#wc figure skating 2018

[tutuandscoot]

Ok so firstly.. it’s so sweet and humble of them to acknowledge their incredible achievements and insane records they hold, personally I’m sure it means a lot to them but they certainly had and do have the mindset that those medals and records aren’t everything and it’s what they did for each other- the experiences they shared and what they built together that mean the absolute most- this was soooooo much more than a sport to them.

For T to say to S that she believes he’ll be coaching some team that blows all their records out of the water is a huge complement to him and I know she believes he will change this sport for the better, and that coming from her who he sees on just this completely unreachable pedestal, it must be hard for him coz frankly he said no one will be as great as her and he has to remind himself of that when he’s working with teams ‘I can’t expect these girls to be TV’. 🥲

BUT…

For the sake of it.. let’s explore the possibility for a team- from any country to break TS Olympic medal tally record:

Remember: their record is 🥇🥇🥇🥈🥈

That’s over 3 Olympics.

The first one was from Vancouver: 1x🥇.There was no team event at this point.

Next was Sochi: 2x🥈🥈 the first year the team event was held.

And finally Pyeonchang: 2x 🥇🥇. Gold in the team, gold individually.

So to break TS record a team would need to achieve any of the following combinations (once you get into 6+ medals the colour is interchangeable as long as least 3 are gold and at least two are silver).

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥈

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥈

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥈🥈

🥇🥇🥇🥈🥈🥈

🥇🥇🥇🥈🥈🥉

So: a team needs to win AT LEAST 3 gold: that could come either individually or in team event. Individually seems the most likely, however with the rate that the sport is changing, over 8 years, and don’t forget ageing/ teams splitting up/ politics/ judging… there’s a chance.. but not a huge one. Really the only team who came close to this was.. drum roll please 🥁 VIRTUEMOIR. The team event scenario is less likely. This requires there to be a STRONG AF national figure skating team across the board- all disciplines averaging essentially top 5 finishes consistently over 8 years.. so if you look at the state of Canadian figure skating right now, heck just look at the 2022 olys.. that country in particular needs to completely rebuild their national team. And frankly, VM’s era really was a golden age across the board in Canadian figure skating.. multiple times world champions in dance, mens and pairs, world medalists in ladies and WC winner at the worlds directly after the Olympics. There haven’t been any world medalist from Canada after the 17/18 season (that I can think of, GP got a bronze in 2021). This team situation goes for the USA as well, but they are in better shape, a lot of ‘great’ skaters retired after either 2018 and 2022, and as a team they are yet to win gold (still don’t know what’s happening with medals from Beijing) and then Russia I’m not gonna bother talking about coz you know.. they’re currently committing war crimes..

These 5+ medals will of course need to come from both success in the team and individual events- because an even more unlikely scenario is an ID team attending 5 Olympics and winning either 5 gold or 4gold and a silver in either event.

So, those are the broadest examples, and really everything after that are just derivatives from those scenarios.

A “possible” instance for eg: is 6 medals across 3 games: 3 gold coming from a combination of the IE and TE, let’s say 2 individual gold and 1 team gold (same as VM), two silvers- one from the team and one individually (same as VM) and lastly either another silver or bronze from another team event..

For the reasons pointed out above.. that is possible.. but a long shot because it depends not only as a single ice dance team’s success, by the strength of the national team as a whole, and again removing Russia from the equation, coz they have always been strong but also.. doping, the Canadian team in 2018 was somewhat of a unicorn, and they just happened to have strong af skaters in every category- all of which medaled individually in 2018 or had medaled previously (Patrick in 2014) (+Gabi who didn’t medal but was still a world medalist). Individually it will require a team to essentially be.. really top 3 in the world over 8+ years, and or mount an iconic comeback.

The most recent ID winners did not compete in the team event at either olys (18/22) and their team won’t ever be a team medal contender (in the near future anyway) so they have no chance of beating VM’s oly medal record.

So with that mostly covered.. let’s move onto some of their other records.

Let’s examine their reign as the youngest ever oly champs:

They were 20+22 when they won in YVR. I do not watch ID religiously so I don’t know every team or exact ages, but everyone currently competing and even attended the previous olys are already past VM’s age record- all the medalists in Beijing were in their mid- late 20’s/early 30’s, and the next crop behind them- the next 10 teams let’s say, were all well into their 20’s, so at the next olys it would have to be a new team, probably currently in juniors. Now I’m even more uneducated on the Junior Circuit, but I believe the majority of those teams, even if they were to rise above the level of seniors now, wouldn’t age wise be able to cut in under VM.

And a note on that as well, the ID landscape has shifted since VM.. they were an anomaly. They shouldn’t have won when they were that young but they did. An odd sequence of events- the change in the judging system and therefore the athleticism of the sport started to favour younger teams, but now that isn’t so much the case and the younger teams have grown up with this new system and are now older, and are just as athletically capable as the younger ones, but also have the maturity to service the artistry side.

So probably at least in the next several Olympics that record seems pretty out of reach.

Winning at a home games:

(This won’t be breaking a record but only being the second to do it).

This really just depends on luck of the draw. The olys are decided 8+ years out so there’s no way a team 10 years away can guarantee a win that far in the future. The Vancouver olys were announced in 2001 and at that time VM were 12+14- hadn’t moved away from home yet, we’re still growing, no injuries, anything could of happened but as we all know it just worked for them (and they worked for it) so the stars just kinda aligned on that one.

Winning an olys before a worlds title:

(Again will be second to do so).

This is probably the most attainable, but really the least significant, esp since VM have already done it, and it can only happen once coz once you win them both you can’t do that again.

Finally let’s look at the Super Career Grand Slam (my personal point of pride for my dancing bbys):

On the surface this seems possible, but when you think about it..

A team has to first win both the JGPF and Junior worlds, this achievement is very possible, but they then have to first; stay together (if teams split it is often between juniors and seniors) now they can achieve the SCGS with separate partners- but to be second after VM they need to stay together. They then need to win either 4CC or Euros, the GPF, World champs AND the Olympics. That last one is understandably the most likely place to fall flat because they only have once chance every 4 years. The olys and the junior titles are the most critical pieces to complete to gain this title. DW couldn’t do it because they didn’t get the junior titles, PC couldn’t do it because they didn’t get the junior titles. It requires a sustained and gaining excellence across both circuits and about 10-15 years of reign at or near the top.

That’s where VM stand out against everyone else.

There are of course numerous other records regarding points which will easily be broken coz the rules get changed every year, and number of national titles- which they don’t even hold, but ALL OF THE ABOVE… it will take a team with sustained, decades long greatness in a single partnership with the right chain of events and strength of the sport as a whole to top them. It’s a subjective sport so of course people will develop new favourites.. but what’s on the record on paper.. well there’s a reason there’s an acronym for it:

GOATs.

I rest my case.

[miranda-unokos]

Beautiful 4F

Shoma at official practice.

[nemesisdivina86]

practice mode.

cr:yomiuri shimbun

[tactlesschikha]

Yuzuru Hanyu FS - Romeo & Juliet 1.0 Side-by-Side

Definitely one of my favorite figure skating programs of all time! 3:19 onwards was like a carbon copy!

