Figure Skating XXII.

USA will win World Team Trophy

Samarin bombed so hard that put Russia out of contention for the win.

Japan still have 2 pairs segments where they will finish last

Btw, Zhou was way overscored

Poor Shoma. I want him and Kolyada to come to my house for some intensive psychotherapy - on my couch. Oh and my loveseat. I'll fix you both right up, I promise.

What's the purpose of having the World Team Trophy so soon after Worlds?

I guess they want to give the skaters time for a break - and for some of them, to finally do the last performance of their programs, to get them out of the way and out of their minds, before they get new music, choreography, and move on to thinking about the next season.

R3, it mostly seems to be a reward for top federations to get tons of prize money for their skaters. This is my first time watching, kind of a silly competition.

I wish Canada had sent Gilles & Poirier instead of Weaver & Poje.

Pairs SP

1) Zabjako/Enbert 75.80. Let's hope to see anymore their weird templars program

2) James/Cipres 73.48. They looked tired

3) Della Monica/Guarise 69.77

4) Moore Towers/Marinaro 68.38

5) Cain/LeDuc 66.91

6) Miura/Ichihashi 44.93 Amen

USA 58 points Japan 55 Russia 50 France 38 Canada 35 Italy 34

Canada is really sucking at this team event so far.

Me too R6.

*not to see

Re Z/E

Kaitlyn Weaver looks so old. I can't believe she's only 30.

Sinitsina/Katsalapov over 130 in the FD

I've never liked Weaver -- she's always been so cold. Although I think she skated well this season.

Poje is also cold, and is 32 now. He is handsome though, and as we've talked about on other threads, probably gay.

Papadakis and Ciceron got 135.8

10 in Interpretation and Composition

Free Dance

Papadakis/Cizeron 135.82 SB

Sinitsina/Katsalapov 130.63 SB

Hubbell/Donohue 127.11

Weaver/Poje 124.18 SB

Guignard/Fabbri 122.29 SB

Koleto and Beard 99.31 SB

10 by all judges to Papadakis/Cizeron in Interpretation and Performance. No mark lower than 9.75

At least 3 10s by all judges except for the Japanese judge

French judge gave 10s and +5 in everything.

Sin/Kats got 10s in Interepration by Japan, Russia, Germany, Poland, France and USA.

Russia and France marked them with 10 also in Performance. A 10 in Composition by Japan.

I don't get why S/K are getting such high PCS scores.

r16 The same reason Nathan Chen gets such high PCS scores.

R16 Lets hope it is only for WTT

It's because Russia has been politicking the judges for the past season to move S/K onto the podium, which they succeeded at doing last month at Worlds.

USA was too busy politicking for Men. Otherwise these PCS and uncalled UR for Vincent Zhou couldn't be explained

Please, R20. The world is just finally now seeing that the artistic vision I bring to my instagram posts is also beautifully unfolding on the ice.

So anyone know yet whether Paul Poirier has a boyfriend?

Even Vincent said he UR'ed but "the judges didn't think so". Lol...

Combining SP and FS at WTT (they count for Season Best lists used for GP assignments)

Chen 301.44

Zhou 299.01 SB

Uno 282.24

Rizzo 260.53 SB

Tanaka 258.84 SB

Messing 257.79

Nguyen 251.97 SB

Lazukin 249.33 SB

Aymoz 239.05

Samarin 230.37

Grassl 228.36

Siao Fa 204.67

___

Tuktamysheva 234.43 SB

Tennell 225.64 SB

Sakamoto 223.65 SB

Kihira 222.34

Samodurova 207.45

Bell 206.06

Piredda 180.55 SB

Meité 173.67

Daleman 171.81

Lecavelier 170.24

Rodeghiero 155.09

Chartrand 147.27

_________

James/Cipres 226.00 SB

Zabjako/Enbert 217.12

Della Monica/Guarise 200.62

Moore Towers/Marinaro 200.22

Cain/LeDuc 192.15

Miura/Ichihashi 137.91

___

Papadakis/Cizeron 223.13 SB

Sinitsina/Katsalapov 215.20 SB

Hubbell/Donohue 209.97

Weaver/Poje 203.78

Guignard/Fabbri 202.54 SB

Komatsbura/Koleto 160.24 SB

[quote] , it mostly seems to be a reward for top federations to get tons of prize money for their skaters. This is my first time watching, kind of a silly competition.

My favorite of the season was the Japan Open, where Alina Zagitova had a higher free skate score than Javier Fernandez or Nathan Chen.

Now that was fun! Especially watching Javi's pissy reaction. Alina can always say she beat them both lol.

Picture her potential bitch face while she was saying this and thinking about the Shibutanis..

Madison Hubbell (USA), 2019 World Team Trophy Champions team: This is my first experience, so I have not lived another format. I unfortunately was not able to participate in the team event at the last Olympics. The feeling I have is that while it should be mandatory to have a different skater for each segment. At the Olympics they should allow two entries for all of the events, because I think there are many teams with an abundant amount of talented skaters. I know that my federation would have loved to put two more skaters on that team and give them the chance to come home with a medal. That is something I would like them to consider for Beijing.

R26 Thanks for the Team Bronze Medal, Maddie!

If it makes you feel better, Maia and I had to suck a few cocks to shut you and Zach out of getting one, but as Sinatra says, "That's Life!"

I like the Shibs in general, but was annoyed by their social media bragging about their Olympic medals a year later, while the world championships were going on. As far as I know, they made no congratulatory or well meaning messages to their fellow teammates who were competing there. And I agree their online merchandise looks tacky. Who would buy and wear those overpriced sweats and tees that say "Twizzle" or "Shibsibs"?

I don't hate them, but I find the Shbs annoying. They're decent skaters, but they have a high opinion of themselves. And had it not been for Zach Donohue making a mistake in the Free Dance, they wouldn't have won the Bronze medal anyway.

I think the Shibs are desperate right now because their double bronze medals aren't getting the the entertainment and financial opportunities they were hoping for. It's also going to tough for them to return to competitive skating because they're been surpassed by teams domestically and internationally. I enjoyed much of the Shibs' creative work as competitive athletes, particularly the Fix You program a few years ago, and sympathized with their challenges making it in ice dance as siblings. But I concur with everyone who's found they've gotten annoying since around the Olympics.

