#Now to watch the Men’s Free skate in France~

[pissterdaniel]

Thank you so so much for the ask @fern-foxx, I would love nothing more than to info dump <3.

PREPARE FOR 6130 WORDS THAT WILL MAKE YOU REGRET EVER ASKING ME TO DO THIS!

First things first, I have spent the last 4 hours formatting a response to your ask, only for tumblr to turn around and shit itself, and not let me post it. So I am restarting and trying it in the form of a proper post.

I think I had too many photos and links. So have put all my links in a linktree for your and tumblr's convenience (otherwise this post couldn't happen). Will just do a number coding system.

I have only gotten into figure skating recently. It started when some friends got me to watch Yuri on Ice and it's all been downhill since then.

The competition series I've been watching is the Grand Prix. This is on from October to December and is an elite level competition.

There are 2 programs that each skater competes, and I will go more in-depth later. But basically, there is the short program which is first - this is 2:40 +/- 10sec and the free program which is 4:00 +/- 10sec.

There are 6 qualifying events across the world, and skaters will be assigned either 1 or 2 competitions depending on how well they did at World's in March as well as some other criteria.

The competitions and when/where they were held this year:

Skate America - Oct 18-20 (Allen, TX)

Skate Canada - Oct 25-27 (Halifax, NS)

Grand Prix de France - Nov 1-3 (Angers)

NHK Trophy - Nov 8 -10 (Tokyo)

Finlandia Trophy - Nov 15-17 (Helsinki)

Cup of China - Nov 22-24 (Chonqing)

These are held in the same country every year (in 2022 Finlandia replaced the Rostelecom Cup in Russia for obvious reasons). The Junior Grand Prix has 7 qualifying competitions held between August and October and the locations of these change every year.

And then there’s the final:

Grand Prix Final - Dec 5th-8th (Grenoble, France)

The final is held in a different location each year and hosts both the seniors and juniors.

There are 12 skaters in each competition, and they'll get points based of how they place. At the end of the 6 competitions, the top 6 with the most points will go to the final.

The points:

1st - 15pts   2nd - 13pts   3rd - 11pts and so on... until 7th which is 4pts and 8th - 3pts.

There are various tie brakers in place, the first 2 are highest placement and if that ties -> highest total score (the list really keeps on going there are so many in the event all the tie brakers are tied).

Okay, now you understand how the Grand Prix works, we can go a little more in depth.

The Assignments

I said that these are based off of their placements in World's of the last season. The top 12 are guaranteed 2 assignments, the top 6 of these are called "seeded skaters." These are carefully assigned so that #1, #2, and #3 don't face each other at an assignment, and #4, #5, and #6 don't face each other. You can imagine that it would be unfair to have all the top skaters at 1 competition.

I made this helpful table to show who the top 6 at World's were in the men’s category:

The first number was their total score, second their short program, 3rd their free program, and then it has their 2 assignments. Shoma Uno placed 4th but retired that season so it bumped everyone up and the free spot went to Deniss Vasilijev. I won't share my women's table cause it is a total mess with several dropping out last minute.

The top 24 on the ISU (International Skating Union) world standings and season's best list also get 1 spot. Once all of those spots are filled, there is this sketchy ‘Host Pick’ rule. The host country of a competition gets to pick 3 of its own skaters to be at its competition. This could be giving someone with 1 slot an extra assignment or giving it to a local skater to draw in crowds. But the thing is, host picks don't have to meet the minimum score requirement?!?!? More on that later...

Other things that will put you in the pool for assignment consideration - are if you medal at the junior grand prix and are moving into the senior division. Or if you are a previous seeded skater who didn't participate in the last season due to heath/injury. After that, they look at the top 75 season's best list who meet that minimum score requirement.

The minimum score requirement is different for every division and changes every year. It is calculated by taking ⅗ of top score at the previous World's. In my table you can see that Ilia Malinin won with a total score of 333.76, so the minimum score for men in the 2024 Grand Prix is 200.26. (This year it was 133.77 for women). This minimum score also must have been achieved at an official ISU event (world championships, grand prix series, challenger series).

It is also worth noting that there is a limit of 3 skaters representing the same country at an assignment. Though there can be more than 3 if they make it to the final. See this year's final being 5 Japanese Women + Amber Glenn from the USA.

Now I want to tell you about the program requirements (for single, senior skating).

The Short Program

duration: 2:40 +/- 10 seconds

jump elements: 3

spin sequences: 3

1 step sequence

Both men and women must perform a double or triple axel, and a jump combination with 2 jumps. In addition to this, men must perform any triple or quadruple solo jump, and women any triple. The solo jump has to be different from the ones in combination. Because of their body shape, men can generally make more rotations in jumps than women, barely any senior women do quads after their body changes.

Both men and women must do 1 spin with a flying entry (any position), 1 combination spin with at least 2 different types of spins (camel, sit or layback). For the 3rd spin - spin in one position, men do either a camel or sit spin with 1 change of foot, and women can do any position but no change of foot. The position has to be different from their flying spin. As for rotations, for it to count you need a minimum of 8 rotations if you are not changing your spinning foot, and 6 if you are doing a change of foot.

The step sequence is a showcase of difficult steps and turns across a large surface of the ice, usually lasts at least 30 seconds.

Spins and step sequences get a level between 1 and 4 based off how complex and well executed they are. With 4 being the best and the standard for high level competitors.

The Free Skate

duration: 4:00 +/- 10 seconds

jump elements: 7

spin sequences: 3

1 step sequence

1 choreograph sequence

Both men and women must do 1 axel at any point. There is a maximum of 3 jump combinations allowed, with 4 other solo jumps. Most of them will do a jump sequence, which is when the second or third jump in a combination is an axel. Only 1 combination is allowed to have 3 jumps, the rest can only have 2.

Only 2 triples or quads can be repeated twice, of that, you can only repeat 1 quad (but can repeat 2 triples). This is to stop people from just doing their most high scoring jump over and over, this rule is colloquially known as the Zayaking rule. Elaine Zayak did 4 triple toe loops at World's in 1982 and it was changed after then.

As for spins, for both men and women it's 1 spin combo, 1 spin with flying entry, 1 spin with only one position. Change of foot and flying entry are optional extras for all spins, there are no restrictions like with the short program. 6 rotations must be achieved in the fly spin and spin in one position, and 10 rotations in the combination.

Step sequence same as above.

The choreograph sequence needs at least 2 artistic skating movements such as the spiral, spread eagle, or my personal favourite -  The INA BAUER.

The Ina Bauer

Amber Glenn (USA) Cup of China free skate 2024, my gif

You can see the blades are parallel, the leading foot faces where you're going, and the knee is bent. The other leg is straight out behind you, slightly staggered. Most of your weight is on the front foot, and it requires really good turnout in your hips. It is named after Ina Bauer (b.1941 d.2014) a German skater who invented it. Did you know that this Friday the 13th is the 10 year anniversary of her death? Catch me at the rink doing as many Ina Bauers possible. Anyways, there are 3 different types of Ina Bauer, the easiest being inside Ina Bauer meaning you are on the inside edge of your blade and go in a circle like this:

^ This is my very beginner level Ina Bauer, I don't quite have the strength/balance/flexibility to move up the Ina Bauer food chain yet, but I have only been skating for a few months and will master it one day.

There's also an Ina Bauer on a straight line. Then there’s the hardest which is on the outside edge, this is a very good example:

Cha Jun-hwan (KOR) 2023 ISU World Team Trophy free skate (1)

See his Ina Bauer goes along the outside of an invisible circle, and mine faces inside? And a straight Ina Bauer is just a straight Ina Bauer, like the one Amber Glenn is doing in that first gif. You don't have to do it in a layback position, you can just have a straight back for it to count. It's not about back flexibility but rather hip flexibility. RAAAAGH INA BAUERS, I live for them.

One of my favourite moments from this year's Grand Prix is when Kevin Aymoz of France does an Ina Bauer into a triple axel in his free program!!!! How cool is that?!?!

Kevin Aymoz (FRA) Grand Prix Final 2024 free skate, my gif

Skaters get more points on jumps if they include a difficult entry/exit, so this boosted his grade of execution (more on that later!) It's also a good example of an Ina Bauer with the straight back. Kevin Aymoz is one of my favourite skaters, he's a bit of a gay icon.

Now I will tell you about...

JUMPS

There are 6 types of jumps you'll see in professional skating. Most of them will be triples, except for the women's axels where doubles are more common. Men will do some quad jumps but very few will do the harder ones like the flip, lutz, and axel. Then there's Ilia Malinin of the USA who can do all the quads and make it look effortless. There’s also the occasional double as the second/third jump in combination or as a solo jump if something has gone really wrong. (Solo doubles aren't even allowed in a senior short program)

All jumps look the same in the air, and land on the same foot backwards with an outside edge. What makes them different is the way you take off. There are toe jumps that use the toe picks, and edge jumps which use your edges.

Diagram (2)

You can see that the figure skating blade is not flat but rather curved in a sort of arch shape. If you are leaning inwards, you'll be on your inside edge and outwards on your outside edge. The toe pick be spiky so you can stab it into the ice to launch you far and into the air. Consequently, if you lean too far forward on your skates you can trip over your toe pick and fling forward (I have done this many a time). You are also supposed to land on the bottom part of your toe pick and then place your foot down. But if you land too far forward on your toe pick you also fly forward (I couldn't walk after I fell like this on Saturday lmao).

Most skaters will jump and spin anticlockwise, so the following information applies to them. But for the few that go clockwise, reverse the lefts and rights.

The 6 jumps, separated by type are -

Toe jumps:

Toe Loop (T): Right outside take off. Entered from turn. Left leg extends back, toe pick strikes ice.

Flip (F): Left inside take off. Entered from turn. Right leg extends back, toe pick strikes ice.

Lutz (Lz): Left outside take off. Entered from a long straight 1 foot glide. Right leg extends back, toe pick strikes ice.

Edge jumps:

Salchow (S): Left inside take off. Entered from turn. Legs sweep to form / \ shape.

Loop (Lo): Right outside take off. Left leg crosses over right, X shape.

Axel (A): Left outside take off. Only jump that takes off forward. Entered from back outside edge, left leg steps forward, right legs swings through to launch you.

For counterclockwise jumpers, all jumps land on a back right outside edge. Which means for jump combinations (where your landing edge has to be your take off edge) there are only 2 jumps that can be used as the second/third in combination. These being the toe loop and loop because they take off from that right outside edge.

This is unless a Euler jump is performed. This is a single jump used in combination to connect 2 jumps as it will take you from the right outside edge to the left. Interestingly, from the 2026-27 season onwards, Eulers will no longer be allowed in the short program, only the free. They will also no longer count as a listed jump nor add any base value to jumps (currently worth 0.5).

I've mentioned jump sequences in the free program requirements, but to expand on them. They are when your take off edge is different from your landing edge. I.e a small step is done so long as it doesn't disrupt the flow. Though since the 2018-19 season, only axel jumps are allowed as the second/third in a sequence. Also prior to 2022-23 sequences would only get 80% of the total base value for the jumps, but now it's full value.

It was also only in the 2018-19 season when the number of jump elements in a men's free skate went down from 8 to 7 (women's was already 7), and from 2026-27 onwards both disciplines will be going down to 6. That same season in 2018-19 the men's free skate went down from 4½ minutes to 4.

I should have mentioned this before, but figure skating seasons are from the 1st of July to the 30th of June so they span 2 years (not really, but that’s why I am using '2018-19' etc). The season starts with the Junior Grand Prix qualifiers in August - October, then the senior Grand Prix qualifiers in October - November with the final in December. December to January is when most countries hold their nationals. January is also the European championship. February has the 4 Continents (which is everyone BUT Europe), and March is the World Championships. When the Olympics are on in Februarys the 4 Continents are moved to January.

There's also The Challenger Series which is a step below Grand Prix. These competitions are required to take place between August 1st and December 15th. There are several competitions worldwide, but they don’t have a final. Sometimes Grand Prix skaters will compete in them to boost their rankings as they count towards the season's best list and can be where you get your ISU minimum score requirement that we talked about earlier.

Redirecting this back to jumps, here is a table of base values. You can see them ordered from lowest to highest to give you a sense of what’s easier vs harder.

Speaking of base values, I think it's about time I introduced you to...

The ISU Judging System

Now this can be EXTREMELY confusing at first, but in time it will make sense, and I hope I explain it well enough.

Both the short and free scores are broken into 2 sections. You have your Technical Score (TES) and your Program Component Score (PCS).

Technical Score - every element you perform has a base value (BV) that is added to your score. This is the easy part. Now where it gets complicated is with the Grade of Execution (GOE). Each judge (there's usually 7 - 9 in big comps) assigns a number between -5 and 5 based off how well it is executed.

Now bear with me here...

The highest and lowest GOEs from the judges are discarded, and the rest are averaged. The GOE average is then multiplied by 10% of the BV. This is your final GOE for a skill, this number is then added to the original BV to give a final FINAL score for a skill.

EXAMPLE:

The quad lutz had a base value of 11.5.

The 1 and 3 are discarded. (Highest and lowest)

(2+2+3+2+2+2+2) /7 = 2.14 - the average GOE

11.5 x 0.1 = 1.15 - 10% of the BV

2.14 x 1.15 = 2.46 - total GOE

11.5 + 2.46 = 13.96 - final skill score

Personally, I love how much maths is involved!! It's fun to just calculate these things even if the score sheets give you the final skill score anyways. It is really exciting once you understand how all of this works!! (yes, I am autistic if you haven't guessed already)

I would also like to note, that the current +/- 5 GOE system used to be +/- 3 but was changed in the 2018-19 season to make improper technique and falls have a bigger impact on scores.

Now the program component score (PCS). There are 3 categories: Composition, Presentation, and Skating Skills. A brief definition of all of them: Composition is the connection of your skills, use of the ice, and understanding of how the music relates to your program.

The standout example of this that I have to show you is from Kaori Sakamoto's free skate, I just LOVE how her jump take offs are on beat to the music!

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) Grand Prix Final 2024 free skate

She actually got the highest PCS score out of the women in the Grand Prix Final!! It's easy to see why.

Presentation is engagement and expression with your music, and I guess general prettiness? Skating Skills is "a good range of steps, turns, and movements with blade and body control" tbh, I don't have a good understanding of what these look like, I guess it’s just vibe based. This is like an artistry score. It is just as important to have graceful skating that tells a story, as it is to have good technical abilities. The judging system and jump base values are always changing to try and balance this, and there a few systems in place to make this possible too.

Before 2022-23 there were actually 5 PCS categories, the 2 they got rid of were transitions – “intricate footwork, positions and movements that link all elements”, and interpretation (of the music) which I don’t fully understand, how many categories do you need in order to judge if a skater understands the music lol. This also meant that the factors increased in 2022-23 as they axed 2 categories.

So, for each of the 3 PCS categories, the judges assign a number between 0.25 and 10, and it goes up in increments of 0.25. Just like with the GOE, the highest and lowest numbers are discarded, and the rest are averaged. These averages are then added together and multiplied by a factor.

This factor is different for every discipline, because it is supposed to be as equal to the TES as possible. The women's factor is lower than the men's because they generally have a lower TES. And the short program is lower than the free skate because there are less technical elements.

The factors are as follows:

Mens Short Program: 1.67

Mens Free Program: 3.33

Women's Short Program: 1.33

Women's Free Program: 2.67

(the factors for pairs are the same as women's)

Let's look at Kaori Sakamoto's GPF free skate as an example, specifically her composition score:

The 8 and 9.5 are discarded, and the average is rounded to 2 decimal places equaling 8.93. This process repeats for the other 2 categories. These numbers are then added together (8.93 + 8.82 + 8.86 = 26.61) and multiplied by the factor. In this case, the women's FP is 2.67, so 26.61 x 2.67 = 71.05.

The maximum PCS possible:

Men’s short program: 50.00

Men’s free skate: 100.00

Women’s short program: 40.00

Women’s free skate: 80.00

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of how the judging system works! There is a little more to it, I will go into more into detail now. If you look at the detailed results from a competition you may see various symbols/letters next to skills. I will tell you what they mean and what they do to a score:

q - Jumps landed a quarter rotation short, doesn't affect base value, but will give you a negative GOE. The 'q' was introduced during the 2020-21 season.

< - Jumps landed between ¼-½ rotations short. Results in only getting 80% of the BV.

<< - Jumps landed more than ½ short a rotation. The jump will get downgraded. A 3Lz with a << will only get the BV of a 2LZ.

e - Edge call on a flip or Lutz. Remember how the flip takes off from an inside edge and the lutz an outside edge? Well, if you do it from the wrong edge, you will get an edge call and only 80% of the BV.

! - Edge warning. This means there was an unclear edge take off on a flip or lutz. There is no reduced BV, but the GOE will be less than 0.

V - For a spin that does not meet requirements, like a lack of rotations or variation in position. 75% of BV.

F - A fall. -5 GOE. There is also a -1 deduction for your first and second fall, a -2 for third and fourth, and -3 for 5th fall onwards.

+REP - Used if you do more than the allowed 3 combinations or 2 combinations + 1 sequence in the free program. The first jump will get 70% BV and everything after that doesn't count. It is also used for repeated single jumps; they'll also get 70% of BV.

+COMBO - You will see this in the middle of a combination. It happens when the skater steps out after landing a jump and still takes off for the next jump. Remember the point of a jump combo is to take off from the same edge you land on. This results in the following jump having no value.

