January 17, 2015 marked the opening of the United States Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. More than 370 figure skaters will compete at the juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior and senior levels for 20 U.S. titles in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance.
According to the official website of the event:
This year, the U.S. Championships serve as the final qualifying competition before U.S. Figure Skating names the 2015 U.S. World Figure Skating Team, World Junior Team and Four Continents Team. Team USA will send three ladies, three men, two pairs teams and three ice dance teams to the 2015 World Championships, March 23-29 in Shanghai.
I am an avid figure skating fan and have enjoyed watching the event on my computer at icenetwork.com This site in providing live and on-demand coverage from Greensboro. I love watching the juvenile and intermediate skaters. For most of them, this is their first Nationals and I am always amazed at how well they perform. I will be glued to the site when the senior competition starts on Thursday, January 22nd.
As I watch, I can’t help but think about Clay Aiken and his escapades on the ice.
The first time we heard about Clay on the ice was on December 21, 2003. Called Skate With Clay, the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and the Carolina Hurricanes sponsored a great afternoon of skating. Clay spent the afternoon at the RBC Center, ice-skating with 100 children from the local area. The purpose of the event was to mingle children with and without special needs together. It gave them the opportunity to learn from each other and make new friends.
Skate With Clay – For BAF
According to Dawn Graham, a volunteer from the foundation:
“Clay spoke and skated with each of the children, asking their names, where they went to school, etc. He looked to have as much fun as they did! They were each outfitted with a specially made Bubel/Aiken Foundation jersey, and Clay was sporting a ‘Canes jersey with ‘Aiken 03’ on the back. Some of the children were not physically able to skate, so some of them were pushed across the ice on metal chairs…”
Carolina Hurricanes/Dallas Stars Hockey game
The next evening, Clay performed at the Carolina Hurricanes/Dallas Stars Hockey game. After singing the Star Spangled Banner, Clay entertained the crowd with a short concert. The highlight of the evening occurred during the first intermission. Seemingly without any concern, Clay took to the ice and sang “I Will Carry You” as he skated around the arena. Besides sounding wonderful, Clay skated with confidence and got a huge round of applause.
Rockefeller Center NYC
Clay made a quick appearance on ice at Rockefeller Center. When he was in town for the Christmas Tree Lighting, Clay tried to get in a short skate. He probably hoped he wouldn’t get caught, but……he did and we got some cute pictures!
The next time we saw Clay on the ice was in Las Vegas on November 6, 2007. Clay was tapped to be the exclusive musical guest on “Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice.” Clay was joined by many World and National champions as they celebrated the holiday season.
The program was broadcast on TV on Christmas Day. At that time, the audience got to see some back stage film of Clay getting a skating lesson from Olympian Sasha Cohen. The program ended with Clay joining the skaters as they took their bows by skating around the arena. It looked like Clay was having a great time.
NHL All Star Game
Clay sang the National Anthem at the NHL All Star Game on January 30, 2011. The game was held in Raleigh, NC.
I wonder if Clay has been skating recently. He looked so at ease on the ice and seemed to have a good time.
I hope you will all take the time to watch this touching video. It is beautiful!
Are you watching the US Figure Skating Nationals??
AND
Did you see any of the skating events that included Clay?
As a Las Vegas resident, I attended the "Capital One" event and was elated to see Clay quite comfortably perform on the ice. I sat in an area especially reserved for Clay fans very close to the performance stage. Despite the fact that Clay was not feeling well and was unable to leave his dressing room between takes, he permitted a member of his team to collect items that fans wanted signed. I have to admit I was mesmerized throughout the entire show, but I couldn’t hold back some giggles when one of the lady skaters struggled across the rink to hand Clay the hugest pair of ice skates you could ever imagine! No matter where Clay entertains, he seems to capture the moment with magnificent music, warm humor, and graciousness. Once again, I can only describe the occasion as outstanding. Clay has a unique way of entertaining that always leaves me without adequate words to fit the bill despite the fact that I have more than one excellent Thesaurus!
Not watching the US Figure Skating Nationals, but maybe I should.
I saw all of the skating events that included Clay–not live, though,
Always loved the interaction between Clay and Sasha Cohen.
Would love to see another skating special with Clay singing live–must have been such a treat to be there.
The video did not show up for me–just blank white space. Will check back later.
Beautiful video of caring Clay, thanks Scruffy and thanks Musicfan for posting. xox
I have seen all of Clay’s escapades on Ice, maybe not in person, but on the web. One of the reasons, I became an avid fan of Clay Aiken, was not just his singing, but his love of all children, His hopes for them for a better future. His work with Unicef and his own National Inclusion Project are his passions. I loved him in Las Vegas with his glorious performances along with the best figure skaters in the world. They seemed to love him as much as we do.