Stars und Sternchen! » The Mirror believes

After a long, hard Olympic season, the skaters at this years World Championships reveled in the adulation of their Japanese audience. The Saitama Super Arena, just outside of Tokyo, was packed with over 18,000 skating fans who hung on the skaters every move. For many of the skaters - after performing for an often-disinterested and sometimes intimidating crowd at the Sochi Games - the Saitama audience was the perfect antidote to a physically and emotionally exhausting Olympic year. You could see the skaters take the ice with the knowing attitude of, "it doesnt get better than this!" and in the end, whether their performance was, in itself, a personal best or somewhat subpar, you could sense the their joy at being there and read the gratitude etched on their faces as they acknowledged their audiences, took their bows and soaked in the moment. In return, the skaters rose up and delivered some of their best performances ever and fittingly, hometown heroes Mao Asada and Yuzuru Hanyu both won gold. On the way to her win, Mao set the highest Short Program score ever recorded and Yuzuru edged his teammate Tatsuki Machida by less than a point to become the first man in 12 years to win World and Olympic gold in the same year. The Canadian Team, without recent Olympic medalists Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Patrick Chan, stepped up and won medals in both the Pairs and Dance. Canada also qualified one of the largest teams for next years Worlds due in part to its depth in all four disciplines. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won a silver in Dance - missing gold by the tiniest of margins - .02. They had back to back, awesome skates but their free dance for me was Weaver and Poje at their finest. Their connection to each other, their ability to capture the subtleties of the music and their powerful edge work, were highlighted in their masterful tango. What stood out for me in their performance was the fact that their program is balanced in its difficulty throughout, not just during the required technical elements. Their skating has continued to grow and develop this season and you could feel their momentum and their sense of purpose building in the days before the competition. So when a couple of the top teams had minor baubles and left the door ajar in the short dance, they strode through. They are the real deal and will be a force going forward. Canada was the only country to have three teams in the Top 10, which is awesome in itself but even more extraordinary when you look at the fact that Virtue and Moir where not there. Canadian teams moved back to podium position in the pairs, with Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford winning bronze and Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch finishing fourth. The differences are so small at the top of the field in pairs that both teams, who were terrific in Japan, will have to look for new ways to reinvent themselves if they are to challenge for the top of the podium in coming years. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch were pretty much flawless in this event, but couldnt quite get to the podium which tells me that they may need to up the ante technically. Their performance in the free was, I thought, one of the highlights of these World Championships but they were a little too far back in the short to make up the distance. They have charming programs and are extremely well trained and capable which has served them well, but has left them just off the World podium two years in a row. They need that little bit more and the challenge is where and how to get it? More technical risk most likely. Strategy is going to be key for them going forward. Duhamel and Radford found that a little less worked for them here. Known for taking extreme risk, they simplified slightly going into some of their more difficult elements and that made all the difference for them, compared to Sochi. It freed them up to execute their elements cleanly, perform better and the medal was their just reward. The results were disappointing for Kevin Reynolds and Kaetlyn Osmond in the singles events in Japan but they have both had that kind of a season. Much has gone wrong for them this year except when it mattered most. With an Olympic Medal on the line, they delivered big time at the team event in Sochi. Without their solid showing , Canada would not have won silver. That silver is the lining in an otherwise glad its over kind of season. The good news is that there is a whole spring and summer ahead to regroup, heal and rebuild. Kaetlyn can - for the first time - look forward to two Grand Prix assignments this year. She qualified last year too, but injury took her out. Its what she needs the most, experience. She has come so far in such a short time with little international experience to build on. In an Olympic season that is relentless, missing training time going in as both Kevin and Kaetlyn did, undermines everything. I believe that this approaching offseason is a crucial time for them as they head into the next Olympic quadrennial. Its right now when they must make up for lost training time and get back on track. Bright lights for team Canada at this years Worlds were 15-year-old Nam Ngyuen and 16-year-old Gabby Daleman who both hit personal bests in their free programs and showed that they are ready for the big time. They were not intimidated at all by the size of the event or the numbers in the stands in fact they fed off it. Both are charming and feisty at the same time and one saw clearly that they arent prepared to wait their turn. So the stage is set for the next four years and from what we saw in Japan, Canada is in great shape going forward. Cheap Air Max Nz Online . "Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience, having worked both in Canada and overseas in player development," Canada Soccer technical director Tony Fonseca said in a release. Cheap Air Max Nz Free Shipping .