In the Loop

How will you be enjoying the last days of summer?



Grilling out by the pool?  Wakeboarding at the lake?  Telling ghost stories by the campfire?  Floating the river one last time?  Working (on Labor Day!!??)

We will be....you guessed it...at the freezing cold rink in Sugar Land Texas!

We attend this event every year and we absolutely love it.  I hate the grueling 9-10 hour drive, I hate the drive back, I hate Houston traffic, I want to be grilling out by pool after a long day at the river.  But, I just love this event.  People travel from all over the region to make it to the Houston Fall Invitational.  It is the first big qualifying event of the season and more importantly the biggest regional event before...Regionals.


My view will look something like this on Labor Day :)

We get to see new programs, listen to new music, and see the new hopefuls coming out of their shells.

I'll give a full report upon our return, and will try to keep everyone updated via Twitter, Facebook, and this blog.

Any skaters we should be keeping our eye on?

Stop by and say hi if you're going to be in town...we'll have a big booth and we're bringing everything!

See you in Houston.

Travis and Robin
CherryLoop.com

It has been a busy summer, and we'll spare you the details and get right to it.

Several of our customers, friends, and fellow skaters have been killing it this summer.

Melissa Jaggers, a long time friend of the family and figure skater from Oklahoma City, OK, finished quite well at the
2010 U.S. Collegiate Championships held in Lansing, MI

She finished with 108.68 points to take 7th overall in a field of 50 skaters.  She had a great Short Program finishing 8th, and her solid Free Skate placed her in 7th gaining a spot.

We're very proud of you Melissa!  Keep an eye out for an upcoming interview with Melissa in the very near future.  That is, of course, if she can find the time to squeeze it in between studies and skating.


Melissa Jaggers poses for CherryLoop, March 2010

Another friend of the company and "Brad Griffies" girl - Maria Sperduto finished in the top 5 at the same competition.  She finished with 113.07 points and claimed 4th place!  A strong showing on her Short Program put her in 3rd place after day one.  She kept up the excellent skating taking 6th place in her Free Skate.  Maria is joy to work with and we had the pleasure of watching her win the Senior Ladies event at The Broadmoor Open in June.  I think we'll be seeing a lot from her in the future.


Maria Sperduto - CherryLoop booth at The Broadmoor Open - 2010 (wearing a Brad Griffies design) 

Ask and you shall receive!  CherryLoop.com and our sister store in Tulsa, OK now have Zuca Bags.  You heard right ladies, gentlemen, and all you blinky wheeled Zuca Bag rolling skaters out there.



It took some time to put this together, but we are now ready to roll (pun intended).

If you have been at the rink even for short period of time, you know that the Zuca is a must have.  We have three in our household (plus a cooler!).  Those skates are heavy and who wants to drag them around in a backpack or (gasp) the box they came in?

If you need a new bag, or just a fresh insert...we've got you covered.  New inserts and frames come out in 5 days...so, keep an eye out for the new goods.

As always, you can count on Free Shipping here at CherryLoop.com!  Yes, that's right...even the Zuca Bags will ship in the US for free.

Well, I had to get this post up before midnight.  We took the plunge.  As of today, April 2nd, 2010 CherryLoop has a brand new store front!  CherryLoop.com's sister came as much as a surprise to us as anyone.  We realized how much business we were doing at our local rink, and we wanted to offer our neighbors the same great service we offer the online community.  So, we rented some space at the Oiler's Ice Rink in Tulsa, OK, built out the space, and officially opened to the public today.

This offers us a place to do custom boot fittings for people in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Wichita, and anyone else who happens to be close by.  We now have a place to get immediate feedback from our customers on new merchandise, sizings, and other information that used to take weeks to compile.  But what we really like is being so close to our customers.  We'll get some valuable feedback which will in turn be passed on to our online friends.

If you happen to be in the area, please stop by...we're having a "Grand Opening" Sale tomorrow.  10% off everything in the store!

We'll post pictures of the new store, and you'll get the opportunity to hear about all of the changes as they progress right here at "In the Loop".

Thank you all for your continued support.  We truly appreciate it!

Travis and Robin

Hi Everyone,

You may have heard the buzz in the online skating world recently about the new store: MySkatingMall.com.

MySkatingMall.com, allows you to sell your gently used items in a “skaters only” environment.  We wrote about the upcoming launch of MySkatingMall.com, an a blog post several months ago, and the Grand Opening is this Friday, March 26, 2010!  CherryLoop.com is a featured partner on the site, and we couldn’t be more excited about being a part of this movement.

