#junior grand prix final 2018

[figureskatingcostumes]

Arina Ushakova and Maxim Nekrasov's Cha Cha costumes at the 2017 Junior Grand Prix Final and 2018 World Junior Championships.

(Sources: 1 and 2)

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.08.05] AERA x Yuzuru Hanyu: 24.8.12-19 No. 37

person in focus

"After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well."

A session with photographer Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year. In a long interview exclusive to this magazine, he talks about the ideals he pursues.

Writer: Takaomi Matsubara

Professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu

Born December 7, 1994 in Sendai. 2009 Won the Junior Grand Prix Final at age 14. 2010 Became the youngest Japanese male to win the World Junior Championships. 2011 While practicing at a rink in Sendai, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and he had to live in an evacuation shelter. The rink where he was training was temporarily closed. 2012 First participated in the World Championships, coming in third. 2013 Graduated from Tohoku High School. Enrolled in a correspondence course at the Faculty of Human Sciences at Waseda University, studying human informatics and cognitive sciences. Won his first Grand Prix Final. Won four consecutive titles thereafter. 2014 First Asian gold medal in men's figure skating at the Sochi Olympics. First World Championship win. 2017 Second World Championship win. 2018 Second gold medal in men's figure skating at the Pyeongchang Olympics. 2020 Won his first Four Continents Championship, becoming the first man to win all major international junior and senior competitions. 2022 Participated in the Beijing Olympics. In July, announced his professional career. The ice show "Prologue" was held in Yokohama in November and in Hachinohe in December. 2023 In February, the ice show "GIFT" was held at Tokyo Dome. In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In March and April, he appeared in the ice show "Stars on Ice" (Osaka, Iwate, Yokohama). In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Miyagi, Niigata, Kobe). In November, the ice show "RE_PRAY" tour began at Saitama Super Arena. The following year, it was held at SAGA Arena in Saga in January, Pia Arena MM in Yokohama in February, and Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi in April. 2024 In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Aichi). On September 15th, he will be performing in the "Noto Peninsula Reconstruction Support Charity Performance Challenge" in Ishikawa Prefecture.

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It has been two years since he made a new start as a professional figure skater in the summer of 2022. In 2024, he led three successful ice shows: "RE_PRAY" (Saga, Yokohama, Miyagi performances), "notte stellata" and "Fantasy on Ice".

The shoot with Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year began with a cheerful greeting from each other, "Thank you for your continued support this year," and "Thank you." When she said to him, "You're still as young as ever!", Hanyu replied with a smile, a little embarrassed, "I'm almost 30."

"Move freely."

With those words, he made expressions and gestures as he pleased.

Various scenes were set up in the vast studio. Hanyu, who changed costumes and was photographed in each scene, moved and made expressions freely, sometimes under instructions and sometimes as if he was imagining (creating) a story himself. The people watching repeatedly let out gasps of amazement as the images were displayed one after another on the computer monitor. It was nothing short of amazing how he instantly exuded various moods - from boyish with a hint of innocence to cool and seductive.

His creativity was not limited to the way he behaved as a subject. When the BGM was played during the shoot, his body naturally responded to the music, and he also requested songs himself when he saw the costumes. There was also a moment when he saw a prop that had been set up and asked, "Do you have one more of these?" This revealed his high level of creative awareness.

The shooting has completed.

"Thank you very much," he said, and there was something light-hearted and cheerful about it. After a year, what he showed in the studio was a more mature and expressive side to him.

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Exclusive interview with this magazine

[In pursuit of a distant ideal]

He is now in his third year as a professional figure skater. Reflecting on his days of taking on unprecedented challenges, he spoke about what he has gained from them and what the future holds.

Photo: Mika Ninagawa    Writer: Takaomi Matsubara

Yuzuru Hanyu, the journey continues

hair & make up: Noboru Tomizawa  styling: Masataka Hattori costume: NEEDLES    BED j.w. FORD    YUKI HASHIMOTO  prop styling: Ayumi Endo

Yuzuru Hanyu started out as a professional figure skater in 2022. In his first professional ice show, "Prologue," he performed the first solo ice show in history. He skated for nearly two hours, with a structure that richly conveyed his skating career. Following "Prologue," he then performed a solo show at the Tokyo Dome for the first time in history, "GIFT." The ice show filled the gigantic venue, which had never been seen before.  After "Prologue" and "GIFT," he held the performance "notte stellata" in March 2023, which was filled with thoughts and prayers for March 11. It has been a year since our interview last summer, following those three performances.

Changes in the "depth" of thinking

"When I was interviewed a year ago, it had just been a year since I turned professional. I had a desire to grow and learn more specialized things. In the year since then, I think that my technique, expression, and many other aspects have changed. Among them, I feel that I have had many more opportunities to think about expression. I have been thinking about expression even in my daily life. I think that the way I think about my show, the way I think about each program, the depth of those things has clearly changed." He talks about what triggered the change in the past year. "First of all, I had to spend more time thinking about writing a new ice story after GIFT and also about my own performance.” The new ice story was "RE_PRAY", under the title "ICE STORY 2nd".  It opened on November 4, 2023 at Saitama Super Arena. It was performed in Saitama for two days, on that day and the following day, and in the new year it was performed in Saga on January 12th and 14th, and in Yokohama on February 17th and 19th, for a total of six performances in three cities. After the premiere in Saitama on November 4th, Hanyu said the following. "First of all, I myself have learned from games, manga, novels, and various other sources, about what life is all about, how precious life is, and other similar things that everyone else roughly feels.

In games, the concept of life is really light in a sense, and you can repeat it, so you can use characters to do all sorts of things and push forward with curiosity. If you apply that to the real world, you might be a person who has the drive to grab hold of dreams, or conversely, from a different perspective, you might be a very terrifying person. But if you could do it all over again, I'm sure people would try it."

24 hours a day, always skating

In this story with a game motif, the question of "choice" is often depicted. We make choices in our lives, even if we are not aware of it. What if you choose a different option than the one you originally chose? Or would you choose the same option? This story asks the audience, which serves as an opportunity to reexamine their way of life. Of course, just like "Prologue" and "GIFT," the fact that this story was completed and received with overwhelming acclaim was due to the performance of Hanyu, who was the sole performer. And even after six performances, he did not try to stay in the same place. He continued to evolve. There were many evidences of this growth at the final performance of the Yokohama show, for example. The movements in the performance of "Chicken, Snake and Pig" where he moved forward as if resisting the shackles. The performance of "Megalovania", following a silent performance without music with only the sound of his edges resonating, was more integrated with the music than in previous performances. Not only in the production aspects, but also in the details of Hanyu's performance itself, there were traces of refinement here and there. After the Saga performance, Hanyu spent his days preparing more rigorously for the Yokohama performance.  "Of course, I trained and restricted my diet. Well, how should I say it, there are 24 hours in a day, but I spent the entire time on nothing else but skating. In other words, skating was always present, 24 hours a day.” "That's right. To put it simply, it felt like I was spending every day just working on 'RE_PRAY'." The reason he spent all his time facing skating was because he had regrets about the Saga performance. "After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well." However, the standards of frustration have changed from when he was a competing athlete.

