The Grand Prix 2017/2018: Ladies

Ice Babies!

Our collective love of prancing and Swarovski crystals brings us together today.

I welcome you.

Can we talk about The Grand Prix Final?

The Grand Prix season has been a fascinating build to begin with.

The Ladies event is so rich. It’s like the 1990’s all over again. But instead of a just a couple Russian girls…they’re legion.

We’ve got the 2016 and 2017 World Champ Evgenia Medvedeva..on the Grand Prix scene..

2015 World Champ Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is back and trying Triple Axles…

Anna “Torture Porn” Pogorilaya…who’s lived up to her name in legendary fashion during this Grand Prix season, is also back in town.

Elena Radionova, who still can’t seem to find a costume that covers her butt, is once again terrorizing the ice..

Maria Sotskova is hot, taking names and crushing jump combinations this season…

Pretty Alina Zagitova, is winning ALL HER events….

Oh and don’t forget about Polina Tsurskaya! Another Russian threatening podiums on the Grand Prix track this season.

Russian girls have dominated Figure Skating for the last several years. There’s no denying it. Now, I know there’s a LOT MORE TO SAY ABOUT RUSSIA right now than that. I have an entire article in the works about doping, Sochi, competitive skating and the Olympics…all focused around Russia….but let’s leave that aside for now, at least for this particular Grand Prix series. Russia is Russia, and I take their remarkable athletes at face value…at least for this article.

But in spite of all that…. there’s still room for a few more standout talents! Amazing.

The likes of Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman of Canada to be exact.

If you’d asked me from my seat at Skate America in 2016, who I figured would be challenging Russians as we head into an Olympic year? Well, I just wouldn’t have thought of my own, dear CANADA as a possibility. Our Ladies have never been our big thing in Skating….until NOW.

Canadian Ladies skated to a whole new potential at Worlds in Finland this year.

Kaetlyn Osmond took Silver…

and sexy, sassy Gabrielle Daleman took Bronze!

It was a proud day for Canada!

The girls have had a pretty mixed bag of performances throughout the Grand Prix season this year however, with only Kaitlyn making the final.

Better luck at Nationals Gabby! We love you.

Carolina Kostner of Italy is back, to everyone’s delight, and winning medals!

Carolina took Silver at both Rostelecom Cup and NHK Trophy this season!

At 30 years of age, competing against teenagers… well, they don’t make ’em like Carolina very often do they?

Carolina made it to the Grand Prix Final this year! Don’t you just love her even more for that!?

But speaking of older skaters still on the scene….

Ashley Wagner finally tired herself out!

We’re all sick of her Moulin Rogue Long Program anyhow, right? This is the THIRD TIME we’re seeing it in competition since it’s debut.

Watch Ashley’s season come to a sudden, unfortunate end (all while wearing a stunning dress) in this link from Skate America 2017, the last event in the Grand Prix series. Ashley did not make the final.

 

One of my favorite ladies, Satoko Miyahara of Japan, is also competing this season.

Satoko had an unfortunate showing at her first Grand Prix event this season, but fought back hard to win Skate America! It’s always a delight for me to watch this flexible, little pixie do her programs.

Satoko was actually called up from the alternate list for the Grand Prix Final this year! Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva withdrew, due to a stress fracture in her foot.

It was sad to hear about Medvedeva’s condition. She was the odds-on favorite to win the Grand Prix Final. The event wasn’t the same without her…..but it sure did mix things up in a way that only happens in Figure Skating!

Satoko Miyahara of Japan was third after the Short Program..

Satoko skated well at the Final to my eyes. The judges seem hell bent on being hard on her though. What do you think? Does Satoko deserve to be punished for her low jumps? They’re fully rotated!!! Doesn’t she have so much more than jumps anyway?

That’s another discussion.

How about the Free Skate though? Those ladies skated hard didn’t they. I really enjoyed watching the event.

SPOILER ALERT! Here’s who won over all:

FIRST: Alina Zagitova-Russia

SECOND: Maria Sotskova-Russia

THIRD: Kaetlyn Osmond-Canada

Kaetlyn was phenomenal in the Short Program. Really impressive. I love how her Lutz matches the music, don’t you? Her costume really flatters her as well.

Kaetlyn charm’s the crowd, jumps huge, skates fast and spins at a blinding pace in this video of her Short Program.

She took first place in that component of the event:

 

Alina Zagitova of Russia skates to Swan Lake for her Short Program (like SO MANY OTHER’S this season)..

The program was well skated, if not a bit generic.

You can’t take Alina’s Triple Lutz/Triple Loop combo (in the second half no less) away from her though. Her Triple Flip with arms in fifth position was gorgeous too.

The other girls flailing their arms over head in every jump could learn from Zagitova. Her arms in general are very elegant.

Alina ended up second in the Short Program.

Watch her skate a near-flawless performance here:

Carolina Kostner of Italy took third place in the Short Program.

Watch her mesmerize the audience in this clip:

Carolina used some old school Celine Dion for her performance, and though I’m not even a closeted Celine Dion fan, Carolina is so passionate I got teary eyed by the end of her skate anyway! I love that song now!

Carolina messed up her Triple Toe/Triple Toe combination, unfortunately. But managed a beautiful Triple Loop, Double Axle and Spins.

Easier jumps compared to the field, sure, but Carolina is so damn good I didn’t care. It’s just nice to see her skate.

The Free Skate seals the deal though, doesn’t it?

This Free Skate was as psychologically rich and exciting an event as I’ve come to expect from my beloved sport.

OK……let’s just talk about the 10 000 pound gorilla in the room and get it out of the way:

Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada, what happened!?

First of all….why Swan Lake?

Kaetlyn is graceful definitely, but she doesn’t have the physique of a ballet dancer. Also, it’s PLAYED OUT! There’s at least 2 other Swan Lakes in the field this season alone!! Kaetlyn has the chops to take on something more unique. Her Short Program flatters her much more in my opinion.

Any thoughts on this Ice Friends? What would you like to see Kaetlyn Osmond skate to?

Anyhow, in spite of her “silly mistake’s” (her words) in the Long Program (she doubled the Triple Loop and had a full-on wipe out doing her Triple Salchow) this is the most I’ve liked her Free Skate all season. It was fantastic off the top. So commanding, and graceful! And those jump combo’s!? Wow.

Kaetlyn managed to hang onto the Bronze at this Final. Check it out here:

Maria Sotskova of Russia really impressed me in the Long Program. See:

Don’t you just love her music?

She was really feeling those beautiful melodies in her performance too, don’t you think? Very solid skate in the Short and the Long, but the Free Program had my heart.

Shout out to Maria Sotskova’s periwinkle dress too. So pretty on this gorgeous and talented blonde skater!

Congrats on your Silver Grand Prix Final medal Maria!

The over all winner of the Grand Prix Final was Alina Zagitova of Russia.

See her performance here:

This win isn’t too surprising, I suppose. Zagitova won both her Grand Prix assignments. She sailed through to the Final and captured it too! This skate was very impressive and worthy of a champion.

Congratulations Alina!

Russian Nationals are going to be very, VERY interesting. I wonder if Evgenia Medvedeva will be competing again by that time?