* - Invalid element, skater receives 0 points. This is for any element that breaks a rule. Like a single or double solo jump in the SP, an extra jump element done (only 3 in SP and 7 in FS allowed), repeating a certain triple/quad jump in the FS more than twice, if there is no axel done, the last jumping pass will be invalid too. Also used alongside +REP to invalidate extra jumps in combinations. Before 2016-17, an invalid jump in a combination would invalidate the entire combination. And from 2026-27 onwards, the same type of jump can't be included in the FS regardless of rotations (currently more than 3 of the same jump can be included if you do 3 triples and a double for example).

x - This is the only good symbol! It is placed after the last jump element in the SP or the last 3 jump element in the FS (provided they are in the second half of the program). It adds an extra 10% to the BV of your jumps. As the program goes on skaters will get more tired so are rewarded for doing difficult stuff at the end. Consequently, this system was heavily abused until a rule change in the 2018-19 season. It used to be that all jumps in the second half would get the extra 10%. You can then imagine people would just stack their programs to have all the jumps in the second half. This was then changed to better balance program composition.

There are also other deductions besides falls. It's -1 for every second up to 5 that your program goes overtime. -1 for costume parts falling on the ice, -1 for costumes that don't meet requirements, -1 if you take more than 30 seconds to get into your starting position after your name is called, -2 for illegal moves (back flips were recently legalised, if you want to watch programs with back flips, I recommend Adam Siao Him Fa of France).

If you do want to watch figure skating, I will quickly explain what the thing in the top left corner is. It's relatively straight forward

The squares at the top represent the 12 elements that make up the free skate (short program will have 7 squares). The green means they successfully performed an element, the red means they performed it, but it got a negative GOE. Now you also know what it takes to get a negative GOE thanks to the information above ;)! If there is a dark grey, it means it’s under review still (?). This bar will fill up as they go through the program.

It will tell you the most recent element performed, as well as the BV for it, and their GOE. This is the GOE after that multiplying the average by 10% BV nonsense. Under this you'll see the skaters TES go up throughout the program, and underneath it is the leader's TES.

AND THAT CONCLUDES THE ISU JUDGING SYSTEM, THAT WAS A LOT BUT HOPEFULLY YOU GET IT NOW!

I will also share with you a helpful table I made in preparation for watching the Gran Prix Final. It has the finalists with their assignments, how they placed with qualifying points, and their total score earned in both assignments. As well as their personal bests and age. Interestingly, the men and women have the EXACT same average age of 21⅔. Which is super interesting cause usually the women tend to be younger than the men. Though this year the minimum age for the senior division was upped to 17. Last year it was 16 and before that it was 15 for quite a while. This was to protect minors more because of how intense it got with doping etc. I think it's a great change because I don't want to see tiny children when watching seniors, its also unfair cause the younger women can go hard out and learn quads before their body changes which is dangerous.

Adam Sia Him Fa qualified in 4th but had to drop out because of injury, Mikhail Shaidorov was 7th so he got moved up to replace Adam.

I really love looking up the skater's profiles on the ISU website, because some of them have the most insane listed hobbies. Check out Camden Pulkinen. Emo ass king.

Now I want to tell you about some of my favourite skaters!

Kevin Aymoz - France

Kevin Aymoz (FRA) Grand Prix Final 2024 gala exhibition, my gif

I have talked about him before. I love how dramatic his programs are, they have a lot of flair and camp energy. He was at Skate America and Finlandia Trophy and made it to the final! Unfortunately, he fell a few times and came last. He did get bronze at the 2019 GPF though! Did you know in 2021 he was in a French documentary called Faut qu'on Parle (we need to talk). It's about 6 elite athletes who come out for the first time and share their experiences of being queer. One of his listed hobbies is "catching pokémon" okay icon.

Amber Glenn - USA

Amber Glenn (USA) Grand Prix de France 2024 gala exhibition, gif credit below

LOOK AND HOW GORGEOUS AND HOT SHE IS. First off, SHE WON THE GPF CAUSE SHE'S SO AMAZING. Her assignments were Grand Prix de France, and Cup of China. Amber is a mental health advocate who is also queer and has ADHD, I love her so much. At the end of competitions, they will sometimes hold a gala exhibition. This is a showcase that some of the competition skaters partake in. It's a chance for them to do whatever program they want without the pressure of being judged - it's truly just for fun! Amber’s gala this year was to HOTOGO! Would definitely recommend checking it out. Here are some gif sets of it here on tumblr (3 4 5). Her hobbies are Magic the Gathering, anime, and cosplay. (It's funny cause when a skater lists anime as a hobby, you just knowwww they've seen Yuri on Ice. In this case, Amber worked with the creative team on the movie before it was cancelled). She was also the second American woman to land a triple axel at World's, the first ofc being Tonya Harding. Amber is a little bit of a legend, at age 25 she's kind of come out of nowhere and is starting to skate really well consistently. It was so cute when she found out she won the GPF. There's a camera where they can see the other skaters in the back, and the Japanese women did her FS finishing pose. It was such a sweet moment of amazing sportsmanship between these women. I will put a link to the clip posted on reddit here (6).

Matteo Rizzo – Italy

Matteo Rizzo (ITA) NHK Trophy 2024, my gif

Assigned - NHK, and Cup of China. He's just a silly guy. For starters, his SP music is a song called "Two Men in Love" an extremely gay love song. But then his FS music is.... "Fix You" by Coldplay? It's the contrast that I find so funny. His hobbies are Formula 1 and "airplanes" I too love planes. All of these things combined made him stand out to me as a bit of an icon. He also kind of looks like Christophe Giacometti from YOI, he's got the eyelashes for it. The gif is from the kiss and cry after his skate when he did this super funny gesture that absolutely sent me. What can I say, the man loves cars.

Jason Brown - USA

Jason Brown (USA) NHK Trophy 2024 short program, my gif

Skate Canada and NHK. Did you know that he came out as gay on Dan's birthday in 2021? My friends and I joked that Brown was fitting name cause he was dressed like a shit for his SP in that gif. I call him JJ if he slayed, cause his energy and mannerisms + the way he addresses the audience reminds me JJ from YOI but if he were gay. Also has a super camp gala exhibition, and won the junior GPF in 2011.

I love the galas that have a gimmick. Like Mikhail Shaidorov who did a Kung Fu Panda one in a giant panda suit. He somehow managed to land a triple toe loop in that costume too! Mikhail is a really good jumper. This season he made history by becoming the first skater to land a quad as the second jump in combination with his 3A + 4T!!!

Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ) Grand Prix Final 2024 exhibition gala (7)

He also has assistants come out in his gala and for the Grand Prix de France, Amber was one of them!

Amber and Mikhail Grand Prix de France 2024 exhibition gala (8)

Where you can watch the ISU stuff will depend on your country. I can watch it all for free on the ISU Skating youtube channel since I am in New Zealand and no other broadcaster covers it. The youtube videos are geo blocked in countries that have networks with a monopoly over the rights.

If you are also a fan of Yuri on Ice, I have some cosplay content recommendations too (if not, just skip this). I have fallen IN LOVE with these 2 particular cosplayers (Vehn and Svatti - yt channel: Weeb Chapel) who had a YOI skit series, here is the playlist on youtube (9). Svatti who plays Yuri also does a hilarious Chris which you can see in their Kiss Marry Kill in Character (10).

Cosplayer Svatti as Christophe Giacometti in "Yuri!!! on Ice KISS MARRY K-WORD!" youtube link in linktree, my gif

Svatti's Chris is also in the background as a voice in the Viktor and Yuri Google Questions Interview (11). Now I don't usually consume Otayuri content cause I find their age gap weird, but they have a gorgeous Otayuri CMV (cosplay music video) that I keep on watching (12). I have also started just watching all their other cosplay content. YOI is the only anime I've seen, but I really just love Svatti and Vehn (former username Mishkali) so much I'll watch anything with them. They are so attractive, and my gender envy is off the charts with everything they do, and Vehn’s Victor drives me fucking crazy in the best ways possible THE ACCENTTT. If you know of them or watch it and want to chat HIT ME UP!

My favourite CMV however is this one (13) by Rintamasuunta. The production BLOWS MY MIND DUDE. Even if you haven't seen YOI you should still watch it. The sets, costumes, choreography, ah too good. One of them is even an actual skater and you get to see them do parts of the routines in costume! I keep rewatching it time and time again.

One last Yuri on Ice thing - Joel Minas on youtube has recreated some of the programs in full. It is just so impressive to see them bought to life. Here is his playlist (14)

And there we have it folks!! There's a lot more that I could have included, I have so many more thoughts. I'm sure y'all are familiar with the feeling of being in the trenches of a hyper-fixation. You ask for an info dump; you get an info landfill that took a couple days and many MANY hours to assemble (WORTH IT!). I may or may not have taken it a bit too literally when you asked to hear what I've learnt so far WELL HERE IS EVERYTHING. Are you regretting your life choices yet? If you or anyone else has any questions or wants to discuss figure skating, CONTACT ME PLEASE I LOVE TO YAP (evidently)!!! Also, if you have managed to read all of this you are insane, and I love you.

I still spend most of my days thinking about skating. I am at the rink 2-3 times a week and have started lessons. I hope to get really good at it someday. Researching competitive figure skating is so so so fun! I just love learning about the all the rules/the technical side. I have so many pages of notes. Finally, I will link some resources I found helpful if you want to do some further reading.

They’ll be in the linktree (sorry it had to be like this, tumblr just couldn’t take it) https://linktr.ee/pissterdaniel

Resources

15 Brilliant youtube video that breaks down the 6 jumps with examples to help you identify them

16 The soyouwanttowatchfs website has a lot of guides for people getting into figure skating

17 ISU Technical Panel Handbook 2024-25

18 ISU Technical Rule Book 2024 (160 pages of goodness)

19 Table of base values (a couple of seasons old as still has 5 PCS categories listed, but should (?) still be valid, it has +/- 5 GOE so is after 2018 but before 2022. I feel like one of those people who works out the date a globe is from, which honestly, I’d be into because I love geography (it’s the darn autism again isn’t it)).

20 Extremely detailed table of base values 2024

21 Short program outline

22 Free skate outline

23 The ISU website in general, good for detailed scores and skater profiles

Lmk if there are any issues with the links OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN PLEASE CONTACT ME

Okay that is it, I just want to get this out there now, getting this from my word document to a successful tumblr post has taken 7 hours dear lord.

Hope this is a sufficient info dump @fern-foxx, it’s 6130 words. Thank you for your ask xxx

[crazykuroneko]

IWTV Figure Skating AU headcanons

Because I miss figure skating and IWTV is my current hyperfixation. Probably only fellow fs stans understand this, but whatever.

Louis de Pointe du Lac:

His most known program is definitely his The Swan. Choreo: Gubanova's The Swan. Costume: Hanyu's Notte Stellata. Strong skating skills as good as ice dancer, deep knee bent, flexible, so he can do layback ina bauer and difficult spins.

Tend to go to brighter music for short program (jazz, hip hop etc) while doing something heartfelt for free skating.

Pretty consistent as a skater. Keep getting high scores on Skating Skills and Presentation. Unfortunately he doesn't have big quads (only 4T to 4F, when he wants to risk it) and he's Black. so USFSA doesn't really support him and doesn't get that American over scoring. Even though he has saved USA's spots at Worlds etc many times with his consistency (just like Jason Brown)

Lestat de Lioncourt:

Typical European showman. Known for his character free skating programs. Reference: Javier Fernandez (second example). Pretty good skating skills, jump technique is decent. Actually pretty stable jumper, has all big quad jumps except 4A, but he can't focus sometimes so his axis is messed up.

Definitely always brings out the most chaotic programs for Exhibition and they always go viral and give you secondhand embarrassement.

Representing France ofc. Complete with French overscoring. at least 3 times European champion in a row. For drama, the president of French federation is still Didier and they have love/hate relationship. Running his mouth like Scott Moir at press conferences. Sometimes do backflips just to send fuck you to judges if he feels they're underscoring him (usually happen at Worlds, thanks to Russia and USA). He gotta continue that French tradition.

Armand:

For drama he is representing Russia. His coach is Marius. And Marius is basically Eteri, and he's his (current) number one girl.

Has all the quads and he'll backload the heck of them for score (that rule still exists here idc). Skating Skills aren't as good as Loustat but he has a huge TES and Russia fed backing. And almost always land his jumps.

Tend to use warhorses in his programs. Known for his long limbs and fast paced transition. Has been skating since novice and gets called the prodigy since the beginning. References: Yulia, Evgenia.

European champions are always between him and Lestat. They've been rivals since junior. But unfortunately since Marius is Eteri, sometimes he has to skip competitions for injury. He's way more relaxed during exhibition programs

Okay, now if they're a team:

De Pointe du Lac/de Lioncourt:

(Not to be biased but) chemistry on Virtue/Moir level. Definitely representing France, because USFSA is stupid and Lestat points a gun on Didier's head to take Louis. Coached by Zueva.

Combining Louis' elegance and Lestat's character by performing classic Hollywood pieces with storytelling. Debuting with this FD by Virtue/Moir. Ofc they go to the Olympics with this Moulin Rogue program as well, complete with the crotch kissing lift 😏

Definitely has a rumor they're secretly married going for them.

De Pointe du Lac/(insert Armand's last name here):

Unfortunately, no choice other than representing Russia. Coached by Tatiana Tarasova (but she likes Louis don't worry!).

Tend to use haunting classical music. Very synchronized, very classy. Reference: (a must watch!) Gordeeva/Grinkov's iconic Moonlight Sonata. Or Torville/Dean's Bolero.

Bonus: Claudia

Definitely best known for her teenage spirit and her Romeo & Juliet program.

Known for her big jumps, 3A, and musicality. That one girl who goes "I'll beat the men as well. Just watch" Reference: Kostornaia

[lilfishiefigureskates]

Cup of China Review

Men:

Shun Sato (Japan) Total Score 278.48 - 1st in the short, 2nd in the free. So happy he finally won his first Grand Prix! I am in love with his short program. Shame about the level 2 stsq. Popped his 4F in the free, but that was his only major mistake. Would like to see a bit more speed from him.

Mikhail Shaidorov (Kazakhstan) Total Score 276.17 - 2nd in the short, 1st in the free. 3A4T Let’s Go! Both of his programs grew on me the second time around. Cannot believe he fell during the choreo sq. Up until this morning we thought that he was out of the Grand Prix Final, but now he’s replacing Adam, so I’m happy for him.

Adam Siao Him Fa (France) Total Score 252.53 - 3rd in the short, 3rd in the free. I know withdrawing from the Grand Prix Final was a tough decision but it was the right one. He is clearly injured and he needs time to recover if he wants to do well in the second half of the season. I’m still very sad for him.

Nika Egadze (Georgia) Total Score 246.54 - 4th in the short, 4th in the free. Another 4th place finish for Nika. He usually puts up a decent short, but struggles a bit in the free. His gala program is amazing, and I wish he could show as much personality in his programs as he does in the gala.

Matteo Rizzo (Italy) Total Score 243.82 - 5th in the short, 6th in the free. The 4Lo went a lot better than it did at NHK! I know some people are tired of it but I really enjoy his Fix You program. It was a shame he couldn’t get the last two jumps down.

Daiwei Dai (China) Total Score 237.35 - 7th in the short, 7th in the free. He totally surprised me! It looks like he’s pretty solid on his 4T even though he went down on it during the free. I’m officially rooting for him.

Deniss Vasiljevs (Latvia) Total Score 234.67 - 9th in the free, 5th in the short. Why does he keep trying to put the 4S in the short?? I’m glad he got in the free even though he popped it the first time. He has great speed and beautiful skating skills so even if he does frustrate me with the 4S I will always enjoy watching him.

Boyang Jin (China) Total Score 231.89 - 6th in the short, 9th in the free. I do not like the free at all. I swear, you could play any song over his performance and it wouldn’t matter. Just withdrew from Chinese nationals due to injury which is a shame. He got absolutely showered with plushies which is amazing.

Hyungyeom Kim (South Korea) Total Score 216.64 - 11th in the short, 8th in the free. He was a bit slow but he managed to stay up in both of his programs! I really liked his free, especially the ending.

Nikolaj Memola (Italy) Total Score 214.77 - 10th in the short, 10th in the free. Every time I see him I shocked by how tall he is. Short was okay, but had a hard time in the free. I like him a lot, so hopefully he’ll do better in the second half of the season after he gets some rest.

Yudong Chen (China) Total Score 182.6- 8th in the short, 11th in the free. It didn’t look like he had a costume on during his short. His free was Kung Fu Panda which I loved but he was struggle bussing a bit.

Wesley Chiu (Canada) - WD. He got injured in practice so it’s a shame we didn’t get to see him compete at all. Hopefully he’ll be healed in time for Canadian Nationals.

Women:

Amber Glen (USA) Total Score 215.54 - 2nd in the short, 1st in the free. I’m so proud of her. Watching her brings me so much joy. The 3A is so solid, she has so much speed and her spins are great. However, I’m not really in love with either one of her programs.

Mone Chiba (Japan) Total Score 211.91 - 1st in the short, 2nd in the free. Fell during the stsq in the free which was SO sad. She’s a great performer and I love both of her programs.

Chaeyeon Kim (South Korea) Total Score 209.47- 4th in the short, 3rd in the free. Her Tron program might be my favorite program of the season. I am obsessed with it. Free is also very pretty, and she is a lil cutie and I love her so much.

Rion Sumiyoshi (Japan) Total Score 202.45 - 3rd in the short, 4th in the free. I still can’t get over how her free program is about plants getting water. But you know, if I were a plant and I were thirsty I would be very happy to get some water. Both of her costumes are gorgeous.

Rinka Watanable (Japan) Total Score 196.95 - 5th in the short, 6th in the free. My FAV. LOVE the entry into her last spin. She landed the 3A and had a great first half of her free program but struggled in the second half. An absolute shame. She’ll have her comeback at JNats tho.