Still not enough

"Gradually, the focus is shifting from scores to an evaluation. If something technical that I had planned didn't go well, then my evaluation vector changes and my perspective shifts. I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in Saga, so I was simply disappointed." After spending 24 hours focused on skating, the Yokohama performance came. After the final performance, he said, "I feel a sense of accomplishment like winning the Olympics." While he felt a sense of fulfillment, he wasn't completely satisfied. He also felt that his ability had not yet caught up with what he wanted to do. "So I feel like there are still things I need to study more. Of course, I think I'm evolving. I think I'm getting better. But I still feel like it's not enough. As I keep digging deeper and deeper, my ideals become higher, and the things I want to express are becoming more and more specific. The more my ideals become more concrete, the more I feel like I'm not catching up." He is aware that he still has areas where he needs to improve, especially in the finer details. This is something he realises now, which he didn't feel this way when he was competing in the sport. "It's impossible to realise this when you're a competitive athlete. After all, if you can jump, you win. To be honest, if you couldn’t jump, there was no point in talking about it, as the outcome of the competition was pretty much decided by how many types of quadruple jumps there are and where you put them in the program. For example, what memories do you have of this song, the background of this song, what is the story you want to express, how will the story and the song fit together, or what meaning is in the choreography, to be honest, there’s not much room to think about them. You have to complete all your technical elements in one go in the four minutes of a competition (free skate), so that's all you can focus on."

A world not in first place

Win the match. In a competition, that is set as a goal. "Since I had already achieved that, there was no way I could go any higher. If you think about it in the world of competition, I won first place, so even if I tried harder, I couldn't get any higher than first place. In other words, I just tried to see how long I could maintain that first place position.

But in the world I'm in right now, even if I think I'm in first place, it may not be. It’s a place where I can think, "I'm still at the bottom". When I look at the various works of art or technically excellent things from around the world, I feel that there are still many things I can't do, so I think that I still have a long way to go." When he moved from the world of competition, which was fixed in a sense, to a new world, it was no longer a confined space. However, whether one knows its vastness or not, whether one feels that there is an endlessly wide world out there, is up to the individual. So even though the world is infinite, some people only notice a limited space. Or, there are those who limit the space themselves.

Right now, Hanyu thinks, "I still have a long way to go." He feels like he's at the bottom. This is because he knows that the world is endlessly vast. The reason he feels this way is because he has the ambition to move forward without being content with the present. So instead of seeing the place he has arrived at as the end point, he knows that there is still space to go beyond that.

Ideals evolve

"I may have surpassed the ideal I had a year ago. But the sense of distance between me and my ideal is probably the same as it was a year ago. For example, if the distance between me and my ideal a year ago was 10 meters, it may be 10 meters, no, 11 meters now. That's how I feel. I'm living and experiencing life, I see information every day, and in the midst of that, my ideal evolves. My ideal gets further and further away. But at the same time, through what I have seen and experienced, I'm sure I’m also one step closer to my ideal." Then, after a short pause, he continued with a smile. "As long as I want to, I think I can continue for the rest of my life." The skater is still on his journey, striving towards the ideals he has built with his own will. 

Source: AERA issue 24.8.12-19 No.37, pg 9-15 Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0D89L6LS2

[blorbocedes]

In his own words: Christian Horner on world champion Max Verstappen

Verstappen won another world title on Saturday.

written by: Christian Horner, originally published on The Independent, 08, October 2023 [x]

I remember raising it to Helmut Marko – Red Bull’s motorsport consultant – that this kid looks the real deal. Helmut watched him at the Norisring in Germany and he was convinced.

There was interest from Niki Lauda and Mercedes, but Red Bull could take him to Formula One immediately. So, he came to us a very young age. He was 16. And I remember in his very first outing for us – a demonstration run in Rotterdam – he took the front wing off the car! But you could tell in the seat fitting the confidence he had for a young guy was exceptional.

All of the drivers that came through the junior categories learned their trade out of the spotlight, but Max became the youngest driver in Formula One ever. He was only 17. Every move and every mistake he made was scrutinised.

Jean Todt, who was the FIA president at the time, changed the regulations to ensure someone as young and inexperienced as Max could not enter F1. There will never be a driver that moves so rapidly from karting to F1 again. But the way he dealt with it mentally made him a standout character.

It was obvious in his first full F1 season when he drove for Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso, that he was an emerging talent, and at the beginning of 2016 he was performing beyond the capability of the car.

Daniil Kvyat was struggling, and there was a lot of interest in Max. We made the decision to move him to Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Mercedes did their thing when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed into each other on the first lap and Max, who started fourth which was already stunning, made the one-stop strategy work to win in his first Grand Prix with the team. He became the sport’s youngest ever winner, aged 18. It was a fairytale. Max had arrived.

He won races in 2017 and 2018, and in 2019 he became the team leader following Daniel Ricciardo’s departure to Renault. He grew up, and it was a transformative year for him.

In 2021 we had a car and an engine that could take the fight to Mercedes, and that season will go down as one of the most competitive sporting duels the sport has ever had.

From the first race in Bahrain through to Abu Dhabi, Max and Lewis were like two heavyweights going up against each other. Max was a dog with a bone. He wouldn’t let it go. And you couldn’t script that they would head to the final race tied on points.

Max was very cool. He put the car on pole, and we took our opportunity under the final safety car. Max had one lap to get the job done. I don’t think Lewis expected Max to attack in the corner that he did, and people overlook that he still had to beat Lewis. He still had to win the race. It wasn’t about two unlapped backmarkers. It was about Max reacting to the circumstances and getting the job done. And under the most intense pressure he did just that. He sent it down the inside and the whole place went bananas.

To see him and his father, Jos, celebrate was a very special moment because it was the culmination of all the effort that his father had put into him at a very young age. Max achieved his goal, and anything after that was the icing on the cake, because for him, it was all about becoming a world champion.

Max has still got all the tenacity he had when he got in the car as a 17-year-old, but he now marries that with experience. Outside of the car, he is a normal guy, too. He has his feet on the ground and he hasn’t had his head turned by fame and fortune. He still loves racing, and he has got good, grounded principals.

He is competitive and wears his heart on his sleeve. He is very honest. He will give you everything, but he expects everything in return.