Technical Rules for 2019-20 Ice Dance have been published

Lady may wear trousers in the Rhythm Dance, not in the Free Dance

Hubbell and Donohue pissed their chance for an Olympic medal by skating to such a horrible free dance.

Now they are playing catch up with Chock and Bates who are likely to return to the world podium in 2020.

But Hubbell and Donohue are the ones that won the World medal last month, R33. So I'm not sure there are any guarantees for Chock and Bates.

Annika Hocke/Ruben Blommaert have split.....will there be any Pairs left standing by the start of the new season?

Who were they anyway? Maybe the Knierims will quit if they lack funding.

Does the U.S. still only get one Pairs spot for Worlds?

I think so, but I'm not a big pairs fan, so I may be wrong.

If there's only one Pairs spot to Worlds, there really isn't much point for a lot of these U.S. pairs to compete anyway.

Very few of them will ever make it out of the U.S.

Hocke/Bloammaert is one of the German pairs. Germany is now left with only Hase/Seegert

US will have 2 pairs at 2020 Worlds

Pairs spot at 2020 Worlds are

China 3

Russia 3

France 2 (but may not fill the second spot. Their Junior pair coming up should be able to do minimum for Europeans but can struggle to achieve that for Worlds. And then anyway it depends on if Didier wants to send you )

Canada 2

Italy 2

USA 2

Austria 2 (won't fill the second spot)

Germany 2 (if no new partnership emerges from the split, they won't fill the second spot)

at EUROPEANS

France 3 (I guess they will likely fill 2 of them)

Russia 3

Italy 3 (they will leave the third spot vacant)

Germany 2 (again, they may not have a second pair anymore)

Spain 2 (their second team should struggle to achieve the minimums)

Croatia 2 (I don't remember any second pair...maybe some crappy Junior, but again there is the minimum to get)

UK 2 (no second pair existent)

Soon it'll be really easy to be one of the top 10 pairs in the world because only 10-12 pairs will compete. Eek.

At Euros there were only 10 pairs who finished the competition this year...so everybody made the top 10...even the old British lady, the crappy gay second Italian, the black Croatian....

at Worlds everybody qualified for the FS because there were less than 20 pairs entered.

Why are there fewer pairs than usual this year?

R44

2019 Worlds: 19 Pairs

2018: 28

2017: 28

2016: 22

2015: 19

2014: 23

2013: 18

2012: 23

2011: 22

2017-18 was a peak. Some good pairs were left out from FS last year and so last summer ISU increased the numbers of pairs making the FS from 16 to 20....but this renaissance of Pairs didn't last long and now they are back at around 20 with the last of them not being really worthy to see twice

Paul Poirier's bottoming position?

Pairs skating is incredibly dangerous and what is the potential payoff. Look at the top US team of Cain and Leduc, who aren't even being offered to skate in Stars on Ice. How much money are their families paying every year for them to train? The risk of severe injury is there every single time they practice. Even if I had a child who were talented in figure skating, I would not want him/her to go into pairs. Or dance, which is incredibly boring.

r47 I feel like Dance only got really boring this past season. It used to be fairly enjoyable to watch, not like pre CoP but still ok, but now it's a fucking snooze.

R47, you may find dance boring, but U.S. dance is thriving right now, so there are lots of opportunities for U.S. dance teams. Pairs, obviously not.

R47 I guess their training costs are lower with their parents as their coaches? But yeah, Cain had the horrible concussion, and it mostly ended up with a ton of people (many not skating fans) concern trolling how an adult woman handled her post-concussion pain and insulting her partner. They got viral fame from the incident but no real financial payoff.

Manta/Johnson are retiring. They got a gig at Cirque du Soleil and they are accepting it

So are Cain & LeDuc in a good position to hold onto the U.S. Pairs Title next year?

Maybe, but I thought Kayne and O'Shea were going to win nationals until their mistake toward the end of their free skate.

R51, Cirque du Soleil seems like a good fit for Manta and Johnson.

R52, it depends on how Kanye & O'Shea and the Knierems look next season. Cain / DeLuc are the most consistent US pair right now.

SkateAmerica ticket sales are open now. It's in Las Vegas, October 17 to 20th.

can somebody tell Stars on Ice that we are not in the 90s anymore?

Those clothes are atrocious. Did the skaters pick the outfits themselves? Awful!

I'm getting all the ice shows confused. So the three Russian girls Med/Zag/Tuk are doing Stars on Ice in Canada (and US?) plus they're doing all the Fantasy on Ice dates in Japan? And there's yet another ice show going on now in Korea with Med and Junhwan Cha?

Sorry to be annoying - I don't even know where to go to find the listings of the ice shows, locations, and stars. I think I read Miki Ando was being dropped from FaoI (for the first time in a long while?)

Oh and Eteri has an ice show? Plus Plushenko, Fernandez, and Kostner... oh I give up. Never mind.

Stars on Ice USA have just US skaters

Stars on Ice Canada have Canadian skaters + Medvedeva + Papadakis/Cizeron

Stars on Ice Japan have Japanese skaters + Med/Zag/Tuk + Chan + Chen + Duhamel/Redford + Lambiel/Vasiljevs + Shibutanis

Then in Japan there are 100 other shows...Fantasy on Ice, Prince on Ice, Whatever on Ice

Stars on Ice Canada added Gilles & Poirier for the first time this year.

Anyone who sees Paul Poirier's ass in person, please give details.

Thank you R59!

I saw Junhwan Cha wearing the jacket covered in leaves or something - was that Stars on Ice Canada? Or was he in Korea - I 'think' Med was with him though.

And I think Jeremy Abbott is skating in Stars on Ice Canada.

r62 probably Korea. They are doing a show there. Jason Brown and Medvedeva are in that too

[quote]And I think Jeremy Abbott is skating in Stars on Ice Canada.

Do you think he'll hit on Paul Poirier?

God I hope so - we need some gossip now that Javi and Eric have quit canoodling in the Tokyo alleyways.

Abbott is in Stars on Ice US

Canada is this line up

Elvis Stojko and Kurt Browning.....

Carreira/Ponomarenko's Free Dance for 2019-20: Flamenco (Farrucas+ Malagueña + "an assortment of other songs"

A new Paul Poirier modeling photo:

Paul Poirier modeling photo #2:

Paul Poirier modeling photo #3:

To be fair R57, the 90s were an atrocious time for fashion.

