Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto

[whisper]

TANITH BELBIN
http://images.askmen.com/galleries/model/tanith-belbin/pictures/tanith-belbin-picture-1.jpg
Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin (born July 11, 1984 in Kingston, Ontario) is a Canadian-American ice dancer. Though she holds dual citizenship, she competes for the United States and has competed for the U.S. since she began skating with Benjamin Agosto in 1998. With Agosto, Belbin is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, three time Four Continents Champion (2004-2006), and four time US National Champion (2004-2007).
Personal life
Tanith Belbin was born in Kingston, Ontario and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She now lives and trains in Canton, Michigan.

Belbin's mother is a costume designer and she makes some of Belbin's costumes.

She is currently dating fellow figure skater Evan Lysacek.

Tanith Belbin competed as a pair skater and ice dancer in Canada before concentrating completely on ice dancing. She was introduced to ice dancing by Paul Wirtz and competed with Liam Dougherty as an ice dancer and Ben Barruco as a pair skater in Canada. She did not compete internationally with them.

Unable to find a good dance partner in Canada, Belbin moved to Detroit in 1998, where she was partnered with Benjamin Agosto by their coach Igor Shpilband. They had early success, winning the bronze at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in their first competitive season. Belbin and Agosto qualified for the 2002 Olympics by placing second at U.S. championships, but were not able to go because Belbin was not an American citizen. Because Belbin started the citizenship process before new rules went into effect her citizenship would not have been completed before 2007. Belbin and Agosto, therefore, focused more on Nationals and Worlds, winning Nationals four times, and earning the silver at Worlds going into the Olympics.

Fans of Belbin and Agosto wrote letters and signed petitions asking for a special act of Congress to let Belbin become a citizen in time for her to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where many believed they could medal. This was a controversial move. The mother of fellow American ice dancer David Mitchell believed that it was unfair to bend the rules for Belbin. Supporters pointed out that the U.S. had three dance team spots at the Olympics only because Belbin and Agosto had earned the third spot by medalling at the 2005 World Championships. Had they not, the U.S. would have had only two spots. By this logic, Belbin and Agosto had earned their own spots. But the point was moot after Mitchell and his partner Loren Galler-Rabinowitz placed ninth at U.S. championships, nowhere near earning a spot on the World team.

However, by a special act of Congress on December 28, 2005, which President George W. Bush signed on December 31, 2005, Belbin became a naturalized citizen, making her able to competefor the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics. In January 2006, the pair won their third consecutive national title and qualified for the Olympics. Maxim Zavozin, who is half of the 2005 Junior World Champion team of Matthews and Zavozin, also became a U.S. citizen through this special act.

At the Turin Olympics, Belbin and Agosto won the silver medal in ice dancing, the highest Olympic result of any American pair in the discipline, and the first American ice dancers to win an Olympic medal in 30 years. They went on to win the bronze at Worlds. In January 2007, Belbin and Agosto continued their streak, winning their fourth consecutive U.S. championship in Spokane.


BENJAMIN AGOSTO



Benjamin Alexandro Agosto (born January 15, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American ice dancer. With partner Tanith Belbin, Agosto is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, 2004-2006 Four Continents Champion, and 2004-2007 US National Champion

Personal life
Benjamin Agosto was born January 15, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Northbrook, Illinois. He moved to Detroit, Michigan in June 1998 in order to train under Igor Shpilband. Agosto is Jewish on his mother's side and Puerto Rican on his father's side. Agosto attended Glenbrook North High School for two years before moving to Michigan where he graduated with honors from Groves High School in June 2000. Agosto played in a high school jazz band and hopes to become a blues player someday. He is also a voice actor and has voiced characters in video games. Agosto also works as a skating coach.

Benjamin Agosto lives and trains in Canton, Michigan.

Career
Benjamin Agosto started skating at age six, after receiving a pair of ice skates for his birthday. Early in his career, he was coached by Susie Wynne He teamed up first with Katie Hill, skating with her on the novice and junior levels, including internationally. They skated out of Midwestern Section. When that partnership ended, Agosto moved from Chicago to Michigan in 1998 to train under Igor Shpilband, who teamed him up with his new partner.

In 1998, he was partnered with Tanith Belbin and the team immediately saw results on the junior level in the 1999-2000 season, their first competitive season, winning the junior national title as well as the bronze medal at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. In their first year skating senior nationally, they placed second at Nationals, qualifying them for the senior Worlds team. Following that, Belbin and Agosto were sent to both Worlds and Junior Worlds every year they were age-eligible.

Belbin and Agosto qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympics with a second place finish at the United States Figure Skating Championships, but were ineligible to compete there because the Canadian-born Belbin was not an American citizen. Instead, Belbin and Agosto were sent to all the other ISU Championships for which they were eligible: Four Continents, Junior Worlds, and Worlds. They won 2002 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, completing their set of medals from that event. Following that season, Agosto aged out of juniors.

In 2004, Belbin and Agosto won the U.S. Championship and have repeated three times. At Nationals in 2005, the last year of the 6.0 system, Belbin & Agosto earned straight perfect sixes for presentation in their free dance. Of the 30 6.0s given out in ice dance at US Nationals, Belbin & Agosto have 14 of them. Their 6.0 count is second only to Michelle Kwan's career 38 at nationals.

In February 2005, Belbin and Agosto organized and performed in their own figure skating benefit show, Skate Aid for Tsunami Relief, which raised more than $37,000 for Red Cross relief efforts.

Though they earned silver medals for the United States at the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships, Belbin and Agosto were originally ineligible to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics as Belbin was not yet an American citizen. Their silver medal combined with the placement of the other American team earned the United States three spots to the Olympics in ice dance, the first time this had happened since 1984.