Kimmy Repond (Switzerland) Total Score 195.91 - 6th in the short, 5th in the free. I like her short, don’t love the free, especially the costume. Even though she went clean in the free, the GOE for her jumps were pretty low, so that’s why I think Rinka went ahead of he.

Madeline Schizas (Canada) Total Score 180.77 - 8th in the short, 8th in the free. She’s so smiley during the short, and it makes me so smiley. However, I really really like her free. She had a couple of pops in the second half which is a shame.

Anastasiia Gubanova (Georgia) Total Score 177.34 - 11th in the short, 7th in the free. Had a rough short and wasn’t able to get her combo. I like the space program a lot better than the angst ABBA. Her GOEs for her jumps were also quite low despite staying on her feet.

Yi Zhu (China) Total Score 166.04 - 10th in the short, 9th in the free. She got a cat plushie with a dress that matched her dress after the short which was absolutely precious!!!! I LOVED the A Star Is Born program. I thought it was lovely.

Xiangyi AN (China) Total Score 163.74 - 9th in the short, 10th in the free. Miss girl gave herself a good slap before starting the free lol. She managed to stay on her feet and her spins were very nice.

Minchae Kim (South Korea) Total Score 154.29 - 7th in the short, 12th in the free. Had a pretty decent short program but fell apart in the second half of her free.

Hongyi Chen (China) Total Score 139.57 - 12th in the short, 11th in the free. Short was rough but she did better in the free! She was a bit slow.

Pairs:

Sara Conti / Niccolo Macii (Italy) Total Score 211.05 - 1st in the short, 2nd in the free. Love the short, and the free is very touching. I’m glad they were able to improve their scores from Grand Prix de France.

Minerva Fabienne Hase / Nikita Volodin (Germany) Total Score 209.36 - 2nd in the short, 1st in the free. I guess Minerva had food poisoning so all the props to her for going out and getting the job done. He fell out of nowhere during the stsq in the short, but I’m glad that they were able to stay on the podium.

Lia Pereira / Trent Michaud (Canada) Total Score 188.74 - 3rd in the short, 3rd in the free. I really liked Sing, Sing, Sing. The only nit pick that I have is that I wish her dress was red to match his pocket square, and Sing,Sing,Sing just screams red to me, IDK.

Ice Dance:

Charlene Guignard / Marco Fabbri (Italy) Total Score 209.13 -1st in the short, 1st in the free.

Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha (Canada) Total Score 205.16 - 2nd int he short, 2nd in the free.

Christina Carreira / Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) Total Score 198.18 - 3rd in the short, 4th in the free.

I haven’t been able to watch the ice dance yet because I wasn’t able to watch anything live, and I’ve also been getting over the flu, but I wanted to get this up before it got too late! No skating this weekend, but I’m ready for the Grand Prix Final next weekend!

[anonbaph]

Day 7 of @yoispookyweek2019: Halloween.

As you can see, they are precious idiots that were celebrating - I’m happy with the result, so I hope you enjoy it. It’s super awful to finish a drawing and have to wait to upload it xD

Thanks to the ones who joined the streaming too.

This drawing on Twitter. Want to support my art? Ko-hi ko-fi cohín | Patreon | Commissions.

[jennibeultimate]

Personal recap Internationaux de France 2021 - Men

As always this is completely personal - bias included - and anything about scoring is always against the judges not the skaters. And you can like it or not I am mainly doing this for me and my memory anyway. Also not talking about everyone...

I was at Internationaux de France live in the arena. My 2nd GP event this season live attending and I just really love to be back in a rink.

Congratulations to Yuma, Shun and Jason! 🎉

I go by result order reversed:

Kevin Aymoz - Not gonna talk about the SP, it was just awful to watch. I am so glad he had a redemption skate. He was so full of emotions and so happy about the good performance. 😍 He doesn't have his difficulty back yet, but he is on the right trajectory. I wonder who they will chose to compete at Europeans with Kevin not in top form and Adam Saio Him Fa getting okay results this season? Both aren't too convincing...(shame that France only has one spot for Europeans but two for Olympics and Worlds)

Adam Siao Him Fa has two of the best programs this season. Exciting and a crowd pleaser. He has a unique style. He may not be elegant or anything like this, but he is interesting to watch. 100% in the performance and he is fast and crazy. Star Wars and Daft Punk and he makes it work. 😍😍😍

Actually Andrei Mozalev had the best free skate of the men. Well done! 👏 👏 👏 He was clean. He has effortless jumps and nice running edge on most of them. It was a shame that his SP completely unraveled, because otherwise he would have made the podium here. He isn't the biggest performer and has some weird music choices (especially in the past) but he is working with the music and for me he is one of the interesting guys in the Russian men team. His PCS seemed to be a bit low compared to the others, but he skated quite early and we all know that this is reflected in the scoring (even when it should not be). I mean I wouldn't give him sky high PCS but he was no worse than Shun imo.

Keegan Messing - Keegan being typically Keegan. A messy free skate, an ok SP. He can score higher, but some things always not work. I really like to watch him though. He has the charme to make his programs work on it alone. His choreo sequence is always a crowd pleaser - what a nice hydroblade! Keegan showing off his baby on screen is super adorable! 😍

Dmitri Aliev - much much much better than in Italy. He isn't back in form. I love his SP music - Child of Light videogame has wonderful music! I really like what he does for the SP! He chose the easier layouts but in his current state that's probably better anyway. His free skate had some lovely highlights like the knee slide into his 3F. This stuck out to me a lot.

Deniss Vasiljews - He was my personal highlight in both the SP and the FS! ❤️ The emotions he shows, the way he performs with his whole body.❤️❤️❤️ He had the best GP series of his life and the best placements too! His jumps are impressive, yes he does only triples but he has nice spring and height and also nice delayed rotation. If now you could only land your 4S then I would be completely happy! 😅

Jason Brown - I was really looking forward to see Jason live as he was one of the skaters I never got the chance to see. I am not a big Jason Brown fan and seeing him live didn't change this, but admittedly he has interesting choreography, he sells his music like no other, he is the performer others skaters's scores say they would be. He has two of the best choreographed programs this season. I really liked his Schindler's list program. He probably has the most complex SP of the season (but ofc he doesn't jump quads and yes it's not part of PCS but I mean a quad needs much more preparation than a triple and you can see that when Jason tries for quads or even the 3A, he also doesn't have much complicated moves before a 3A or quad). His triples do look effortless and I see why he gets good GOEs for his jumps I just still feel like he is often scored with more leniency for wrong edge on the 3Lz or wonky landings than others. It's just not true that all skaters could gain same GOEs if they would jump triples. Tell me what you want but the reputation and federation do play part in the scoring of Jason. (I think it wasn't as bad as it sometimes is here though) Seeing him live I really do get the appeal of Jason and why he has many fans, I cannot even pinpoint the reason I am not his fan, maybe his skating just doesn't touch me as much of those of other skaters. Sometimes it's not about skill, but only about preferences it seems🤷‍♀️ I do really like Jason as a person though. I always like to read his interviews and he really is super sweet, so I really wish I would have liked his skating just as much. 😅

Shun Sato - I am really happy for his silver medal! He had beautiful costumes. I like his SP better than the FS. What is up with Shun Sato's edge calls? In the SP his Lutz got the call of unclear edge, in the free skate it were his Flips??? So does he have unclear edges on both or is this just a way to minimize his TES? 🤔

It's really unfortunate that Japan has such a high level in men skating. With three Olympic medal contenders (Yuzu, Shoma and Yuma) he has it extra hard to make a case for himself. In any other country he would be a clear shoe-in for the Olympics, in Team Japan his chances aren't as high as the above mentioned.

Yuma Kagiyama - It was my 2nd time seeing him live in a row this season and my opinion on him didn't really change. I think Yuma is cute and he is indeed very good. He has good flow and smooth skating and very impressive jumps. Just I cannot see the performance level his PCS claim that he has. He is not much of a performer. The music does the trick not his performance. Especially in the free skate he is not communicating to the crowd at all. Even his cleanish free skate in Italy didn't leave much impression on me. Here in Grenoble he did have a much better SP, but does this warrant 45 PCS? 100 points with a step out? Just no. If Shoma got 102 points and 46 PCS for a clean SP, how can Yuma get 45 PCS? Like Shoma's SP is magical, he is the music, he has one of the best skating skills in the world, Yuma's short program says "Smile" but he only smiles when the word says so, he is rather emotionless in the rest. I am not sure that this fits him at all. It has Patrick Chan vibes but without the PChiddy Canadian charme. The free skate music is a much better choice imo, but I am also not sure how 90 PCS were in any way justified for this program? Skating skills alone doesn't make PCS. Also the 2nd half was rather messy with many mistakes, still more PCS than in Italy? I beg your pardon??? I think his win was well deserved, the scores however were not deserved at all. He may have better skating skills than Shun Sato but performance wise they have the same level, also Andrei Mozalev.

Those 3 competed against each other in juniors, there PCS for FS were as following and now IdF PCS in comparison:

Yuma: 75,94 (JGPF) 78,28 (Jwch) > 90,20 (IdF 2021)

Shun: 79,64 (JGPF) 71,14 (Jwch) > 82,22 (IdF 2021)

Andrei: 78,42 (JGPF) 78,56 (JWch) > 80,72 (IdF 2021)

So judges tell me Yuma improved drastically while the others almost get their junior components from 2 years ago??? I was at the JGPF 2019, I've seen them now again, frankly no there isn't that big of a difference...so what is the difference? Yuma won a Silver at Worlds 2021, while the others didn't compete and JSF seems to back Yuma up better than Shun. (I mean even Shoma antis say that Yuma gets bigger support than Shoma from JSF...and I mean they don't like Shoma at all and called his scores bought etc)

None of this is Yuma's fault, but I don't think it does him any favors either to score him this high. He isn't yet on this level and I am super sorry when I see lots or "fans" pouring their hatred now towards Yuma. He is a determined skater, who works hard, I don't want this to be overshadowed by "oh he's overscored" talk. Just to be clear I may not be sold on Yuma atm, but it doesn't mean I don't like him or mind him his win.

This has been a huge wall of text, sorry! 🙈 If you read it all, thank you, here have a well deserved cookie 🥠!

If you like tell me what you think about the men at IdF...and I am curious how you would see Yuma's or anyone else's scoring 🤔

[figure-skating-watch-party]

Russian jr. test skates - ice dance

I watched only ice dance... and while ladies and men were broadcasted on the official Channel 1 with proper camera work and sound, ice dance was streamed on a semi-official channel with poor camera work... And yeah, maybe it’s one of the reasons why I generally wasn’t very excited about the RDs. But I liked most of the FDs so it’s not that bad ;)  

I’d take all the music listed with a grain of salt (or two) it’s what my phone told me after listening to the music ;)

1. Elizaveta Shichina/Gordei Khubulov – Come get in bae / Yellow moon The first “Russian” blues. I wasn’t that excited (but that’s because I would much prefer waltz or tango as the pattern dance), however they were in synch and had a good lift in the RD.  Now that we are talking about a dance! The FD has a spirit from the beginning, nice emo feel, not everything worked out but they really have interesting lifts. 

2. Taisia Linchevskaya/Timur Babaev Smirnov – Fire / Don Quijote Ok, now I can calm down. I’ll find a way to like the RD after all. This one was great, energetic beginning, some mistakes but so cool and free. I like it. YESSSS to the FD. That was so lively. Curve lift in sitting position, I love. Also, that pause in the middle of the dance which confuses half of the spectators and they think it’s the end, basically the pause ala Stepanova/Bukin? Yes, we love hehe.

3. Alisa Ovsiankina/Matvei Samokhin – Q & A / Michael Jackson My babies are growing up so fast and they are so much fun to watch! They have such nice lines, at the beginning they had some troubles with the twizzles but at the end they go full out. Also, Matvei has a costume with a hood and at one point he puts in on his head and I just love it! Really, they show so much personality, even in the FD. Again, there were some difficulties with twizzles and Alisa skating under Matvei’s legs but the Michael Jackson character sequence is everything.

4. Margarita Svistunova/Dmitrii Studenikin – I feel like drowning / Iduna This RD is kinda standard, for me doesn’t stand out so far, thought the hip hop parts are fun. And as is the usual pattern, I really liked the FD! Drama, emotional, wistful feel, expressive and great lifts.

5. Olga Mamchenkova/Mark Volkov – Broken people / Für Elise This was a good RD, fun step sequence, good rotational lift.  I also liked the FD, everything is there, even drama (maybe too much). 

6. Irina Khavronina/Dario Cirisano – Babylon Berlin / La cumparsita I like the music for the RD, it’s gradually picking up tempo to a great finish.  In the FD they are them; wild, sharp, modern, awesome. Towards the end it gets a bit weird but they’d sell anything. 

7. Sofia Kachushkina/Oleg Muratov – Royals by Lorde / Clubbed to Death Here I think that they really show two very different programs which is always a plus. They are also growing up so fast. The RD is niiice, interesting lift, good choreography. 

8. Anna Rumak/Gleb Goncharov – Stop it Johnny / Casino, Tango noir They are just so fresh and fun. The RD wasn’t perfect, Anna fell and it also felt a bit too quick but they are showmen and I think it will be such a great program.  I LOVED the FD. I know it’s totally subjective, but I do see a bit of Cappellini/Lanotte feel in them. The FD is so cute. They are the best storytellers there, for sure. 

9. Vasilisa Kaganovskaia/Valeriy Angelopol – In the end by Linkin Park / Ave Maria Yes! There was a fall but also nice extensions and they perform and show some emotions. That’s a real rhythm dance! The FD is such a good choice for them. They can do it, they can deliver a mature performance even though they are in juniors. Such a smooth and effortless skating. 

10. Sofia Tyutyunina/Alexander Shustitskiy – Do I wanna know? / Babe I’m gonna leave you They are so taaaallll, so suddenly?! Smooth skating, quite interesting moves and choreo in the RD. I don’t know, so far I have no opinion about the FD, I didn’t feel anything so far. (But I really like them so I think it will change with time!)

11. Sofia Leonteva/Daniil Gorelkin – Stay with me / Prelude to caravan They seemed a bit slower to me but I liked the blues pattern dance part. 

12. Ekaterina Rybakova/Ivan Makhnonosov – Meant / Samson and Dalila Good RD, really good. Great twizzles at the beginning, wild moves I like it! The FD is also nice. They have interesting lifts there. I like the lifts when the lady is almost standing, the man is just holding her above the ground and spinning. 

I’m looking forward to seeing as many ice dancers as possible at JGP. (Really hoping it works out somehow because Russia can’t send skaters to the first two JGPs in Courcheval in France, because France is enforcing a 10-day quarantine for people travelling from Russia...)

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Skating with you- Lukadrien June day 22

So this is really description heavy and you can blame Cirque du Soleil for showing their ice shows, who of which I feel in love with and would kill to see and this book I read when I was really young that I always think about when I think recital about a girl learning how to skate and their first recital they did. The scene from Crystal is here and I could rewatch this part over and over and not get sick of it. I just kinda kept thinking of Adrien in Crystal’s position when I was watching the clips every now and then. Also, Luka lifting Marinette with complete ease during the Frozer episode? You can’t tell me I shouldn’t have him do that with Adrien. How could I not. So yes, Marinette and Adrien know who each other are, they’ve moved on and honestly, the poor girl needs a support system now that Fu is gone and if it has to be Adrien and they need to break the rules to do so, so be it. Besides, Marinette is the guardien now, is she really gonna take the Miraculous away because she knows who Adrien is? Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this, I know it’s pretty word heavy. @lukadrien-june Recital

Adrien focused as he was tugged on the leg to head to the person lifting him in the air. Usually when he pulled out the ice blue camembert and turned Plagg into Plagg Glacier, getting thrown in the air wasn’t an issue. He usually landed on his feet and even with skates on, he never felt unsteady. However, he was his normal self and the person lifting him up had dropped him more than enough times. He might have skated longer than Adrien, heck he was practically a professional, but he’d almost dropped Adrien pretty much in ever rehearsal.

Philippe, the owner of the skating rink, had a friend in the Crystal Cirque du Soleil show and he wanted to do a small tribute to them since their next show in France was going to be at his rink. Adrien hadn’t seen it, but he saw clips, his favourite being what he called the Family and Classmates act, where Crystal appeared in her family living room and students from her class appeared before everything went spinning at the arrival of the business men. Maybe it was the music or that last small showdown Crystal had with the businessmen as she tried to break free, but he could re-watch that clip over and over again. He was extremely excited when he heard that was the scene Philippe was going to do. There weren’t going to be any acrobatics or such, it was going to be replaced as much as possible by skating since he didn’t want to risk people hurting themselves. Adrien and his friends had come during free skate time only to realise Philippe was doing auditions. He told them to stay, since free skate would still happen after the auditions were over. So, he sat there, listening to everyone chatter about other things as he watched the skilled skaters perform. Philippe had a group of them doing the standoff part between Crystal and the business men and he could see they were having problems with where the person in the front of the line had to grab Crystal’s leg to pull her back and pick her up safely.

Adrien knew how to do that. After finding out Marinette was Ladybug not long after she became the new guardian, which had been mostly due to stress and Marinette blurting it out during a minor panic attack, (and also included a deep and heartfelt talk about moving on from each other and how it was better for them now that they weren’t putting each other on pedestals) there was an Akumatized skater with dreams of joining the French Olympic team, who’s sadness of not making the cut was taken advantage of. They pulled out their skater sides in order to dodge the girl whose main attacks where focused on her incredible spins as she came twirling towards you like a tornado. Adrien had been skating by, his back leg outstretched from a jump when Marinette grabbed his ankle and yanked hard to pull him out of the way when the Akuma made a sudden turn and almost knocked him over. She even used his tail to send him towards her with a Cataclysm, similar to how Crystal was sent to her partner who did a waist lift near the end of her standoff with the businessmen. To help them practice on any occasion where they needed to use the ice potion, they’d been using free skate and Adrien had gotten good at being pulled across the ice.

