Blog > August 31, 2007

Hello everyone! This year has been going by SO fast and I have done SO much!

During this past spring I was incredibly busy. I skated in three different shows; my club's ice show, the Brooklyn Park FSC Ice Show, and the Madison FSC Ice Show. I had so much fun at each one and made many new friends.

You might have read that I was also granted my own day in the city of St. Paul! April 21st was officially "Eliot Halverson Day"! How weird! I was very flattered and I thoroughly enjoyed my "day".

I also went to Colorado Springs with my coach Ted Engelking for the Champs Camp, which was an informational meeting for all of the Envelope A and B athletes. I learned a lot and definitely feel like I'm in good hands with US Figure Skating.

As usual, I debuted my two new programs at my clubs summer competition, Skate St. Paul. For my short program this year I decided to revisit Spanish themed music, using "Libertango" performed by the group Bond. I absolutely love getting into a character on the ice, and this music provides exactly that. I am portraying an arrogant man dancing in a town square in Argentina who is trying to impress and swoon every passerby. It is a very passionate program that I will continue to develop throughout the coming year.

I had many ideas for my long program this year, but none of them ever really worked out. When I finally put together "2046 Main Theme" by Shigeru Umebayashi with "Nostradamus" performed by Maksim Mrvica, I instantly knew it was the right fit. I knew it would take a lot of growth to pull off, but I was definitely up to the challenge. The story for this program is very different. I am a brokenhearted man who longs for his lost lover, who was torn away from him by an evil hearted villain. It is a very dramatic and mature program that has definitely pushed my artistic side of my skating.

On August 24 and 25th I was a "Celebrity Skater" at the Minnesota State Fair! I was joined by Emily Hughes and Nancy Kerrigan as we got interviewed by numerous local TV stations and radio shows ALL DAY LONG! It was so exhausting, but I got much more comfortable and confident answering questions in front of a crowd and on camera than ever before. I also had a blast spending so much time with Emily and Nancy.

I am training very hard right now gearing up for my first international competition of the season in Romania. I will be traveling with a very fun and talented team, and I'm sure we will represent Team USA very well.

I again want to thank everyone for taking the time to check in with me and see how I'm doing. I will write after my trip to Romania and fill you in with all the juicy details!

Until next time,

~Eliot