Meagan Duhamel said that both Sui and Han were very funny people. (in her guest appearance with Dave Lease on his TSL vlog after Worlds)

In a recent interview, when they were talking about what to focus on for their lp, Sui interrupted Han's lengthy answer saying, "级别，哥“ (levels, bro)

Paul's hair looks like a Ronald McDonald wig.

Paul's hair does get a little wild sometimes. Very thick.

But at least he's not going to go bald any time soon.

This was "liked" by another pretty boy, Stephane Lambiel.

R75, I notice that Guillaume Cizeron liked it, too.

Anyone going to Skate America? Wonder if it's worth the ticket prices.

I ordered my SkateAmerica tickets a couple of days ago. It's going to be the only competition I go to this year and I'm in California so I decided to go for it. The weather should be nice in October.

Didn't they just hold the Four Continents in California?

R79 yes, but Skate America is is Las Vegas this year, not CA. It's probably within driving distance or a quick flight away for R78.

Alex Shibutani got a girl and I am still to find a rich potential husband. Unfair

Who's the girl Alex is with?

Half polish half japanese

R82 she is an ensemble member of Hamilton

Yeah, I found the pic:

Good for them. It's about time he dated anyone. Isn't he 26 or 27?

He turns 28 in 2 days, R86:

It's about time I stopped being a 30 year old virgin who can't talk to any women but my sister!

Here's a pic of Paul Poirier that hasn't been posted before:

Alex is very good looking.

Alex is okay, but he's not a pretty twink like Paul Poirier.

Alex is ok, sort of bland looking. Well what a nice way for him to get more attention on social media.

Did Adam Rippon get a show or something?

Tim Dolensky and Angela Wang (who were not in the USFSA International Selection Pool published last month) have joined a cruise skating show called Symphony of the Seas

Camden Pulkinen have dropped Tom Zakrajsek and will be coached by Tammy Gambill and Damon Allen. The split seems amicable judging by their social media interactions.

By trying to go Hollywood, did Adam burn all his bridges to the ice-show circuit? Or is he crowded out by Johnny Weir and Jason Brown?

R94 I wondered about his absence from Stars on Ice USA. But Weir is not the problem in not getting that. Outside North America, I don't think Rippon's fame has much traction. So he doesn't get international Ice Shows

[R94] Has Adam even kept up with his skating? He seems like the type whose body will go to pot quickly if he stops training. I'm sure he's making more money being a Hollywood celebrity than he would doing SOI. Brown is only doing a handful of SOI shows because he elected to do a show in Korea and to assist Orser and Wilson teaching in China. Weir puts more energy into maintaining his skating skills than Rippon ever did.

I don't think Adam has burned any bridges, he is just not interested in skating in those shows. Too much effort for that little money. I'm sure SOI would have loved to have him, they'd sell more tickets to casual skating fans if he was in it.

Who needs ice shows when you've got a Youtube channel?

Zagorski/Guerreiro musical for RD is Chicago

Another Paul Poirier shoot:

Duhamel is pregnant.

Savchenko too.

R101, well, they're getting on in age and are in their 30's now, so they have to have those kids soon.

Duhamel posted a baby bump photo & a pic with her husband looking at a baby book:

It's weird because she looks like a teenage boy. In a TSL episode, she was more butch than Dave and Jonathan.

And acts like one too.

Yeah, she & Eric were an unusual pair -- he was an artistic gay guy and she was a butch woman.

Danny O'Shea has gone bold

Another pic from the Paul Poirier shoot:

The bald look makes him look like he's in his late 30s. Not flattering. What's Paul trying to do with his attention whoring photos? Get a modeling or escort career going?

What bald look, R109?

I was referring to Danny O'Shea's bald look

R111, it was confusing because you joined your sentence about Danny O'Shea in the same paragraph with your sentence about Paul Poirier.

Marcotte and Duhamel are moving to Oakville to launch a new Pairs training program

I wonder if Marinaro/Moore Towers will move or stay in Montreal with Gauthier.

Tarasova/Morozov will move to Florida to work with Zueva. Nina Mozer will visit from time to time

Broadway/Operetta Rhythm Dance for Hurtado/Khaliavin: Holly Dolly

Nice view of Paul Poirier's butt:

Popova/ Mozgov's RD: Cabaret

so far we have

Grease, Mamma Mia, Hello, Dolly, Cabaret.

Who will be the first Les Mis?

Also we have already a Chicago

Anyone doing Die Fledermaus? Or does it count?

One more pic from the Paul Poirier shoot:

This one is better:

R118 I wonder how many will choose Operetta instead of Musicals

Who takes all these photos of Paul and why???

Hubbell and Donohue are doing A Star is Born. FD as it is not allowed in the RD according to ISU Communication.

R122, Paul is a pretty twink, so it's not surprising that he's getting modeling gigs with different magazines.

I'm glad we're getting to see more of him.

Here's a skating podcast that explains the music requirements for the RD this year.

Not complaining, but who gets in the bathtub with half their clothes on? Photographers' and stylists' creative ideas are so silly (and we've seen them all a thousand time before). Thanks, though, Paul!!

R126, well, Paul is an athlete, not a porn star, so we can't expect him to take *all* his clothes off.

He's wearing wet shorts, and even showing some pubes, so that's quite revealing for a figure skater.

Ilyuschechkina/Bilodeau's programs will be choreographed by Cizeron and Dubreuil

Osmond has announced retirement. Unsurprisingly

Hurtado/Khaliavin's FD is Flamenco. Choreo by Antonio Najarro

Evdokimova/Bazin are doing a Schinder's List FD.

Karen Chen has announced her new programs. But since it's Karen Chen, she will probably change by the end of next week

Kolyada will do a Charlie Chaplin FP

Marin Honds will keep this season's SP. FS will be La La Land with a choreo by Lori Nichol.

Kostantinova will do Moulin Rouge in the FS. And Tomono too.

Takahashi is keeping last year's FS

Kaetlyn Osmond has announced her retirement.

I was hoping the Japanese ladies would get better programs this year... but Kolyada why.

The only man who should be allowed to do a Chaplin program is Fernández. And only if he’s wearing that skintight gray costume from the 2017-18 season SP (a fine distraction from the corny choreo) - so not the vest ensemble from the 2012-13 FS (which he brought back for his ice shows in Spain last year. At least this allowed Queen Yuna to shine.)

