Hi everyone!

Mazin and I are sitting hip deep in our room in N’Ice Guys and the conversation surrounding us ranges from working in an ice show to writing to the merits of red wine that costs 2 euros a bottle.

It’s wonderful the way that skating can bring skaters together and there really is room for everyone regardless of age or personality or differences.

The majority of the team is spread out in our room watching movies on Mazin’s new (read hot) laptop…ok…kidding about the “hot” part. Just said it for effect. 🙂 The rest, not surprisingly, are in the sauna. You just never know when the “naked gods” will be kind and send let’s say, the Italian synchro team that is scheduled to skate down to the “wellness centre” for a sauna.

We were at the rink today for some practice time and it was a dose of reality. There really will be a show tomorrow night and it was do or die time. There was a moment that we thought Mazin might die but nothing that a little coffee and his inhaler couldn’t fix. Our Tom(my) the wounded bird is not going to be able to skate which means, Mazin is.

We have to say that we are being treated amazingly and that the food here is second to none. At lunch befoire leaving for the rink we all fell victim to a rookie mistake. Gnocchi was served with a robust tomato sauce which was inhaled with a sizable amount of wine and just as the Guys were getting ready to push their chairs back, out came the salmon, grilled to perfection along with steamed vegetables and roast potatoes. Fortunately more wine also arrived, which meant that the anxiety level about the upcoming performance was dulled.

It has to be said that the food and wine was such that Dan “The Phenom” was rendered basically thought and speechless.

One quick note from the practice: the OUTSTANDING Denis Ten is performing in the same show and was so intimidated by Our Swan Lake that he changed from his intended Swan Lake show number to a Michael Jackson tribute. We have named him and honourary N’Ice Guy.

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