#her layback ina bauer

[rruffian]

just realized all my fave skating elements look… similar…

yulia lipnitskaya’s layback spin and spiral

sasha cohen’s layback spin and spiral

yuna kim’s ina bauer and catch foot layback spin

johnny weir’s spider lunge

and alexandra trusova’s unparalleled cantilever (which she sometimes skates with her hair loose in what appears to be a very effective dominance display)

unrelated addendum: newly obsessed with Ilia Malinin’s quad Lutz entry

[crazykuroneko]

IWTV Figure Skating AU headcanons

Because I miss figure skating and IWTV is my current hyperfixation. Probably only fellow fs stans understand this, but whatever.

Louis de Pointe du Lac:

His most known program is definitely his The Swan. Choreo: Gubanova's The Swan. Costume: Hanyu's Notte Stellata. Strong skating skills as good as ice dancer, deep knee bent, flexible, so he can do layback ina bauer and difficult spins.

Tend to go to brighter music for short program (jazz, hip hop etc) while doing something heartfelt for free skating.

Pretty consistent as a skater. Keep getting high scores on Skating Skills and Presentation. Unfortunately he doesn't have big quads (only 4T to 4F, when he wants to risk it) and he's Black. so USFSA doesn't really support him and doesn't get that American over scoring. Even though he has saved USA's spots at Worlds etc many times with his consistency (just like Jason Brown)

Lestat de Lioncourt:

Typical European showman. Known for his character free skating programs. Reference: Javier Fernandez (second example). Pretty good skating skills, jump technique is decent. Actually pretty stable jumper, has all big quad jumps except 4A, but he can't focus sometimes so his axis is messed up.

Definitely always brings out the most chaotic programs for Exhibition and they always go viral and give you secondhand embarrassement.

Representing France ofc. Complete with French overscoring. at least 3 times European champion in a row. For drama, the president of French federation is still Didier and they have love/hate relationship. Running his mouth like Scott Moir at press conferences. Sometimes do backflips just to send fuck you to judges if he feels they're underscoring him (usually happen at Worlds, thanks to Russia and USA). He gotta continue that French tradition.

Armand:

For drama he is representing Russia. His coach is Marius. And Marius is basically Eteri, and he's his (current) number one girl.

Has all the quads and he'll backload the heck of them for score (that rule still exists here idc). Skating Skills aren't as good as Loustat but he has a huge TES and Russia fed backing. And almost always land his jumps.

Tend to use warhorses in his programs. Known for his long limbs and fast paced transition. Has been skating since novice and gets called the prodigy since the beginning. References: Yulia, Evgenia.

European champions are always between him and Lestat. They've been rivals since junior. But unfortunately since Marius is Eteri, sometimes he has to skip competitions for injury. He's way more relaxed during exhibition programs

Okay, now if they're a team:

De Pointe du Lac/de Lioncourt:

(Not to be biased but) chemistry on Virtue/Moir level. Definitely representing France, because USFSA is stupid and Lestat points a gun on Didier's head to take Louis. Coached by Zueva.

Combining Louis' elegance and Lestat's character by performing classic Hollywood pieces with storytelling. Debuting with this FD by Virtue/Moir. Ofc they go to the Olympics with this Moulin Rogue program as well, complete with the crotch kissing lift 😏

Definitely has a rumor they're secretly married going for them.

De Pointe du Lac/(insert Armand's last name here):

Unfortunately, no choice other than representing Russia. Coached by Tatiana Tarasova (but she likes Louis don't worry!).

Tend to use haunting classical music. Very synchronized, very classy. Reference: (a must watch!) Gordeeva/Grinkov's iconic Moonlight Sonata. Or Torville/Dean's Bolero.

Bonus: Claudia

Definitely best known for her teenage spirit and her Romeo & Juliet program.

