Part 2 of my conversation with choreographer, director, and producer Sandra Bezic! We talked about the World Championships in Montreal and the moments that made Sandra more optimistic about pairs skating and the future of the sport. We also got into the proposals from the ISU Technical Committee for Singles and Pairs to add a choreographic lift and spin to the pairs free skate.

Transcript of our conversation at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vylQQ1GQQrbSsXatPIKzVA0_V6YcksIfUHt0E1HDY_E/edit#heading=h.eweywq5frae5

My article on the proposed changes to pairs and interview with Fabio Bianchetti of the ISU Technical Committee: https://anythinggoe.com/isu-congress-to-decide-big-changes-for-pairs/

You can follow Sandra on Twitter and Instagram @SandraBezic . Her website is smbcreative.ca

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast

Thanks to Ivan Danilyuk for editing this episode.

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Part 1 of my conversation with choreographer, director, and producer Sandra Bezic! With her brother Val, Sandra was a four-time Canadian pairs champion and competed in the 1972 Olympics. She is most well known, however, as a choreographer and the creative force behind many skating shows and TV programs. She has choreographed for champions like Brian Boitano, Kurt Browning, Katarina Witt, Lu Chen, and Tara Lipinksi. Most recently, she made Lindsay Thorngren’s short program for the 23/24 season. She was the director of Stars on Ice for many years and collaborated with David Wilson on Yuna Kim’s All That Skate and Javier Fernandez’s Revolution on Ice. Sandra also produced the Canadian TV program Battle of the Blades and in 2023 made the series “I Have Nothing” alongside comedian Carolyn Taylor.

Sandra has a unique understanding of how to make skating appeal to general audiences, and we had a great conversation about choreography, entertainment, and the changes she’d like to see in the sport.

Transcript of our conversation at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16tp4AuF159XJuNPMNxgpq82pGFxA9GOUTNMFLfJESvE/edit#heading=h.tje8hivsf0d

I’ve made a playlist of a few of Sandra's choreographies that is accessible on our YouTube page.

You can follow Sandra on Twitter and Instagram @SandraBezic . Her website is smbcreative.ca

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

My guest today is journalist and author Christine Brennan. Christine is a USA Today columnist and frequently appears on ABC, CNN, and PBS. She has covered figure skating since the Calgary Olympics, and her books Inside Edge and Edge of Glory are classics. Christine is also actively reporting on the sexual abuse scandals in figure skating, and we talked about covering these difficult topics and holding institutions accountable.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RLvetYplX8JsLwfD6OwkoGEUbWLsPLN5d--xdrCZ68o/edit#heading=h.am5hlkrye8qq

You can follow Christine on X/Twitter @cbrennansports . Her website is www.christinebrennan.com

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co