MySkatingMall.com serves the skating community in three important ways:

It provides a low cost, trustworthy, online environment connecting buyers and sellers of new and used skating goods.

Donates 5% of all items sold directly to the team or club or your choice.

Helps skating families offset the costs associated with skating by continuing to add new listings/members with the overall goal of offering the best selection of skating goods anywhere online.

This is the special offer for CherryLoop customers only:

If you go to the MySkatingMall.com website, register and add a new listing by Saturday, March 27, 2010 you will receive a 10% discount code good at CherryLoop.com.  Just enter the code cherryloop provided at the end of the “selling listing form” provided at MySkatingMall.com and we’ll send you the discount code.

If you can’t get to the site by this Saturday, don’t worry you can still add a listing and receive a 5% discount if you add a listing before April 30th, 2010.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions.  As always, we are here to serve you.

Thanks again,

Travis and Robin

I've got to keep this short, but I absolutely had to write about the Women's Free Skate and Medal Podium from the Olympics last night.  I am confident this event will be talked about as the best Olympic competition figure skating has seen for years.  I'm talking in 50 years the performance...both the short and free skate will be talked about.  I simply can't imagine anything topping that.  Kim has raised the bar so high, and the other competitors brought their own spices for a recipe of pure entertainment.

So, if you missed it...I highly suggest you watch the men's final from Vancouver on NBCOlympics.com.  I couldn't be happier for Evan Lysacek.  He became the first american to take home gold in the Men's competition since Brian Boitano did it in 1988.

OK, a little disclaimer on the rest of this interview.  I took a little liberty on the questions and answers, and so blame me for any grammatical errors.  It is difficult to transcribe an interview from voice to text, especially when you have an inexperienced interviewer (me).  Also, on most of the names mentioned in this interview I link to their profile on the Ice Network.  The problem is you can't see the links until you mouse over the name.  I'm working on fixing that problem.

I think the takeaway from this post should be two things:

1.       1.  Read Aaron’s blog as often as possible.  He loves the sport and updates all of us on a regular basis.  I, for one, have learned a lot about the sport from his blog and he helps keep me updated on the latest news.  Read it here: http://loopaxles.blogspot.com/

2.       2.  He’ll be at the Olympics, while the vast majority of us will be at home watching it on TV.  So, follow his tweets, blog, and facebook.  I’m looking forward to the insider’s perspective.  Follow him on twitter here: http://twitter.com/skating102

So, here is Part Deux!

TP: Are you a figure skater?

AH: I wouldn’t call myself a figure skater.  But once I got really into the sport, out of pure interest I put on some skates and started to skate.  I know how to skate on the ice, but I don’t know how to do any big tricks or anything.

TP: When did you get into figure skating?

AH: Well, it started like so many other people.  With “the knee whack herd around the world”.  It was 1994 Nationals, I was in 8^th grade, everyone was talking about it. Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were all over the news.  But the person I got the most interested in that year, wasn’t Nancy or Tonya…but Michelle Kwan, who got 2^nd place in Nationals but didn’t go to the Olympics.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

TP: Tell us about your writing, is that something you’ve always been interested in doing?

AH: When I blog, I like to do it.  I don’t consider it a chore.  Academically I’ve written a lot with my Masters and Undergrad work.    I find writing easy, but if it wasn’t figure skating I don’t think I would be as interested in writing for writing’s sake.

TP: We know you love Michelle Kwan, and I think she’s brilliant, but who are your other favorite skaters?

AH: Going back to the Kwan era we have, Todd Eldredge, Meno and Sand, Alexie Urmanov (he coaches Sergei  Voronov, who got bumped from the Olympics…I really like him).  Moving into modern skating I like Stephane Lambiel.  I like Yu-Na Kim (I think she’s probably the most deserving of the Gold if she skates well), but I don’t count her among my favorites.  Shizuka Arakawa (I really liked her, I was really happy when she won Gold in Torino), French Ice Dance Team (Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Shcoenfelder), Meryl Davis and Charlie White (I think they’re brilliant).

TP: [I comment on his breakdown of the Olympic field, and thank him for sharing his expertise].

TP: What do you think of the “Be Good Johnny Weir” on the Sundance Channel?

AH: I love it!  I can’t get enough of it.

TP: I’m going to bust into your interview, because I’m so glad to hear you say that.  I absolutely love that show.

AH: Another friend of mine, Hugo Chouinard does the music for the Canadian team and owns Sk8Mix.com …he doesn’t get the show in Canada.  So, I’ve been recording them for him, and I’m going to bring the tapes to the Olympics so he can see the show.