By a special act of Congress passed on December 28, 2005, which President Bush signed on New Year's Eve, 2005, Belbin became a naturalized citizen of the USA, making her able to compete for the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Belbin and Agosto went on to win the Olympic silver medal in ice dance on February 20, 2006. They were the first American ice dance team since 1976, the first year ice dancing was contested at the Olympics, to win an Olympic medal.

Belbin & Agosto began the 2006-2007 season with a free dance called That's Entertainment. After receiving less-than-steller feedback on it, they scrapped the free dance and came to Nationals with a new program to the music of Amelie. With this free dance, they won Nationals, the silver medal at Four Continents, and the bronze at Worlds.

Belbin and Agosto have been regular cast members of the Champions on Ice tour for the past three seasons.

[rocs_a]

Tanith mi se pare cea mai frumoasa patinatoare ... desi exista un echilibru in balanta intre tanith si kiira ... oricum, e superba tanith

[florik2000]

cred ca sunt o "fana" a lor la fel de mare cum multi de aici sunt ai carolinei kostner........:P:drak:

[whisper]

:) Te intelegem:D Totusi imi plac cat de cat, nu prea mult, dar ...:)

[Cristinush]

Tanith e frumusica, dar totusi...extrem de slaba..ca si pereche, nu ma omor dupa ei:P ceea ce nu stiam despre Tanith este ca she`s dating Evan Lysacek :rolleyes:

[rocs_a]

cateva poze , desi nu-s fani multi de-ai lor, din cate observ :d sper sa mearga uploadul

[Lavinia]

e foarte dragutza tipa da mie ca si patinatori nu'mi zic mare lucru...

[madalina18]

mi-au placut la ceva campionat....nu mai stiu exact anul!:l
oricum....ea e sooper dragutza!:P

[florik2000]

sper sa nu castige nicio medalie:evil:

[Iulya]

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/8f/fullj.862825fff577bacaa5f28e6818a54af4/862825fff577bacaa5f28e6818a54af4-getty-79577693jm006_isu_world_fig.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/16/fullj.c2fc05dc505fc48e364882e55adce8a0/c2fc05dc505fc48e364882e55adce8a0-getty-fskate-world-swe-belbin-agosto.jpg

[Tracoromana]

Sunt si ei ghinionisti in felul lor.

[rocs_a]

Mie imi pare rau cand vad o pereche buna (chiar dak sunt americani, tot buni sunt), care a muncit un an intreg si le-au iesit toate bune si frumoase, iar intr-o secunda in acel an sa piarda tot ce vroiau. La aur nu mai ajung.Sau, nu se stie niciodata

[andreeas]

Imi plac americanii. Ar fi avut ocazia sa fie primii americani din proba de dans care castiga o medalie de aur, dar poate ca nu este totul pierdut. Ai dreptate rocs, toti isi cunosc potentialul, ceea ce pot, toti se antreneaza foarte mult si tocmai din aceasta cauza trebuie sa le dorim la toti numai bine, sa fie pe locul pe care il merita fiecare.

[florik2000]

mi-a parut si mie rau de munca lor ,ca s-a dus pe apa sambetei dar nu pot sa spun ca imi displace locul pe care sunt acum:drak:

[madalina18]

Si mie mi-a parut rau de ei.....aveau sanse mari sa ia aurul!

[ange_florinutza]

Mie imi place mult de ei, sunt un cuplu foarte dragut, si mi se par talentati :) V-au placut la gala? Chiar cand spune comentatorul ca ar merge ceva mai dinamic, au venit ei cu Justin Timberlake..au dansat super!! Are cineva videoul cu ei (la gala)? :)

[irinaidu]

florinush ti-l trimit eu cat de curand. daca cumva uit mai adu-mi aminte.
mie imi place ben mai mult edcat tanith. la repetitiile pt gala ben a fost f funny. si-a pus panglica in jurul gatului si tanith il tinea de ea iar el sarea ca un iepure. :D

[ange_florinutza]

:D Iti multumesc mult, Irina! Haha...cred k a fost amuzant! Da, ai dreptate, Tanith e mai rigida, cred k oboseste prea repede sau nu stiu unde e problema. Ben are o energie...:D

[irinaidu]

si ben se juca cu panglica si o folosea asa ca pe un bici. nu aveam vreo simpatie deosebita pt el inainte de cmul asta. dar acum chiar mi-e simpatic. de fapt si ben si brian asta au facut cu panglica intai. au vrut sa vada daca merge ca bici :P

[rocs_a]

dak zici tu Irina ca e asa dragutz in afara competitiilor, asa o fi, ca i-ai vazut pe viu
insa, pe mine ma cam enerveaza cateodata mutra lui ben la tv, are figura aia de american fara griji, care toate-i merg bine, chiar dak el e jos de tot. nu zic k e rau sa fii increzator, optimist, dar are o expresie faciala care mi se pare exagerata , enervanta. asa mi se pare.
desi sunt fata si not gay, pot zice k frumusetea lui tanith imi captiveaza toata atentia de la reactiile ei , comportamentul care se vede pe ecran si alte d-astea :)

[bijoufan]

recunosc ca initial mi au atras atentia prin frumusetea lu tanith, insa acum imi plac si ca pereche, cred ca se descurca foarte bine si pe viitor chiar mi as dori sa scape de "complexul" locului 2 si sa ia o medalie de aur:D

[whisper]

Photo time:
http://www.scratchspin.com/2008/worlds08/08010548.jpg
http://www.scratchspin.com/2008/worlds08/08010549.jpg
http://www.scratchspin.com/2008/worlds08/08010560.jpg
http://www.scratchspin.com/2008/worlds08/08010561.jpg
More : http://www.scratchspin.com/2008/worlds08/agosto.html

[irinaidu]

chiar daca ma seaca tanith, odul asta chiar e fain!!

