Book Description

Figure skaters are jumping higher, skating faster and pushing artistic and technical boundaries like never before. Figure skating is one of the most popular events at the Olympic Games, with millions more watching on television around the world.

Everyone who watches the events and follows the champions will welcome this book, which contains the very best breathtaking photographs taken at ringside at the world's greatest competitions including the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics.

Complete with detailed profiles, statistics and the exciting stories behind today's figure skating stars, Figure Skating Champions is an exciting look at today's biggest figure skating stars including:

• Michelle Kwan
• Sarah Hughes
• Elvis Stojko
• Todd Eldredge
• Jamie Salé and David Pelletier

Book Description
Bex Levy has seen her share of skating stars. But thirteen-year-old Jeremy Hunt may be the best of the best, with his winning smile, flawless technique, and more talent than most skaters twice his age. So, when his strangely protective father refuses to allow him to go to Nationals, and the two vanish, Bex knows there's a better story off the ice than on. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Light and Interesting Read
I liked the first book of the ice skating series and this second book didn't disappoint.While the mystery is pretty shallow and the identity of the murderer is pretty obvious immediately the book does have some twists and turns that I never saw coming.I like the character of Bex a lot, even if some of the choices she makes are reckless at best.I am looking foward to reading the next two books in the series.

My Views On Thin Ice
It has a good plot-though sometimes it is hard to follow where the author is going with the story.Too much description of what he/she is wearing,furnishings of a place etc. All in all it is a fun book to read with a bit of humor entered here and there.This author does not use profanity in telling her story,which I am grateful for-I think that takes away from the fun of reading a good mystery.

If the mystery were more mysterious, this would be 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book and plan to read more by the author.I learned a lot about the ice skating world (horrible and fascinating at the same time -- a world where the few men who skate are in such demand that the women will put up with just about anything to have them as a partner).The author is a good story teller and the book is a quick read (in one evening, probably staying up too late).There's a lot of New York style wit (snappy comebacks, sarcasm, self-deprecating humor, etc.) and a likeable main character: Bex Levy, who, for reasons known best to herself, works as a skating researcher for "24/7", an all-sports television network.Like the women who will put up with anything to have a skate partner, Bex seems to put up with a lot to have this job, including a jerk for a boss and a truly 24/7 job.

The plot involves a 13-year-old phenom, a boy whose skating talent is truly amazing.The only problem is that the boy's dad won't let him go to nationals.Well, the answer as to why is fairly obvious, which is probably why I didn't give this book 4 stars -- there's quite a bit that's easy for someone who reads a lot of mysteries to figure out.Bex goes to tape him skating to try to convince his father that he truly could medal at nationals, but when the father sees her taping, he pitches a fit and disappears with the boy.Bex -- an aggressive young woman -- goes looking for him, and before you know it, there's a woman connected to the boy who is found murdered.Bex continues to investigate, much to the annoyance of several people.

All in all, this book is a great way to spend a rainy Sunday, and you'll never watch ice skating with the same innocence again.

Some additional info
The Antonia Wright character is based on a Real Woman, who was finally, belatedly, inducted into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997.Her name was Mabel Fairbanks, and she DID break the "color barrier" in ice skating, not for herself, but for her many students.Anyone who wants to know more about her can start with this article:
[...]

I love Alina Adams's Figure Skating mysteries...I was lucky enough to avoid the weird world of amateur competition by becoming a professional skater the minute I graduated from high school in 1957.But the worlds do have their similarities, and I felt like I'd come "home" while reading this novel.Ms. Adams has the personalities and politics down pat.The touches of humor ring true, too.

Mostly, though,I love the fact that Ms. Adams cares enough about Mabel's life story to create a fictional character based on her.IMO, everyone should know more about this remarkable woman.

Another great ice skating mystery
Bex Levy is a figure-skating researcher for the 24/7 network.Toni calls and asks her to come do a segment on thirteen-year-old Jeremy Hunt.He may be the future of skating.Unfortunately his father is refusing to allow him to compete at Nationals.

First Bex has to convice her boss that this story is worth covering.To do so, Bex has to make some agreements and put her job on the line.Once Bex arrives, she agrees with Toni that he is great on the ice.Before she can do much filming or ask any questions, his father stops her.Then he and Jeremy disappear.

Bex thinks there is more to this story than just a father not wanting his son to compete. Then she decides to do a story on other skaters that appeared to be up and coming and then disappeared from skating.

She begins searching down these past skaters and interviewing them.Some are willing to be interviewed and others would rather not.When one of the skaters she recently interviewed is found brutally murdered, Bex realizes not all competition stops on the ice.She is afraid someone is willing to kill to get their hands on Jeremy for themselves.

Can she uncover the truth before anyone else becomes a victim?

Alina was once herself a figure-skating researcher and it shows in her story that she knows the business.It is very well written.I enjoy the characters and their interactions as well as the skating intertwined with the mystery.

The story is well crafted.There are plenty of suspects so that it is difficult to determine who is guilty before it is uncovered.

