Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i International Figure Skating

In recent weeks, skaters around the globe expressed relief and happiness that they are once again back training. While pairs and ice dance teams in many countries were permitted to train together the past few months, that was not the case in Canada, and it was not until the very end of July that Skate Canada gave them the green light. In recent weeks, skaters around the globe expressed relief and happiness that they were finally able to resume training. While pairs and ice dance teams in many countries were permitted to train together the past few months, that was not the case in Canada, and it was not until the very end of July that Skate Canada gave them the green light. Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances caused…

How did you stay active and what did you do during the COVID-19 lockdown in California? It was a busy time for me, which was funny because there was no skating and no tours. When the quarantine first started, I took two weeks to just do nothing. I had been so busy with tours basically since I retired that I had not really stopped in almost two years. It felt like I was just going from one city to another and I was not home for more than two weeks at a time — and that was maybe like three times a year. So I was going at a pace that was difficult to handle but also extremely satisfying because of the jobs and the tours that I have had…

Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson both found themselves adrift and without a pairs partner at almost the same time in 2018. Though they each auditioned multiple prospects, neither found the right fit. It was a partnership that was meant to be, though neither knew it at the time. When her pairs partner of eight years decided to retire in 2018, Jessica Calalang had no idea what lay in store for her. On the other side of the rink, Brian Johnson was also dealing with the end of a four-year pairs partnership. Both wanted to continue competing so the search for new partners began. However, their respective situations took an unexpected turn a couple of months later when Jenni Meno, who had coached both former teams, recommended that Calalang and Johnson…

COACHING CHANGES Japanese figure skater Rika Kihira confirmed on June 13 that she is moving to Canada to train with Brian Orser. “I decided this because I am certain I can grow by working with Brian ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics,” the 18-year-old said. Kihira was hoping to move to Canada in July but as that country’s international borders are still closed that plan has been put on hold. “I want to learn new spins and how to combine my steps and jumps. I also want to absorb a lot from watching top figure skaters,” she said. In July, Kihira relocated to Switzerland and will train with Stéphane Lambiel until she is able to make the move to Canada. On June 22, U.S. Figure Skating announced that Alysa…

NEW RULES SHELVED In a June 18 press release, the Inter-national Skating Union (ISU) announced it had suspended implementing the new Scale of Values for quads, throws and death spirals that was set to be introduced this season until after the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (See our critique of the proposed changes in the August 2020 issue). Skaters, coaches and others in the figure skating fraternity were particularly critical of the decision to assign the same point value to the quad Lutz, quad loop and quad flip. Alexander Gorshkov, the president of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, said not instituting the changes “was absolutely the right decision. Where there is less than two years left before the Olympic Games, making drastic changes is completely wrong.” FORGING AHEAD The Russian federation…

It seemed to many that the cancellation of the World Championships also meant the ISU Skating Awards gala would also be shelved. However, as tragedy unfolded around the world with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the ISU believed it was more important than ever to honor those who had worked so hard in what became a shortened 2019-2020 season, and quietly began planning an online awards show for July 11. Starting in late 2019, the worldwide skating community had the opportunity to vote for their favorites in four categories: Most Valuable Skater, Most Entertaining Program, Best Newcomer and Best Costume. International media and federation officials were also able to vote for nominees in two other categories: Best Coach and Best Choreographer. In June, the top three vote earners in…

As a retired figure skater my-self, I have struggled with many of the same issues as the skaters I spoke to for this story. Conversing with them helped me realize I am certainly not alone and that these struggles are, in fact, perfectly normal. Elite athletes are conditioned to believe if we buckle down and really focus, we can push through any obstacle in our path. Feelings of insecurity are seen as a weakness. While this may have helped us achieve our goals in skating, it often creates obstacles to finding peace away from the ice. With hard work, dedication and a lot of sacrifices, each of the athletes I spoke to achieved their childhood dreams of becoming Olympians, but after retiring in their mid-20s to early 30s, all were…

WITH A CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, ice rink as a backdrop, Sandy Hill’s latest novel “An Ice Day to Die” is a tale of skating, intrigue and murder. When Erin Markham, a newspaper journalist and adult skater, attempts to unravel the mysteries taking place behind the scenes at her local rink, she is confronted by angry parents as well as her newly discovered half sibling. While their daughters are vying for a place at the U.S. Championships, the over-zealous parents are caught in a tangled web of jealousy and deceit. Following the murder of the main contender’s coach, Erin finds herself in a dangerous situation, which is only resolved when the murderer is exposed. The book is available on Amazon (Kindle and paperback). Recommended for mature teenagers and adults.…

It has been an almost meteoric rise to the top for Russian pairs team Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, who first caught the world’s attention when they claimed the silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Taipei City in 2017. That success motivated the team to set higher goals for the following season, but all did not go as planned. Though they captured gold at their first senior event in Minsk, Belarus, and mined silver at Warsaw Cup in Poland a month later, they finished fifth at the Junior Grand Prix Final. That competition would be their last international of the season. Boikova and Kozlovskii did not skate well at the Russian Championships, finishing fifth in seniors and fourth at the junior level. That disappointing result precluded them from…

Though the concept of acknowledging skaters, coaches and choreographers for their achievements every year is an idea that is long overdue, the current format for the ISU Skating Awards needs some One of the first things that caught my attention were the nominations for Best Choreographer and Most Entertaining Program. When the list of programs was compiled, it would stand to reason that the people who crafted them would be on the Best Choreographer list. However, when the nominations for this category were first released, just five names were included. Missing from that list were Romain Haguenauer, Benoît Richaud and David Wilson, among others. Richaud and Wilson were added a month after IFS raised the question about their omission from the nomination list at a press conference during the Grand…

“THE GIRL WITHOUTA FACE,” penned by California lawyer Randall Hicks and his daughter, Hailey Hicks, is one of the best fiction novels I have read in years. Set in the U.S., the story is centered around Kate Wilder, a 15-year-old unknown superstar who suffers a serious accident and is forced to wear a mask to hide her disfigured face. Her safe and secure life at her skating rink is turned upside down when her father, a skating coach, begins training Olympic hopefuls. The book recounts Wilder’s personal dreams and aspirations of becoming a champion, her journey to the top of the skating ladder and the challenges she faces. Well known, real-life personalities blended with fictional characters brings a subtle essence to the story and it is one that many will…