So that’s The Grand Prix of Figure Skating for the 2017/2018 Season! The ladies have settled the score for another year.

What did you think of the women in the Grand Prix Final this year?

Who wowed you? Who stunk up the joint?

Comments are always welcome.

There’s a ton going on for Figure Skating maniacs like us right now…..I, Tonya is in theater’s, the Olympics are around the corner and the Russian competition scandal is all over the news….we’ll be talking again very soon!

Until then my arena dwelling friends…bend your knee’s and keep your back straight!

LOVE,

Hbelle

xoxox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Whole Wide World in 2016

Well…….it happened. Was it good for you?

Me? I’m still high from what I saw, from the impact of all that happened….and of course from the drugs still in my system. In my world, an international skating event is a great reason to party, and it was a whooooole weekend people.

In short, I’m feeling good.

This years World Figure Skating Championship was full of shocking failures, not-so-shocking failures, triumph, redemption and of course drama. Oooooh we got some juice didn’t we? From Gracie Gold of the USA’s raw interview after her disappointing Long Program……..

to the rumours of Canadian Patrick Chan’s frustrated sobs echoing melodramatically through The Boston Garden at the conclusion of the Men’s event…

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/patrick-chan-has-emotional-outburst-after-5th-place-skate-1.2843556

…this World Championship was exciting, ridiculous and outrageous. Everything a Figure Skating competition should be. And how bout that attendance huh? To quote Christine Brennan..“that was a 1990’s crowd..” It was great to see that kind of interest in the sport here in North America!

The Kiss and Cry alone was a vivid gallery of raw human emotion.

Figure Skating, as we all know, is the original reality TV and the ‘Kiss and Cry’ is legendary for its authentic drama. This years footage was not disappointing.

Did you catch Shoma Una of Japan’s reaction to his LP scores?

Poor little dude….

Anyway, before we really get into it I want to add this disclaimer for any new readers:

I have little interest in the Pairs and Ice Dance event. It wasn’t always so, and it may change in the future, but if you’re looking for extensive coverage on those events you are in the wrong place.

Can we talk about the Ladies first? What a final flight! Everyone came tearing out of the gate focused and skating to win. It’s exciting to watch an event like that! And so wonderful to see that many clean performances in one competition.

Let’s just get to the elephant in the room and get it out of the way…

Poor Gracie. Poor, poor Gracie Gold. That was tough to watch. On home ice, in 1st place after a great Short Program!! Wilting under the spotlight and end up 4th. Tragic!!! And she has the goods too! Gracie earned the placement she had going into the Free Skate. Gracie should be a legitimate threat to anyone in the field right now. But she lost control of her head game and in Figure Skating your head game matters more than almost anything else.

I wish her the best of luck in overcoming her psychological challenges in competition, and to leave it on a positive note here are some images from her fantastic Short Program at this event.

The choreography, the dress and the smooth execution of it all was athletic, sexy and a highlight of the competition. We love you Gracie!!!

Moving on to the new Ladies Champion of the World… Evgenia Medvedeva from Russia!

This victory was a surprise to no one. Evgenia did here what she’s been doing all season. She dominated.

There’s nothing to say about her that hasn’t already been said. Her jump technique is flawless. She spins fast and skates faster. She’s a rock solid competitor. A charismatic performer. Evgenia’s got it all. My only other thought is…..I wonder what new Russian girl will be on the scene next year? Will she be over shadowed like the last 3 were? Or will she endure? Only time will tell…

But for today….congratulations Evgenia!!!!  You are a true champion.

And before we move on….I think it’s worth mentioning that I was especially blown away by Evgenia in the Short Program. How about you?  To add that Triple Toe to the Triple Loop on the fly…and with such ease and grace too…..well that says it all doesn’t it? She’s got mad skills.

Speaking of madness….

We can’t forget our Silver medalist this year can we? She would never let us.

Oh Ashley Wagner from the USA, how complicated my feelings are toward thee…

Her Short Program was fantastic. Really it was. Canadian Choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne made something special there, and Ashley skated the shit out of it.

You have to hand it to Wagner for being an aggressive competitor. She’s hungry and she doesn’t try to hide it. I loved watching her shimmy and shake in that Short Program, she was really strong.

And there was her gutsy skate in the Long Program. Gracie left the door open and Ashley sailed on through. She was obviously….very happy. Good for her.

The Moulin Rouge program suits her strengths beautifully, and she put out a strong performance. That dress is fantastic too. Woot!

For the sake of the audience I was glad Ashley did what she did out there. It must have been so fun to witness an American woman throw down on home ice, skate aggressively and end the medal drought for their country. Ashley is not my favourite skater, but I respect what she was able accomplish. Way to go Ashley!! Second in the whole, wide world! Bravo.

And what about Satoko Miyahara of Japan? 5th place!?! What an insult. That is not representative of what she did in my mind.

Is Satoko too harshly penalized for her low jumps? Why is it such a big deal? She gets them done. Plus she’s graceful and consistent with exceptional spins, skating skills and showmanship. That’s not enough!? I don’t know what the judges were watching, but I loved both her programs and felt she should have been on the podium.

Bronze medalist Anna Pogorilaya from Russia had the skate of her life. I can’t be calling her “Torture Porn Russian” on this blog anymore! Instead of a series of brutal wipe outs Anna landed all her jumps with authority and fought for every moment of her programs.

Congratulations on a fantastic showing Anna!

Next year I hope to see more original programs and simpler, more elegant costumes for this talented skater. I also want to see Anna get going on her modelling career. Seriously, though. She could be making a lot of extra money, she has it! Look at her:

I don’t know what she’s waiting for!

Who else rounded out the top 10? Well, legendary Mao Asada of Japan was 7th. Kind of shocking for a 3 time World Champion, but she’s had a tough season and this event was no picnic either.

Even when she’s struggling you still notice how incredible a skater Mao is though. I love the footwork sequence in the Short Program, and there were some impressive jumping passes in the Long as well…..I wonder if she will bother coming back next year? She says she loves to compete so who knows!

Elena Radionova of Russia ended up 6th. All I can say is thank God the season is over so I don’t ever have to watch those horrific programs again. The voice over in her Titanic LP….ugh….Leonardo DiCaprio drowning and freezing to death while Elena grins with joy, heart open and arms reaching to the heavens….that shit ain’t right.

I wonder what she’ll come up with next season? It couldn’t possibly be worse. In closing, I’d like to say that she needs to fire her costume person. Her dresses continue to not cover her butt properly…it’s really distracting. That is under age Russian girl booty right there! Jesus. But hey, let’s get real, it’s probably good for ratings so…..maybe she should keep it?  Ha! I’m kiiiiiiiding. Those dresses are terrible.

And that was the ladies event, more or less.

So now it’s time to discuss the Men. And what a discussion it is!!! This was another great competition with many memorable performances.

Lets just start with the cream of the crop. The luscious, the delicious, the incredible Javier Fernandez of Spain! Taking the Gold for another year in a row.

Javi struggled a bit in the Short program and went down on the Quad Salchow, but he didn’t let that mess with his head and skated really strong otherwise. His Long Program on the other hand….it was masterful to say the least. Athletic, sexy, smooth and clean, clean, clean. He really blew the roof off the place and skated like a true Champion. Go Javi!