I also enjoyed her first book, but it isn't necessary to read it before this one.It is a series, but they can be read independently.I highly recommend this book, as well as Murder on Ice.
... Read more

Book Description
Have you ever dreamed of elegantly gliding across the ice in front of thousands of breathless fans? Here is the book to get you started. Learn all the important aspects of figure skating from the top coaching professionals. Figure Skating: Sharpen Your Skills helps the beginning skater with acquiring the right equipment, choosing a coach, and learning the basic movements on the ice. For the more advanced skaters, there are chapters on free skating, jumps, spins, figures, and ice dancing. With Sharpen Your Skills you can realize your dreams of participating in one of the world's most beautiful and demanding sports--figure skating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Best Instructional Book I've Found
As a teenage skater, I've read many books on technique.This one is the best.It starts with basic skills and includes jumps and spins (up to the axel and forward camel) and introduces ice dance and figures.A good reference for any skater.

This is the best Skating book i ever read!!
I don't think there are any other books out there for beginner skaters which are so easy to understand and well-written.I give this book as gifts to my friend's children who are just starting out their skatingcareers.It really helps explain the basic moves and equipment needs. Igive it a 5-star rating and thank the author for realizing their was a needout there for this

Yes!
This book is awesome with everything...i recently went to a camp in Indiana with Mr.Pieter Kollen and nice skating up there ... Read more

Book Description
Figure skating is one of the most popular spectator sports in the U.S., yet it eludes definitive categorization. In this engaging new book, Ellyn Kestnbaum examines figure skating from multiple perspectives: as sport, as performance, and even as spectacle, guiding the reader through both the technical aspects of skating and the sometimes convoluted rules of figure skating competition. By careful readings of skating events at the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Games, she argues that figure skating is a language, one whose meaning is inflected by the culture at large. In particular, she looks at the ways in which race, social class and gender all disrupt, subvert or reinforce the practices of figure skating, and examines the influence of the media in shaping perceptions of the sport. As a skater, skating fan and scholar, Kestnbaum brings a unique point of view to this study, providing not only a history of the skating world but also a feeling for what it is like to be on the ice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

hmmm....
An adequate and fair history of the art of figure skating from its origins to the present. One aspect I found troubling was the book's committment to viewing the art through the eyes of feminist "gender identity" theory. I'm not sure what an introduction to post modernist feminism contributes to a book about figure skating.
Another shortcoming is the author's occasional fade into modern academic jargon that borders on gibberish. Consider the following gem of a sentence from page 259: "The conflicting codes of both "feminine" objectification and "masculine" agency in the person of the same skater provide a potentially empowering tension in symbolic identification with a position that is neither purely powerless nor purely powerful, blurring the either/or dichotomy of a structialist reading into an androgenous both/and." What is missing here is basic writing skill.

I really bought this book for the picture of Michelle Kwan on the cover, Still I learned a fair amount about the art of figure skatingfrom reading it.

Figure skating gets the respect it deserves
_Culture on Ice_ is the first skating book I have bought in more than two years.It is also the first skating book where I actually learned something in every chapter and started to think about skating in ways that hadn't occurred to me.

Even though it's an "academic" book, its contents and message appeal to skating fans universally.The first two chapters are heavy on theory and may present some difficulty for those unfamiliar with academic theories of meaning, but they're worth sloughing through.(I think you could even get away with skipping them if you really can't get through the language.)Chapter three onward should be relatively smooth sailing for any confirmed skating fan with the caveats that the language is academic and the sentences are long.

The research is meticulous, and the chapter notes are full of exciting hidden gems of amazing detail.The technical appendix and suggestions for further reading alone would be worth the cover price for anyone looking to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the sport.

_Culture on Ice_ is successful as a work of theory, a work of history, and an appreciation of all who contribute to figure skating.Kudos to Ellyn Kestnbaum for taking figure skating beyond coffee-table-book status and establishing a framework for future critical analysis of the sport. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Figure skating is emerging as a major force in worldwide professional sports. Get the inside edge on the events and personalities of the professional figure-skating circuit. Profiles on stars such as Nancy Kerrigan, Peggy Fleming, Scott Hamilton, and Oksana Baiul are interspersed with the author's impressions and research from a year on the tour, including analysis of the major competitions, the judging process, and the emotional and physical toll the sport takes on young athletes.Book Description
Figure skating is the most beautiful and mysterious of all sports.When the skaters are on the ice, every twitch of a muscle and every slip of a skate blade is visible for the world to see.In Inside Edge, Christine Brennan chronicles--for the first time--a season on the skating circuit, intimately portraying the lives, on and off the ice, of the sport's current and upcoming stars.Woven into the narrative are stories of figure skating luminaries past, present, and future--including Peggy Fleming, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Rudy Galindo, and Tara Lipinski.Revealing the backstage conflicts high-profile figure skaters face, and the ambition that drives them, Brennan also tells the stories of their families, of improbable rises to the top, and of wasted talents.

If skaters are perfect, they can become international heroes.But if they fall, if they miss a three-revolution jump on a quarter-inch blade of steel, the despair is theirs alone.This is their life on the edge, where decades of training culminate in little more than four crucial minutes on the ice.There is no other sport like it.There is no other story like theirs.