Known for her big jumps, 3A, and musicality. That one girl who goes "I'll beat the men as well. Just watch" Reference: Kostornaia

[fieryrondo]

2018 Stars on Ice - Karen Chen, “Never Enough” (Loren Allred)

[persimmontea]

Karen Chen ~ 2021 Autumn Classic International SP (La Cena)

[fs-rambling]

Analyzing Kamila Valieva’s short program at Cup of Russia 2020

This is my personal evaluation of Kamila Valieva’s SP at the Cup of Russia (2nd stage - Moscow)

Coach: Eteri Tutberidze

Music: Storm by Eric Radford

Score: 85.10

I’m not a huge fan of the costume, to be honest.  In terms of matching the music/program, it does decently, but the details on the dress look too crowded and don’t really create a pleasant shape to look at, especially on the bodice.  The gloves are a bit long for my taste.  Also, the costume’s not super original - the overall aesthetic it goes for reminds me (and others) of Alena’s Departure dress.

The program starts with a bit of choreo.  Then Kamila does a triple flip (rippon), which looks passable.  Her arms during the entrance bothered me a little, but otherwise the jump looked fine.  

She does some crossovers, a Besti squat that doesn’t fit the music at all (wtf Daniil) and an Ina Bauer that is nice but very short.  After that, a double Axel (rippon), which by itself was nice.  I don’t really like how she only draws one arm back to prepare for the jump, though, and her transitions out of it lacked fluidity.

Next a change-foot combo spin.  It starts from basic camel position, she changes edge, then goes into a donut spin with a lovely arm variation.  Change of foot, then a forward sit position, and she goes into her signature spin position, a very beautiful Y(?) spin.

She does a spiral that lasts like half a second (Daniil please), then goes into a triple Lutz - triple toe loop combination (rippon for both).  I have a bone to pick with this combo.  She hunches over a lot before both jumps, and the combo lacks flow.  I especially don’t like how, in between jumps, she pauses, re-hunches her back, then jumps the toe.  This is a pretty common problem with Eteri’s ladies - many of them take too much time and visible effort to prepare for the next jump in their combos.

Kamila does a nice flying camel spin, then goes into the step sequence.  I feel like her turns look a bit labored and she sometimes appears to struggle with maintaining her speed, especially when doing multiple turns on the same foot.  I also don’t really dig the way the step sequence was structured in relation to the music, but whatever.

The program ends with a layback spin, in which Kamila does a hyperextended Biellmann.  Not gonna lie, it’s super impressive, but I do not like the way she transitions from the layback position to the hyperextended one.  Just my personal preference - it looks kind of awkward. 

Overall, in terms of program components, it was kinda meh.  Skating skills need some work, transitions were nice but not outstanding, and performance wasn’t great - the program lacks a distinct personality and doesn’t offer much in terms of variety in movements and energy.  Also, it didn’t really evoke much emotion, which is a main factor in evaluating a skater’s performance.  The composition was, well, very Daniil.  Interpretation was good, but not excellent.

In short, the program was okay, but doesn’t at all merit a score of 85.  Both the TES and PCS were overscored. Plus, how does one get that kind of technical score without a triple Axel?  And no quads, because ladies can’t do quads in the short?  How?  When comparing that score to those of Usacheva’s and Trusova’s, it becomes really clear who’s being favored by the Russian federation.

I want to make it very clear, however, that Kamila is not at fault for her scoring.  I blame the federation and the judges only, and I don’t ever want to bash a skater for being overscored.  Kamila is a young skater with a lot of potential, and she needs good training and a supportive environment, so please be respectful when you discuss these problems.

Thank you for reading!

[stormskates]

Rika Kihira - Kung Fu Piano Program Review

Choreography by Tom Dickson

The Concept

The art of figure skating meets the art of kung fu. The program is a nod to martial arts and all its beauty, strength, and power. That’s pretty much it, short and sweet. Concept brevity is ideal for a program performed under three minutes.

The Music

Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends is a remix arranged by The Piano Guys. It takes from the score of the Kung Fu Panda movie, highlighting the track Oogway Ascends in particular, and arranged it with Chopin’s Prelude No. 20, aptly nicknamed the Funeral March. (source) In the film, the music plays when (as the name suggests) Oogway passes away in a scene of peach blossom petals carried by the wind. 

The piece emulates the sound of traditional Chinese stringed instruments. I think of it as one of those pieces very suitable for skating since it has variations in tempo that can be complemented really well with good choreography — which, in this case, it does. 

The Choreography

(All the GIFs for this post were made from Raykey’s wonderful annotation video. Give it a watch!)

