Figure Skating

[Good Queen Jane]

  On 3/28/2025 at 8:53 PM, ChicksDigScars said:

That said, it is SO NICE to see a loud, enthusiastic, FULL ARENA at a U.S. skating competition. It's been so bleak lately with really bad optics to see so many empty seats. Nicely done, Boston. In fact, give Boston ALL the competitions. Wichita was embarrassing with the empty seats on TV.

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To be fair, Nationals in the same year as Worlds in the US is usually under attended. Many US fans can’t afford to do both and Boston is particularly expensive. Also, Worlds, as one would expect, draws fans from all over the world. Canada and Japan have large numbers of fans who attend. 

Edited Saturday at 01:57 AM by Good Queen Jane

[ChicksDigScars]

Also adding, it’s nice to hear the loud, enthusiastic applause for ALL performances, not just the home country skaters…yeah Sochi, I remember you refusing to cheer for anyone but your own. 
 

And HOLY CRAP!!! Alysa! 

They showed Arthur Liu several times. I hope this doesn’t turn him back into stage dad mode. 
 

Kaori is 💯 class. 

Edited Saturday at 01:58 AM by ChicksDigScars

[absnow54]

Holy shit Alysa Liu! 

[Is Everyone Gone]

Yay Alysa Liu! That was AWESOME!

Kaori was crying. Bittersweet moment for her I guess.

I do worry about Arthur Liu though. From all accounts he completely burned out Alysa the first time with his stage dad overbearing behavior. I hope he gives her some space going forward.

[annzeepark914]

What a great skate! It was wonderful to watch Alysa skate a "dream performance" and see/hear the crowd roar its excitement. Especially good for the Skate Club of Boston too ♥️.

[Avaleigh]

Omg, you guys!!! That actually made me tear up!!! Well won, Alysa!!

I can't believe it's been almost 20 years since the last American woman won. 

That was so exciting. Now I get to catch up with the dance.

[ChicksDigScars]

So basically, Alysa was seven months old the last time a U.S. woman won Worlds. 

[Is Everyone Gone]

I like how Alysa's personality is very ... idk, not the typical ice princess? 

[CeeBeeGee]

  On 3/29/2025 at 12:50 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

To be fair, Nationals in the same year as Worlds in the US is usually under attended. Many US fans can’t afford to do both and Boston is particularly expensive. Also, Worlds, as one would expect, draws fans from all over the world. Canada and Japan have large numbers of fans who attend. 

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I would attend Nationals if they ever decide to have it somewhere in the Northeast. It always seems to be some place in the Midwest, or small city in the South. I don't want to travel to those places. I'm sorry, I don't. (I would probably travel to Chicago though.) Have Nationals in a place that's already a tourist attraction and more people will come.

 

  On 3/29/2025 at 1:34 AM, ChicksDigScars said:

Also adding, it’s nice to hear the loud, enthusiastic applause for ALL performances, not just the home country skaters…yeah Sochi, I remember you refusing to cheer for anyone but your own. 

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I remember that. Disgusting behavior. At the Olympics, no less.

I'm sure I've mentioned this already but the three Japanese skaters who at that point were waiting to see if they'd still be on the podium at the Grand Prix Final, who executed that incredible gesture of respect for Amber (they imitated her closing pose, with the left arm extended)--that is decency, that is respect, that is incredible sportsmanship. One of them had just been knocked off the podium and she still joined in!

Such a breath of fresh air after "Starved, drugged, lied-to teenager* has a meltdown backstage because 'everyone's got a gold medal but me.'" The Russian skaters and the Russian audiences leave something to be desired in terms of good sportsmanship. Believe me, I'd love to be wrong--I actually admire much of Russian culture and speak the language a bit. But I can't stand that kind of pettiness, refusing to clap for anyone but their own countrymen.

 

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:58 AM, Is Everyone Gone said:

I like how Alysa's personality is very ... idk, not the typical ice princess? 

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She's such a California girl and I love it.