AH: That is good TV right there, I just can’t get enough of it.  The Sundance Channel has been sending me there Press Releases, because they like my blog and wanted me to get the word out to my show.  They felt like my readers would be interested in it.  I think their doing a 2^nd Season, because it has been a hit.

TP: I found this out from you, but I heard Tanith Belbin is going to be rooming with Johnny at the Olympics.

AH: Yeah, Lynn Rutherford tweeted that first.  And I thought, oh no, that is actually kind of brilliant.  That is made for TV.

TP: [I go on and on about how much I love this show…and so does Aaron]  You can listen to the interview for the details.

AH:  When you asked me about my favorite skaters, I’d like to add Johnny to that list.  I have other opinions about Johnny outside of skating, and I think he could be so much better than he is…but his natural ability is superb.  He didn’t start skating until he was 12 years old.  He is gifted in a way in which other skaters aren’t.

TP: What events do you usually hit on an annual basis?

AH: As far as events I never miss…that would be Nationals.  I’ve been every since 1998.  I didn’t go this year because of the God Awful two weekend format.  Nobody likes this format, none of the skaters like it, none of the fans like it.  It was all done to help NBC and give them another weekend to promote the Olympics. I understand US Figure Skating was in a bind and they needed to strike a deal with the major networks, but because of that split weekend I couldn’t justify the trip for the first time since 1998.

AH:  I try to make it to Skate America, a few Skate Canadas, been to World’s when it was in Vancouver and Calgary.  I’ve been to so many skating competitions it is hard to remember all of them.  I’ve been to Worlds three times in the US.  My plan is to make it to a big International Event sometime really soon. I really want to make it, and I have an event in mind.

TP: I was going to ask if you’ve ever been to Vancouver, but it sounds like you were there for World’s when Vancouver hosted it.

AH: I’ve actually been to Vancouver lots of times.  I grew up in Seattle and we would just go to Vancouver for the weekend.  I was just up in Vancouver less than a year ago for the Four Continents Cup, I went to that event to see the Olympic Venue to see it in action…thinking, “I won’t get a chance to see it during the Olympics”.

TP: If you were going to make some predictions this year at the Olympics?

AH:  I think if Plushenko stands up on two feet, he’s going to be handed a Gold Medal.  People say he doesn’t have the same components as like a Patrick Chan or an Abbot, but I don’t think that matters.  The judges love him.  I see Evan Lysacek on the podium.  I think he is going to make himself skate well, and I think he’ll be on the podium.  Third spot is up for grabs, Patrick Chan, Ado, Brian Joubert.  If I had to pick one to make it to the podium, I’d say Joubert.

On the ladies side: I think it will be Kim Yu-Na, I think Mao Asada and her triple axels will probably get her on the podium.  I think that Rachel Flatt is going to surprise us.  She is very consistent and she doesn’t have the pressure that the other ladies have.  So, I think she has a shot at the podium.

TP: What are your thoughts on the new judging system?

AH: I get the system, because the old system was way too subjective.  The old system was ripe for scandal.  Salt Lake City is a perfect example of how that system could be misused.  I support the new system, but they have to fine tune exactly how the scoring system and slow motion replays work.  How aggressive they should be on deductions.  They need to hone in on the component score.  They need to find a way to be consistent.  I think it’s a workable system, it just has to be improved and they’ve got to get rid of the anonymous judging.

Olympic Pairs Short Program tonight at 7pm Eastern!

Can I get a hallelujah? How long have you been waiting for the Figure Skating Events to begin? Days, weeks, months, or 4 years?  Click here for schedules, news, and information: NBC Olympics

I personally can’t wait. This will be my first Olympics as a hardcore figure skating fan, and I am super excited for the US Team, the world, and the sport in general.  If anyone wants to know…below is my Figure Skating Fantasy Team for the Vancouver Olympics.

2010 Olympic Winter Games Event

Ladies A
Yu-Na Kim, KOR

Ladies B
Laura Lepisto, FIN

Ladies C
Tugba Karademir, TUR

Men's A
Jeremy Abbott, USA

Men's B
Johnny Weir, USA

Men's C
Javier Fernandez, ESP

Pairs A
Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov, RUS

Pairs B
Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett, USA

Pairs C
Anais Morand/Antoine Dorsaz, SUI

Ice Dancing A
Meryl Davis/Charlie White, USA

Ice Dancing B
Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates, USA

Ice Dancing C
Christina Beier/William Beier, GER

Believe It!!!

