Yuku free message boards

And in case you missed this before Christmas, LOL - here's an e-greeting Santa Alexei card by Stulmanka:

http://s5.dancingsantacar...efault.aspx?santa=6822722

Laurie

Okay, these aren't technically "new" Alexei photos, LOL, but I didn't know what other thread to put these in, and I didn't want to start a new thread for what is in essence one post, LOL. Besides, we have a video thread for old videos so why not old photos, too.

Anyway, someone was asking me about the old board banners and if I still had the links. I don't have the one from 1999 (when I started the board) due to the web host no longer being around, but here are most of the ones from 2000 to the present. I usually changed banners once a year around board anniversary time, but sometimes I couldn't help myself and did it earlier, patience not being my strong suit... The change from ezboard to yuku last year kind of threw me for a loop because it's waaay more complicated to do anything, formatting-wise. But I plan to get braver and more ambitious. Or, more likely, task someone else with it...(cough)

So here they are, board banners from 2000 through 2009, although you may get a surprise later this year, too...


I put both these banners up sort of at once - the first one for the home page and forums, and then the second one only for the forum pages a little later. They were both designed by Jenny, and the photos were provided by Michael Bernadsky and Eda Tseinyev.






This banner was designed by Laura and the photos were provided by Amy Salamey, Michael, Eda, Birgit Locke, Kim Lockwood, and me.




This banner was designed by Laura and the photos provided by Kim Lockwood and Ina Carlos.




The Olympic victory banner was designed by Laura and the photos provided by Kim.




This banner was designed by Minami and the photo provided by me.




I finally got adventurous and tried a banner all by myself - eek! - photo provided by me.




Another banner I did myself, photos provided by Mary Lally and me.




Banner design by Mary, and photos provided by Mary.




Banner by Mary, and photo provided by Mary.




Another banner by Mary, and photos provided by Mary.




And, of course, the other, more tangible board banner.

Designed and made by Julie, with input from the board, and traipsed around the world by various board members, depending on who was attending which comp or show. Probably its brightest moment in the sun was to be forever immortalized on video at Alexei's Olympic victory in Salt Lake City. Always gives me a smile to see it, and to remember all the adventures associated with our trips.




And while I was traipsing through my websites looking for old board banners, I ran across these Alexei photos, too - always a pleasure to revisit and remember:

Kindly provided to us by N. Ogasawara
http://www.skatesand.freewebspace.com/photos.html

Kim's photos from Magic on Ice, 2001
http://skatesand.freewebspace.com/moi/moi.html

Kim's photos from Masters of Figure Skating, 2000
http://skatesand.freewebs...e.com/masters00/home.html

Emma Abraham's photos from Skate Canada, 2000
http://skatesand.freewebs...om/sc00/emma/photos1.html

My photos from Skate Canada, 2000
http://skatesand.freewebs.../sc00/laurie/photos1.html

Laurie

I do notice, seeing the banners all at once, that I seem to have a keen appreciation of Alexei's arms...

Laurie (who somehow suspects the next one will have that feature, too )

Alexei mentions here in an interview with Sergei Voronov after the short programs at Europeans:

http://sport.gazeta.ru/sport/2009/01/a_2927977.shtml

>>
"Far to go to reach Yagudin"

- Already repeatedly you and your coach Aleksey Urmanov said that at the competitions you succeed at what is not obtained during training. Maybe, the latter it generally would be worthwhile to abolish?

- To entirely abolish, perhaps, would not work. To nevertheless work out elements necessarily. Yes, even I am not one such.

For Aleksey Yagudin during training he also obtained worse than at competitions. This did not prevent him from becoming Olympic champion.

If the great figure skater Yagudin knew how to collect himself at competitions, then why can I not follow his example? Although for me, of course, I have far to go to reach Yagudin.
>>

I gotta say, it's nice to see a little humility and respect from a young skater instead of those who compare their own abilities to Alexei's and minimize his... I always have this urge to grab 'em by the lapels and say, "Young pup, when you have four world titles and an Olympic title, maybe then you can compare yourself to Alexei Yagudin favorably."

Laurie