*Also believe it or not, I don't really blame Sasha for her meltdown--I blame her coaches. I blame Eteri. Sasha was starved and almost certainly drugged.

Eteri was there yesterday--she's the coach of one of the top men--Daniel Grassl, maybe? When we saw her picture on the Jumbotron, there was a murmur.

Lovedlovedloved Ekaterina Kurakova's Cats freeskate! So much fun, she's such an artist and sells her program so well! Love me some gimmicks like the changing the costume midskate--just a blast!

Thrilled for Alysa. Amber put up a valiant fight, I hope she's not too disappointed. Same with Isabeau. Kaori had a hell of a free skate. All three top skates were excellent.

[Salacious Kitty]

I thought that no one would catch Kaori's score. I was wondering n absolute SHOCK when Alysa's score came up. 

Homegirl makes us proud. Love her quirky attitude. 

eta Eteri used to coach Grassl. She currently coaches Egadze (and I am sure I butchered his name). 

Edited Saturday at 03:54 AM by Salacious Kitty

[CeeBeeGee]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:50 AM, Salacious Kitty said:

I thought that no one would catch Kaori's score. I was wondering n absolute SHOCK when Alysa's score came up. 

Homegirl makes us proud. Love her quirky attitude. 

eta Eteri used to coach Grassl. She currently coaches Egadze (and I am sure I butchered his name). 

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That's it! Yes, it made me sad because we liked Egadze. There was a kid nearby who was hanging over the barrier, trying to personally give him a stuffed animal. Egadze finally noticed and skated over to take it and there was a muted "awwww..." from us. Then when we saw Noodlehead there was a different reaction ;)

[Is Everyone Gone]

I don't blame Sasha for her meltdown at the Olympics. She was being starved, drugged, and physically abused. 

There's four basic responses to trauma: fawn, fight, freeze, flight. And we saw that with her three Olympians.

Anna - freeze. Her frozen smile as she sat alone was ... something. 

Kamila - fawn

Sasha - fight

[Souris]

I loved the moment when Kaori and Alysa hugged and jumped together in shared joy after Alysa came off the ice. Just lovely.

They were both wonderful and had such fun and engaging programs.

Really amazing Alysa was able to win Worlds so soon after unretiring. I think she was able to skate so freely because she had no real expectations.

I hope the men don’t men too badly tomorrow.

Edited Saturday at 05:20 AM by Souris

[annzeepark914]

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:58 AM, Is Everyone Gone said:

I like how Alysa's personality is very ... idk, not the typical ice princess? 

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I liked how I was completely relaxed watching her take the ice and then was able to enjoy the crowd's excitement (along with Alysa!) as she skated her LP. No drama, no nerves. 

[absnow54]

Nationals is going to be intense next year. Alysa will have the shield of being the “reigning World Champion” but Amber and Isabeau are going to have to fend off Sarah Everhardt. And Bradie Tennell isn’t completely out yet if she has a strong Grand Prix. 

[tv echo]

NBC is airing Legacy on Ice, the tribute to the lives lost in the DC plane crash, on Sunday, March 30, at 1:00pm ET. (The live performance had been recorded on March 2 at the Capitol One Arena in DC.) Skaters include Alysa Liu and a mix of old and new skaters...

https://www.usfigureskating.org/event/legacy-ice 

  Quote

The event will be broadcasted on NBC Sunday, March 30, at 1 p.m. ET.
*  *  *
The event will be co-hosted by 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano and 1992 Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi.