Exclusive Interview with Aaron Harris, Gold Blogger for One Winter, Five Dreams and Axels, Loops, and Spins – February 9^th, 2010 – Part I

This is Part I of an exclusive interview I did with Aaron Harris from Axels, Loops, and Spins.  He will be blogging for Panasonic’s “One Winter, Five Dreams” project the next few weeks.  Aaron is well known in the Figure Skating World and has been a prolific blogger on the subject since July 2007.  We are proud to have had the opportunity to get some time with him two days before he left for Vancouver to cover the Olympics.

Here is a link to his blog: Axels, Loops, and Spins: http://loopaxles.blogspot.com/

Here is a link to the “One Winter, Five Dreams” project:  http://5dreams.panasonic.net/

This is my first time to transcribe an interview…and as it turns out, it is much more difficult than I imagined.  So, this is Part I, just so I can get it online.  The rest of the interview and a link to the Audio Interview is coming soon.

I highly suggest you follow Aaron Harris on twitter (http://twitter.com/skating102) , facebook, and read his blog daily if you are interested in Figure Skating or the Olympics at all.

So, without further ado, and no more gilding the lilly I bring you Aaron Harris and Travis Phipps discussing The Olympics, Figure Skating, Blogging, and of course Johnny Weir!

TP: How are you doing?

AH: I’m exhausted, but I’m ok.

TP: When do you take off (for the Olympics)?

AH: Thursday afternoon.

TP: Tell us a little about the project “One Winter, Five Dreams”

AH: Was launched several months ago by Panasonic when they decided to follow 5 athletes, from 4 different sports that wouldn’t have the most conventional way to the Olympics.   They aren’t your Evan Lysacek’s, Patrick Chan’s,  Kim Yu-Na’s. They don’t come from ideal training situations, they don’t come from places that have heavily supported Olympic Federations, they are people that have really had to work hard.  They have been following these 5 athletes on the One Winter, Five Athletes website.  They also put out a contest looking for a blogger.  Not only blogging about these 5 athletes but also the Olympics in general. I like blogging and I love the Olympics, so I entered the contest by filling out a questionnaire.  I tried to be as sincere as possible.  Apparently my efforts were good enough, because I won.

TP: What was the process for selecting the winner?

AH: I suppose they followed my blog, but other than that there wasn’t any other process except for me getting the email stating that I won the contest.

TP: When did you find out that you won the contest?

AH: I actually knew for a week before I posted it on Twitter.  Panasonic asked me to wait until the Olympics were closer prior to announcing it on my blog. They told me last Friday that I could announce it; however, they still don’t want me to go into great detail because they want to announce it in Vancouver.

TP: Do you have a “Day Job”, because I know you spend a lot of time on Axels, Loops, and Spins?

AH: Yeah, I work for a non-profit medical organization in medical imaging…and I’m not really allowed to use their name either.  On the blog it can be deceptive because I can write a post in the evening and have it pop up first thing in the morning.

TP: How long will you be in Vancouver?

AH: I leave on Thursday (February 12) and return on March 1^st, so I’ll be there the whole time.

TP: Wow, I can’t tell you how jealous I am.

AH: Everyone on facebook and twitter has been saying the same thing.  I said that if there is a problem taking off in the snow storm that I’ll get out and push the plane, and everyone else is saying, “if you take me with you, I’ll help you push the plane!”

TP: Where do you live?

AH: West Central Illinois. Right in between Chicago and St. Louis.

TP: Have you decided what you’re going to wear to the Opening Ceremonies?

AH: I have no idea, I’ll figure that out when I’m frantically packing.

TP: Do you have a schedule, do you get to attend all of the events, how is it all going to work?

AH: Some of it, I’m sure I’ll learn as I go, but Panasonic has told me a lot…but they want me to keep that a secret for the time being.  But as it unfolds I’ll be blogging about it.

TP: We’ll keep an eye on your blog as the Olympics comes around, and we’ll send everyone your way for minute by minute updates.  So, everyone keep your eyes open for that.  But in the meantime can you tell us a little bit about your blog, how long you’ve been blogging, and what got you started?

AH: Sure, I started blogging in 2005 just before the Torino Olympics.  You can actually see on my blog archives the very early beginnings of Axels, Loops, and Spins.  It was spotty writing, nothing consistent, and I kept track of Michelle Kwan because I’m a big fan.  I got away from it, and took break for almost a year, but got back into it in the Summer of 2007.  Started the “Pic of the Week”, and then it became real steady.  Went to several events and wrote about those.  I found that what will drive traffic to your blog is mainly frequent updates.  When I started hooking it up with Facebook and Twitter and that is when I started getting a lot of traffic.

TP: [This is where I spend some time complimenting Aaron on his prolific writing and thanking him for his consistency ;) ]

More to come!