Agreed with you on the Fernandez and Chaplin. Speaking of Queen Yuna... apparently Lilbet is doing a Danse Macabre program this coming season. I'm gonna be watching and missing the Queen all throughout. Sad.

Oda had a better Chaplin program than Fernandez. B/S had better Chaplin program than Fernandez.

Zagorski/Guerreiro are getting choreo from Dean.

They had programs by Dean also last season. Problem is that their skills are not that great and some programs don't work if you are mediocre. In some cases it is better to have some traditional boring warhorse rather than something interesting but that you can't execute well and in the end just highlight your weakness.

Programs involving Charlie Chaplin, Carmen, and Phantom of the Opera should be outlawed. Anyone even thinking about one of them should be Kerriganed.

Dean did a great job masking Duchesnays weaknesses and atrocious skating skills. He was quite good for Piper Gilles’s non-existing skating skills as well.

Gilles is not as strong a skater as Poirier, but I wouldn't say she has no skating skills.

She was definitely weaker than Poirier when they first started, but she's worked hard to improve her skills since then.

Reed#3 is working on a new passport

I warn out, Lithuania is hard to get.

But my dad could got it for me.

I agree with R135, but please add Moulin Rouge.

R120...boy, that Paul sure knows how pretty his is.

Flaunt it if you got it, I guess.

R140 Are you saying you weren't moved to tears by Zhou's historic Moulin Rouge?

has any dance team announced a moulin rouge finnstep yet for next season?

Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir extend break from ice dance competition

Ashley Wagner pretends she is not retired and announces she will miss GP season

Ditto Nagasu

They're not competitive anymore. I saw one of Ashley's recent SOI numbers, and it was mostly strutting around acting sassy or sultry, plus a big entry into a ... 1.5 toe loop attempt! Even her double axel looked small and eked out. Mirai looks to have gained some pounds. Unless they're looking to be in 10-15th place at worlds, they might as well retire, sorry.

Mirai has always struggled with her weight. I think she enjoys going out and had trouble training hard enough for years. Ashley Wagner just seems over it all.

Did Mirai at least perform a little more high level than Ashley in the SOI? When I saw them last year I was far more impressed with Mirai than Ashley but I don't know if things have changed since then.

Guillaume Cizeron is on vacation in Greece:

R147

The sad thing is that, unlike Ashley, Mirai could've been one of the greats had she trained harder. Her talent and potential was world class, but she pissed it all away by being lazy and not keeping her body in athlete shape.

Is Mirai the skater that was dumped by legendary coach Frank Carroll?

Yup, R151.

Tim Goebel, Gracie Gold and Mirai were all dumped by Frank, presumably over their lack of work ethic.

He don't play. Either you give 100% or he's out.

I think Gracie’s problems were more than just lack of work ethic, but yeah, he seems to practice Eteri’s “shut up and work, or you’re out” method.

I agree R150, even as someone who never really cared for Mirai's skating. Her talent was out of this world.

She deserved the bronze at the 2010 Olympics. At least she had a long competitive career, lasting longer than Zhang, Flatt, Gold, etc.

Mirai was never high in world standings anyways.

[quote]She deserved the bronze at the 2010 Olympics.

Hard to say.

It's true that there was a home ice advantage for Joannie Rochette of Canada.

And here we go withe the usual Russian ice dance splits among top Junior teams

Elizaveta KHUDAIBERDIEVA / Nikita NAZAROV, Silver at Junior Worlds, have split

How is Vincent doing? He isn't back performing in SOI so far. Is he going to college this fall or maybe next year? It sounded like he's already applied to places like Brown.

R159

I am working hard

Redefining my standard

of rotation

and good poetry

and good colleges

as I whisper sweet nothings

to my jump coach.

Thanks for asking.

They need to do something to make ice dance more watchable. It's boring seeing skaters just glide around to music with only a couple of twizzles thrown in. At least with pairs or singles, you've got the anticipation of 'will they or won't they' land the jump.

Maybe make the cunningliftus a mandatory move like the twizzle. It'd be fun to see which skaters can do it.

It's only "just glide around to music with only a couple of twizzles" if all you understand of the sport is jump vs. glide vs. twizzle.

It will become much more interesting if you take an interest in the elements, trust me. Ice dancers have far superior edge control and skating skills than most figure skaters.

Or maybe just don't watch ice dancing. I haven't watched the women's events in years and years because they do nothing for me, although I can certainly appreciate their talent and athleticism.

Agree with R163. I've never been a big fan of ice dancing and just don't watch it much.

For me, ice dancing is so boring except for the top medal contenders. Although seeing bottom tier dancers makes me appreciate how hard it is and how difficult it is to skate in synch wih someone else, without drawing blood and making it look effortless. At one nationals, a saw a less competitive team have a painful fall while simply zooming around together during warm up. They had to withdraw due to someone suffering a knee injury.

Mariah Bell SP: Work Bitch by Britney Spears. Choreography: Adam Rippon

I don't like contemporary ice dance because so much of it is boring "Montreal mush" faux romantic crap. I like the voidy 6.0 era ice dance like Anissina/Peizerat, Klimova/Ponamarenko, etc.

Mariah Bell doing Britney Spears???

Hiwatashi

FS: Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky. Choreo by Tom Dickson

Torgashev

SP: "Bloodstream" by Tokio Myers FP: Tosca

Both choreos by himself

I hope Torgashev can finally land his jumps. He is a much nicer/better skater than Hiwatashi and Krasnozhon, skating skills and posture wise.

I enjoy Torgashev as well and hope he turns it on this season and lives up to his potential.

[R170] Better than Krasnozhon who skates like a truck driver, but Hiwatashi's skills are pretty good.

Yeah, I also like Hiwatashi.

Torgashev is a great skater but needs to get a triple axel to be competitive. I like him, but right now Hiwatashi has the most complete package of the new seniors.

Komatsubara/Koleto RD: Dreamgirls

(FS is Lord of the Dance)

Did Torgashev have a triple axel before he suffered his injury (can't remember specifics, maybe a broken leg)? I also hope Camden Pulkinen can pull it together. Who else would be in the top half at US nationals? With Tim Dolensky retired, I can't think of anyone else with a shot at top 6. Jimmy Ma is ok, and at least he has a quad toe half the time. He'll be more fun to watch if he keeps up the contemporary fast numbers. Emmanuel Savary has a quad sal and might be able to finally break out of the pack too.