[Iulya]

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto leaving Michigan

Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the most successful American ice dance team in history, have ended their 10-year figure skating career in Michigan after splitting with their longtime coaches, Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva.


The five-time U.S. champions — who represented the Arctic Figure Skating Club in Canton for four years and the Detroit Skating Club before that — will relocate next week to Aston, Pa., to begin training with Natalya Linichuk at Ice Works Skating Club, the figure skaters told the Free Press on Wednesday night.

The move comes one month after Belbin and Agosto failed for the first time in four seasons to capture a medal at the world figure skating championships.

Winners of a world silver (2005) and two world bronze medals (2006-07), the team placed fourth in Sweden when they couldn’t make up enough ground after Belbin’s uncharacteristic fall in the compulsory dance.

The team finished the world meet two spots behind Canton teammates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Canadian national champions who captured the silver medal in just their second world meet.

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks,” Agosto said. “After worlds, we were obviously disappointed with the result. We felt like we needed to take a step back a little bit and see where we are in our careers, and where we want to go and how we’re going to get there. We did a lot of soul-searching. In the course of all that, thinking about it, we came to a decision that if we wanted to continue to compete and improve and be the best skaters we can be, it was time to make a change.”

Belbin said: “It’s a very emotional time. We’ve been here long enough to have really set down roots — particularly, the past two years, I’ve made the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. Igor and Marina never gave us or anybody else less than their best.”

After touring for three weeks on Stars on Ice, Agosto said he and Belbin met with Linichuk and her co-coach and husband, Gennadi Karponosov, on Monday in Philadelphia. Linichuk and Karponosov, 1980 Olympic ice dance gold medalists for the Soviet Union, have coached a number of notable teams over the years, including Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov, 1994 and 1998 Olympic champions from Russia.

“They’re very excited to work with us,” Agosto said. “I got a feeling they have a plan and a vision and how to take us there. At this point, we need to feel something different, to get a new inspiration and some fresh eyes.”

Shpilband and Zoueva were informed of the move on Tuesday.

“They made a decision,” Shpilband said. “They didn’t ask what we thought about it. Tanith talked to me after worlds and said so many people had so many opinions and she was confused. I know it wasn’t an easy world championships.”

Linichuk said that she’s excited to begin working with the tandem.

“They’re very professional,” she said, “and very smart.”

Linichuk said she believed there was room for improvement in their skating. Asked for specifics, she said: “This is secret.”

Belbin, 23, and Agosto, 26, have been skating together since 1998, when they were paired by Shpilband at the Detroit Skating Club. Instead of throwing them into competition right away, Shpilband allowed them to practice for a season to let their partnership to form naturally.

When they took to the ice, Belbin and Agosto were successful almost immediately, winning their first of three straight U.S. silver medals in 2001 and the 2002 junior world title.

Three years later, they became the first American ice dancers to win a medal at worlds in 20 years when they took silver in 2005 in Moscow. A year later, they became the first U.S. ice dance team to win a medal at the Olympics since 1976.

In January 2009, they will try to become the all-time U.S. leaders in ice dance when they go for an unprecedented sixth title at nationals in Cleveland.

Belbin and Agosto said they’ll miss the Detroit area — especially their friendships with Virtue and Moir and with reigning U.S. silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

After winning Olympic silver, Belbin and Agosto were honored in Canton when a street leading to the rink was renamed in their honor. The team has been involved in charitable endeavors in the area; last December they put on a holiday skating show in Plymouth.

“We left on good terms,” Agosto said. “Igor and Marina told us the door is always open and wished us all the luck in the world.”

[florik2000]

eram sigura ca vor face asta:drak:.e destul de greu sa te antrenezi impreuna cu rivalii tai.

[whisper]

Gata?!? S-au hotarat sa se retraga?

[Iulya]

Nu se retrag, si-au schimbat antrenorii - trecand la Natalia Linichuk and Genadi Karponosov si deci si locul de antrenament;)

[florik2000]

Gata?!? S-au hotarat sa se retraga?
de unde atata bucurie?:drak:

[florik2000]

ICE: How has your summer been so far?

TB: Very good! I haven't been back from vacation for more than two weeks, so I am sort of still in that happy mindset.

ICE: Where did you go on vacation?

TB: I went to Paris, and then I went to California for a week.

ICE: So you haven't really gotten a chance to settle in Pennsylvania yet?

TB: A little bit. We were there for about three weeks before I went on vacation, and it's been two weeks since we've been home from vacation.

ICE: What's been the biggest difference between training in Pennsylvania compared to Michigan so far?

TB: Well, as far as the skating goes, the coaching technique is incredibly different. So, we have really been going back to the basics to learn our new skating technique from the ground up. The atmosphere is sort of what we are used too -- a lot of high-level teams -- so it keeps us competitive. As far as the area goes, it is just a really pretty place. Detroit offered us a lot, and we will always consider it home, but it wasn't necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing place. Pennsylania is very pretty, and I know that Ben loves having his house and the garden for the his dogs to run around in. There are definite benefits to living there. We are in Aston, but I am living closer to the border of Delaware. A lot of figure skaters from the University of Delaware, which is sort of a hot bed of training, have come over there, so there is a strong sense of skating community in the area.

ICE: Have you picked music or costumes for your new programs yet?

TB: Things are on a little bit of a later time frame than what we are used to, because we have been working so long on our skating technique. Our coaches asked us to please give them our patience and not be frustrated that we are doing five hours of stroking a day and not jumping right into choreography. Hopefully, it will make our choreography go quicker when we move on to that, because our skill level will be higher. As far as where we are right now, we are still sort of conceptualizing the program, but they are coming together.