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan came second, and that was a bit of a shocker. This Olympic Champion and legend-in-the-making has been winning events and breaking world records all season. Everyone expected him to take the Gold here.

His breath taking Short Program to Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G Minor was one of my favourite skates in the whole competition. Yuzu is a rockstar. He makes me cry, gives me goosebumps and amps me up all at the same time. I absolutely love this program and he skated it beautifully here.

I especially enjoyed his intense, celebratory yell at the end. Very athletic and very fierce.

His Long Program on the other hand was a struggle, and it seemed to just get worse as it went along.

He never stopped fighting for it though and he’s a pleasure to watch, even when a program gets away from him. I can’t wait to see what this truly amazing athlete and performer has in store for us next season! I’m not sure how he will be able to top the quality of this seasons programs, but it’s going to be fun to watch him try.

OK…..can we talk about Patrick Chan from Canada? Have you calmed down yet? That was some frustrating shit to watch huh? What the hell? Pchiddy (that’s his Twitter handle) has never been much of a competitor, which is sad because he’s one of the all time great skaters, but I honestly don’t understand what the issue is. It was really hard to watch him bomb so badly here….especially in the Long Program….5th place….yikes!

I can only imagine how frustrating this whole season has been for Pchiddy. Do you think he’ll come back next year? Goodness knows he’s got the skills, but will he ever have the head game? I guess we’ll see…. Good luck Patrick, hope to see you again next year! You are always exquisite.

Boyang Jin from China got 3rd place here.

I didn’t much like his programs and he still has a lot of work to do on his skating skills….but DAMN can he jump! So much air, it’s amazing.

I just can’t believe we live in a world where Boyang Jin beat Patrick Chan…

Pchiddy can’t believe it either.

Rounding out the top 10 we also have the charismatic and exciting Shoma Uno of Japan. He had a few more troubles than he’s been used to lately, with a particularly vicious fall in the Long Program, and ended up 7th. He really showed how tough a competitor he is though, and in spite of his obvious devastation over his performance in the Kiss and Cry, I loved watching him and thought he was great.

Shoma is one to watch. He’s a well rounded skater with a reputation that’s growing fast. Definitely a crowd favourite too. Love you Shoma.

The US men came out to play right? It was inspiring to see.

Super good-looking gay rockstar type Adam Rippon of the USA placed 6th, busting out some Queen for the Short Program and The Beatles in the Free Skate. Adam performed both with a ton of athleticism and style. He represented his country very well and should be proud. Go Adam!!!

His sensitive, yet sexy American team mate Max Aaron placed 8th. Fun fact, Aaron used to be a hockey player and played U16 AAA hockey in his teens!

You can definitely see that competitive nature in Max’s style. It’s cool. He’s really athletic overall. His Short Program was nicely done and presented with classy confidence. I especially appreciated how he sorted out that botched combination last minute too.

His Free Skate was even better! Gutsy and fun to watch.  I’ve heard a few bitchy queens criticizing Max for his “lack of costume”, but I completely disagree. The simplicity of the costume suits his style. He’s not a fussy skater! Why should his costume be? It totally went with the dark, dramatic sections of Swan Lake he chose too. Max skated like a pro and did the USA proud. It was a pleasure to watch him.

And what about that cocky Russian jumping machine Mikhail Kolyada!?!? He placed 4th here, at his first Senior Worlds, and really left an impression.

He was so classically Russian too, am I right? Good looking, cocky swagger, tough-as-nails competitor, bad leotard and gigantic jumps. And don’t get me wrong, I loved it! He had me at The Nightmare Before Christmas Long Program. This kid looks like Ilia Kulik and jumps like Evgeny Plushanko….watch out! With some better choreography and costumes who knows what he could do. Great skate here, anyway. Congratulations Mikhail! Looking forward to seeing you next season.

And that was more or less the Men’s event!

What a World Championship it was. I haven’t had that much fun since 1997.

Was it as good for you as it was for me?

Until next time my ice lovelies…. remember to sell your program and go for every single thing you do with every little thing you’ve got! That is what makes a champion.

 

xoxox

Hbelle

 

 

 

Another World Champion

The second greatest achievement in the competitive Figure Skating universe is becoming World Champion. The greatest achievement is becoming Olympic Champion, obviously, but World Champion is a huge credit too. It totally is! It’s big time guys, and the 2016 World Championships is almost here! Eeeeeeeee! Who will be crowned? You think that you know, but you don’t know!! It’s Figure Skating, anything could happen.

Are you old like me? Do you actually remember Katarina Witt? If you’re young and ignorant you should make some time to look into Katarina because she was a great champion. Really.

This 1987 Long Program is a nice place to start. It won her the gold. And she was dressed for it too, am I right? So feminine and sexy. Damn. Katarina holds up! Love the sleeves.

 

 

Next up in the World Figure Skating memory banks is this classic Free Dance from 1998 by Shae-Lynn Bourne and Viktor Kraatz of Canada.

River dance! It’s a memorable program. Shae and Vik were ahead of their time in terms of athleticism and style and have been copied by anyone who is everyone since.

They were robbed of this 1998 World title, by the way. Bronze!?! What an insult. But that’s Figure Skating. It’s often rigged at these events and that’s part of the game.

I loved the Bourne and Kratz energy as a pair. So consistent and they never feel forced. The edges they get too, wow…luscious. They make skating look so cool.

Speaking of ahead of the times…… how about the great Tara Lipinski at the 1997 Worlds! Tara was the champion at age 14 with a program that would be competitive today. (skip the fluff piece and get right to the skating at the 4:00 min mark 🙂

 

Tara was unreal. I feel sorry for skaters who had to compete against her…she was a monster. You gotta love it.

World Figure Skating nostalgia continues with Kurt Browning of Canada in 1993. His Casablanca Long Program is the signature piece of his competitive career, and my holy grail in terms of choreography in this silly sport.

Enjoy!

 

That was a different time. The game has changed, and not necessarily for the better either. Very few athletes are able to make what is expected of them look halfway decent aesthetically.

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan is of that few. By any standard he is mind-blowing and THIS Long Program is what we have to look forward to at Worlds this year:

 

This program inspired me to buy a plane ticket to Boston and watch him skate it live. This is the most memorable piece from a skater in many years.

Guys like Yuzuru keep me interested.

What do you think is going to happen at Worlds? Does Patrick really have any shot at all?

Talk to you after the main event ice lover,

HBelle

 

 

Russian Girls

Russian Nationals happened over Christmas! Was that ladies event good or what!? I haven’t seen a competition so fierce and so well skated in a long time. And what happens when you get a whole lot of talented young skaters going head to head in a competition? Drama people! You get drama, and it’s delightful.

Can we talk about Yulia Lipnitskaya first?

The haters are gonna hate, I know, they’re gonna rag on her for being tentative and slow in the Long Program, for the lack of jump combos and the sketchy spins. Whatever. Did you see that Loop off the top of her LP? How bout that first Lutz? We’ve never seen her jump like that, not ever. It’s very encouraging. Her new team is already working for her, and it’s only been 3 weeks! No falls, and her posture is so much better.