Krasnozhon programs

SP: Freedom by Pharrell Williams. Choreo by Alex Johnson

FS: Dracula

Bridget Namiotka comes out accusing Caughlin of abusing her for years. She claims there are 10 other girls

Coughlin's agent and Craig Maurizi's wife comes out as an idiot.

I believe her, but geez, some people in the skating world really need to focus more on getting a good education. English grammar classes, please.

Announced skaters' programs for 2019-2020.

Friend/Badaoui (Australia)

Rythmn Dance: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert!

Zueva finally got a new team...

well it is Wagret/Souquet from France...

Hawayek/Baker are Saturday Night Fever in the RD

Ashley Cain is marrying her very heterosexual looking fiance today.

The Spanish pair, Barquero/Maestu, split. It seems the reason of the split is an injury he got that apparently will keep him off ice long.

Pairs field is getting smaller and smaller. After the top pairs, you just skip the "also runs" and you are left with random people who are there because everybody else has split.

2020-21 Rhythm Dance will be...Theme: folk...Pattern: Ravensburger Waltz (Senior); Westminster Waltz (Junior).

The last part of ToshI's blog, today I think: And About Mr. Yuzuru Hanyu As I know you more and more As I talk to you more and more As we perform together more and more A man with a heart Pure Hard at work Lovable Manly I never met someone like you Who is overwhelmingly unexpected person before. It’s been phenomenal 2 weeks The rest of 6 shows For 2weeks Will be Precious Precious Days in my life for sure Carefully Carefully I will spend my Precious days Thank you Yuzu for making me feel this way.

oops - sorry - I thought I was in the other skating thread

Looks fabolous

I think what happened to Surya Bonaly was just terrible.

R189, what terrible thing happened to Surya Bonaly? She went to 3 Olympic Games, came in 2nd at Worlds 3 times, won Europeans 5 times, and had a very successful pro career afterwards. She even became an American citizen. And this was when ladies figure skating, many would say, was at it's peak.

Why does Ashley's husband look orange, in addition to looking like a Ken doll who smells cookies? Her dad seems effeminate so her gaydar must be off. But you'd think Tim would've realized her bf was gay ages ago. I read somewhere that Tim and he got together to plan the elaborate proposal. This guy makes Grant H. look macho.

I admit Ashley's husband does have a little case of plastic gayface going on in his photos, but maybe he's just one of those guys who looks odd in photos, but fine in-person.

I've met a few guys who photography "gay," as it were, but in-person they were extremely straight and didn't ping at all.

And...there have been cases of the opposite...guys who photographed super masculine in photos, but were nelly queens in-person.

I agree with R190. Surya's inability to win a world title / Olympic medal had everything to do with her being a clunky and sloppy skater and nothing to do with unfair treatment. I adore Surya and the uniqueness she brought to the ice, but especially given her limitations as a skater she had an incredible career.

R193, but she had an entertaining mother, which should count as a positive GOE.

LOL R194, true! I've met Surya, and she's really nice. Far nicer than you'd expect for someone with a mother who seem bonkers.

Yeah, the revisionist history that took place on online media a few years ago to re-frame Surya's skating career as some underdog story rife with biased mistreatment by the judges due to racism and sexism is the biggest piece of bull. Surya was an AWFUL skater. That is the objective truth. She could not hold an edge to save her life. They tried to make her seem like some misunderstood skating pioneer simply because she was the only prominent Black skater to win anything in the 90s, and because she was a woman who could do backflips--when in actuality her successes and failures had everything to do with her skating skills, or severe lack thereof.

When she skated well, she was rewarded, and when she didn't, she lost. The only legitimate time you could argue she was robbed by the judges was 93 worlds loss to Oksana Baiul--but the judges had a huge blind spot for Oksana in general and thus robbed plenty of other skaters out of rightful titles (Nancy at 94 Olympics for sure), so it wasn't like it was directed to Surya specifically.

R195 Did you meet the mother?

R190 “She even became an American citizen” - is that supposed to be an achievement?

Shoma Uno is changing choaches. To whom is yet unknown. He's going to take part in a few summery camps overseas and them make a decision. Speculations include every other coach under the sun but Eteri Tutberidze seems an exceptionally strong candidate.

R197 unfortunately no!

R198, well if racism held her career back, why would she want to become a citizen of the very most horriblest racist country on earth?

Surya was a horrible skater. She couldn't even straighten out her legs.

There's a sports anthology show on Netflix called Losers. Surya gets her own half-hour segment. I enjoyed it and, surprisingly, had completely forgotten about her mother, remembering only the blocky little skater who could do flips.

[quote]Shoma Uno is changing choaches. To whom is yet unknown.

Any idea Shoma is changing coaches?

He seemed to have a good coach with the woman he was with.

Any idea *why*

r205 Not really. The speculation is that he might want to improve his jumps and get a 4Lz (he lips) and his current team can't really get him there.

Some think, as had happened with Hanyu, that the Japanese fed wants him to switch coaches. In Uno's case, I imagine they're worried about the consistency of him landing his jumps? With Hanyu, it was just time to move up a level.

r196 Nancy Kerrigan deserved to lose in 94. She was an overrated skater with no finesse, moves alot like a cheerleader. Baiul's performance was moving.

Drunksana’s skating was technically awful, front loaded with tiny jumps and clumsy combinations. She skated with her hands, which, when you think about it, can be done by a quadriplegic.

Kerrigan with her continuous "bitch face" didn't even try to fake her robotic movements. The one time world silver medalist and one time USNationals champion was the GOLD favorite because she got knocked on the shin by a rival. It's the best thing that ever happened to her career because it made people root for her, although her true personality eventually came out.

Drunksana didn't surface til after the Olympics.

R206 & R207, I guess Shoma finishing off the World podium this year may have caused some concern.

Will he go to Toronto to train with Brian Orser? Or would that cause a conflict with Hanyu?

Instagrammer "yuzuuzu": UPDATES ABOUT SHOMA:

Daniil, Eteri's main choreographer has CONFIRMED that he was talking about Shoma Uno when he said "A very famous Japanese Skater could join team Turberidze" The match seems more likely and Shoma's team has aparently been talking with Tutberidze for a while

Getting to be with the hot Daniil would be a good bonus.