He can go on to achieve so much more. We are riding a wave at the moment, and we want to continue riding that wave for as long as we can.

Will Max be in Formula One for a long, long time? I don’t think so. He has ambitions beyond F1 and beyond racing. And at 26, 36 seems a long way away.

We have a long-term agreement with him until 2028, and he has always said he will be happy to start and end his career here, but motivation will be a crucial factor.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

ISU released an article about Shoma

Two-time ISU World Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan has announced his retirement from competitive skating after a long and distinguished career and is ready to open a new chapter in his life.

“I have decided to retire from active competition,” Uno wrote on Instagram. “I am very grateful to have been able to continue skating for 21 years since I was 5 years old, and to have had a wonderful athletic life.”

The Japanese star will talk in more detail about his retirement and future plans in a press conference scheduled for May 14.

The 26-year-old looks back at a career with many highlights and also difficult times, but he always came back, proving his talent and showing resilience. When five-year-old Shoma went to the ice rink in his hometown of Nagoya with his father to have fun, he had no idea that he would become a World Champion, Olympic medalist and super star of the sport. He only knew that the enjoyed skating and kept coming back to the rink, taking lessons. He trained with Machiko Yamada, the coach of Japanese skating icon Midori Ito and also with Mihoko Higuchi for many years and worked his way up in the skating world.

Uno debuted in the ISU Junior Grand Prix in 2011 and was so tiny that he was unable to look over the boards. He won a few medals on the Junior circuit but his breakthrough came in what was his last Junior season in 2014/15 when he qualified for the first time for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final where he claimed gold. Shoma went on to take the ISU World Junior title in 2015, in what was his fourth and final appearance at the event (climbing from 10th in 2012, 7th in 2013 and 5th in 2014).

Once at the senior level, Uno quickly became one of the top Skaters in the World. In his World debut in 2016 he placed 7th but then the next year won silver, his first of a total of four World medals. In his first Olympic Winter Games in 2018, Shoma skated off with the silver medal and returned on to the Olympic podium four years later, earning the bronze. In 2022 and 2023 Uno crowned himself ISU World Champion.

However, in between there was a time of struggle. In the 2019/20 season, for the first (and only) time in his career, Uno finished off the podium in the ISU Grand Prix Series. He had left his coaches since childhood and struggled with confidence.

“At first, to be honest, I was thinking about finishing my career,“ he said in an interview at Skate America 2021 about this time.

“I did not know how much longer I would keep going. But imaging the end (I thought) maybe I'll enjoy the rest of this career as an athlete.“

Uno started to work with two-time World Champion Stéphane Lambiel as his coach and choreographer in fall 2019 and soon came back strong. He grew as an athlete and a performer with beautiful programs that highlighted his versatility: “Turandot” (Free Skating 2017/18), “Great Spirit” (Short Program 2020/21), “Bolero” (Free Skating 2021/22) and “Spiegel im Spiegel” (Free Skating 2023/24) to name a few.

At the same time, the Japanese star always pushed the limits technically and made history by becoming the first Skater to perform a quadruple flip in competition in 2016.

“When I train and want to become better, it's not good for me to work on what I can already do. If I'm satisfied with just giving 80 per cent, I'm not good. The right training for me is to push my limits,” Uno said in an interview.

The Japanese Skater has an independent mind and a fun personality. He has a Youtube Channel where you can meet his three toy poodles Emma, Baron and Toro.

“When I am on the ice, I am totally focused on my sport, but when I'm off the ice, I am sure most people know I am just a lazy slacker, but I thought that would be a good way to show to the people how I am off the ice, but still this is Shoma Uno,” he explained.

When asked who inspires him the most, Shoma’s surprising answer was:

"Myself. Of course, I think I am inspired by many people and heard some good words from everyone, too, but in the end when you break it down, I do feel that it is myself that inspires me and sadly, I don't listen to anyone. Sometimes I listen, but mostly I go with my own mind,” he added.

For sure Uno will follow his own ideas in the years to come but you can certainly expect to see him gracing the ice in shows for a while.

[rabidline]

2023 ONE PIECE ON ICE: THE CAST (SO FAR) - ALABASTA KINGDOM ARC

SHOMA UNO as MONKEY D. LUFFY 2018 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2022 Olympic Bronze Medalist 2022, 2023 World Champion 2019 Four Continents Champion, 2022 Grand Prix Final Champion Japanese National Champion (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) NOBUNARI ODA as USOPP 2006 Four Continents Champion, 2008 Japanese National Champion Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist (2009, 2010), Grand Prix Final Bronze Medalist (2006, 2013) RINKA WATANABE as TONY TONY CHOPPER 2022 Skate Canada Gold Medalist, 2022 CS Lombardia Trophy Gold Medalist 2022 Grand Prix Final 4th Place, 2023 Worlds 10th Place MARIN HONDA as PRINCESS NEFELTARI VIVI 2016 World Junior Champion, 2017 World Junior Silver Medalist KAZUKI TOMONO as KOZA 2022 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2018 Worlds 5th Place 2022, 2023 Worlds 6th Place 2022 Japanese National Bronze Medalist TAKAHITO MURA as SIR CROCODILE 2014 Four Continents Champion, 2011 Asian Winter Games Silver Medalist Japanese National Bronze Medalist (2008, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017) RIKA HONGO as MR. 2 BON CLAY 2015, 2016 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2014 Rostelecom Cup Gold Medalist 2014 Japanese National Silver Medalist PRINCE ICE WORLD TEAM

[boxboxblog]

A General History of F1: Red Bull Rising

Red Bull, starting in 2016, was already getting their glory days back. While Ferrari and Mercedes (mostly Mercedes) were inarguably the top teams during this time, Red Bull started to fight its way back up the ladder. The spark that started this all was young driver Max Verstappen, the youngest Grand Prix winner of all time. He very quickly swept into the Red Bull seat and announced himself as a future WDC after winning his first race with the team. He was only 18 years old.

When 2018 hit, F1 welcomed a new aspect. Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive (DTS) started filming and with it came an explosion in popularity. A new demographic, namely young women, came pouring in, and F1 drivers went from being relatively famous to rockstar famous. But with things like the media twisting stories to what they want, there are bound to be negatives.

One of those negatives came for Max Verstappen. Young, hungry, aggressive, and fearless, Verstappen reminded me of a young Vettel. He earned multiple less than happy nicknames during this time, from 'Crashstappen' to his most famous 'Mad Max'. Blunt and unafraid to speak his mind, the Dutchman didn't entirely click with the new position drivers found themselves in. He became despised almost instantly.

2019 and 2020 found Red Bull, and Verstappen specifically doing extremely well. they were now the team in title fights with Mercedes. The biggest struggle for them during this time was their driver lineup.