The figure skaters gathered slowly in the mahogany-paneled lobby of the majestic Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid, New York, flashing no smiles, barely saying a word. The collection of gregarious entertainers had been reduced to silent, wide-eyed stares. The crackling wood in the fireplace made the room's only noise.

They had met in hotel lobbies in fancy street clothes hundreds of times in the past, but never for an event as devastating as this. On a cold night in late November 1995, they were to travel through snowswept Adirondack mountain roads to a nearby funeral home for a private wake for Sergei Grinkov, their colleague and friend who died of a massive heart attack during a skating practice the day before. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Wonderful book!
My daughter, a figure skating coach, and I are on our 3rd copy: people keep borrowing this book and keeping it!

Brennan does a fine job debunking the "pretty girls in pink" myth about skaters, while still showing respect for the amount of effort and athleticism necessary to succeed in this sport.It's been said that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did - only backwards and in high heels.Well, figure skaters do everything other elite athletes do, backwards/forwards and in the air while maintaining an illusion of fragility.Brennan recognizes that dichotomy, which is why this is such a good book.

If you know skating from the inside, elite or simply local, you will recognize much of what she talks of.If you enjoy politics, read this for incredibly sharp double dealing and backstabbing.But always, read it for the beauty she evokes.

The Beauty on Ice doesn't exist off the ice!
I have to say I was surprised by Christine Brennan's take on Tonya Harding. Tonya Harding is now a pariah in the world of American figure skating even though she helped many of today's figure skating athletes to become household names and wealthy as well. Tonya doesn't see any of it. It's ironic that Tonya Harding can't skate professionally while convicted rapist Mike Tyson is allowed to box but that's figure skating. Between the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games, the infamous incident by Nancy's clubbing by one of Tonya's hired goons caught everybody off guard. Poor Tonya, she was the girl from blue collar upbringing, divorced parents, and quite a dysfunctional childhood. I think if this was played out in Hollywood. Nancy and Tonya would have made up before the 1994 Winter Olympics and let it go down in history. No, the FBI was brought in. In the 1992 games, too much attention was paid on Nancy Kerrigan and the plight of her legally blind mother who later claimed that her daughter deserved the gold medal. In 1992, everybody including myself who watched the Olympic games knew about Nancy's poor mother. Nancy got more attention than Tonya and Kristi Yamaguchi who went to win the First Olympic Gold Medal for Ladies' Figure Skating since Dorothy Hamill. Still, she was shadowed by Nancy's blind mother. Since 1994, I became disillusioned when I saw figure skaters past judgment on Tonya Harding. I haven't lost respect for Jayne Torvill because she was actually quite ladylike in all retrospect. Sadly, Tonya was never the graceful skater but an excellent jumper who was the first American woman to land a triple axel. Tonya's happiness was short-lived by an abusive marriage and a US Figure Skating Association that cared more about maintaining a facade of a happy family. I didn't know that Nancy was not well-liked. YOu could have sure fooled me. Even now, Nancy is still the victim of a dumb plot. Had she had any sense, she would have forgiven Tonya and let it go but no it became a nightmare and a dream for the tabloids of the time. My respect for figure skating is gone. I am not surprised by the homosexuality in figure skating because it's so obvious but I wish they would just admit it rather than cover it up now. Even now, you just wonder why some aren't married or dating anybody. Anyway, the sport has changed for the worse in my opinion. It's become corrupted by greed, jealousy, and envy.

The grit behind the glamor
Journalist Christine Brennan takes fans of this sport behind the scenes for a brutal but truthful look at a sport known as much for its glitter as its athleticism. Brennan exposes it all, from the pressure of competition to the facades perpetuated by an antiquated skating federation. Using real interviews with the figure skating's top athletes, Brennan covers tragedy and triumph with unbiased professionalism. Highly recommend for skaters and fans of figure skating

"Harding Had It All"
Christine Brennan put her Nothwestearn Journalism School education to good use.I was especially moved by the following passage:
"Tonya Harding possessed more raw jumping talent than almost any of them.More than Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi, {or} Sonja Henie.Harding had it all."
I never heard such words applied to Tonya Harding before this book.I also didn't know before this book that Nancy Kerrigan wasn't well liked.
This book clearly shows that talent even unusual talent or skill doesn't compensate for hard work.If Tanya Harding had practiced and stayed in shape, she could have been famous instead of infamous!

She tells it like it is...
See the starts of Michelle Kwan.Become aware of AIDS and the skating community.Go behind the scenes with Nancy Kerrigan.Learn how the skater's season begins and ends in this fabulous book.

Any skating fan will lovethis book.Brennan writes this book and does not show favortisim to any of the characters as she tell s it like it is.

