Russian Skaters Celebrate 300th Anniversary

[Funny Face]

This happened earlier in the summer, but I'll post anyway, for those who are hungry for figure skating news during the summer hiatus:

News from July, 2003

Russian Stars Shine in St. Petersburg Birthday Gala

Tatiana Flade

St. Petersburg skaters and coaches like to call their hometown "capital of Russian skating", and so they congratulated the city for its 300th anniversary with a special exhibignp2057tion gala. On June 6, most of Russia's best skaters were there to celebrate St. Petersburg with an exquisite show. Half of the participants were from St. Petersburg, the others from Moscow. The average ticket price was 300 Russian Rubles ($10 USD), and tickets were went fast. The "Ice Palace" was sold out with 14 000 spectators. The show was based on a idea of coach Alexei Mishin and his student Evgeni Plushenko, who wanted to bring top skating to St. Petersburg. However, it wouldn't have been possible without the financial support of Champions on Ice tour promoter Tom Collins, whose son Michael, the tour manager, traveled to St. Petersburg to attend the event. Michael Collins regards the show as a step into the Russian market and said that hopefully it marks the beginning of a future cooperation.

To read more:

http://www.bladesonice.com/mag/oldnews1.htm

[dirac]

Thank you for this, Funny Face. At least the Russians think figure skating is a big deal. As the article notes, they certainly have an impressive array of world champions to showcase. I see the Collins tentacles are now moving toward the Far East, also.