This site is soooo duuuullllllllll. This really is the future of FS without Hanyu.

Another Paul Poirier photo shoot:

we have the first Mouline Rouge for the new RD...or maybe it is already the second

Stepanova/Bukin:: "Sparkling Diamonds" from the movie "Moulin Rouge"

Stanislava is doing Moulin Rouge as well as Kazuki Tomono...sigh

Denney/Frazier FS: Lion King (with a new choreo)

Rizzo FS: Flamenco. Choreo: Scali

Della Monica/Guarise: Pilgrims on a long journey from Child of light soundtrack + Saturn by Sleeping at Last. Choreo: Scali

Sotskova: SP: To Build A Home, choreo by Nikolai Morozov; FP: Fifty Shades of Grey, choreo by Nikita Mikhailov

Choreographers for Uno: Shoma Uno SP by Shae-Lynn Bourne ; FS by David Wilson

Paul Poirier posed for a book on male nudes:

what does he have on his face?

I think it's a flower or a heart.

A fig leaf?

[R220] I thought it was a gas mask.

I never knew Paul Poirier could be a such a slut.

Hubbell/Donohue are doing Let’s Be Bad from SMASH. Would this be the RD? Musical tv series are allowed?

Bradie Tennell's new FS: Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, choreo by Richaud

Jason Brown's SP: I Can't Go On Without You by Kaleo choreographed by Rohene Ward

Natalia Zabiyako /Aleksandr Enbert SP: The Fire Within, by Jennifer Thomas & The Rouge pianist

Camden Pulkinen SP: Caruso by Josh Groban choreographed by Josh Farris. FP: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence [OST] / Rain by Ryuichi Sakamoto choreographed by Stéphane Lambiel

Is Jason Brown staying with Brian Orser, R226?

Thanks for the update on programs, R226. R227, AFAIK Jason is still with Brian Orser. He's using the same choreographers as last year, including Brian Wilson (ugh) who works with a lot of Orser's students. Let's hope Jason gets a quad consistent this summer.

David Wilson, R228?

At the end of this week we will get GP assignments

Yes R229. Sorry about that, I clearly need more coffee.

[quote]Let's hope Jason gets a quad consistent this summer.

Oh that ship has sailed, honey. He's never getting a quad. He's a beautiful skater who, in another era, could've easily been Olympic and world champion multiple times over.

But in this era, he should consider himself extremely fortunate and lucky if he manages to make another Olympic team. That would be a personal triumph in itself and should be his goal--which I think it ultimately is. I don't think he (or his team for that matter) really think a quad or world/olympic medals are in his future.

I'm excited about the GPs. Las Vegas is so right for figure skating.

America (Vegas) Oct 18-20. Canada (KelownaBC) Oct 25-27. France (Grenoble) Nov 1-3. China (Chongqing) Nov 8-10. Russia (Moscow) Nov 15-17. NHK (Sapporo) Nov 22-24. GPF is in Turin, Italy, Dec 5-8.

Wonder which big names will be stuc... I mean, lucky enough to get Didier's French GP, with the plastic frisbee medals?

2021 Four Continents assigned to Sydney

2022 Euros to Tallin

2022 Worlds to Montpellier

[quote]2022 Worlds to Montpellier

Vermont?

Dear Bernie, no, Hérault - Occitanie. Lots of plastic stars produced there

Hot photo of Scott Moir:

Another guy sanctioned by Safe Sport commits suicide. A horse riding coach this time. I looked at the Safe Sport website and was amazed to see how many people in the horse community have been caught by them. This includes Clare Bronfman, the rich broad in that Nixvim thing.

Paul Poirier's ass:

Racheal Flatt got engaged over the weekend.

Klimov appointed on the Single and Pairs Technical Committee as Athletes Rep.

Ah, this reminded me of Stolbova....will the guy she paired with get a release by Dider?

Weaver/Poje to skip GP season again.

Gilles/Poirier move into the seeded group for Grand Prix.

The over scored Polish duo move to the 2 guaranteed spots group

As they worded the annoucenment, it is not guaranteed they will come back post GP either. They will reflect.

I thought doing Montral Worlds and retire was their likely plan

Yeah, me too, R243.

I though Weaver & Poje would want to do Worlds in Canada and then retire.

Gilles & Poirier had bad luck with their GP assignments last season, so maybe this year they will get to the GP Final.

Seeds are

P/C-S/K-H/D

Stepanova/Bukin - Chock/Bates - Gilles/Poirier

G/P should get Skate Canada. And SC should make sure not to invite Guignard/Fabbri. Well, they should have avoided Sinistina/Katsalapov last year but they didn't. If they pick last, they must do a deal with the likes of Japan who will be beaten by anyone of the 6-10 group.

P/C - France, Japan; S/K - Russia, China; H/D - SA, SC.

Yes, R245.

Hopefully SC will be smarter this year in how they arrange the GP assignments for Gilles & Poirier. Particularly if Weaver & Poje retire, SC will need Gilles & Poirier to get every advantage they can to become Canada's new #1.

If W/P retire, G/P become Canada’s #1 automatically. Whether it helps them to beat the likes of S/K, S/B, G/F, not to mention C/B, remains to be seen (it goes without saying that P/C and H/D are in the league of their own).

OMG I thought Rachael Flatt was marrying a lesbian!! Her fiance is FLAMING!!

Also I'm waiting for the return of queen Stolbova. If that Ukrainian bitch can do it so can she.

Who is the Ukrainian bitch?

Ah yes, Aljona!

they should have exchanged last year when Abachkina wanted Drozd. Give Drozd to France in exchange of Stolbova's guy

Caroline Green and Michael Parsons confirmed as new team! They even got a GP

....

Grand Prix assignments are out for all the disciplines.

So Skate America 1) H/D 2) S/B....3) the exDanes? USFSA would try to push Carreira/Ponomarenko

Skate Canada....1) H/D 2) G/P 3) Hawayek/Baker

France: 1) P/C 2) C/B 3) G/F

China: 1) S/K 2) C/B 3) fight between H/B and exDanes

Russia: 1) S/K 2) G/P 3) hum, if the panel is Eastern oriented Hurtado/Khaliavin or the Polish. If it is not, the young Canadians have a shot

NHK: 1) P/C 2) S/B 3) G/F

Laurine Lecavelier switched coach to Magri

well, I lost track on who she was last season...Still with Kori?

