World Skating Championships: Day 4: Virtue & Moir win Silver plus a photographers confession

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

 

Psst, I have a secret.

I think, no, I know that out of the four skating disiplines Men's, Women's, Pairs and Ice Dance, my favourite to photograph would have to be.......

Ice Dance!

It's strange, I never knew until this part week. But after a steady dose of figure skating, practices, short program and free skate, I can honestly say, Ice Dancing was my favourite to shoot.

I found a lot of the skating a little repetitious, especially the Men's and Women's programs. Outside of where on the ice the elements like jumps and spins occur, they all kind of look the same. Photographers love athletes that being a little variation to table.

While ice dance might lack those face distorting triples and quads and the insanely high launches of ladies into the rafters of arena, Ice dance does offer something that photographers crave.

Variety!

Like the other disiplines, there is a number of required elements, but it seems that most teams are able to put their own spin on many of the lifts. What the event lacks in explosive action it makes up for it in inventive ways to hoist a person into the air or glide across the ice.

I'm still not exactly 100 percent sure what a twizzle is, but I do know that I like shooting ice dance!

Spain's Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz glide across the ice in a matrix like lift during the Ice Dance Free Skate  program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Budweiser Gardens  in London. 

 

Isabella Tobias and Davidas Stagiunas of Lithuania.

 

Sara Hurtado and Adrria Diaz of Spain spin.

 

This pair might be the reason why I like shooting Ice dance so much. Germany Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi perform a Zombie inspired program.

 

German's Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi glide across the ice in one of five lifts.

 

Alexander Gazsi shows one of the other reasons shooting ice dance is fun as he chases Nelli Zhiganshina across the ice, both partners in ice dance are very good at facial expressions throughout their routine.

 

Germany's Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi finish their routine dead tired! Sorry!

 

Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer begin their routine.

 

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer, ice dancers have their own variations of the death spiral.

 

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer skate towards the end of their routine.

 

Elana Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia do their routine to the music of The Ghost.

 

Elana Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia glide to the finale.

 

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of USA skate to Dr. Zhivago.

 

Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje spin by. Weaver broke her ankle in December and just got back onto skates two weeks ago.

 

Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje celebrate their skate, they would end up finishing fifth.

 

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate in their hometown.

 

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir glide to the music from Carmen.

 

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir do one of four lifts in their routine.

 

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate to the finish of their routine.

 

Meryl Davis and Charlie White from the USA would win the gold medal with their Notre Dame routine.

 

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloview of Russia would win the bronze medal.

 

Kexin Zhang of China spins during the Women's Free Skate program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

 

Italy's Vantentina Marchei holds her skate during a spin.

 

American Gracie Gold ties her skates before her program.

 

Japan's Akiko Suzuki competes to the music from O by Cirque du Soliel.

 

Flexible Akiko Suzuki from Japan spins to the music from O by Cirque du Soliel.

 

France's Mae Berenice Meite does one of seven jump combinations in her routine.

 

China's Zijun Li  competes to the music from "Sleeping Beauty"

 

Japan's Kanako Murakami.

 

Italy's Carolina Kostner had a nose bleed just before the star of her program. 

 

Italy's Carolina Kostner holds her nose through her first spin. She had a nose bleed before the start of her program. Leaving some blood on the ice she would win silver in the Women's Free Skate.

 

Japan's Mao Asada would win bronze with her rendition of Swan Lake.

 

Fourth after the short program, Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond falls during the Women's Free Skate program.

 

Kaetlyn Osmond would finish eigth overall, her top 10 result will give Canada two spots in women's skating in the Sochi Olympics.

 

Yuna Kim from South Korea would win gold in the Women's Figure Skating.

 

Pictures from Day One, Men's and Pairs Short Program.

Pictures from Day Two, Women's and Ice Dance Short Program

Pictures from Day Three, Chan wins Gold, Duhamel & Radford win Bronze.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[s boruszok]

Again the photographer is fantastic! Loved these photos.

[LibbyB]

Thank you for this wonderful collection of skating photos. Well done!

[Tyler Henry]

I could never do anything like this. This is way too risky for me. I fear for some of these people's lives as skates are being put over and very near their heads. One wrong move and they could be gone.