Legacy on Ice cast members:  

• Jeremy Abbott, 2014 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist
• Sofia Bezkorovainaya, 2024-25 Team USA
• Brian Boitano, 1988 Olympic Champion
• Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville, 2024 U.S. Bronze Medalists
• Jason Brown, 2014 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist
• Ashley Cain, Two-Time U.S. Pairs National Champion 
• Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, Two-Time Four Continents Ice Dance Bronze Medalists 
• Kitty and Peter Carruthers, 1984 Olympic Pairs Silver Medalists 
• Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov, 2020 U.S. Junior Pewter Medalists
• Nathan Chen, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist
• Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 2022 Olympic Team Gold Medalists
• Richard Dwyer, U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Famer 
• Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, 2025 U.S. Pairs Champions 
• Sarah Everhardt, 2025 Four Continents Bronze Medalist
• Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic Champion 
• Amber Glenn, 2024 Grand Prix Final Champion
• Gracie Gold, 2014 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist 
• Scott Hamilton, 1984 Olympic Champion
• Nancy Kerrigan, 1994 Olympic Silver Medalist
• Ilia Kulik, 1998 Olympic Champion
• Isabeau Levito, 2024 World Silver Medalist 
• Alysa Liu, 2022 World Bronze Medalist
• Jimmy Ma, 2025 Four Continents Bronze Medalist 
• Ilia Malinin, 2024 World Champion
• Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, 2025 U.S. Pairs Silver Medalists 
• Yebin Mok, 1998-2008 Team USA
• Maxim Naumov, 2025 U.S. Pewter Medalist
• Camden Pulkinen, Two-Time U.S. Bronze Medalist
• Andrew Torgashev, 2025 U.S. Silver Medalist
• Michael Weiss, Two-Time World Bronze Medalist
• Johnny Weir, Three-Time U.S. Champion
• Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist

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Edited Saturday at 06:28 PM by tv echo

[absnow54]

  On 3/29/2025 at 1:57 PM, tv echo said:

NBC is airing Legacy on Ice, the tribute to the lives lost in the DC plane crash, on Sunday, March 30, at 1:00pm ET. (The live performance had been recorded on March 2 at the Capitol One Arena in DC.) Skaters include Alysa Liu and a mix of old and new skaters...

https://www.usfigureskating.org/event/legacy-ice 

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To set expectations, I believe most of the “older skaters” (including Nathan Chen) only introduce the currently competitive skaters. 

[iMonrey]

  On 3/28/2025 at 9:04 PM, Quof said:

Not quite.  Women must do a stand alone triple jump; if they do a double instead, they get no points.   Leaving aside the axel, which can be double or triple, skaters can do a double only if it is in combination with a triple jump. 

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I think original poster was referring to Kaori doing a triple-double instead of a triple-triple.

Alysa's long program was amazing. I was pretty sure she had it in the bag when she finished. Kaori was great but she was fifth going into the long. I've really liked this long program for Alysa all season long. It's so fun and upbeat. I'm really tired of overly melodramatic programs that seem designed to maximize component scores by emotional manipulation.

Amber did about as well as I expected. At least she didn't fall but she gave up a lot of points by doubling jumps. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a redemption.

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:50 AM, CeeBeeGee said:

I'm sure I've mentioned this already but the three Japanese skaters who at that point were waiting to see if they'd still be on the podium at the Grand Prix Final, who executed that incredible gesture of respect for Amber (they imitated her closing pose, with the left arm extended)--that is decency, that is respect, that is incredible sportsmanship. One of them had just been knocked off the podium and she still joined in!

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It was the same at Worlds last year with the men when Ilia won.

[Good Queen Jane]

I have to make a correction to my post above about the USA qualifying three pairs to the Olympics. The placement does qualify three pairs to the 2026 Worlds but since the Olympics limits the number of contestants in each discipline, the USA just has the CHANCE to qualify three teams. To automatically qualify three teams for Olympics, a country had to have three teams in the Free Skate. Since the USA only had two teams competing, the placement means that the USA can send one pairs team to the Qualifying Event in Beijing in September. If that team places in the top three, then the USA gets a third entry in Pairs. The team that competes in Beijing cannot have competed in Boston. However, since Chan/Howe did not go to Worlds and are considered a top pairs team, the USA has a really good chance to win the third spot.

Whew, I know this complicated, but what about figure skating rules isn’t?

