSM, you are a very lovely woman!  Love your pic. (Seriously, I'm not hitting on you - I'm taken lol)

TYVM, that is very sweet to say.

[theboyzmom]

Here is what I did today!

  That looks fun!

It was. Mom got my little guy a snowman kit for xmas and we finally got to use it. It is like 40 degrees here right now so the snow was perfect. The other pic is my back yard creek. We had so much fun out there - my hubby is the biggest kid I do believe!

I have never heard of a snow man kit that is so cool. 

Me either - but it came with a plastic carrot, a pipe, buttons for eyes, a hat and a scarf! 

[theboyzmom]

Here is what I did today!

  That looks fun!

It was. Mom got my little guy a snowman kit for xmas and we finally got to use it. It is like 40 degrees here right now so the snow was perfect. The other pic is my back yard creek.  We had so much fun out there - my hubby is the biggest kid I do believe!

I never heard of a snowman kit. Your creek is frozen over, looks like we may have it again this week. I don't trust weathermen though. It will be 50 and sunny on Tuesday, since they are calling for snow.

Well, it is not completely frozen so we had to walk across our dam we built but more snow tonight - they are saying 5 to 8 inches of wet snow. yuck!  My bones say they may be correct about the storm . . .

[joesamas mama]

Tragedy strikes Rochette

The mother of Canadian figure skating champion and Olympic medal hopeful Joannie Rochette died suddenly in Vancouver Sunday morning, shortly after arriving to watch her daughter compete.

Canadian team officials said Therese Rochette passed away after being rushed to Vancouver General Hospital.

Cause of death has not been determined. She was 55.

MORE...


http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=48407.html#tragedy+strikes+rochette

That is so terribly sad Northern. I love Joannie and if I am not mistaken I think her mom had heart problems. The reason I think that is she was on Skate for the Heart and I believe she mentioned her mom's heart.

I am praying my rosary tonight for Therese Rochette and Joannie. Also, I pray that Joannie has the performance of her life and wins gold.

[Northern Rose]

I figured out a way to tape the skating tonight while we are watching curling and hockey on the big screen.  Let me know which of the teams you want to see pictures of if NBC does not show the whole thing. 

[joesamas mama]

Could be a good old fashion Judge scandel tonight!  Sorry JSM , the skaters start at the same time as the US Canada Mens Hockey game and I am devoted to watching that hockey game.  If there are specific couples you want to see because there is a good chance NBC will not show it all give me the names and I will switch over at commercials.

Questions raised over ice dance judging panel

VANCOUVER - The panels drawn for the compulsory dance on Friday and for the original dance tonight favour Russian-bloc countries, international judges contacted by The Globe and Mail allege.

Alla Shekhovtsova, the wife of Russian federation president Valentin Piseev, is on the panel, as is Irina Nechkina, a Russian who judges for Azerbaijan. There is no Azerbiajan team competing at the Olympics. Nechkina was dropped off the Olympic dance panel at the Turin Olympics and demoted after her fourth negative assessment in four years. Nechkina lives in St. Petersburg and was a judge for the former Soviet Union.

"How can they still have her back on the panel at the Olympics after kicking her off the panel in Turin?" said one European official, who did not want to be named. "It's so obvious. It's in your face."

Also on the judge list is Ukrainian official Ludmila Mikhailovskaya, who used to be a member of the ISU's ice dancing technical committee, but was voted off at a Congress because of inadequate contributions and poor ability to speak English, according to sources. None of the judges canvassed by The Globe is Canadian.

On Friday, the Russian team of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin took a lead of 1.02 points over Canadians Tessa Virtue of London, Ont., and Scott Moir of Ilderton, Ont., in the compulsory dance, the first of three segments in the sport. Domnina and Shabalin won the European championship after amassing a five-point lead in the compulsory dance, a cushion needed because they finished second in the next two segments.

The Russians did the tango romantica compulsory dance at the Europeans but one international judge said they didn't deserve such a large lead because "the timing was off, their edges weren't clean. They couldn't even get into the corner prior to the repeat [of the second pattern]. The pattern was much smaller on the second go-round."

