SLIDESHOW Photos of 2010 Winter Olympics athletes' Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir in the men's free skating competition. Gold medals are popular with the U.S. with Lysacek, Shaun White, Shani Davis, Lindsey Vonn, Seth Wescott, Hannah Kearney all winning the coveted shiny medals. The United States total medal count comes in at 18, with gold, silver and bronze medals.

Evan Lysacek gave an unbelievable performance on February 18, 2010. Lysacek is the first American man to win the men's figure skating since Brian Boitano won his gold medal. Plushenko wins the silver medal, and Daisuke Takahashi takes the bronze medal. There were plenty of disappointed people in the audience tonight as Johnny Weir took 6th place, even though he skated an amazing performance.

 

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20 Slideshow Photos Below - Don't miss them!

 

Who is Evan Lysacek?

According to Wikipedia, "Evan Lysacek, 24, was born on June 4, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois. Lysacek began skating at the age of eight. His grandmother had always wanted to be in the Ice Capades, so she bought him skates for Christmas. He originally wanted to play hockey, and was soon competing as a figure skater. Lysacek is of part Italian descent and is a Greek Orthodox Christian, having stated that one of his most prized possessions is his Orthodox cross. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Lysacek placed second in the short program, with a score of 90.30. He was the United States Olympic Committee's Male Athlete of the Month for November 2006 and March 2009. As of January 2010, Lysacek was ranked 2nd in the world."

 

How Tall is Evan Lysacek?

Evan skated in both the short program and the free skating in black outfits. The color and uniform suits his tall and lanky frame, making him seem much taller than 6 ft 2 in.

 

Men's Figure Skating Results

• GOLD: Evan Lysacek 167.37 Total Score 257.67
• SILVER: Evgeni Plushenko 165.51 Total Score 256.36
• BRONZE: Daisuke Takahashi 156.98  Total Score 247.23
• 6th Place: Johnny Weir 156.77 Overall 238.87

Local Women's Hockey Players Kelli Stack and Karen Thatcher

Local ice hockey athlete Kelli Stack, 22, went to nearby Boston College in Massachusetts. She gave up her senior year to train for the Winter Olympics. Stack scored one goal in the US Women's Hockey Preliminary Round.

Another local girl, Karen Thatcher, who played hockey for Rhode Island's Brown and PC women's teams, is skating for the U.S. women's hockey team. Jodi McKenna, a member of the Brown women's hockey team that lost in the 1998 national championship, is an assistant coach on the team.

For More 2010 Winter Olympic Photos See:

 

Want This Widget? Click Here for 2010 Olympics Current Medal Count: Get Widget to Track Gold, Silver, Bronze Medals

Sources: wikipedia.com; vancouver2010.com

Photo: USA's Evan Lysacek gestures before receiving his scores following his free program during the men's figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

 

 

 

 

Let the good times roll.

A group of local figure skaters from the Beverly Skating Club are about to take center stage, as they compete in the 2010 USA Roller Sports Figure Skating National Championships. Raymond Palleschi, Denise Giuevelis, Linda Doiron, Mary Magnuson and Michael Scott all have qualified for the competition, which is being held in Lincoln, Nebraska, July 25 to Aug. 8. The group began heading out west this week, with the rest of the squad expected to land in the Cornhusker State on Monday, ready for action.

"We're just trying to prepare as best as possible," said Palleschi, who is 59. "It's mostly a mental exercise rather than physical, because we've been working on all these figures and dances all year long."

All five team members previously qualified for the National Championship after acing the Northeast Championships in Taunton, June 26-28. The Northeast region covers all of New England, as well as New York.

Sporting retro-era quad skates, the athletes will enter events in one or more categories: Singles, Pairs, Figures, Solo Dance, Team Dance, Precision or Show skating. They are judged on content and manner of performance. This includes the skater's ability to do identifiable but difficult maneuvers, such as jumps, spins and footwork, while also utilizing those movements in an artistic interpretation of accompanying music.

