Grand Prix Final 2015: Everyone Else

The men were so awesome they get their own post. Everything else that happened at the senior Grand Prix Final 2015 goes in here.

Let's do this twenty questions style:

Favorite Performances of 2014

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a figure blog on the cusp of a new year, must write a retrospective listing favorite performances from the year past. And so here are mine for 2014.

Note that I said "favorite," which may or may not necessarily correspond with "best." Insert usual caveats such as de gustibus non est disputandum, etc., here.

2014 Olympics: Team Event Recap

Ah, the Olympics....that once-every-four-years occasion when it's actually possible to catch figure skating not on sketchy Latvian or Turkish Internet feeds in 240p, but on mainstream media outlets, whether on prime time television or in print. People tune in, figure skating gets its place in the sun for a couple of weeks, it's socially acceptable--or perhaps put more correctly, socially possible--to discuss figure skating in public with normal people who aren't die-hard fanatics. Fun times!

This year's Olympics saw the inauguration of the team figure skating event, an event that ISU overlord Ottavio Cinquanta (with his infinite wisdom) hoped would add "something spicy" to elite-level figure skating competition. Contrary to Mr. Cinquanta's zesty expectations, however, the team event turned out to be fairly anti-climatic by the end of the first day as it became readily apparent that the top three teams would be Russia-Canada-United States with zero movement among them. A few spots of uncertainty cropped up from time to time--will France make it to the top 5? Which second- or third-string skater will skate the long program? What will Tessa Virtue wear during the free dance?--but as a whole, moments of actual suspense during the team event were as rare as good taste and restraint are during the typical Olympics opening ceremony. Thankfully, however, the team event also featured quite a few great performances, unqualified disasters and interesting scoring patterns--all grist for the mill of any figure skating fan (or blogger, in this case).

Russian Test Skates 2012

Forgive me for my lack of updates lately, I'm currently in an abominable situation where I am forced to rely on Precambrian dial-up Internet speeds. Loading a Youtube video in 240p quality takes upwards of a century; HD video is an unfathomable concept. As one can imagine, this rather hampers my ability to keep up with the coming tide of new programs debuting lately.

Nevertheless, here are some videos I've managed to eke out of my shoddy Internet connection from the Russian test skates:

2012 European Figure Skating Championships: Men and Pairs

If the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships were characterized by the spate of warm and fuzzy feelings inflicted upon the audience, its 2012 counterpart can be said to be characterized by the domination of the Russian Federation in the sphere of European figure skating. Indeed, Mother Russia went from having won three of the possible twelve medals last year to the grand total of seven this year, including a clean sweep in pairs. Not bad. Even if such domination is unlikely to hold at the upcoming World Championships in Nice, progress has been made on the road to Sochi.


The biggest news story that pervaded this year's Europeans was undoubtedly the return of Evgeni Plushenko into the international eligible ranks after his eventful hiatus in the wake of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. After his coronation by his domestic judges at the 2011-2 Russian National Championships, Mr. Plushenko blithely proceeded to receive the somewhat of the same treatment by the international panel at Europeans, winning the gold medal by approximately 15 points. Well, one can one say about Mr. Plushenko at this point? Yes, Mr. Plushenko continues to single-handedly prove that reputation scoring survives alive and well under CoP despite many varied entreaties in the contrary, but at this competition, he was really the only one of the top group to really produce and, for the lack of a better word, bring it. Did he deserve all those rather generous PCS and GOEs? No. But did he deserve to win? Yes. Maybe this is an unintended side effect of watching Patrick Chan continually splat and win, but there's something relieving about seeing a skater who wins skating with confidence and no major errors. The fact that Mr. Plushenko managed to do so despite his geriatric status and his knees hanging by a thread is just astounding. Now, if only Mr. Plushenko could tone down the seizure impressions in the short program, ditch Edvin Marton, add some complexity to his programs....

Russian Nationals 2010/2011 Rundown

Just a few comments on the recent Russian National Championships....(yes, this is a srs bsns post, but then again, I am of course always a srs bsns sort of blogger)