And the SP…well….it was delightful! (loved her hairstyle here too by the way, it was perfect for the program FINALLY)

 

The sobbing at the end really got me too. Great drama. We don’t usually see that from her!

Yulia’s starting to develop, and most importantly correct her bad habits.

Oh and by the way, did you happen to catch the look exchanged by Lipnitskaya and Radionova during the press conference after the SP?

YES! Get mean girls, get those claws out! It’s what the people want. This kind of thing but BIGGER…. I won’t be happy until someone tries to take another girls knee out with a crow bar! Mwahahahahahah! (I’m kidding, relax)

So Evgenia Medvedeva won this thing by a landslide, as we all knew she would.

Evgenia politely feigned surprise after each perfect skate here though, which was classy! Her coach on the other hand was just openly horny about it all. Look at Eteri Tutberidze‘s mouth in that clip! She’s wet.

 

Anyway, I love Evgenia’s dresses and I love her jumps.

Is she going to win Worlds? Probably. But this IS Figure Skating, and there are no sure things….I guess we’ll see huh?

Elena Radionova…she came second and that’s fine.

Elena’s a fantastic competitor, I’ll give her that…but those programs this season..ugh..they are God awful aren’t they?

Also…what was going on with her make up? The bronzer was all blotchy and over done…There was a lot of bad make up at this event in general, but Elena’s was the worst. Whaa happened?!

The super-beautiful Anna Pogorilaya, known playfully on this blog as Torture Porn Russian,  surprised everyone and turned her season around! Anna defied her nickname and nabbed the Bronze! Way to go girl!!

Anna went from writhing in pain on the ice at NHK Trophy to skating two super clean programs at Russian Nationals.

It was really nice to see and I hope she can keep it up for the remainder of the season.

Can she just quit skating a become a model though? Seriously…she’d probably make more money!

SO pretty this girl, whew!

Adelina Sotnikova…What can you say? Her controversial win over Queen Yuna Kim in the Sochi 2014 Olympics didn’t help her career AT ALL. Many people predicted this outcome.

It’s too bad, because Adelina has a lot of good qualities…huge elevation on her jumps, speed and ice coverage, it’s all nice stuff. Unfortunately though, her jumps were just not around at this event and there were some falls as well.

I really don’t see it getting any better for her, do you? I wonder if she’ll bother coming back next season..?

On a fashion note, I quite liked both her dresses this year! Especially the LP gown. I preferred it in black over the blue she chose for this event though. How about you?

Anyway, the saddest showing of the event was from reigning World Champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva.

Lord have mercy! It’s been a rough season for her. The SP switch back to Bolero didn’t help her here unfortunately, and her presentation quality is at an all time low.

Liza needs to rest, that’s my opinion. Her body must be completely over worked at this point, and obviously that has its consequences. I hope she comes back strong at Worlds (if they even send her). Good luck Elizaveta!

The last image I’ll leave you with is these adorable BFF’s at the Exhibition Gala after the event.

 

Do you think they’re genuine friends these girls…these rivals?

Maybe more like frenemies, right? *sigh* We can only hope! Keep that drama coming ladies, your sport needs you.

What were your thoughts on this event anyway? What did it for you and who made your skin crawl?

Until the next time my ice buddies…bend your knees and keep your back straight!

xox

Hbelle

 

 

WHAT ARE WE LEFT WITH: Grand Prix 2015

Hey Ice Lovers!

The Grand Prix series is completed for another year and I’m still coming down from the high of having a skating event to watch every single weekend for almost 2 months! As I recall the whole series all I’m really left with is a vague, monotonous parade of programs, all more or less the same, with only a few stand out impressions. It’s those stand out memories that really mean something to me in this sport. They are why we all keep watching.

Be honest. If you’re a figure skating nerd and you watched most of the Grand Prix series, what do you actually remember? Now that it’s all over can you even recall what went down?

Well I’m here to help with this little re-cap.

WARNING: if you follow this blog you know I couldn’t care less for Pairs or Ice Dance right now. In the 1990’s I kept up, but anything beyond 2002 I’m more or less out….go to The Blade Boys,  The Skating Lesson or The Rinkside Cafe if you want quality musings on those events  🙂

So lets do it! First up…

Skate America

Well, obviously Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia stood out big time.

What can you say? Another incredible Russian girl. Breath taking jumps…the flow through them, the confidence going in, the arm over head, all so lovely. Great dresses too. The way Russia cranks out ladies contenders these days however, it’s hard to say where she’ll be next season, but that’s beside the point. It’s worth mentioning that some of the choreography in her Long Program was straight up laughable.

Anyhow, the reality is that Evgenia Medvedeva has the potential to be devastating in any competition points-wise and seems to have excellent focus to boot. I predict she will be a contender at Worlds 2016.

Gracie Gold

The USA’s most promising lady came out of the gate swinging this season. Her short program is stand out, I love it. She still can’t do a Triple Flip, but everything else was spot on elements wise. Loved the elegant, sexy dress she wore for it too. It looks great on her.

But I just cannot deal with her Long Program this year. Is it me?? I hate it!

I hate the try-hard “artistic” choreo:

I hate the gloves…

Oh, and I think I hate “Firebird” by Stravinsky. It’s stressful music isn’t it? And you hear it so frequently at skating competitions too. Boring.

Gracie should just stick to being an ice princess. She kills that style and it showcases her best.

Yulia Lipnitskaya

My poor little sweetie. What an awkward phase of her career….it was tough to watch her at Skate America. It was the worst I’ve seen her skate in many respects, and that’s bad because last season was a nightmare.

That Short Program dress was one of the most epic fails I’ve ever seen on the ice EVER. And such a shock coming from Yulia, who has been impeccably costumed historically! Ugh…

The poor girl has a women’s body now and her unreliable (see also: terrible) jumping technique is now completely failing her. Talk about an ego crushing start to her season…not the come-back we Yuliacs…(copyright “Yuliacs”) were hoping for.

The Long Program has potential and the dress is cool conceptually, but it needs a sharper design…she has to get her shit together.

All you could really say at the end of Skate America in regards to her was….. poor Yulia….poor, poor Yulia….

Should we count her out for good though? Absolutely not. This girl is a fighter, she has tremendous potential and a brand new coach now….Im very curious to see how she fairs at the ultra competitive Russian Nationals over Christmas. I predict a pleasant surprise…but I’m, like, insanely biased. I love her.

Shoma Uno of Japan.

Wow.

All i can say is wow, this kid is compelling. His showmanship, the skating skills, his original style. Shoma left me impressed and wanting more. Fantastic addition to the Senior Men’s field and the most exciting take away from Skate America for me.

 SKATE CANADA

My most vivid impression of this event was poor Kaitlyn Osmond of Canada’s vicious fall in the Short Program. It was awful to see and I hope she wasn’t too badly hurt. It shook her up badly and she bombed the rest of the competition. Such a pity because she really does have potential.

Ashley Wagner managed to win this thing.

It was annoying to me as i find her skating underwhelming technically and I’m pretty tired of that Long Program by now….the Short Program on the other hand I absolutely love, and my hat tips to her team for the choreography. Both her dresses were fabulous as well.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva bombed her Short Program, surprising everyone, and then came back hard in the Long Program to win and pulled up to 2nd place over all.

She busted out the kind of jumps in the LP we expect from this reigning World Champion and it was cool to see her fight back. Her programs are beyond terrible though and she has horrendous spins, no transitions either…I like her, I’m not sure why, but it has to be said…she is not a complete skater.

Patrick Chan.

Another surprising Short Program bomb at this event from our boy PChan. He came back strong in the Long Program though, reminding us why he’s capable of being one of the most complete skaters in history, and managed to pull up to first place over all. I was proud of him…but I’m also worried about his head game….when Yuzuru Hanyu is your main competition you can’t afford to give ANY points away.

Speaking of the great Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan…

Tough Short Program for him here too. He had some problems at this event in general and only managed to hang on to 2nd place. Yuzuru leaves a lasting impression anyway though with the quality of his routines. Last years Short Program to Chopin is so beautiful, I’m happy to see it again! And the Long….ugh….he kills me, I love it. The exciting music that steadily builds to a finale, the way he gives the judges sass, his commitment to the choreography….first rate.

He’s going to win Worlds in 2016…obviously.

Cup of China

Mao Asada of Japan is clearly struggling to get her competitive head screwed on after being away.

I was expecting her to really throw down here but she struggled the whole event. The surprise of that, and then watching how she handled it, is what made her stand out to me over all. She took Gold, but it wasn’t her best.

The programs are OK, maybe not my favourite from her…but i am curious to see where she goes with them theatrically later in the season.

Bronze medalist Elena Radionova of Russia has terrible shoulders, flailing arms and favours embarrassing theatrics.

I cannot express how awful i think her programs are this season either. I hate them. This fierce dislike of her skating keeps her fresh in my mind though, even after the event is long past! They better send her to Ballet class soon because I can’t stand to look at those shoulders anymore!

Speaking of car crash Russians…Anna Pogorilaya was a stand out at Cup of China due to her usual series of brutal falls.

I’m convinced she’s trying to take herself out in these programs and I affectionately call her “Torture Porn Russian”….

But you can’t mention her without also mentioning how beautiful she is….

The girl could be a model. Just stunning….I can’t imagine the season is going to get better for her….but i guess you never can tell in this sport.

Javier Fernandez from Spain, the Gold medalist here, was skating like the World Champion he is and I was proud to see him deliver two strong programs. Go Javi!!!! Great start to the season.

Boyang Jin from China took the Silver and he stands out in my mind only because he can do a Quad Lutz.

It’s an amazingly difficult element and he crushes it. Props. The rest of his skating needs MAJOR work though. Like, major.

Trophée Éric Bompard

The main take way from this competition was of course the horrifying tragedy in France. So scary and so sad…God rest the souls of all those affected by those truly awful terrorist attacks.

The final placement at this event was based on the Short Program standings only, as it was cancelled immediately after that component due to the crisis and no one skated their Long.

So Miss Gracie Gold…she dominated in the Short and even got the Flip done! One can only assume she would have been pretty unbeatable in the Long in this field. A 1st place finish for her sits OK with me.

Yulia Lipnitskaya

My baby girl was looking MUCH better here than at Skate America, that’s for sure, and I love her so she gets another shout out.

Yulia changed up her Short Program dress (and threw that rainbow debacle in the incinerator I hope)

She actually looked happy too.

Yulia skated a basically solid Short Program ending up 2nd. Would she have been able to hang onto that spot? Ehhh, probably not, but whatever. I was happy to see her end the Grand Prix on a positive note and head off to her new coach Alexi Urmanov in Sochi, inspired to get to work. Good luck Yulia!

On a side note, everyone needs to stop shitting on her Short Program musical choice. I applaud her for trying something outside her comfort zone! That’s how you get better people.

ANY-way…

So, like it happened at Skate Canada Elizaveta Tuktamysheva had a really rough Short Program here and ended up 7th.

I’m sure she would have pulled up in the Long…..but I’m not positive..y’know? It seems the pressure of last seasons success is getting to her. I’m very curious to see what she pulls out at Russian Nationals in a few days though! Don’t get too obsessed with the Triple Axle Liza….it’s not everything!!

Shoma Uno of Japan.

This kid is one to watch, no doubt, and I bring him up again for this reason.

Shoma ended up 1st after the short and I’m fine with him having that title. His skating is very exciting to me and I hope to see him on the World team in 2016.

Patrick Chan

Oh Patrick…..what is the fucking problem here!?! Why can’t you get a Short Program done???? Much like at Skate Canada PChan also struggled in the Short at Trophee Eric Bombard, but without the chance to make it up in the Long, he ended up 5th.

There was a time when I thought of Patrick as a threat to any Men’s podium, but after this Grand Prix season…..I just don’t know. Not with the likes of Javier Fernandez, Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno on the scene. He needs a sports psychologist, and at this point he’s not too good for a jump coach either.

Rostelecom Cup

Elena Radionova won this thing by being gross.

Elena skates with a similar “passion”to every piece of music, no matter the theme, and that dated Titanic LP is no different. It seems like she doesn’t fully understand it, like she doesn’t know what the movie was about. And the voice over of Leonardo DiCaprio drowning during the finale spin!?!?! The fuck?! Tough to watch.

And of course we had super hottie Adelina Sotnikova at this event too.

The controversial Olympic Ladies Champion from Sochi 2014 was nowhere near her best at this event, and she sobbed at the end of her Long Program like she…I don’t know what….like she managed to escape execution??? Something like that. Anyway, her dress was pretty and she has interesting spins, great speed/ice coverage…but unfortunately those jumps were just not around….not at all. But Rostelecom Cup is in Russia and…well….they took care of it and she ended up with the Bronze here. Good for her I guess?

Adian Pitkeev of Russia took Gold in the Men’s event.

This handsome young man has come so far from last season.

He’s sleek and quick with a beautiful body line and I enjoy watching him more and more as he goes along in the sport. His landings on the jumps remind me a little of Russian Olympic Champion Ilia Kulik and in general he stood out to me here because he has developed so much in just one season. Nice job Adian!

NHK Trophy

Satoko Miyrahara of Japan was the winner here and you have to stand up and applaud her consistency. She’s un-real that way.

This girl really knows how to focus and do her job. I love her spins (especially the Layback) and I love her confident, authentic showmanship too. And OK sure, there is no height what-so-ever on those jumps, and if she gains even 1 pound she’ll never rotate them again, but who cares right? She’s getting the job done now and I always enjoy her programs. Total little cutie!

Mao Asada…

I’m bringing her up again because I was slightly shocked to see how much trouble she was continuing to have on the Grand Prix circuit this year. It just goes to show you, even the most talented and capable skaters can be plagued in competition if they lose their head game. I hope to see her rise above these problems and do what she is capable at Worlds 2016….I guess we’ll see.

Anna Pogorilaya aka “Torture Porn Russian”

Wow! The falls at this event were truly spectacular. Note worthy. Anna was literally writhing in pain on the ice like a stab wound victim around fall number 3 in the Long Program….

I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Jesus…..hope Anna is OK. That was rough as HELL. And she’s just so pretty too!

