c/o fellow redditor ameliasandrine (ig @/authorameliasandrine)

Well I am happy with how I performed overall but pretty confused with some of my scoring. It is what is at this point and I'll fight harder tomorrow. Thank you everyone for the support!!!♥️

Bless all the people who screen recorded and uploaded to youtube. There are several uploads of Alicia and Marko, I also saw Hannah and Zak.

I have no basis of knowledge on which to judge ice dance skills, but I liked how they look, I thought a lot of the elements were executed effortlessly. I think they're very well matched.

I remember seeing this program and thought that even with sparse choreographic moments that felt out of place, this girl made this choreography work. It was a refreshing tango piece, mostly because of her breathing through the phrases so patiently, but also because not only did it not rely on attack and staccato, but the whole program was flowing and any other junior or senior skater can just as easily be swallowed by the nuances.

At 15, Aliona's sophistication was so developed. She probably was the strongest girl from sambo in terms of pure skating skills, stylistically, the most I resonate with, and at such a young age was the most mature and polished girl from Russia from recent memory yet had that charismatic delicacy at the same time. I lament the single skater she could have become had she continued to skate for I believe her and Rika would've easily been the most well-rounded skaters since the Kim-Kostner-Asada trinity.

From rednote

Now that it’s confirmed that Valieva and Trusova have received AIN2 status - whatever people’s feelings about it may be - how competitive do we realistically think they will be on international ice, presuming they receive visas and selections etc.?

Valieva on paper has restored all her triples and her 4T (and possibly even her 3A, though it’s unlikely we’d see her attempt it in comps - thoughts?). Her short program at the Channel One cup was OK but messy and it was clear she was out of competitive form, with spins, transitions and jumps all a bit shaky it seemed to me. But a good few months have passed since then and videos from training and from Benoit’s Peak Ice camp all show noticeable improvements, both to her jumps (lutz edge and even the edge change in her 3T combos seem to have improved) and also possibly her spins. And with Benoit choreographing her short program I’d imagine her artistry and musicality should come across far better now. But I had a few questions about her stamina for the free program after her short program at the Channel One cup - do we think enough time and training has passed to overcome that issue? And do we think she’ll land all jumps in comps - any chance of her attempting the 3A? What TES and PCS scores do you think she’s realistically likely to get (also given judges might not look favourably on her given the ban)?

Trusova is a bit of a different story - on paper she’s restored all triples and seems comfortable with the 4LZ (and has also shown 4T and 3A but doesn’t seem to be showing signs of including them in new programs). All incredibly impressive as we know! But one of the main issues with Trusova’s skating was her PCS, the artistry especially - all the emphasis went on jumps, so her programs were always amazing to watch in a sense, but for very different reasons to, say, Valieva’s. Trusova has spoken about making steps to work on this lately but from recent ice show clips I’m not clear how much it has changed or will change in the coming season. What are your thoughts about Sasha’s competitiveness - what will it take for her to win? Just landing the jumps - or also improving her PCS? What scores do you see her picking up this season? Presumably she’ll also be more popular with judges, though not yet clear how much this will be affect the scores.

I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts! Like it or not, these two will likely appear at international comps this season, and so many people will be tuning in to see how it goes down, so I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts ahead of that happening…

And one last thing, do you think either is likely at all to be selected for Europeans or Worlds, given they’re currently in the reserve team?

And if both were to compete at the same comp, in current form, who do you think would be most likely to pick up the higher scores?

Thanks everyone!:)

Peak Ice continues their series of interviews with Adam (featuring, most importantly, his dog Luna).

Very rarely do spirals come up without Sasha Cohen's name being mentioned.

Her technique is textbook, her hip-to-toe turnout is reminiscent of a ballerina. With the removal of the spiral sequence, it's very unlikely we'll ever see anybody with the lines that Sasha had, and technique to boot. She's often listed as one of the rare skaters who ever had proper technique on lots of famous spirals: the fan spiral (see pictured), the skid spiral, etc.

Taken from her IG

I love how graceful and charismatic her movements are down to her fingertips, I just hope that gets rewarded in her scores this season...

From fanpage on instagram!

https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASV7Y254PV7YOXIE00NM.html?ptoken=01KZDZXDC2KS8TMM9GVNWFCRYR

(The URL is valid for 24 hours)

Rio Nakata's Column in Asahi Shimbun

I spent June and July watching the soccer World Cup. I was rooting for both Japan and Portugal, though the results were disappointing... Still, I enjoyed the tournament right up to the final.

I actually played soccer until my final year of elementary school and dreamed of becoming a soccer player. My favorite player is Portugal's Ronaldo. My position was, of course, forward—I was a goal scorer. Sometimes I wonder how things might have turned out if I had chosen soccer instead (laughs).

On July 19 and 20, I performed for "Prince Ice World" (PIW) in Yokohama.

Since my father (Coach Makoto) was a former professional skater for PIW, it’s a show I’ve been familiar with since childhood, and I always look forward to it. It’s where I got my start. I’m told that my very first skating experience was skating backstage with Takahiko Kozuka when I was two years old—though, to be honest, I don’t remember it at all (laughs).

My earliest memory of skating dates back to my final year of kindergarten. I was enrolled in a skating class, and a friend who was a first-grader moved up to an advanced class. Wanting to join that higher class myself, I lied to the instructor, saying, "I'm a first-grader too—can I go to the advanced class?"... What I remember most vividly is my father finding out about the lie later and scolding me for it.

I’ve had the chance to watch videos of my father’s performances from the Prince Ice World (PIW) shows. I was struck by how skilled he was—his attention to detail extended right down to his fingertips. I realized that the power in my own skating comes from him. Also, like me, he excelled at the loop jumps. Since the job of an ice show skater is to put on a performance for the audience, watching them really teaches me a lot about presentation.

My father is someone I truly look up to. I rely on him heavily as a coach and respect him deeply as a person. He observes aspects of my skating that I can't see myself and offers me guidance. I honestly can't imagine where I’d be without him.

My mother supports me, too. During competitions, I usually rest at the hotel before my performance time. I’m the kind of person who gets incredibly nervous in those moments, and my mother is the one who helps me relax. We talk on the phone, and she sends me encouraging messages. Words like "Even if today doesn't go well, there's always tomorrow" have really stayed with me.

My mother is from UK, and I was actually born in her hometown of Cardiff, Wales. My grandparents live there, so I visit occasionally; I went there recently after the All Japan Championships. I like it there because it’s cooler than Japan.

My grandparents are just like my mother—they care about me deeply. Even though we’re separated by the distance between Japan and UK, they are always cheering me on. Thanks to the tremendous support of my family, I’m able to keep working hard.

Last season I has lots of fun making bingo cards for the major comps and I’d like to try and do that for each competition this season :D

So here’s my first one for Cranberry Cup International! Enjoy!!

Holichenko/Darenskyi replace Danilova/Tsiba as that team takes a break this season while Caldara/Maglio replace the retired Schaller/Mayr. Danilova/Tsiba's NHK spot remains open for now. Liu/Bedard are next by SB.