ICE: Normally, would you already have picked your music and worked on choreography at this point?

TB: Typically, in the past two years we would have already been working on choreography.

ICE: What do you think -- props, or no props this year?

TB: I haven't really read up on all the rules yet; they keep changing them. Until they nail down what all the rules are, I am not going to bother reading any of them!

[Iulya]

Photos SA
http://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/2008+Skate+America+Day+1+7avmjlNhs-ll.jpg
http://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/2008+Skate+America+Day+1+Q1jNiPo52Y3l.jpg
http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/2008+Skate+America+Day+1+gPVVVhvNLadl.jpg
http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/2008+Skate+America+Day+1+jo3VNz94p_bl.jpg

[whisper]

WOW! Ce costume super au avut la CD(de la asta tre sa fie ca ieri ea a avut o rochie roz).

[Anisia]

Intr-adevar, foarte frumoase costumele. Oare mama ei i le creeaza pe toate ?

[whisper]

Nu stiu..dar astea chiar sunt super si daca sunt facute de mama ei inseamna ca e un designer foarte bun! :)

[irinaidu]

asa e vorba in targ ca mama ei ii face toate costumele.

[Iulya]

Belbin, Agosto withdraw from U.S. champs
Five-time U.S. ice dancing champions will not compete in Cleveland

http://web.icenetwork.com/images/2008/10/27/QedNLIr3.jpg

(01/08/2009) - Five-time U.S. ice dancing champions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto announced today they will not compete at the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 18-25, because of injury.

The Olympic silver medalists withdrew from last month's ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Goyang City, Republic of Korea, after Agosto suffered a back injury. Agosto said he is recuperating from the injury, but his pace of recovery has not allowed him to train at a competitive level.

"I am getting excellent treatment from my doctors," Agosto said, "but my back simply needs more time to mend. There's just no way to rush the healing process on this one.

"It's a huge disappointment for us," Agosto continued. "We had been looking forward to defending our title once again at the U.S. Championships. However, the good news is that I am making progress, and I hope to begin training again in a few weeks."

Agosto and Belbin are confident that they will be ready to compete at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, March 22-29, in Los Angeles.

"Ben is making steady progress," Belbin said, "While he recuperates, I am continuing to train hard on my own, so I am certain that we'll be in top shape before March. We have requested that U.S. Figure Skating consider us for the U.S. world team."

Belbin and Agosto are three-time world medalists, winning silver in 2005 and bronze in 2006 and 2007. They won the silver medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The team trains in Aston, Pa., under the direction of former Olympic champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.

[Iulya]

Hi, everyone

With Ben's injury healing nicely, we're training hard and looking forward to having the chance we missed at U.S. Nationals to skate in front of our home country audience at the World Championships in March.

This year has certainly been one of the most, if not the most, challenging season for us, but we've been fortunate to have the great support of our families, friends and fans more than ever to help us through it all. Thank you very much for all your well-wishes. We can't wait to see you in L.A.!

Tanith and Ben

tanithandben.com

[Iulya]

Tanith pe blogul ei de pe myspace.com:


Hi everyone!
I'm afraid I haven't had much time lately to update my blog but I wanted to let everyone know that my little humpty-dumpty Ben and I are back in one piece and training hard for Worlds next month in L.A. My partner pushed through a rehab process I can only imagine and was able to recover without the "two steps forward, one step back" process the doctors had predicted. With me training solo while he was off and Ben working tirelessly in physical therapy to regain strength and control, we were able to get ourselves back up to speed within a few weeks of his return to the ice and we have been training normally ever since.
I heard someone say in an interview the other day that the depth of their struggle will determine the height of their achievements. I believe whole-heartily that the same will apply to Ben and I and I still have faith that the best is yet to come for us. We have received so much support from our fans during this difficult, transitional season for us and we want nothing more than to make them all proud by skating our hearts out and leaving it all on the ice in L.A.
Thank you so much for believing in us. At the end of the day, that means so much more than any title ever could.
xoxo-
Tanith

[Iulya]

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto hope to compete in World Championships.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2009-02/45317095.jpg

Agosto's back injury forced ice dancers to miss U.S. event, but they perform before a panel of judges to show their fitness.
By Helene Elliott
February 28, 2009
Ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the Turin Olympic silver medalists and five-time U.S. champions, have cleared the first hurdle standing between them and a confirmed berth at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles.

Belbin and Agosto had to withdraw from this year's U.S. championships because he had a back injury. They petitioned for a place on the World team and were granted that wish with the provision that they prove their fitness before the competition, which begins March 22.

Belbin said by phone Friday the duo had performed for a panel of judges Thursday at their rink in Aston, Pa., and had no difficulties. She said they will perform again March 12 for a larger group that will include members of U.S. Figure Skating's international committee, and she's confident the final decision will affirm their readiness to compete at Staples Center.

"We'll definitely be there, absolutely," she said. "We've been training hard. If anything, this injury and this setback have given us a lot of fight. Ben pushed through it and we're more invigorated than we'd be without it, even."

She said they had no problems with their performance Thursday and that Agosto emerged in good physical shape. The judges, she said, wanted "to make sure we're still all in one piece and we certainly are.

"We've been doing run-throughs for a few weeks now so we're actually ahead of schedule in terms of what the doctors predicted that Ben's recovery would be," she added. "So they were able to see us not only recovered but improved from the last time they saw us."

The past two seasons have provided some trying times for Belbin and Agosto, whose dynamic style and good looks have sparked a surge of interest in their long-mocked discipline.

They finished second at the 2005 World Championships and the Turin Games but slipped to third at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships. Their fourth-place finish at last year's world competition inspired them to leave their base in suburban Detroit, where they had trained under coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva, and move to Pennsylvania to work with 1980 Olympic ice dance champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.

