Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2018 i International Figure Skating

Mental health has become an important discussion in figure skating, ever since Gracie Gold spoke out about her condition. In mid-October, Ashley Wagner went public with the news that she has been suffering from depression since the U.S. Championships last January. She hopes that by speaking out about it, others will be encouraged to seek help, just as she did. Canada’s Gabrielle Daleman also recently announced she was suffering from mental health issues and was taking a break from skating to heal. We wish them both a speedy return to good health. Though the first half of the season has been a challenge for some senior skaters, others have flourished. One of them, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, has returned this season with a vengeance. She won both her Challenger events in the…

The 2018 Junior Grand Prix Series (JGP) once again left no doubt about the depth and level of talent that exists in the younger ranks. Though many skaters returned for their second, third or even fourth Series — as in the case of Tomoki Hiwatashi of the U.S. — a handful of first-time competitors claimed steps on the podiums. The seven-event Series which started in Bratislava, Slovakia, in late August, ended in Yerevan, Armenia, the second week of October. Berths at the junior Final are determined first by placement. Skaters are awarded 15 points for first; 13 for second; 11 for third, with each placement dropping incrementally by two points. If there is a tie in the top six placements, the highest score determines the ranking. Only six skaters/teams in…

When you fulfill your biggest dream at age 15 it can be tough to find a new goal, as Russia’s Alina Zagitova discovered during the off-season. She is one of an elite group of teenage Olympic champions, and was the youngest in 20 years when she claimed the title in PyeongChang last February. Her predecessors, Oksana Baiul turned professional after her win in 1994 and Tara Lipinski followed suit in 1998. Sarah Hughes continued to compete for another season following her 2002 Olympic victory, but retired after a sixth-place finish at the World Championships in 2003. Winning the Olympic title in her first season in the senior ranks was somewhat unexpected, but unlike her predecessors — and despite the challenges — Zagitova intends to continue competing. During the post-Olympic off-season…

Life changed in an unexpected way for Ashley Wagner following her long program at the 2018 U.S. Championships last January. Wagner had hoped to earn a spot on the 2018 U.S. Olympic team that would compete at the Games in PyeongChang. Instead, she finished in fourth place, relegating the then 26-year-old to the dreaded role of Olympic alternate. The impact of not achieving her Olympic goal took an unexpected and heavy toll on her emotionally and mentally. It was not the happy ending Ashley Wagner had envisioned. For the second time in a row, she placed fourth at a national championship that preceded an Olympic Winter Games. Wagner was named to the 2014 U.S. Olympic team despite her placement, but this year that concession was not extended to her by…

With the experience of an Olympic year in his back pocket, this season is like a fresh start for Mikhail Kolyada. Last season, the two-time Russan champion qualified for a Grand Prix Final for the first time and captured the bronze medal in Nagoya. He followed that up with two more third-place finishes at the European and World Championships. At the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, Kolyada placed eighth in his individual competition. However, he went home with a silver medal from the Team Event. Though there has never been any doubt about his potential, a lack of consistency has been his nemesis. “Last season was a huge learning experience. I definitely grew up a lot. There are some things that I look at — at competitions — in a completely…

They have always been about exploring the boundless depths of their creativity and talent, about following their own path and not letting convention steer them in any direction. It is who Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron are, and who they will likely always be. But this, the three-time World ice dance champions from France will tell you, is truly a step in a new direction for them. One that is both daunting and exhilarating at the same time, but one that fits the four-year journey that will eventually take them all the way to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. When the reigning Olympic silver medalists debut their new free dance at NHK Trophy in Japan in mid-November, they will unveil what can only be considered a huge departure…

▶ OVER AND OUT…cont. Russian pairs skater Fedor Klimov announced his retirement on Sept. 8, a week after his former partner Ksenia Stolbova confirmed she and Klimov had parted ways. Klimov, 28, said the decision to end their eight-year partnership was mutual. He is now coaching. Stolbova has teamed up with Russian-born Andrei Novoselev who previously represented France with Lola Esbrat. Italian pairs skater Valentina Marchei announced on Sept. 13 that her three-year partnership with Ondřej Hotárek had come to an end. “Ondřej and I have decided to take two different paths for our future. I would like to chase another Olympiad,” said Marchei. Two weeks later, she announced she had signed with Holiday on Ice for a five-month tour throughout Germany and France. There is no update on Hotárek’s…

Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès are thinking big heading into this season — bigger than ever before. They know that what might be possible for them can be so much more than a mere dream now. The popular French pairs team wants to conquer the World in the 2018-2019 season and have set the most ambitious goals of their career — goals they are convinced are eminently achievable in the months ahead. They have been an emerging force in the pairs discipline since making the decision in 2016 to shift their training base to Coral Springs, Florida, to work with John Zimmerman, Silvia Fontana and Jeremy Barrett. Last season saw the most successful campaign for Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès, which culminated with a bronze medal at the World Championships…

“My performances atAutumn Classic were definitely an improvement from the Asian Open.” Starr Andrews wants to make history. As one of only a handful of African American ladies to ever reach the upper echelons of figure skating, Andrews hopes to be the first to capture a gold medal at an Olympic Winter Games. The 17-year-old began her quest for Olympic glory this season — her first as a fulltime senior competitor. Andrews’ dream began in southern California at age 3. At the time, her mother, Toshawa Andrews, an adult skater, took her young daughter with her to the rink where she was taking lessons. Though Andrews wanted to join her mother on the ice, her feet were too small for the boots available at the rink. “My mother told me…

DENIS TEN UPDATE News sources report that the suspects in the Denis Ten murder case have confessed to the crime. The two men admitted they were in need of money to pay their rent and decided to steal the side mirrors from Ten’s expensive car and sell them at a local market. Ten arrived on the scene as the theft was taking place and got into a physical altercation with one of the men. The second suspect initially ran from the scene but returned and stabbed Ten in the thigh. The reports indicate both men have previous criminal convictions and that one had stabbed other victims in the past in the course of committing crimes. CHINA’S 2022 GAME PLAN Major changes are afoot in Chinese figure skating circles. In September,…