[kazuha-pista-badam]

a thread about sambo 70's dirty work

tw// abuse of young kids in figure skating

this thread was originally made by someone else on twt. i'm just posting it here so y'all can spread it. you can also translate it in different languages.

for those who don't know: sambo 70 is a major sports club in russia and the figure skaters under this club are abused by their coaches eteri tutberidze & daniil gleikhengauz

some keywords: owg- winter olympics gp- grand prix jgp- junior grand prix gpf- grand prix final fs- free skate/long routine 4cc- 4 continents cup

Thread: Eteri Tutberidze and the team at Sambo 70 have a long and horrifying history of disregarding skater health, diminishing serious injuries, and forcing injured teenage athletes into premature retirement. All of this has been enabled by the ISU, judges, and commentators.

1. Yulia Lipnitskaya OWG: 🥇 (2014) WC: 🥈 (2014) Retired at: 19 (injury & anorexia) "Eteri Tutberidze was proud to inform the press that Yulia Lipnitskaya ... sometimes existed almost entirely on a diet of 'powdered nutrients.'"

2. Polina Tsurskaya Youth Olympics: 🥇 (2016) Junior GPF: 🥇 (2015) Retired at 17 after struggling with consistency due to body changes. Polina at her prime

3. Daria Panenkova Junior GP: 🥇🥈 (2017) Retired at 17. After she left Sambo, her old coaches accused her of shirking training: "[She] once again refused to go on the ice ... she said that did not want to go to training."

4. Anastasia Tarakanova Junior GPF: 🥉 (2017) Retired at 17, citing "health reasons." She also struggled with receiving funding and federation support at the end of her career.

5. Alena Kanysheva Junior GPF: 🥉(2017) - under coach Svetlana Panova. Switched to ice dance from singles at 15 following a chronic back injury aggravated by training the 4T (Quadruple Toeloop, a jump) at Sambo. Retired from the sport entirely at 16. Alena's beautiful JGPF FS

6. Elizabet Tursynbaeva (KAZ) Youth Olympics: 🥉 (2016) 4CC: 🥈 (2019) Worlds: 🥈 (2019) Retired at: 21, but had not competed since age 19. Despite a chronic back injury, she trained and competed a 4S. She cited her health as the reason for her retirement.

7. Evgenia Medvedeva Olympics: 🥈🥈 (2018) - had a stress fracture. Worlds: 🥇🥇🥉 (2016-17, 2019) Has not competed since age 20. She can only safely execute two types of jumps due to a chronic back injury that leaves her unable to turn to the left.

8. Alina Zagitova Olympics: 🥇🥈 (2018) Worlds: 🥇 (2019) Has not competed since age 17. Alina commented that she and Evgenia were not permitted to drink water to keep their weight down at the Olympics: "We just rinsed our mouths and spit it all out."

9. Daria Usacheva Jr Worlds: 🥈 (2020) Jr GPF: 🥉 (2019) Daria fractured her hip (reported by Russian media as an upper leg injury) in warmup at the 2021 NHK Trophy, at age 15. She left in a wheelchair and has not competed since. Tw: Injury, bodily harm

10. Alena Kostornaia GPF: 🥇 (2019) Euros: 🥇 (2020) Eteri claimed Alena had refused to share the ice with other girls. When Alena returned to Sambo after a season with another coach, she was placed on a "probationary period" that required her to re-master the 3A (triple axel, one of the hardest jumps) in two months. Alena later fractured her wrist during a 3A attempt and could not compete for an Olympic spot. Eteri said, "I believe that with such an injury it was possible to skate." She is 18

11. Anna Shcherbakova (2022 Olympian) Worlds: 🥇 (2021) Euros: 🥈🥈 (2020, 2022) Sambo's choreographer, Daniil Gleikhengauz, bragged that Anna could eat two shrimp for dinner and be full, and said he was "glad that she was not obsessed with food." Anna contracted pneumonia in the fall of 2020 and visibly struggled to breathe at 2020 Russian Nationals. Her coaches gave her something to inhale at the boards, possibly smelling salts. Despite this, her "tenacity" was praised by commentators. She is 17.

12. Alexandra Trusova (2022 Olympian) Worlds: 🥉 (2021) Euros: 🥉🥉 (2020, 2022) Sat out most of the fall of 2021 due to a fractured foot, but still competed quadruple jumps in the events that she entered. She is 17.

13. Kamila Valieva (2022 Olympian) Euros: 🥇 (2022) Kamila is undefeated this season and the favorite for the Olympic title. On Feb. 8, after the team event, it was revealed that she had tested positive for TMZ, a banned substance used to increase heart metabolism. She is 15.

14. Adian Pitkeev Jr Worlds: 🥈 (2014) Jr GPF: 🥈 (2013) Left singles skating at 18. Most elite men are able to compete well into their late 20s. Spent much of his career competing on a chronic injury. Despite this, Sambo coaches persisted in having him train quadruple jumps.

Skating fans are well-aware of the horrors that arise from Sambo 70's training methods. I hope that this thread will help bring this into a mainstream light. As fans, there's little we can do, but sports authorities can and should act.

Please protect these kids.

[ethercxls]

( dove cameron , cis woman , she/her ) was that CHELSEA STONE taking the stairs ? the 24 year old FIGURE SKATER has lived in APT 4A for TWO YEARS. i heard they’re pretty PETTY, but some say they’ve been PASSIONATE. they’re pretty well known for THE SOUND OF BLADES ON FRESH ICE  & THE SMELL OF HONEYSUCKLE & VANILLA. / /  HONEY

a native of south carolina and daughter of a military father and trophy mother. chelsea grew up in a pretty strict environment, one she never flourished in.

they moved around a bit in her youth but settled back in fort bragg (back in south carolina). her father is a special forces commander.

she is a twin, and i hate pushing plots but this will be an open wc (fraternal, not identical)

her mother was a world champion figure skater, and she pushed both children into it. chelsea took to it an an incredible pace and at a young age she was already being trained by some of the best.

figure skating became her world and her mother was running it. everything was controlled, and chelsea was suffocated.

in 2014 she won the silver medal in the olympic figure skating, ladies’ singles. a slight almost fall caused her to lose points when she could have won it all. her mother never let her forget.

injury tw: in 2018 she returned and did not place. this time she fell during her triple axel and the concussion cut her out of the competition

her mother saw her as a failure after this and so chelsea ran off to nyc and hasn’t looked back. that was two years ago.

she figure skates for fun, and she does compete in some competitions, but she will never return to the olympics or worlds again.

the competitions she does do are enough to pay for a comfortable life and she has a few sponsorships as well that you’d only know if you were big into the world of figure skating.

chelsea isn’t a hard person to love or get to know. she wants to be friends, she wants to be social. she can be a bit of a bitch, but she is a social creature. def a fwb girl and not a relationship girl bc of her mother which will be a wc but basically she was forced to break up with her first love.

so yeah, she’ll be great for friends, besties, and hook ups. she’s an old muse but a revamp so im still trying to vibe her out so plots will def need to be rolling and not set in stone. 

also loves make up so come be her make up buddy

and you’ll always find the way to her heart with baked goods or flowers

[rika-kihira]

training I can do for now

a new interview with Rika, taken before she could return to the ice at the end of May. Kindly translated by Juro, if you know what Rika was doing and thinking during the time she spent at home! source: https://twitter.com/nhk_sports/status/1269887012510797824?s=21

Training I can do for now

The world of sports was heavily affected by the spread of novel corona virus. World figure skating championship in March was cancelled. A similar situation happened to various competitions. Training camps abroad and ice shows during this period couldn’t take place. Even when she couldn’t use the rink and training wasn’t going as planned, Rika Kihira, responding to our interview, was still looking ahead and at the same time reflecting on herself.