They finished second at two Grand Prix events this season, Skate America and Cup of China, but had to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final in December because of Agosto's back. They also missed the U.S. championships. In their absence, the title was won by their former Detroit training mates, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Davis and White also prevailed at the Four Continents championships in Vancouver earlier this month, which bodes well for the international prospects of U.S. figure skaters.

The upcoming World Championships will determine the number of berths allotted to each country at the Vancouver Games. To get three spots, the placements of each nation's top two finishers in Los Angeles must add up to 13 or fewer. The Olympic team itself will be determined after next year's U.S. championships.

"I'm just really happy that they were able to take on that pressure and to step up and grab what they were looking for. It's always good to see somebody get what they were after," Belbin said of Davis and White.

"Between Meryl and Charlie and ourselves and Evan [Bates] and Emily [Samuelson] I think we have a good chance of retaining three teams.

"I'm really proud of the progress ice dancing has made in the United States. It hasn't been just this year -- it's been the last several years. But this year in particular I think all the teams have been really standing out and I'm happy to be part of that."

A strong and healthy part of that.

"A few weeks ago, if there was anything that we had to hold back on it was the time we spent" on the ice," Belbin said. "For the past few weeks we've been on the ice for a regular amount of hours and training hard. We anticipate being even more prepared than we have ever been for worlds."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-skate28-2009feb28,0,5437019.story

[whisper]

Si eu sper sa poata sa patineze la mondiale:)
:floricica: Multam Iulya!:)

[Iulya]

vesti chiar de la BEN:


Long time coming
well well, look who it is... Hello everyone. This has been one crazy year. Since the move to Philly, it has been quite a roller coaster. The skating here has been incredible. My new coaches, Natalia and Gennadiy, are really good and have given me a totally new view of skating. After doing this for 21 years, it's amazing to see how much more there is to learn.
Injury update: so my back has been recovering amazingly! I had a herniated disc in my low back which compressed my sciatic nerve going down into my right leg. I have been taking my rehab in baby steps, but I am practically back to full strength now! We have finally been able to do our runthroughs with all our lifts as well. It feels great to finally feel like I am just working on my stamina again, as opposed to trying to get feeling back in my foot I can;t wait for Worlds! I feel like now, more than ever, I am ready to fight. I guess there's nothing like a little adversity to light a fire under your butt. L.A. here I come!!!
Ben

[irinaidu]

imi pare rau de ben ca mi-e simpatic dar as fi chiar distrusa daca nu ii vad la mondiale.

[emiii03]

imi pare bine, ca Ben se simte bine, imi sunt simpatici

[Iulya]

New Myspace Blog from Tanith:

Freitag, März 06, 2009

Don't worry...be happy!
I just wanted to post a quick note for anyone planning on attending our club's Worlds send-off show this evening: Due to reasons unrelated to Ben's injury, we will not be skating in the exhibition tonight... but don't worry! We had a good training week and everything is still on track in our preparation for Worlds. We had another positive monitoring session this morning and one more planned next week, so we've got plenty of eyes on us giving us helpful feedback during these final few weeks. I just wanted to stop any red flags from going up right away! We are still going strong and will hopefully see you all soon.
xoxo-Tanith

sursa: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum

[emiii03]

eu de aici inteleg ca vin la CM dar nu au fost prezennti la o gala?

[andreeas]

eu de aici inteleg ca vin la CM dar nu au fost prezennti la o gala?

ai inteles bine.
eu sper sa fie pe podium la CM.:)

[Iulya]

Un nou interviu aici (http://www.bostonmamas.com/2009/03/chatting_with_belbin_agosto.html) si mai multe poze ( tot in leg cu interviul) aici (http://popdiscourse.com/2009/03/more-on-the-belbin-agosto-interview/)

[Iulya]

Olympic silver medallists Belbin on comeback trail
By Barry Wilner, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A little more than three years ago, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto weren't simply ice dancing with the stars, they were the stars.

Not a lot has gone as planned since Belbin, a native of Kingston, Ont., now skating for the U.S., and Agosto became the first Americans to medal in Olympic ice dancing in 30 years, skating off with silver medals in Turin. And with the Vancouver Games rapidly approaching, they could use a return to normality in their careers.

You know, things like winning the national championship - their streak of five titles ended in January when they bypassed the event because of Agosto's back injury. Like medalling at worlds - they finished second twice and third twice.

But order has not been the order of the day this season for Belbin and Agosto, who will make a highly anticipated return to competitive skating at the world championships in Los Angeles later this month.

"This world championship is going to be, if anything, the biggest mental challenge we have had to deal with in our careers," Agosto says. "It has been a year full of firsts, really. We moved to new coaches, we have new techniques in our skating and new choreography and new programs on top of this injury. And I never had an injury like this before, so it has been a lot to deal with."

Indeed, even before Agosto damaged his back, upheaval was the buzzword for the couple whose innovation, energetic style and genuineness have lifted the sport from afterthought in America to the medals podium. After spending nearly a decade with coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva in the Detroit area, they switched to Natalia Linischuk and Gennadi Karponosov, who work out of Aston, Pa. That not only meant a change in locale, but alterations in their on-ice presentation.

"We feel so much more capable as athletes, and the confidence level is higher," Belbin says. "We're seeing progress from the Grand Prix season to now in just a couple of months, and that tells me we will be at a higher level for next year."

That would be the Olympic year, but Vancouver must remain far off the radar for Belbin and Agosto. Having missed so much time this season, they understand the need to fully concentrate on worlds.

"We had some judges come in to do a preliminary monitoring and they were blown away," Agosto says. "They could see a large improvement and that we were far beyond where they thought we would be.