In 2018, their lineup had been rock solid. Young Max Verstappen was their key to the future, and an extreme talent. Experienced driver Daniel Riccardo was their steady choice, and rock solid racer. The two drivers got along famously, but on the track there was tension. Riccardo, like any driver, was selfish and wanted to be #1. It became increasingly clear that Verstappen was Red Bull's choice for the future. That year, Riccardo announced his move to Renault for 2019. This was beyond a surprise, as he was switching from a top 3 team to a midfield team. Riccardo would never drive for a top team again, and many call it the biggest mistake of his career

Red Bull's biggest problem now was finding the right teammate for Verstappen. They were also switching over to a new engine provider, which brought even more difficulties in. 2019 was a year of struggle for Red Bull, but not with this new engine. Honda, the provider, came through on their promise and the fast car had Verstappen fighting for podiums. But his teammate was another story.

For 2019 Red Bull elevated Pierre Gasly from Torro Rosso, the Red Bull junior team. He was gone halfway through the season. They then elevated Alexander Albon. This driver lasted slightly longer, but within a year and a half, he too was gone. In 2021 Red Bull finally seemed to get it right, and Sergio Perez to this day is Verstappen's teammate. But even now, no teammate, save Riccardo, has kept up with Verstappen. A verified maneater in my opinion.

2021 was the season Perez joined, and also happened to be the year Verstappen won his first WDC. The season ended with drama, as Verstappen and Hamilton were both at the same exact number of points for the final race, something that almost never happens. But the drama didn't even stem from that. It came from the most controversial ending to a race in many years, a controversy that still leads people today to call Lewis Hamilton an 8x WDC instead of 7.

I know I said I would cover that in this post, but it was getting too long. Next post will cover 2021 up to 2023. The final post will discuss the current year and how it going so far.

Cheers,

-B

[gogogogolev]

Stephen’s interview at 2023 Skate America, published in World Figure Skating Magazine No. 99.

Stephen Gogolev 11th place men

I want to prove it to myself as well

WFSM: Reflecting on Skate America, how was it?

SG: It’s a disappointing result, but it’s a sport so sometimes there are bad times. I want to work harder in practice. The American audience gave me a boost; I think it gave me energy in terms of expression.

WFSM: This season’s free skate is choreographed by Benoît Richaud.

SG: He showed me several pieces of music; I chose three pieces from them that we joined together to create this program. It was very interesting to create a program with him that felt completely different from anything I had ever done before. I couldn’t get used to the music at first but it became fun while practising it, and I started to think I wanted to do my best to skate this free skate.

WFSM: What kind of preparation have you done for this season?

SG: Right now I’m training in California but this summer I went to Toronto and took part in the Canadian National Team Camp.¹ At the camp you skate your short and free in the style of a competition. It’s a way of getting feedback from the judges – there I got advice from the judges about spin positions, choreography, and step sequences.

WFSM: With Mr. Keegan Messing’s² retirement it’s time for a generational change for the Canadian men, isn’t it?

SG: Of course my goal is to become Canadian champion within a few years. But there are still competitions until then, and I want to do my best regardless of the competition.

WFSM: Have you met any of Canada’s retired star skaters?

SG: I see them on various occasions such as at the Canadian Championships. For example: recently when I went to Granite Club in Toronto I met Kurt Browning who congratulated me on my 3rd place finish at Autumn Classic International.

WFSM: Are medals an incentive?

SG: Of course, this is my first medal in senior international competition; I think it gave me confidence that I can do more.

WFSM: Are you currently a university student?

SG: I go to University of California Irvine. My major is political science. I decided on it because it was a field I was interested in.

WFSM: When do you think you are the happiest?

SG: I’m not sure. I think it’s probably when I’m busy. Of course I’m happy spending time with family or playing tennis, but I’m the type of person who feels fulfilled when I’m busy.

WFSM: Your goals for this season are?

SG: I want to fight so that I can properly show what I am capable of. I want to prove to myself that I can do it, prove that I can go beyond my limits. I think it will be good if I can gain experience in international competitions.³

WFSM: Do you enjoy competitions?

SG: I have come to enjoy them over the last few years. I can meet friends as well as new people. It’s nice to cheer on my friends.

(October 22, 2023 interview on the final day of Skate America)

Interview, text: Editorial department Text by World Figure Skating

Photo caption, top: FS “Time Lapse” (Choreographed by Richaud) © Nobuaki Tanaka / Shutterz

Photo caption, left: Born December 22, 2004 in Toronto. At the age of 13 he landed a variety of quads, winning the 2018 Junior Grand Prix Final. After that he went through a period of injury; presently he is training with Arutiunian. 13th place at the 2023 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

Notes:

High Performance Camp, held at the end of August in Mississauga, ON.

Keegan was named politely with the -san suffix.

This is stated as - he hopes to get more experience competing internationally. Literally translating to ‘pile up experience’.

----

Despite how sad he looks in that photo Stephen answered the questions clearly. That’s good to see.

Stephen never goes in much detail about what is going on with him. But occasionally we get small amounts of info. Here we see that he is addressing his belief in himself. It's never been about a lack or loss of talent for him, he just needs to get his self-confidence back.

Kurt’s continued support of Stephen is invaluable. Kurt mentioned he’s known Stephen since he was 8 years old, before he moved to North America, and he hasn’t forgotten him since. You just have to love Kurt and all that he does for this sport.

Also it's nice to finally hear about what Stephen’s studying. It would be interesting to get his thoughts on current international affairs, but he would not share anything with strangers. I am wondering now what he plans to do after undergrad. Perhaps studying law? Public service, or public office? We got one answer, but more questions have now popped up. He’s a smart guy so I am sure he will succeed no matter what he plans to do.

This interview was over two pages which I have just stitched together in the image above. Here is a bonus image from 2023 Grand Prix de France which was shared as part of a collage from that event on another page. The caption states Stephen was 7th in the men's event. Photo credit: Manabu Takahashi/Shutterz

Thank you to World Figure Skating Magazine for interviewing Stephen. This was an insightful and considerate interview.

---

Disclosure: The content of this interview went from English to Japanese and now back to English. I may have lost something in translation. Though I try to ensure the nuance of the conversation has been captured in the translation, I welcome any corrections. Please link back to this interview if you share it as I may edit it.

If you would like to purchase this magazine with international shipping you may do so through Amazon Japan, CD Japan, HMV & Books, or Honto.

Happy new year to you all, and may 2024 be a fantastic year for all of us.