So, Adrien offered advice and showed the person how to do it. He made sure to point out he wasn’t a professional and he’d just been working on this in his free time. He did it with the group and when he got picked up, he just went with it. He might have been doing the lifts with Ladybug, but his body naturally just went to what he would feel Marinette do if he ever lifted her when they did the waist lift. He hadn’t expected after for Philippe to beg him to do the show with them. He tried rejecting the offer, but all his friends who’d watched him egged him on that he ended up saying yes. His dad didn’t even have an issue with it, which was surprising, so instead of going to fencing, he came to the ice rink to learn the skating choero. The other skaters were nice to him, helping him whenever he had questions but one skater, the guy doing the same waist lift, didn’t like Adrien.

Case in point, like right now. The guy grabbed Adrien’s waist and lifted leg, and Adrien put his hand on the guy’s shoulder. The minute he was lifted in the air however, he felt too unbalanced and it was either topple off and onto the ice or let himself fall into the guy’s arms. He chose the safer option.

“What the hell!” he yelled, dropping Adrien onto the ice on his feet. “You’re supposed to be up in the air, not falling on me!”

“You were going to drop me anyway. I was unbalanced and I took the safer descent.”

The guy scoffed. “You were fine. You keep doing this. Why are you even here if you’re not going to take this seriously?”

“Angel, easy.” One of the female skaters, Juliette said skating up to them. “Phillippe told you already not to lift him so fast so he can get his balance. You need to remember Adrien does this for fun and he’s a guy. They don’t usually get lifted into the air, so he’s not used to this.”

“Why the hell was he hired then?”

“Because he knows what he’s doing. We’re professionals and we couldn’t figure out how to do that move but he did.”

“Whatever. I still say pretty boy here shouldn’t even be involved. He has all the opportunities in life but if he messes this up, that’s it for us.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. People from Cirque du Soleil came to practise one day and after Adrien buttered them up a little, seemed very interested in the group who learned hard choreo with ease and changing adaptions. Even not so heavenly Angel was guaranteed a job with them. besides, his only opportunities were the ones his father picked out for him.

“You’re being ridiculous. You know what, I’m taking five until you get your head on straight. Come on Adrien.” Juliette pulled him away, muttering about how some people were pig headed. “Don’t listen to him. You’ve gotten good but you know you’re limits best and if messing up that drop just to save yourself from falling on the ice from a height is what’s best, then we’ll just have to go with it.”

“Thanks. It would help if I actually felt stable when he lifted me.”

“Well you’ve never done a lift like that before. It’s too bad Paul, the guy who lifted you during auditions couldn’t do the show. You’ll get it.”

Adrien skated to where his friends were sitting in the stands. Marinette, Nino, Alya, Kagami and Luka had showed up to show him support.

“That guy needs to take a chill pill. He does realise your dad might kill him if he drops you right?” Nino said, passing Adrien his water bottle.

“He just constantly seems to be in a bad mood. I’m surprised Hawk Moth hasn’t tried anything.” Alya said.

“Don’t give him ideas.”

“He should be focused on making sure you’re ok when he lifts you though.” Kagami said. She enjoyed getting away from fencing practise to get the chance to make friends. She had easily inserted herself into their friend group thanks to Marinette’s help. “that girl is right. You’ve never done something like this before.”

“Guess this is what I get for showing off.” Adrien said, sharing a look with Marinette. It was extra practise for when they fought on ice since he was a shield for Ladybug, but he’d rather go back to free skate if he was going to be putting up with the verbal abuse from Angel.

“Have you gotten any practise with him?” Luka asked.

“For a guy with a heavenly name, he’s kinda the devil. Refuses to even consider it. He just tells Philippe he can do it and because Philippe is so concerned with getting everything else right, he leaves us to our own devices.”

“That doesn’t seem very safe. I know it’s kinda a small performance to showcase a small thing from the show, but you’re not a professional at this. If you can’t get the chance to do it properly, you could hurt yourself.” Luka said.

“I know, but a lot of these skaters are working on other projects, so I don’t feel right asking them for help.”

Marinette perked up. “Wait a second. Adrien, you can practise with Luka! He can do lifts really well.”

That was actually true. According to the Couffaine siblings, they used to do pair ice skating when they were young to help Juleka’s confidence. They didn’t compete anymore but whenever they came to free skate the two would show off. And Luka had lifted Marinette easily that time they, Kagami and him had come skating that first time.

“I mean, if I was taught how to do the lift properly, I could probably do it. If that’s ok with you.” Luka said.

“Yes actually. That would be great. Juliette!” he called. When the silver haired skater came over, he asked, “Do you think you could teach my friend the lift I need to do with Angel? He offered to help me practise.”

“Of course. I’m actually free after practise if you don’t mind giving up your free skate time.”

“Sounds good to me.” Luka said.

“Perfect.”

When practise was over, Luka joined him on the ice and Juliette had him run with her the showdown part, so he knew how it went.

“So, Adrien has two lifts right next to each other. The first one is pretty simple. Same leg that’s used to pull him back is the leg that gonna stabilize him in that short lift. That same leg is gonna be the one you grab to lift him. He’s gonna straighten it when you lift him and that leg is going to be the thing that helps you keep him balanced until you feel like you can do it with just the hand on his waist and you let go. When you lift him, he’s going to keep his hand on your shoulder. The idea is that you both feel when you’re stable enough to spin with just your hand on his waist so you can let go together, preferably at the kinda climax of the part of the song. You two have to work together in this, think you can do that?”

Well Luka was Viperion and he and Chat Noir worked well together. He hoped it still went that way when they weren’t wearing their masks.

They went slow, Juliette gently pushing Adrien to Luka so he could get the timing of when to lift when he had Adrien and so Adrien knew when to push off. It wasn’t perfect first obviously. Sometimes Luka went to slow or too fast and Adrien wasn’t ready and took them both down in his panic. But Luka seemed to have loads of patience and was able to help Adrien figure out when to push off so Luka could lift him.

“Perfect!” Juliette said when they managed to do the lift with no mistakes. “Ok, don’t spin yet, find your balance first and I want you two to let go of each other.”

Adrien decided to take a leap of faith and trust Luka had him balanced and lifted his hand from his shoulder. He felt Luka let go of his leg and with minimal shaking, held Adrien up with one hand. Ok, Adrien knew he had some muscle from fencing and hero saving, but he didn’t realise just how strong Luka was. It was kinda hot.

Adrien told himself to control his bisexualness. It did not help that after his breakup with Kagami and the extra time he spent on the Liberty when skipping obligations, he was starting to notice how good looking Luka was. He seemed to have a type for strong, dark haired people with kind hearts.

“There you go. Ok, now let’s try it with spinning.”

Luka seamlessly let him fall into his arms before placing back onto the ice.

“Was that ok?”

“Yeah. I knew you wouldn’t drop me.” Adrien admitted.

“Well, not that hard when you’re so light.”

“I’m not that light.”

Luka shot him a smile. “You’re about as heavy as full-grown cat.”

Adrien fingered his ring. “Must be around cats often.”

“I’m fond of black ones and tend to find them around me a lot.”

Marinette mentioned she thought Luka knew. The fact that he was lightly poking at it but still made him feel safe probably said something.

They tried it again, this time with the spinning. They went slow at first, Luka looking up at him to see how he was before they picked up speed. By the end of it, they managed to get the lift down with minor stumbles.

“That was amazing! You two did so well. I’m very impressed.” Juliette complimented, their friends cheering by the stands.

“Well it helps when you have an amazing skater.” Adrien said, looking at Luka, who actually looked a bit embarrassed.

“Well, couldn’t leave you in a lurch.”

“It’s a shame you can’t do the show with Adrien. He’d probably feel a lot safer with you lifting him in the air.”

The two shared a smile before a scream broke out and an Akuma appeared.

“You think you can replace me pretty boy?”

Angel, of course. Adrien glanced at Luka, knowing Marinette would feel better if they split their potions between the Miraculous holders that were with them now. He hoped the same teamwork they just showed stayed with them in the battle.

                                              ________________

“You know, Chat Noir and Viperion have pretty amazing chemistry on ice.”

Adrien flinched as he heard Alya say that. Like Spider Man, Alya still managed to get footage of battles even when she was involved. During the fight with Angel, or Ice Demon as he was called then, they spilt into pairs to work together during attacks. He meant to stay with Ladybug, but they got separated early on and Viperion had caught him when he got knocked off his feet. Luka skated with the same ease as before and the two had managed to come up with a plan to keep Ice Demon distracted so Ladybug could use her Lucky Charm and get his item. Like they’d been practising earlier, the two worked together with ease.

“Like, I know Chat and Ladybug are really good together and Chat seems to work well with any of the other heroes but there’s something amazing about the way he and Viperion worked together.”

Marinette glanced at Adrien, shooting him a smirk. “Yeah, like they’re one.”

He rolled his eyes. With knowing each other identities, it was easier to talk during patrols and he let it slip how he thought Luka was cute. He expected Marinette to be uncomfortable with it seeing how she dated him, but Marinette jumped at the chance to tease him.

“Luka and I decided we were better as friends. Even after I got over you, it just felt like I couldn’t really fully be with him and it wasn’t fair. I’ll admit, I never would have thought to hear you call him cute. I wonder what he thinks of you?”

Marinette loved to tease him now that they were much more comfortable with each other.

“Adrien.” The blond looked up to see Phillippe coming over to him, looking upset. “Angel pulled out at the last minute. I’ve called other backups, but they all have other shows. I can’t even get my friend to lend us one of the people from the show to help. We might have to cancel the recital.”

Humbling as it was to call it a simple recital, Adrien knew that this was big for Phillipe. The performance was to showcase what would appear here with the Cirque du Soleil company and drum up business for Phillippe.

“What if someone took his place?” Adrien said, not even thinking. Actually, he was. He was just hoping it paid off. “Luka was practising the lift with me yesterday and we got it down. I think he could do it.”

“Yes, yes, call him!”

“Call who, where’s the fire?” Luka asked, his guitar case on his back. Adrien’s guess was he came from his delivery job. He always carried his guitar with him on his job.

“Ah Luka! Angel ended up dropping out and I’m short a performer.” Phillippe said.

“Did he now?” Luka asked, sharing a look with Adrien. Most Akuma victims didn’t give up on what they loved because they thought it’d be giving into what Hawk Moth wanted, but Angel had thrown a huge fit when he was saved and stormed off. Adrien hoped that he wouldn’t stop skating.

“Adrien said you learned how to do with the lift with him. Would it be possible for you to do the performance with us?”

Luka shrugged. “I don’t mind. If it helps.” Luka went stumbling back with how hard Philippe ran up and hugged him.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Luka patted Phillippe’s back while sharing a look with Adrien.

The day of the recital, performance, showcase, whatever they wanted to call it, it was right before free skate began and €5 got spectators online access to get first in line to buy tickets for Crystal. Adrien could hear his extensive fan group screaming his name.

“Ready?” Luka asked, looking rather good in his suit. He had Marinette to blame for that.

“I guess. At least I know one person won’t drop me.”

“I try my best.”

And of course, he didn’t. they even managed to let go of each other on the music. He felt out of breath when he skid across the ice but he was sure people couldn’t tell with the huge smile on his face.

“Thank you everyone! What you saw today was an edited part of something you can see at Cirque du Soleil’s ice skating show Crystal, which will happen here. Your tickets today will give you access to early ticket sales. I am very lucky that my dear friend is part of the cast and I’m sure you can ask any of these performers about how much they enjoyed, including Paris’ very own Adrien Agreste.” He gave a small smile to the people. He then noticed Luka skating up to him and handing him a bouquet of flowers. “And Luka Couffaine. These two were our youngest performers. Please, a round of applause.”

He pulled Luka down, “Thanks. I’m sure they would have given us the flowers in the change rooms.”

“Who said they were from Phillippe?”

Oh. Damn it, with the smirk on Luka’s lips, Adrien was sure Luka was clued into his minor (it was minor, and he wouldn’t hear of it from Marinette, Plagg or even Tikki) crush. He hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with anymore ice type villains with Viperion soon. He had a feeling Luka would want to test something if it came to that.

[gimmedafood]

Alternate Zoyalai Olympic AU

So, this is just a variation of the Olympic AU/headcanons that @wafflesandkruge came up with, so I hope you enjoy.

FYI: Zoya attended her first Olympic Games when she was 16. The year is 2022. Zoya is 24 years old, Nikolai is 25. Zoya has been to 3 Olympic Games, and this is Nikolai’s first.

Chamonix Winter Olympics 2022: Events to Watch

Return of the Little Dragon

All eyes will be on the return of Zoya Nazyalensky (RUS), this year. Nicknamed the ‘Little Dragon’ by her fans, Nazyalensky became a sporting legend after her spectacular wins in Sochi, 2014, and Pyongchang, 2018.

Unfortunately, her competitive career was sidelined following a car accident nearly two years ago, an event that also caused the tragic death of her fellow Team Russia figure skater, Alina Starkov. Nazyalensky spent a year recuperating from her injuries, during which she was rarely seen in the public eye.

Nazyalensky’s return to competition at the National Championships resulted in a close win, and it is yet unclear how she will fare against international rivals. Will we witness another magnificent flight of the Little Dragon, or is this comeback doomed to disappoint?

Ice Hockey: Men’s Competition

A Sibling Rivalry

Fun fact: Nikolai Lanstov, newly crowned captain of the French Men’s Ice Hockey Team, is not the only one in his family making headlines. His half brother Vasily has been stirring up trouble at home, claiming Nikolai to be a fraud.

The brothers are known for their strained relationship, but rumor has it that Vasily may be present in the audience during his brother’s gold medal match. Will Vasily’s presence be a thorn in Lanstov’s side, or will these Winter Games lead to reconciliation? Either way, keep your eyes on the crowd!

-‘-‘-

Zoya stamped the snow off of her boots before the entrance of the Athlete’s Village cafeteria. The building itself was uninspiring, but it served food that catered to the Olympian’s strict training diets and anything more appetizing was too far away to venture without security. At least the guards kept the press and fans away from their homes for the month.

She was taking a moment to breathe on her cold hands when she become aware of someone standing beside her.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” a deep, clearly male voice said.

Zoya turned to see a tall, blonde man with a child-like smile on his face, one gloved hand pointed at the Olympic torch across the square.

She glanced over him quickly, taking in his appearance like she’d been taught to size up competition.

He was just over six foot in height, defined muscles under his Team France jacket, even though he was covered in an assortment of scarves and hats. Messy, coppery-gold hair, chocolatey hazel eyes, and a strangely familiar face. He was about her age, and he was not bad, not bad at all.

“Let me guess,” she said, smirking underneath her scarf. “This is your first Olympics?”

The man went slightly pink, “Uh, yeah.”

“You get used to it, newbie.”

The man blushed harder still, his stance shifting slightly. Zoya ignored him as she continued to slip out of her outer layers. The combination of insulated jackets and overcrowded, overheated cafeteria would result in an uncomfortable personal sauna if she wasn’t careful.

She pushed her deep blue scarf down from her face and the man’s eyes widened.

“You’re the Little Dragon!” he gasped, his tone filled with admiration. “I watched you win gold in Pyongchang. That last jump series was sensational! Almost as good as your routine in Sochi. I watched that with my roommates in college!”

Warmth rose in her cheeks and she quickly frowned to cover it. “Wow, that doesn’t make me feel old at all.”

“I didn’t mean to imply...” the man’s expression immediately shifted from awe to horror; and Zoya decided to take pity on him. It was clear that he was puppy, innocent and sweet.

“Don’t sweat it, newbie.”

The man inclined his head. “Even so, I apologize.”

His apology seemed genuine, at least. Maybe he wasn’t just another beefcake jock boy. Interesting...

“You’re from France, da?“ Her accent made the word sound more like ‘vour’ than ‘you’re.’

The question seemed to let the man bounce back from his clear embarrassment. “Yes. I’m Nikolai, Nikolai Lanstov. I’m in Men’s Hockey. It’s such an honor to meet you.”

He held out his hand to her and Zoya accepted, gently laying her small hand in his as she tried not to smile at his polite manners. Now she remembered where she had seen him before. His face was on all of the Chobani commercials she’d seen since arriving in the Olympic City.

“Zoya Nazyalensky, Figure Skating. But you already knew that, clearly.”

Nikolai chuckled at that. It was a very warm sound, happy and clear. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a fan.”

She couldn’t help smiling back at him. “This must be a big Games for you.”

Nikolai winced. “You don’t know the half of it. I was born in Chamonix, you know, got my start playing for the local team before I moved to America for a while. There’s a lot of expectations, even before I was made captain.”

He glanced down at the ground, letting out a long, slow breath. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging.”

“Brag away. Being Captain is a huge honor for someone as young as you and I.”

He looked up sharply, his ears turning pink in the chilly air. Really, he was too fun to tease.

“Cheer up, newbie. So you got a big break. That’s what happens in sports.”

Nikolai’s pretty face flickered between apologetic and defensive. “I just don’t want to let anyone down.”

Zoya bit her lip against the cold, the shift in the conversation making her uncomfortable. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

Nikolai murmured something in reply that she didn’t catch, and the silence stretched between them, broken only by the muffled chatter inside the cafeteria.