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C. http://www.cheapairmaxnz.com/ . Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. Air Max Nz Cheap . He chirped to the caddie of Brandt Snedeker about their money game, a Mickelson tradition at the majors. Lefty was in good spirits Monday at the British Open, except for having to return the claret jug. Cheap Air Max Nz Shoes .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their agreed-upon trade that sends former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the West Coast for a pair of minor league pitching prospects.Following the arrival of new manager Antonio Conte at Chelsea, speculation has been rife about who the Italian will bring in to bolster his Blues squad, but who do you think they should sign? Our interactive tool allows you to share your views on the latest transfer talk. The players below have all been linked with Chelsea in the mainstream media over the summer, but would YOU like to see the rumours become a reality?Swipe right if you would like to see the player join Chelsea. Swipe left if you would not (app users need to hold down the image before swiping or use the vote buttons below). And once youve made your choices, take a look at how the rest of the general public have voted. Chelsea transfer rumours explainedFelipe Anderson (Lazio - Midfielder)The Sun claim the Stamford Bridge club are interested in the Brazilian winger.Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli - Defender)The Mirror writes that Contes side have already had two bids rejected in their pursuit of the Senegal international, the second believed to be in the region of £34m. Sky Sports Fantasy Football Who makes your XI this season? Pick your team here to win the ￡25k jackpot. Joao Mario (Sporting Lisbon - Midfielder)Portuguese sports newspaper A Bola claim the Blues are preparing a £34m bid for the 23-year-old.Edinson Cavani (PSG - Forward)The London Evening Standard believe PSG are willing to listen to offers for the 29-year-old Uruguayan, who struck the winner in the Champions League last-16 first leg tie against Chelsea back in February.NGolo Kante (Leicester - Midfielder)The Daily Mail say Chelsea have made a move for the France international. The Mirror believes Chelsea are pursuing a deal for Leonardo Bonucci Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus - Defender)The Mirror believes Chelsea are pursuing a deal for the defender, but claim league rivals Manchester City are prepared to offer up to £51m for his services. Arda Turan (Barcelona - Midfielder)The Independent claim Chelsea are interested in bringing the Turkish national team captain to the Premier League, with the asking price thought to be around £23m.Axel Witsel (Zenit - Midfielder)The Mirror suggest the club could make a last ditch attempt to sign Witsel frrom under the noses of Merseysiders Liverpool and Everton.ddddddddddddAmadou Diawara (Bologna - Midfielder)The Sun has linked the teenager with a switch to west London.Romelu Lukaku (Everton - Forward)The London Evening Standard allege that the Belgian is on Contes wish list, despite leaving the club two years ago, but believe it will take at least £50m to secure his return to Stamford Bridge.Juan Jesus (Inter - Defender)Italian outlet Mediaset recently reported that Conte was interested in bringing the Brazilian to the Premier League.Antonio Candreva (Lazio - Midfielder)Lazio director Igli Tare stated earlier in the summer that the midfielder wanted to leave the club. FourFourTwo.com suggest Chelsea are interested in Candreva, who scored 10 goals in 30 games last season. Andre Gomes in action for Portugal during the Euros Andre Gomes (Valencia - Midfielder)According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea bid €53m (£45.2m) for the 22-year-old, only to see it rejected by Valencia. The paper believe the Spanish club will begin talks if a bid of around €85m is lodged for the Portuguese international.Martin Caceres (Juventus - Defender) The Daily Star say the full-back could potentially join his former boss Conte at the Blues.Raija Nainggolan (Roma - Midfielder)The Daily Mail have suggested that the Blues are determined to land the player despite having a third bid, alleged to be around £33m rejected. The player has told Roma fans he is staying put but is still thought to be Contes number one target. Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli - Forward) Spanish paper AS claim the Argentine who played in this summers Copa America, could also be on the Blues radar. His release clause is thought to be in the region of £60m-£80m.Kostas Manolas (Roma - Defender) The club are thought to have made enquiries about the availability of Romas captain, according to the London Evening Standard, the 25-year-old is thought to have been earmarked as a possible replacement for John Terry.Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland - Forward) Gazzetta Dello Sport published quotes from the players agent saying a call from Chelsea would be a dream - Giaccherini was in Contes Italy squad at this summers Euros . Also See: Transfer Centre Latest transfer news Transfer betting Paper Talk China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '