#Euler-Coaching

[grovaleulers-businesscoach]

Does Sales Coaching Help You Perform Sales Numbers Under Pressure?

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[gogogogolev]

The 2023 Grand Prix de France men's FS results, final results, and Stephen's protocol.

So keeping in mind that Stephen had three days of prep coming into this event we will discuss these results, and speak in general about his season.

To start off let's acknowledge that Stephen got two different quads out and two triple Axels done. For some reason he just popped that 3Lz which was costly considering how close the scores were. He is still having multiple pops per free skate which is really hurting his technical score. He also missed a combination for the second straight event. He did well to hang onto the Euler combination. He also got another level 4 step sequence, which is great. The starting 4T was really nice. He should definitely consider just doing a 4T3T in the FS as well, like he is in the SP. It would mean less pressure for him to get the 4S in combo, and maybe that would keep him from popping it. He could do a solo 4T instead of trying two 4S and popping one or both.

Someone was saying Stephen needs to work on everything. His jump consistency, his GOEs, his PCS. He's popping jumps at every event. He has had some of the lowest PCS scores of the field in his two events. Canadian judges give him even lower PCS scores than he gets internationally so it's looking dire. Even if he skates clean in terms of jumps his PCS score is going to have him around at least 20-30 points back of the top men (this problem is not exclusive to him). He has been relying on his choreographers to improve his PCS, but the top men work with the same choreographers as him. That's not it. The question that arises next from the fans is that - does Stephen want to skate? They get the sense he does not care to improve because his heart is not in this sport, that he is only being forced to do it. Which is concerning, but how are we to know what's really going on with him?

For what it's worth I think Stephen still wishes to skate, it's just not as enjoyable for him anymore. Nobody puts their body through the hell of training these jumps without a desire to achieve something, and he still has that desire. His environment is just not allowing him to produce the results he wants and that's demoralizing. I mean he has gone to two major international events in 2023 without a coach - WTT and now Grand Prix de France. I am not sure why Skate Canada is ok with this, but this is not going to help him. I'm grateful Benoit was with him, and he could get a better result with him than he had at Skate America, but it's kind of ridiculous that a top Canadian skater is going to events without a coach. I would not find this acceptable for any skater, let alone Stephen who really needs the guidance and support of a coach.

You have to wonder sometimes what level Stephen would be at with a coaching team that helped him thrive like when he was younger because his potential is so high. At this event 2/3 of the guys who competed at 2018 JGPF were competing, and the guy who finished 4th back then won the event with a score of 300+ to put things in perspective. But you can't live in the past or in a world of imagination.

Looking on the bright side Stephen finishes this GP season with a higher score than he put out all of last season and he also picked up some points and moved up to 31st in the World Standings. He will probably go down a bit by year's end but hopefully he's still top 40. He also picked up a new personal best tech score for the SP. And seventh in this field is a respectable finish for a guy who found out he was going to compete a week before.

I hope Stephen is able to return to Granite Club and get some training in before Nationals during UCI's winter break. Otherwise I am really not sure how Nationals will go for him. He'll be skating 16th in the SP there. You can view the schedule here. The media is going to be focusing on the men's event with the unpredictability and the possibility for a new National Champion so it's going to be a little bit of a circus but I'm sure these guys will survive.

Thanks for your hard work Stephen and for doing your best to improve your results. Keep your head up, stay healthy, and keep going into 2024.

[corner-stories]

on edge

Armin Arlert. Annie Leonhardt. Collisions. Skating. Awkward Conversations. Figure Skating AU. 2235 words. (ao3.)

Annie Leonhardt’s coach reminds her that ice time is precious and too valuable to be wasted. So when she arrives at the rink in the early hours of the morning, her mind is focused on only one thing and one thing only. 

Other dedicated skaters in her age group filter into the rink as she does, most accompanied by parents who look just as groggy as their children at this time of day. 

Annie keeps her headphones on as she stretches and practices a few off-ice jumps. The zamboni is smoothing out the ice as she works. Sometimes she’ll look away from her meticulous routine and glance up to see the driver. She’s gotten quite used to seeing her father on the vehicle — he’ll even wave to her on occasion with the same glum expression on his face. Even this early, his resting bitch face remains the same. 

But Annie’s used to seeing the grumpy old man performing such an integral task. Ultimately, he does what he does to support her career — driving the zamboni every morning in exchange for coaching discounts has been the edge she’s always appreciated. 

Once Annie laces up her skates and gets onto her ice, she can feel her worries becoming moot. A part of her — one plagued by stress, loneliness, and doubts — fades away as she glides. She’s never been able to explain it, but it’s helped her through every lutz and every loop, every sit-spin and every euler, every waltz jump and every flip. 

Annie’s rinkmates file onto the ice with her. The dancers and pairs skaters are moving hand-in-hand, while the other singles get lost in their own world as they warm up. 

As Annie keeps her distance, she only glances up briefly to get a look at everyone else. 

Pieck Finger seems to have the energy to chat her partner’s ear off as they get into the zone, but Porco Galliard doesn’t seem to mind. Historia Reiss is standing near the boards as she chats with her coach, who is already awake and ready to give notes on her triple salchow. Mikasa Ackerman has a focused look on her face as she skates next to her partner, and in contrast Jean Kirschtein still looks uneasy as he keeps up with her. Annie doesn’t know the whole story, but perhaps the excitement and newness of a partner switch had yet to fade off for him, despite having skated with Mikasa for the last two months. 

Then he comes to the ice. 

Annie glances up to see a familiar head of blond hair stepping onto the rink. Armin Arlert says a thank you to his grandfather at the boards before he glides towards the center of the area. 

And just like that, Annie feels a knot forming in her stomach. 

Unlike the stoic determination of Ackerman or the perky energy of Finger, Armin is somewhere in the middle as he eases onto the ice. He is neither chipper without reason or so focused that all joy saps from his face. Instead, Armin looks free. 

Annie tries to avoid his gaze whenever she passes him by, instead looking towards the bleachers, where her father sits next to Grampa Arlert. 

She tries to distract herself by recalling her choreography. Her coach had finally let her do a program to her favorite Tchaikovsky Waltz, but only if she worked on her musicality and facial expressions. Instead of arguing on whether the judges would deduct points for her lack of smile as she skated, Annie took Coach Zeke on the deal and promised to follow through. 

She only has a few minutes to practice her triple-triple combination until Zeke arrives at the rink. After landing her flip and just barely needing to touch the ice to steady her landing, she glides backwards on one skate as her body stabilizes herself. 

In her mind, she goes over absolutely everything that went wrong, from the way she didn’t hold her arms inwards enough during the spin or popped her lutz on the first attempt. She tries not to think about how her father is no doubt watching from the bleachers, or how Historia must be getting an explanation as to how Annie ranked half a point under her at last year's nationals. 

Suddenly, Annie hears a voice behind her. 

“Whoa, whoa!” 

Turning around, Annie is brought to the face of Armin Arlert. This time, the knot in her stomach tightens for completely different reasons.

The two manage to come to a halt, the blades of their skates turning the ice below into snow. Armin has to put his hands up to fully stop, his hands touching Annie’s shoulders to prevent them from colliding. 

“Sorry about that, Annie, I wasn’t looking!” Armin says, his tone sounding unendingly apologetic. 

The stoic face that Annie usually holds during morning practice falters, but only slightly. Her gaze goes soft as she looks towards Armin. 

“It’s okay,” she replies in a voice that is quiet and gravelly. 

When she glances around the rink, Annie can see the other skaters paying attention to them. Mikasa comes down from a curve lift in Jean’s arms, then looks over to the duo of blondes with genuine concern. Even Historia stares at the pair in the aftermath of her double axel-triple lutz combo, the puzzled look on her face saying it all. 

When Annie looks at Armin again, she sees his cheeks turning red. He takes his hands off her shoulders and stumbles back slightly. 

He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh… hope I didn’t hurt you…”

Before Annie can say anything, she sees Coach Zeke entering the rink in the corner of her eye. He doesn’t look particularly enthused this morning, as he practically drags his feet across the floor and holds a coffee cup like it’s his lifeforce. 

It gives Annie extra incentive to not waste time, so when her gaze meets Armin’s again she says the first thing that comes to mind. 

“...I have to go.” 

And with that said, Annie turns around and skates off. At least her blush on her face fades away by the time she meets Zeke at the boards.

…

…

…

An hour of harness work to perfect her triple toe loop-triple salchow goes by with ease. Zeke is extra pushy today, meticulously pointing out the flaws in her footwork between elements. The half point that lost her gold at last year’s nationals seems to be nagging at his brain harder than hers, something that makes him even more stern as he watches her skate. 

But Annie’s good at taking it, even when she falls more than she would like. 

At least when practice is over, she finds herself actually looking forward to spending the rest of the day at school. 

Annie steps off the ice and finds a bench to sit on. As she unlaces her skates, she can see her other rinkmates either cooling down after a session or practicing their elements off-ice. Seeing Porco lifting Pieck in the air with a single arm is just one of the things that Annie has gotten used to over the years. Pieck even smirks and waves down to Annie like it’s the most normal thing in the world. 

As Pieck jokingly sings about how she’s had the time of her life, Annie leaves the rink and heads for the locker room to retrieve her things. 

With her gym bag slung around her torso, she nibbles on a protein cookie as she enters the building’s concourse. A text from her fathers tells her that he’s getting the car, as he had parked far away due to not finding a space in the actual lot. 

If there were three certainties in life, then it would be death, taxes, and Albert Leonhardt complaining about parking. 

Annie exits the rink and waits by the doors. Moments pass as she finishes her post-training snack. Her body is aching and it makes her dread the conditioning session that awaits her tomorrow. She’s not sure what will hurt more, her core or her hip flexors. 

As she waits, she looks up to the sky and sees the sun just barely rising in the cloudy horizon. Michigan at this time of year is slowly transitioning from winter to spring, but the chill still permeates the air and makes Annie blow on her fingers to keep herself warm. 

Before she can put on her headphones and block out the world, she feels someone tapping her shoulder. 

Annie turns around fast and Armin puts his hands up in surprise. 

“Whoa! Uh, hi…” he stammers out. “Uh… just wanted to check in and see if you were alright… again.” 

There is a beat as Annie recollects herself. She tries to pinpoint why she’s so on edge this morning, but for the life of her she can’t. 

On the ice, Armin Arlert is the embodiment of grace and balance. His slender frame glides across the surface with ease, effortlessly leaping and transitioning into spins, which are undoubtedly his speciality. 

But off the ice, Armin is nothing more than a skinny high schooler in a parka that’s a size too big. His blond locks are mussed and his disposition is nervous, a far cry from the usual composure he shows in his craft. 

“I’m fine,” Annie manages to say. “Thanks for asking, Armin.” 

“Good to know,” he replies, nodding along. “Nice sal, by the way.”

Annie avoids his gaze. “I’m still popping it.” She prays to god that he didn’t catch her eating shit on the ice during her harness work.  

“You’re on the way though, especially after the triple toe,” Armin assures. His voice is lighthearted as he speaks. “I’d give some pointers, but Zeke seems to know what he’s doing.” 

“That’s one way to put it,” Annie says dryly. Awkwardly, she looks down and keeps avoiding his eyes. “I never see you at school.”

“I’m homeschooled, actually,” Armin explains. He puts his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Gives me more time at the rink.” 

Annie lets out a hum. “Not a bad idea.” 

Truth be told, it would be nice having an excuse to only ever commute between her house and the rink. 

When Annie looks up again, Armin’s eyes are a shimmering blue. She’s never noticed them before — then again, she’s never been this close to him before. 

Despite their years training at the same rink, Annie realizes now that this may be the first conversation she’s ever had with the guy, aside from passing comments on one another’s jumps. She’s only ever watched him from afar, admiring his camel spins and ability to truly embody the music of his program. 

With the way Armin is looking at her now, Annie wonders if he’s ever done the same. 

Soon she asks, “Why are you talking to me?”

The question is very direct, but Armin is nonplussed as he smiles boyishly. 

“Because I thought it’s the least I could do after almost knocking you off your feet.”

And to think, all these competitions and training sessions they spent in proximity to each other and it took a near-collision for them to finally talk. 

Once more, Annie can feel heat rushing to her cheeks. She steadies her breathing, the atmosphere is cold enough to turn the air from her lungs into small puffs of smoke. Nervously, she rubs her ungloved hands together again to warm her fingers. 

Watching her closely, Armin scratches his nape again before asking — “Hey, would you ever want to-”

He is cut off by the sound of a car horn. Both blondes turn their heads to the parking lot to see Annie’s father pulling up in his car. His face is stern as he waves to his daughter from the driver’s seat. 

Annie faces Armin again, but glances down just enough to not look him in the eye. “...I have to go.” 

With that said, she dashes away from the curb and towards her father’s car. When she opens the door and plops her ass in the passenger’s seat, Annie only looks back for a second to see Armin’s wistful stare and his gentle, stilted wave goodbye. 

Beside her, Albert Leonhardt has an eyebrow raised at both his daughter and the young boy standing outside. 

“What did he want?” asks the older man as he shifts the car into gear.

“Nothing,” Annie lies through her teeth. Sucking in a breath, she tugs her hoodie over her head and pulls the strings tight to truly block out the world. 

…

…

…

Historia Reiss exits the rink like she usually does — bored, tired, and checking Instagram. At least she follows Coach Nanaba’s “no phones at practice” rule to a tee. 

Just as she shares a story about her early morning training session, she nearly bumps into someone standing on the curb outside the building. Looking away from her screen, Historia is greeted to the sight of Armin Arlert wistfully waving to a car pulling out of the parking lot. 

Historia is confused and glances towards the vehicle to see what on earth is going on. 

In the moving car, Historia spots Annie Leonhardt pulling her hoodie over her head and curling into herself like a human armadillo. 

Combined with the longing look in Armin’s eyes, Historia’s first reaction is to let out a chuckle. With her elbow, she nudges her rinkmate and says —

“Blondes, amiright?” 

[kabirlearning]

About The Founder –- Dinkar Rao

Dinkar Rao is a seasoned coach , mentor and trainer with an International exposure. As a business coach and enabler of the dreams of people, Dinkar Rao has supported the business goals and growth plans of more than 11000 professionals from Foreign MNCs, Indian MNCs and local SMEs, across various Industry segments. He has done senior management assessments, strategic training programmes, coaching interventions, and selections for top notch organisations. Through his sharp understanding of people, Dinkar has helped to get right talent for various MSMEs. He has been involved in many international and domestic people enablement initiatives. Dinkar has been involved in various strategically crucial initiatives for the long-term Sales Organisation development. Dinkar Rao has coached more than 300 companies. He is also the founder of Groval Euler’s and Kabir Learning foundation. Dinkar has personally handled many critical assessment centres for different layers of management from large and small businesses.

Dinkar Rao closely works with the top management to make things happen in terms of execution of ideas. Dinkar through has a unique style with straight forward feedback mechanism. His no-nonsense approach and emphasis on being gracefully direct cuts the clutter and helps people to focus on the core issues.

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Dinkar’s Academic Backround – He is a M.Tech (Mineral Engineering from Indian School of Mines- IIT Dhanbad), PGDBM from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Trained as Leadership Capability Assessor and Coach at Mercuri Urval (MUPI) , LIFO Coach, Belbin Coach, Celemi (Business Simulation) Certified Coach, ICF Certified Life Coach, Doctorate in Management studies | Member of Mindfulness Association (UK)

Dinkar is also founder of – Groval Euler’s | Groval Selectia | Kabir Learning Foundation.

18 plus years in Consulting | 20 plus years in Sales, Business leadership development and People development | Coached more than 10000 people | Consulted with 200 plus companies

Visit For More informastion about Dinkar- https://kabirlearning.in/

[cherry-posts]

Audrey Hepburn galt als eine der schönsten Frauen der Welt. Bei ihrer Beerdigung wurden diese von ihr verfassten inspirierenden Worte zum Thema Schönheit verlesen:

🦋 „Um attraktive Lippen zu haben, sprich nette Worte.

Um einen liebevollen Blick zu haben, suche Dir gute Menschen an deiner Seite.

Um schlank aussehen zu können, teile dein Essen mit dem Hunger.

Um wunderschönes Haar zu haben, lass sie ein Kind einmal am Tag mit den Fingern durchqueren.

Um eine schöne Haltung zu haben, geh wissend, dass du nie allein bist, denn diejenigen, die dich lieben und dich geliebt haben, begleiten dich.

Menschen, noch mehr als Objekte, müssen repariert, verwöhnt, geweckt, gewollt und gerettet werden: Verzichten Sie niemals auf jemanden.

Denk dran, wenn du jemals Hilfe brauchst, wirst du sie am Ende deiner beiden Arme finden.

Wenn du alt wirst, wirst du herausfinden, dass du zwei Hände hast, die eine Hand, um dir selbst zu helfen, die zweite, um anderen zu helfen.

Die Schönheit einer Frau liegt nicht in ihrer Kleidung, die sie trägt, in ihrem Gesicht oder in ihrer Art, wie sie ihre Haare legen kann. Die Schönheit einer Frau sieht man in ihren Augen, denn sie sind das Tor zum Herzen, die Quelle der Liebe.

Die Schönheit einer Frau liegt nicht in ihrem Make-up. Die wahre Schönheit einer Frau spiegelt sich in ihrer Seele wieder. Es ist die Zärtlichkeit, die Liebe, die Leidenschaft, die sie zu geben mag.

Die Schönheit einer Frau wächst mit den Jahren.“

[vintagemulti]

triple

pairings: marc spector x figure skater!reader , steven grant x figure skater!reader

desc: maybe it was cliché, but as long as you had your boys cheering you on, you didn’t need a gold medal. it would be pretty good to win, though.

warnings: par of the course skating injury, swearing, smoking, cheesy but who cares i just love my boys ok, sex mentions and an innuendo if you squint

a/n: am i self indulging as a failed figure skater? maybe. shush. also this is the programme music and this is the dress i imagined (yuna kim ily). forgive my absolutely terrible attempt at trying to describe jump entries☠️ they’re easier to do than to describe

masterlist

you hit the ice with a smack, landing flat on your ass. you don’t get up - just stare at the ceiling, only silver grey tarpaulin and air conditioning fans looking back.

sighing, you push yourself onto your elbows and up again, skates pushing you towards the barrier.

“i think i know what your problem is,” your coach smiles. “confidence.”

“oh for fucks sake, brian.” you laugh. “really?”

“yes,” he nods vigorously. “i’m serious. your entry is perfect, your check is great, in air it’s amazing, but as soon as you go in for that third rotation - fall. give me a two doubles, an euler and a triple toe.”

you nod, pushing yourself backwards off of the barrier. less that twenty four hours from competition and you still weren’t landing your highest scoring element - the triple axel. the axel was the hardest jump, no debate needed.

why? well, as you had explained to steven on the third date;

“well, normally on jumps you take of backwards, right? and you land backwards as well, so rotation wise, you only have to do a full number - say three. but with the axel, you take of forwards, so you need to do an extra half rotation to land. most people who do triple axels can do quads, because it’s only a half rotation off.”

even though steven had looked at you like you’d spoken a foreign language, he and marc had soon began to understand almost every skating term. hell - you thought they might get it better than you sometimes.

taking a deep breath, you turned to backwards, hearing your edges crunch the ice underneath.

cross, cross, check, jump, land.

you would be able to recite those four words in your sleep, with the amount of times you had jumped in the last week.

checking behind you, you crossed your feet, feeling the speed pick up. cross, cross. you raised your foot into position, just above your ankle. feeling your edge curve, you looked behind you again and stepped forward into the other foot. check.

knowing you had to be quick as to not lose valuable speed, you pulled your arms out in front of you and pressed your toepick into the ice. jump.

although jumps looked fast to people watching, they felt ten times faster. fun fact: figure skaters are only in the air for around half a second. in that time, they have to pull their arms in (or pull them above their head for extra points), cross their feet, rotate at least once and get into landing position. sounds easy, right?

the world spun around you, but before you even knew it, your boot hit the ice once again, small crystals flying into the air. land. you held landing position for a few seconds - backwards on once leg with the other stretched out behind you - before beginning the process once again.

cross, cross, check, jump, land.

the second axel was easier than the first, the euler was something you could do in your sleep, and the toeloop (your personal favourite jump) getting higher with every season.

brian clapped from the other side of the barrier, smiling as you made your way over to him.

“well, it was perfect,” he beamed. “but you’ll be glad to know, your axels were over-rotated. the triple is most definitely within reach.”

you raised your eyebrows, reaching for the water bottle beside him. “how over-rotated?”

“tough to say,” he said as you took a drink. “but you were on the wrong edge when you landed - i saw that switch from inside to outside. it’s about a quarter rotation, i think. bad news if you were trying for the double but, well, you could probably do them in your sleep.”

you smiled, sighing as you turned around to look at the ice behind you. it was empty - which considering it was two hours since the rink closed, you weren’t surprised.

“do you think i’ll get it for tomorrow?”

brian nodded. “i think so. you’ve landed it twice out of seventeen times, which isn’t bad, considering this is one of the hardest jumps.”

you hummed. “did nathan chen land it yet? the quad?”

“almost, but yuzuru hanyu is closer, i think. he got the first recorded one at the olympics.”

the thought of attempting a quadruple axel terrified you, the idea of girls half your age trying to land it scaring you even more.

“should i try again?”

“go for it.”

-

the red numbers were in the corner of your eye; eleven fifty seven. the rink closer three hours ago now, and you were grateful to the owners. they were more than accommodating, considering you were in a foreign country and training against half of europe. but they had insisted - being from your home country as well - that you were such a good representative, you could train there whenever you were there, as long as you were in the country for the competition.

it wasn’t a popular rink, being about four miles away from the hotel everyone was staying in, everyone else opted to train in the rink designated to the skaters, but it was far too busy for your liking, and there was absolutely nothing that said you couldn’t train separately - you had tripled checked the ISU’s rule book.

now having attempted the triple twenty eight times, your land total had went up to five - you were getting stronger. more stable, and even more focused.

the most important competition of your season was less than fifteen hours away. worlds. the season was almost over, and every single time, worlds fell close to the end.

it had been a rough olympic cycle this year, but you were lucky to have been chosen to represent your country. you hadn’t medalled - not that you predicted too - but you had placed much higher than you expected too. sixth. out of everyone there, you had placed sixth.

a miracle, no doubt, considering you had no triple axel. yes, you had a quad toeloop, loop, salchow and flip, but half of the girls there were as close as hanyu and chen to landing the quad axel.

somehow, your artistic skills bumped up your total significantly, what you lacked in technical you certainly made up for in stage presence.

coming sixth at the olympics was a huge deal for you. it put your career in a completely different light, people now actually talking about your skating. brand deals, awards, all of it. it was so much - everything you’d ever wanted.

but it pushed the realisation that you had to stop delaying the inevitable. triple axel could not wait any longer, just as brian had said to you. if you could get this jump at worlds, you were sure you’d medal.

you ran a hand through your hair, mindlessly typing with your other hand. replying to comments and messages seemed to become a full time job.

checking the time once more - midnight - you moved to spotify, looking for your programme music one last time.

“i’m gonna run through again, ok? can you play this for me, please?”

“sure,” brian walked over to you and plugged your phone into the aux.

skating to the centre of the ice, you didn’t notice that behind you, someone else was watching.

you got into position, taking a few deep breaths before the song started, filling the entire rink with noise.

one, two, three, four, five, six, go.

what could you say about the music choice? you were a sucker for fall out boy.

the programme steps were almost imbedded in you by this point, this being the more important programme in your opinion. you skated two different routines, the first being the short programme, lasting a maximum of two minutes and forty seconds. quads weren’t allowed in the short, so the free - this one - was loaded with them.

free programmes - or long programmes - lasted a maximum of four minutes, being a chance to really zone in on the artistry as well as physical components.

it felt like your feet were taking you skating, you body being completely submitted to the music and the steps coinciding with them.

you were at least two minutes in now, you has a spin and three jumps out of the way. here came the axel.

cross, cross, check, jump, land. 

cross, cross, check, jump-

the ice was cold against your hands, banging your bones together with such force you thought they might bang the ice back. fuck, you thought. fuck. 

getting up as soon as you could, you stepped back into your routine, trying to push yourself even more than before the fall.

your spins felt faster than normal - although you couldn’t tell. they always felt like you were going a hundred miles an hour, when in reality you were barely moving at all.

you could hear the music coming to an end, your step sequence bouncing across the ice and back into the centre.

spinning one last time, you scratched against the ice - muscle memory bring you to your finishing pose.

you didn’t bother holding it for long, letting your shoulders drop and head hand. brian clapped from behind the barriers, but there was more than one person clapping.

turning to the source, you saw… steven (his hair was parted in steven’s way), beaming at you from across the rink.

“that was amazing!” definitely steven, the accent cut its way through the space.

you couldn’t help but smile back. “can’t seem to get that fuckin’ triple though, can i?”

“y/n, relax,” brian yelled. “even if you don’t land it tomorrow, you technical and presentation will put you in the top ten.”

“but that’s not a medal, is it?” you didn’t mean to snap at him. you really didn’t. but considering it was the day of the competition, and your triple axel was still unstable, you were sure he’d understand why you were antsy.

brian sighed, understanding perfectly why you were agitated. “you’ll get it. i know you will. now, go home, get some rest. you need to be at the rink for twelve tomorrow.”

you clicked your tongue, nodding slowly as you skated towards the barrier and back off the ice, the feeling of solid floor strange underneath your feet.

steven held your skate bag in one hand and shoes in the other, bringing them over to where you sat on the benches. his lopsided smile almost made your heart melt - you were so damn lucky.

“tough session?” he says down next to you, handing you the bag.

“understatement,” you mumbled. “thirty times i’ve tried for that triple axel, only landed it about a third of that.”

“better than never, though, innit?” steven rubbed his hand along your lower back as you untied your skates.

you didn’t answer, only humming in response. you pulled your guards on, and tossed your skates into the bag haphazardly.

“what’s up?”

looking at steven, you could see the concern on his face. “it’s just- these girls, these fifteen year old girls, they have the triple. fuck - they do triple axels for a warmup!”

steven opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak he glanced at the glass behind you, your faint reflection staring back at you.

“god,” you looked back. “do i even want to know?”

“he said,” steven was almost laughing. “he said that he would happily tonya harding them for you.”

“oh, for fucks sake.”

it made you laugh, though. and when you started laughing, you couldn’t stop laughing. for at least a minute, you sat giggling like a little girl, shoes half on.

when you finally stopped laughing, you checked the time again - almost half past twelve.

“did you drive?” you asked steven, standing up and pulling your bag onto your shoulder, instantly feeling the strain in your back.

“yeah,” steven took the bag straight back off you. “have you eaten?”

you nodded.

“have you eaten a meal?” he rephrased.

you shook your head. “didn’t have time.”

“we can order mcdonald’s to the hotel.”

grinning at the thought, you yelled one final goodbye to brian.

“twelve, y/n! don’t be late!” he called. “and steven,”

you both turned around.

“don’t keep her up half the night, please. she’s skating tomorrow, so, make sure she can use her legs.”

giggling again while steven turned red, you grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the doors, cold night air hitting you straight in the face. since you were little, you always said ice rinks were not cold inside. there was air conditioning, for gods sake. underneath the ice was cold but why - why on earth - would it be cold inside?

you shivered when the air hit your skin, realising your tight training top might not have been enough coverage to face the night’s cold. you hoped steven wasn’t parked far away. you took your bag from him as he reached into his pocket for the keys.

“so, what hurts?” he asked, unlocking the car.

“fuck,” you opened the door and got in, dumping the bag at your feet. “what doesn’t hurt would be a shorter list.”

steven laughed; “give me an example.”

“well, my ass hurts like a bitch - thanks a lot, triple axel. my ankle hurts, i think i landed on it wrong or something. i need to put more tape on my shoulder as well, i was trying to do my spiral and i swear to god steven, it felt like the muscle was literally tearing apart.

“i don’t think it healed right from when i dislocated it last season, i’ll have to ask someone about that. then my hip, i fell on it. get this - it wasn’t even a good fall. i wasn’t jumping, i just - oh my god, it’s so embarrassing - i was doing my step sequence, yeah? at the bit with the twizzles, i just absolutely fucking decked it. like, literally straight on the floor. brian just about pissed himself laughing.

“could you imagine if i do that tomorrow? oh my god. i think i’d retire. i always tell the little kids at training, the ones who are only starting singles, that even the pros fall, but… fucking hell, i don’t think yuzuru hanyu casually trips up over twizzles.

“my hands are cut up, as well. i forgot to put my gloves in my bag, so there’s a bunch of little scratches and they burn like hell. i think i’m dehydrated as well, i only drank two bottles of water today. that’s not good, is it?

“oh, and i have a headache. and i’m hungry. and tired, and i missed my boys all day, so…”

you adored how steven just let you ramble. it felt so natural with him - like you opened your mouth and the words just came tumbling out.

“we’ve missed you, too,” he moved his spare hand to your thigh. “and falling on twizzles is exactly something yuzuru hanyu would do, i think.”

smiling, you looked at him. he was focused on the road, although there was barely any traffic. three years. three whole years you had been with him, but the first date still felt like yesterday.

it hadn’t been awkward, not necessarily, but you had been a little surprised when an english guy had shown up to a date you were convinced an american had asked you on. steven didn’t seem to recognise you, which surprised you even more, but you put that down to nerves.

but after he had totally ghosted you after the first date, it made you a little sad, sure, but you weren’t too affected by it. until he showed up at your flat a week later, the american accent making it’s return, and asked you out to dinner again - then and there.

you were lucky you didn’t have training, actually, because over that dinner he explained to you his situation - how he had DID and a few things needed taken care of, but he was back and extremely interested in you. marc was a little nervous to tell you about his mental state, but you had embraced it with open arms - how couldn’t you? both men were lovely in their own ways, about both were certainly your type.

so it had began there, and by date number six you were finally taken to bed, not by marc - but steven. it was perfect, the perfect night. the morning after he asked you to go out with him, and how could you say no?

what you didn’t see was marc’s face in the mirror that morning. his jaw was slack, staring at steven in slight disbelief. he was sure he would have been the one to get you into bed, the first time at least.

“you owe me a tenner, mate,” steven had mumbled, careful for you not to hear.

three whole years since that first time, you thought, staring at him.

he pulled into a parking space outside the hotel, making sure it was close to the entrance. god forbid his girl was cold.

before you could, steven picked up your bag for you again, and pressed a peck to your lips.

you were so goddamn lucky.

-

the rink was buzzing with spectators from all across the world, coming to see the skaters perform.

so far, you were taking a lead after the short programme. you were set to skate last in the free programme, but you knew you were only so far ahead because of your presentation abilities.

yes, every jump had landed well (sometimes with extra bonus points), but it was the step sequences and stage presence of yours that had the audience hooked on your every move. it seemed as though the judges were, too.

waiting for your group to be let on the ice was hellish, but the six minute warmup was hardly ever enough for you. normally, skaters who did poorly in the short programme skated first, in groups of five or six. so, being last to skate meant not only did you have to sit through all of their programmes, but everyone else in your groups.

everyone who had their triple axel.

unzipping your countries training jacket, you smoothed down your dress.

it was exactly how your programme sounded - elegant and sultry, but flirty and fun, sure to captivate the audience. that’s how the designer put it, anyway.

the dress was mainly black, with a red layer underneath that matched the diamantés that came from a sheer black sleeve on the right side, up to your neck, and fell like a waterfall.

your hair was down - something most skaters didn’t do. but then again, you weren’t most skaters.

only getting to attempt the axel a few times before the six minutes was up, your success rate still didn’t look favourable. you popped one, rotating twice before giving up, fell out of another and you weren’t even brave enough to try the third, turning it into a quad toeloop instead.

the announcer called that the six minutes was up, and you skated around the rink one last time before stepping off and over to brian.

“i need to take it out,” you mumbled, putting your guards on and slipping your jacket over your shoulders.

“if you need to, yes. replace it with a quad salchow.”

you nodded, eyes darting around the room, falling on… how was his hair done? oh, marc. he waved to you, smiling. you waved back, interrupted by the announcement of who was skating.

her music was classical, romeo and juliet. the programme was good until her fourth jump, where she fell. you hated that you were relieved, but that’s the way it was in sports. but, another part of you was relieved that someone else in your group fell, and you wouldn’t be the only one.

the four minutes went by quicker than you would have hoped, giving you no time to think until you were fourth in the que to skate.

“one hundred and twelve point seven two.” her score was announced, the electronic board moving her name into first place.

you took a deep breath. gold seeming far out of your reach by this point, all three girls in front of you had steady, stable, reliable triple axels. and all their quads.

i am fucked, you thought, rubbing your temple.

the girl who was skating next, the current world champion, had chosen classical music as well - was that a theme this season?

her first just was a triple axel. you almost laughed when she landed it perfectly, the imagine of silver or bronze slowly fading in your mind.

unexpectedly, she fell. her quad flip wasn’t so reliable anymore, apparently.

you didn’t like seeing other people fall - not by any far stretch - but in a sport this competitive, you had to separate the person from the athlete. sure, she was a lovely girl with an amazing career ahead of her, but she was also someone stopping you from winning.

the music stopped, and before you processed that she was off the ice, her score was announced;

“one hundred and thirty point nine three.”

your eyes went wide. “i cannot do that triple, brian.”

he turned to you, nodding. “if everything is going well by the last jump, try it. your technical and presentation will put you in bronze.”

“i really need to get this axel, man,” you sighed. “next season, it’ll be the only thing stopping me if i don’t get it soon.”

brian hummed in response, but it was drowned out by the start of the music - not so classical this time.

you could feel your heart pounding in your chest, hands clammy and shaky. taking a few deep breaths, you looked to the audience - steven met your eyes. you knew it was him.

there was no point mouthing anything, he couldn’t lipread for shit. neither could you - in all fairness. he seemed to notice your anxiety, sending you one of his famous smiles and making a heart with his hands, before blowing you a kiss.

it was such a simple gesture, but somehow it made you feel mountains better. no matter what happened, you already had your prize. you already had your boys, who would be with you forever.

“one hundred and fifty nine point five seven.” the call broke your trance.

there was only one person left to skate before you. the calmness that had washed over you was quickly disappearing, the tide of serenity pulling further and further away.

judging by the upward trajectory these scores were on, even with falls, your hopes of a medal almost melted. all of these girls had jumped - and landed - their triple axel, fuck, the girl in from of you was even trying for a quad next season.

classical music must have been a theme this season, because swan lake filling the rink, the slow melody lacing with your thoughts and clouding your brain.

you had four minutes.

“i’ll be back in a second, going for a smoke,” you mumbled to brain.

thank god the fire exit was only a few steps away, you couldn’t waste the precious seconds until you had to skate.

pulling the pack of cigarettes out of your back pocket and picking one out, you lit it and look a long, needed drag.

smoking was undoubtedly your worst stress reliever. but when a quickie, three hours of reality tv or chinese takeaway was not an option, the quick rush of nicotine just had to do.

it helped with the shaking hands, in all fairness. and the breathing, and the clammy palms. it wasn’t something you did too often, only smoking once in the morning and a few times throughout the day.

what? marc and steven were persuading you to quit. you used to smoke a lot more, back in the early days of your relationship.

flicking the end, you watched the ash fall from the cigarette and onto the pavement below. this was what you needed - a three minute break from people watching, people cheering. nerves and huge crowds did not mix well.

speaking of huge crowds, the applause from inside the building was loud enough to have you crouching down and putting out the cigarette, almost running back inside and up to brian.

“well?”

“no falls,” he sighed. “but she under-rotated her quad toe.”

you nodded, taking your jacket off once more and handing it to brian. the nicotine may have pushed your nerves down, but they were pushing back.

the girl stepped off the ice and along to the kiss and cry, waiting for her scores. you walked to the opening, pulling your guards off and stepping on the ice - it was rough, bumpy from all the skaters before you.

skating laps around the rink, trying to get your bearings, you didn’t try to do anything crazy. a lazy waltz jump and a few turns forward to backward, you were awaiting the girls scores as much as she was.

“one hundred and fifty nine point three four.” she was in second. that under-rotation must have been bad.

making your way to brian, he took both of your hands in his. “do the axel if you can. tight core, stay level, check yourself.”

you nodded.

“let’s go,” he beamed.

double high-fiving him (it was something you had done for years), you skated back from the barrier.

“representing [country], y/n l/n!” the same announcer called.

you waved to the crowds, turning in every direction before moving to the centre, facing the judges.

just your luck, marc (his smile had changed, you noticed) was sat on the same side as the judges. he moved his hand up and down his chest, taking a deep breath, signalling for you to do the same.

and you did, you took a deep breath, hit your thighs to wake up the muscle, got into position and waiting for the music to start.

one, two, three, four, five, six, go.

“this is y/n l/n skating, she’s last to skate after an amazing short programme.” the commentator said into the microphone.

“yep, her short was amazing to watch, but i hear she hasn’t got her triple axel yet, you know?” the other commentator said.

no one in the rink could hear them, only people watching on tv.

“really?”

“unfortunately, yes. after the olympics she tweeted how work had just started on trying to stabilise it.”

they watched your movements for a few seconds.

“and here comes the first element, a lovely layback to beilman spin. would you look at that - perfect! she’s not travelling to much, either, which is good.”

“look at that smile,” the commentator laughed. “the stage presence! truly a rare thing to see in skating these days.”

“agreed, john, agreed. here’s that step sequence, that’s a level five, i think?”

“yeah, level five is about right, marie.”

your heart was beating out of you chest, everything about your body was hot, shaky, terrified. not of the competition, but of the jumps. you couldn’t afford to pop, fall, under-rotate, over-rotate. nothing. they had to be perfect.

“here comes her first jump,” john checked the paper in front of him. “quad toe, triple salchow.”

cross, cross, check, jump, land.

“she’s done it! quad toeloop executed brilliantly, you’ll see the GOE go up for that one, i’d think.”

you smiled, barely having landed before preparing for the next jump. you didn’t need the crossovers here, you were already in perfect position.

check, jump, land.