Edited Saturday at 09:47 PM by Good Queen Jane

[SeanC]

  On 3/29/2025 at 7:23 PM, Good Queen Jane said:

I have to make a correction to my post above about the USA qualifying three pairs to the Olympics. The placement does qualify three pairs to the 2026 Worlds but since the Olympics limits the number of contestants in each discipline, the USA just has the CHANCE to qualify three teams. To automatically qualify three teams for Olympics, a country had to have three teams in the Free Skate. Since the USA only had two teams competing, the placement means that the USA can send one pairs team to the Qualifying Event in Beijing in September. If that team places in the top three, then the USA gets a third entry in Pairs. The team that competes in Beijing cannot have competed in Boston. However, since Chan/Howe did not go to Worlds and are considered a top pairs team, the USA has a really good chance to win the third spot.

Whew, I know this complicated, but what about figure skating rules aren’t?

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Now if you really want to take complicated rules, you can look at the dance event, where there are 19 Olympic spots awarded today but 20 teams make the free dance. So you'd assume based on that that it would be the first nineteen, but in fact it isn't, because the 20th-place dance was the third Canadian team, and because Gilles & Poirier and Lajoie & Lagha placed high enjoy to qualify three spots (2+7 = 9, needed to add up to 13 or less), the third Canadian spot is secured as long as Fabbri & Ayer made the free, which they did. So the team that doesn't qualify is the Australians, Harris & Chan, who finished nineteenth.

Fear & Gibson claim Britain's first World medal in dance (or in any discipline) since 1984.

Gilles & Poirier are now the third-most-decorated Canadian team at Worlds, behind Virtue & Moir and Bourne & Kraatz.

Chock & Bates now have solo possession of the record for most World titles for a US dance team, breaking the tie with Davis & White.

[Is Everyone Gone]

I'm ready for a slew of ice dance retirements after Milan. Feel like ice dance is so stagnant this quad.

[Is Everyone Gone]

Congrats Ilia and Misha Shaidorov. Wow Yuma had a nightmare skate. 

[Good Queen Jane]

For all those who complained about sending Jason Brown to Worlds this year, now you know why. No US man other than Ilia and Jason are consistent enough to get the US three placements. Jason ended up fourth in the Free Skate and had the highest component scores. 

[annzeepark914]

Three gold medals at Worlds for the US. Is this a first? My favorites: S/D's FD to Dune, watching Shaidorov's exciting LP, Alysa's  exuberant LP amid the roar in TD Garden, Ilia's quads ("only 6"), and Chock & Bates winning their 3rd Worlds--❤️.

[absnow54]

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:15 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

For all those who complained about sending Jason Brown to Worlds this year, now you know why. No US man other than Ilia and Jason are consistent enough to get the US three placements. Jason ended up fourth in the Free Skate and had the highest component scores. 

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It’s devastating because I really wanted to see Torgy succeed, but Ilia and Jason have been keeping US men’s figure skating afloat this quad. Jason deserves the Olympic slot he’ll likely get, and I hope they give him the SP for the Team Event so he can bring home another Olympic medal. He’s earned it. 

[Salacious Kitty]

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:18 AM, annzeepark914 said:

Three gold medals at Worlds for the US. Is this a first? My favorites: S/D's FD to Dune, watching Shaidorov's exciting LP, Alysa's  exuberant LP amid the roar in TD Garden, Ilia's quads ("only 6"), and Chock & Bates winning their 3rd Worlds--❤️.

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I believe the US swept the table in '84. 

[Avaleigh]

  On 3/30/2025 at 3:05 AM, Salacious Kitty said:

I believe the US swept the table in '84. 

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Scott Hamilton won, but I think that's the only gold that year for the US.

[Salacious Kitty]

You're right. I don't know why I thought that. Especially with Torvill and Dean at the peak of their powers. 😀

[CeeBeeGee]

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:40 AM, absnow54 said:

It’s devastating because I really wanted to see Torgy succeed, but Ilia and Jason have been keeping US men’s figure skating afloat this quad. Jason deserves the Olympic slot he’ll likely get, and I hope they give him the SP for the Team Event so he can bring home another Olympic medal. He’s earned it. 