The Grand Prix Final 2015

So after all that here’s how it shook out in the Grand Prix Final this year!

Men:

1. Yuzuru Hanyu
2. Javier Fernandez
3. Shoma Uno

Ladies:

1. Evgenia Medvedeva
2. Satoko Miyrahara
3. Elena Radionova

Closing thoughts:

If you weren’t a die hard Yuzuru Hanyu fan before, I don’t see how you couldn’t be now. It brought a tear to my eye to watch Yuzu skate with such technical mastery and authority. I love that Long Program artistically as well, and he deserves every World record in the book.

Re-live that feat here:

Evgenia Medvedeva is a very exciting jumper. I really stand in awe of the flow and elegance she achieves. She has a lot of other good qualities too. Her Sasha Cohen skid is really dope, love that.

Check out her super clean LP here:

Russian Nationals is going to be absolutely stacked in the Ladies event this year! I’m looking forward to the showdown!

And finally,  just to stir the pot a bit, I’d like to mention that at the Grand Prix Final this year I was once again reminded of Ashley Wagner and her uncanny ability to throw down and show us what she’s made of……..once she’s in last place, the pressure is off and there’s nothing to lose.

Ashley sure is proud of herself huh? God love her for that drama (and the dresses) But seriously, I’d like to see her get her head game together already and deliver the SP under pressure.

US Nationals will be very interesting in the Ladies event this year as well.

And there we have it! The 2015 Grand Prix Experience.

Hope you liked it my arena dwelling friends.

Happy Holidays and talk to you in 2016.

xoxoxo

Hbelle

BOOK REVIEW: “Thumbs Up: The Elizabeth Manley Story”

If you follow this blog you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’m a hopelessly dorky Canadian Figure Skating fanatic.

As a Canadian I’m lucky to have Figure Skating icons in all categories of the sport to brag about. In the Mens event there is Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko, Patrick Chan and Toller Cranston. In the Ice Dance category we have Virtue and Moir and the under-rated, incredibly ahead of their time, Bourne and Kratz. In the Pairs event Canada boasts Sale and Pelletier, Brasseur and Eisler and of course Wagner and Paul. One of the most respected choreographers in the game is Canadian, legendary Sandra Bezic. It is only in the Ladies event where true icons of Canadian heritage are a little scarce, at least these days…. certainly if you go way back you can find them. Barbara Ann Scott and Karen Magnussen come to mind of course, but other than the lovely Joannie Rochette of more recent years, Canada has had a drought in the Ladies event for a long time now. I have no idea why, and the speculation on this could be fodder for another post, but when I think about it I realize the last truly great champion we ever had was Elizabeth Manley.

When I was 12 years old I read “Thumbs Up: The Elizabeth Manley Storey” about 5 times. I am not exaggerating. I was obsessed with her. When I went to the rink to practice I would think to myself...”What would Elizabeth do…?” Well…until it got hard and I quit, much un-like Liz, but that’s neither here nor there.

Elizabeth’s journey is an inspiring one regardless.

We all love an under-dog story and Elizabeth’s rise to the podium in Calgary 1988 is just that. Liz reveals with adorable candour the difficulties she faced early on in her career. She reveals that Skate Canada sent her to Lake Placid for training with a new set of coaches at age 16 and that it proved to be a disastrous move for her. She recalls her emotional struggle during that period and how she put on a huge amount of weight and became clinically depressed to the point of suffering from Alopecia! (a condition, sometimes triggered by stress, that causes your hair to fall out) she lost her focus at a number of important events, was shunned by the skating world and at 17 years old she hung up her skates and officially quit. It was when she was approached by husband and wife coaching team Peter and Sonya Dunfield that things began to turn around. They seemed to understand her, they re-built her confidence, and thus began her rise on the World stage. After a 13th place showing at 1984 Sarajevo Olympics she bettered her standing at each subsequent World Championship from there. Going from 9th place, to 8th place, to 5th and finally 4th place heading into the Calgary 1988 Olympics. She is frank about the 4th place showing at those 1987 Worlds too, which was respectable on paper, but a blow for her because she was in a position to win after Figures and the Short Program. Liz felt frustrated that she struggled to focus in the Long Program and lost out for a medal. This defeat strengthened her resolve though. For all those close to her, what happened in Calgary was no surprise, they knew what she was capable of, but to everyone else it was a bit shocking. She was the dark horse nobody considered. By the time 1988 Olympics rolled around all eyes were on “The Battle of the Carmen’s” between Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas anyway. Elizabeth Manley wasn’t even in the conversation. But Liz was in her home country and on a mission to prove something to herself and had a resolve to compete that really had nothing to do with medals. In spite of becoming severely ill 2 weeks before the event, she blazed into that competition like a wild fire and tore it UP! Liz actually won the Free Skate y’know. This was when School Figures were still a thing however, and between those scores plus Katarina Witt’s performance earning her a very close second place in the Free, Liz ended up 2nd over all. The way the crowd reacted though, and the media attention she received from it, she may as well have taken Gold. I still get a little choked up when I watch that Free Program to this day.

Re-live the magic here:

 

Elizabeth was ahead of her time technically too, am I right? Nobody was doing Triple Lutz’s in the Ladies event at that time, and she nailed hers! That’s a Lutz that would hold up today.

This book is full of juicy details about Liz’s personal life, her romance with a fellow Olympic athlete is particularly interesting. She dishes on competition politics and how she was treated in Lake Placid and she graciously acknowledges how hard her mother worked to keep her on the ice as well. Liz really puts you in her shoes all through this book. By the time you reach the climax of her triumph in Calgary you couldn’t love her any more.

I’d recommend this book to any skating fan sure, but I feel it may even be interesting to a non-skating fan too. But hey….that’s probably the Ice Nerd in me going out on a limb.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Why do you think Canada has had such trouble producing a Ladies champion since Elizabeth Manley?

Until next time my Ice Darlings…THUMBS UP!

xo
Hbelle

FASHION baby!

Something I’ve always loved about figure skating is its unspoken pageant component. The ISU can go on about athletics till the cows come home, but the fact remains that skaters are judged with the same level of scrutiny on how they look when they step on the ice, as what they can actually do on it. It’s catty, it’s shallow, it shouldn’t matter….BUT IT DOES. And let’s face it, a lot of people tune in for this very reason. As Dick Button says, figure skating is theatre. A competitive program is a performance as much as it is a display of athletic ability. If a skater isn’t dressed right, it hurts their component score, if a skater is dressed beautifully, it helps them.

Remember Nancy Kerrigan in her $5000.00 Vera Wang originals? Who doesn’t. She was always impeccably dressed. To this day, the average Joe Blow out there remembers Nancy more for her dresses than for her Spiral or her Triple Toe/Triple Toe combination.

The new Nancy Kerrigan, in terms of fashion, is Gracie Gold. It’s that ice princess thing the USA does so well. Don’t you just want to hang her on your Christmas Tree?

This particular style is at its best on Gracie Gold. She sells it beautifully.

Then of course there was World and Olympic champion Oksana Baiul of the Ukraine. So beautifully costumed in her 1994 Olympic Short Program as a Black Swan, (and since we’re on the subject, let’s be real, she was also the only skater who has ever performed to this music with any authentic balletic style…but that’s another post)

Oh, and the White Swan from the Gala too..classic!