[detragefietser]

50341 by Ben Abel Via Flickr: The 2018 Lincoln Grand Prix in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. First run in 1956, the Lincoln Grand Prix is one of the longest continually running races on the British cycling calendar and is the closest the UK has to a French or Belgian Classic. With the route taking riders on a tough circuit over the city’s cobbles — including the notorious climb of Michaelgate — almost every big name in British cycling history has raced in and won. The last few years has seen the Women’s Elite Road Cycle Race to be added along with the long-standing male race. The event takes place over a whole weekend. As well as the main races there are also other events. Castle Criteriums: A city centre race for all abilities and ages on a course that circles Lincoln Castle. Races are for under 10s, under 12s, under14s, and under 16s (girls and boys), mens and womens (Junior - Elite). Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive: An event on the elite race circuit aimed for amateur cyclists who want to improve their skills and fitness. There are 33, 64, 80, or 100 mile courses tough hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds, tackle the closed road cobbled climb of Michaelgate before finishing in Castle Square Uphill Dash: A series of 4 rider sprint races up the infamous and gruelling Michaelgate hill, parallel to Steep Hill. Winners progress through until 4 riders’ race in the grand finale. Information Source: www.lincolngrandprix.co.uk/site/

[kopw]

top watches for september

from this month:

will ospreay vs naomichi marufuji, noah naomichi marufuji debut 25th anniversary show 09/17 — not only my favorite match of the month but my most anticipated one as well! i think it's always interesting to see ospreay be taken out of his usual pace and perform with more breathing room between spots (even if his snappier sequences are what drew me in initially). there are a lot of quiet moments in this match, mixed with that devoted eagerness that ospreay had while he was a junior. it's also a match that is able to tap into something very special thanks to the emotional padding behind it that i think ospreay's other big match from this month (vs yota tsuji) is unable to match

syuri vs mayu iwatani, stardom 5star grand prix day 14 09/03 — syuri is my favorite joshi to watch currently! she wrestles such a loud, hard-hitting style that still feels fresh in the technical scene and she has great in-ring chemistry with mayu here. mayu's reversal of the syu-sekai though... gah! a relatively short match and one of my favorites from the entire gp

bryan danielson vs ricky starks, no disqualification strap match, aew all out 09/03 — the singular non-puro match on this list, which should already give you an idea of how truly great it is. ricky has been a highlight on collision pretty much since it began airing, and the natural charisma that shined through there is ever-present in his recent matches. bloody, brutal, and better than the follow-up texas death rematch in terms of cohesion

zack sabre jr. vs ryohei oiwa, njpw road to destruction 09/08 — i was ecstatic to have boltin oleg in a high-profile match! ...and then it didn't happen. but worry not! oiwa stole the show. it definitely didn't feel as one-sided as it would've if it was oiwa pre-excursion pitted against zack. excited to see more from him

takayuki ueki vs baliyan akki, baka gaijin + friends vol. 8 09/20 — the mad doctor takes on akki, returning superstar of the show, after mecha mummy fails to drill a hole through harashima and is subsequently defeated. it's as silly as it sounds

back catalogue:

shinsuke nakamura vs the great muta, noah the new year 2023 — positively overwhelming presentation in terms of the entrances. misting as a metaphor for relatedness rather than corruption. unstoppable force meets immovable object, up until the object embraces the force. a sentimental finish that stuck with me

katsuyori shibata vs kazuchika okada, njpw sakura genesis 2017 — a holistically tactile bout full of sweaty contact and undying resolve. okada finds himself in the rare predicament of not being the fan favorite! practically impossible to look away during this one

pheromones (danshoku dieno & yuki iino) & shunma katsumata vs akito, kazuki hirata & yuya koroku, ddt sweet dreams! 2023 tour in shinjuku ~ fire! ~ — a typical pheromones match in that it contains loads of their trademark spots (synchronized striptease routines, dramatic jockstrap reveals, "accidental" ass to mouth action) however! this time shunma is there to act as their pup (which he is very much into). a must-watch for fans of public kink in wrestling

atsushi onita vs hayabusa, no ropes barbed wire current mine explosion time bomb deathmatch, fmw 6th anniversary show 1995 — hayabusa comes off as a trapped animal within onita’s environment, only delaying the inevitable with each move. feels and looks like a horror movie, with the counter droning on in the first half and the smoke wafting through the cage of barbed wire in the second. explosions galore!

shotaro ashino vs koji doi, wrestle-1 grand prix 2018 finals — this was my first exposure to ashino and let me tell you... he's so good. his entrance is fuel by metallica, he's cocky, he goes hard in the ring. i'm genuinely shocked he's not a bigger name internationally. nothing too extravagant aside from a few high-impact spots but worth a watch

[formulamelia]

Get To Know Our 2023 Rookies

Hello again, everyone. This time I'm here not with a race report but an article about some of our drivers. Drivers are certainly some of the crucial people in our sport. But I have three drivers that I particularly want to talk about: rookies of the season; Logan Sargeant, Nyck De Vries, and Oscar Piastri. I specifically want to talk about the rookies because people often ignore them as they are new to the circle. In my opinion, we shouldn't ignore them. Instead, we should watch them even more closely. Many people, unfortunately, consider rookies as temporary drivers. The number of people who believe they could be permanent is very few. But they are not temporary; instead, they are the drivers we should watch closely and give many chances to. So, who are our 2023 rookies? Let's get to know them a little.

Logan Sargeant:

No lie! Logan is a driver that I am particularly interested in because he is my compatriot and the first American on the grid in such a long time. His full name is Logan Hunter Sargeant, and he was born on the 31st of December in 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA). The young driver started his career with karting in 2008. in 2015 he became the World Champion in the World Junior Karting Championship (CIK - FIA KFJ), and he etched his name into the history of motorsports at such a young age as the first American ever to claim the world title in this series. He stepped into the Formula world with the UAE Formula 4 in 2016, then the British F4 in 2017, and here he became teammates with one of our other rookies, Oscar Piastri. Logan went into Formula Renault Eurocup in 2018 and finished the championship in 4th place with 2018 points. The road to F1 has opened to the young driver as he stepped into FIA Formula 3 in 2019 with Team Carlin, becoming teammates with Felipe Drugovich. In 2020, Logan transferred to the Prema team as Frederik Vesti's teammate and scored his first win in Silverstone Feature Race. The young driver announced that he could not move onto F2 in 2021, citing financial reasons, and continued to race in F3 for another season. Later on, Williams Racing sponsored and signed him into their junior program, which allowed Sargeant to find a place in F2 with Team Carlin. The young driver etched his name into the sport's history again as the first American to win an F2 race and finished the championship in 3rd place after a successful season. As Williams Racing has announced that they would sign the driver in if he manages to earn enough SuperLicense points, they kept their promise and signed Sargeant for their 2023 lineup. Now, about his personality: Logan seems calm, quiet, and reserved. He is pretty shy on and off the race track and will need to break his shyness (at least on the tarmac). I can still say that during the 2nd race of the season (Saudi Arabian Grand Prix), his close attacks (even though he backed down at the last moment) were a preview of his potential if he can manage to break his shyness. I continue watching closely and congratulate him.

