Sonia Bianchetti was a powerful official in the International Skating Union (ISU). In Cracked Ice, she tells her story of her life in figure skating. The book is written in an honest, "tell it like it is" style.
Cracked Ice is an insider's look at those who rule international figure skating and its money.
Some of the things the author shares are very disturbing. For example, she tells stories of how ISU money was given to certain ISU officials for personal use.
Cracked Ice does show how much Sonia Bianchetti loves figure skating. She tells of her own days as a figure skater in Italy and in Europe. She tells about her beginnings as a figure skating judge.
In this book, she does alot of remembering. She tells about the beginnings of figure skating in China and Japan. She tells stories of her personal interactions with coaches, skaters, and officials. Bianchetti also shares the things she did for figure skating. She eliminated compulsory figures from competition and introduced the short program. She presented judging seminars all over the world. She fought to stop unfair judging.
Some things covered in the book include:
- How the "Kiss and Cry" area was named.
- How compulsory figures were eliminated.
- How the short program came about.
- How ISU officials operate.
- Bribery of ISU officials.
- What led up to the 2002 Olympic pair judging scandal.
A reader will learn much about the skating world after reading this book; some of the information shared is not pleasant to read about, but must be read.