October 30, 2007 

Hello!

The season has officially begun!  I got back from Japan a few weeks ago where I competed in the International Counter Match- USA vs. Japan in Yokohama City.  Let me just say, I think it was one of my favorite trips I’ve taken so far (for a competition).  The competition format was different from any one I’ve ever done, so it was interesting to see how it would play out.  Each team had four men and four ladies going head to head.  One skater did a junior long, two did senior shorts, and one did a senior long.  I was asked to do my long program, which I was pretty excited about since I’ve been focusing on training that program more than before.

Japan is one of my favorite places to visit.  Whenever I am given the chance to take a trip there, I jump at the opportunity.  The people there are extremely hospitable, the food is great (I love sushi!), and I love to look through all the different stores.  Flying there was even a fun experience since it was the first time I got to sit up in business class.  I even got to sit on the upper deck!

Skating in Japan is a much bigger deal than I am used to in the US.  Skating stars are treated like big time celebrities, and the press is crazy.  We barely stepped off the plane before there was a camera crew following us and asking for an interview!  The whole week, we had several press conferences, and practices were always accompanied by rows of photographers and cameramen on the sidelines. 

The event took place on Saturday.  It was short and sweet. The men blew away the other team with a 30 pt lead, and the girls all put in a strong performance.  I was so excited when we found out we won!  People were telling me how it was all up to me since we had a very small lead before me and Fumie Suguri skated.  I think it was a good thing I didn’t really know how important my skate was.  I just knew the door was open for us to take the win. My program wasn’t the greatest, but I was proud of it. I went for everything and fought till the end.

Doing my long program in Japan gave me a lot of confidence going into this competitive season.  I have been training my long a lot more than before, and I’m glad to see it is paying off.  I leave for Cup of China in a week, and I am definitely looking to put in two strong performances there (and, of course, at Cup of Russia two weeks later). 

Go check out my pictures from Japan!!

Thanks for reading.

-Bebe