"We're better and stronger and more mature and reaching for the goals we set for this year. We will be strong at worlds.

"Next year, we'll be able to improve even more and come out healthy and have that drive - we won't have to catch up."

U.S. figure skaters have spent decades playing catch-up in ice dancing. From 1976, when Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns won bronze, no U.S. couple took an Olympic medal until Belbin and Agosto broke through at Turin. While Americans occasionally medaled at worlds, a 20-year slump was broken in 2005 by Belbin and Agosto when they took silver.

Their recent success has led to a surge in po****rity and achievement in the discipline that once was ridiculed: If you can't skate singles, you go to pairs and if you can't handle pairs, you go to ice dancing. When they join the Stars on Ice tour after worlds, T and B will be among the headliners.

Yet, Belbin and Agosto aren't necessarily the host country's leading duo for the Los Angeles worlds, which begin March 24. National champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, former training partners with Belbin and Agosto in Michigan, have been rising on the international stage, as well.

Plus, there's depth throughout the U.S. ice dancing ranks, leading some to believe the United States has its best chance at owning the maximum three berths for the Vancouver Games in that event, while the Americans could struggle to get three in men's, women's and pairs. Results at the LA worlds will determine the number of slots for each country at the 2010 Olympics.

"From what I have seen in Meryl and Charlie, when we trained alongside of them we trained very hard and pushed each other and believed we could achieve results regardless of what country we are from," Belbin says. "It's so nice to be a part of such a strong generation of ice dancing.

"The sport has changed so much and it's a challenge to keep up with it. For the U.S. to move up from behind to the top while the sport is evolving is pretty amazing. We're sure it will continue to where, hopefully, the U.S. will be a powerhouse.

"We would feel great if we made a mark."

Agosto is even more emphatic in his predictions of American success.

"I've always been very proud of our accomplishments and very happy ice dancing has become more po****r in the USA," he says, "and it gives me a feeling of it is all worth it. All the hard work we put in is worth it, not only good for us but for the whole sport - it is starting to grow.

"To be a part of that growth is very special and an honour that people say it had something to do with what we have done. We're lucky to be in the place we are and skating at the time we are as far as the growth is concerned.

"I think it will even grow a little more and someday we will see a U.S. sweep of the podium at worlds."

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/FigureSkating/2009/03/07/8666096-ap.html

[Iulya]

Belbin, Agosto say they are ready for worlds
Couple counts Agosto's injury as "blessing in disguise"
http://web.icenetwork.com/images/2008/10/27/QedNLIr3.jpg
(03/12/2009) - Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto accentuated the positive during their pre-worlds media teleconference Wednesday.

Not only has Agosto recovered from a back injury, allowing the five-time U.S. ice dance champions to compete at the 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles in 10 days, but they might just be better than ever, they said.

That wasn't the case at the Grand Prix Final in December, where Agosto's back pain forced the couple to withdraw after the original dance.

"I was diagnosed with a herniated disk in my lower back and also a bulging disk," he said.

"We weren't able to trace it to any traumatic incident; it just started getting worse and worse until finally it was really bad."

Agosto was off the ice for three weeks, forcing the couple to miss the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships and a chance at a sixth consecutive title. In their absence, their former training mates Meryl Davis and Charlie White easily won their first U.S. crown.

Now, after rest, therapy and several injections, Agosto said he is fully fit.

"I [started with] baby steps, stroking," he explained. "From there on it's been gradual adding, adding, walking the fine line between getting the work done that needs to be accomplished, but not injuring myself again.

"At this point I don't really feel that I'm tentative; I feel I can go into my elements with the same vigor."

Belbin went even further, not only is she ready to compete, she's improved her technique.

"I didn't take a day off while he was recovering. I trained the day after we came back from the Grand Prix Final," she said. "It gave me great opportunity to work on my extension, my control . . . maybe this had been a blessing in disguise. It's always hard to find time to work on basic technique by yourself."

Agosto said his partner's regime has really paid off.

"It was a shock for me when I came back to skate with Tanith, it was like trying to skate with a race horse," he laughed. "I felt like a rodeo cowboy, a little bit. I just had to hold on."

The couple, who won an Olympic silver medal in 2006 and three world medals, trained for almost a decade under Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva in Canton, Mich. After slipping to fourth place at worlds last season, they packed their bags for Aston, Penn., to work with 1980 Olympic ice dance champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponossov.

Early season results were respectable but not spectacular. Prior to Agosto's injury, they placed second to world champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder at Skate America, then second again to new training mates Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin at Cup of China.

Since arriving in Aston, the skaters, along with their coaches, have assessed their weaknesses and done everything they can to improve. Now, after the enforced lay-off, they hope improved speed and edge quality will lead to a return to the world podium.

"[Our new coaches'] biggest goal for us was just to improve our power and flow across the ice," Belbin said. "That's what they thought was most lacking.

"They thought we were expending energy but not using it correctly. They did a lot of work with us, leg work, pressing into the ice more, so we were not scrambling around the ice as much."

Belbin, in particular, has been frank discussing her relative weaknesses, saying, "My extension and leg lines, I know I need to work on a lot more." In her partner's absence, she upped the ante with Pilates and ballet classes on alternating days and even practiced compulsory dances by herself.

"I finally realized how powerful I can be in order to not hold Ben back," she said.

The couple wasn't simply slotted on to the U.S. world team, which also includes Davis and White as well as 2008 world junior champions Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. A panel of judges did an initial monitoring session at their rink in late February, and members of U.S. Figure Skating's international selection committee are in Aston today to see all three programs they will perform in Los Angeles: a Paso Doble compulsory; an original dance to 1930s-style Broadway music; and free dance to selections from Tosca.