“Your accent isn’t very French.” Zoya said, the silence making her blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

“I spent a lot of time in America as a kid,” he replied, seeming grateful for the distraction. “When I returned to France, I spoke English with the most New Yorker accent imaginable. My teachers hated it.”

Zoya couldn’t help it, the image of an awkward teenage Nikolai sitting in a French classroom and being scolded by his teacher made her huff out a laugh. “That’s adorable.”

His eyes crinkled, every inch of him a cute, golden retriever puppy. “I try my best.”

Zoya swallowed hard, instantly reminded of another pair of warm brown eyes and spun-gold hair. Her heart clenched.

“I’ll see you around, Nikolai.” She tried her best to keep her voice light and polite, but could hear the tremor that crept into the end.

She was turning for the doors when his voice stopped her again.

“I thought it was very brave of you to come back to competition. You know, after what happened. It must have been very hard.”

“Thanks,” She said, but she did not look back.

The Chamonix Winter Olympics Sum Up : Day Five

Nazyalensky ‘Proud’ of her result.

After months of rehabilitation and hard work, Zoya Nazyalensky (RUS) was crowned gold in the women’s figure skating finals, finishing just above newcomer Inej Ghafa (ENG) in her first Olympics.

Ghafa transitioned from gymnastics to figure skating only two years ago, after a shoulder injury rendered her incapable of competing.

When asked about the result at a post-event press conference, the ever-competitive Nazyalensky surprised onlookers by congratulating and thanking each of her competitors and coaches profoundly, something rarely seen from the notoriously cold skater. She said she was ‘happy with my result and my performance.’

When questioned further on her emotional state during the competition, Nazyalensky admitted that her late teammate and close friend, Alina Starkov, was frequently on her mind.

“Honestly, I cannot think of a day during this Games that Alina hasn’t been on my mind. Her passing inspired my routine for the finals and this medal is dedicated to her.”

‘Teammate.’ ‘Close friend.’

Zoya closed the news sight in disgust. It was true that she and Alina had always acted platonic and playfully competitive in public, and it was also true that they had never really publicized their relationship, but the ability of the press to completely miss the obvious always astounded her.

Still, at least the madness of the press conferences and interviews were mostly over with, leaving her free to enjoy the beauty of Chamonix’s many bars and frozen lakes and ponds in the lead up to the Closing Ceremony.

She was pulling on her gloves outside of the Athlete’s Village when she spotted Nikolai standing on the sidewalk, surrounded by a gaggle of chattering teenagers that she vaguely recognized as the American Figure Skating Team. They seemed to be asking him for autographs, which he was supplying readily, if a bit in surprise.

She only really recognized one of them, a tiny blonde girl who had taken bronze in the Finals, just below Zoya and Inej.

Zoya hung back, not wanting to interrupt, but then Nikolai spotted her standing in the shadow and waved cheerily, his handsome face splitting into a wide smile.

The team turned to see who he was waving at, and the tiny blonde one let out a shriek, one that Zoya didn’t understand, try as she might. Suddenly, she was surrounded by noisy teenage girls, each eagerly asking for her autograph in varying levels of Russian.

She scribbled something on each of the scraps of paper thrust at her, and even remembered to thank the pint-sized medalist for competing. As quickly as they had surrounded her, the girls ran off in a happy rabble.

Nikolai came striding over to her, his hands thrust into his pockets and a big grin splashed across his face.

“They seem to admire you.” She murmured as he drew near.

“Not nearly as much as they admire you.” His grin widened. Zoya finally finished pulling on her gloves. Contrary to rumor, she did not actually enjoy the cold in real life.

“Want to bet they have posters of you on their walls?” She jibed, smirking slightly.

“Right next to posters of you, I’m sure. They only like me for my looks.”

Zoya rolled her eyes, but she could not help the grin spreading across her face. She had forgotten what it felt like to be a role model. The thought was equally as terrifying as it was flattering.

“Congrats on your gold,” She said, nudging Nikolai with her elbow.

As predicted, Nikolai blushed a brilliant pink. “Thanks. Congrats on your gold, I- uh, I saw your interview.”

Of course he had.

“How does it feel? Being the favorite son of France?”

Nikolai let out a long breath. “It’s a relief more than anything else. It was such a close game.”

“Which you deserved to win.”

“As did you.” Nikolai seemed to lean down towards her, then pulled back as if second guessing himself. “The way you told your story was...truly magnificent.”

Oh, the man did know how to charm. Zoya gave him another once over, assessing him again. Looks like a god, probably fucks like a god too.

“So, Sobachka,” Zoya remarked, too casually as she used the new nickname she’d come up with. Puppy. “I’m sure you’ve heard how wild the post-medal parties can get?”

Nikolai blinked, confusion flickering across his face before he caught her meaning. “I did hear something to that effect.”

“Well...” she let her voice drag, an unspoken promise lingering. “I can’t say how wild things could be, but would you like to grab a drink?”

Nikolai closed his mouth then reopened it, suddenly bearing a strong resemblance to a stunned haddock. “With you?”

“No, genius, with the woman standing behind me.”

He actually looked over her head, and Zoya was about to give the suggestion up as a lost cause when Nikolai came back to his senses. “Sorry, it’s just. You were my hero. You are my hero. I may have to hit myself.”

“You mean pinch yourself?”

Nikolai nodded vigorously. “That too.”

She rolled her eyes but took his arm all the same. “C’mon, Sobachka. Let’s get us some liquor.”

Rinkside Gossip

Nikolai Lanstov: Following His Heart?

French captain Nikolai Lantsov has announced that he will be accepting a contract in the ICFR this upcoming season. While this will certainly come as a blow to France and his home team, Chamonix Foxes, it could be that Lanstov has more than a fat paycheck on his mind. Our sources have spotted him several times, sharing drinks with a certain Russian figure skater...

[woodwind-sensei]

The ISU Junior Grand Prix Starts This Week in Courchevel, France

    One of the highlights for this event is the debut of Eteri’s latest protege Kamila Valieva (RUS), who unveiled a quad toe at the Junior Russian Test Skates at the beginning of August. Kamila has the potential to be skating royalty. She has a great amount of flexibility and can hit really great positions, which will be a great asset to her if she stays healthy throughout the quadrennium. However, there are some questionable landings at times, especially in jump combinations, that sort of stop me from being fully sold on her. Also, the choreography (par for the course with this camp) is atrocious. It’s just way too much stuff. Even when she hits a great Ina Bauer or a great spiral position, it’s there and gone. Nothing is really held out and allowed to really draw an audience in. The other Russian lady competing will be another Eteri student named Maya Kromykh. Her short program in particular is almost divine in comparison to that of Valieva. The difference is time. Maya really holds out some of those moves and shows them off in a great way. There is a lack of speed that is a little worrisome, but she’s still a great skater.

  As typical of a figure skating competition, Japan will bring a high level of talent to France this week with Nana Araki and Tomoe Kawabata. I fell in love with Tomoe’s skating last season. Her skating skills are on par with Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner, and has textbook jumps, similar to those of Kim Yu-na. Watch her short from last year’s Nationals. Nothing is out of place, and every movement is done with the utmost elegance. She was hampered by injury towards the end of the season, so she has been on the path to recovery. Tomoe also switched coaches to former World Junior Champ Yukina Ota, and will have her programs choreographed by Stephane Lambiel. She is poised to become one of the most artistic skaters in modern history with a team like that. Nana is also one of the top juniors in Japan, winning the silver at Junior Nationals last season. She has the jumps down pat, especially the lutz. The artistry leave a little to be desired, as I think she still has yet to find a style that really suits her. She has some interesting programs lined up for this year, especially a free skate to one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, choreographed by Miki Ando. We have yet to see the program in action, but I like the prospects of both the Japanese ladies.

   In the afterglow of Pyeongchang 2018, South Korea is beginning to experience a rise in the figure skating world. Their top juniors You Young and Kim Ye-lim have since moved on to the senior ranks, but there are now a small army of young Korean skaters ready to take the figure skating world by storm. The charge this week will be lead by Wi Seoyeong , who finished 4th at both of her JGP assignments last season. She is a particularly good spinner, and is able to perform the full array of triples. She is very young, and might need a considerable amount of time on the junior circuit to really get a feel for performance and competition. She will be joined by To Ji-Hun, another Korean skater doing her second season on the Junior Grand Prix. I consider the Koreans to have one of the purest jump techniques in the world. Ji-Hun is no exception, as she gets great elevation and flow a lot of the time. It’s the artistry that needs a little more development. She reminds me somewhat of Akiko Suzuki, because I see the artistic potential in her skating skills. But like Akiko, I predict she’ll blossom later in her career.

These will be the top contenders for the ladies’ medals this week. Hannah Harrell (USA) has an outside shot if the other girls don’t hit. Her scores at the last Junior Worlds would for sure land her in the Top 10 at this event, but she would need a considerable boost to get on the podium if everyone is clean. The other lady that could do it is Alison Schumacher (CAN), who rounded out the Top 10 at Junior Worlds. I love the power and speed she has. It’s a little unrefined, but Canada has produced a multitude of complete skaters in recent years, so I will fully expect her to develop by the time she’s a senior.

Both the men’s event and the ice dance event are wide open. The amount of athletes who moved from junior to senior this season was pretty large, with the only Top 10 finisher from the last Junior Worlds competing at this JGP event being Loïcia Demougeot/Théo le Mercier (FRA). It’ll be very interesting to see who will medal here.

[virtchandmoir]

Ice-dance pair Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir named Postmedia's Team of the Year

December 28, 2018

Twenty-one years ago, Carol Moir made the Canadian sporting match of the century.

The coach at the Ilderton Skating Club asked her nephew Scott to hold Tessa Virtue’s hand because she figured it might be a strong team for ice dance competitions.

Scott, back in his more bashful days, knew the drill. He grew up steps from his hometown rink in a family that discussed figure skating around the supper table — in the hour or so before the puck dropped for the Maple Leafs game on Hockey Night in Canada

The Virtue clan, from nearby big-city London, were athletes. They had sport in their blood.

Tessa, who loved ballet, impressed her first teachers with the uncanny ability to replicate movement almost immediately on first sight.

When she and Scott took the ice together, the talent was evident.

“We weren’t skating to win the Olympics when we were skating (then),” Moir, now 31-years-old, said. “Pretty much, we were worried if we could go up and get ice cream afterward.”

They quickly outgrew their home rink, moving first to Kitchener-Waterloo and then to Canton, Mich., for pro-style training. Mike Slipchuk, then a coach and now Skate Canada’s director of high performance, first saw them skate on the other side of the world — at a junior Grand Prix event in Harbin, China, in 2004.

“It was one of those things where I was well aware,” he said. “As they were young and moving up, there was always a lot of talk about them. It’s neat to see where they started and where they end up in their careers.

“It’s been an incredible journey to watch.”

How many star athletes have risen to the top of their field, then got knocked off their pedestal, took a couple of years to regroup, then returned to dominate their event like no one has ever done before?

That list is short.

Michael Jordan, probably, after he came back to the NBA from his self-imposed hiatus to try professional baseball.

Muhammad Ali, for sure, when he reclaimed boxing’s heavyweight title.

That’s what Virtue and Moir accomplished these past two seasons. That makes them the perfect pick for Postmedia’s Team of the Year.

When they became the first North American duo to win Olympic ice dance gold in 2010 on home ice at Vancouver, they were only four years into their maddeningly platonic partnership on the senior circuit.

They still produced the performance of a lifetime, but it was understandably pushed into the national sub-conscious during a massive two-week Canadian gold rush capped by Sidney Crosby’s famous goal against the United States in the men’s hockey final.

Four years later in Sochi, Virtue and Moir were bested in figure skating’s most riveting rivalry. They finished second to training mates Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who used their post-Olympic Dancing With the Stars platform to become TV celebrities.

The Canadians retreated from the competitive realm for two years before creating their legendary bounce-back. This time, they moved to Montreal and constructed a familiar training pattern.

They were at the same club as the reigning world champs and their top competitors — Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France.

“They never shied away from training with the best,” Slipchuk said. “When you’re in that environment, there are no days off. It’s something they always did in their career, and with (coaches) Marie-France (Dubreuil) and Patrice (Lauzon), they recreated their skating and passion.

“The last two years was the best I’ve ever seen them. They went undefeated (in 2016-17) and then went out and won the Olympics again.”

The volume of their careers, which started with whispers and a growing buzz, developed into a deafening roar.

Virtue and Moir were Canada’s hopeful faces at the start of the 2018 Olympics in South Korea. They carried the flag into the opening ceremonies of a Winter Games without NHL players.

Then they delivered a transcendent skate that brought their discipline to its highest level.

They have become as revered as Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko, Liz Manley and Sale-Pelletier are in the country and figure skating world.

“The one thing that will always stick out to me is they wanted every piece of information to make them the best,” Slipchuk said. “Here’s the best dance team we’ve ever seen and they were always open and wanting advice any time we brought in officials, judges or technical people. They were so respectful of everyone there to help them. They’re professionals and perfect ambassadors for their sport.”

The 29-year-old Virtue was selected by ESPN as one of the most-recognizable female athletes in the world. People worldwide continue to be stumped by how her relationship with Moir isn’t romantic.

They’re flattered by it, but that’s not what makes them tick.

“If we can inspire young people to follow their dreams and believe in themselves, how fortunate are we that we can have that connection,” Virtue said.

Every so often, we get a glimpse of tremendous chemistry — from the way the Golden State Warriors move a basketball to John Tavares and Mitch Marner creating a goal. But those partnerships won’t last two decades.

This one did.

VIRTUE VERY TRENDY

When the Olympics rolled around in February, Canadians took to the Internet to search for the answers to their most pressing questions.

They wanted to know why NHL players weren’t participating this time, how come so many Russian athletes were banned and a lot of us just needed a refresher on the rules of curling.

But the most sought-after information in Canadian sports this year revolved around the relationship status of two beloved champion athletes.

Are Tessa and Scott dating?

“It’s not a surprise to anyone this was the No. 1 question on everybody’s mind,” Google Trends expert Nicole Bell said. “Coming of their very emotional performance in Pyeongchang where they won the gold medal for ice dancing to that sexy Moulin Rouge song, people were like, ‘Omigoodness, is it possible this is ‘The Notebook’ for real?’

“We want this to be real-life love — but sadly, it’s not true.”

Google is able to chart the rise in interest in personalities from year-to-year. Justin Bieber and Donald Trump, for instance, aren’t found on the list because online searches for their names didn’t move the needle much above their 2017 levels.

In this country, Tessa Virtue ranked first among Canadians and athletes in general in 2018. Hoopster Tristan Thompson is second among Canadians and new Raptor Kawhi Leonard is runner-up for athletes behind the figure-skating star.

Though the anxiety over William Nylander’s eventual signing with the Leafs and John Tavares’ Toronto homecoming checked in highly, the level of curiosity around Virtue and Moir, especially during and after the Winter Games, was the biggest story.

“It’s kind of interesting because they have been on the scene for a long time as a pair, but that (dating) questions hasn’t been a burning topic in the Canadian mind until this year’s performance,” Bell said, “and Tessa did a lot of beauty campaigns (for Dove and Nivea), along with being involved in fashion, and those activities produced additional interest in her beyond the skating world.”

Virtue finished fourth on Canadian searches for people around the world, behind Demi Lovato, Khloe Kardashian and Hailey Baldwin.

“Demi Lovato had a bit of a dramatic year with an overdose, Khloe Kardashian made the news for (a stormy relationship with) Tristan Thompson and Hailey Baldwin married Justin Bieber. Tessa is there with no scandal — just someone whose athletic feats and talent was so incredible.

“She’s somebody Canadians are incredibly proud of and she’s a role model. If you had a vote for Canada’s sweetheart right now, she would win, hands down.”

THEIR GREATEST HITS

2017-18 Moulin Rouge free dance

They put their own twist on a tried-and-true figure skating theme and it proved the final step to another Olympic gold medal. Though it was deemed second-best on the big night to the runner-up French, it still scored 122.40 points, enough for the win. The program is still burned into everyone’s brain — including theirs — and that’s why it will remain a favourite on tour for years to come.

2012-13: Carmen free dance

The final scores say it was only good enough for second at their hometown worlds behind Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, but the boundary-pushing dance highlighted the athleticism and chemistry of the Canadian duo. Moir has stated he wished they would have kept the program the following year for the Sochi Olympics, believing a polished version of it with nothing held back (and some less dodgy judging) could have put them over the top.

2009-10: Symphony No. 5 (Mahler) free dance

Then-coach Marina Zoueva described it as a marriage proposal and it was the launching point for Virtue and Moir as “Canada’s Sweethearts.” The program delivered their first Olympic gold in Vancouver and first senior world title in Turin, consistently scoring 110-plus points. It included their signature Goose Lift. And don’t forget, Virtue could barely walk from the immense pain in her legs due to her compartment syndrome woes along the way.

—Toronto Sun

[gwydionmisha]

Figure Skating Thoughts

I am always behind on figure Skating.  This is because the broadcast season starts in October when I am way too busy to spend much time on the sofa staring at the screen.  That's he reality  I also like watching things in order, so instead of skipping ahead, I watch when I can.

A Figure Skating fter the Olympics, I decided I'd try watching pair skating again, which slowed me way down.  It seems I still have an eye for it, which helped, and I identified some couples I liked, but I just couldn't get that into it.  Trying to watch made me further behind not only because I was adding an extra 4ish hours of taping for every event, but because I'd get bogged down and reluctant to watch even with me fast forwarding over routines that weren't working for me and most of the fillers.

IDK, I may watch the big events like the grand Prix final I taped or World's in the spring.

The result is I'm currently up to Men's Free skates in the Russian Grand Prix event.  (Seriously, no spoilers).  