“and the triple salchow, looking wonderful as ever. that’s a green GOE, as well, probably.”

you weren’t so nervous now, the flow of the programme finally settling in. now it was time to have fun.

presentation was something you relied on heavily, sure you could jump and spin but what good would it be without entertainment? something to keep the audience watching, not just looking? and it did you favours in points, too.

lifting your leg high off the ground for your first spiral, you skated straight past the judges, hoping to god you were on the right edge.

“here comes the next spin, it’s a Y-frame, i think.”

the spectators turned into little blobs of colour, brian’s praise from behind the barrier fading into nothing but white noise. seven rotations, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen- check out.

“still no travel on her spins, john. she’s really pulling through on this programme.” marie said, looking at her colleague.

“sure, but will she try the axel? that’s the real question here.”

it was something you were asking yourself, in all fairness. it didn’t matter now, though, you had another jump coming up.

cross, cross, check, jump, land.

“fabulous quad loop there! if you go back and watch her last season, even the triple loop was looking shaky, this is a huge improvement!”

cheers surrounding you, but they were almost drowned out by the music. you could see brian jumping up and down in your peripheral - he was always so enthusiastic about his students, especially on their harder jumps.

“a choreo sequence coming up, i think.” john said.

you moved to the music, routine so ingrained in your memory that you would probably still be able to do it in twenty years. never taking the smile off your face, you turned to the judges, walking towards them like you were on a catwalk, before suddenly turning backward, getting ready for the next jump.

“quad salchow, double axel, triple loop. difficult combination here, this will go well for y/n if she lands it.”

cross, cross, check, jump, land.

one jump done - but as soon as you were out of the air you were back in it, reminding yourself to keep the double axel a double and not over-rotate.

two jumps down.

for the last one, instead of pulling your arms into your chest, you raised them above your head - a rippon. one of the easiest ways to get more points, if you were confident enough.

“yes, yes, yes!” brain screamed as you skated past.

there can’t have been more than ninety seconds left.

“her last spin coming, it’s a flying camel into a sit spin.” marie read.

this was one of the easiest spins for you - you probably could have done it sleeping. the fear of what came next would have kept you awake, though.

one more step sequence, then the triple axel.

fuck, you thought. i’ll do it. surely the technical would be high enough for bronze by now.

“now, here’s the axel. this will be her first official triple axel attempt, which is good considering how quickly she’s gotten her quads. but let’s just see if she actually tries it.”

the music seemed to fade out, all you could hear was your heartbeat and the scraping of your blades against the ice.

cross, cross, check, jump, land.

you pulled one foot behind the other. cross. and again. cross. raising your foot to your ankle, you twisted your arms round and leaned into your edge. check.

“she’s doing it!”

letting speed build, you swapped onto the other foot, propelling yourself forward. jump….

land.

your blade hit the ice so hard you thought it might have shattered. the crows around you erupted, but no louder than brian, who yelled and jumped like a child on christmas.

“and she’s done it! y/n l/n has her triple axel!”

you couldn’t help but have a small celebration straight after, punching the air, the for-show smile becoming genuine.

the last few seconds of your routine went by in a haze, until you found yourself back in the centre and facing the judges, pulling your body into the finishing pose.

chest heaving, you could hear ringing in your ears as the music stopped, leaving nothing but the cheering crowd as background noise. your eyes fell on marc, who was out of his seat, clapping so hard you half expected his hands to fall of.

“that’s my girl!” he yelled, ignoring the stinging in his palms.

teddy bears and flowers were thrown onto the ice - something that was a custom for fan favourites to receive. after every skate, you always made sure that you collected every teddy, every bouquet, every letter. you owed it all to those people, so why not take their gifts?

a small bear fell right next to you, and you bent down to pick it up, noticing instantly that the bear was dressed in a tiny version of your own dress, stitching on the foot reading “y/n l/n, olympian!”. you couldn’t stop the tears from welling in your eyes.

turning again to the other direction, you waved and bowed, before grabbing the nearest bouquet and skating to the side of the ice.

brian waiting with open arms, face red with excitement. he embraced you as soon as you were close enough, lifting you off of your feet and bouncing you.

“you did it! you did it!” he yelled over the crowd.

“i did,” you beamed. “i did!”

a tv camera was pointed in your face, which would normally irritate you, but you were on top of the world. seeing a sharpie on the barrier, you placed the bouquet down and picked the pen up, walking to the lens and drawing a love heart.

“i love you!” you yelled into the camera, blowing kisses.

brian led you to the kiss and cry as you pulled your guards on, one hand still holding the mini-you bear.

a medal didn’t matter to you in that moment. you had done everything you needed to do - landed every jump. even the one you were certain you weren’t going to land.

the wait between sitting down and getting your scores felt like an eternity.

“were you sure you’d do it?” brian asked.

“no!” you laughed. “look at this,”

you showed him the bear, to which he awed and pointed out that it even had the same coloured eyes as yours.

“the scores, please.” the announcement caught your attention.

“y/n l/n has earned in the long programme, a total of one hundred and seventy two point nine nine points. she is in first place.”

the world went quiet. for a moment. first place? that meant… that meant…

“gold!” you screamed, jumping out of your seat, and embracing brian again.

“gold!” he screamed back, pulling away and holding your shoulders, pure joy on his face.

you turned to the camera, face in pure shock (little did you know this would be a meme for the next six months), words not quite coming to you, but tears forming in your eyes.

there’s was another announcement, something about medal ceremony, but you didn’t hear - you were focused on something new.

“i need to find marc,” you beamed to brian.

you almost ran out of the kiss and cry, people congratulating you the whole way along the side of the rink, until your eyes fell on marc, who was ten or so meters away.

“marc!” you yelled, getting his attention.

you ran to him, not caring about the cameras following you. finally reaching him, you jumped - literally - into his arms, feeling him spin you around, his grip tight around your waist (something else that would trend on fan twitter, causing you to google what an “otp” and “bi panic couple” meant).

“you did it, baby, you did it!” he praised into your ear, setting you down.

choosing to kiss him instead of a response, you felt the heat of his lips transfer to yours, warm and homely.

“i’m so proud of you,” steven said after you pulled apart. “sorry, just had to tell you that myself, right now.”

“don’t apologise,” you pulled him in for another kiss.

“i’m proud of you, too,” marc pulled you into a tight hug. “so, so, so proud, sweetheart.”

tears fell - happy tears - as you looked at him, his hands on either side of your face. this was everything you ever wanted.

this was everything you ever wanted.

[figureskatingandrainbows]

Japanese Nationals: MEN

Yuzuru Hanyu is back. I had my doubts. It had been almost a year. He wasn’t practicing with his coach. He had two new programs. I thought for sure he was going to do poorly. But he didn’t. He has another gold medal.

Short Program

Yuzuru Hanyu made a startling debut on the ice with a rock-style program to “Let Me Entertain You”. He nailed all of his jumps and shot into the lead with some very entertaining choreography. His only mistakes came on two spins. Yuma Kagiyama was second, behind Yuzuru by 4 points, with a clean two-quad program to “Vocussion”. His only mishap was turning a 4S-3T into a 4T-2T. Shoma Uno was third, landing his opening quad flip but falling on a quad toe afterwards. Keiji Tanaka came back from a disastrous NHK Trophy performance with a solid short program, as did Shun Sato.

Free Skate

Once again, Yuzuru dominated. Skating this time to “Heaven and Earth”, he was perfect in every single jump, including an opening quad loop. He was given a massive score and easily won the gold medal. Shoma Uno rose to second, despite a somewhat sloppy free skate, adding in a quad toe after a mistake on an earlier quad toe. Yuma fell to third in the free skate after a rather impressive save on a poor quad toe that resulted in a step-out and a stumble into an euler combination. Surprisingly, none of the skaters received a level-4 step sequence. Shoma and Yuma were awarded level-2, and Yuzuru level-3. Shun fell on an opening quad lutz but rallied to place 5th overall. Keiji stepped out and touched down out of a few jumps, but placed 4th overall. Kazuki Tomono  had a comeback free skate that earned him 6th place.

World Team & Beijing 2022

The Worlds team is to be announced tomorrow. RIght now, the likely 3 are Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno, and Yuma Kagiyama. Yuzuru and Shoma are givens, placing in the top two and being some of the best skaters in the world. I find it very likely Yuma will go, especially considering his gold medal at the NHK Trophy, but he wasn’t named to the team last year despite a bronze medal. It is possible that the JSF will name Keiji or Kazuki to the team instead, but that would be a mistake. Yuzuru Hanyu is back on top, and now at a level to challenge Nathan Chen. Shoma Uno seems to be finding his identity under Lambiel, with his skating seeming much more relaxed and his personality beginning to shine through. Right now, they are an fearsome duo. Meanwhile, Yuma is quickly developing, and sending him to Worlds would mean sending a very competitive team. All three of them could medal at Worlds and Beijing 2022. With Yuma and Shoma beginning to really shine, and Yuzuru reaching new heights, Japan is now the team to beat. They have three top-notch skaters of varying ages, as well as many excellent young skaters rising up. Kao Miura is only 15 but a free skating star, placing second in that segment at the NHK Trophy and making a huge comeback at Junior Nationals. Shun Sato is 16 and finding his stride. Both of them simply need to work on general aesthetics and develop their jumps, and they will be stars as well. Despite the two imperfect bronze and silver free skates, I see such potential and talent in Japan to the point where a Japan 1-2-3 is possible at Worlds or Beijing 2022. Japan no longer has two stars and a third B-class man. They have 3 stars and a whole field of B-class men. 

[themostrandomfandom]

why do you think brittany writes in crayon?

Hey, @stanjyrus!