Get a new look at figureskating, and learn what the hype is all about. ... Read more

Book Description
From its beginnings in Europe to the contemporary skating scene and the stars of the 1998 Winter Olympics, here is a fascinating look at a sport that keeps growing in popularity. Skating fans will be captivated by the sport's history, its memorable moments, its fashions, its jumps and spins, and much more in this comprehensive, entertaining book with over sixty striking photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must for any serious figure skating fan.
The book is well written with a clear historical perspective including information about how the equipment has changed over the years, something you often don't find in other skating books. There are also dozens of finequality pictures. This book would make a wonderful addition to any skatingfan's library as well as a fine gift choice. A perfect 10! ... Read more

Book Description

Figure Skating Luminaries Reveal Personal Reflections

This journalistic account takes readers on an insider's voyage to the heart of the sport, chronicles figure skating's history, interviews its stars, and captures the personal reflections of its most enthusiastic fans.

In their own words, well-known- skaters such as Elvis Stojko, Toller Cranston, Lu Chen, Robin Cousins, and Scott Hamilton offer their innermost thoughts and reflections on figure skating -- its past and future.

Figure skating luminaries like Sandra Bezic reveal the sacrifices and challenges made to become a star. Skate Talk is a moving portrait of figure skating and one that chronicles the sport as no other book has ever done.

Customer Reviews (6)

An Engaging Read!
I bought this book on the recommendation of friends and I'm glad I did -- it's a wonderful look inside skating though the words of the skaters and skating community themselves, with very little editorial commentary. The stories are easy to follow and really bring a different perspective into the wins, losses, triumphs and tragedies the skating world has gone through over the past half century. I enjoyed all the stories in the book except for one, where a couple of hockey players discuss power skating. Normally I wouldn't care one way or the other about it except that one of them pretty much trashes the sport of figure skating in a statement he makes, and I question the inclusion of this in a book aimed at figure skaters and fans (who akready have to hear stuff like this enough as it is!) But this is a minor quibble. Skip the hockey player story and you'll be fine. :)

one of the best figure skating books availiable
This book is a collection of interviews with some of the world's top skaters. The choice of champions included goes beyong the usual list of world titleholders and Olympic champions to stars true skating fans rarelysee and would love to know more about, such as spinning phenom LucindaRuh.

Most of the stories are personal, giving more insight into theskaters lives than a collection of competition results and technicalexplanations would. For anyoe who follows figure skating, this is amust-have book.

The year's best!
I have read a lot of figure skating books published this year and last and this unpretentious, soft cover book is the best. It is a series of oral essays by skaters, coaches, commentators and officials. Those interviewed,some famous, some not, talk about everythingfrom skating as Mickey Mousefor Disney, to what it is like to come and train in the US. from Russia, tosome of the dramatic, tragic stories of this little world as the death ofSergei Grinkov. Mr. Milton must be a good interviewer because he draws outthe skaters and others in the book so that they provide real insight andemotion to the subject. And we see their love for their sport on everypage. This book has more content than any of the flashy, coffee table booksproduced recently. I highly recommend it.

Entertaining Read!
While this book is not long on depth, it does give some entertaining insights into the thoughts behind the images. Great for younger readers as well.

Skaters talk from the heart
A interesting book that allows the skaters to comment without interruption. The book is a series of comments from almost any skater you have heard of on almost any skating subject you can think of.An interesting and enjoyable read. ... Read more

Book Description
The dazzling smile, the signature haircut, the staple spin."America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill grew up on the ice, working toward the dream she was to accomplish by age nineteen: winning Olympic gold in figure skating.But life was not the picture of perfection it appeared to be. Dorothy faced a painful inner struggle from the time she was a young girl that followed her into adulthood--though she would not know about the depression that ran in her family until much later in life.Weeks and months away from home to train and compete took a difficult toll, yet little reprieve could be found in the tumultuous and fragile relationship she had with her parents.Dorothy went on to marry the man of her dreams, only to have the partnership end in heartache and a tragedy that almost pushed her to her breaking point.Then, just when a light at the end of the tunnel finally began to appear, a second failed marriage tried and tested Dorothy's trust and strength yet again--a travesty that could have led her to give up.But, she found a remarkable strength in what she did have--her greatest love, her daughter Alexandra."Thank goodness, I had my skating.There was certainly a pattern to my life.When times were tough, I went skating.It was only while I was out on the ice, enjoying the freedom of movement and my love of music, that I was able to escape from my bottomless heartache."In her deeply moving and honest memoir, Dorothy opens up for the first time about love, family, courage, and what it means to truly win both on and off the ice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

A pleasing and enlightening read
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become an Olympic champion? What is the toll this feat exacts from a person? And after the big gold medal win, then what? Sports memoirs are usually interesting because the subjects possess a skill or talent that most of us don't, and we are fascinated to read what it was like to hit that winning home run or participate in that agonizing marathon. When picking up a memoir by Dorothy Hamill, who launched the careers of thousands of would-be skaters as well as creating a hairstyle craze, readers want to know what it was like to win the gold medal in figure skating in 1976, as well as all the hard work that led up to and followed it.

Hamill candidly talks about the sacrifices her family made to enable her to skate at the highest level. She also details openly the ups and downs and the often icy relationship she shared with both parents, especially her mother, who wasn't in the arena in Innsbruck, Austria, that day in February 1976. Her mother remained back at the hotel, an absence that Dorothy never could understand but took as rejection. After the performance, when she told her mother she had won, Hamill was stunned when her mother responded with a laconic, "That's nice, Dorothy."