Of course she famously blew it, in terms of fashion, in the Long Program of that same event. Figure skating Godfather Toller Cranston , God rest his soul,  even remarked that she resembled ..”an electrified poodle…”

You can’t see the scrunchie in that shot, but it matched the shoulder trim, and it was awful. Fortunately for Oksana, I think that this silly costume endeared her even further to the judges and, whether you agree with what happened or not, she snuck in there and took the Gold.

A beautiful costume can’t save you if you’re going down though. That’s the twisted beauty of figure skating! It matters, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a popularity contest, it’s a fashion show and it’s an athletic competition rolled into one. You can bag those extra points (and the judges good graces) by looking spiffy no doubt, but if you fail to execute your program…..it’s over.

As a Canadian skating fanatic, it pains me to bring up Kurt Browning when it comes to the Olympics. Especially 1994 Lilihammer, his last chance. But since this article is focused on fashion, I have no choice. His Long Program was set to Casablanca and the costume was perfection. Absolutely timeless and oh-so-classy.

This four time World Champion and legend in the sport was the favourite for Gold heading into both of his Olympic runs. He was dressed for success too, especially in Lilihammer, and the judges couldn’t have wanted to give it to him more….but alas, he crumbled under the pressure and even his incredible threads couldn’t save him.

Speaking of Canadians…Ice Dance Olympic and World Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are always impeccably dressed. In a sector of the sport that is famous for being particularly garish and over the top, this team always keeps it elegant and glamourous.

 

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov of Russia, the undisputed all-time-greatest Pairs team in history, brought that sexy severity we love about Russian athletes out to play in their 1994 Olympic Free Skate don’t you think? That was the second time they took the Gold.

I know some of you are like…”…I’m seeing Star Trek here…” But I love it, so fuck you. They look like sexy priests!

G&G was a team so unbelievably good that it really didn’t matter what they wore. This is not something that can be said about very many.

Olympic and World Champion Pairs team Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada were another well styled couple who consistently rocked an understated look.

As much as I loved this clean, preppy style on them it WAS distracting how much the fabric of her shirt showed sweat marks. Do you guys remember? Whoever thought that was a smart material to make an athlete’s competition shirt out of I can only hope was fired.

Then there is the famous, the infamous, the one and only Katarina Witt of East Germany. A two time Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. This is the woman responsible for the Carmen pandemic we are experiencing in the sport today, 30 years later. Katarina understood the theatrical element of figure skater perhaps better than anyone in its history.

And whether she was doing a Showgirl thing…

Her legendary Carmen routine..

Or something more playful…

Katarina Witt was an icon of style in the sport and continues to inspire the trends to this day.

The modern answer to Katarina Witt, in my humble opinion, is Russia’s Yulia Lipnitskaya. This girl is a force to be reckoned with in terms of her mesmerizing spins, unparalleled flexibility and style. Yulia is unique, modern and eye catching.

Yulia is a young, stylish girl in one program…

A sleek, exotic bird in the next piece…

And an ice princess too.

And of course, most famously so far….a tragic child.

I could post pictures of her costumes all day. SO good.

Who do you like?

What figure skating costumes did it for you over your own history with the sport?

Until the next time we chat ice lovers…..sell your program and dress to IMPRESS!

xoxoxoxo
HBelle

DREAM CRUSHERS: The Tara Lipinski Edition

When I was 15 I quit Figure Skating. At that time I was doing preparations for my Senior Bronze Free Skate Test. This test (at least in my day) required, among other things, a Double Salchow, a Double Toe Loop and a single Axle. I failed it miserably on my first try.

As a skater up to that point I wasn’t particularly natural, especially not with the jumps. I was a good spinner and flexible with an excellent Spiral extension… but alas I skated pretty slowly, cautiously and with very little lift when it came to the jumps. My Axle was criticized for it’s low height and my Double jumps were always cheated. I just didn’t have that confidence to really GO for it.

This was the late 1990’s…there was no You Tube yet. I didn’t know what the skill level was for every skater in the whole wide world…I knew enough to realize my little recreational club wasn’t a mecca for the sport though, and I was well aware that I wasn’t the best there either. But still..I figured I had time to get better. Up until that point most of the skaters I saw competing at the Senior level on television were a bit older. Back then top skaters were generally much later in their teens than is the norm today. Michelle Kwan was an anomaly I figured…a rare prodigy. And  Oksana Baiul was just as unusual a case…an orphan with huge, sad eyes that seemed many years older than 16. Most other girls, normal girls, took a bit more time to develop, I figured. I could develop too! Basically I was, like, this dumb kid living in a tiny town, I wasn’t that good at skating, and yet I held a very sincere belief that I would someday soon be a world class figure skater.

One thing I was kinda noticing though was that the technique, which was really difficult for me in the first place, was actually getter even harder. To my dismay I began to realize I would have to train with a lot more focus than I had thought to really master the skills and become a real figure skater… the hard work began to put me off as it does so many of us…sigh!

Back then, when I was 15 at the ice rink, I felt pretty torn. Should I really commit to this and try to make a go of it, for real, or am I gonna quit? It’s funny to remember now, because to everyone else involved in my skating it was just considered a hobby anyhow…. but to me it felt so important. I genuinely loved the sport. What should I do???

Then….. the 1998 Olympics in Nagano rolled around and Tara Lipinksi beat The Kwan. Re-live that incredible upset here:

Minds were blown, even Michelle Kwan’s I suspect.

Watching that event was my turning point, I can remember it like it was yesterday. When Tara Lipinski hit that famous Triple Loop/Triple Loop combination of hers with such ease in the Long Program, it was a sobering moment for me and it shoved me abruptly into reality.

I was NEVER going to be a competitive skater. I was struggling to pass my Senior Bronze Free skate test! Tara was a few months younger than me and she had beat THE KWAN. The prodigy. People were good at this I realized, so much better than I had even thought.

The upside to this story is that I wasn’t devastated by this realization. Not in the least. It was kind of a relief to let those dreams go actually. It freed me up to smoke pot in the parking lot BEHIND the arena, for example, and hang around after school with non-figure skating kids instead of trying to do Double Flips over and over all evening, and I wouldn’t trade those parties and escapades of my youth for anything. For me, being an educated figure skating FAN has turned out to be even better than being an actual skater. When I’m a little baked, sipping hot cocoa in a cozy sweater, judging the skills of world class athletes at a world class event from the bleachers…I’m in my happy place, I’ll tell you that fellow ice nerds. So I guess it’s good to know that the 8 years me (and my parents, God bless them) put into the sport were not for nothing. Skating has brought me such joy through my life, in ways i hadn’t planned for in the beginning.

Crushed dreams don’t always mean a broken heart. Sometimes dreams, even ones that are never realized, can be the fuel that feeds another passion.

To this day I lovingly think of Tara Lipinski, and her devastating Triple/Triple combinations, as an important icon of my personal growth. Tara was a true Dream Crusher, and I admire her chops today as much as I did then! Ruin-your-life AMAZING!

Until next time ice dorks…

xxxxo
HBelle

Can we talk about the Ladies event at Worlds 2015?