So the cynical, out-of-universe, fuck-RIB answer is that Brittany writes in crayon because TPTB at Glee want to depict her as being childish.

Note that in S1 and S2, while Brittany is occasionally shown to doodle in crayon, when she writes, she is most often shown using her beloved (and age-appropriate) Koosh Ball gel pens. 

The one instance in which she writes using crayons on a major assignment is on her “heart attacks” report from episode 2x03, and in that instance, her doing so can be explained by the fact that her report includes artwork (and using crayons to draw pictures makes sense). She is otherwise shown using typical writing utensils for her schoolwork.

This choice in writing tools tracks with her general S1/S2 depiction: i.e., as a ditz but at least an average teenage ditz who could plausibly exist (and function) in a mainstream high school classroom. 

Only in S3 and especially S4, when the writers lean hard into the “Brittany is infantile” party line, does the crayon writing become a standard, repeated joke. The downgrade from Koosh pens to crayons tracks with the general degradation of Brittany’s character during this period.

As for within the universe of the show, one very simple and viable explanation for Brittany writing in crayon is personal preference: i.e., crayon is a brighter and more colorful medium than pencil or (standard) pen and is therefore an attractive medium for someone as creative and whimsical as she.

However, a more complicated (and psychoanalytical) explanation also potentially exists, and it ties into the argument I make in this post: namely, that over the course of her high school education, Brittany’s teachers, counselors, and coaches alternately ignore and disparage her when she struggles in her classes, and the fact that they do so prompts her to “act out academically.” 

Though it would be in Brittany’s best interest to ask for help directly, she doesn’t, largely because she has been made to feel unwelcome to do so. Rather than approach Will, Sue, Mrs. Hagberg, Emma, etc., all of whom have, in their own ways, made it clear that they consider Brittany stupid and/or obnoxious, and therefore unworthy of being taken seriously, Brittany puts up a façade, pretending that she’s too aloof to care about her schoolwork. She lives down to their low expectations for her because doing so allows her at least a modicum of control in a situation where she otherwise has none.

If we accept this model, then we can perhaps view writing her assignments in crayon as a symptom of Brittany’s scholastic desperation.

Essentially, Brittany feels like she’s going to fail her assignments no matter what she does or how hard she tries not to, because her teachers have proven to her, class after class, year after year, that they are unwilling to deal with her and/or give her a fair shake. She therefore decides (either consciously or subconsciously) that if she’s going to fail regardless, she is at least going to choose the mechanism by which she does so—and somehow it hurts less to fail because she writes her assignments in crayon than it does to fail because her teachers think that her ideas are stupid/wrong.

Remember that math test Sue whips out in episode 4x02? The one that Brittany draws “Happyville: the Town Where Math Was Never Invented” on?

Notice that Brittany doesn’t even bother to write down answers on that test.

Maybe she doesn’t write down answers because she’s using the crayon drawings as a defense mechanism. 

If her teacher is just going to pick her apart anyway, why bother to put in any sort of real effort? The faculty all view her as an imbecile, so she’s going to give them what they expect. She’s not going to make herself vulnerable by expending her actual brainpower to come up with an answer that they’re just going to (arbitrarily) strike out because she’s her.

I would wager that as a yet undiscovered math genius, Brittany probably finds it difficult to “show her work” in the way that high school teachers typically require. She probably just “knows what she knows” intuitively/instinctively, and since she can’t write down the answer without showing her work, lest she be accused of cheating on the exam, she opts not to write anything at all. Things are just easier that way.

As I talk about in this Brittanalysis, Brittany may also be “crying for help” with the crayon drawing, hoping against hope that maybe someday, some teacher (possessed of both a brain and a heart) will realize that any twelfth grader who’s drawing stick figures in crayon on their math midterm probably needs help and actually pull her aside to ask her, in a genuine way, how they can be of assistance.

She’s too scared to ask for what she needs directly, so she hints at it—with Crayola cartoons—instead.

Unfortunately for Brittany, the only person who does seem to notice and/or care about the crayon drawings is Sue, who only cares insofar as this increasingly erratic behavior is having a bad influence on the younger Cheerios, and so summarily kicks Brittany off the squad.

Admittedly, a hole in this theory is that Brittany does seem to continue using crayon to write long after she has left both WMHS and MIT, even into S6, where we see her working on the Euler Brick problem using a rather impressive Crayola collection.

However, we can perhaps explain this usage by means of our simpler explanation from above: i.e., by this point in her life, now that Brittany is no longer beholden to academic rules and is just doing math for fun because she’s good at it, she uses the crayons because they’re colorful and pretty and because they make her calculations pop on the page.

Also, she may use crayons because she is potentially numerically synesthestic, as a few math geniuses, including famous nonnormative thinker Daniel Tammet, are. Note that in her Euler equations, she alternates colors, perhaps indicating that different calculations are chromatically different in her mind. (“The square root of four is rainbows,” anyone?) 

Anyway, that’s what I’ve got!

Thanks for the question!

[wanderlustinwonderland18]

Boikova & Kozlovskii: Gaining The Momentum

The youngest pair to stand on the European podium since the legendary Gordeeva/Grinkov, Aleksandra and Dmitrii are now finishing their third full season as a team.

Is it true that it was your decision to partner up?

Dmitrii: Yes, it is true, more or less. I had a different partner, but you can say that at that time, I was mostly skating by myself... And when Sasha came to our rink for tryouts, I immediately noticed her and said that I want to skate only with her.

Aleksandra: We’ve known each other since childhood, and we trained in the same group as single skaters when we were little.

Dmitrii: We skated together in Alexei Mishin's group and our development was alongside each other. It is still a bit surprising that we formed a pair. Five or six years ago, if someone told me this, I would have said: "Are you crazy?"

This is your third full season together. There is a common opinion that pairs needs at least three years to really become a pair. Do you agree with that?

Dmitrii: I think we're heading in this direction. Little by little, we're becoming a pair, starting to feel small things, fine details about each other. Indeed it takes time. You don't get this in a month. But it varies - for some, this might take one year, and for some, this might take ten years. I can tell that we're at this stage where we have deeper communication between us.

You're considered to be a rather tall pair, which pros and cons do you see in it?

Dmitrii: I don't see any downside at all. Actually our height is optimal, we're neither too tall nor too short. We have a good presence on the ice, and we have high throws and twists, so I can't name any disadvantages. We have good control over our bodies and so our height is comfortable for us.

Do you plan to raise the technical difficulty of your programs? In previous seasons, you showed a throw triple flip, you also had triple-euler-triple combination, tano double jumps. Are any of those coming back?

Aleksandra: Our main goal for this season was to skate clean. We only reduced our technical content because we wanted to show better quality and more confidence. Of course, we plan to work on higher-level elements including triple-triple or triple-euler-triple combinations.

The triples are going to be toe loops?

Aleksandra: We will see. There are a few options. We trust our coaches to help us in this. We will also work on throws. Unfortunately, throw triple flip which was compulsory for us in juniors last season, did not always work... But when we succeeded, it was indeed impressive and scored positive GOE. So we definitely plan to work on these elements and improve our technical content.

Dmitrii: This season we made an emphasis on our skating skills and interpretation. As the rules were changed, mistakes are now much more costly... You can lose ten points on one mistake. Nowadays in pair skating, you almost never know how the program will go. So you always have a chance to rebound. The fight for medals is focused less on the base value and more on the quality. Quality is the key. To add those difficult elements, Sasha mentioned before that we need to be 100% sure in them, otherwise too many points might be deducted and nothing would "save" the program.

What would you say is your trademark element?

Aleksandra: I think our trademark element is our twist lift. We perform it with ease, and we pick it up very fast. I started doing the triple twist one month after I switched to pairs. Before that, I tried the double twist but that took time.

Dmitrii: It's just that she needed to readjust from single skating to pairs. If you think about it, pair skating is the discipline with the most varied elements. We have so many different elements — jumps, throws, twists, lifts, death spirals, step sequences, spins. Eight absolutely different elements! And you need to work on every single one of them.

In one of your interviews, you mentioned that you love Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès for their style. And what is your style? Do you feel you already have one?

Dmitrii: We have good lines. Not many people can skate in classical style, as it doesn't suit everyone. It requires not only a high level of skating, but also aesthetic. That's natural. It just turned out that way that we can perform classical style well. We can really feel it. Do you agree with me?

Aleksandra: Absolutely.

During the first half of the season, you had a very lovely exhibition program with a balloon, can you tell me more about its story?

Aleksandra: Similar to our short program, this one was choreographed by Natalia Bestemianova and Igor Bobrin. The story starts with a girl who goes out for a walk with her balloon friend, but then suddenly, it deflates and it disappears...

Dmitrii: This balloon is an abstract image of someone dear to her heart, a lover or a close friend... And he leaves her.

Aleksandra: At this moment, Dima comes and tries to cheer me up in every possible way. In the end, he returns my friend to me by inflating it.

Dmitrii: After she gets her friend back, I feel like she doesn't need me anymore and am about to leave, but Sasha realizes that I'm a more interesting companion than her friend balloon. (Both laugh)

I wanted to ask you about your presence in social media. I should admit that I'm very impressed by how you run your Instagram accounts, with the professional quality of photos you post, the text you add to them. Why do you take it so seriously? Do you see it as your online representation? Is this coming out of respect for your fans?

Dmitrii: Probably all of the above. Of course, we want to bring quality content to our audience and in general, people love to follow beautiful and interesting Instagram accounts. I think Instagram is currently the most popular social network in the world, covering both commercial and aesthetic interests. People are curious to follow skaters who take part in big competitions. Just like they follow accounts of various stars and celebrities to feel a little bit like being a part of their life. It's interesting and cool!

Was it some kind of agreement that you will both try to keep up the quality? Do you discuss what to publish?

