1.   Hey, I was on a media bus headed back from a hockey news conference when the final pairs took the ice for their free skate programs.

2.   Plushenko withdrew from the European Championships with a groin injury, although he also was working on a new free skate program that will need to be spectacular now.

3.   At the Olympics, it will be simply a short program followed by a free skate program, separated by a day off.

4.   Malinina, who skates for Uzbekistan, took advantage of Butyrskaya, who fell twice in a shaky free skate program.

5.   Timothy Goebel landed three quadruple jumps in his free skate program and edged world champion Alexei Yagudin of Russia to win Skate America on Sunday.