Nyck De Vries:

When we consider his success and experience in other series, it's unfair to call Nyck, the 2nd Dutchman of our grid, a ''rookie''. However, we accept him as a rookie since this is his 1st season in F1. We can say that the 2019 F2 and 2021 Formula E champion De Vries' career is full of success. His full name is Hendrik Johannes Nicasius De Vries, and he was born on the 6th of February in 1995 in Uitwellingerga, Netherlands. Nyck, whose father is also a racing driver, became the WSK World Champion in KFJ3 (Junior Karting) category in 2008. The successful driver continued his career in Formula Renault Eurocup between 2012 and 2014. Later, De Vries moved up into Formula Renault 3.5 in 2015 and completed the season in 3rd place with 160 points. Nyck moved up into GP3 (Formula 3 today) in 2016 and F2 in 2017. The young driver raced in Formula 2 between 2017 and 2019 and finally became the F2 champion in 2019. Nyck later won the ''6 Hours of Fuji'' race (in his category) in the World Endurance Championship, racing for the Racing Team Netherlands. Then, the successful driver switched to Formula E with Mercedes. De Vries continued his career in this series between 2019 - 2021 as Stoffell Vandoorne's teammate and became the Formula E World Champion in 2021. In 2022, he participated in F1 Free Practice sessions with various teams. Finally, his luck turned for the Italian Grand Prix (ran in Monza) as the Williams driver, Alexander Albon, ended up hospitalized, and he came in to replace him for the weekend on loan from Mercedes. After proving himself in both the Qualifying session and the race, also with the support of his compatriot Max Verstappen, De Vries finally found himself a race seat for the 2023 season with a full-time contract from Alpha Tauri. Red Bull is also an open option for Nyck's future, as it seems. It's very likely, especially when he has his compatriot Max Verstappen's full support. Now, about his personality and looks: De Vries has a tiny figure and a warm smile. He is often very friendly and kind. I wish him the best of luck for his first season in F1 and hope he scores his first points very soon.

Oscar Piastri:

And at last, it's our clean-faced boy Oscar Piastri's turn. He is the youngest diver on our grid. His full name is Oscar Jack Piastri, and he was born on the 6th of April in 2001 in Melbourne, Australia. Piastri is technically the first F1 driver born in the 21st century, as he was born in 2001. Although he originally started his racing career with national leagues for remote-controlled cars in Australia, the young driver started kart racing in 2011 when he was 10. In 2016, Piastri found a racing seat in the UAE Formula 4 and completed the championship in 6th place with two podiums. A company that his father founded became his first sponsor. In 2017, Oscar found himself in British Formula 4, finishing the season in 2nd place with six wins & six pole positions. Piastri, who participated in GP3 (Formula 3 today) testing sessions in 2018, found his home in Formula Renault Eurocup. He completed this championship in 9th place with three podiums. Oscar continued his run in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019 with a different team and became the year's champion. After the FR Eurocup Championship, Piastri found his home in FIA Formula 3 and became Frederik Vesti & Logan Sargeant's teammate. He completed the 2020 season ahead of his teammates and his main rival Theo Pourchaire and claimed the F3 title. That way, he moved up to Formula 2 in 2021. The young driver who finished the season as the champion also became one of the few drivers who claimed the F2 title in their rookie season, along with Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell. As he couldn't find himself a racing seat for 2022, Piastri became Alpine's reserve driver. After ending his reserve contract with Alpine eventfully during the 2022 summer break, the young driver signed into McLaren for the 2023 season. Now, about his personality: he is generally quiet, calm, and reserved. But his cute smile, indeed, pulls some attention. We wish the young Australian the best of luck and congratulate his first points scored in his home race.

[austerlitzborodinoleipzig]

Fun fact

2/3 of the Junior Men Grand Prix Final 2018 is competing this weekend at Angers

Stephen Gogolev (2018 JGPF champ), Koshiro Shimada (2018 JGPF bronze medalist), Camden Pulkinen and Adam Siao Him Fa.

[rlfqhrtn]

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon) 링크<<

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)

길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon) 영화

In the 3rd Junior Grand Prix 2018 JGP Lithuania short circuit, the triple lutz + triple toe loop combination was judged under, and the triple flip showed an overall uneasy appearance, such as stepping out. Fortunately, he showed strong performance in the non-jumping element [8] and scored 61.63 points. In the free race, he neatly succeeded in the triple lutz + trip길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)le toe loop combination, which was judged under in the short, and earned a high bonus of 2.11 points, and perfectly succeeded in all six subsequent jump tasks. The strong non-jumping element also showed a good performance, receiving a high score of 130.26 points in the free and raising the overall ranking to second place with a total of 191.89 points [9], showing off its potential to win the silver medal following Alexandra Trusova. The free and total points recorded this time are길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon) the highest among all Korean female single players who have appeared on the junior stage, and are the third highest free and total points in Korean female singles after Kim Yuna (150.06 points) and Choi Da-bin (131.49 points). In the meantime, she has been evaluated as being far behind Yoo Young and Lim Eun-soo in terms of her performance and topicality, but this tournament provided an opportunity to be reevaluated by changing various records.

She competed in her first senior event of the season to secure skill points for the 2019 Four Continents Championships. She competed at the 2018 CS U.S. Championships in Salt Lake City, USA from September 12-16. At the International Classic길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon), she won the bronze medal behind Satoko Miyahara and Eunsoo Lim.At the 5th Junior Grand Prix 2018 JGP Czech Republic, she broke her personal best with a score of 69.45 in a clean shot in a series of mistakes. In the free, she also performed without any major errors and received 126.89 points with a one point deduction from the time limit as the music ended midway through the final spin. Although scoring slightly lower than her third competition, she again broke her personal best with an overall score of 196.34. She then won anothe길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)r silver medal following her last 3rd event, behind Alyona Kostornaya. As a result, she became the first Korean female athlete to win medals in two Junior Grand Prix events in a row following Kim Yu-na and Choi Da-bin. has become She is also the only non-Russian player to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final Women's Singles this season.[10]

In her first appearance, at the 2018-19 Junior Grand Prix Final Short, she received a score of 62.51 when she landed on her hand while being judged under in the linking jump of the triple lutz + triple toe loop combination. In the free, she fell on 길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)her triple flip and was under judged on her other two jumps, giving her a score of 115.40. She finished sixth in the final with a total score of 177.91. Since all of the contestants in the women's singles were Russian except for herself, she appeared at the gala with winner Alyona Kostornaya.