Someone needs to tell the people running cameras for this event and Cup of China that this is NOT Synchro.  Look, I unironically love synchro (Go Marigold Ice Unity!), but they choreography is really different.  In a synchro event, it totally makes sense to shoot from above sometimes to show what the patterns look like. You know were it 100% is the opposite of helpful?  In single skating when the athlete is doing spins.  Single skate spins look like nothing from the top.  They are meant to be watched from the side.  That's how they look most beautiful and if you cut to the top you can't see the position changes properly and that's something people who are watching ice skating because they like watching ice skating are going to want to see, IE: the spin positions.  Um, Duh!  Who thought this was a good idea?  Did they run it past anyone who'd seen ice skating before?  It's annoying and frustrating.  I noticed they were doing it less in Russia, so lets hope it stops.

It was good to see Shoma Uno on an upward trajectory again.  he really is one of the world's best when his shit is together and that think in france absolutely made me weep for him.  He's still not together all the way, but he looks to be on the way.

Mostly I wanted to write about Nam Nguyen, who I never paid that much attention to before, but this year is starting to turn into a real Canadian style figure skater and I love it.  He's not where he needs to be yet, but he found the thing he was missing: his artistic voice.  I actually guessed he'd been working with Kurt Browning before I heard them say it.  He doesn't skate like Kurt Browning, but the thing Browning was brilliant at besides technical excellence was speaking to the audience in his performances.  There was always a lot of personality in his performances.  The transformation is not as extreme as Jason Brown's was last year, but it is of a similar type.  Suddenly Mr. Nguyen skates like he's enjoying it and he wants us to enjoy watching him.  Suddenly there is something of himself in his skating.  He's still a little awkward and could use some dance training, but oh man, does he have a chance to be Amazing next year if he keeps at it.  I very much hope he does, because I am interested in seeing what he can do.

I do have opinions about the three Russian teenagers doing quads on the women's side, but I'm honestly trying to figure out how to explain them.  I definitely have a favorite already, and one i don't much care for based entirely on skating style, but explaining why is beyond me just now.

[saultnpeppah]

Paris

I know, I know. Super late, but I am trying to get this done slowly but surely. I hope you all still enjoy this story I wrote for Day 3 of the WonderBat Holiday event. Theme for day 3 was: Sexy.

This one is set in the DCEU

December 24. Wayne Residence - Paris, France. 16:54.

"I can't believe you let Ms. Diana talk you into this."

I turn to face Alfred, my butler, the man who has been like a father to me for more years than my actual father was able to. He shrugs his shoulders and turns towards the blinking oven, but I can tell there is a smug smile on his face. There is always a smug smile on his face when he mentions Diana.

Alfred thinks he is subtle. He thinks his witty comments and snarky jabs go unnoticed, but I can hear them. I always hear them. So does she. And the more I think about it, the more I think she enjoys them, like it some sort of validation to what she wants to believe. I guess that's why she loves Alfred so much. He humors the idea that we could be something more than teammates, something more than friends, and as much as I would love to agree, I can't let myself go down that path again.

I gave up on love, happiness, and a prospect at having someone there for me, a long time ago. I have lost too many people: my parents, Dick, Jason, Selina. The last person I want to risk losing is Diana, so I will bite the bullet and push her away. I will keep her away from burrowing deep into my chest, not allowing her to grab hold of my heart, no matter how much I would love it. Diana is amazing and beautiful, both inside and out. I am not proud of the number of times I've imagined holding that beautiful body in my arms as I kissed her lips, making love to her throughout the night. It's something I want more than anything, but I know I can't have her.

"It's been over a century since she's had a meal with close friends," I say, finally taking a break from my thoughts to respond to Alfred's comment. "She wanted a dinner with everyone instead of a gift."

Alfred nods but doesn't turn from the oven that has now begun to beep, signalling the roast he has been cooking is nearly done. He pulls the roast from the oven and places it on the island behind him, the smug smirk on his face never fading as he wipes a hand on the apron over his shirt and slacks. "What?" I ask, taking a sip from the glass in my hand, letting the wine relax my nerves. I know having Diana over for dinner shouldn't make me nervous, we've done it many times, but it will be the first time I've seen her since the incident at the lake.

That incident….I wish I could take it back, but at the same time, I wish I could make it happen all over again. She had forced me to go ice skating on the lake near my house, and I had kissed her, and like a fool, I ran away. I always run away. It's much easier than facing those unresolved feelings. Call me a coward, but it's easier to blame the mission in Gotham and my never ending commitment issues, than to fall in love and get hurt once more. I'd rather not go through that all over again.

Alfred glances over his shoulder at my way and shakes his head. "Well, if you're going to sit there and try to convince me that you do not have any feelings for Ms. Diana, then it would do you well to wipe that smile off your face. It screams of a man in love."

I pull the wine glass from my lips and scowl at Alfred. I want to yell at him, but I know I can't, because the truth is, I am in love with Diana. It started when I caught her stealing my drive at Luthor's party, the first night I laid eyes on her. I had never seen someone that beautiful, that breathtaking. That was the first night I had dreamed of her, albeit it had not been as wholesome as I'd like to admit. Then she saved my life and fought beside Clark and I, and I finally understood the secret she had been hiding. She was the first person I went to when it came to finding the others, and the more and more we discussed things, the longer and longer her dinner visits would become, until one night she left and I realized I wanted her to never leave again. I was in love with her- am in love with her- and I wish I was man enough to admit it to her.

I open my mouth to respond to him, however the doorbell rings, interrupting me. Alfred and I turn towards the door, both knowing the woman we have been discussing is behind the door, along with a man who can hear any remaining conversation we decide to have. "I'll get it," I say, placing my nearly empty wine glass on the counter, before I make my way to the front door of the vacation home I own in Paris.

When Diana had made a comment about wanting to have the team together for Christmas, I had jokingly offered to host a dinner at my house. The look on her face at that moment was so pure, so innocent, I knew I couldn't take it back, so instead I began to arrange for travel to Paris, where my parent's old vacation home was. I knew my home in Gotham would not be spacious enough for everyone, and the old manor was still going through renovations for the League's headquarters, so it was the only place available for all of us to enjoy our dinner. Alfred was all too happy to cook for everyone, and everyone, although slightly confused by my sudden invitation to a Christmas dinner, was all too happy with a free trip to Paris.

I reach the front door and take a moment to inhale deeply, trying to regain my composure, before I reach out for the handle. I slowly open the door and plaster a small grin on my face, happy to see the, mostly, happy group of people standing on the stoop. "Merry Christmas Eve!" the person in the front exclaims. Mrs. Kent smiles widely before she hugs her jacket close to her body, giving me a small wave, before she looks over her shoulder at the lights from the city. I wonder if this is the first time she has ever left the country.

"You too, Mrs. Kent," I say, offering her a small smile. "Please, come inside." I move aside and let the older woman into the house, watching as a shiver runs down her spine when she lets the warmth of the house hit her cold body.

Behind Mrs. Kent is Clark, who is holding a pile of wrapped gifts. His eyes meet mine and he only shrugs before he steps inside. "Ma made me," he whispers on his way in, and in that moment I let out a small chuckle. Mrs. Kent is persistent if nothing else.

Ever since I saved her that night, the night I decided to end my meaningless persecution against the Superman, Martha Kent has been a beacon of hope for me. She is one of the sweetest women I have come to know, and I am absolutely positive when I say Clark is absolutely one of the luckiest men alive to have her as his mother; I feel as if Clark has voiced this to his mother as Martha has treated me like the second son she never had after I bought the farm back from the bank.

Lois walks into the house after Clark, her jacket covering half her face as she braces against the cold. Her red hair peeks out from under a knitted cap and she has her nose covered by a matching knitted scarf. "Bruce," she greets as she rushes into the house, into the warmth.

"Ms. Lane," is all I say, before I turn towards the door just in time to see Barry run into the room. He opens his mouth to speak, but I already know what he's wanting to know. "Kitchen is down the hall to the right," I say. He is off with only a flash of lightning surrounding the spot in which he once stood, before I even finish my sentence.

Arthur walks in next, his heavy coat the same one I have seen him wear multiple times. Even a king enjoys a familiar item of clothing. He walks in and gives me a nod, before his eyes glance up at the ceiling, taking in the chandelier that dangles from the middle of the tall ceiling. "Damn, Wayne," he says with a whistle.

"Aren't you a king?" Victor asks, walking in behind him. "Don't you have a throne made of gold or something?"

Arthur shrugs. The two of them walk into the house, leaving the last person out on the stoop, the one person I've been waiting to see for two weeks.

She stands there, dressed in a pair of jeans, red blouse, black boots, and a black jacket. Her hair is pulled back into a high ponytail and over her ears is a knitted hair band, keeping the cold from hitting her ears. She looks up from the phone in her hand and notices me staring at her, offering me a quiet smile. She doesn't say anything, only nods, and in that moment I know: she's still thinking of the last kiss we shared - the last kiss I screwed up by awkwardly running away.

Diana steps inside, out of the cold, and I close the door, my eyes never leaving her body. She is so beautiful, and part of me wants to reach out and grab her, pull her close, and kiss her senseless, let her know that that is all I've been thinking of doing since she jumped into her car and drove off. But I won't do it in front of our friends, and with the way she is avoiding my gaze, I know it would be a terrible thing to do without talking to her first. So I settle for a small nod, silently whispering her name, flashing her a smile when she turns to finally face me. She smiles back, genuinely smiles, and I know all hope is not lost. Maybe I'll be able to win her over once again - if only we can get through this meal.

December 24. Wayne Residence - Paris, France. 20:47.

"Alfred, dinner was wonderful."

Alfred looks up from his seat besides me and gives Mrs. Kent a wide smile, before he nods towards the older woman. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he says. "Would anyone like another glass of wine?"

Alfred looks at me and I shift my eyes towards Diana, before I raise my glass, silently asking him to fill my cup. Diana has ignored me all night, and the more I stare at her, watching as she fiddles with a loose strand of fabric on her jeans, the more I realize she is embarrassed about what happened at the lake. She thinks I didn't want her, that I don't want her - if only she knew how wrong she is.

Alfred gives me a look, trying to decipher what is wrong with me and Diana, before he raises the wine bottle and asks who else would like a refill. Diana is quick to raise her glass, and Alfred obliges, filling her cup, before he moves to fill Clark's.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat," Arthur says with a smug smile, and we all know he would much rather leave and go back home to Mera; I wonder why he didn't bring her. "But a King's duty is never done." He stands from his seat and walks to the door, grabbing a bottle of whiskey off the counter as he leaves the room. "You mind?" he asks over his shoulder, not bothering to wait for an answer before he is out of ear reach and at the door.

I ignore Arthur and continue to watch Diana. Besides, he took the cheap whiskey anyway.

Martha is the next to stand from her seat. "Alfred, let me help you with clearing the table," she says, grabbing her plate, Clark's, and Lois'. She doesn't even let Alfred protest before she's in the kitchen, trying to clean up the mess we've all made.

Victor and Barry are the next to leave, when Victor gets an alert that a bank in Central City is being robbed. "It never ends," is all Barry says as he runs out of the room, only to come back seconds later to pile the remaining dinner rolls in his arms. He shoves one into his mouth and gives us a wink, before he's out of the room once more, earning a chuckle from Diana and Lois, and a groan from Victor, who only places his hand over his face and grumbles something incoherent as he leaves the house.

Clark and Lois stay for a while longer, entertaining both Diana and I until Alfred shoos Mrs. Kent from the kitchen, telling her she has done her fair share of cleaning and should enjoy the holidays. The three quickly say their goodbyes, and I thank them for coming. When they leave I turn to Diana, who sits quietly on the couch in the living room, nursing her glass of wine. She watches me with fierce eyes, deciding whether she should stay and entertain whatever excuses come out of my mouth tonight, or get up and leave like the others; I am grateful when she makes no move to get up.

I quickly walk over to her, grabbing my own half empty glass of wine from the head of the table, and take a seat on the couch besides her, letting my knee gently graze hers as I take a sip from the glass. It is quiet as both of us stare at the fireplace in front of us, neither knowing how to start the conversation we so desperately need to have. I can tell she is itching to ask me why I left, but she is also very aware of how I might respond….but I don't think I can take this silence much longer.

Diana takes another sip from her wine, before she clears her throat, places the wine on the table in front of her, and turns to fully face me. "Are we going to ignore what happened?" she asks. "Because if I recall, you're the one who kissed me."

She is very blunt and I can't help but smirk at the way she recalls that event. "Yes, and yes," is all I say, forcing her to frown. It nearly breaks my heart in two to see that frown on her face, knowing I am the one who caused it. "Diana," I begin, placing my hand gently on her arm. She glances down at the hand on her bicep and I know she is struggling not to respond to my touch, just as much as I am struggling not to respond to touching her. But there's something about her arm in my hand, her body so close to mine, that is making it nearly impossible to think.

"Bruce," she warns, as her eyebrows furrow. She has gotten this speech from me many times before and I can tell she is tired of it. "If we are going to continue to be nothing more than teammates, nothing more than friends, you need to make up your mind."

I chuckle. It is a nervous response and a defense tactic I've perfected over the years. "Why would you want to be involved with someone like me?" I ask jokingly, however the look in her eyes tells me she does not think this is a joking matter.

She pulls my hand from her arm and places it in between hers. "Because I love you," she confesses, and it takes me by surprise. "You are an amazing man. A brilliant, kind, caring man, who is selfless in everything you do, and you are my dear friend," she says, squeezing my hand gently.

I place my glass of wine on the table near hers, confused by her latest confession. Diana cannot be in love with me. Diana should not be in love with me. To the outside world, I am a narcissistic playboy who only flaunts the money my dead parents left me to get attention. To her, I am a nutcase who dresses like a bat and fights criminals nightly. No sane woman would ever dare admit to loving someone like me.

But when Diana squeezes my hand once more and flashes me one of the most radiant smiles, I know it is true, and I know without a doubt, I want her, more than anything.

I place my free hand on her face, cupping her cheek, and watch as she closes her eyes, letting my hand warm her face. My thumb gently swipes over her lips, the lips I've been wanting to kiss all night, and she smiles, kissing the pad of my thumb as one of her hands covers the one on her face. Without a word I pull her close, letting our lips crash together in one of the best kisses I've ever had. Her hands move to grab my collar, pulling me closer, and I smirk against her lips when she gasps as I run my tongue along her bottom lip.

Suddenly she pulls away, and I am left both confused and wanting more. "Diana?" I ask, questioning why she is doing this. Is she having second thoughts? Is she realizing this is actually all a mistake?

Diana only grins as she rises from the sofa and takes a step down the hallway. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you, Bruce?" she calls over her shoulder, before she disappears into one of the rooms.

I let out a groan as I bury my head into my hands. This is all I ever wanted, and now she's making me work harder for it. I stand from the couch and make my way to the room, a grin on my face when I see Diana sitting in the middle of the bed. "A little presumptuous, aren't we?" I ask. Diana only shrugs.

"Either you walk out and let me sleep, and we'll pretend the whole thing didn't happen," she says. She lifts her feet so she can unzip her boots, pulling them off as she stares at me, tossing them onto the floor. "Or you can finally admit you share the same feelings, and we can both retire here for the night." Diana pulls her hair from her ponytail, letting her long tresses fall to her shoulders, and I am instantly hit with that all too familiar smell.

It doesn't take long before I have my answer. It has been the answer all along, only I was too much of a coward, too willing to hide behind the cowl, to admit to it. I quickly turn on my heel and face the doorway, and I can hear her let out a small sad sigh as she thinks I am about to walk out. Instead, I grab the door and close it quietly, locking it quickly so Alfred will not disturb us, before I turn to see her grinning.

I quickly walk to where she sits and join her on the bed, undoing the knot in the tie around my neck as I take a seat besides her. "You're so stubborn, Bruce," she says with a smile, placing her hand on my thigh. "Why didn't you just tell me how you felt after we defeated Steppenwolf?"

I give her another chuckle. "You knew how I felt," I say.

I watch as she flashes me a small smile, before she lets her eyes wander over me, settling on the tie that hangs loosely around my neck. "But I wanted to hear you admit to it," she says softly, as she continues to watch me. She remains quiet as the question burns the deepest part of her soul. "Bruce," she finally says, watching as my eyes move to meet hers, "Are you in love with me?"

Instantly I'm hit with two emotions, fear and love, and I don't know which one is weighing heavier on my heart. There is part of me that fears hearing that question, just as I have from many women before. Loving someone means opening myself to the potential to get hurt. But this isn't anyone. This is Diana, and loving Diana…...well that is a feeling I can't explain.

I move closer to Diana, placing my hand gently on her shoulder, watching as she continues to look me deep in the eyes, waiting for my answer. My fingers curl in her hair, earning another smile, and I can't help but look down at the lips that beg for my kisses. "I am," I finally answer. "Since the first moment I saw you," I confess.

Diana only moves closer to me, wraps her hand in the loose tie around my neck, and pulls gently. It's not enough to move me, but I take the hint and fall towards her, watching as she lays on the bed and pulls me on top of her, before she pulls me down for a kiss.

My heart begins to beat faster as her other arm loops around my neck, pulling me closer to her body. It elicits an uncontrollable response from my body and the only way I am able to respond is with a low growl, nipping her bottom lip in an attempt to hear a response from her. I am rewarded when she gasps from underneath me, yanking the tie from around my neck and tossing it to the floor, before her hand finds the buttons of my vest. She quickly unbuttons my vest, closing her eyes when my wandering hands find a particularly sensitive spot on her lower back. She whispers my name and unbuttons my shirt, exposing my bare and scarred chest to the cold winter air, before her hands snake up my torso, up to my chest, and onto my shoulders, before she pushes the shirt and vest off my body, letting them join my discarded tie on the floor.

