Ice skating on film: Here are 10 choices

What with Spokane’s self-proclaimed status as an ice-skating mecca , it’s only natural that I would try to come up with some sort of a Top 10 list of figure-skating movies.

I was, of course, tempted to put a few ice hockey films on the list. “Slap Shot,” for example. Less effete, don’t you know? But that would have been cheating. I also avoided - with one notable exception - the more obvious biopics, such as those that glorify the lives of Tai Babilonia and Oksana Baiul. So I found other ways. Read on and you’ll see what I mean.

“Ice Princess” (2005): Michelle Trachtenberg stars as a brainy kid who, driven by her mom to go to Harvard, ends up competing for the national figure-skating title. Love the hunky zamboni driver.

“Blades of Glory” (2007): Will Ferrell is his manic best as disgraced skating champion Chazz Michael Michaels who finds kinship, of sorts, with his arch rival, former wunderkind Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder).

“Ice Castles” (1978): After suffering an apparent career-ending injury, a young skater (Holly Lynn-Johnson) rediscovers her hopes with the support of a guy (Robby Benson) and her family. (With some of these films, are we detecting a theme?)

“The Cutting Edge” (1992): After his hockey career is ended by injury, Doug Dorsey (D. B. Sweeney) ends up being recruited to be the doubles figure-skating partner of the spoiled skater Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly). Together they fight to become champions - and, surprise-surprise, is that romance blooming?

“Thin Ice” (1937): Long before there was television, figure skating was a way to achieve stardom. Three-time Olympics champ Sonja Henie used her three titles to make a series of movies, including this little romance with Tyrone Power.

“Blades of Courage” (1988): Christianne Hirt plays Lori, a potential skating champ whose quest for a championship is temporarily sidelined by an unscrupulous coach (Colm Feore).

“Go Figure” (2005): To achieve her dream (there’s that word again) of becoming a champ (that one, too), Katelin joins a private school’s hockey team just to get lessons from a legendary Russian coach.

“On Edge” (2001): Anything advertised as ” ‘Spinal Tap’ on ice” is worth watching, even if it does star Jason Alexander.

“She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown” (1980): Yeah, this is one of the “Peanuts” specials. Permanent tomboy Peppermint Patty sets her sights on a skating, uh, championship.

“Pop Star On Ice” (2009): OK, here’s my exception to the life-of-a-real-life-skater story. It’s a kind of documentary featuring three-time U.S. National Champion Johnny Weir. Here’s one critic’s view: “Not so much a doc, the film is made in collaboration with Weir, as he guides you through the day-to-day, responds to his not-so-vaguely homophobic critics, goofs off in a bathtub and generally gives himself a bullhorn.”

That’s 10. Any suggestions for others?

Below: The trailer for “Pop Star on Ice.”