In the dance on Friday night, judges say their flow was not good, their edges weren't clean, Shabalin didn't have the right snap to his footwork and the second tracing of the dance's pattern on the ice was smaller than the first.

Another judge found the grade of execution was "inflated" for the Russian team. And while their expression was good, it wasn't as good as Virtue and Moir or U.S. champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

For the original dance panel, officials introduce four new judges, but draw among the first nine from the compulsory for the final five spots. There are nine judges on a panel.

Even with that shuffling, Shekhovtsova, Nechkina and Mikharilovskaya are still on the original dance panel, while Charlie Cyr of the United States - on the compulsory dance panel - has to sit out the original dance.

Canada's Jodi Abbott is on the original dance panel, and will be joined by Laurent Carrière (France), Laimute Krauziene (Lithuania), Akos Pethes (Hungary), Hilary Selby (Britain), and Albert Zaydman (Israel).

The International Skating Union does not release the names of judges' home countries on the panel. And judges' scores are anonymous to the public.

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=48108.html#questions+raised+over+dance+judging+panel

Northern, I understand you watching the hockey game. I would be flipping channels if I had cable. I heard about the judging controversy today. I think this is always going to be a problem and there is no way around it. 

[joesamas mama]

I figured out a way to tape the skating tonight while we are watching curling and hockey on the big screen.  Let me know which of the teams you want to see pictures of if NBC does not show the whole thing. 

  Thanks Northern. Here is my list.

Czechs HAJKOVA Kamila VINCOUR David

Hungarians HOFFMANN Nora ZAVOZIN Maxim

Chinese HUANG Xintong ZHENG Xun (only cause I want to see Chinese people dressed like Greeks)

BEIER and BEIER (Germans in Hawaiian dance outfits intrigue me)

[joesamas mama]

Here is what I did today!

  That looks fun!

It was. Mom got my little guy a snowman kit for xmas and we finally got to use it. It is like 40 degrees here right now so the snow was perfect. The other pic is my back yard creek. We had so much fun out there - my hubby is the biggest kid I do believe!

I have never heard of a snow man kit that is so cool. 

Me either - but it came with a plastic carrot, a pipe, buttons for eyes, a hat and a scarf! 

Awesome.

[Northern Rose]

Joannie Rochette is at the woman's practice right now. 

[joesamas mama]

Here is what I did today!

  That looks fun!

It was. Mom got my little guy a snowman kit for xmas and we finally got to use it. It is like 40 degrees here right now so the snow was perfect. The other pic is my back yard creek.  We had so much fun out there - my hubby is the biggest kid I do believe!

I never heard of a snowman kit. Your creek is frozen over, looks like we may have it again this week. I don't trust weathermen though. It will be 50 and sunny on Tuesday, since they are calling for snow.

Well, it is not completely frozen so we had to walk across our dam we built but more snow tonight - they are saying 5 to 8 inches of wet snow. yuck!  My bones say they may be correct about the storm . . .

My bones say it is going to rain right now.

[joesamas mama]

Joannie Rochette is at the woman's practice right now. 

That's great. I hope she is doing well in practice. She is such a beautiful skater.

[numbersgirl]

Hi Monkeys.  I've been way behind and trying to catch up. 

JSM....what a very pretty girl you are!  You look like you're 20 years old FTLOG!  You're avi is sooo funny.  I just noticed Josef's shoes and laughed out loud. 

I hope everyone's having a good day today.

[joesamas mama]

Hi Monkeys.  I've been way behind and trying to catch up. 

JSM....what a very pretty girl you are!  You look like you're 20 years old FTLOG!  You're avi is sooo funny.  I just noticed Josef's shoes and laughed out loud. 

I hope everyone's having a good day today.

  Hi Numbers. Thanks for the compliment, if only I were 20 years old. My avi is great thanks to Brandi, his shoes are cute.

I like yours as well. I love anything with shamrocks.

[numbersgirl]

Thanks, JSM....Brandi gets me dressed for the seasons, too.  She's pretty spectacular, no?   

[Northern Rose]

Therese Rochette: A source of strength
(kleenex alert)

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=48611.html#therese+rochette+a+source+strength