Diana's hands fall to my waistband and she works quickly to undo my belt, pulling it from my belt loops, as I kick off my shoes. My lips move from Diana's and I begin to trail a path down her neck, planting sweet kisses on the bare skin I can find, finding it harder and harder to concentrate the more she moans underneath me. Diana moves to my pants and she unbuttons them, and suddenly the trousers are much too tight, pushing against my growing need for the woman who has invaded my every thought for nearly two years.

Without a word, I pull away from Diana, smirking at the look of disappointment on her face when my lips leave her body. I unzip my pants and quickly push them down my legs, leaving me in only a pair of boxers. I watch as Diana takes the time to yank her blouse over her head, letting it fall to the growing pile on the floor, before she leans back onto the bed, propping herself up on her elbows, a smirk on her face as she takes in my nearly naked body. Her eyes fall to the button keeping my boxers closed, keeping me confined in the article of clothing, and I can't help but smirk. I knew she wasn't as innocent as everyone was made to believe.

I climb on top of her, capturing her lips with my own, startling her for a second. She, however, recovers quickly, running her tongue along my lips, begging for entry. I open my mouth and close my eyes with a small gasp, as her hand travels down my chest to the waistband of my boxers, and our tongues begin to fight for dominance.

My eyes open when I feel Diana reach into my boxers and wrap her hand around me. Her hand on my bare skin is driving me wild, but when she starts to stroke me, I am unable to control myself. I pull my lips from hers and let out a deep moan, digging my fingers into her bare hips, silently warning her that if she continues her movements, the big event will be over before she is even completely nude. Diana ignores my warning and continues to move her hand, smirking as I let out a groan.

I quickly reach up and unhook her bra, yanking the lacy article of clothing from her body, releasing her perfect breasts for my eyes to feast on. It's only a moment before my mouth is on one of her breasts, nipping and licking the smooth skin I find. Diana responds with a moan of her own, squeezing me gently. My hands trail down to her jeans and I unbutton them, gently pull down the zipper, and pull them, along with her underwear, down her legs, leaving the Amazon goddess completely bare in my bed.

Diana's hand releases me, and I know she is wanting the same thing I want; I will no longer deny her or I something we've wanted for years. My boxers are off in a moment and I am soon laying on top of her, our bare bodies pressed together as my lips find hers once more. My hips move and my breath catches in my throat as I begin to push into her, into the warmth I have only been able to dream of until this moment. Diana lets out a small moan, shutting her eyes when I begin my slow and torturous pace, and I only know it's a matter of time before she forces me to speed up.

"Bruce," Diana says after a gasp. One of her hands grabs my shoulder, letting her nails dig into the unscarred skin found there, as the other grips the sheets tightly. My hips move faster and I grab Diana's legs, hiking them up around my waist, allowing me to move deeper; there is obviously no disapproval from Diana, as her moans become louder and more frequent.

I continue to thrust, faster and harder, as I bury my face in the crook of Diana's neck. I continue to nip and suck on the skin I find, the noises coming from the mouth of the woman I am making sweet delicious love to inspiring me more and more each moment. I know Diana is near her end, I can feel it; I will not be far behind.

I thrust a few more times, mentally reminding myself I am not done until I give Diana the best orgasm of her life. Diana's hand rests on my arm and she digs her nails into my flesh, as her body tightens around me. She arches her back and calls my name, finally giving into her body's desire. She forces my release when she clenches around me, and I call her name into the quiet room, biting her shoulder as I try to regain some form of control. Diana is the only woman who has done this - the only woman who has made me lose control like this.

I pull away from Diana with one final kiss, before I lay on the bed besides her, both of us staring at the ceiling in silence, trying to gather our thoughts. The only sound in the room is that of our labored breathing, letting each other know we were victorious in giving the other a well needed workout, especially after all the food consumed earlier. We continue to stare at the ceiling, neither knowing what to say. We have finally crossed that line from friends to lovers, and although I know it should scare me, I smile knowing I welcome the change.

"Now I know why women love sleeping with you, Bruce," Diana says, attempting to chuckle. She, however, is still trying to control her breathing, and merely turns to face me, gently placing a hand on my chest.

I don't say anything in response. Nothing I say can truly articulate how I feel. Instead I pull her close, letting her rest her head on my chest, as I wrap an arm around her back. I open my mouth to say something, wanting to tell her how amazing this was, when there is a knock on the door. Diana sits up quickly, the sudden realization that we were not alone in the house hitting her; I could care less, as Alfred has walked in on many of my nightly escapades with women.

"Master Wayne, Ms. Diana," Alfred begins. His voice is neutral and pleasant, but I know the old man is harboring a smirk that would make even the Joker jealous. "Master Kent is here and says you're both needed downtown. Something about Luthor and a museum."

I turn to Diana, who only blushes as the realization that Clark and his super hearing has also heard what we were doing; who am I kidding, anyone within a one block radius would have heard what we were doing. She sinks into the bed and pulls the covers over her face, embarrassed. I only chuckle, glad to know the most perfect woman in the world can still be embarrassed from time to time. I'll have to keep that in mind. "Tell him we'll be there as soon as we can," I say through the door.

I turn to Diana, laughing once more when I notice she hasn't come out from under the covers. Without a word I yank the covers from her body, smirking when she lets out a small shriek. "Bruce!" she exclaims, trying to keep the warmth that has settled over her body from disappearing into the cold room.

"It's okay," I begin, my smirk growing as I glance over her naked body once more. "I think I know a way that can warm you up."

@fyeahwonderbat

[lilfishiefigureskates]

NHK Trophy Preview

Men - My Predicted Top 6 (in no particular order)

Gabriele Frangipani (Italy) - He placed in the top 6 at Skate Canada, but he’ll be looking to improve his performance here. If his performs like he did at the Nobelhorn Trophy he could be looking at a potential spot on the podium.

Matteo Rizzo (Italy) - He was one of the top contenders in the men’s field last season, but he had to get surgery right after Europeans so it’ll be interesting to see what shape he is in here. He did win the Budapest Trophy last month so it looks like his recovery is going well.

Kao Miura (Japan) - #MegaMiura #FuecocoTrioForever I’m not gonna lie Kao is my ult fav and I still feel like he was robbed of the silver medal at Skate America. However, he was battling an injury at Skate America so hopefully he is doing better. Let’s hope he finally breaks 100 in the short!!

Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) - My second fav #FuecocoTrioForever I’m so excited to finally see Yuma on the Grand Prix series!! He had a great performance at the Lombardia Trophy, and without Ilia present he is almost guaranteed the gold medal.

Andrew Torgashev (USA) - #PizzaKing I’m still not over the fact that he won the bronze in France last week. And then everyone was talking about how sad it was that he didn’t have a second assignment and now he does! Let’s see how he handles the surprise back-to-back assignment.

Jason Brown (USA) - I know that he didn’t have the best performance at Skate Canada but I will love him no matter what he does. Fingers crossed that the 3A treats him a little better this week.

Women - My Predicted Top 6 (in no particular order)

Lara Naki Gutmann (Italy) - Placed 10th at the Lombardia Trophy which is not the best, but I love her short program and she is overall a very entertaining skater.

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan) - #TheQueen Hopefully she has a better performance than she did at Skate Canada. I know a lot of people are not feeling her programs this season, so maybe this competition will sway some opinions.

Mone Chiba (Japan) - Has yet to medal in her Grand Prix events, but she is our Four Continents winner. She landed just off the podium at Nebelorn, but she will be a very strong podium contender at this event.

Yuna Aoki (Japan) - Struggled in the short program, but had a great free at Skate America. Hopefully she’ll be able to put down two clean programs at this event!

Alysa Liu (USA) - Finished second in the short at Skate Canada, but a lot of underrotation calls in the free kept her from getting onto the podium. It’s been a couple of weeks since Skate Canada, so hopefully her stamina will be higher this weekend.

Bradie Tennell (USA) - Needs a lot more energy for the short program. But I’m really looking forward to see her perform this weekend. She had a great reintroduction into the Grand Prix series at Skate America, and seems to be recovering well from her injury.

This time zone is going to be very rough for me, but hopefully I’ll be able to stay up! Happy watching and I hope everyone has an excellent NHK Trophy weekend!

[icedanceupstarts]

2019 Junior Canadian Nationals Preview

Half of these teams met yesterday. Most of the others met last week. And then there are the few who actually kind of know each other! This is a volatile field, one that for the most part we truly can't predict. With five of the teams listed below moving up to seniors next season, this is going to be the last chance for a lot of them to make an impact in juniors.

Nadiia Bashynska/ Peter Beaumont

Age: 15/17

Started Skating Together: 2017

Coach: Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane, Marc-Andre Servant

Season's Best: 124.57

Skate Challenge Result: 13th

Rhythm Dance: Carmen

Free Dance: Cinderella

The reigning Novice National Champions are making their junior Nationals debut in their second season together and will be looking to just put out their best possible performances. They have the lowest season's best score and Skate Canada Challenge placement of any of the teams in this write-up, but don't let that make you think they're not worth watching. Their rhythm dance doesn't play to their strengths as much as it could, but even so you'll find a lot to like about it such as nice attention to accents in the music, particularly through changes of position in their straightline lift. However, it's their Cinderella free dance that is the real vehicle for their talents. It’s sweet and light and charming, and who doesn't love a good costume change? It features a really fantastic use of storytelling throughout the choreography and even in the elements, right through to their charming ending pose where he holds her foot like he's just fitted the glass slipper on. They have the capability for so much more than their scores and results this season might indicate. If they focus on delivering their best, both in performance and technical, they could end up surprisingly high, and set themselves up very well for next season, when there will be a lot of space in the Canadian junior field to fill.

Emmy Bronsard/ Aissa Bouaraguia

Age: 14/17

Started Skating Together: 2014-2017, took a year off and re-teamed in 2018

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis

Season's Best: 140.67

Skate Challenge Result: 4th

Rhythm Dance: El Choclo/ Let's Face the Music and Dance

Free Dance: The Greatest Showman

Adorable fan favorites with a light, splashy charm, Bronsard/Bouaraguia are going to be making a real push for the podium here. They're technically a new team, but competed together in the past, and the fact that they're only re-familiarizing themselves instead of being brand new to each other is evident in their skating.

By now we’re sure you know our opinion on mixing other rhythms with this season’s tango, but their quickstep/tango is a refreshing program, and the quickstep does play to their strengths of lightness and agility in a way the prescribed tango rhythm does not. Their free dance has no such shackles, and so they're able to show off all their best qualities, from their bubbly, effervescent skating style, to great lifts, to charming choreographic touches like her bounce splits. If they medal, it'll be on the strength of that free dance, which is just a charm onslaught from start to finish. They have a real shot too, as long as they stay solid and some of the more mature teams slip up.

Natalie D'Alessandro/ Bruce Waddell

Age: 14/17

Started Skating Together: 2014

Coach: Andrew Hallam and Siobhan Karam

Season's Best: 138.13

Skate Challenge Result: 7th

Rhythm Dance: Querer and Toreada by Rene Dupere

Free Dance: Malaguena/Carmen

They're one of the few teams in the field who have been together for more than two years, and it really shows. They have an awareness of each other on the ice that the other teams in the field are still having to focus on. D'Alessandro/Waddell were the 2017 Novice National Champions and one of just three teams in this field returning from last season's junior nationals. Natalie and Bruce are overachievers who will also be competing in junior ladies and men respectively, and we wish them luck there as well! It’s definitely a difficult challenge to do both, and we hope they manage to overcome the exhaustion from that intense schedule and do their best.

Doing a Carmen/Malaguena mashup in a year where the rhythm dance is a tango might seem like an odd choice, but it works for them. Their programs have very different feels, with the rhythm dance having more of a flamenco vibe to it. There's something almost retro about their free dance, more focused on elegant drama than your typical Carmen program, which is probably the right way to go for a couple of teenagers. It builds to a great, exciting finish and utilizes the choreographic elements well. They're capable of placing much higher than their 7th place finish at Challenge would suggest, and could very well push for the podium if they skate their absolute best.

Alicia Fabbri/ Paul Ayer

Age: 15/20

Started Skating Together: 2018

Coach: Julien Lalonde

Season's Best: 135.66

Skate Challenge Result: 1st

Rhythm Dance: A Evaristo Carriego

Free Dance: Quand on na que l'amour(3:38:00 on the video)

Alicia Fabbri has been a favourite of ours for the past couple years ever since she made her JGP debut at 13 with her former partner Claudio Pietrantonio. When that partnership split up last season, we were delighted to see her land so quickly, and with a great new partner. It's unfortunate that the age difference means they'll have to move up to seniors next season, but as skaters they've come together very quickly, with incredible depth of edge and a well matched performance style. It's clear why they've teamed up despite the disadvantageous age difference, because they fit together so well.

These two have had some serious first year growing pains-- while clearly full of potential from the beginning, most of their season was marred by major mistakes that cost them dearly and interrupted the flow of the program. They really came together in time for Skate Canada Challenge however, defeating several heavy favorites and taking the top spot, and suddenly positioning themselves for that second junior world spot. Fabbri/Ayer have every opportunity to make the team if they can avoid the mistakes that plagued them earlier in the season, get their levels, and continue to show off their amazing glide and maturity that the judges have been keen to reward even when they stumbled through their programs.

Ellie Fisher/ Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette

Age: 17/20

Started Skating Together: 2017

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis

Season's Best: 152.46

Skate Challenge Result: 6th

Rhythm Dance: D'Amor/Verano Porteno

Free Dance: Les Miserables

One of the three teams returning from Junior Nationals last season, and the only team other than Lajoie/Lagha to have earned a JGP medal as well as having the second highest score of the season, they're a major contender for the second junior world spot. Unfortunately they had to pull out of their earlier JGP assignments but managed to get back in time for the two final JGPs. They're a really solid, well matched team,

Their rhythm dance is a good program, highlighting their skating abilities and with an impressive stationary lift to end. Does their free dance kind of verge into being more Les Heureux than Les Miserables? Perhaps a bit, but it's grown on us. They had some struggles at Skate Canada Challenge when he fell in the rhythm dance, leading to their uncharacteristically low placement, but it's better to get those mistakes out of their system before Nationals. If they can shake off their mistakes from Challenge and skate the way we know they can, they're the tentative favorites for silver and a trip to Junior Worlds.

Irina Galiyanova/Grayson Lochhead

Age: 17/19

Started Skating Together: 2018

Coach: Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane, Marc-Andre Servant

Season's Best: 132.58

Skate Challenge Result: 3rd

Rhythm Dance: Los Parajos Perdidos

Free Dance: “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera

These two have been around awhile with different partners, and have found a good match in each other. Their rhythm dance is more elegant than dramatic, and relies on the tension between partners, a big challenge for a new junior team, and they rise to the occasion. They were a little focused in the summer, but have developed steadily to take third place at Challenge, and are capable of challenging for the podium at Nationals.

Surprisingly their free dance is not the only use of Christina Aguilera in this event, and this one really piles on the angst. They make good use of her flexibility in the elements as well as some top notch Distraught faces from both of them to really sell their program. Newer teams often improve quickly, and their progress from the summer to their JGP to Challenge shows that they're no exception. With the time they've had to tighten everything up further, they've got a real chance at a medal and even a berth to Junior Worlds.

Marjorie Lajoie/ Zachary Lagha

Age: 18/19

Started Skating Together: 2011

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis

Season's Best: 166.52

Skate Challenge Result: N/A

Rhythm Dance: Otros Aires

Free Dance: Warsaw Concerto

Honestly it seems almost a little pointless to cover Lajoie/Lagha here, because there's very little to debate. They're the best team in this field right now, almost certainly going to win their third junior national title in what's to be their final junior season, barring something very unexpected happening, and if the sky does fall in the middle of their skate they should get sent to junior worlds anyway. What matters much more than the placement or their score is their performances. They're coming off a disappointment at JGPF where they just missed out on a medal, and this will be their last competition before Junior Worlds and their final shot at a major piece of junior hardware. They'll want to nail their levels and timing on their lifts and just generally set the tone for the end of their junior career. Lajoie/Lagha will also be looking to continue to develop the nuances in their performance and interpretation, as they have all season, just tightening up everything in their last test run before junior worlds.

Miku Makita/Tyler Gunara

Age: 15/16

Started Skating Together: 2016

Coach: Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe

Season's Best: 127.80

Skate Challenge Result: 8th

Rhythm Dance: “El Huaracan” and “Tus Ojos de Cielo”

Free Dance: “First Date” by Edvin Marton and “Rain” by Simply Three

There's something really refreshing about these two. The tango isn't their greatest strength artistically, but they still show signs of real promise in that area once they've matured more. He in particular has several moments of really strong tango expression, even though they're not quite developed enough where they can carry that the whole way through. They have some really good choreography to make up for it, ending in a very strong split rotational lift.

Their free dance is so sweet and lovely it feels like these two stepped out of a Disney movie. She just radiates joy, especially in the second half, and they have a really warm connection throughout. If the rhythm dance shows glimmers of their future potential, their free dance shines with it. Their best performances here might not get them a medal if everyone skates well, but it will announce them as ones to watch, especially as at least five teams in this field will be moving up to seniors next season. We wish them the best!

Olivia McIsaac/Corey Circelli

Age: 17/16

Started Skating Together: 2018

Coach: Andrew Hallam, Tracey Wilson

Season's Best: 134.19

Skate Challenge Result: 9th

Rhythm Dance: Chicago

Free Dance: “There Will Be Time” by Mumford and Sons and Baaba Maal

One of our brand new teams, Olivia took silver at this event last season with her former partner Elliot Graham. Corey is also competing in junior men, so good luck to our other overachiever! We hope he can give it his all in both competitions.