＊＊＊＊＊

I: Kihira-senshu, how is your training going these days?

R: Normally during this period, I will do ice shows or go abroad, and hardly be at home, so I’m reflecting on myself, trying out various things and finding things I can only do now, things that I can’t do when there are practices, training camps and shows.

For example, I try to drive myself harder than usual in running exercises when I don’t skate. I set out some days to daringly do things like that. I’m training in such a way so that when I can come back to the ice and restart competing, I can think “thanks to (what I’m doing) now, I’ve been getting stronger”. I’ve been doing (setting her mind) that a lot these days.

I: You could do whatever you couldn’t do until now.

R: Yes. When I still had skating, I was concerned with stuff like “what if I’m injured, my condition falls apart, I can’t jump, when I overdo it”, even when I’m training, I think about where to stop, “let’s do it to this point”, and what has to be done the next day. However, now there’s no skating, so it feels like I’m researching on my own body. I’m practicing while experimenting various things, finding out what happens when I drive myself in a certain way.

I: Have you made any preparation for next season?

R: For now, I haven’t decided on my programs. To be honest, according to the plan, I would have been wrapping up my choreography around this period, but then, I can’t go abroad. There aren’t new aspects (to explore) in both SP and FP, so I haven’t made any decision. It’s difficult not to know what the future plan is, but I want to try and get the most out of what I can do right now, so I can reach the suitable condition when returning to competition.

I: That’s such a tough situation, but we can feel the positivity in Kihira-san’s answer.

R: There are times when I couldn’t sleep or negativity creeped in, but when I’m too worried, negative problems keep piling up excessively in my head, which became a vicious cycle many times already.

Now, I’ve made a habit of always trying to think actively and positively that “the current ordeals are meant for what will come in the future”, and look ahead. I don’t allow myself to indulge negativity and try to be positive. These days I’ve been having a great time studying English, practicing ballet with my sister and gaming at home. I think I’m charging my energy as happy moments like those increase.

The season she jumped quad.

I: Kihira-senshu, what do you think about your 2nd senior season?

R: In 2018, my first senior season, I made a lot of mistakes with the 3A in the SP, so it’s good that there weren’t that many similar mistakes in my 2nd senior year. Besides, I managed to rank 1st in the World ranking for the first time, so I think it was a very happy season.

I: On the other hand, was there anything you are bitter about?

R: Well, if we are talking about competitions, I think it was GPF. I managed to challenge the quad, though it wasn’t a successful attempt. I didn’t let the other elements fall apart, which was a big achievement for me. However, last time I was the champion, so dropping to 4th place this time made me a bit frustrated. When the competition just ended, I felt satisfied, thinking I achieved something significant (re: quad), but after that, I thought I either wanted to succeed in my quad attempt or get on the podium without the quad.

I: About challenging the quad, how do you feel about that now?

R: Till then (GPF), I hadn’t challenged the quad at any major competition, so I was very anxious. Nevertheless, it was a significant decision so I was happy that I went through with it. I don’t know how the situation will turn out from now on, but for the sake of being able to put quad(s) in future programs with certainty, I consider that attempt a big step ahead.

I: You’ve been asked repeatedly “Do you jump quads?”, so did you feel any pressure? 

R: Uhm, I don’t really feel pressured. Frankly, I’ve always been aware of the expectation about quads from people around me, so telling myself “let’s perfect (quads) in practice” sort of becomes my own encouragement.

I chose to opt out incorporating quad in many competitions because of my condition at that time, but I was determined not to be confused by words around me. “I do it when I should, and I don’t do it when I don’t”. I’ve decided that I have the final say.

I: For a 17-year-old, making your own decision sounds like a very difficult task.

R: I felt strongly that I didn’t want to make mistakes in competitions. I can incorporate the quad when I should, but if I knew that I would make a mistake, I would definitely not do (the quad). Instead of that, I’d try to reach the podium. In my junior years, there were times when I stubbornly incorporated the 3A (when it wasn’t ready) and missed the National team, or took on too many challenges and ended up out of the Special enforcement category. Thanks to those experiences, I’ve learned that I must be calm to make the right decision, and I’m strongly convinced that (what I do) is mine to determine in the end.

There was a period when I couldn’t practice quads due to injury, but it wasn’t my time. The season is packed with many consecutive competitions. When I knew that I couldn’t practice quads since I was injured, I left that aside temporarily and immediately diverted my attention to other elements to avoid making mistakes on them.

Corona-hit life

I: When the WC was cancelled, you posted a message on your SNS. What was your feeling at that time?

R: I thought there were a lot of fans who were shocked. For me, I will resume my practice for next season, find what I need to do without feeling depressed, so I wanted to tell my fans that I was looking ahead. I wrote the message thinking that.

I: Nevertheless, as an athlete, did you have any feeling that you wanted to challenge the quad once more, that you want to skate there?

R: There aren’t many opportunities to compete at the WC. I wanted to fight for the 1st place there, and it was the most important competition. Last season, I finished 4th, so I was aiming for a better ranking. However, there is one more WC before the Beijing Olympic, so for now, I’m hopeful it will work out if I can show my best abilities there.

The goal is 2022!

I: How do you think your current experience will be utilized towards your grand goal, the Beijing Olympic in 2 years’ time?

R: During this time, every athlete is living a different life from what they are used to, so I really think the fruits for whomever works the hardest now will bear at the Beijing Olympics. How do I spend time at home now that I don’t skate? I’m doing my whatever I can now to train and try my best to study English. “If I try my best, it will be alright”, I try to move on with this mindset and get through coronavirus. I dream of winning the Beijing Olympics. This will definitely not change, so I want to try my best working towards my dream.

I: There are many students of Kihira-senshu’s age whose competitions were also called off. Can Kihira-senshu send out some words of encouragement?

R: I spend more time at home, but I am also making my best effort while enjoying my time at home. I hope everyone will find something that can only be done now and overcome this situation. I think there are many occasions requiring self-discipline, but (for now) let’s spend positive and fun time to relieve your stress. Then, after the coronavirus has been controlled, I hope you try your best doing what you should do, with positivity, so you can show your strength in the field that you’re active in.

I: Thank you very much!

[trepidatious]

(   natalia  dyer  &  alexandra daddario   )   bopping  along  to  vanilla twilight  by  owl city  is  vienna schuyler  ,  the  twenty-one  year  old  cisfemale  thrown  back  to  their  sports journalism  days  with  none  of  her  memories  .  voted  most  likely  to  break  into  area  51  ,  vienna  was  known  for  being  passionate  &  bashful  ,  go  figures  you’d  always  find  them  on  the  ice  rink  ,  but  grew  up  to  be  tranquil  &  withdrawn  .   ✎   kaya  ,  22  ,  she/her  ,  pst  . 