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God, if we got Team gold next Games and Jason finally got his Olympic gold, I would be so happy, I would be crying ugly tears.

[absnow54]

Time for important questions: which soundtrack will skaters hyper fixate on next year now that they’ve got Dune out of their systems. My money is on Wicked. 

[iMonrey]

  On 3/30/2025 at 1:53 PM, absnow54 said:

Time for important questions: which soundtrack will skaters hyper fixate on next year now that they’ve got Dune out of their systems. My money is on Wicked. 

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Ain't that the truth. How may skaters skated to Dune this year? I counted at least three.

Way to go Ilia. He wound up something like 32 points ahead of second place. And that was with a mistake. Imagine if he'd nailed the second quad lutz combo, he'd probably have finished about 50 points ahead. That's ridiculous. It almost doesn't even seem fair to allow him to compete, nobody else stands a chance.

Felt sorry for Yuma but I didn't think he did enough to earn bronze. I suppose if Siao Him Fa hadn't fallen so far in the short he would have been on the podium instead. 

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:15 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

For all those who complained about sending Jason Brown to Worlds this year, now you know why. No US man other than Ilia and Jason are consistent enough to get the US three placements. Jason ended up fourth in the Free Skate and had the highest component scores. 

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I'm still sick of him. 

[annzeepark914]

  On 3/30/2025 at 4:20 PM, iMonrey said:

I'm still sick of him. 

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I'm not sick of Jason but I wish he'd return to using music like Sinnerman, along with similar choreography. That program really stood out amid all the other skating programs that season and was memorable. 

[Good Queen Jane]

I would like to see Jason do an upbeat program. Actually, what I really would like to see is an updated reprise of Riverdance. It would be fun to see the difference 12 years of experience would make to this iconic program.

[Salacious Kitty]

  On 3/30/2025 at 5:22 PM, annzeepark914 said:

I'm not sick of Jason but I wish he'd return to using music like Sinnerman, along with similar choreography. That program really stood out amid all the other skating programs that season and was memorable. 

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Sinnerman was in a class of its own. Avant garde that no one else in today's landscape could pull off. 

Jason proved why the committee named him to the World's team. There really wasn't anyone else who could come up so clutch under the immense pressure to maintain 3 spots. Poor Torgy crumbled; that was painful to watch. 😢

[CeeBeeGee]

  On 3/30/2025 at 1:53 PM, absnow54 said:

Time for important questions: which soundtrack will skaters hyper fixate on next year now that they’ve got Dune out of their systems. My money is on Wicked. 

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I'll recycle an old joke: Was Dune on sale or something? (I said the same thing about Bolero three years ago.)

It is undeniably great music to skate to.

  On 3/30/2025 at 5:46 PM, Good Queen Jane said:

I would like to see Jason do an upbeat program. Actually, what I really would like to see is an updated reprise of Riverdance. It would be fun to see the difference 12 years of experience would make to this iconic program.

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  Reveal spoiler

Watch the gala--as soon as Reel Around the Sun started, I realized he was going to reprise his Riverdance step sequence and I had to suppress a yelp of joy. It was magnificent!

 

[Is Everyone Gone]

Yuma got 10th place in the free, which is about right. He just had a big cushion from the SP.

He seems to be in his head, as he's had consistency issues all season. I hope he recovers, bc he's such a beautiful skater.

[Souris]

Speaking of music, I did not have Ah-Ha's "Take on Me" on my Worlds' bingo card, let alone in a mashup with Beethoven.

