Triumph on Ice

A gorgeous celebration of figure skating and its stars and a look at how the sport has changed in recent years.

A new posse of figure skating superstars has emerged. These young athletes-including Canadians Joannie Rochette, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, and Patrick Chan—whose skills were so thrillingly on display at the Vancouver Olympics, are celebrated here in glorious images and insightful text. When Olympic judge Jean Senft blew the whistle on vote trading at the 1998 Nagano Games, she brought attention to the need for corrective action. A new system, developed following the 2002 Salt Lake City scandal, is driving the sport in innovative directions. Senft describes how today's skaters are pushed to explore more difficult and dramatic ways of scoring and provides an insider's view of international figure skating at its highest levels. Senft's incisive text is augmented by 100 stunning full-colour photographs celebrating the athletes' skill, grace, and artistry. Renowned photographer Gérard Châtaigneau captures the world's best as they push the sport's creative and technical boundaries, with glorious images of triumphant Olympic and World champions including South Korea's Kim Yu-Na, America's Evan Lysacek, Japan's Mao Asada, and many others. Triumph on Ice is both a fascinating exploration of the new era in figure skating and a celebration of the world's most dazzling skaters.

Jean Riley Senft is an International Skating Union World and Olympic Judge and Referee. A member of the Canadian Olympic Committee and a Board Director of the Canadian Olympic Foundation, in 2009 Senft was the inaugural recipient of the Jean Riley Senft Integrity Award, sponsored by Sports Officials Canada. She has won several other awards, including the Governor General's Bronze Medal. She lives in West Vancouver, British Columbia.

Gérard Châtaigneau is a photographer and former figure skater. He has been photographing skating for more than 20 years, including all the Olympics and World Championships since 1988. He lives in Toronto.

"For avid followers of the sport, Triumph on Ice, by veteran Canadian skating judge Jean Riley Senft, offers a rare type of content. First, there are short, clear explanations of the various components - technical elements, choreography, spins, step sequences, jumps - on which skaters are scored. Then the highlight: almost 100 pages of brilliant photographs by Toronto's Gerard Chataigneau, an ex-skater himself . . . Finally, we really see what top-ranked skaters achieve." -Guelph Mercury

"Black and white would hardly do for a book that showcases figure skating - not with the cover model, American Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek, wearing a costume with a multi-colored snake embroidered on it. As any fan of the Winter Olympics knows, the garb itself is a spectator sport. But amid the clown makeup and peasant dress, the flowing locks and the spiky hairdos, photographer Gerard Chataigneau has captured leaps and twists that would make Ty Cobb envious." -Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post