We're accustomed to seeing an athlete's meteoric rise. But what happens after the competitions and medal ceremonies? Without their rigorous and regimented training schedules, how can these seasoned athletes acclimate to real life again? One of the most interesting aspects of this memoir is Hamill's assessment of just that: "I should have been on top of the world, but I was ill-equipped to handle these new pressures. All I knew how to do was to get up every morning at 4 a.m. to go to the rink and practice. My day had always been planned around structured activity toward a specific goal I cared about. Suddenly, that was gone, and my present life was so hectic and without meaning."

Apart from her skating career, Hamill also talks about her two difficult marriages. The first was to actor/aviator Dean Paul Martin, son of singer Dean Martin, who would die in a plane crash a few years after their divorce. Her second marriage produced a child, her daughter Alex, but was fraught with deceit, placing her in dire financial straits that ultimately had her declaring bankruptcy. She also talks frankly about her lifelong struggle with depression (a family affliction) and, more recently, osteoarthritis --- the bane of every aging athlete's existence. The love of her child and the desire to make a better home for her enabled Hamill to weather the hard times. Apart from her young daughter, her one abiding love was skating. Whenever she felt down or out, she could always count on a little ice time to relieve whatever pain she was feeling.

Despite all the ups and downs and the years that go by, Hamill still remains the little girl in the red skating dress, with that signature haircut that captured the world's attention and hearts. The book also serves as a good primer for the life of a young skater, the physical and emotional involvement, and what the family of an ambitious skater can expect. Both the athletic and the personal sides add up to a pleasing and enlightening read.

--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller

Slightly dull look at an amazing life
At age 50, Dorothy Hamill looks back at her life in this autobiography.Let me get my biases on the table at the start.
Bias#1: I've had a crush on Dorothy Hamill for more than 30 years. I'm also a big fan of women's figure skating and have met a couple of them in person.
Bias#2: I get my nose out of joint when someone writes an autobiography and leaves out intimate details that are important in everyone's life. Yes, I'm talking about sex.
With those biases in mind, I give this book 4 stars. It was a very easy read. My wife, knowing bias#1, gave it to me for Christmas and I finished all 240 pages in a week (fast for me). It was nice to recall her Olympic and World championships and to pick up a few details along the way that I didn't know. But she really doesn't spend much time on these events. Most of the details we get from this part of her life revolve around family situations and hopping from one coach to another.I guess she covered these in more detail in her 1983 book which I don't recall reading.
The next part of this book deals with her marriages and business dealings including how the two were so intertwined. Here we find out that her two husbands had sex but we never find out if she did - with the implied exception resulting in her daughter Alex. This is bias #2 - sex is important in most people's lives. Is it so unimportant in hers that it doesn't warrant a mention?This is a complaint I have with some other autobiographies. As a result, I hold Cybill Shepherd's "Cybill Disobedience" in higher regard than Ann-Margret's autobiography, "My Story". And it is why I only give 4 stars to this book. Another critical review of this book gives it 3 stars for many of the same reasons only that reviewer is not as crude about it as I am.
This book includes several pages of photos but most are old. For example, we don't get to see what Alex looks like in 2007 (the book's copyright date). For a first printing of a first edition I found few typos - I counted 5 in all. And maybe it doesn't fit into her autobiography but it would have been interesting to add a paragraph or two about what happened to Ice Capades after it was sold to televangelist Pat Robertson (see Wikipedia if you are as curious as I).

Average read
The book was interesting, but I had hoped she would have gone into more detail about fighting depression than she did.

ATrue Lady
What I like about this book is Dorothy's honesty.Perhaps a lesser person would have written angry, judgmental and mean-spirited words about the people in their lives who hurt them, but Dorothy remains a class-A lady here. Dorothy has brought so much joy into people's lives and I've never heard a negative word about her ever.The men in her life took advantage of her sweet-nature.She is no Sonja Henie (read her biography!).Reading this book reminds me of when I was a kid in the '70's, at a time when kids could take trains by themselves and skate on ponds.This is a charming story from a charming lady and the sadness behind it is the sadness of a cruel world that wants to destroy all that is delicate and beautiful -- like Dorothy herself.

Dorothy Hammill A Skating Life
This book really drew me in.Dorothy shares her story candidly,providing the reader with the unvarnished truth about her family's dynamics and the struggles she faced after she became an Olympic champion.She is at times critical of her parents, coaches, spouses, and mentors, but at the same time is fair in her assessments of each of them.

I really appreciate the fact that she was willing reveal her life as
she experienced it, rather than to try to paper over her troubles for the sake of keeping up appearances.In this regard, she reminds me of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who seemed to have it all, yet still felt disappointed and unfulfilled.This, I think, is a reminder to us all that life is not easy for anyone, even those who live at the top. ... Read more

Book Description
In the spotlight: the all-new figure skating mystery series. From the author of Sarah Hughes: Skating to the Stars.