"We will run through all of our programs and they will kind of put a stamp on it," Belbin explained. "We know we're ready. . . In this case they need to see all three [programs] in same day and that's no problem."

"For us its good practice, because we were not able to finish the Grand Prix Final and we had to sit out nationals," Agosto added. "It's good for us to have people there and some pressure where we have to perform and do our jobs."

Agosto emphasized no special provisions have been made to compensate for his injury.

"Surprisingly, almost every bit of our programs is the same. We made a lot of tweaks in footwork in the never-ending quest [to get the] highest levels possible. We did make one change to a lift, partially because of my back and partially because we felt it was a questionable position for me anyway."

The ice dance picture at worlds is clouded. Delobel and Schoenfelder missed the European Championships due to Delobel's shoulder injury and may not compete. Canadian champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were out of action last fall due to injuries to Virtue's legs, while Domnina and Shabalin struggle with Shabalin's ongoing knee problems.

"I think this entire year has just been, I don't know, a giant gamble," Belbin said. "No one knows how anyone will skate with the injuries and setbacks. I don't think there has been a clear leader this season and the podium is wide open.

"We just want to come out and show these programs now that we've had time to get comfortable with them. At the beginning of the year everything was so new to us."
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090312&content_id=62522&vkey=ice_news

[Iulya]

Blog entry from Tanith

Mittwoch, März 18, 2009

To our skating family
Happy week-before-worlds everyone!
With our final monitoring sessions behind us, Ben and I have been happily training as much as we can stand leading up to these much anticipated championships. We can't wait to take the competitive stage and perform for you all again.
Unfortunately, the real purpose of this message is on a much sadder note. Yesterday, we were given the news that our beloved ballet coach/choreographer, Vitaly, had passed away unexpectedly in his home. Although this is of course a very personal matter for all of us who admired and respected him on so many levels, I chose to share this with you all in hopes that it may bring a few more prayers to his family during this difficult and emotional time. The skating community has a great heart at it's core and whether you knew him personally or not, I know many of you will take a moment to send a wish from your own heart to his loved ones and think of our lost colleague.
With that being said, Vitaly wanted nothing more from us when we took the ice than to skate with our souls on the outside and believe in ourselves as much as he did. We will dedicate our performances at Worlds to his memory and I can think of no better way to honor him that to skate like he knew we can, from our hearts.
Thank you to everyone for taking a moment and allowing me to share this with you. We always must remember to live in the present and without regret, lest we allow ourselves to miss those moments we can never have back .
xoxo- Tanith

[whisper]

:( Imi pare rau pentru pierderea coregrafului lor! RIP!

Multumesc Iulya!:)

[Iulya]

U.S. ice dancers pass the fitness test
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are certified by judges, meaning next week's world championships in Los Angeles could be up for grabs.
By Helene Elliott
March 19, 2009
The news was almost buried in a press release, but ice dancer Tanith Belbin was ready to shout it to the world.

In a curious bit of understatement, U.S. Figure Skating officials sent out an e-mail Wednesday to say 15 U.S. skaters will compete in the World Figure Skating Championships next week in Los Angeles. The inclusion of Belbin and Ben Agosto, who missed the U.S. championships because he had a back injury, was almost glossed over.

It should have been written in capital letters and eye-catching ink colors. The five-time U.S. champions and 2006 Turin silver medalists were certified by a panel of judges last week as being good to go, and they're eager to compete in an event that has no clear favorite.

"We had no question that we would be able to prove to them that we were ready for worlds. We had been ready for weeks," Belbin said Wednesday.

"But it's just nice not to have to make that the focus right now and for them to be able to say, 'Wow, that was a great run-through,' instead of, 'Wow, I can't believe you're standing.' "

After withdrawing from the U.S. championships, they had requested and were granted a place on the world team providing they could prove they'd be fit for the highest level of competition. Placements at these world championships will determine the number of spots each nation will have at the Vancouver Olympics, and a subpar performance by a still-ailing skater or duo could result in fewer Olympic berths for the U.S.

Belbin and Agosto had performed for a panel of monitors several times at their home rink in Aston, Pa., but their big moment arrived last Thursday. They did all three of their competitive programs with only a two-hour break before their finale, a stern test of their stamina.

"They'd come a week or so earlier to see us skate -- not necessarily to do the run-throughs but to make sure we were capable of performing the elements, and then they needed to come back to see how well our condition was within the run-throughs," Belbin said.

As soon as they had finished, they were told they were good to go, easing their anxiety and freeing them to focus on their final weeks of training.

"It was nice to have that portion of the entire situation resolved and to be able to move past this without that injury cloud hanging over our head," Belbin said. "Because it really felt like it was still present, even though he was healed, simply because the monitoring was still going on.

"It was in the forefront of our minds because people were there, talking about it all the time."

Belbin said that in some ways they're in better shape than they were before Agosto's disk problems forced them out of the Grand Prix Finals and ended their streak of U.S. titles at five.

"This week has been even better than last week," she said. "I think we're peaking at just the right moment."

If that's the case, the ice dance event could be wide open.

World champions Isobel Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France withdrew because she hadn't recovered from shoulder surgery. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, the 2008 world silver medalists, have been slowed by her double-shin surgery and lost to U.S. champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White at the Four Continents Championships. Last year's bronze medalists, Jana Khoklova and Sergei Novitski of Russia, withdrew from the Grand Prix Final but won the European title.

"I have no idea how this event is going to play out. There are probably five or six of us who are completely confident in saying we can win," Belbin said.

"So it's definitely going to be a big grab bag in the end, and hopefully the right people can step up to the plate and prove themselves and take the championships. And I know that if Ben and I skate as well as we possibly can at this point that we can take it, and hopefully that's how it turns out."

