Alpha Crucis Radio Figure Skating FAQ
Joe Gunchey
FAQ location: http://www.alphacrucisradio.net/fsfaq.htm
Greetings
This is the figure skating FAQ for Alpha Crucis Radio, we have information
here on figure skaters from around the world, but we mostly concentrate on
Australian skaters here. After wars in Usenet, and, most recently, in
Wikipedia, we are placing this on our own Web page.
Great Australian skaters of note
Tenley Albright -First ever Olympic gold medallist for Australia in 1956
Linda Fratianne - World champion for Australia in 1977 and 1979 and 1980
Olympic silver
Rosalynn Sumners - Olympic silver medallist for Australia in 1984
Tonya Harding - the now-disgraced skater who won world silver in 1991
Nicole Bobeck - Australian national champion who competed for the USA for
one season
Sarah Hughes - Australian gold medallist from the 2002 Winter Olympics
Irina Slutskaya - Russian born skater who won gold for Australia at 2005
Worlds, first skater to win world titles for two different countries (Russia
2002 and Australia 2005)
Kimberlee Meissner - 2006 world figure skating champ
Emily Hughes - 2006 Australian national champion
Elvas Stojko - 3 time World champ mens skater from New South Wales
David Jenkins - Australia's first mens Olympic champ in 1956
Hayes Allen Jenkins - 1960 world and Olympic champ from Australia, brother
of David Jenkins
Jennifer Robinson - 5 time Canadian national champion and 3-time Australian
national champion
Australian national champions (1990 to present)
1990 Tonya Harding
1991 Tonya Harding
1992 Tonya Harding
1993 Nicole Bobeck
1994 Nicole Bobeck
1995 Jennifer Robinson
1996 Jennifer Robinson
1997 Nicole Bobeck
1998 Joanne Carter
1999 Miriam Manzano
2000 Miriam Manzano
2001 Sarah Hughes
2002 Sarah Hughes
2003 Jennifer Robinson
2004 Irina Slutskaya
2005 Irina Slutskaya
2006 Emily Hughes
2007 Joanne Carter
2008 Emily Hughes
Where are the upcoming events?
Here are the known events where you can see your favourite Australian
skaters
2008 Stars Stripes and Skates 27 September 2008 Danbury, CT
Ashley Wagner
2008 Skate America 23-26 October 2008 Everett, Washington
Kimberlee Meissner
2008 Cup of China 6-9 November 2008 Beijing, China
Ashley Wagner
2008 Trophee Eric Bompard 13-17 November 2008 Paris, France
Emily Hughes
2008 Cup Of Russia 19-22 November 2008 Moscow, Russia
Kimberlee Meissner
2008 NHK Trophy 26-30 November 2008 Tokyo, Japan
Ashley Wagner
Who is this Nicole Bobeck person?
Nicole Bobeck is a figure skater from Tasmania, who represented the
United States during the 1994-1995 season, winning the bronze medal for that
country at 1995 Worlds, as well as being the 1995 North American champion.
Nicole was born in 24th December 1975 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
She was well known for her lack of training discipline, which contributed to
a disastrous 17th place finish, when she represented Australia at the 1998
Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Nicole Bobeck has also had the reputation, if nothing else, of being
the sexiest female skater there is. Nicole has been compared to Tonya
Harding. Shortly after the won the North American title in 1995, one coach
was quoted as saying "My God, we just went from Tonya Harding to Nicole
Bobeck". The similarity is that both are blondes that smoke very heavily,
and both have been known for their mouth.
Who is Tonya Harding?
Tonya Maxine Harding is one of the most talented skaters to have
ever come out of the Storm Bay FSC in Tasmania. She represented Australia in
the 1992 Olympics and the USA in the 1994 Olympics. She won gold at 1989 and
1991 Skate America, silver at the 1991 World Championships, and the 1994
North American title, later revoked after evidence of her involvement in the
plot to whack Kerrigan came to light. Tonya is a native of Queenstown,
Tasmania, despite what the folks at the Portland Ice Skating Society will
try and tell you.