Figure skating is a cutthroat world. Just ask Rebecca "Bex" Levy, figure skating researcher for the 24/7 skating network-and Prime Crime's newest sleuth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Isn't a good skating book or a good mystery
I have a question for Alina Adams - why in the world would you set a series of books in a world for which you so clearly have zero respect?Alina Adams doesn't know figure skating any better than her heroine does.Which would be not at all.She may have worked as a researcher, but she clearly didn't learn much.The book is a string of cliche's about the world of skating, looking for a reality check.Certainly the cliche's exist, but according to Ms. Adams, the world of figure skating is no more complex than every cliche you have ever heard - every male figure skater is gay, every skating marriage is a lie and every skater is shallow and self-absorbed and every skating parent is a nightmare.How about some depth?

The book is not well written, nor does it seem to know who it's audience actually is.It is trite to the point that only a 12 year old could find it enjoyable, yet uses several vocabularly words that most adults wouldn't know.Bex isn't charming, she's annoying - and slow-witted, at best.And Ms. Adams for all her supposed knowledge about the world of skating -a world filled to the brim with Russians, makes a big point of explaining patronymics and then proceeds to get it wrong.The patronymic for Peter (or Pyotr) is Petrovich or Petrovna, NOT Petrov or Petrova (which happen to be surnames of two well known pairs skaters - Denis Petrov and Maria Petrova).If you are going to make a point of showing off how much you know, at least get it right.

As for the story - it's rather obvious, but I've read worse and more obvious plots, which is why it gets two stars, not one.Unless you are the kind of skating fan who thinks the entire sport is the cliche (and I have yet to meet a skating fan who does), don't bother.And unless you are a mystery fan who finds Nancy Drew much too complex and challenging, don't bother from that angle, either.

It's too bad, because skating fans are eager for well written books about their sport.Kudos to the publisher for taking a chance on a "skating novel" - it's too bad this one was so poorly executed.

The author may know skating, but not much else
I am a former figure skater and mystery lover, so when I discovered this series I was elated to bring my two interests together.I am very disappointed.To begin with this book is not well written.Books like this should be a fast, entertaining, easy read.I had to literally plow through the author's text.Then, the heroine - a TV researcher - found what she thought was a clue: a shorter than normal fax.Her conclusion was that it was European paper...when any good researcher, traveler or businessperson knows that A4 paper is longer than US paper, but slightly narrower.It is definitely not shorter.This was not a mention, which I could excuse, but for much of a book it was the only clue the character had.I lost faith.It is too bad the idea of the series is a great one with all the politics and drama that goes into skating, but this entry is definitely not a gold medal winner.

A great read
This book should please every fan of figure skating. Bex Levy, skating reasercher for TV broadcaster 24/7 uncovers a tricky murder mystery using her powers of conversational crime fighting and meeting everyone from skating mothers to perky teenagers to eccentric coaches and skating-struck middle aged men along the way. I definitely recommend this hilarious book.

Murder mystery with a figure skating twist
Murder on Ice by Alina Adams is a fabnlous book!It offers an accurate and humorous account of the figure skating world, with a storyline being a twist of the 2002 Olympics.
Bex Levy is a figure skating researcher.She works 20 hour days, and knows all the ins and outs of the figure skating world.When the Russian beats the American at the world championships, the blame is pinned on the Italian judge for not voting with the western block.When the Italian judge is found dead the next day, Bex is ordered by her boss the find the killer.
Murder on ice is a humerous, unique book that is recommended for figure skating fans of all ages, or for someone who just wants to read a great mystery.

Wheee! What fun.
What a funny, true picture of high stakes, international figure skating competitions. As a skater, coach and amateur ice show producer myself, as a volunteer at too many competitions to mention, I could feel the tension rise as the final scenes were played out. The descriptions of the various characters involved in the plot are wonderfully close to the real thing.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series, "Missing on Ice."

In the meantime, there are two other good murder mysteries about ice skating. These two, "Nice Shows" and "Judge Me Nottingham," portray the skaters and coaches during the initial hard work and planning before the skaters reach national and international competition levels. And by the way, I'm the author of these two books! ... Read more

Book Description
How does someone turn ice into gold? They skate with the beauty, grace, and power of a champion. Features Dorothy Hamill, Sarah Hughes, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, and many other skating champions. ... Read more

Book Description
Contents Include: Equipment - Preliminary Remarks - Elemental Figures, Definitions and Abbreviations - Form - The Plain Edges - Change or Serpentine - Three - Double-three - Loop - Bracket - Counter Rocker - Rocker - Classification of Steps- Spread Eagle - Grape Vine - Spiral - Rocker-Counter Combination, Etc - Free Skating - March Steps - Right Form Combinations, Etc - Miscellaneous - Waltz Steps and Similar Combinations - Beaks - Star Figures - Pirouettes, Toe Spins and Toe-Circling Figures - Fair Skating - Combined Skating - International Style Test of the National Skating Association of Great Britain - International Skating Union (Schedule of Figures) ... Read more