SKATE AMERICA

MEN: Messing, Jin, Brezina, Ponsart, Koshiro Shimada, Tomono, Cha, Aliev, Roman Savosin, Brown, N. Chen, TBD USA

LADIES: Mallet, Higuchi, Sakamoto, Yamashita, Tursynbaeva, Lim, Konstantinova, Anna Shcherbakova, Tuktamysheva, K. Chen, Tennell, TBD USA

PAIRS: Alexandrovskaya/Windsor, Ruest/Wolfe, Peng/Jin, Pavliuchenko/Khodykin, Zabiiako/Enbert, Cain/LeDuc, Denney/Frazier, TBD USA

DANCE: Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen, Chen/Sun, Lauriault/Le Gac, Sofia Shevchenko/Igor Eremenko, Stepanova/Bukin, Zagorski/Guerreiro, Smart/Diaz, Carreira/Ponomarenko, Hubbell/Donohue, TBD USA

SKATE CANADA

MEN: Kerry, Nadeau, Nguyen, Sadovsky, Fentz, Rizzo, Hanyu, Tanaka, Vasiljevs, Kolyada, Lazukin, Camden Pulkinen

LADIES: Cotop, Daleman, TBD CAN, Kihira, Mihara, Yelim Kim, Young You, Medvedeva, Sakhanovich, Alexandra Trusova, Paganini, Tennell

PAIRS: Ilyushechkina/ Bilodeau, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, CAN TBD, Feiyao Tang/Yongchao Yang, Boikova/Kozlovskii, Tarasova/Morozov, Jessica Calalang/Brian Johnson, Scimeca Knierim/Knierim

DANCE: Gilles/Poirier, Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha, Sales/Wamsteeker, Fear/Gibson, Evdokimova/Bazin, Popova/Mozgov, Caroline Green/Michael Parsons, Hawayek/Baker, Hubbell/Donohue

INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE

MEN: Nadeau, Aymoz, Ponsart, TBD FRA, Kvitelashvili, Samohin, Uno, Samarin, Anton Shulepov, Voronov, N. Chen, Tomoki Hiwatashi

LADIES: Hendrickx, Lecavelier, Meite, TBD FRA, Higuchi, Sakamoto, Shiraiwa, Alena Kostornaia, Sotskova, Zagitova, Bell, Ting Cui

PAIRS: Ziegler/Kiefer, James/Cipres, Hase/Seegert, Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov, Pavliuchenko/Khodykin, Zabiiako/Enbert, Cain/LeDuc, Denney/Frazier

DANCE: Soucisse/Firus, Lauriault/Le Gac, Papadakis/Cizeron, TBD FRA, Guignard/Fabbri, Kaliszek/Spodyriev, Zagorski/Guerreiro, Smart/Diaz, Chock/Bates, McNamara/Carpenter

CUP OF CHINA

MEN: Messing, Jin, H. Yan, TBD CHN, Chih-I Tsao, Rizzo, Tanaka, Cha, Lazukin, Roman Savosin, Camden Pulkinen, Zhou

LADIES: Daleman, Hongyi Chen, Yi (Beverly) Zhu, TBD CHN, Lindfors, Honda, Mihara, Miyahara, Tursynbaeva, Samodurova, Anna Shcherbakova, Tuktamysheva

PAIRS:Ilyushechkina/ Bilodeau, Peng/Jin, Sui/Han, TBD CHN, Ryom/Kim, Della Monica/Guarise, Efimova/Korovin, Kayne/O'Shea

DANCE: Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen, Chen/Sun, Wang/Liu, TBD CHN, Komatsubara/Koleto, Evdokimova/Bazin, Sinitsina/Katsalapov, Skoptcova/Aleshin, Chock/Bates, Hawayek/Baker

ROSTELECOM CUP

MEN: Litvintsev, Nguyen, Brezina, Kvitelashvili, Tomono, Uno, Vasiljevs, Aliev, Samarin, TBD RUS, Krasnozhon, Zhou

LADIES: Ryabova, Hendrickx, Hongyi Chen, Lecavelier, Miyahara, Shiraiwa, Yuhana Yokoi, Konstantinova, Medvedeva, Alexandra Trusova, Paganini, Bell

PAIRS: Ziegler/Kiefer, Walsh/Michaud, Hase/Seegert, Ghilardi/Ambrosini, Boikova/Kozlovskii, Tarasova/Morozov, TBD RUS, Lu/Mitrofanov

DANCE: Gilles/Poirier, Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha, Turkkila/Versluis, Galyavieva/Thauron, Reed/Ambrulevicius, Kaliszek/Spodyriev, Skoptcova/Aleshin, TBD RUS, Hurtado/Khaliavin

NHK

MEN: Orzel, Sadovsky, Aymoz, Bychenko, Hanyu, Yamamoto, TBD JPN, Dmitriev, Kolyada, Voronov, Brown, Tomoki Hiwatashi

LADIES: Linfors, Meite, Kihira, Yamashita, TBD JPN, Lim, Alena Kostornaia, Samodurova, Zagitova, Andrews, K. Chen, Ting Cui

PAIRS: Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Sui/Han, James/Cipres, Della Monica/Guarise, TBD JPN, Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov, Kayne/O'Shea, Scimeca Knierim/Knierim

DANCE: Soucisse/Firus, Wang/Liu, Papadakis/Cizeron, Fear/Gibson, Guignard/Fabbri, Komatsubara/Koleto, Sofia Shevchenko/Igor Eremenko, Stepanova/Bukin, Carreira/Ponomarenko, McNamara/Carpenter

Based on the new Grand Prix assignments, it looks like Gilles & Poirier can win two silvers and get to the Grand Prix Final.

Moore-Towers/Marinaro have switched to Oakville to be coached by Marcotte/Duhamel after the Gauthier/Marcotte split

Yi Zhu assigned to Cup of China is Beverly Zhu who won 2018 Novice US Nationals. Emily Zhang (6th at 2018-19 Junior Nats) and Ashley Lin also switched to China.

Chelsea Liu split from Ian Meyh and she is now skating with Zhong Xie from China.

[quote]Moore-Towers/Marinaro have switched to Oakville to be coached by Marcotte/Duhamel after the Gauthier/Marcotte split

Was the split unfriendly?