P A R A L L E L S

mia thermapolis ( princess diaries ) , hyuuga hinata ( naruto ) , casey carlyle ( ice princess ) , amy antsler ( booksmart ) , nadine franklin ( the edge of seventeen )

T R O P E S

shrinking violet , grew a spine , adorkable , homeschooled kid , geek , she is all grown up , extreme doormat , the confidant , eyes always averted , nice girl , shy finger twiddling

1 9 8 8 - 2 0 1 0

          born in albany, new york to philip and danielle schuyler, the schuyler twins had been the center of their parents’ world from the moment they took their very first breath. they never had to want for anything and their childhood was often spent in upstate new york, visiting a family cabin during the holidays. it was those winter adventures that inspired vienna to pick up her first pair of skates, wanting to join the teens who’d she see skating across a frozen lake. at first she stumbled through, barely being able to keep herself upright, but by the end of the holidays she had mastered how to glide across the frozen landscape. after that it was only a matter of time before she started begging for lessons which inevitably lead to small competitions and private coaching.

          after developing a familiar routine on and off the ice, her parents getting transferred to bellevue, washington caused the schuyler family to move across the country and a seed of doubt to be placed in vienna’s head. while at first apprehensive that her ice skating career would never get to see the light of day, her nerves were quick to dissipate once she joined a local rink and continued her budding career as a skater. homeschooled so she could have time for her private coaching, vienna never got to socialize with others her age, often sticking to the sidelines and offering shy smiles to her fellow competitors. instead her downtime was spent alone, although sometimes in the company of her twin, as she binged movie franchises from star wars to lord of the rings.

             by the time she was a freshmen in high school, most of her summers were spent in san diego for a weekend, attending comic con whenever the dates didn’t coincide with her skating life. socially inept with no skills other than skating, vienna’s parents made it a point for her to attend a university like them, not believing that their daughter’s skating career would be enough to keep her afloat despite the success of her international junior career. vienna found herself reluctantly agreeing, being too timid to argue and chose to join rvu knowing her old coach from new york had moved down to california.

            a wallflower entering university, attempting to make friends and being in a school setting had felt like a rug being pulled right from under her. in her classes she was hardly acknowledged, only having her presence known whenever she was paired up for a group project. without the private tutor she was used to having her whole life, class settings were often spent with her lost in thought, filling her mind with daydreams of the future and random thoughts about whatever film she had watched the night prior. even when confronted outside of class, she’d often have a soft tone with whoever she was talking to, her eyes cast down as if she was only a few minutes away from stuttering. when you did notice her, it wasn’t uncommon to find a beginning of a blush forming on her face, a nervous smile becoming her default expression whenever interacting with someone.

            stretched thin with her studies and unable to qualify for the 2009 u.s. nationals championship, it was common knowledge within the skating community that vienna would still continue training during the current cycle of competitions instead of participating. skipping most of the major international competitions, she instead put her energy and skills into having a set of polished routines ready for the 2011 circuit. but with her degree being in sports broadcasting, espn had invited her to be a co-commentator for the 2009 world championships held in los angeles. with the conversation being about a topic she knew like the back of her hand, her commentary came fluidly and her usually bashful nature was nowhere to be seen as she observed the performances before her. with that attempt successful, it was no surprise that she was invited to vancouver to once again commentate on the competition.

2 0 1 0 - 2 0 2 0

            graduating from rom valley university in 2010, she became a paid intern at espn, attending different competitions whenever she wasn’t competing in them. the internship only lasted a year, with her putting her broadcast career on pause to focus full-time on the 2014 olympic circuit. the next few years passed by in a breeze with her getting silver at the 2013 u.s. nationals and sixth place in the world championship, earning the united states a third spot in the olympics. during the 2014 u.s. championships, vienna placed first in the short and free programs, winning the national title and securing a spot on the u.s. olympic team. the rest of her career followed similarly, with her once again competing and placing in world’s as well as winning a bronze team medal in the 2018 olympics.

            before the throwback to 2010 happened, vienna had taken another pause in her competitive career, having suffered a stress fracture that put her out of commission. however, as a now internationally decorated medalist, she found herself returning to her broadcast roots, once again commentating at the different competitions and being interviewed on numerous talk shows. throughout her years post-graduation, she had kept in touch with a few people but for the most has kept to herself, preferring her own company over any amount of people. now able to turn on her charisma in situations non-related to skating, she had found herself content with where she was in life, with her days of smiling bashfully at the ground long gone, instead being replaced with confidence.

Q U I C K  F A C T S

unfortunately she’s one of the few who DOES NOT remember anything after 2010

all the self-growth and confidence she developed post-graduation??? long gone and home girl doesn’t even realize it sdfghj

definitely still a bashful mess who is avoiding eye contact whenever possible but hey, she’s definitely approachable and currently lacks the ability to be rude to anyone

doesn’t realize the whole marvel cinematic universe becomes as big and major as it is now so if anyone spoils anything she’d either think they’re an oracle of sorts or a secret writer for the mcu

she’s the biggest nerd and fan girl like i saw a few actors/oscar winners on the taken list and if any of your muses were a part of a marvel, lord of the rings, star wars, etc ( if it was at comic con then consider her a fan tbh ) she would have lost her shit being like “i went to school with this person omg” or “my friend is the scarlet witch!!!”

knows random facts about the stars and outer space and probably used to tweet at nasa a lot

her favorite barbie movie is the rapunzel one solely bc homegirl is staring and singing about the stars sdfghjk

probably asked her acting friends to be an extra in whatever movie they’re in

she says it as a joke but one of those “ get me in the movie. jk.... unless ????”

believes aliens are real and probably talked about it in 2010 and in 2020

like her theories about area 51??? and the government???? she could talk about them for days tbh

avoids drugs like the plague. will not even be anywhere where there’s weed smoke bc she’s scared it’ll pop up on her drug test bc she’s a paranoid dumb lil bean

probably doesn’t really drink that often but when she does it’s tito’s vodka

big nerd who speaks sindarin, can read aurebesh, and can somewhat speak togruta despite the limited amount of words that are known

named after the billy joel song and proud of it

ANYWAYS PLS PLOT WITH ME !!!!! my discord is medieval 4loko gang#5402 but feel free to hmu on here <3

i have a stats page here and wc page here !!!

but also come check out her pinterest board here

[vspirit8]

I just wish...

…all those people who naysayed him when he won the Ollies could see him now. And if they could, I wonder what they would say.

But they’re most likely not followers of the sport outside of the Ollies and probably still think of him as ‘that undeserving champ’ so please, Hanyu, please bring it on the Olympic stage. If you do, I’m very willing to bet that each and every one of them will take back what they’ve said and not only that, the world of FS will have that many more followers, brought in by you and all those who try (and fail) to beat you. More than the number YOI has brought in, even.

And speaking of YOI, I’m seeing a lot of mention about how he broke the MC’s fictional score which apparently many have said to be unrealistic? I’m guessing it depends on what his program components are? What are they? Anyone knows? (Cos I’ve seen it once…well most of it…when I didn’t know which was what, and I ain’t watching it again to find out. Way too much work and all. I mean assuming they made in clear it the show.)

Oh! This would also mean he'd be going to the unveiling of his and Shizuka Arakawa's monuments as the newly minted reigning World Champion~ Yay!

[amaramonette]

is that [ ISABEL DURANT ]? no, that’s just [ AMARA MONETTE ]. [ SHE/HER ] is [ TWENTY-SIX ] years old and is a [ PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATER ]. rumor has it they’ve been in town for [ NEARLY THEIR WHOLE LIFE ]. on a good day, they’re [ PERCEPTIVE & CULTURED ]. but watch out! they can also be [ SPITEFUL & POSSESSIVE ]. [ MORAL OF THE STORY by ASHE ] plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around spring hill!

hellllooo! i’m li and i’m pretty excited to be here and start using my new bby. she’s a bit of a mash-up of a few different muses that i absolutely love so i’m very stoked to see how this goes lmao. i apologize now for this bio, it took me fivever and it's hella long but like everything i do is long. ( sorry not sorry<3 ). i am also down for alllll the connections, the more drama and angst the better lol. hit me up if you’d like to plot or like this and i’ll come to you!

[ triggers: bad parenting tw, mental abuse tw, ]

GENERAL INFORMATION.

NAME → amara quinn monette NICKNAMES → mara, am, or ams AGE → twenty-six DATE OF BIRTH → october 28th PLACE OF BIRTH → springhill, nj, usa EDUCATION  → high school ged ZODIAC → scorpio GENDER → female ORIENTATION → pansexual, demiromantic RELIGIOUS VIEWS → atheist 

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES.

FACE CLAIM → isabel durant HEIGHT → 5'4" WEIGHT → 128 lbs HAIR COLOR → blonde EYE COLOR → blue BODY TYPE → thin, athletic

FAMILIAL INFORMATION.

FATHER →  utp monette ( WC ) MOTHER → evelyn monette  YOUNGER SISTER → utp monette ( WC )

EX-HUSBAND  → utp ( WC )

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS → venturesome, determined, cultured, & perceptive 
NEGATIVE TRAITS → possessive, spiteful, dramatic, & oversensitive
 INTERESTS → dancing, cooking, photography, flower pressing, yoga, dogs, & caffeine 
DISLIKES → humblebraggers and name droppers, people who talk during movies, people who say ‘you look tired’, & willful ignorance  AESTHETICS → being up before the sun, the sound of skates on fresh ice, a vintage polaroid camera, a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, & a strong red wine.  
MORAL ALIGNMENT → chaotic neutral PERSONALITY TYPE → ENFP-T ( the campaigner )

BACKSTORY.

❦ amara monette was born and raised in spring hill, new jersey to a marine biologist and local contractor. her family has always been fairly well known in town as her father has been quite a pillar in the community and his company has done a lot of work for the town. her only sibling is six years younger than her and the two sisters have been like oil and water since the beginning and have never been able to see eye to eye on anything.

❦ the monette family dynamics could easily be categorized as dysfunctional but in amara’s eyes, that term is putting it lightly. there’s never been any doubt in the eldest daughter’s mind that she was an unplanned accident—a fact she’d gotten her mother to admit after heavy plying with wine when she was only a young teen. “if we didn’t have you, I could still be doing what I love.” her mother blathered drunkenly.

❦ the only person who didn’t treat her like that—as though she’d ruined their life—was her father, though due to his work, he spent more time out of the house than with his family. unlike her mother or sister, the one thing her father always did was encourage amara. remind her that no matter what she was striving for, it was possible and just within reach.

❦ the bond amara shared with her father was special, just as the bond her sister shared with their mother was special. though her sister also shared a loving, positive bond with BOTH of their parents and what amara shared with their mother was anything but positive or loving.

❦ at the age of four, her mother enrolled her in ballet classes hoping to teach the rambunctious little girl some discipline. much to her mother’s surprise, mara fell in love with dance immediately. but ballet, or dance in any such capacity, hadn’t been apart of her mother's ultimate plan for her. the following year, despite all the crying and protests from her daughter, the wannabe ballerina found herself being taught to ice skate.

❦ she didn’t particularly enjoy skating, not like the other girls she trained with did, but amara succeeded in ways many of them couldn’t over the years. her indifference to the sport and at being the best had given her an edge above the competition. and the more naturally gifted she proved to be at the sport, the further her mother pushed amara and the more intense the training became. as she got older she managed to convince her mother to let her enroll in dance classes once more if only to help in the long run, she’d say. it was in those moments, those classes, that she felt most at peace. as though she’d found just where she was meant to be—or what she ought to be doing. she’s never stopped dancing since. 

❦ at the age of nine, her mother had her pulled out of school to be privately tutored so she could spend more time on the ice—her mother only had one goal and she never let amara forget it. the olympics. though before her mother had the chance to remove her from school, the blonde had already made the best friend she could ever ask for. ( WC )

❦ it wasn’t until years later, at thirteen, she discovered that her mother had been forcing her down the same path she’d been set on as a girl. whereas her younger sister found herself free to pursue whatever interests she’d like, amara found herself on a rink shaped prison. and the unwavering pressure her mother applied only made it feel as though her ice space was forever shrinking.

❦ amara spent a majority of her youth and teens training, both on and off the ice, and whatever little free time she had left was spent with her small group of friends. friends her mother disliked for the most part and did all she could to keep her daughter away from. forcing amara to spend time with the other skaters in her class at every turn. not that she’d ever been able to fit in with them even if she wanted to. ( WCs )

❦ becoming a legal adult and dreaming of what it would finally be like to have the freedom she’d always longed for was just about all the blonde could do to keep moving forward. to keep her mother from truly bringing him down. but the relentless pressure from the cold-hearted woman and the fact that she showed no signs of letting up or letting amara walk away if she so desired to caused her to finally crack just a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday.

❦ like a thief in the night, amara disappeared from her parents home taking as many of her belongings with her as she could carry, save for all her skating gear. she spent several weeks sleeping on the couches of different friends while hiding from her mother and whatever wrath she intended to unleash for her missing so much ice time and standing up the coaches her parents paid plenty of money for.

❦ it was in those weeks of solitude that amara discovered what skating actually meant to her and just how much she still needed it in her life. the seventeen-year-old realized that she wasn’t as ready to hang up her skates as she previously thought and that there was still a thing or two she could learn from being on the rink.

❦ amara returned to the ice on the sole condition that her mother would let her do things her own way and would stop projecting her own regrets and more importantly wants on her daughter. things began to look up after that for the monette family in more ways than one and dysfunction that had once been so deeply rooted began to dissolve away just a bit. ( not so much between the sister lol, mostly just amara and her mom )

❦ she moved out on her own not long after, eager to have a life of her own as best she could, but being as clueless and willing to trust as she was, amara made many mistakes and gave her heart away much too easily which only led to it being crushed repeatedly by those who weren’t worthy of safeguarding it, to begin with. ( WCs )

❦ at twenty-one, after only dating for about a year amara married the man she believed was the one. however, it didn’t take her long to see just how incredibly wrong she was and the relationship was more toxic than anything else. she filed for divorce ten months later. ( WC )

❦ amara continued skating in hopes of making the olympic team—but this time the dream truly belonging to her, which seemed to pay off as she managed to do so successfully twice in 2014 and again in 2018. the blonde got a bronze medal in 2014 and didn’t place at all in 2018 after taking a nasty fall during her long program and making the mistake of not taking enough overall risks to make up for it. spooked after the olympic fall that nearly ended her entire career, amara decided to stop skating at a competitive level.

❦ in the following years, amara found herself joining several different national ice-skating tours but couldn’t quite shake the feeling of how far she’d fallen and how demeaning her life now seemed, skating for nothing more than mere amusement. unsatisfied and upset upon coming to the conclusion there was nothing else she could truly exceed at, amara took up the mantle that countless other incredible skaters also had, coach. a rewarding job that’s more or less left her at peace. 

OTHER IMPORTANT INFO.