Amazon.com
The author of Inside Edgeupdates the behind-the-scenes saga of professional figure skating to include the results of the 1998Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Beginning with the 1997 U.S. championships in Nashville, Brennan chroniclesthe ambitions, achievements, frustrations, and personal hurdles for the American skaters in a pivotal yearthat culminated with the Olympics. The year's drama is palpable, including highlights such as thecompetition between the two top-rated women, Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski, along with the ever-increasing athleticism of the men. Along the way Brennan makes detours to check up on recent favoritesfrom the past such as Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Brian Boitano, and Scott Hamilton.And always rinkside are the stories of coaches, choreographers, parents, and fans who have transformedfigure skating into one of the world's fastest-growing professional sports.Book Description
* Updated with the latest on Tara, Michelle, and many other skaters-including the intriguing months following the 1998 Olympics

Respected sports journalist Christine Brennan tells the riveting tales of the world's best figure skaters during the most intense year of their young lives. The story opens with the 1997 U.S. national championships, when Michelle Kwan, the overwhelming favorite for the 1998 Olympic gold medal, leaves the rink in tears. Enter Tara Lipinski, a seventy-five-pound jumping machine--soon to become the youngest world skating champion.

Chronicling the year leading up to and including the 1998 Olympic Games, Edge of Glory offers portraits of the famous and infamous, the hopefuls and has-beens-Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Tonya Harding, Elvis Stojko, Todd Eldredge, Ilia Kulik, and many more. Edge of Glory also takes the reader behind the scenes of the sport: the aggressive sports agents, the career-fostering coaches, the eager reporters, the choreographers, and the attentive, stern judges. Ultimately, Edge of Glory is about the athletes themselves. What drives these skaters to a profession that promises retirement at such a young age? How do they survive in a sport where one fall decides it all? What do they fear? And, most importantly, who will win, and who will lose? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Slapshot, slapdash
Man, is this book garbage. I picked it up at the library for a light read, and I struggled through about 120 pages before I decided that my life was ebbing away. While Brennan deserves credit for throwing light on the insanity of high-stakes ice skating, her writing skills are no match for her reportorial efforts.

A few of my complaints. Redundancy. We learn over and over again about Michelle Kwan's decision to vamp-up to look older than her 16 years. We read repeatedly about Tara Lipinski and her mom storming out of practice and then cooling down in their car in the parking lot. Many other events are repeated, ad nauseum.

Impossibly accurate quotations. At least a half-dozen times, Brennan quotes a page of exact quotes by two people who are on the phone with each other. How did she get these quotes? Did one skater really invite her to his or her home and then say, "Hey, I'm gonna call this other skater. Write down everything I say, and what they say back to me." Not very likely.

Insider language. I know a bit about ice skating, as my daughter takes lessons (though she has never been in a competition). Yet, I needed more and better descriptions of what actually happens on the ice.

Anyway, don't read this book unless you are obsessed with ice skating and/or the dysfunctions of sports celebrities.

Fine book
This is book is a nice book, but it seemed to focus on Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan, along with the Tara-Michelle thing a little too much. Skaters listed in the front are supposed to be the ones the book focuses on, although some of these skaters get only one paragraph of writing about them. In the final part, "The Olympics", the whole thing was basically about Tara's win and Michelle's silver. There was a little bit about the mens' event, but I found it confusing.

My other complaint about the Olympic section is that it mentions nothing about Elena coming back from 'Skate in the Head', or Artur/Anton (I forget which one) becoming the first man to win two Olympic gold medals with two different partners. I am not a big ice dancing fan, but not a single ice dancing couple was mentioned, which annoys me. Overall, it's a great read that could be even better.

Olympic Gold or Living Forever
Christine Brennan wrote in Edge of Glory that Tonya Harding has more raw jumping talent then anyother female ice skater in US history.For all practical purposes, Brennan is calling Harding the most talented female ice skater to ever live.
Brennan also recounted how Harding used CPR to save an old man's life.
If I had to choose between an Olympic Gold Medal and Brennan's description of Harding, the medal wouldn't have a chance! Gold medalists are a dime a dozen.Some of them go on to big careers in fast food places.
When a world class journalist like Brennan spends such words on a genetic parasite like Harding, the earth momentarily stops spinning on its axis.Harding would live forever even if the assault on Kerrigan never took place.
Most of the book is excellent but some of the trivia about Kwan's career bored me to tears.I also wish Brennan had given more details about Nicole Bobek's reasons for breaking and entering.

my thoughts
although i found this book engaging and enjoyed reading about the lives of these skaters, i personally felt that the anti-taraism was uncalled for. Having had the opportunity to have met both Tara and Michelle, I know that Tara did have her ways of coming off as arrogant, but so did Michelle. She is not as sweet and even tempered as christine made her out to be. It's a wonder why she doesnt mention the reason to why her past dress maker[Marie Talbot] stopped making her dresses. Her comment about her scores in the kiss and cry area [apparently she felt that she deserved a higher score regardless of her mistakes] . Dont bash on one skater and make the other skater come off as the nice one, they all have their ways of being arrogant.

