Thank You for Loving Me
Todd was in fact the only skater to skate to prerecorded (as opposed to live) music, probably, some of us later speculated, because the live performers all needed a break (they all left the stage while he was skating) or because Bon Jovi won't or wouldn't give permission for someone else to perform his music before a paying audience.
James Brown Group Number
This number for me was worth the price of admission. It really showed how well Todd would and could fit in it with a Stars on Ice type ensemble number. Skating with Steven, Kurt, Scott, Todd Sand, Jason and Gorsha, it was obvious he was skating with friends and having a blast in the process. He also did very, very well skating to James Brown and treated us to a display of in-betweens, and especially of footwork, that showed if given a chance to devote time and attention to this aspect of his skating, he could keep up with the best of the footwork meisters (meaning Kurt and Scott, of course).
The Gala Report
Transportation, in the form of comfortable, air-conditioned buses were provided for the gala attendees (shuttle passes came with the gala tickets) from the hotel entrance to the arena and back again. As we got on the bus for the ride to the arena we were all presented with little boxes, inside of which were a pair of binoculars with a Scott Hamilton & Friends on Ice logo on it. Not great or expensive binoculars, but cute souvenirs nevertheless.
The ballroom at the hotel where the gala took place was gorgeous, with each table set with a huge centerpiece of real roses and at each place was a black gift bag, decorated with silver and containing inside the latest issue of International Figure Skating magazine, a SH & Friends on Ice T-shirt, and a gold metal bookmark with the logo of the Cleveland clinic on it. A nice touch.
It was while I was trying to carve up the hardest piece of chocolate I'd ever encountered that Todd tracked me down.
I did of course try to extract program information out of him and met with about as much success as I thought I would. The conversation went something like this:
Me: It is now September!
Todd: So?
Me: Aren't you supposed to be making an announcement or something? Like about your new programs?
Todd: Who said that was supposed to happen?
Me: Richard.
Todd: Well, he lied.
There was a twinkle in his eye throughout this exchange, of course. He was obviously getting a huge kick out of tweaking my chain and I really get the impression he's getting a huge kick out of keeping absolutely everyone in the dark. He did finally relent a bit and say that maybe, just maybe there might be an announcement at the end of September. He also confirmed what we suspected, that the new short will be debuted at the Masters and the new long at Skate Canada. He said he's looking forward to competing in France (he likes the food and the people there) and Saskatoon will be a new experience for him (he's never been there before and rather suspects it will be a once in a lifetime visit for him - he's not the only one, I expect!
He had a really great summer, he said, and he's having a great time with the new car. ("I hear you have a new car," I said. "You mean an *old* car," he replied, since we were discussing the 1962 Corvette he recently acquired). He seems quite relaxed and to be looking forward to the upcoming season. He doesn't anticipate anything else being added to his current schedule between now and Nationals, and said he won't be doing this year's Holiday Festival Ice (currently scheduled for December 11 at a location in Canada TBA) even if he doesn't make the Grand Prix Final. And he seems to have made the adjustment to the big 3-0 quite well
Thus the Gala. I didn't dance and neither, as far as I could ascertain, did Todd. He seemed to be having a good time regardless, visiting and catching up with old friends.