In the short game of the 2018 President's Cup Ranking Competition, she was clean but lost a little in the non-jumping element, scoring 64.58 to finish second. She performed rather poorly in the free the following day, where she scored only 116.86 points to place fifth, but with a total of 181.44길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon) points, she won the bronze medal behind Lim Eun-soo and You Young. This earned her a spot at the Four Continents Championships.

She missed out on the 2019 World Championships and 2019 Junior World Championships, finishing 5th in the final standings due to several mistakes in the free at the 2019 All-Around Championships.

At the 2019 Four Continents Championships short, she was judged by attention on her triple flip, and she only scored 64.42 points, but in the triple lutz + triple toe loop combination, she received first place in additional points among all players who길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon) competed. In the free, she failed to connect the follow-up jump in her scheduled combination of double axel + triple toe loop and faltered slightly on the steps, but overall impressed her composition points, receiving a total of 123.51 points. She finished the season with a final score of 187.93 in 8th place.

After her fifth tournament at the Junior Grand Prix, she ended her season with treatment for a sore heel that had deformed her bone due to her boot change. Although she regretted not being able to continue participating in the World Championships, she achieved the highest score in short, free, and total points for Korean junior players, as well as entering the first junior women's Grand Prix final after Kim Yuna, and placing in the top 24 of the season's best ranking. It was also a season to receive.

Appeared at the ice show held from June 6th to June 8th. Prior to the Grand Prix series, they participated in the 2019 CS Lombardia Trophy and the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, where they placed 4th and 2nd, respectively. After this tournament, coaches were changed to Shin Hye-sook & Lee Eun-hee.

She competed in the 2020 Youth Olympic Trials and made up a layback spin for the first time in a long time in the short, but misunderstood the double Axel sequence in the free and placed third, thus failing to qualify for the Youth Olympics.

She made her senior Grand Prix debut by participating in Skate Canada 2019. She finished in 8th place with a score of 61.23, placing attention on the triple lutz, under judgement on the single triple loop, level 2 on the step, and level 길복순 다시 보기 무료보기:(Kill Boksoon)3 on the flying camel spin and sit spin. In the free, she handled her first 3-3 combination jump alone, and in the triple flip, she was downgraded and fell down. Overall, she performed poorly, earning 115.70 points and finishing 7th in the final. In a situation where she was waiting for an additional assignment with Yoo-young, she herself did not perform well, so she virtually finished her Grand Prix competition with her debut.

In the short of the 2019 President’s Cup Ranking Competition, he received 68.61 points with equal bonuses in jumps and spins, except for level 2 in step. In the free, she got a score of 140.06, clean all the jumps she performed, and took her first win in the President's Cup Ranking Competition with a total score of 208.67. She has placed second and third in this event before, but this is the first time she has won. Fans were worried and disappointed due to the lack of additional assignments in the Grand Prix series this season, but they returned to the ranking competition with a solid appearance and won the championship, securing the right to participate in the 2020 Four Continents Championships.

[f1]

OSCARS AWARDS: The stunning stats behind Piastris stellar junior career as he gets set for F1 debut

Oscar Piastri will graduate to F1 with McLaren in 2023 – taking Daniel Ricciardo’s spot alongside Lando Norris – as he looks to build on an enviable racing record to date and perform on the big stage. Ahead of his Grand Prix debut, we decided to run through his motorsport exploits so far and look at the key stats and numbers he's notched up along the way… -- 3 -- Piastri has won three single-seater titles on his way to the F1 grid, claiming the Formula Renault Eurocup crown with French outfit R-ace GP in 2019 before landing back-to-back F2 and F3 championships with Italian squad Prema in 2020 and 2021. READ MORE: McLaren rookie Piastri explains why he chose #81 as his race number for 2023 He also finished second to British racer Jamie Caroline while contesting the 2017 British F4 championship with Arden Motorsport – the outfit co-created and formerly run by now Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. -- 14 -- With Piastri’s racing taking him across the UK, Europe and beyond, he won races at 14 tracks while climbing the ranks, starting with Oulton Park, Snetterton, Knockhill and Silverstone in British F4, before adding Spa-Francorchamps, the Nurburgring, the Hungaroring, and the Yas Marina Circuit in Formula Renault Eurocup. On his promotion to F3, Piastri grew the list with wins at the Red Bull Ring and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the Bahrain International Circuit, Monza, Sochi and Jeddah following in F2. It means he has already triumphed at nine current F1 venues. Piastri progresses to F1 with McLaren on the back of a glittering junior racing career -- 16 -- During his time in the aforementioned categories, Piastri delivered plenty of eye-catching qualifying laps to bag himself 16 pole positions. Six of those came in British F4 in 2017, five in Formula Renault Eurocup two years later, and five throughout the 2021 F2 campaign. -- 21 -- In addition to a healthy pole tally, Piastri raced his way to a total of 21 victories from 2016 to 2021, again hitting six in British F4, then taking seven in Formula Renault Eurocup, two in F3 and six in F2. The Australian also set 21 fastest laps during the same period. READ MORE: ‘He’s a very strong team mate to learn from’ – Piastri excited to work with Norris at McLaren -- 46 -- Given his victory record, Piastri unsurprisingly made plenty of podium appearances from F4 to F2, taking home 46 trophies in just over five years of competition. That gives him a 35% rostrum conversion rate for all the single-seater races he has contested up to this point. -- 60.5 -- After pipping Sauber junior Theo Pourchaire and fellow 2023 F1 rookie Logan Sargeant (now signed to Williams) to the F3 title, Piastri enjoyed a dominant victory margin in F2. He ended the 2021 season 60.5 points clear of Ferrari-backed Robert Shwartzman, with now Alfa Romeo racer Zhou Guanyu nine further back. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Oscar Piastri's best moments so far -- 105 -- Piastri was a scoring machine across his junior career, with 105 points finishes giving him an impressive conversion rate of 80%. However, this would have been even higher if a handful of guest appearances during the 2018 Formula Renault NEC championship had counted for points. -- 131 -- To put the above numbers into more context, Piastri’s points, podiums and wins until now have come from 131 races, spanning his first outing in F4 UAE at Yas Marina on December 16, 2016 to the F2 finale at the same venue on December 12, 2021. READ MORE: Why Ricciardo reckons his McLaren struggles can give replacement Piastri a ‘head start’ in his maiden season -- 1,343 -- Across those 131 races, and with various scoring systems in place, Piastri amassed a whopping 1,343 points, with attention now turning to what he can achieve when he arrives in F1 and begins the latest chapter of his burgeoning motorsport career. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[yuriplisetsky-rp]

Nekola Wins NHK Trophy Over Minami

Both Book Tickets to First GP Final

November 20, 2022

SAPPORO, JAPAN – Emil Nekola of the Czech Republic won his second career GP gold, winning the NHK Trophy over Kenjirou Minami of Japan. The 23-year-old scored 100.52 for his short program, 201.72 for his free, and 302.54 overall. “I’m happy to bring home a second Grand Prix win,” said the reigning European Champion. “I’m excited to compete at my first Final. It’ll be a busy couple of weeks, with Four Nationals right after that, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Nekola will be the first Czech skater to compete at a Final. He was called up after with the withdrawal of Yuri Plisetsky last year, but the Final was cancelled soon after. Four Nationals is the combined Nationals of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic, which takes place the very next weekend. It will be a very busy couple of weeks for Nekola.