Aleksandra: We always ask each other for advice, at least me, I always send him things first before I publish them.

Dmitrii: Sometimes we advise each other which photo would be better to post.

And who takes the photos? They are of very good quality.

Aleksandra: It depends. Sometimes, it's my friends or my mom when she has some free time.

Dmitrii: While we're very busy, we both run our accounts ourselves. Some athletes have their managers post for them, or their parents... But I can say for myself and Sasha that for both of us, our Instagram accounts are our pet projects.

Sasha, talking about Instagram — in your post on December 31st, while summing up your year, you wrote: "This year I understood that sometimes you need to reach rock bottom to comprehend and recognize what is really important and valuable in your life." Can you elaborate?

Aleksandra: To be honest, I prefer not to dig into it, there were some serious problems: health issues, both physical and mental. The previous season was really difficult for us, I think not only for me personally but for both of us, for our pair. In addition, I had exams at school, it was hard to put my mind to it and pass them. But gradually, thanks to certain people, I succeeded to get through this. I needed to brace myself, start fresh, and work harder. Thanks to that, we have achieved certain things this season, not only in sport, but also in our studies.

Dmitrii: I would like to add that every sportsman during his career meets some important breaking point. Some people manage to overcome it and get to a higher level mentally. Some people fail and usually that ends sadly. Indeed, in our career we had some difficult times, but we were able to rise above them and now we're gaining the momentum.

[grovaleulers-businesscoach]

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[dewa-chan]

Today coach went a lil harsh on us ;v; I started trying Salchow and Euler

Euler is a nasty boi >:(

[notebookfilledwithscrabbles]

Worlds 2019 – Yuzuru Hanyu FS by J SPORTS

Translation post 22

Original language: Japanese

Translator’s note: This is not a word-for-word translation. I paraphrased some of the things said in the broadcast to clarify the main point.

Announcer: Chizuru Kobayashi. She is a freelancer who has been working for figure skating programs on J SPORTS for years.

Commentator: Makoto Okazaki. ISU Technical Specialist and a coach. He won a bronze medal at 2001 Winter Universiade as a singles skater and has been contributing figure skating columns titled "岡崎真の目 (Eyes of Makoto Okazaki)" to Sponichi.

 (Hanyu takes a deep breath and shakes hands with Brian, Ghislain, then squeezes Pooh)

Kobayashi: And here comes Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, who was in the 3rd place after the short program.

(PA announcer calls his name and Hanyu leaves for his starting position)

Okazaki: Overwhelming amount of cheers.

Kobayashi: Yes, they are cheering wildly. He is 12.53 points away from Nathan Chen who was 1st in the short.

Okazaki: These cheers will surely give him a boost.

Kobayashi: I think so, too.

 (Hanyu starts his performance)

Kobayashi: (t/n: His program is) "Origin," an arrangement of his idol Evgeny Plushenko's "Tribute to Nijinski." He is going to attempt four quads. The first one is going to be a quad loop.

(4Lo)

Okazaki: Quad loop. He saved the landing.

(4S)

Okazaki: Quad Salchow. Aww! It might have been a bit under-rotated, but he did a good job saving it.

(FCCoSP)

Okazaki: Jumped into a flying camel spin. Camel upward, camel sideways. This is a flying change-foot combination spin. From sit sideways to upright forward. A level 4 spin.

(Stsq)

Okazaki: Step sequence. Right rocker, counter, twizzle. Left rocker, counter, counter.

(3Lo)

Okazaki: Triple loop. Well-controlled despite the short set-up.

Kobayashi: Here comes another series of quads.

(4T)

Okazaki: Quad toe. Very nice!

(4T-3Aseq)

Okazaki: Quad toe, triple Axel sequence. Again, he did a very good job saving it.

(3F-3T)

Okazaki: Triple Flip, triple toe combination. This one was also nice.

(3A-1Eu-3S)

Okazaki: Three-jump combination consisted of triple Axel from a backward-outside counter, single Euler, and triple Salchow. This one was also well-executed.

Kobayashi: And that was the last jump. (t/n: in this program)

(Chsq)

Okazaki: And now, it's the choreographic sequence. Ina Bauer on forward-outside edge. Hydroblading.

(FCSSp)

Okazaki: Entered from a difficult air-position. Sit forward. This is a flying change-foot sit spin. Completed 8 revolutions in sit behind position. It's a level 4 spin.

(CCoSp)

Okazaki: Entered with a difficult entry. Change of edge in camel position. Change of foot with jumping. Included a variation in a non-basic position. This is a change-foot combination spin, level 4.

 (After Hanyu’s performance)

Kobayashi: Loud cheers from the audience. People in commentary positions around us are still applauding.

Okazaki: Hahaha. It's amazing!

Kobayashi: It's wonderful.

(Hanyu takes a bow to the audience)

Kobayashi: This is the world championships held in Saitama, Japan. The atmosphere in the arena is just incredible.

Okazaki: And an incredible amount of stuffed animals are thrown into the rink. (Laughs) Wow, this is spectacular...

Kobayashi: Indeed. ...Well, he was amazing.

Okazaki: Yes. Well, he reeled a bit on the landing of the quad Salchow and the jump looked a bit under-rotated, but other than that, he controlled everything so well.

Kobayashi: But (t/n: the landing of) the Salchow was also incredible. How could he stay on his foot that way?

Okazaki: Without stepping out or falling, right? That is something only he can do.

Kobayashi: Definitely.

(Hanyu comes back to the board)

Kobayashi: The Russian commentators sitting next to us never stopped applauding after he landed the last jump. It was amazing.

(Hanyu, Ghislain, and Brian take seats in the Kiss and Cry)

Kobayashi: Look at the amount of stuffed animals. It must be tough to collect them.

Okazaki: Yes...

 (During the replay of the highlights)

(Hanyu at the beginning of the program)

Kobayashi: He looked completely concentrated.

Okazaki: Yes, as if he was in the zone.

Kobayashi: Exactly.

(4Lo)

Okazaki: The quad loop. Looks good. (t/n: When he landed it,) His weight shifted on his heel for a moment but (t/n: he saved it) with no trouble at all. Excellent.

(Ice Scope data: Distance 2.20m, Height 0.64m, Running speed out of the jump: 9.5km/h)

Kobayashi: If I remember correctly, he injured his right ankle. Is that correct?

Okazaki: That's right, but he didn't make us feel its impact on his performance. He really is back on form.

(4S)

Okazaki: Ah, it does look a bit under-rotated, but from here... despite being almost in the sit position... (t/n: he regained his balance)

Kobayashi: That made us feel how strong he was.

Okazaki: It's incredible.

(3Lo and 4T)

Okazaki: Then there were jumps with a short set-up like this. This kind of jump does not make it easy for you to have a good flow out of it, so it is very difficult to control your body while landing it, but he still managed to hold the landing position. That's impressive.

Kobayashi: Indeed.

Okazaki: The lack of flow makes this kind of jump look less flashy, but it is very hard to go into a jump with a difficult entry and maintain control of your body even after landing.

(4T-3Aseq and the coaches watching it)

Okazaki: This Axel was also with short set-up and entered from a back outside counter... (t/n: I think he probably confused it with the other Axel in the 3A-1Eu-3S)

Kobayashi: Yes. He is the only one who can do such a thing.

Okazaki: Yes, and taking everything into account, it is natural for him to receive huge GOEs.

Kobayashi: Right.

(3A-1Eu-3S)

Kobayashi: Coach Orser's jump was bigger than usual.

Okazaki: Yes... This is the three-jump combination. This also looks good.

Kobayashi: This was the last jump in this program.

(Ina Bauer in Chsq shot from above)

Okazaki: The whole arena had already gone wild in excitement during this choreographic sequence.

Kobayashi: It was intense.

(Close-up shot of Hydroblading)

Okazaki: This also consumes your energy, and he did it at the very end of the program. I think he fought so well until the end.

Kobayashi: I agree.

(When they show the footage of his face at the end of his performance, the audience cheer loudly for him)

Kobayashi: Now this is what champion is. Yuzuru Hanyu, the winner of two consecutive Olympic titles and the two-time world champion.

 (Hanyu and the coaches in the Kiss and Cry)

Kobayashi: Now, what kind of scores should we expect?

Okazaki: I can't say.

Kobayashi: I am sure they will be huge.

Okazaki: (Laughs) They are still collecting the stuffed animals.

Kobayashi: Yes. It is a hard job.

(PA announcer announces his scores)

Okazaki: Ah, he scored over 200.

Kobayashi: Amazing. He scored 206.10. His technical score is 110.

Okazaki: Wow.

Kobayashi: And (t/n: his total score is) over 300! He did it.

Okazaki: Wow, it's incredible to score over 300 after falling behind in the short that way.

Kobayashi: It is indeed incredible. His total score is 300.97. At the beginning of this season, ISU restarted all the records, but in the end, it was Hanyu who broke the 300-point barrier.

Okazaki: Yes. I guess he managed to put a big-enough pressure on the remaining two skaters.

Kobayashi: I agree.

[gogogogolev]

2019-2020 ISU Junior program requirements and season discussion

This post should really be coming after Junior Worlds but in continuity with last year’s post, it’s appearing on February 1. This is a long post, since it’s got some observations and belated realizations, so it’s going under the cut. This is really just a long blog post, so it also has no tags.

The junior short and free program requirements for singles skaters were laid out in the ISU’s Special Regulations and Technical Rules 2018 pp. 104-111 (the file name says 2016 but that’s an error). Of course, there are many more pages in that document with detailed information but for the purposes of our discussion here we really only need to focus on pages 105, 106, 109.

First up, the SP requirements (pp. 105-106).