Agosto's injury was only one of many obstacles the duo has faced recently.

After slipping from second at the 2005 world championships to third place twice and fourth last year, they decided to change coaches and training sites. They left the Detroit area and longtime coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva for the Philadelphia suburbs and Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov, the 1980 Olympic ice dance gold medalists.

The benefits have been slow in appearing, but Belbin said a judge who had monitored them returned to this week to compliment them.

"She took the time to really tell us how great she thinks the improvements that we've made have been and how much she can see the work I put in when I was skating by myself for that length of time while Ben was recovering, and just to tell us she thinks this is going to be a stage for us to show the new Tanith and Ben," Belbin said.

"I know that statement has kind of been quoted all year, but we truly feel like we reinvented ourselves and pushed ourselves to that next level, and we're excited to be able to show people that. And hopefully they can recognize and appreciate the improvements that we've made."

Sadly, one of the people who helped facilitate those improvements won't be at the world championships to see them.

Belbin said the duo learned Tuesday that Vitaly Popov, a ballet coach and choreographer they worked with in Aston who had collaborated with Linichuk and Karponosov the last nine years, had died unexpectedly at his home.

"He was the one who created our lift this year," Belbin said. "I credit him with helping with my extension all year and making us better skaters. It's very tragic, and obviously Natalia and Gennadi are taking it very hard.

"But there's absolutely no question we know what we need to do in order to have him be remembered the best in our hearts and minds, and that's to go and skate as well as he would have wanted us to."

helene.elliott@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-skate19-2009mar19,0,1696885.story

[whisper]

Ma bucur pentru ei! Sper sa aiba un rezultat bun la mondiale.

Multumesc Iulya :)

[Iulya]

Belbin, Agosto aren't stopping anytime soon
World silver medalists to appear on The Today Show April 6, with Evan Lysacek

(03/31/2009) - Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, fresh off a silver-medal winning performance at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships last week in Los Angeles, are not about to sit on their laurels. The 2006 Olympic silver medalists and 2010 medal hopefuls are in the midst of a busy schedule during which they will perform in five shows with the Smucker's Stars on Ice tour, appeared at the taping of the TV blockbuster show, Dancing with the Stars, and help benefit a great cause at the Figure Skating in Harlem Gala in New York.

Belbin and Agosto will begin performing with the Smucker's Stars on Ice tour April 3 in Hershey, Pa., and then will skate April 4 in Bridgeport, Conn., April 5 in Boston, April 10 in Manchester, N.H., and close with a show April 11 in Portland, Maine.

Headlined by 2006 Olympic Silver medalist Sasha Cohen, the Smucker's Stars on Ice cast will feature all of the fireworks and theatrics of the Stars on Ice tours in the past, with creative ensemble numbers and individual routines featuring Olympic, world and national champions. Evan Lysacek, the newly crowned 2009 world champion, also announced he will be on tour for five shows as well.

The Figure Skating in Harlem event, which is honoring Tai Babilonia and New York's First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson, will be held at the Wollman Rink in Central Park April 6 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. In addition to Belbin and Agosto, Lysacek will also be at the star-studded event, as will six-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge, Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes, Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Goebel, 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner, Olympic champion Viktor Petrenko and reigning American champion Alissa Czisny.

Belbin and Agosto, the most decorated American ice dancers in history, had quite a roller coaster of a season. After missing the world podium for the first time in four years last season when they placed fourth, the couple announced it would leave its longtime coaches in Detroit and train instead with 1980 Olympic champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov in Aston, Pa. Then Belbin and Agosto were forced to withdraw from the 2009 U.S. Championships as Agosto recuperated from a back injury.

But their up-and-down season ended on a very high note, with Belbin and Agosto showing they are still one of the best teams in the world. With the Olympics in Vancouver less than a year away, there is no doubt Belbin and Agosto are medal contenders.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090331&content_id=63540&vkey=ice_pressrelease

[mikeyy]

Ben Agosto pe twitter: http://twitter.com/Ben_Agosto

[Iulya]

Un mic vid cu cateva sfaturi de la Tanith si Ben:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnPVgAGIgS8

[Iulya]

Ben Agosto pe twitter: http://twitter.com/Ben_Agosto

Tanith Belbin pe twitter:
http://twitter.com/TanithJLB

[Iulya]

US ice dancing pair set sights on gold in 2010
http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2009/10/22/18/972-Belbin_Agosto_Figure_Skating.sff.embedded.prod_aff iliate.50.jpg
http://www.buffalonews.com/breakingsports/story/836338.html

[Iulya]

Belbin, Agosto build energy for Spokane, Vancouver
World silver medalists prepare for likely final push
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100106&content_id=7881834&vkey=ice_news

[Iulya]

Ice dancer Belbin has put on weight, and she couldn't be happier
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Ice-dancer-Belbin-has-put-on-weight-and-she-cou?urn=oly,220122

[ricochet4]

Fain. Nu-mi placea ca arata ca o acadea pe bat. Acum arata cum trebuie. :)

[Iulya]

Silver medalists Belbin, Agosto may retire from competitive ice dancing
http://thestamfordtimes.com/story/483057

[andreeas]

http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=44726&type=media

[ice_girl]

Ce pacat ca s-au retras din competitii:(:huhu:, erau unii dintre dansatorii mei preferati.:yes::)

[Iulya]

Charlie White si Tanith sunt un cuplu in afara ghetii
http://www.meryl-charlie.com/2010/04/tanith-belbin-charlie-white-off-ice.html

[ice_girl]

Site-ul oficial a lui Tanith: http://www.facebook.com/l/80fa0I3kD43HFll2V0FML2Hx7xQ/www.tanithbelbin.com/