❦ growing up, she was the most curious of children, constantly asking questions and wanting to know more about anything and everything. as the years passed, her curiosity never quite fizzled out as her parents as hoped. instead, the small blonde just became more confident in her ability to get the answers she sought and more determined to have it when a person wasn’t forthright with her. it’s something that leads her to trouble too often as she’s brought on a whole new meaning to the idea of questioning authority.

❦ amara can be quite a master of deceit and manipulation if she’d like. she gets a sort of amusement out of playing games with people and confusing them, especially with those she doesn’t get on well with. she definitely has a few different faces and is very particular about when she wears which face. her sweet face, where she’s likely to try and charm the pants off people, is the face she wears most of the time when interacting with strangers or just the general public. few people have ever seen her at her truest and those who have are either the ones she trusts most or the ones who’ve crossed her in unforgivable ways.

❦ anyone who knows amara is aware of how jealous or possessive she can be of those in her life she cares for. she’s never been able to quite help herself and isn’t afraid to make her feelings known when she feels her relationships have been infringed upon in any way. making friends and building relationships has always been something she’s struggled with as her childhood wasn’t normal in any sense. all her time after school was spent training—on or off the ice. and when she wasn’t training she was home with her family who she didn’t quite mesh with.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

childhood best friend

ex-husband

father

younger sister

old friends —

new friends 

rivals 

exes / flings 

i’m here for it allll!

[birdie02]

Figure Skating Videos List

A few hours ago the official ISU Figure YouTube channel uploaded a slew of videos of major competitions. Took an hour-ish to create a list for all four disciplines (Men’s, Ladies’, Pairs’, Dance), their short/free programs (SP/FS or RD/FD), and their press conferences (PC). I will update on this Google Doc whenever ISU uploads more.

Updated 2019.11.08

IDF 2019

Day 1 Part 1: https://youtu.be/78cEHtUxDyo

Day 1 Part 2: https://youtu.be/BPYTqXSHbP8

Day 2 Part 1: https://youtu.be/5J4x9jUgPjY 

Day 2 Part 2: https://youtu.be/_lHcGVF6NX8

Day 3 Gala EX: https://youtu.be/grN8LY0QBM8  

SkAm 2019

Men’s SP: https://youtu.be/-BQtjKn5Rkk 

Men’s FS: https://youtu.be/QwCoDt4hbiM 

Ladies’ SP: https://youtu.be/sJOYBXSVxSc 

Ladies’ FS: https://youtu.be/soTN3nLXuxI 

Pairs’ SP: https://youtu.be/COZq7cIxbWw 

Pairs’ FS: https://youtu.be/7N2jsLij2bs 

Dance RD: https://youtu.be/jCNieTQZKOE 

Dance FD: https://youtu.be/vevvsfZv_yk 

[Above have no sound, below have sound]

WC 2019

Men’s FS: https://youtu.be/UUd0laSuQL4 

Men’s PC SP: https://youtu.be/iBDqd2NLuRM 

Men’s PC FS: https://youtu.be/vCih84NCK90  

Ladies’ FS: https://youtu.be/cZUHm6YfXQg 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/Pk9gRYCs68o 

Pairs’ FS: https://youtu.be/fp7poBdQgmw 

Pairs’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/thwO3NHFqgs 

Pairs’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/Epw8c_8_r7E 

Dance FD: https://youtu.be/M1J9ZxBIlFc 

Dance PC FS: https://youtu.be/kQxrAF4RWvA 

GPF 2018

Men’s SP: https://youtu.be/AFfnluW2y5o

Men’s FS: https://youtu.be/DrXWp0txByY 

Men’s PC SP: https://youtu.be/Q54fui4PSeU 

Men’s PC FS: https://youtu.be/WTNgENGPBy0 

Ladies’ SP: https://youtu.be/97r2o0j3P38 

Ladies’ FS: https://youtu.be/K25v-NZzw_k 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/DN-wXwn8kLA 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/DyD9Sz4rYiY 

Pairs’ SP: https://youtu.be/8grnvec_vAM 

Pairs’ FS: https://youtu.be/rSfeL3LT14Y 

Pairs’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/j0HGEtwV934 

Pairs’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/XSw5Y7Hq7-o 

Dance RD: https://youtu.be/zsETCPgogCo 

Dance FD: https://youtu.be/dk_TpUjlPic 

Dance PC FD: https://youtu.be/OT33CB4pB6A 

Dance PC FD: https://youtu.be/mJzwlnrcfZc 

JGPF 2018

Men’s PC FS: https://youtu.be/MEscIaNKxd0 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/kWxAkyMyLok 

Pairs’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/NuvEdVzZGkE 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/hkQ8tHuulds 

WC 2018

Men’s SP: https://youtu.be/B_TV3DxQkEQ 

Men’s FS: https://youtu.be/GPJGSC2vTvY 

Men’s PC SP: https://youtu.be/jy65fSPazFw 

Men’s PC FS: https://youtu.be/S3VCwmExAx0 

Ladies’ FS: https://youtu.be/FCOO39_GVLc

Ladies’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/HUtU4l5Ubhc 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/tJa5r70fQ_M 

Pairs’ SP: https://youtu.be/447sKye4v9M 

Pairs’ FS: https://youtu.be/aRHFKUyvnTc 

Pairs’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/xgW5h5BPA8M 

Pairs’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/YzIW-WbliOY 

Dance RD: https://youtu.be/kppfdflNElU 

Dance FD: https://youtu.be/po2OirMbMx0 

Dance PC RD: https://youtu.be/xvlAJpXqE3I 

Dance PC FD: https://youtu.be/-5Nu9PELPRg 

Gala EX: https://youtu.be/fGJWXzosl0o 

Kaetlyn Osmond https://youtu.be/JuSBLS8f7bI 

GPF 2017 

Men’s PC SP: https://youtu.be/jtW14ewsRNY 

Men’s PC FS: https://youtu.be/JlYrZ1AZHno 

Ladies’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/zu5WYi4m--o 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/lWI1H1hsn34 

Pairs PC SP: https://youtu.be/7nxMlrUYpdg 

Pairs PC FS: https://youtu.be/JV2dOm7By4c 

Dance PC RD: https://youtu.be/n0D04yaB5Rs 

Dance PC FD: https://youtu.be/8GZpIX5Cssg 

WC 2017

Men’s PC SP: https://youtu.be/19ck6diL6-I 

Men’s PC FS: https://youtu.be/C7kqd285XQo 

Ladies’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/wNxAtaSMv_0 

Ladies’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/ksL4hEdPvkc 

Pairs’ PC SP: https://youtu.be/054WiWSmeuM 

Pairs’ PC FS: https://youtu.be/3Tb44svoXEg 

Dance PC RD: https://youtu.be/Ae62eL8Xlmk 

Dance PC FD: https://youtu.be/n4VmtdhH3bI 

[miranda-unokos]

Shoma at official practice (X)

[nemesisdivina86]

All hail the Tiny Queen

Oh, Tiny Queen, I am literally crying! (≚ᄌ≚)ℒℴѵℯ

A little sakura petal flying over the ice. 

Beauty, gentle flow, grace...

GL in free skate. You are breathtaking.

[axelsandwich]

hiii!!! what are your favourite obscure figure skating programs? like, programs that don't get a lot of hype/are underappreciated/not considered among the "must watch" for any new fs fan?

oohh. Hm. I don’t know what counts as ‘obscure’ since most are still like. Well known names in their own disciplines and several of them are pretty iconic ‘must watch’ performances in themselves, even if the skater isn’t as ‘well known’. You’ll have to let me know. I was actually thinking about doing a blog post on this season with some of these and I might actually do it, but here are the ones that come immediately to mind.  