A Swampscott native, Palleschi will compete in two events, including the Veterans A Men Figures and the Novice B Men Figures.

"I started off doing it casually," said Palleschi, who began skating 25 years ago. "Then I got interested in it, and I started taking lessons. I used to skate at a rink in Saugus until they disbanded the club. Then I moved up to Beverly and have been skating here close to 10 years."

Joining Palleschi in Nebraska will be teammate Denise Giuevelis. The Atkinson, NH, native will compete in two events, including the Junior Solo Dance and Senior Solo Dance. A competitive roller skater for the past decade, the Scarborough, NH, resident regularly practices in Beverly four to five times a week. Her commitment has paid off; she placed fourth and third respectively, at last year's Nationals.

"She's got a pretty good chance at placing at Nationals again this year," Palleschi said. "She's really a beautiful skater."

Linda Doiron will compete in the Veteran A Women Solo Dance event. The Portland, Maine, resident has logged plenty of road miles between her home and Beverly, perfecting her craft over the years.

While most of the Beverly skaters will have time to take in sights, Mary Magnuson's schedule remains booked. The Westwood resident will compete in three different events, including the Esquire B Solo Dance, the Veterans A Women Solo Dance and Veterans A Women Figures. The 20-year veteran thrives on challenge, however, and can't wait to get started.

Compared to many of his teammates, Michael Scott is a virtual newcomer to the world of competitive roller-skating. The Tyngsboro native is the newest member of the Beverly Skating Club, making the move from Saugus a year ago. He has shown plenty of technique in his rookie year and looks to make a lasting impression at Nationals.

Roller-skating apparently runs deep in Scott's family: His brother is also affiliated with a skating club based in Connecticut.

In all, some 2,200 athletes (1,200 Figure skaters and 1,000 Inline Speed skaters) are expected to participate at the 2010 National Championships. The first six days are dedicated to USA Roller Sports Youth Division skaters from nine regions across the United States, July 25-31. World Class and 2010 World Championship Team qualifying division events will follow Aug. 1-4. USA Roller Sports Adult division events wrap up the Figure National Championships Aug. 4- 8.

For Palleschi and his team, it doesn't get any bigger than this.

"This is the pinnacle," Palleschi said. "Unfortunately, in roller skating we don't have an Olympics. There are the nationals, followed by a world championship. It's equivalent to the Olympics, but the sport has always been fighting with ice over the years to get into the Olympics."

The fantastic five continue to perfect their craft at the Beverly Skating Club, practicing regularly at Roller Palace on Sohier Road.

"The Beverly Skating Club has been in existence between 25-30 years," said Palleschi, who has seen the team's popularity fluctuate over the years. "It's been big, it's been small, and then it gets big again."

When the Beverly rink opened, it slowly attracted enough skaters to put a club together, with its heyday in the '80s.

"They had a real big club in the '80s," Palleschi said. "They had 30-40 active skaters, but the whole sport is down a little bit right now. To get a club charter with a national organization, you have to have at least five skaters."

Palleschi feels a solid showing at Nationals will undoubtedly help attract more local interest to the club, giving the team even more momentum in the years ahead.

And what better place to achieve that goal than on the national stage.

"There is a sign on the marquee of the auditorium at the National Championships," Palleschi said. "'The best of the best.' This is where the real competition is and the skaters are all very good. It will be a tough competition."

The 2010 USA Roller Sports Figure Skating Championships will be available for viewing live online. More details on the live broadcast will be available on.usarollersports.org.

 

The local contingent

SkatersEvents

Linda Doiron: Veterans A Women Solo Dance

Denise Giuevelis: Junior Solo Dance, Senior Solo Dance

Mary Magnuson: Esquire B Solo Dance, Veterans A Women Solo Dance, Veterans A Women Figures

Raymond Palleschi: Veterans A Men Figures, Novice B Men Figures

Michael Scott: Junior Solo Dance, Senior Solo Dance