Showing posts with label ekatarina gordeeva. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ekatarina gordeeva. Show all posts

Friday, December 10, 2010

30 Days of [Figure] Skating: Day Two

Day Two: Favorite Pairs Program

I think anyone who "grew up with the sport" in the 90s feels a special connection to the iconic pair of Gordeeva & Grinkov, and I was no exception. They were considered perfection personified. Can't really argue with that, though I never saw them skate live. There was a magic quality about them that so few pairs seem to have.

My favorite program, then, is naturally one of theirs. It's their Vocalise Program (also known as the Rodin Number). It's exquisite.


Sunday, October 31, 2010

30 Days of Me: Day Fourteen

Day 14: A Non-Fictional Book

I love a good autobiography. I'm nosy about people I admire, for one, but I also love to see their writing skills. The less the ghostwriter works the better. Since I'm on a girly kick I'll throw back to a true on-ice love story written by 1988 & 1994 Olympic Pairs Champion Ekatarina Gordeeva entitled My Sergei.

Katia's book is both romantic and tragic as it follows not only the author's life and career but that of her on and off ice partner, Sergei Grinkov, who died suddenly in 1995 at age 28. Published nearly a year after his death, the pain was still raw and it's very evident throughout the pages, yet through it all Katia is able to cherish and celebrate the life their shared, first as coworkers and finally as parents.

Because Katia was born and raised in Russia, there's no doubt that a lot of the stylized part of the writing was done by her ghost writer, EW Swift, who covered figure skating in its hey day for Sports Illustrated. However the story is heartfelt and very much Katia. There are some amazingly sweet moments throughout, and she also dives into the darker parts of the figure skating world - especially during the time she skated for the USSR before Russia's revolution.

Over all it's one of the best autobiographies ever written. I've owned the book since it came out -give or take a year- and even as a junior high student I was moved to tears. I'm so happy Katia and Daria have found happiness and a new chance at family with Ilia and Elizaveta.