Nyugen/Kolesnik’s Free Dance 2018 - gorgeous junior ice dance team, I adore them and I’m so excited to see them at JGPF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ1PHIZ44VE

Kevin Aymoz SP 2018 - love Kevin’s performance ability so much and he really just owns this program

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb40mZKQhS8

Alyona Kostornaia’s FS 2017 - ugh, one of my favourites. Such a great program for her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QFV79090LI

Stepanova/Bukin’s Rhythm Dance 2018 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCbbcueLJIg

Karen Chen’s fan EX 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_nH1dPb_90&list=PL3w9mNcl6ReLofmWftV1C2AiWkuBxH3WI&index=31

Tatsuki Machida’s SP 2014 (this is pretty damn iconic but still. Chills everytime)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI3XASJeZAI&list=PL3w9mNcl6ReLofmWftV1C2AiWkuBxH3WI&index=20

Satoko Miyahara’s SP 2013 - I just love the music?? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBrZGE78hxQ&list=PL3w9mNcl6ReLofmWftV1C2AiWkuBxH3WI&index=45

Mirai Nagasu’s SP from 2015 WC - also pretty damn iconic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlllwAjrFag

Evgenia’s 2017 EX - why don’t they give her more songs like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5tq8iJytF8&list=PL3w9mNcl6ReLofmWftV1C2AiWkuBxH3WI&index=4

Boyang Jin’s 2015 SP - this isn’t good in the conventional sense but noodle tango never fails to make me giggle and appreciate boyang’s growth so much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j670DwFV6ZY

Team Japan’s Fan EX at WTT 2015 - listen. I just want Yuzu to skate to this music with a fan as a full program, is that too much to ask. Is it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8FGZ3EHl_U

Rika Hongo 2017 SP - I don’t generally respond to Rika’s skating style but this was really such a wonderful, emotion-filled program. 2017 JNats ladies was so brutal and you could really really feel how hard and desperately every lady was fighting for her place. Rika’s performance was beautiful 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB7z3hAIp8Q

Sui Takeuchi 2017 SP - She caught my eye at JNats and I wish I saw more of her ;; 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVemUAaEClo

Tomoe Kawabata 2018 FS - that lutz. I also really like her skating - it’s sensitive but strong. I see some parallels between her and Sui’s style actually

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeA7c7brwC8

Moa Iwano 2018 SP - rip her jumps lately but her expression. It’s rare to see a junior skater own the program the way she does and grab it by the reins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVQs2yPYDFs

Akari Matsuoka’s godly spins at 2017 JGP Brisbane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV5QQswgVYs

Nathan Chen’s Lion King - bc seriously

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LNVumcxXdc

Javier Fernandez EX 2015 - the matador makes me lose it tbqh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGiRXNq4u7w

[the-real-xmonster]

Grand Prix Assignment, How Does It Work?

I recently received quite a few questions on this topic, so here’s an intro, which hopefully will address most of your concerns.

Before you proceed, bear in mind that GP assignment is far from an exact science. There is no shortage of political undercurrents and seemingly arbitrary decisions involved in the whole process. Even discounting that, brace yourself because this stuff is lengthy and convoluted.

As usual, the focus of my post will be on the two single disciplines. The basic principles are the same for Pairs and Ice Dance, however in those two disciplines there are a few more bylaws concerning the case of “split couples” (which involves, you guess it, teams who have gone through recent changes in partnerships). Those rules make things a bit more complicated and there are people who are more familiar with Pairs/ID who can explain them to you much better than I do, so I won’t embarrass myself by talking about them.

With that out of the way, let us dive straight into the details.

The Grand Prix Series

The Grand Prix Series (GPS), officially named The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, consists of 6 international senior invitational events and the Grand Prix Final. 

The GPS, in its current format, was incorporated in 1995, and since then, the 6 GP events have been hosted by: Canada (Skate Canada International - SCI), China (Cup of China - CoC), France (Internationaux de France - IDF), Japan (NHK Trophy - NHK), Russia (Rostelecom Cup - CoR for Cup of Russia, its more commonly known name), and the US (Skate America - SA). For the upcoming season however, the Chinese Skating Association has temporarily opted out of hosting ISU events, presumably to make way for Beijing 2022 preparation. The ISU has yet to announce the event that will replace CoC in the GPS.

A skater can participate in a maximum of 2 GP events. Their placements at the GPs they take part in will determine the number of points they earn towards their Grand Prix Standings (which is a completely different system from the World Standings / Season's World Ranking - don’t ask me why, the ISU works in mysterious ways). At the end of the 6 GP events, the top 6 men / ladies in the GP Standings will qualify for the Grand Prix Final. I won’t go into the details of how the GP Standings work today because it’s a topic that deserves, and requires, its own post, maybe later.

The Selection Pool

The GP events are invitational, which means that, in principle, which skaters to invite to a certain event is up to the host federation. Roughly, the way it works is that the ISU will put together a pool of skaters who are eligible to participate in the GPS, then the 6 skating federations who organize the GPS sit down together, look at the list, and decide whom to invite to their event.

There are certain limits to these invitations, the most important of which are:

No skaters can participate in more than 2 events.

The total number of skaters who participate in a GP event, for single skating, must be between 8 and 12.

A maximum of 3 skaters (per discipline) from the host country can participate in the host country’s event.

A maximum of 3 skaters (per discipline) from the same country can participate in any one GP (I keep this separate from point 3 above because point 3 has a different implication, see below).

The Minimum Score

There is a minimum threshold of score a skater must meet if they are to be considered eligible to enter the GPS selection pool. This minimum score can be met either through Combined Total Score or Technical Element Score. These scores will be revised and published annually by the ISU before the selection process begins. For example, for the 2017-2018 GPS, the minimum score for the ladies was either total score of 140.05 or TES of 25.26 for the SP and 46.96 for the FS.

The Host Pick

In filling the 3 “domestic” spots as mentioned above, the host federation can choose a skater who does not meet the minimum score. However it should be noted that the ISU “strongly suggests” that the minimum be satisfied.

Skater’s Preference

Top skaters can (and will) indicate their preference as to which GP they wish to compete in. Their stated preference will be considered, though not always 100% guaranteed. So for example you’d see Yuzuru making frequent appearances at SCI because his training base is in Toronto.   

The Seeds

Skaters who placed first to sixth in the previous season’s World Championships will be considered Seeded Skaters and will be assigned to 2 GP events. "Seeded” in this context means that they’ll be spread out so that no more than 2 out of 6 will be at the same event. For example, consider the 2017-2018 GPS, the seeds were, for the men’s field: Yuzuru, Shoma, Boyang, Javier, Patrick, and Nathan, for the ladies’ field: Evgenia, Kaetlyn, Gabby, Karen, Mai, Carolina. Their GP assignments were (in order of events): 

CoR: Yuzu - Nathan / Zhenya - Caro 

SCI: Shoma - Patrick / Kaetlyn - Karen 

CoC: Boyang - Javi / Gabby - Mai

NHK: Yuzu - Patrick (which didn’t happen, but still) / Zhenya - Caro 

IDF: Shoma - Javi / Kaetlyn - Mai

SA: Boyang - Nathan / Gabby - Karen 

Before you ask, funnily enough, the answer is no, in this seeding procedure, the ISU does not take into account results from the Olympics, at least they did not do so in the most recent post-Olympic season (2014-2105), and I do not think that they will start to do so this year, not least because they don’t seem to have any system on hands with which to factor both OG and WC results into consideration. So for the 2018-2019 GPS, barring a disruptive last minute change, the seeded skaters will be, on the men’s side: Nathan Chen, Shoma Uno, Mikhail Kolyada, Alexei Bychenko, Kazuki Tomono, Deniss Vasiljevs, and on the ladies’ side: Wakaba Higuchi, Satoko Miyahara, Alina Zagitova, Bradie Tennell. 

