Finally, after a long period of ice-deprivation (with Fede and Massi in the US we hadn't even been at any summer practices!) finally it was time for a trip to see some action on the ice... the first of the two stops of the Lancia Ice Champions Tour which we had elected to see, in Baselga di Pinè. The rink there is already a precious memory for me, because of my interview there with Philippe Candeloro in 2005...

With Sissi being my partner in crime once again, we set out for Trento very early in the morning - last year we had driven there after picking up Gregory/Petukhov who were joining the tour on the day we were going, and the drive had been LOOOOOOONG and exhausting. This time instead it went more than smoothly and arrived there very early. We checked in at the hotel (we had booked again at the skaters' hotel, after getting clearance for this from the tour organizer. He even let us add our names to the group list, so we paid a reduced price for our room, eh eh eh), and we went to have a walk in town - we even did some shopping! - had lunch there and then went back to the hotel. There we bumped in some of the cast having lunch - Mauri glued to his cell phone, sharing a table with their agent Laura, Babi with her hubby Diego and lovely Giorgia (visiting mom for a few days), Alessandro the boss with his assistant, some technicians and Roxana Luca... they all greeted us warmly (even the technicians know us, after being regular visitors at the tour for so many years), and we chatted a little - Alessandro even offered us a ride on the tour bus, but only if we promised that we'd dance more than the year before at the after-show disco... well, ok!

We went to relax a little, changed our clothes with warmer ones suitable for the rink, and met with the cast at the appointed time to leave for Baselga. In the end we didn't go by bus, but got a ride from Barbara FP and her hubby - we spent the trip watching a Disney DVD with Giorgia on the backseat, with Babi and Diego singing all the songs and anticipating the characters' lines... how many times had they seen it already with Giorgia?? LOL
Arriving at the rink, we entered with the rest of the cast from the back door - I was carrying Giorgia while her mum was laden with skates & costumes & stuff and her daddy was parking the car. Basically, we spent the rest of the afternoon playing babysitters for Giorgia while Barbara repaired a couple of costumes, did the warm-up, put make up on, all the time also chatting and gossiping away... I have to say that we had a lot of fun. Babi and Silvia (Fontana) are great friends and can LITERALLY make you ROFL (roll on the floor laughing), when they start joking together... Also Silvia's mum was in the dressing room with us, and she is adorable and fun too... eh ehe eh girls like to gossip, and we were no exception... Iwe really discussed everything, from the latest gossip in the skating & dating world to our own business, to Silvia's future kids (when will John 5th arrive?!) and we had so much fun...we kept going for a couple of hours at least!

Giorgia was of course the star of the show, this kid can really totally charm you in two minutes flat, it's impossible to resist her! Even when dad brought her rinkside to watch the skaters, everyone kept stopping by to say hello to her... when Babi and Mauri were skating we had gone upstairs at the bar overlooking the rink, and Giorgia immediately spotted her mom on the ice, and the same did Babi, who came right below us to make funny faces and act silly for the amusement of her kid... ^_^ just lovely!

When the show started we left Giorgia with her dad, and we took our places by the boards in the hockey benches, and started taking photos and making vids... I mostly made videos, so I have very few photos of this show - I took more in Courmayeur the following week.

(my videos are on FSVIDS - or write to me if the links have expired)

A comment on the show?

Before the opening, as usual, kids from the local school did a number - this time it was based on the "Sister Act" movie... some of the kids were soooooo young and cute (and barely stumbling around)...

After some years, finally they have changed the song of the opening - now it's Madonna's "Hung Up"... at least it is a change!

B&M did the opening with the black&neon peach costumes they used for the CD at Olys... very recognizable even for the casual fans!

Before the official cast memebrs started performing, there were a couple of guests: in the first half we had a junior dance couple (Spelta/Garavaglia) perform an exhibition, but I have to say that I can't remember the music or how exactly it was. They were wearing the costumes Faiella & Scali used last year during this tour for their "Carmina Burana" number, and I was totally distracted - I miss my friends a lot and I was viewing in my mind their performance, and not the one that was actually happening on the ice.

In the second half we had another junior couple (Pistorello/Zanni) perform what I guess is their FD - which seems pretty nice, though, again, I forgot the music. Nice blue/purplish costumes.

now about the actual cast members' numbers.

Roxana Luca did first a Spanish number that, though not being utterly spectacular, fit her style very well IMHO... skated clean, was enjoyable. As second number she had a very strange version of "What a wonderful world" which I'm strongly tempted to ask her by who was performed, because I liked it a lot. Another clean program, no big jumping but she was very smooth.

Dmitri Dmitrenko had two very different numbers - first one on Tom Jones' "If I only knew" - an upbeat number where he did a couple of backflips and a back handspring... (the video is on FSVIDS) I don't rememeber much of his skating days, but I was not expecting the tricks. He seemed in good shape. The second number was somethig more alike a competitive program with downgraded difficulties -it was a bit boring. And both his costumes were very very bad.