Kung Fu Piano was performed in Rika’s last season in juniors (2017-2018), and around this time, all jumps in the second half were given bonus points instead of only the last jumping pass, so the composition of elements is quite different from what we see these days.

For comparison: KFP Layout: LSp - 2A/3A - StSq - 3F3T (x) - FSSp - 3Lz (x) - CCoSp BIB Layout: 3A - 3F3T - CCoSp - 3Lz (x) - FCSp - StSq - LSp

While the KFP layout puts jumps in the second half and BIB puts them in the first half, both layouts are designed to cater to the rules set at the time. 

The choreography nods to martial arts in several moments. This is still figure skating, though, and not every movement will directly replicate the one it’s in reference to. For example, this side lunge at the beginning of the program:

—alludes to the drop stance commonly seen in martial arts like wushu and kung fu. In actual martial arts practice, the position is much lower, though it is not necessary to fully replicate this on ice. 

Here’s another example:

The position before the inside Ina Bauer is loosely reminiscent of the eagle stance in wushu:

(source) 

Notice how the position of leg left is different to help maintain the right leg’s glide and flow on the ice. Not that she can’t do it, of course, but it’s also just unnecessary to do the exact pose for a split second and sacrifice the skating (which matters much more) in the process. 

The arm position is different, too, but this is more of a congruence with the skating than the martial arts, as they face the same direction before and after the movement.

There aren’t frontal high kicks in this program, but there are a couple of kicks, like this side kick with a straight leg before her Ina Bauer leading to 2A:

or this one in the middle of her step sequence that loosely resembles a hook side kick mixed with eagle arms:

(source)

There’s also a reference to the backward hook kick in her glide after the opening layback spin:

There’s also a few lunges mixed in the choreography. I like this sequence from the StSq because it reminds me of the fist lunge in karate:

—while this one is a side lunge with crossed arms block:

Speaking of blocks, I love the allusions to blocking motions littered throughout her step sequence. (Again, these aren’t direct replications since the choreography is designed for a figure skating performance rather than a martial arts exhibition, but you can see the similarities from several references like this or this.)

I’d say the most recognisable pose throughout the program is the kung fu salute which she does near the beginning and at the end of her step sequence:

Tom Dickson did a really good job making the sharp movements look so fluid. I love how unusual all these movements look in dance and how they accentuate the music notes while complementing all the steps. The pattern of the step sequence is unusual, but it highlights Rika’s multi-directional skating and her vast range and control of movement.

I would like to also add that this program has some of my favourite transitions she’s ever done. I love the arabesque spiral to layback spin, the Ina Bauer to 2A, and the spread eagle - edge change - rocker - choctaw - crossed step to 3Lz. I’d say this is less packed compared to BIB, but a beautiful and theme-fitting composition all the same.

Personally, I think this is one of the programs that best captures Rika’s personality and spotlights her strengths. It’s a really good step-up from her Tzigane short program from the previous year, which imo is also good but definitely more conventional in terms of choreography. Kung Fu Piano was a great vehicle for her to demonstrate her skating skills, performance qualities, and her technical proficiencies. It’s energetic and graceful, much like Rika herself. While the next season is very much up in the air, I wouldn’t mind watching this all over again.

[sashas4t]

Russian Nationals: Ladies

Argh. The most stressful competition of the season really was very stressful. There was some triumphs and some disappointments but overall, the Russian ladies again proved that the Russian lady field is insanely deep. Also, while the 3A were very overscored, I would say everybody else’s score was tolerable, and some were even underscored. Please stop trying to push forward the idea that at RusNats all skaters are overscored and that level 4s, 9s in PCS and +5 GOEs are handed out like candy, that’s completely untrue. 

