Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir react to the ice sculptures modeled after them. PHOTO COURTESY BRIAN BABINEAU/TD GARDEN
In celebration of this year’s International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships, NBC figure skating analysts Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir arrived in Boston to unveil their very own ice sculptures Thursday at the Frost Ice Loft in Faneuil Hall, a fitting welcome for two who have spent so much time on the ice.
It wasn’t the first time Boston has had the honor of welcoming Lipinski, a 1998 Olympic figure skating gold medalist, and Weir, a three-time U.S. figure skating champion and two-time Olympian. Though the two returned this year as commentators rather than competitors, they said they still found that coming back to the TD Garden felt oddly nostalgic.
“We both have had our own special performances in the Garden, and for us, it’s very much like coming back to a very happy place,” Weir told The Daily Free Press.
The 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships took place from March 28 through Sunday at TD Garden and were held in Boston for the first time in history. A showcase of incredible talent, beautiful style and fierce competition, this championship featured 200 of the best figure skaters from around the world. It’s not surprising that it’s considered the year’s “biggest event for figure skating,” Lipinski said.
This year’s competition is especially significant for the duo, who served as part of the NBC commentary team throughout the weekend. Though the two have covered many events together in the past, including NBC’s Kentucky Derby, the Sochi Olympics and the Academy Awards, they hold this figure skating championship close to their hearts.
“It’s our first Worlds that we’re commentating live,” Lipinski told The Daily Free Press. “We’ve obviously done it for NBC for a while, but to be at this arena and to see the crowd up on its feet after these skaters are skating and to feel the energy, it’s a special moment.”
After evaluating each of the skaters’ programs, Lipinski and Weir said they were extremely impressed with the skill and drive the performers brought to the ice this year.
“The technical talent in skating at the moment is so strong that there are people pushing each other to do harder and harder technical elements,” Weir said. “The artistry is always sort of subjective — what you feel — but the technical side of the sport has never been upped to the level that it is at the moment.”
Almost every program had audience members on their feet. Japan’s Mao Asada nailed a perfect triple axel. Ashley Wagner of the United States pulled off two sets of triple-jump-triple jump combinations. This year, the programs seemed to especially feature quadruples, jumps with four to five revolutions.
“In pairs, it’s the quad twists, the throw quads, the four revolutions,” Weir said. “The men — multiple quads in the free program. The ladies are all doing one or two triple-triples in their free program, and it’s just an outrageous technical level, which makes it really exciting, but also people crash and burn a lot harder, which also gives you that very intense feeling when you’re watching. It’s not boring old figure skating.”
After being in countless high-stake competitions themselves, Lipinski and Weir said they empathized with each of the skaters.
“I get nervous watching them,” Lipinski said. “You want them to skate well, and they’ve worked all year for this moment … It’s ice and slippery, so nothing is secure.”
Whether it was cheering skaters on from the sidelines or commenting on the precision of a particular twist, Lipinski and Weir held up their reputation as the crowd’s favorite commentating duo, lovable all the way down to their matching outfits and joint Instagram and Twitter accounts.
The weekend ended with Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva coming in with the 2016 world title. Ashley Wagner finished with a silver medal, marking the first time in 10 years that a U.S. women’s figure skater has medaled at Worlds or the Olympics. Anna Pogorilaya, also from Russia, went home with bronze.
“It’s just a very special place, and Boston has always been so good to the figure skating family — every rink has its own club show for the kids,” Weir said. “They really support skating up here, so it’s always special to come to some place that really appreciates what you do.”
