The fifth and final day of Asian Figure Skating Championships took place on Sunday at the Taipei Arena. Void of the nationalistic flag-waving controversies that marred the Asian Youth Judo Championships taking place in the same building, the skating event was deemed a success.
As with the judo competition, there were a number of Olympic hopefuls on hand, most notably a trio of Uzbekistan skaters competing in the ladies seniors short program and pairs free skate.
"Pairs" competition is similar to "ice dancing" though it allows "tosses and throws" and is more athletic than ice dancing, according to Rich Lee, secretary general of the Chinese Taipei Skating Union. Because of the extreme difficulty of pairs competition, just three teams entered the event.
The Uzbekistan team of Marina Aganina and Artyem Knazev took the gold medal with a program that included music ranging from classical strings to techno beats -- concluding with folk music.
The North Korean pair of Sung Mi-yang and Jong Yong-hyok seemed disappointed with their second-place finish, though the Taiwan pair, expatriate brother and sister duo Darryl Yang and Amanda Yang from Los Angeles, were overjoyed as they mounted the podium to receive their bronze award.
This year, Taiwan's national team counted on overseas compatriots to make up much of its roster, while Japan and South Korea had little trouble sending a full team, including a full retinue of coaches and trainers.
Seventeen-year old Choi Ji-eun of South Korea, who took third place in the Ladies Single Short Program, said she practices four hours a day, six days a week. She has been involved in this grueling training schedule for the past seven years.
Residing in Seoul, Choi acknowledges that figure skating in Asia still lacks the visibility of other sports, despite the fact that South Korea has no shortage of ice rinks and long, cold winters.
Choi spends much of her time in the rink working on her skills, such as improving the speed of her turns. She hopes to catch up with top finisher Nakano Yukuri of Japan.
"She is incredible," Choi said. "She can hit the triple-axle. I can only do a double-axle."
Choi said that this year's event was fun and well organized, although she felt that the ice surface was "uneven" and a "little bit soft" in some areas.
Choi seemed to welcome competition, as it provided a break from her training regiment. She mingled easily with the other pint-sized figure skaters.
The international figure skating community is a tight-knit group, and it is well represented by referee Eugeniy Rokhin who has judged international competitions for the past 20 years. This was his second visit to Taiwan, and in two weeks he will be traveling to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Osaka, Japan.
Rokhin is part of the Uzbekistan delegation, though he has no experience in coaching. He said that refereeing these competitions is a full time job, especially given recent rule changes and the new scoring system implemented three years ago.
"Now, the scoring is a lot better," Rokhin said. "It's more accurate."
Each maneuver, such as a double axle jump, is given a pre-set base value, and the skater's ability or inability to execute that move may incur a point or negative point, Rokhin said. The other component of scoring is a general appraisal of choreography, interpretation and skating skills.
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