Indholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2018 i International Figure Skating

A new skating season is upon us, and it is one that will have a very different look and vibe than the previous one in many different ways for many different reasons. The death of Denis Ten in July is, without doubt, the saddest event I have ever had to report on in my long career. It has taken us all a few weeks to come to terms with the loss of such a beloved athlete. In this issue, we look back at his many accomplishments, the highs and lows of his career, along with insights from some who knew the Kazakhstani skater well. On the flip side of the coin, the return of Daisuke Takahashi to competition this season gives many of us a reason to celebrate. The 32-year-old’s…

On July 19, 2018, the world learned the tragic news that Kazakhstan’s Denis Ten had been murdered in his hometown of Almaty. The global skating community went into a state of shock and disbelief. Who and why were the questions everyone was asking. News reports stated Ten confronted two thugs attempting to steal the side mirrors from his car on a street in Almaty. An altercation ensued, which ended with one of the perpetrators stabbing Ten in the upper right thigh, rupturing his femoral artery. Found by a passerby lying in the street, Ten was rushed to hospital. But he had lost three liters of blood and though surgeons operated immediately, they were unable to save him. Ten died three hours after being admitted. Two suspects were arrested for what…

They seem poised to be the next big thing in Canadian ice dance. But Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus are already thinking beyond that. Their goals extend far beyond their homeland’s borders. As they head into their third season ambitious is a word that applies to this young team, who speak freely about making more of a mark on the global stage in the coming campaign. “We definitely want to be on the podium at nationals and top 10 in the world,” said Firus, 24, during a break from their summer training at the Montréal International Skating School. “Ideally, we keep the momentum we built from last year and just keep building.” The 23-year-old Soucisse looks toward their upcoming Grand Prix schedule that includes stops in Laval, Québec, and Japan.…

FINAL REPORT Sandra Stevenson, a highly respected figure skating reporter and journalist, passed away July 7 at age 76. Born and raised in Great Britain, she called New York City home for most of her life. A fixture on the figure skating scene for almost five decades. Stevenson‘s career began with the 1968 World Championships in Geneva, Switzerland. From that point forward, she would cover every World and European Championships until 2015. Stevenson was extremely proud of having covered 12 consecutive Olympic Winter Games from 1972 through 2014. A passionate supporter of British skaters, she was first hired by The Guardian newspaper in 1971 to report on figure skating events around the world, and subsequently moved to The Telegraph. In the early years of her lengthy career, she witnessed firsthand…

On June 18, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced its reasons for the suspension of two Chinese judges for violating Rule 430 of the Special Regulations for Single and Pair Skating 2016 and the Code of Ethics 2017. The suspensions were determined after a review of the scores one judge awarded in the pairs event and the other in the men’s competition at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Feng Huang (Alleged Offender) received a one-year suspension. The panel determined he had committed a disciplinary and ethical offence with his preferential marking of the Chinese pairs teams while serving as a member of the judging panel in PyeongChang. Huang had previously received a warning letter from the Officials’ Assessment Commission in January for showing “national bias” in his scoring of the…

Canadian-born Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen of Denmark had represented his homeland in ice dance since the beginning of their partnership in 2012. Danish citizenship laws are among the strictest in the world and from the outset both understood it would likely be impossible for Fournier-Beaudry to obtain a passport, which is a requirement to compete at an Olympic Games. Instead, Fournier-Beaudry, 25, and Sørensen, 29, had focused on improving their World placement each season, with the goal of making the top 10. But when they earned an Olympic berth for Denmark with a 13th-place finish at the 2017 World Championships, not being able to go to the Games in PyeongChang brought a disappointment neither had anticipated. “In the beginning we didn’t talk seriously about going to the Olympics because…

Everett Skate America opens the 2018 Grand Prix season in Everett, Washington. Nathan Chen, the reigning World champion headlines the men’s event and is all but assured of a victory. His main competition will likely come from his 17-year-old U.S. teammate, Vincent Zhou. At age 31, Russia’s Sergei Voronov will be the oldest competitor in the field, but never count him out. If he is on top of his game, he will be a contender for a medal. Japan, Russia and the U.S. will field three ladies each at this competition. Satoko Miyahara and Kaori Sakamoto are the top ranked contenders and my bet is the battle for gold will be between them. If that scenario transpires, the only medal up for grabs will be the bronze. Contenders include Bradie…

SKATING UNDER THE INFLUENCE A Canadian craft brewer released this special lager in July. Though Yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit, is found in many lagers around the world, this particular brew has its own figure skating connection. Brian Orser's nephew works at the Muskoka Brewery. SKATING WORLD RALLIES On May 9, nine days after Russian figure skater Ivan Samodelkin, 22, wed Ksenia Pozen, he was working in the garden of his family’s summer home outside St. Petersburg when he lost control of a machine he was using and the blade lacerated his right leg. Samodelkin was rushed to hospital where doctors stitched up his leg and he went home. But soon afterward he developed gas gangrene and by the time he returned to the hospital it was too late to…

For four years, they skated in the shadow of one of the most accomplished pairs teams in Canadian figure skating history. But now, their moment is at hand. The mantle has been passed and it is the time for Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro to lead the way for a new generation of pairs teams in their homeland. Both feel more than ready to take on the task. The pairs landscape in Canada has surely changed since the 2018 national championships. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro head into this new season as the top pairs team in their country and the only team remaining of the four that battled it out for the three places at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Not only are Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford…

Making a comeback after a long absence from the competitive scene is a risky move for anyone, but even more so for someone who was a skating superstar not only in his nation, but also around the world. Daisuke Takahashi is aware of the risks of returning to competition after a four-year hiatus, but his reasons for coming back are strictly personal. This time, he is skating for himself. “There are only a few years left where I can show my best in my personal skating.” Daisuke Takahashi took the skating world by surprise when he announced in early July that he was returning to competition. Though he had made the decision many months before, few were aware of his intentions. Absent from the competitive scene the past four years,…

▶ OVER AND OUT Canadian pairs skaters Julianne Séguin, 21, and Charlie Bilodeau, 25, announced the end of their six-year partnership on July 19. The duo ranked ninth at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games but failed to qualify for the free skate at the World Championships following a 22nd place finish in the short. The American pairs team of Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran apparently ended their four-year partnership without fanfare. The Canadian-born Tran, 27, who is not yet a U.S. citizen, is now partnered with Olivia Serafini, 21. The duo trains with Jenni Meno and Todd Sand in California. Castelli's future plans are unknown at this time. The partnership of Russian pairs skaters Khristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov came to a grinding halt in June when Astakhova announced she…