Four-time Japanese National Champion Kenjirou Minami scored a second straight silver medal. He scored 98.27 for his short, 195.40 for his free, and 293.67 overall. “It was very close between second and third, but I’m happy to win a second silver medal,” said the 23-year-old. “I’m excited to be going to my first Final.” Minami will be the first Japanese Man to qualify for the Final since 2018 Olympic Champion Yuuri Katsuki in 2017, who won the event.

Five-time US National medalist Alexander Carpenter won the bronze, coming very close to winning silver. He scored 97.93 in the short, 194.24 for the free, and 292.17 overall. It is his first GP medal since winning bronze at the NHK Trophy during his debut senior season in 2011. “I cannot tell you what it means to win another GP medal,” said the 2011 Junior World Champion. “It has been a long journey, and I’m happy to still be around and skating well.” Carpenter’s next competition will be US Nationals in December.

[thedevilrisen]

https://www.tumblr.com/thedevilrisen/762376627150815232/trying-to-figure-out-my-new-aus-timeline-i-need?source=share

Hi! ⛸️ anon here! No need to reply to this in public, just wanted to share some thoughts on the timeline (at least on the figure skating side lol!)

Age eligibility in figure skating starts at 13 and 15 years old. This means you have to be 13 before the 1st of July of that season to be considered in the Junior category and 15 before July 1st of the season in order to compete at the senior level. That said, Alevtina wouldn’t be eligible for seniors until the 2005-2006 season. You could make this a starting point.

Given that skaters usually do at least 2 seasons in juniors before going up to seniors, you could have her dominate her junior career from the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons and have her win the Junior Grand Prix Final and Junior World Championships both seasons.

You could make the parallel between her and Sidney clear by having her dominate her senior debut season in 2005-2006. Giving her wins and podiums at the major competitions. These are (usually in this order of events): Grand Prix Qualifiers (2 events), Grand Prix Final (Only the top 6 skaters from the qualifiers can compete), National Championships, European Championships, the Winter Olympics, and the World Championships. Quick note that national championships more often than not dictate who competes at the Olympics, so she has to do really well there especially for someone who just entered the scene! 

More parallels would include giving her a win at her first Olympics in 2006! This could also set the tone for next season in 2006-2007 when Mao Asada and Yuna Kim enter the senior division, making it a three-way rivalry. BUT this is only if you want to make it more grounded in reality by adding in real life skaters while changing the timeline and the order of wins/podiums a bit to insert Alevtina! Maybe you could have the three o them just keep switching between the 1, 2, and 3 spots on the podiums at the competitions BUT have Alevtina keep winning the Olympics? Maybe because she’s the first female to land some jumps? You could definitely switch up the timeline a bit to make that possible jhshsh

So, if that’s the start, she’d likely be competing until maybe the 2017-2018 season when she’s around 27-28 years old if you want to make her a grandma in the sport (just like sid lol—it would be funny to create a parallel where they keep ending up competing against athletes who were fans of them as kids). BUT female skaters often retire traditionally retire at around 25 years old for a multitude of reasons. If you want to make her retire at around that age, you could also give her an injury….maybe….it even takes a toll on her during her last Olympics? She still wins, but not by the margin people were expecting and then BOOM she announces retirement. OR maybe (regardless of age) you could just make her disillusioned by the Russian’s constant way of cheating. She’s tired of being the most tested skater even though she KNOWS and would NEVER take any enhancement drugs. BUt yeah, that’s up to you HAHAHAH 

THIS IS GETTING WAYYYY TOO LONG BUT I’LL SEND A FOLLOW UP WITH SOME LINKS THAT COULD BE HELPFUL 

Have I mentioned I love you??

I’m putting this under the tag so I can find it when I need too. I will be HEAVILY relying on this.

[formulatalk]

Isack Hadjar Overcomes Challenges in Double Duty at Yas Marina: F1 FP1 and F2 Qualifying

Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Isack Hadjar faced a demanding day at Yas Marina as he navigated between Formula 1 and Formula 2, showcasing his versatility and resilience. The 19-year-old Red Bull Junior Team member encountered balance issues but secured an impressive eighth position in the qualifying session for the FIA Formula 2 Championship’s final round.

The unique challenge for Hadjar began with Free Practice in F2, but his day took a turn when he headed to the F1 paddock for Red Bull Racing's FP1 session. Initially expected to drive for AlphaTauri in Abu Dhabi's free practice, Hadjar ended up participating in both the Mexican Grand Prix with AlphaTauri and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Red Bull Racing.

In the F1 session, Hadjar completed 20 laps, finishing 17th fastest and providing valuable insights into the differences between the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and the Yas Marina Circuit. Speaking about the comparison, Hadjar emphasized the distinct characteristics of the two tracks, making direct assessments challenging.

Returning to the F2 car just 30 minutes after the conclusion of his F1 FP1 session, Hadjar acknowledged the mental advantage of additional track time, even if it presented a physical challenge. The young driver expressed that driving the track in FP1 prepared him mentally, although the differences between the F1 and F2 cars were significant.

Qualifying for the F2 Championship saw Hadjar initially in ninth place after the first runs, eventually improving to eighth in his final attempt. Despite struggling with the car's balance as he readjusted to the Dallara F2 2018 from the RB19, Hadjar showcased resilience and determination.

In an interview with InsideF2, Hadjar described the session as tough, highlighting a strange feeling in the first run. The second run, however, proved to be better, and Hadjar acknowledged that most drivers who transitioned from F1 to F2 faced similar challenges.

With an eighth-place qualification, Hadjar positions himself well for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Sprint Race, scheduled to start at 16:20 local time. As he faces the unique demands of double duty, Hadjar remains optimistic, stating, "With the balance we have, we have something to play for tomorrow." Motorsport enthusiasts can anticipate an exciting performance from the determined young driver in the final showdown at Yas Marina.