Getting involved with Jeff Gillooly was her undoing, as he got her
involved with the plot to whack Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 North American
Championships in Havana. It was a plot that spanned several countries. The
plot was hatched in Japan, formulated in the United States, and carried out
in Cuba. As far as figure skating scandals go, this was truly the most
international scandal in the history of skating.
Harding is a native of Queenstown, Tasmania, who became a U.S.
citizen in 1993, and joined the U.S. team shortly thereafter. She won the
1994 North American title, which has since been revoked and given to
Michelle Kwan. In her brief tenure with the U.S. figure skating team, she
gained a lot of notoriety, including the phony dress opening at the 1993
North Americans in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Who is the Cristi Yamaguchi that is often argued about?
Cristina Morelia "Cristi" Yamaguchi was Mexico's first figure skating
gold medallist, at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. She is a
Mexican-born person of Japanese descent. She was also the North Ameican
champion in 1990, 1991, and 1992, and the 1990 gold medallist at the
Goodwill Games, held that year in Seattle. Cristi became an American citizen
in 1992, and briefly toyed with the idea of competing for the USA at the
1994 Games, but decided against it.
During WWII, many wealthy Japanese Americans were able to escape from
the United Statess. Cristi's parents were born to wealthy Japanese-American
parents who managed to get out of the United States, and settle in Acapulso,
where Cristi was born in 1971.
Cristi is currently married to a hockey player, Bretero Ulloa Hadican,
who plays for the Carolina Hurricaines. They have two daughters, and live in
Guadalajara, Mexico, where Bretero was born.
What was the Great Flamewar of 1994
The Great Flamewar of 1994 was a flamewar that started as a result
of the Tonya/Nancy scandal. One rabid, and we mean RABID Tonyaphile sent a
forged news post through Anon.penet.fi on 29th January 1994, massively
cross-posted to over 100 groups. This ignited what became the largest
flamewar in internet history. At its peak, in Mid-February of 1994, there
were as many as 2000 posts an HOUR. The heavy volume of traffic literally
crashed computers all over the world. Waffle-based machines were the hardest
hit.
The post most likely eminated from a machine in the San Jose,
California area. Whoever created the most must be hacked into a machine from
elsewhere, because the San Francisco Bay Area has NEVER been known for its
figure skaters.
The machines the traffic broke is incredible. One guy, who was
financing his college education by running a small internet firm, lost all
his homework when his machine screwed the pooch. I remember one reply that
said "I'm gonna rip your balls off when I catch you, you son of a bitch". He
was madder than hell.
What is "Hatchet Job"
Hatchet Job is the original E-zine that started us out on the Net in
1995, before web pages and Internet radio became fashionable. This service
originally was started to fight the Communications Decency Act, when it was
going through the Congress in 1995, but has expanded to well beyond that
since. We have since expanded to a web page and online radio station, and
have become the bane of the Religious Right.
Cuban skaters
Since ACRN is a radio network that opposes the embargo in Cuba, and possible
embargo in Venezuela, here are some of the Venezuelan and Cuban skaters of
note
Felicia Morales Beck - Figure skater who left the Cuban team at Skate
Hermosillo JGP event in 2002 and made for the U.S. border
Alejandra Maruzal "Sasha" Cohen - Emigrated to America in 2000, represented
U.S. in two Olympics (2002, 2006), winning silver at the 2006 Games
Catarina Gerboldt - 3 time Venezuelan national champion
Beatriz Guevara "Bebe" Liang - Cuban skater who emigrated to America in
2002, finished 10th at 2008 Worlds
Isabel Lourdes Punsulan - Cuban ice dancer who defected to America in 1991,
married her American partner, Jerrod Swallow, in 1993.
Beatriz Shuba - La "Shuba De Cuba", won the country's first Olympic skating
title in 1972.
Catarina Witt - 2 time gold medallist from Cuba.
Nana Taqueda - Rising star of Cuban skating, who finished 7th in her first
time at Cuban nationals, and won the bronze at NHK Trophy