You will have noticed that I didn’t mention Kaetlyn and Carolina. That’s because Kaetlyn has announced that she would not participate in the GPS next season, and I haven’t heard if Caro intends to continue competing. When such vacancies happen, the next-ranked skater(s) will be moved up to serve as seeds - in this case, it’s going to be Gabby Daleman (rank 7) and/or Maria Sotskova (rank 8).

The “Come-back” (official ISU terminology, I didn’t make it up)

Skaters who have previously been seeded, i.e., those who have placed 1-6 at a WC within the last 10 years, and have skipped the last one or more seasons, can be given priority consideration and virtually guaranteed 2 GP events. However, in order for this “come-back” to go into effect, the skater must, first, explicitly commit to the ISU that they will take part in their assigned GPs, and such come-back treatment is allowed only once in a skater’s career.

The Invites

Skaters who placed from 7 to 12 in the previous season’s WC will be guaranteed 2 GP events. 

Any skater who holds a World Standing of up to 24 after the previous season ended will be guaranteed at least 1 GP event.

Any skater who has posted a total score within the top 24 seasonal best of the previous season will be guaranteed at least 1 GP event. Note: the ISU’s season best is a list of highest scores achieved by each skater at ISU-sanctioned events during the season. This, for example, is the Total Score list for 2017-2018: the top 24 goes from Nathan’s 321.40 at WC in first to Morisi Kvitelashvili's 250.26 in 24th place.

All medalists from the Junior WC and the Junior Grand Prix Final champions, if they decide to move to senior next season, will be included in the selection process for the senior GPS, though their assignments are not explicitly guaranteed.

Skaters who have posted a seasonal best score within the top 75 in the previous season will be included in the selection pool and can be invited after the assignments are filled for (1) the seeded skaters (2) the come-backs, and (3) the invited skaters who are guaranteed at least 1 spot.

Junior skaters who have announced their intention of moving to senior and have met the minimum score will also be entered into the selection pool

The Conventions

Now, having said and considered all of the above, there are a few rules of thumb / traditions that always seem to materialize in each GP cycle, and can help you, for lack of a better word, predict whom you are going to see before shelling out your hard-earned money in exchange for a GP ticket.

One, if a seeded skater is from a nation who hosts a GP event, there is a near certainty of him/her attending their home event. If there are two seeded skaters from the same nation, the priority is given to the one with better results from the previous season. So in the next GPS you can reasonably expect: Nathan and Bradie at SA, Mikhail and Alina at CoR. Along this line, JSF is the only fed with a bit of a hairy problem on their hands. Going by the usual logic, Shoma and Wakaba should be their picks for NHK. However, there are, obviously, the cases of Satoko and Yuzuru to consider. Satoko, because she’s still, by common perception, their top lady skater, and Yuzu, because, well, because he’s Yuzuru Hanyu. The JSF can, of course, have all 4 of them at NHK, but that’d be a rather dumb thing to do because it’d increase the competition and create a disadvantage to their own top skaters in terms of earning GPF qualification points (especially in the men’s event, where, by rules, they’ll need to host another seeded skater besides Shoma). In short, I honestly don’t envy the JSF’s position and I wish them the best of luck.

Two, in the absence of a home GP, a seeded skater’s first assignment would be one closest to their home country, so for example Deniss is very likely going to compete at either CoR or IDF. 

Three, even though the ISU does not explicitly promise 2 spots for the Junior World medalists, they usually get their 2 assignments. Last season for example, Alina, Marin, Kaori, Vincent, Dima, Samarin all got 2 GPs.

Four, most top skaters (seeded or no) would be afforded the courtesy of some time off between events. So for example, going by the event calendar next year (which, by the way, is SA - SCI - Undecided GP to replace CoC - NHK - CoR - IDF), since Nathan is most assuredly going to be at SA, you won’t see him at SCI.

Finally, five, since the GPS selection is done on an invitational basis, a skater’s reputation and, frankly speaking, their ability to fill up the venue weigh quite heavily in the federations’ consideration. So, for example, no, Yuzu does not need to invoke the “come-back” clause (which, incidentally, does not necessarily apply to his case anyway, since it’s mostly reserved for skaters who have taken an entire season or more off). He’s going to have 2 GPs regardless. If you really, really want to know my prediction, my bet is he’s going to be where he usually is, SCI and NHK. Same goes for Zhenya, though in her case I’m less sure which 2 GPs she’s going to get. I’d say SCI is a likely possibility for her too, considering her recent relocation.

Well well well, as usual this turned out to be about triple the length of what I expected it to be. Don’t know if it helps clear things up or confuses you even more. Let me know if it’s the latter so I can go into a corner and cry or something, and definitely let me know if I’ve missed something important.

Disclaimer: I have NOT covered everything, only picked and chosen those points which I think are good to know :)

[the-blip-life-blog]

December 2018

Weekly Goals (12/3-12/9, 12/10-12/16, 12/17-12/23, 12/24-12/30):

Fitness/Health - Brush teeth every night (1, 2, 3, 4) - 5 cups of water a day (1, 2, 3, 4) - Yoga twice a week (Wed/Fri) (1, 2, 3, 4) - Walk/Bike/Dance (Sat) (1, 2, 3, 4) - Gym every Sunday (1, 2, 3, 4)

Fandom - Keep rec blog going very week (1, 2, 3, 4)

Daily Goals

-- Writing Goal: Write ~500 words every day for fests or for yourself          (crossed off if I wrote, bold if I met daily wc) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

By the End of the Month Goals:

Work - Catch up as much as you can at work - Website creation/maintenance? - Create resume - Research interview topics

Betaing - Beta vwz fic - Beta vnbb fic - Start ftlobbb fic - Start betas for tsatz? - Beta vhbb fic Ch. 4 when needed - Beta anything dj needs - Beta new person’s stuff as necessary

Fandom activity - VB timeliness - OS - JFC Discussions + Readings

Various To-Dos - Everything in “soon” - At least four in “short-term”

Travel Plans - Decide where else to go - Decide when to go - Start budget

Reading books - Fangirl - At least one other book

Socializing - Reply to everyone I haven’t yet - Keep chill in MN - Keep up with J

Devices - Delete unnecessary stuff from new computer - Deal with photos on phone and get them uploaded to computer - Get all passwords well-organized and in multiple places - Delete 150 tabs!! - Determine system for tumblr stuff (do nothing w art, create doc for storing useful info, etc.?) - Clean up phone so people can reasonably use it w/o fear from me (don’t have to fin this month) - Delete stuff taking up space on phone (apps!)

Other - Figure Skating Grand Prix - Watch vld S7 and S8 - Hulu - Handmaid’s Tale, Cloak and Dagger (+ MCU), Prison Break, Survivor - Saw franchise / various Netflix movies / The Alienist