I have watched Stephen for some time now but I am still slow to realize things, especially in the hasty posts made after competitions. I had wondered after 2018 Minto Summer Skate about the 3Lo in the FS, and why that had not been replaced by a higher BV 3F. It was likely in anticipation for the 2019-20 season. Stephen has gotten a lot of practice doing his 3Lo at the very end of a free skate this season. That should be quite helpful for the SPs next season.

In the 2016-2017, when Stephen skated as a junior in Canada, the required solo jump was a 3Lo. He also got a lot of practice landing it that season, and I think it helped him with being consistent with it in the following seasons. I went back to check his protocols from that season onwards. He’s had falls on the 3Lo at 2016 Summer Skate (SP) and 2017 Bavarian Open (FS). Apart from that it’s been a good jump for him, and he has even used the 3Lo to do Euler combos when earlier planned combos with 3Lz or 3F jumps in the FS did not work out. Even in the turbulent FS at JGP Canada he managed to land it.

When was the last time Stephen did a flying sit spin (FSSp)? That would be in the FS at 2017 Bavarian Open. He also did one in the FS at 2016 Coupe du Printemps. That event was also the last time Stephen did a change foot camel spin (CCSp), in the SP. In the 2015-16 season, when Stephen skated at the novice level in Canada, his SP featured a CCSp and his FS featured a FSSp. This was also the case in pre-novice, the season before. So he has at least two season’s worth of experience doing these spins.

The rest of the requirements are the same as the 2018-19 season.

It may be though that Stephen changes his SP layout for senior events. He may decide to change the solo 3Lz to a 4T. He skated a clean SP at Nationals but did not score 90+ points. If he puts in a 4T and skates cleanly then it would be harder to deny him a better score.

As for the FS requirements, they are also the same (p 109).

Just reading over last season’s FS discussion I realized everything unfolded as I had thought it would. So what about next season?

One thing I’ve come to realize late this season is that Stephen has been adding one quad per season to his programs with an almost predictable outcome. He has at least one event where he cleanly lands his new quad. The other attempts result in pops or falls. But by the next season he is more consistent with this new quad.

In 2016-17 he debuted his 4S. It was landed cleanly at 2017 Sectionals, and with a UR (and other unknown difficulties) at 2017 Bavarian Open. In the 2017-18 season he had upgraded it to a 4S3T - a combo he is using now as well. He also used it as a solo 4S but had some mixed results.

In 2017-18 he debuted his 4T. It was landed cleanly at 2018 Challenge. He is using it in his FS in the 2018-19 season and it’s been a good jump for him. He’s only popped it to a 3T at 2019 Sectionals. Actually the 4T has been his most reliable quad this season.

This season he debuted his 4Lz, though he had been attempting to debut it at 2018 Nationals. He’s landed it cleanly at 2018 JGP Bratislava. This season is not yet over so we don’t have a final conclusion about its success rate. However you can see the pattern unfolding now for three seasons.

So next season you should expect the three quads in the FS. The two triple Axels, one in combination with a 2T or 3T - depending on how his quad combination went. Expect the same FS jump content with maybe one exception.

That would be his next quad. Stephen hasn’t given an absolute answer about new quad plans, but in his Skate Canada interview after 2018-19 JGPF he did indicate that he may add another quad next season. In light of the fact that the solo jump for next season is the 3Lo I would have to guess that if he is adding a new quad next season it will be the 4F. He’s been practicing it for a while - Pirouette Magazine reported on him working on the 4F in harness back in the summer of 2016. We also have a video of him landing one. In general Stephen does not rush to add quads to his programs, and that is commendable.

Where would this quad go? His jump layout would have to change to accomodate it. The final 3Lo could be switched to a solo 3A, the 3A3T moved down one spot, and the 4F could take its place. So Stephen would start off with four quads, one in combination. When the men did eight jumping passes Stephen’s last jump used to be a 2A so this would be somewhat of a return to that. But this is all hypothetical.

Does Stephen even need all these quads? If you asked him he would definitely say yes. :) In juniors there are not many men doing harder quads beyond 4T or 4S. However, Stephen doesn’t just compete as a junior. He is a senior man within Canada, and the top senior men in Canada mostly all have 4T and/or 4S. Keegan Messing has a 4Lz as well. Some of these men are capable of landing harder quads, but haven’t yet added them into their programs. Stephen will be skating as a senior internationally soon enough. The time spent as a junior is preparation for the senior level, so it’s better for him to try out quads at this level when there aren’t things like Worlds or Olympics spots on the line. He just really needs to take care not to injure himself.

As for music - Stephen is due for a new SP, having held over his SP for a second season. That decision was wise because he was able to better skate his SP in his second season of using it. Though some skaters do use their SPs for three seasons it’s unlikely that Stephen will do that. This is because he will likely use his new SP in the 2020-21 season in which he may be debuting as a senior and will once again need to have clean SPs. It will have to be seen if he keeps his long time SP choreographer (Mary Angela Larmer) or tries a new choreographer.

The FS he will likely keep. Especially if he is adding in a new quad. A familiar FS when trying out new jumps is almost a necessity, and he’s done this before with his Magic Flute FS. Though a new FS would also be very welcome. We’re always down to see new programs from Stephen.

He may also get a new exhibition program. Before seeing it I thought his EX for this season may be a test run for a new SP, but ‘Stole the Show’ is too much of an exhibition program to be turned into an SP. Sam Chouinard quite likes Stephen and created a nice EX for him so I hope they can continue to work together.

The list of JGP events for next season is out: Communication No. 2205

I believe he will be sent to the first JGP, since he won gold at the first one this season. I also believe he will not be sent to either JGP #2 or #4. Latvia, Poland, and Croatia would be more suitable places to compete, though Stephen may wish to compete in Russia in which case he could do JGP #4. The final JGP would be a long wait for Stephen if he did the first and so I don’t believe he will be assigned there. Last season the initial Canadian JGP assignments came out in July so hopefully we will not have to wait long to find out where Stephen will compete.

Next season the 2020 Youth Olympic Games are also taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland. The spots for that event will be decided in part by the results of the 2019 Junior World Figure Skating Championships. It would be an excellent opportunity for Stephen to get some Olympics experience if he were chosen to go. However the 2020 YOG are conflicting with 2020 Nationals. It is currently not known if Skate Canada will opt out of sending athletes (as was the case in 2012). I expect to get clarification on this matter as the year progresses.

There is also one last thing to discuss, though it shouldn't be necessary for me to discuss this, honestly. That is the expected growth spurt. I am not sure why puberty has been made out to be a boogeyman for young skaters. It's a normal part of everyone's life. Yes, it affects athletes in major ways. But it's not like it is something that can be avoided nor is it something destructive. Like jet lag or flight delays it is just a part of life and skaters learn to deal with it. Coaches have discussed the resulting benefits: male skaters gain strength in their skating after they grow. So those quads become bigger and it's easier to do a powerful step sequence across the ice. Stephen should not be afraid to grow. I hope the adults in his life have helped him understand this and will be there to support him as he adjusts. We’ll be here cheering him on as usual. There is no fixed schedule for these things, but since mean spirited people like to hold puberty over young skaters’ heads I thought I should address that nonsense somewhere.

What should you expect from Stephen after 2019 Junior Worlds? Nothing. He may be invited to some ice shows if he’s willing to do them but otherwise don’t even expect him to be part of Cricket Club’s annual ice show. He will have to get new choreography so he will devote part of his time to that. He should begin his 2019-20 season at 2019 Minto Summer Skate. This year’s event is once again at Richcraft Sensplex in Ottawa, running July 25-28, 2019 (x). Though Stephen competes as a senior in Canada, for summer events he has to skate as a junior as part of Skate Canada’s JGP monitoring. The Fan Blog will keep you posted on whatever is happening. Just don’t be alarmed if Stephen falls off the radar for a few months - it happens annually.

Once again this post is just your fan blogger thinking (and speculating) out loud. Links to things have been included to cite sources or give you some reading material. Don’t have any crazy expectations based on this post. And be sure to cheer on Stephen at Junior Worlds. 👍

[sywtwfs]

I apologize in advance if you've already answered this somewhere but I'm just getting up to date with the 2018/2019 season and after reading the new SOV/GOE & Special Regulations/Technical Rules I'm wondering if there are any major changes I should be aware of beyond the totally new GOEs, Eulers being a listed jump (yay!), the 1.1 multiplier only counting for the last 1 or 3 jumping elements, and only being allowed to repeat one quad in FS? Thank you!

Those are some of the main rule changes in singles skating. Please check out our ISU Congress tag, we posted about most of the major differences while the decisions were being made. Jackie Wong of Rockerskating posted a summary of some major rule changes, and our 2018-19 guide to required elements might be helpful as well. Some changes in pairs and ice dance include, but are not limited to,

Pairs’ FS is 30 seconds shorter

Side-by-side spins eliminated from pairs’ FS

All lifts in the pairs’ FS must be from different groups

20 pairs can advance to the free skate at Worlds instead of 16

Short Dance renamed to Rhythm Dance

One-foot step sequences and twizzles in ice dance are now evaluated separately for partners and then added together

Optional choreographic sliding movement in FD

BV and GOE changes for all disciplines

do you think the olympic channel will be showing skate america at all?

Probably not online, but if you have cable, check the schedule in your country to make sure.

Who is allowed in the kiss and cry? I know skaters, coaches and their parents are definitely allowed. Is the skater's spouse allowed? Are close friends allowed? (I know this will never happen, considering how young most skaters are) are skater's children allowed? Thank you all so much

Luca Lanotte brought his baby son into the K&C at Italian Nationals last season, so children are presumably allowed. (Then again, it was Nationals.)

[grovaleulers-businesscoach]

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