1. Anna Shcherbakova

Wow!!!! Anna’s jumps really were the best they’ve ever been. Her quads had attack, speed and power, and her triples were completed with wonderful quality.  Her lutz edge is getting increasingly worrying, but on the other hand, her 4Lz might be the most consistent quad in Russian ladies or men! A lot of people said her short was the best she’s ever performed it but I have to disagree. The beginning was just wonderful, elegant, yet eerie in the best possible way. The spins were on point and her 3Lz+3Lo combo might be the best one I’ve seen from her ever, but the step sequence was very off. Perhaps the choreography was changed, but the positions that were supposed to be on musical accents (like the one where she jumps and then pushes her hands forward) were before the music. It looked like Anya didn’t expect it either, since she held the aforementioned position a lot longer than she usually does. I’ve rambled about how nothing is on musical accents in Anya’s free so I’ll avoid that topic today. Her first 4Lz+3T combination was truly magical. Definitely the best one I’ve seen her do. The 4Lz just flew! I thought the second 4Lz was borderline UR, but the 4F is looking pretty good. She’ll definitely get it in time for Euros or Worlds. The score... yeah. Um, I would’ve given her performance 170-172 max. I love Anya to death, but in the performance aspect I know she can do better. The jumps were very impressive though.

2. Alena Kostornaia

Just WOWWWWWW. Her triple axels are just a thing of beauty. They fly across the ice, and cover HUGE distance. They’ve really gotten insanely better from Finlandia and it’s only been two months! Her short was a masterpiece and while I would’ve given it 86-87 points, I honestly don’t even mind the fact she got almost 90. She’s that good. Not only do her triple axels fly, her 3F+3T combination covers literally half of the rink. And it gets so much height! Alyona’s jumps do not only have height, distance and a slight delay of rotation, they are always fully rotated. I did not see a single jump that was even questionable in the sense of URs. The SP was a delight, and the FS was so entertaining! The 2A and 3F+3T were very shaky, and she should’ve gotten lower GOEs for those two elements but the rest of the program was glorious. As cheesy as the FS is, it’s really grown on me! Alyona performs it so well! I feel like she was also kind of overscored here, but the FS score was at least within reason. I’ve heard she’s going for 4S, and I really hope she can get it clean and landed soon. 

3. Alexandra Trusova

Today was not her day but you know what? It’s okay! Everyone has off days, even queens like Sasha. She had clean practices so I know she’s 100% capable of performing clean and I know she will work hard to get a clean four quad program by Worlds. She has such amazing potential and even if the first three quads didn’t work, the 4T+1Eu+3S was a thing of absolute beauty. The height! The distance! The flow! The extension on the 4T! She’s still the quad queen no doubt! Also the 3Lz+3Lo was beautiful! Sasha’s been struggling on that jump for quite a while, but I still think her 3Lz+3Lo is the best one there’s ever been. There’s ease, effortlessness, flow, height, distance and the rippon on the lutz is sublime. Her performance wasn’t really there today too, but her step sequence in the SP showed improvement from the GP stages. Speaking of the SP, I love how Sasha didn’t let the dress bother her and she did the best 3Lz+3T I’ve seen her do despite the black dress getting suck. I’m glad she didn’t go for 3A, but I know she’ll get the 3A once and for all soon. With Sasha’s work ethic and her sportsmanship she’ll bounce back in no time. I love how everyone is saying Sasha is done for when she landed the best quad of the night (no hate to Anya, but like, technique is an objective thing). 

4. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

The SP was really good, but the FS... what happened? I feel like Liza is getting better artistically. She moves faster, with more poise and her step sequence is actually really good. I’m glad she’s taking risks with the 4T, since her 4T is really just textbook, and it’s a shame it didn’t work here. Despite the 3A not working here either, I’m glad Liza pulled through and performed some wonderful combinations in the back half. I really respect Liza though, she clearly loves figure skating and she’s working hard to catch up. Her quads are textbook, and her 3As are effortless. When people started to say her 3A had too longer of a setup she decided to add difficult transitions in. When people noticed her flip edge getting to be flat, she worked hard on getting it back inside. Today wasn’t a good day for Liza, but a fourth place finish at RusNats is very good nonetheless.

5. Kseniia Sinitsyna

OH YES!!! Redemption skate!!!!! Even with the hard fall on her 3Lz in the SP, her performance as still stunning and her step sequence was just sublime. I used to dislike this program since it was almost too creative for me, but with Kseniia’s wonderful interpretation I’ve really come to appreciate her SP and now it’s one of my favorites. Kseniia has all the goods, good SS, good musicality and artistry, good spins, and good jumps. I believe that she can achieve great things! The FS was just amazing. Everything was landed, and landed with great quality and confidence. The step sequence was delivered patiently, but that’s good. A common mistake juniors make is they rush, but not Kseniia. She follows the music and the rhythm and never rushes. Her spins... literal perfection. Especially the layback... like how can it be so fast, yet so centered and so flexible? GIVE HER TWO GP ASSIGNMENTS RUSFED!