We're still kind of eh on Chicago for the rhythm dance-- both because of our much harped upon rhythm mixing issue, and because Cell Block Tango always strikes us as a little awkward for the pattern, though it has a strong beat that works well. But they have a great sense of style and flair, along with some solid ponytail action from her that makes it work. Their modern free dance manages to feel fresh with the way they use the strong rhythmic beat of their music, and not just the soft, flowy melody. There is great build through their choreo steps and their split rotational lift towards the end is an amazing highlight, and their ending pose is almost joyful in its drama. They're not the strongest medal contenders in the field, but they could get in there if they nail their levels and some of the heavier hitters falter. More important will be delivering strong performances and laying the foundations for them to step it up a notch next season.

Yuka Orihara/ Lee Royer

Age: 18/20

Started Skating Together: 2018

Coach: Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe

Season's Best: N/A

Skate Challenge Result: 2nd

Rhythm Dance: Electrotutango

Free Dance: “I Was Made for Loving You” and “Give Me Love”

They got off to a great start with third in the free dance at Lake Placid and then handily winning Minto Summer Skate, even though unfortunately her release issues prevent them from competing internationally until February, as she represented Japan last season. They age out of juniors after this as well, so it's not the most convenient partnership all around. It's clear why they teamed up, however, because out of all the new Canadian teams this season, of which we may have mentioned there are several, these two probably came together the fastest. They're well matched in skating and style, with good chemistry and expression. His strong partnering helps with their unison and their lifts are very solid and stable. Orihara/Royer have also put a number of nice, solid performances for a new team with limited competitive opportunities. They're going with a more modern tango(in fact are using one of the same pieces that Soucisse/Firus in seniors are), and it works pretty well for them, showcasing a sharpness that's a nice contrast with their softer, more romantic free dance. It'll be hard for them to make the junior world team, if they even have time to get the minimums, but they can still push for the podium regardless and treat this season as the prologue to their senior career. They have a lot of promise, and regardless of whether they can get any international assignments before they age out, if they skate their best they can announce themselves as a future threat.

[kittyprincessofcats]

I’m back home! And caught up on sleep. Grenoble was an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I’ll want to watch every figure skating competition in person from now on. It’s /so/ much better than just seeing it on TV!

I already made a post about my first day, so here’s my experiences/thoughts of saturday and sunday (aka the free skates and the gala):

- We didn’t watch the practices on saturday because it would have just been too much and we needed a break. So we arrived around midday for the Men’s free skate and there was already a HUGE line in front of the arena. Way longer than the day before. And at one point Vanessa James ran past the line and waved at everyone. The whole atmosphere was just amazing. So casual and yet so festive.

- The arena was way fuller for the free skate and everything was even more festive than the day before.

- You know those parts where they film the people in the audience? My dad and I ended up on camera twice. let’s hope that got cut out

- Watching the men’s free skate was an amazing experience. I’m happy that Nathan managed to redeem himself from the short and win the gold after all. Congrats on making the final! But I’m even more happy for Jason Brown. SO nice to see him finally do well this season! So nice to see him win a medal (and without quads!) He was absolutely amazing. I also love how even though he didn’t make the final, him winning silver here instead of Alexander Samarin is the reason Junhwan Cha got into the final. TCC teamwork!

- I don’t remember much about the Free Dance tbh, but the victory ceremony was fun! I don’t get why they were using those ugly, big plastic things instead of medals, though. The skaters already had to hold the flowers and watches and people usually only have two hands. Medals they can hang around their necks would have been more practical.

- And here was my biggest annoyance of the day: The organisation of the event was a bit of a chaos. For saturday, you had to buy a ticket for the afternoon (Men and Dance) and another for the evening (Ladies and Pairs). And instead of letting people stay inside and just checking their second ticket, they made everyone leave the arena and stand in line outside again. And if you wanted to watch the victory ceremonies until the end and quickly have dinner (since it was 6 pm), you had literally no time. We left the building after the men’s victory ceremony and the line was already huge again and they weren’t letting people back inside yet. So we ran to get some food before quickly getting back in line. At that point they seemed to realize they hadn’t thought this through and were letting people in quicker. Still, we barely made it back in time for the beginning of Stanislava’s performance. Some people behind us missed the first or first two ladies. There really should have been a way to organize that better. Either let people stay inside, or make the break between the two parts longer or something.

- The ladies. Oh god, I was nervous. I was /so/ nervous for the second group. Bradie was surprisingly cool to watch. I’m glad Marin finally managed two clean programs.

- Mai was absolutely beautiful and it only hit me after the whole thing was over how /close/ she came to making the final. I didn’t really expect her to qualify, but look at how close she came! Two points more and she would have been in. It’s a little frustrating now that I think about it. She’d have deserved it. But at least she still seemed super happy with her medal.

- Rika, my darling Rika <3. At first I was disappointed when she didn’t do the 3A3T, beacause I REALLY wanted to see it in person, but in retrospect, I understand. She knew she didn’t have to win to qualify for the final. She saw the others’ scores and knew she didn’t need another highscore. Making the final was more important than beating her personal best, so I understand why she played it safe. And it was enough to win, which I’m delighted about. Congrats on your second GP win and on making the final, darling, you deserve it.

- Zhenya </3. I was gutted about that one. I really wanted her in the final. But at the end of the day, the result was fair. There just happened to be many others in this GP series who were better. That being said, I still believe in her and wish her all the best. It’s not the end of the world. Ups and downs are a part of any athlete’s career, and as I said before, she’s going through a lot of changes right now, so the struggles are understandable. Maybe she’ll come back stronger for Russian Nationals and do well there. Or maybe she’ll struggle the whole season, and that’s okay, too. Give her time. Don’t jump to conclusions. And most importantly, be respectful and don’t hate on her.

- On a happier note, the Pairs’ Free was amazing and I’m SO happy for Vanessa and Morgan! And they’re such nice people, too. They look two victory laps after the VC and made sure to wave at all the fans and thank everyone. I really want them to win the GPF now.

- Speaking of nice people: Did you see Rika and Mai on the podium and after? alsjdflaksjdf CUTIES!!! That moment when they came back wrapped in flags because they were freezing... or when they hugged each other... my heart melted right then and there. The only thing I got annoyed about was the old photographer who made them stay for so long they couldn’t really do a victory lap. I was really thinking ‘come on, dude, you already have so many photos! just let them celebrate with their fans for a bit’. And they’re such sweethearts. Both of them were cold, but they still went over to the fans near the K&C, signed a buch of autographs and took selfies with fans. Unfortunately, I was sitting all the way on the other side of the rink. I considered running over there and asking for an autograph, but Rika and Mai already seemed they like they were cold, so I didn’t want to annoy them and make them stay even longer.

- A thing I forgot earlier: After the Ladies’ FS, I walked past Mie Hamada on my way to the toilet and she seemed super happy. I wonder why

- And finally, there was the gala on sunday, which was really nice. I’m glad we decided to stay for that after all. The minute of silence for Denis Ten was really moving. I’m glad Zhenya seemed to be in a good mood at the gala. I still love Rika’s dress. Jason’s EX was the best. I was disappointed they didn’t invite the Russian Power Rangers (Popova/ Mozgov) to the gala, though. That would have been cool to see.

- All in all, I had an amazing time in France, and I definitely want to go to a competition again next year. It’s an amazing experience and I highly recommend it.

[nanoka12]

Translation: Sports photographers’ comments on Yuzuru

Translator’s note: This is a translation of three articles from three different sources, to commemorate the start of Yuzuru’s ���Thank you for your support!” exhibition at which many beautiful photographs are on display :)   

-“More varied expressions than anyone else”. Sports photographer Nobuaki Tanaka speaks about Yuzuru Hanyu’s charm

- What do foreign professional cameramen observe in Hanyu-senshu?  

-Selected from 4000 photos! Satisfied with the power of Yuzuru Hanyu’s gaze

----------------------------------

“More varied expressions than anyone else”. Sports photographer Nobuaki Tanaka speaks about Yuzuru Hanyu’s charm

In an interview with Yomiuri Online, sports photographer Nobuaki Tanaka who assisted with Yuzuru Hanyu’s exhibition “Thank you for your support!” speaks of Yuzu’s charm, such as having “more varied expressions than anyone else”

A sharp roundhouse kick, making peace signs with both hands at the sides of his face

An ice show in Japan in 2015. In between practices involving the entire cast, he skated affably right up to the camera I had set up at the side of the rink. With a playful expression, as if performing a karate roundhouse kick, he moved his right leg sharply and gracefully in a pose. Amidst the fragments of ice from his skate blade which flew and scattered in the air, I frantically took photos in quick succession. 

The year before last, at the GPF held in Marseille, France, he achieved four consecutive GPF victories. During the practice for the Gala Exhibition, when I said to him “It’s four consecutive victories”, he made peace signs with his hands on both sides of his face. As it was a pose and expression I had not seen till then, I took close up shots to the best of my ability. (Translator’s note: this photo is in the background of the photo of Tanaka-san below)

Both were photos I was able to take because I was a photographer who had watched him since he was young. 10 such photos form the centre of the photos I am displaying at this exhibition.These photos can be shown to the fans in a much bigger size than in magazines or photobooks. I feel this is a great opportunity.

The first time I photographed Yuzu was in 2005 when he was 10 years old, competing at the Nationals for his age group (Translator’s note: Japan Novice Championships). His steady, well-mannered answers, and also his adorable, cheerful actions are completely unchanged from that time. Since that time there isn’t another athlete besides him that has continued to achieve results that are at the top of the top. To me, he is the skater that is the most charismatic, and which I feel most emotionally attached to.

Despite being a photographic subject I have continuously chased after for a long time, even now there continues to be new discoveries. Although I am a photographer who would much rather pursue “the expressions of the athlete” than “the decisive moment of victory”,  Yuzu has more varied expressions than anyone else. Even when he skates the same choreography to the same music, every time he performs it is with expressions that he has not shown previously. Therefore, I cannot relax on-site for a single moment. It is unpredictable, challenging photography. 　

A sense during the practice sessions of his comeback and consecutive Olympic victories  

For Yuzu, his comeback event since sustaining an injury to his right ankle,  and about four months since his last official competition, was the PyeongChang Olympics. As for myself, as I had also not photographed for a long time, I was nervous to an almost unprecedented degree. On the day of the FS I took about 1500 photos, clicking the shutter more than 1.5 times more frequently than I usually do when I photograph Yuzu. 

To have overcome such a terrible injury to become the first man to win consecutive Olympics in 66 years. At the point in time when he skated with lightness at his first practice after arriving in PyeongChang, I had the sense that “In this condition, surely he can achieve it, can’t he?”. Because his expression was extremely calm and peaceful. Defying the conventional wisdom of the world of sports in an impossible comeback to win the gold medal, is probably also a feat that no one else other than Yuzu can perform.

I want him to continue competing. To broaden the base of Figure Skating, to construct sturdier foundations, it is best that Yuzu continues to be a model for his juniors. 

(Conducted at the Head Office of Yomiuri Shimbun on 5 April)

Original article by Komiyama Shun, published on Yomiuri Online. First paragraph is partially paraphrased.

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What do foreign professional cameramen observe in Hanyu-senshu?

(Photographer’s name, photo, comments)

Ryan Pierse (Australia)/Getty Images

“Hanyu seemed very relaxed before the competition. I thought it may be that he was gradually raising his motivation as he headed into his performance. He frequently communicated with his coaches, and numerous times confirmed the details of his movements with them. Even when his jumps were successfully landed, there was no complacency and I felt that he was very focused. At the press conference the day after the competition, with the gold medal laying on his chest he seemed to have heaved a sigh of relief. I thought that he was looking back at all his efforts up to this point, and he felt reassured.”

Dan Istitene (UK)/ Getty Images  

“His performances, overflowing with spirit made me so engrossed in watching that unconsciously I forgot to take photos. I have not photographed such an athlete before. When he raised his fist in a victory pose at the medal ceremony, it was not with the tense expression in competition; his very charming smile was dazzling, full of life.”

Harry How (USA)/ Getty Images

“Before the competition, with an extremely calm demeanor Hanyu would thoroughly check the movements of his jumps. I thought he was savouring the joy of overcoming his injury to be able to stand on the stage of the Olympics. After his victory was confirmed and he had tears flowing down his cheeks uncontrollably, when I took this photo of Fernandez and Uno who had called out to him and the three of them were congratulating each other, I felt that this was a shot through which one could sense their friendship, of being rivals in competition but war buddies outside the rink.”

Jean Catuffe (France)/Getty Images 

“The word that comes to mind when I see the moment he embraces his coaches, and his smile at the press conference is “relief”. I think he has faced unimaginable pressure in the past four years until now. In sports, regardless of the discipline it is very difficult to continue winning the gold medal, and moreover there were the expectations throughout Japan placed upon him. Even in the arena more than half of the flags waved by the audience were Japanese flags, and even after counting the female skaters he received more Pooh plushies than anyone else. (Translator’s note: I think he probably meant Yuzuru received more gifts than anyone else, I don’t recall other skaters getting Pooh plushies though they get other types of plushies :) )  He communicates frequently with his coaches, who would give him advice again and again, gesturing with their bodies and hands. And Hanyu’s sincerity in responding to them also made an impression on me.”

“This is a photo in which he showed us his smile at the press conference. The manner in which he did his best to answer all kinds of questions left a deep impression on me. When he is competing, he is exactly the king he is described as, the entire arena was completely enraptured by his performance. When he was performing his FS to the music of SEIMEI, it felt like time stood still. In December 2016 I had the opportunity to photograph Hanyu, and at that time I could feel that he battled with pressure on a daily basis. I personally experienced “Hanyu mania”, the many fans spanning a wide range of ages behind him who travel all over the world to support him, who filled the entire arena. Hanyu was able to overcome even such tremendous pressure, and win on this occasion just like he did then.” 

Maddie Meyer (USA)/Getty Images

“After his SP, Hanyu seemed a little surprised when he saw his scores. With  Orser who was smiling at him plus Ghislain, this became a photo that showed the relationship of mutual trust among them. I think just as it can be discerned even from this photo, they have really built a very deep relationship of mutual trust with one another. During practice, when he finishes skating a part he would go over to his coaches and ask for their advice, and they would have many conversations. As a photographic subject, Hanyu is an athlete that is extremely rewarding to photograph. Just by taking a step onto the ice he completely changes the atmosphere. Perhaps the energy of his ecstatic fans becomes his driving force. He is an athlete who emanates confidence in his stillness and in his actions. The way he expressed his thanks to the fans and the judges immediately after the announcement of the scores also left an impression on me.” 

Original article by Nakatani Hiromi, published in Fujingaho May 2018 and on Fujingaho’s website

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Selected from 4000 photos! Satisfied with the power of Yuzuru Hanyu’s gaze

The Men’s Free Skating event at the Pyeong Chang Olympics. Yuzuru Hanyu, who was in first place after the previous day’s Short Programme, the fourth  to skate in the final group, skated onto the ice amidst the audience’s cheers.

The opening 4S, 4T were perfect jumps with +3 GOE. Just as the day before, his glorious performance controlled the entire space in the venue continued -- 

What caused that to waver for a moment was the middle of his performance.

The originally planned combination jump from a 4T (Translator’s note: 4T-1Lo-3S) could not be performed in combination due to a messy landing on the 4T.

Has Hanyu, who has not competed for about four months due to the injury to his right ankle, regained the stamina to finish performing the FS? The anxiety that filled me with apprehension since before the competition lifted its head once more.

However, what happened immediately after that overturned this anxiety.

Hanyu changed his next combination jump from the planned 3A-2T to 3A-1Lo-3S in order to make up for the points lost on the earlier jumping pass. 

Riding the music that reached its climax with the powerful beats of the taiko drums, Hanyu who continued to perform the second half of his FS with fervour, despite landing off-balance on his final 3Lz that barely saw him keep his hands from touching the ice, won the gold medal and splendidly achieved back to back Olympic victories.  

“It was a performance that overwhelmed even the photographers.”　

The cover photo of the latest Number Plus FIGURE SKATING TRACE OF STARS was taken precisely at the moment before he launched into that 3A-1Lo-3S combination with which he rallied from the mistake on the previous jump.

Facing the judges side with his right hand held in a position as if forming a seal, that expression was filled with the will for victory and it seemed that he smiled, a smile through which in some way one could sense his confidence. 

Even upon re-watching the video, this expression, this pose of Hanyu was visible for only a flash of a moment that was shorter than one second. Photographer Asami Enomoto said “At this event, one could strongly feel his determination conveyed through his expressions, it was a performance that overwhelmed even the photographers. The cover photo was not a shot I was aiming for. It was a shot that was possible because I desperately continued pressing the shutter.”

Actually this photo was one of the candidates for the cover of the Sports Graphic Number vol. 947, which was the PyeongChang Olympics special issue released on 1 March immediately after the closing of the PyeongChang Olympics.

The one decided upon was the other candidate, the close-up of Hanyu’s face after he had won the gold medal. Poring over the printed colour proofs of both versions, after fretting about it repeatedly, at the end of a difficult decision the editorial team decided that they must definitely use it for this issue of FIGURE SKATING TRACE OF STARS.   

The photo on the right was the alternative version of the cover created at that time. 　

By the way, the photos from Hanyu’s FS at this event that were considered for publication in this magazine (besides the cover) exceeded 2400 in number. If the SP and Gala Exhibition photos are included, there were about 4000 photos in total.

Original article by Shigehito Goto, published on Number’s website. Paragraphs on creating the cover layout and trimming have been omitted.