Watching Elizaveta Tuktamysheva this season has been fascinating. I was lucky enough to catch her live early on at the 2014 Hilton Honors Skate America in Chicago, Illinois. She placed 2nd in that event. Even though it was a bit of a shaky skate for her there one couldn’t help but notice her huge jumps and impressive ice coverage. That, and her strategic approach to the competition. For example, instead of going for the Triple Lutz/Triple Toe combo like all the other girls (most of whom struggle with it by the way) she does the much easier Triple Toe/Triple Toe combo instead. The thing is, she almost always nails it and accumulates extra points for placing it late in the program. Even though she hadn’t hit her stride yet at Skate America you could clearly see that Elizaveta is an exquisitely packaged skater. She skates programs that she can sell, wears dresses that flatter her athletic build and all her elements are things that not only she can do, but she can do exceptionally well. Her Triple Lutz is my pick for the best Lutz in the competition at Worlds this year, hands down. And yeah OK, her spin positions suck, I can admit it, but they are fast and centred and garner a lot of technical points as well. When I saw her at Skate America I noticed all of this, but I didn’t love her, yet as the season continued on and she took title after title and I watched her get more and more consistent, I began to feel smitten by her sassy, almost cocky kind of style. She has the goods to back it up. By the time she wiped out the competition at the Grand Prix Final AND Europeans I knew (like everyone else) we had a World Champion on our hands.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva SP Worlds 2015 HERE

How about that Short Program huh? I haven’t seen a Triple Axle like that since Tonya Hardings salad days back in 1991! And lets get serious, Tonya never had that kind of grace with her jumps. Elizaveta is the most exciting female World Champion in a long time and it has been inspiring to watch her build to this all season. Bravo Eliza!

OK, so what about the other Russian ladies?

We’ve got Elena Radionova, our Bronze medalist this year.

I was also lucky to catch her live at Skate America early on this season. She won that event and as I watched her skate then I felt the same way I do now. I hate her skating style but admire her jump technique. Not a ton of height, but fast, tight air position with precise, clear edges. And consistent!! Whew! That girl has a technique that she can count on, and I respect that. It’s also hard not to love her genuine, uncontrived passion for skating. It’s endearing, no doubt. But her flailing arms and stiff shoulders really distract me. It takes away from that admirable technique and really reveals her immaturity. She IS only 15 years old though, and has absolutely gorgeous long legs and a flexible back, so I keep her on my radar. Certainly one to watch develop. There’s potential there.

Oh God, then there is poor Anna Pogorilaya, the 3rd ranked Russian, who ended up in a dismal 13th place this year. Holy Torture Porn Batman! This girl takes the most brutal falls in competition, have you noticed this? This Long Program was no exception.

I actually don’t blame her though. I feel she is a huge talent who is being horribly mismanaged. Here is a girl who is BEAUTIFUL, just a stunning figure on the ice. She has considerable athletic ability and is totally capable of first rate elements. But these programs….AWFUL. A beautiful blonde skating to dark, almost angry, classical selections in dated costumes. It’s a CRIME! She always looks like she’s skating for her life. She appears stressed and frantic trying to keep up to that awful music. And I swear to God her coach……

Anna Tsareva…..? Who is she…? She looks pure evil man. Such cool eyes and she doesn’t seem to feel any empathy for her student at all either. I like Pogorilaya, but she needs better suited programs for herself and some more modern dresses. With the right team this girl could be a major player! We’ll have to see what happens with her. My fingers are crossed that she finds an identity for herself next season.

Satoko Miyahara from Japan earned the Silver.

What can I say? Great athletics and classy style. I loved her changes in speed, her edges, her spins. She has lovely, clean jumps for the most part as well. This is really my first time paying her any attention this season, I have to admit, she just wasn’t on my radar before….I’m not sure why. She really rose to the occasion here at Worlds though. There was an awkward stumble on a Lutz in the middle of her Long Program, but she didn’t let it phase her at all. It was an impressive recovery. Over all I kind of hated the program, unfortunately. Cheesy music, am I right? She’s better than that program. Satoko Miyahara has got some serious skating chops, no question, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her next season.

Japanese girls are really bringing it in general right now don’t you think? It’s because of prodigy Mao Asada’s impact on skating in Japan right? They have a true legend in the sport to aspire to. It’s wonderful to see.

Well what about the Americans?

We have the hugely talented Gracie Gold who managed to move up to 4th place after a tough Short Program,

the insufferable Ashley Wagner rising up to 5th after an even worse Short Program,

and the under-rated Polina Edmunds in 8th after two solid skates…

All of these girls are good. All are typically American in that they have stylish programs and even more stylish costumes. Wagner particularly has exquisite choreography in both her programs. Wagner is dressed great, she looks GREAT, however her larger-than-life personality over shadows her skating package some of the time.

I would admire her gutsy commitment to the sport and her competitive spirit a lot more if she was less cocky about it. You would think she was known for her jumps the way she talks smack, yet I watched her fail to deliver a solid Triple/Triple combination at this key championship….again. Ashley’s melodrama and theatrics feel cheesy sometimes to me…am I crazy here?

That shit doesn’t don’t make up for her lack of technical prowess in comparison to the rest of the field, not in in my books. She could stand to take a page from the Elizaveta Tuktamysheva book of strategy and maybe try for the Triple Toe/Triple Toe combo instead of the Lutz? Would her ego allow her to go in that direction I wonder? I guess we will see.

Now Gracie Gold can fucking jump, am I right? She’s the only girl on the scene who can even compare to the likes of Elizaveta Tuktamysheva in that department. When she cracks off those jumps it’s exciting! Gracie was another gal I was lucky enough to catch at Skate America this season. Very interesting. Talk about a package. Gracie. Gold. I mean, she IS the package.

Gracie is old school. She’s sparkly. Gracie doesn’t try to be a ballerina or an actress, she’s a figure skater. I wish more of the girls had the clarity of image that she has……Anyway, it’s been a tough season for her, she hasn’t been skating to her potential. So after that rough Short Program I was proud of her for attacking the Free Skate like she did. Do you guys like this program by the way? It’s not my favourite for Gracie. Too emo and too Phantom.

Here’s a thought. How about an automatic .5 deduction for skating to Phantom of the Opera or Carmen? Who’s with me?

She committed to it though and skated with sophistication. Girl has got the goods. I strongly believe that Gracie Gold will be a World Champion someday.

But what about the strange and enchanting Polina Edmunds….Oooohhhhhh.

She is SUCH a fascinating weirdo. I’m in love with her quick feet and soft arms. She has a patient technique with her jumps too, don’t you find? It seems to consistently work for her. She may be a little rough here and there, in her head to get the elements done sometimes, but she is so charismatic and focused. Wow. Look out for that one. She’s going to be a big player down the road..I’m calling it now. The judges were overly harsh on her at this event though, do you agree? Didn’t she deserve higher marks in general? A lot of people seem to think so…..Either way, Polina Edmunds is one worth discussing.

What did you think about the ladies event? What got your attention?

Omg….then there’s the MENS event right? Jesus, it was crazy too wasn’t it?

That’s another post.

Until then….bend your knees and keep your back straight!
xo
HBelle