Based on this Instagram post from Kaitlyn Weaver today, it does sound like goodbye:

[quote]Thank you. Thank you for everything that you have been and who you are to me. You have made a little girl’s dreams come true and you have given me wings. You have been my footsteps when I couldn’t stand, wiped away my tears and helped create the most beautiful, truly unbelievable memories. Thank you for supporting and sharing all of my crazy ideas for thirteen years, and for your honesty when maybe that started to change.. as hard as it was. I don’t know where the future will take us, but I know you know that I respect you during this time. Know that I’m always by your side. Even though our nature is to strive for more, I am beyond grateful and proud of what we’ve been able to achieve so far. We’ve made it through some serious sh*t 😂. Together we’ve overcome adversity with grace that in my opinion, is the most important accomplishment of all. I’ve always said that I wanted to be remembered for heart and spirit more than medals, and I hope that you can say we did that. I tried my best. You know me... I will still be dreaming of this season’s perfect program ;) But in the meantime, I’m looking to the future with stars in my eyes. Thank you for being my partner, moya Andrusha. What a ride. And to the #weapofamily, I am eternally grateful for your love and care. Thank you for believing in us, for it has made all the difference. ❤️

Yes, I read it last night and it sounded like the end for them

She is 30 and he is 32. So it makes sense. However, given they went on after Olympic season, I thought 2020 Worlds would have been the end-line. Or at least close it in January at Nationals as a sort of final send off in front of fans

I'm surprised Weaver & Poje aren't continuing on to worlds in Montreal, but they were going to retire sooner rather than later. So why not now I guess.

What a passive-aggressive insta post from Kaitlyn. I love it!

R265, according to some of the discussion at FSU, it sounds like Kaitlyn may have wanted to continue but that Andrew is ready to stop. It appears he may be going back to university or going to dental school. That may be the subtext in what Kaitlyn is saying about Andrew in that IG post.

Poje was the older top male ice dancer (born in 1987). Without him, it is now Fabbri (1988) followed by Evan Bates and Sorensen (both from 1989). Khaliavin and Diaz were born in 1990. Then there is a big grup from 1991.

Without Weaver, Guignard is the only lady left born in the 80s (1989). Then a 3 years gap with Chock, Hurtado, Fournier and Piper Gilles being born in 1992

how large is the age gap between Parsons boy and Green girl?

And especially, can she still outgrow him?

[R268] Girls are usually done growing height-wise by the age of 15. I'm hoping that won't be an issue.

R269 thanks. She is turning 16 in October. So she may have finished growing. ISU lists her as 158cm. 2cm below Rachel.

Actually, I thought Michael was shorter. He is 172cm. Definitely, she won't outgrow him. And she shouldn't outgrow Rachel either.

Meryl Davis Marries Fedor Andreev in 'Intimate' Farmhouse Wedding in the South of France

June 22, 2019

The couple wed in front of some 95 guests in the backyard garden of the luxurious Le Mas des Poiriers

R271 I love that they wrote “Olympic and DWTS champion,” this is important 😂

Her husband is cute. Also, that chateau is gorgeous!

Gilles/Poirier did get a very good set of Grand Prix assignments so they should make the final. But I am going to cackle like a hyena if Piper fucks up at Skate Canada and opens the door again. More Carol Lane bitch face, please!

The question mark for me is Chock/Bates. If they continue the path they were on last season and win their two Silvers, they are in and will likely knock both Guignard/Fabbri and Hawayek/Baker out of the running. We will see if there is any real political muscle behind the Italians.

R274 I prefer Gillies/Poirier to fuck up at Rostelecom with Carol totally exploding over the judges marks

Coupled with French TV commentary by Nathalie Pechelat about how shockling weak Kaliszek/Spodyriev are

And the British Eurosport guy wondering live "let's see how many friends Khaliavin have on the judges' panel today"

Meryl's husband is Zueva's son.

News at eleven ^ R276. Next you might tell us that he used to date Tanith Belbin and Tessa Virtue.

R277 I won't tell you that because I didn't know it. I am not interested in all this heterosexuality contaminating skating world

LOL, R275, that would be fun. Hopefully both can happen.

But the Russian field is too weak to capitalize and it won't help any other major team. I need G/P to fuck up in Canada and only get Bronze so this becomes a race. And if Chock/Bates falter in France and let Guignard/Fabbri win Silver...then it's on. Then the GPF field will depend on the placements and scores at NHK.

But, instead, the actual qualification will be totally boring and predictable and I will have to content myself with making fun of the truly terrible musical theatre choices. I can't wait.

Why do you want G/P to mess up?

This is their opportunity to have a breakthrough now that W/P appear to be retiring.

And the more we get to see of hot twink Paul Poirier the better:

R271 Are they really married? Non-residents can’t legally wed in France.

R281, I imagine they legally married elsewhere and just had the ceremony in France.

Did you know that when Fedor was a twink he used to do some shirtless modeling?

Another of Fedor:

After Friend/Badaoui picked Priscilla for RD, Kerry/Dodds choose Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The crappy Aussie teams are at least into transvestites.

Sinistina/Katsalapov's RD: Singing in the Rain

Konkina/Drodz: 42nd Street

Andrew Poje shirtless:

They finally managed to ban Leanna Caron from auto-nominating herself as judge in ISU Championships, GPs and Olympics

Also technical specialists who are coaching junior skaters can't judge in any Junior GP event and technical specialists who coach senior skaters can't judge in any Senior GP event. Well, if they coach skaters who have GP assignments.

Technical specialists who have "special relationships" with skaters entered in a competition they serve as callers should inform ISU.

If possible,at Worlds, Euros, 4CCs and Olympics, technical specialists, controllers and referees should come from countries that are not top contenders in that discipline.

Is Andrew Poje becoming more comfortable with his gay self?

Fedor is better looking than his bride. Didn’t he an Tanith break up because of his cheating?

Guess what?

Sui/Han are injured. It's him this time. Problems with his back

Oh crap, well, at least it's a change of pace.

They will skip shows this summer.

Ah, and what's the story behind Yu/Zhang? last season she was injured. They did some local comps in spring. They are not in the GP assignments. They are out of the national team but they are still training at another club.

Did they have a fall out with Shen/Zhao? Grandpa Zhang was usually in such a big favour at Chinese Fed.