6. Anna Frolova

Wow!!!!! While I liked Anna at her JGP assignments, I often crossed her out as a big competitor since she was always so inconsistent... but NOT TODAY! Two clean programs! I really like her SP, but I don’t know how to feel about her costume change. I feel like her old costume (the one for her FS now) fits the music more. Anna’s SP requires, elegance, patience and poise, and Anna delivers all three in her delicate performance. I really love the music, especially in the step sequence. Her jumps are textbook (minus the shaky lutz edge) and her landings are beautiful. Her FS is borderline boring honestly, and I hope she gets some better choreo next season since she has so much potential. With two great skates here, I hope RusFed gives her at least one GP. Also, did she change coaches to Davydov? 

7. Anastasia Guliakova

Anastasia is really out here trying to seal Alina’s title of Most Used Warhorses in one season. But honestly I don’t mind since her interpretation of Carmen is rather good, and I love the music to Swan Lake. Anastasia’s SP was quite a nice surprise for me, since I didn’t really like her programs prior. She had a very different approach to Carmen in comparison to Alina, and her’s had much more power and attack. My favorite moment in her SP has to be the beautiful 3Lz with the spread eagle exit out right on the music! What can I tell you? I’m a sucker for movements on musical accents! Her FS was less surprising, but her jumps were quite good today! She pulled herself through the entire program! I’m glad that even though she entered as second alternate she gave performances worthy of GP assignments!

9. Sofia Samodurova

Argh. Sonya is as charming and wonderful as she was last season, but I guess she’s been demoted. The judging panel really went all out on her URs and PCS. Her performances are still enjoyable and full of charisma, but I do feel like she was a little hesitant in her SP. The step sequence didn’t have quite as much energy as it should have had. 

10. Anastasiia Gubanova

Whoever choreographed Nastya’s programs this season clearly either hates Nastya or has no idea about how artistic Nastya is. When you have someone who is as passionate and emotional on ice as Nastya, you can’t give her such boring music and choreography. The SP is pretty good, and Nastya is able to perform it well enough for me to like it, but the FS is just.... I can see Nastya trying her best to make it work, but the music is so boring and monotone that it’s impossible. Her jumps are still kind of scary at takeoff, and the UR issues seem to be getting worse. I hope Turenko works on the URs and gets a better choreographer, but Nastya is one of the most artistic skaters ever, and we need to see her showcase that ability.

12. Serafima Sakhanovich

I really like her programs this season. There’s nothing too flashy, but they are classy and elegant and Sima performs them well. I don’t know how I missed this before, but Sima’s flying camel spin is SO GOOD! +5s across the board for me! It’s fast, but also crazy centered and the positions are really pleasing. Really, it’s CRAZY fast. Shame about the jumps. You all know I love elements on musical accents so it’s no wonder I love Sima’s Ina Bauer to death. Argh! So beautiful!

13. Stanislava Konstantinova

The SP was really great. The Stasya that could hold her own against Liza, Zhenya etc. was back. I have to say, Stasya has wonderful artistry. She skates with maturity, elegance and poise. She can hold some really wonderful lines since she’s so tall, and she’s quite expressive as well. There were small problems in her SP, but as a whole, it was pretty good. This SP is definitely her best SP so far. The music is beautiful, the choreography is very good, and the costume is stunning, and when Stasya performs it well, it’s truly a delight. The FS... it’s also a pretty good program, but when will Stasya perform it well? But hey, at least she skated a good SP, that’s the second time this season!

14. Elizaveta Nugumanova

I love Liza’s SP! So much! She has so much charisma and personality, and it’s all expressed perfectly in her SP. If she could get the jumps rotated she would just be unstoppable. Her spins are so underrated too, they’re fast, centered and flexible. I love the step sequence so much, mostly because there are so many elements on musical accents, and also because Liza performs with such joy and charm. Like how can you not love it? Strangely enough, even though Nutcracker Pas de Deux is one of my favorite pieces of music of all time, I don’t really like Liza’s FS. She performs great, and her good posture and almost balletic skating style is beautiful, but the fact that the choreographer doesn’t utilize the many musical accents in the back half of the program pains me. Liza is so flexible and can easily hold a beautiful spiral to a crescendo in the music, and yet she only does one second spirals that have no correlation to the music. Why?

