Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i International Figure Skating

No doubt many of you were as happy as I was when the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31 and a new year was ushered in. While 2020 initially had a certain magical ring to it, there was unfortunately little magic to be found in the world during that tumultuous year. Despite the challenges, some nations opted to hold competitions in the latter half of 2020, which was a blessing for many of us. The Grand Prix Series was reduced to four competitions when Internationaux de France was cancelled due to the pandemic, but all the events that took place were, for the most part, of a high caliber. The U.S., China, Russia and Japan went ahead with their scheduled Grand Prixs and we have a recap of all the…

In an era dominated by talented teenagers, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is an inspiration for many other mature female skaters around the globe. When Russia’s Elizaveta Tuktamysheva won Rostelecom Cup last November, she not only collected her fifth career Grand Prix title but also rounded out her medal collection with podium finishes at all six Grand Prix competitions and the Grand Prix Final — a feat only Japan’s Mao Asada and Shizuka Arakawa had previously achieved. This unusual year marked her 10th consecutive season on the senior Grand Prix circuit. At 2020 Rostelecom Cup, her long program was packed with technical difficulty — including two triple Axels — but it was her captivating performance that brought the crowd to its feet in a standing ovation. It was a memorable moment for Tuktamysheva,…

Nathan Chen, the two-time World champion from the United States, knows all too well the pitfalls of focusing on one particular thing. He has not forgotten what transpired in the short program at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang — it was a game changer for the U.S. star. Chen went to South Korea as the great American hope, perhaps the most ascendant talent in men’s figure skating at the time. Armed with a bulging arsenal of quadruple jumps, he seemed ready to take the world by storm. Then a disastrous short program happened and, buried in 17th place, Chen’s hope for gold was gone. A decisive victory in the free skate, courtesy of his technical skills, pushed him up to fifth in the final standings. It was the…

For the second year in a row, the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, hosted Skate America, the first Grand Prix Series competition of the season. American skaters dominated the line-ups for the most part, but U.S. Figure Skating invited elite-level athletes that train full-time in the U.S. to also compete. For the first time in history no spectators were permitted, but to give the arena some ambience, fans were offered the opportunity to provide photos of themselves, their pets or whatever they wished, which were placed in the seats in the lower bowl of the arena during the competition. Media who attended the event in person were subject to strict conditions: A COVID-19 test upon arrival and isolation in a hotel room until the test was returned; no interaction…

Rostelecom Cup was one of the most anticipated Grand Prix events, with some of the top stars of the sport going head to head for the first time this season. This competition was not without its controversy, however. The Russians took umbrage when a U.S. journalist, who watched the competition online, announced he was filing a complaint with the International Skating Union about the personal interactions between coaches and skaters and the non-use of masks in the kiss and cry area. In an online interview, Maxim Trankov — never one to mince his words — said: “The American can complain to whomever he pleases. We are not kissing him in America. They have rules and we respect them. We have different rules, more relaxed and they should respect them too.”…

Over the past six decades, renowned Russian coach Alexei Mishin has witnessed—and been a part of — the evolution of figure skating. His contributions to the sport are legendary and, at age 79, he remains as invested as he was 60 years ago. Throughout his long career, Alexei Mishin has built a résumé that includes Olympic, World, European and national champions, and a list of medalists that is too long to recount. Mishin’s parents, who both skated recreationally, first introduced him to the sport at age 15. He recalled a winter when his father mounted blades on normal shoes so he could go skating but instead he and his friends took to sliding down the street while hanging on to the back of a truck. This, among other shenanigans, encouraged…

CUP OF CHINA, the second stop on the Grand Prix circuit this season, took place in the megacity of Chongqing, with only homeland skaters competing. Though organizers originally planned to allow spectators to attend, that idea was aborted days before the competition due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the city. With the 2022 Olympic Winter Games now just 14 months away, Chinese skating officials must be having some sleepless nights, given the low number of competitors the organization was able to field: six men, five ladies, three pairs and five ice dance teams. THE JIN FACTOR Boyang Jin, 23, debuted two new programs, both choreographed remotely by Canadians: Shae-Lynn Bourne designed the short and Lori Nichol crafted the free. Despite having no major competitions, Jin laid down two…

The fourth and final Grand Prix competition of the season played out in Osaka, Japan. Due to that nation’s border restrictions and quarantine rules, all but one of the skaters competing at NHK Trophy represented the host country. That exception was South Korea’s Young You, who is co-coached by Mie Hamada in Osaka and Tammy Gambill in the U.S. With a number of its top skaters training abroad who would have had to enter a two-week quarantine upon returning home, the Japanese federation instead offered some of its rising young stars the opportunity to test their mettle at a senior competition. With Japan’s leading lady, Rika Kihira, absent from the field, the door was open for a number of talented skaters to capture the top step of the podium with…

CHANGE OF VENUE In early November, U.S. Figure Skating announced a change of venue for the 2021 U.S. Championships. Originally scheduled to take place Jan. 11-17 in San Jose, California, the event has been moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and the venue that hosted 2020 Skate America. The Championships will now take place Jan. 11–21 at the Orleans Arena. San Jose has been awarded the 2023 Championships. The U.S. Figure Skating Board of Directors unanimously approved both decisions at its Nov. 7 meeting. “This has been a season unlike any other, and we are appreciative of our local organizers and the skating community in San Jose for their willingness to be flexible during these challenging times,” said U.S. Figure Skating president Anne Cammett. “We are also confident that the proven…