A great tale from behind the scenes in skating
Did you know that Tara Lipinski's mom got in constant battles with her daugher at the rinks?

Did you know that Tara would go on "frenzies" and do unbeliveable amounts of triple triple combinations at her practice rink until she got them right?(this is what caused her hip surgery).

And did you know that Nicole Bobek was a chain smoking teen at one point?

Well you will know all of this after reading this book.I would have to say that this is one of the many views from behind the scenes, but one of the best.Christine B. gives a detailed look at how it all happens on the road to the Olympics.

Different skaters are profiled in this book as we learn about the skaters, coaches, endorsements, and many other things.Most of all we learn about americas 2 leading ladies (at the time) Michelle Kwan, and Tara Lipinski.

This author will tell it like it is so be prepared...and shocked. ... Read more

Book Description
Frozen Assets shines a spotlight inside the world of figure skating, exposing the intricacies involved in making it in the sport and depicting the personalities who rule it. From judging shenanigans to Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan and much more. Told with comments from top skaters, Frozen Assets offers a -page behind-the-scenes look at the most beloved and fascinating winter sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Really nothing new
In reading this book I got the distinct impression that the author compiled it from the many newspaper articles and skating magazines. Interviews with real skaters are included but there's really nothing new or different - fans of the sport and skaters are already familiar with these issues and discussions. Might be interesting for news fans of the sport

CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 2
Mark Lund tells it like it is,but even as this book was being written the entire world of skating was changing yet again with the scandals of Salt Lake City.

When Mark started International Figure Skating Magazine,I was the person who told him it's the "TIME Magazine of skating"and never has that been more true than it is today.

Mark and his staff, including Lois Elfman are wonderful investigative reporters and are not afraid of finding out the truth.I applaud their efforts on this book and cannot wait for volume two, which I am sure is already in their minds.

Congratulations for a wonderful effort.A Must read for all followers of this beautiful sport which has such a dark political undercurrent.

Ted Wilson
Laguna Hills, California

Strong background on the current state of figure skating
This book was clearly prompted by the pairs skating debacle at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. Strong background on the promotion powerhouses that drive the elite level of the sport (likened to the studio system of Hollywood.) Lund provides a balanced framework in an essay format to let readers draw their own conclusions as to the future of the sport. Good quotes from skaters voicing opinions on both sides of the issues. An insightful retrospective on why skating went from double digit TV ratings in 1994 after the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal with umpteen made for TV pseudo competitions to the present state of a nearly non-existant professional figure skating circuit. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Very Helpful for Me
I didn't know how to skate at all, and my instructor thought I didn't care, but I just didn't know the basics!This book really helped me learn to skate.

excellent book on ice skating
I didn't know ANYTHING about skating, but this book made me look good on the ice. Now I can skate, stop, do cross-overs and somebody even asked ME for advice the other day. I really recommend it to anyone getting started in skating.

Ohhhhhhhh boy!
Not the greatest guide to ice skating! There is a lot on what you should wear and look for in skates, but as far as the skating goes. . .There's practically nothing in it!But what's in it is written well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An applicable book 20 years after publication
There are plenty of books on the market about figure skating. Most of them cover individual skaters or they lightly gloss over the "pretty" aspects of the sport with colorful photographs of skaters posing. You'llfind behind-the-scenes books telling you the inside scoop about whathappens on tour or the life of a competitive skater.What there aren'tmany books about are those that cover the actual mechanics of skating pastlearning how to tie your skates and do a waltz jump.

The late Carlo Fassiwas one of the premier skating coaches that the sport has ever known. Heworked with top skaters and brought out their best. The author of this bookhas impeccable credentials.

If you're interested in photographs ofskaters performing each move, seek out a copy of John Misha Petkevitch's"Figure Skating." You'll just find hand drawn illustrations here.I find that these drawings capture movement better than photographs andskating is all about movement.

Other reviewers have mentioned thechapters about triple jumps and various spins. What I'm finding veryhelpful is the chapter about compulsory figures. Just ten years ago,figures were dropped from international competition. Since then, they'vebeen dropped from the U.S. competition structure and it's extremelydifficult to find patch time or instruction. The sport is losing part ofits heritage and the coaches I've spoken to bemoan the loss of edge qualityin up and coming skaters who haven't done figures. I'm finding this onechapter to be most instructive.

A great jump and spin book for all levels.
This is really the only book I have found to include triple jumps as well as camel and other spins. What a great skaters resource whether you are on singles, doubles or triples. I had the pleasure of meeting and trainingwith Christa and their techniques really work. Carlo Fassi was a greatfigure skater and a great teacher. This book is his legacy to all of us whoare still trying to achieve those jumps.

First & greatest of the how to jump
Fassi applied his considerable coaching experience to the creation of this book.It contains his commentaries on common corrections to frequently made errors.As well as numerous stop action snapshot drawings of complexmultiple jump. While there is not the ice tracing treatment provided inFigure Skating : Championship TechniquesBy: John Misha Petkevich, thereis more attention to body position during the entire jump.

Although outof print, copies are still around, & may be avalable from yourUniversity Library. ... Read more