WD. Evgenia Medvedeva

Despite boot problems, Zhenya still skated a wonderful SP that really showed how strong she was. Her SP is really a thing of beauty, both in terms of choreography and in terms of how Zhenya performs it. The combination was definitely UR, but everything was else was great! Especially the step sequence! Zhenya is really one of the most artistic skaters out there. While I’m sad she withdrew it was a good thing to do. Better withdrawing than risking injury right? 

[yuzusorbet]

This 20-min video is so enjoyable.  There are a lot of very cute snippets from the past and some very touching ones too.  I translated briefly the main parts.  

0:15 of video~ 2018, July 2nd, Yuzuru received the People's Honour Award from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.   PM Abe told Yuzu that he watched the movie 'Tono, Risoku de Gozaru!' and he felt that Yuzu acted very well as the feudal lord.   (t/n. movie's English title: 'Magnificent Nine')

[A part of the 2016 movie is shown.  Yuzu, as lord of Sendai, enters the room and says, "I am Shigemura."]

It is a movie based on a true story that happened in Sendai during the Edo period.  Hanyu accepted the invitation to act in it because of his love for his hometown.  Many great actors are in the cast and Hanyu put up a dignified performance in front of these big names.

2:00~ Nobeyama Skating Camp...... we look at some precious footage from over the years.

Year 2003: Yukari Nakano (17 years old then) and Miki Ando (15 years old) have come to participate in the camp.   And behind them, we see the Asada sisters - Mai (14) and Mao (12).

Year 2005:  With the Asada sisters, we also see Kanako Murakami (10) and also Nobunari Oda who is joking around.

Year 2007:  The one doing exercises is...... Yuzuru Hanyu (12) Q. Something you want to overcome. Yuzu:  I don't have enough stamina, so I want to train more, with that in the centre. Q. What do you want to challenge most this year? Yuzu:  I want to jump the triple axel. Q: How much of it can you do now? Yuzu:  On land, my rotation is short by about 1/4.  On ice, it feels scary and I don't rotate.  From now on, I want to be unafraid and able to do the rotations properly.

Year 2015:  Miyu Honda (11) and Rika Kihira (13).

7:08~ Old footage from Sendai. Yuzu, 11 years old, elementary school grade 6, interviewed after school, he said:   "From the time I was in kindergarten, I couldn't play (after school).   But I think skating is the most enjoyable, so it's fine for me I guess."

Yuzu: "I like skating so....... I want everyone to see the beautiful aspects of skating."  [Yuzu becomes fascinated with the cameraman’s equipment.  This very cute part of 2 minutes is translated in this video by axelsandwich]

10:00~ 2007, 3rd April, TV programme: Shizuka Arakawa who has just won the gold medal (in figure skating at Torino Olympics) is giving a skating lesson in her hometown of Miyagi (Sendai).  Among the children is 12 year-old Hanyu.   Reporter:  So how was it, being coached by Arakawa-san? Yuzu:  I am now brimming with desire to compete at the Olympics. Reporter:  You think you can get a medal? Yuzu:  Maybe I can.

[Yuzu does biellmann spin and layback ina bauer.]

Shizuka: It's rare for a boy to be so flexible.  To be able to do jumps, spins, steps and ina bauer, there's nothing more to be said (ie. it's perfect). Reporter:  How do you feel, performing in front of Arakawa-san? Yuzu:  I was very nervous.

[present day interview] Shizuka:  His sense of curiosity has been very strong from childhood days; he will somehow try various things;  his intuition/perception about what he can do is also sharp.  Drawing power from people watching you-- he has the exact disposition of figure skating.

12:20~ 2010 March, 15 years old, he won the gold medal at World Junior Championships.  He returned to his hometown of Sendai, and soon after, he was in school for his junior high graduation.  Because of the competition, he had missed the ceremony, so he graduated from junior high school 'alone'.