[Maelstrom]

Oooh, CeeBeeGee, that must have been so exciting to watch live! I wonder if there’s any chance NBC will air the gala on broadcast. 😕

[Maelstrom]

Can’t seem to edit my previous post for some reason, but the schedule lists the Worls recap on NBC on April 13 - maybe we’ll get snippets of the gala then? 🤞

https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/2024/9/27/television-schedule.aspx

[Mirabelle]

Peacock's replay of the gala starts mid-program during Metelina/Berulava's skate. Isabeau dressed up as last year's Lilah Fear to skate to Fever. 

[CeeBeeGee]

  On 3/31/2025 at 2:01 AM, Maelstrom said:

Oooh, CeeBeeGee, that must have been so exciting to watch live! I wonder if there’s any chance NBC will air the gala on broadcast. 😕

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It was a BLAST. One pairs team did this gender-swapped program--the guy dressed in a tutu and skated a bit to Swan Lake and the woman (who had on a padded muscle suit) actually carried him! And then they switched from Swan Lake to (I think) a song by Beyonce about it being a woman's world. The whole thing was a blast.

Isabeau was adorable in her braids, skating to Fever. And Amber looked soooooo relaxed--she too was wearing (messy, adorable) braids and a sequined football jersey. Oh, and Niina Petrokina did a fantastic rendition of Cell Block Tango--I think I was the only person who recognized the song for at least a few blocks! He had it comin'/He had it comin'/He only had himself to bla-ame...

I was so excited once I realized what Jason was about to skate. I taped a little of it then forced myself just to enjoy it. God, that man is a treasure. I think this spring I'm going to sign up for the really expensive SOI package so I can meet him :)

[tv echo]

I watched Legacy on Ice on NBC and found it heartbreaking. So many of the crash victims were just children. I was most touched by the performances of the skaters who were relatives of the victims. I was also moved by Ilia Malinin's raw skating performance at the end of the show.

Edited Yest. at 12:19 PM by tv echo

[ChicksDigScars]

  On 3/30/2025 at 1:53 PM, absnow54 said:

Time for important questions: which soundtrack will skaters hyper fixate on next year now that they’ve got Dune out of their systems. My money is on Wicked. 

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And you know, I didn't hate CPom skating to Carmen. I think that after it being so overused for so many years, having a bit of a break from it made seeing it again more welcome. Plus, they killed it. And Carmen is never going to completely go away. It's a classic and it's dramatic. It's perfect for figure skating. Now let's not go ham on it again, people, mmm'kay? Less is more. 

Now if we can only have the same break from Hallelujah. All versions of it. I didn't hear it this weekend, thankfully, so maybe....

[ChicksDigScars]

  On 3/30/2025 at 4:20 PM, iMonrey said:

Felt sorry for Yuma but I didn't think he did enough to earn bronze. I suppose if Siao Him Fa hadn't fallen so far in the short he would have been on the podium instead. 

 

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Yuma didn't think he had enough either. His reaction when his scores came up and he realizes he was still on the podium. He held up two fingers, like, "I'm in second?" which at the time, Ilia hadn't skated yet, so he knew he'd end up on the podium with a bronze. He then buried his head in his hands in relief. It was shocking to see someone's free skate finish 10th and still medal. But his short had been so damned good. 

[proserpina65]

  On 3/30/2025 at 1:53 PM, absnow54 said:

Time for important questions: which soundtrack will skaters hyper fixate on next year now that they’ve got Dune out of their systems. My money is on Wicked. 

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God, I hope not.  I hate that music.

Speaking of music, whoever it was that used Scheherazade for his long program wasted some fantastic music.  He could've been out there skating to phone static for all the musicality that program had.

 

[Natasha Fatale]

That was Andrew Torgashev.

Did anyone watch the ISU Awards on YouTube last night? Best Skater awards to Ilia and Chock and Bates; Best Coach to Ilia’s parents; Best Choreographer to Shae-Lynn Bourne; and Best Costume to Smart and Dieck’s “Dune.” It turns out that Madison Chock designed Smart’s costume, but not only did Smart and Dieck accept the award, they didn’t even mention her.