Kovarikova&Novotny had a group of girls skating with them ("the praga ice ballet") which were not doing much, but at least their moving around the ice was well built into Radka&Renés numbers. First they did a romantic number

(but I have a total blank on the music right now, it was something very famous I had recognized...) and later a more upbeat one ("hey, baby.. I want to know, if you'll be my girl..."). Basically they have been doing the same moves for ages, there was just a bit of movement added with the girls taking turn to skate with René in some places, and calling the audience to sing along... but they were definitely entertaining, the crowd loved them and they seemed to be having fun.

There was a couple of acrobats as usual, this time a man/woman team they introduced ad Valeria & Victor Mitnick (never heard of them before). They did very slow tricks and lots of balance moves, very little skating.. they first had a more serious, classical number,

and then a peculiarly weird one titled "no smoking"(the video is on FSVIDS)... of course they were a hit with the public, but I can't say it was really my cup of tea...

Savchenko/Szolkowy did first a program which could very well have been a SP, on a flamenco-ish music. Horrible black lace & red costumes, I just hate the flared leggins she insist on wearing under a skirt-like thing... aargh. They messed up a lot in the number this night. The other number was better skated, the music was "somewhere" from west side story (I've been told)... I actually did enjoy this number. She was wearing last year's FP dress, he had a different top. (the videos of both programs are on FSVIDS)

Silvia Fontana was adorable as ever, relying more in her numbers on grace, presence and interpretation than on big tricks - but that was more than enough for the audience. First she had an upbeat Ricky Martin number, wearing a black cropped top/little skirt. She really drew the audience in, while she flew on the ice. Her second number was on "Summertime"(the video is on FSVIDS) - another peculiar version which I liked a lot - she wore black leather-looking pants and a floaty top and was again energetic, beautiful and charming. I have stopped being a fan of ladies' skating ages ago, bored to death... but I will always love Silvia's presence on the ice. I watched the event just for her.

Kevin Van Der Perren was in amazing shape for this time of season. For any time of season, actually. He did triples like a jumping machine, in combination, sequence or not... He first skated to soundtrack from "The Matrix" and then on "Tango de Roxanne" fom Moulin Rouge. He was really the highlight of the show. Fabulous. (the videos of both programs are on FSVIDS)

Barbara & Maurizio did one number I had already seen - on the song "I belong to you" by Eros Ramazzotti & Anastacia - which is the usual collage of bits and pieces from former programs.. but it is quite well put together, and they skated it well. Good interpretation, nice speed. Lovely black&blue costumes, used at Italian nationals last year for a CD - probably my favourites of the season.
Their second number was a "Cowboy" program, first half slow with a music probably taken from some movie (but I have to ask), where they go around doing tricks and finish with a duel where they shoot at each other , and then come together to start a fast & fun part of "Cotton eye joe", with an initial danced bit copied from Madonna's "Don't tell me" video. They're both wearing jeans with those fake legs cowboy wear, in fake brownish suede, and jeans shirt with fake sued inserts, and cowboy hats. A light-hearted number, funny, skated with a lot of energy.(the videos of both programs are on FSVIDS)

For the finale we found back again the well known song from "Kill Bill" that they have been doing for years... time for the skaters to receive some more well deserved applauses (the video is on FSVIDS). At the end of the finale, after dancing YMCA with the audience like every year, Babi took Giorgia out on the ice and she skated a lap around with her (who loves to be carried around on the ice!)

Backstage there was the usual crowd jumping on the skaters - we stayed a bit behind, waiting for them to pile out on the bus to go to the restaurant... I sneaked a couple of pics of B&M to post on their site, and a couple of Kevin as well... just because I like him!

We ended up chatting again with Silvia while she got dressed, with her mum urging her to be faster... we were really the last ones on the bus, with everyone waiting for us four (me, my friend, Sissi & her mum).
When we reached the restaurant we discovered that the disco where the organizer had meant to bring everyone (like we did last year) was closed, so we just sat down, had dinner, and headed back to the hotel, where we arrived at around 3.30am.
We said goodbye to our friends till the next saturday, as we knew we would leave the next day a lot before they would get up. Mauri asked me to wait for him a moment, as he had suddendly rememebered about the CD he had promised to give me for the site - I had asked him at the rink in Baselga but he had left them at the hotel. When he came back, we stopped a little bit more to watch some of the photos my friend had taken on the display of her camera (Mauri asked me if I had brought my laptop, buy I had not). Finally, we kissed goodbye and went to be (or at least we did, I can't say what the skaters did!! But I needed to sleep if I wanted to drive all the way back home the next morning!