[iMonrey]

  On 3/30/2025 at 6:42 PM, Salacious Kitty said:

Jason proved why the committee named him to the World's team. There really wasn't anyone else who could come up so clutch under the immense pressure to maintain 3 spots.

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We have this same argument every year. We need three spots but the third spot goes to Jason Brown. It's a catch-22. We need three spots so we can keep sending Jason Brown every year. Ostensibly you want three spots to maximize your chance for a medal, but Jason Brown has no real shot at a World or Olympic Medal, so there is no greater chance of a medal sending him than if we just send two skaters who aren't Jason Brown.

I get that people love watching him skate but he's not competitive. His program is like an intermission. He comes out and does the same old, same old and everyone oohs and aahs over "the artistry" then we get back to the real competition with the other skaters. It's like he's a special guest star at the event doing an exhibition number in the middle of the competition.

He says he loves to compete, but I don't know how you can say that when you aren't pushing yourself to be more competitive in an era where skaters like Ilia are pushing everyone to do more quads. Look how many of the men did quad lutz this year. I don't think it's actually competing Jason likes. I think he just lives on the adoration and the fawning over him that he gets out of these events even if he can't win a medal. It's an ego thing.

He could just do a quad toe and then maybe a quad toe in combination, and he'd be right up there, but he gave up trying years ago. 

[Natasha Fatale]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/us/malinin-world-figure-skating-championships.html

If Yuma already thinks Ilia is invincible, that doesn’t bode well for him next season.

Edited 17 hours ago by Natasha Fatale

[Avaleigh]

  On 3/31/2025 at 1:35 PM, ChicksDigScars said:

And you know, I didn't hate CPom skating to Carmen. I think that after it being so overused for so many years, having a bit of a break from it made seeing it again more welcome. Plus, they killed it. And Carmen is never going to completely go away. It's a classic and it's dramatic. It's perfect for figure skating.

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I'm kind of a party of one on this issue because I don't think skating to a warhorse is much different than a ballet dancer wanting to finally have the chance to perform Giselle or be the Sugar Plum Fairy. Nor is it all that different from an actor taking on the role of Hamlet or Ophelia or even Elizabeth Bennett. Sure, there have been dozens or more Giselles, Swan Queens, Ophelias, Lizzies, etc. over the years, but I don't think that new and emerging dancers and actors shouldn't get to make a role their own if that's what they want to do. 

I personally like being able to see people do their take on classical pieces. I like seeing certain skaters bring life to familiar pieces, and I enjoy comparing and contrasting with performances other skaters have given. Whether or not it'll be a fresh take depends on a variety of factors including choreography, costume, and the selection and cut of the music. There are definitely ways to make a warhorse feel new and exciting when done the right way. Nina Pinzarrone made her Swan Lake short this year feel like a fresh take. When Ashley did Samson and Delilah, she totally made it her own.

That being said, I think a little common sense needs to factor into people's music selections too. If somebody in your discipline just won worlds or the Olympics skating to Scheherezade, maybe put that particular warhorse on pause for 4 or 5 years. 

Also, people aren't wrong for wanting more variety from skaters when it comes to music selection. There's a lot of music that hasn't been done, so it’s strange how few skaters are willing to try something different.

Ideally, we'll continue to have a mixture new and classical. I should note I understand that challenges with music are harder than ever because of the new rules regarding what's available in terms of the licensing rights being clear. Still, there is a LOT of classical music that hasn't been used or hasn't been used much that is in songview, and I'd like to see skaters have at least one season in their career where they think outside of the box in terms of music selection. 

All this being said, like anyone else, there are several pieces of music that I'd be happy to have a 20 year break on, but for me it's more about personal preference over the issue of these pieces being done too often. (Which, to be fair, they are indeed used too often.) Hallelujah is at the top of the list for me. Some people find it brings emotional and inspiring performances, but for me it's a flat drag from start to finish. 

[Natasha Fatale]

I remember Mirai Nagasu looking miserable during her “Spartacus” program. It’s for Russian pairs skaters, not delicate teenagers.