[Nanakita Junior High - the banner outside the school says "Congratulations, Winner of Figure Skating Junior GP Final, Hanyu Yuzuru-kun.  Spread your wings and fly in the world!!"]

Yuzu:  "Junior high school life is over and soon high school life will start.  I would like to put in afresh my efforts and work hard."

Reporter asked 12 year-old Yuzu:  Are jumps hard? He replied: "Yes.  I'm not good at it.   From way back, I was told that my jumps are high but the rotation is slow." He practises hard, even in the locker room.

2011, March 11, Great East Japan Earthquake, his home rink was damaged. Yuzu (16 years old): "The rink was open for business as usual and I was there practising.  When the earthquake happened, they guided all the customers out, including me, and so we escaped." [t/n: this part about the disaster is just touched on very briefly in the video.]

2012, he moved to Canada for training.

2014, 19 years old, he won the first Olympic gold medal for Japan in men's figure skating.  At the press conference, he said: "After the earthquake, I couldn't skate and I really thought of quitting skating.  (Everyone was) at their lowest limits and trying their best just to live.  The decision to move to Canada (for training) was really difficult.  I wanted very much to remain in Sendai.  Because of the support from many people, I am able to stand at this place now, so I think perhaps I have repaid them for their kindness."

2015 NHK Trophy and GP Final, he broke records and broke through 300 points.

2017 Nov, 3 months before PyeongChang Olympics, he suffered a serious injury to his right ankle.  He had to miss the competitions that followed and it was in doubt if he could compete at the Olympics, right up to the start of the event.   But the people of his hometown have supported him since he was little and they believed in him.    

2018 Feb, [Yuzu's Olympic victory in PyeongChang] People in Sendai crying... "He has worked so hard.... All I can say is, thank you....."

2018 April 22, Yuzuru's victory parade in Sendai. 108,000 people lined the roads for him.  (t/n. And I was one of them!!!  haha.......)

Yuzu:  "I had the strong feeling of 'Ahhh I have returned to Sendai', and once again I felt the significance of this gold medal."

--brief translation by me (please do not use or re-post without permission) Much thanks to the uploader for the video.

[the-real-xmonster]

Hi Alice, this message has been sitting in my outbox for almost a year, haha, thought I'll try ask :). First and foremost, thank you!! can't say enough how much I love your blog. What do you most look forward to for Yuzu in the new season? For me besides his 4A(!), I'd like to see more variety in his spins and ChSq, especially the latter, as much as I adore his ina bauer and hydroblade, maybe its time to try something new and different? Am I being too greedy?

Hello there, sorry for taking forever to get back to you on this (work is crazy and I just picked up a new video game so like… haha… *whisper* please send help). 

So, first, no, I don’t think you’re being greedy. I’d also want to see more variety in Yuzu’s ChSq in particular. I love the flavorful touches he put on his hydroblade this season by linking it with the one-foot Axel in Otonal and switching up the position in Haru yo, Koi - I hope to see more of such creativity next season, with possible application on the layback Ina Bauer as well. In addition, I’d give anything for him to bring back the sit twizzle (no Yuzu I still am not forgiving you for taking it out of Origin)

or any extended twizzle really

choreographed inside Ina Bauer

and even just a simple change edge spread eagle.

The thing is, Yuzu has so many nice, “wow” moves in his arsenal, I’d say it’s just a matter of him figuring out the right music and the right way to incorporate the right selection of moves into his choreography, which brings me to the next thing I very much look forward to, which is new music. I can say with confidence that I wouldn’t have any issue if he chooses to repeat Otonal and Origin next season, but if he decides to construct one or two new programs, I really hope he’d pick something classical, especially so if it’s for his LP. Yuzu hasn’t had a free skate set to classical music since… what… his first season as a senior? A violin concerto, a string quartet, a sonata, any kind of chamber music with a violin in it - I’m game. I think Yuzu and his style have both matured enough that now’s a good time to revisit that most fundamental of combinations: skating and classical music, and I believe he’d do a stellar job given the fitting music.

Continued:

Secondly, I’ve heard Kurt Browning commentated more than once that he’s amazed how relaxed/“quiet” Yuzu’s upper body was when he jumped, I’d like to ask if you can elaborate that point more, better yet, can you show me how “not-relaxed” other skaters might be when performing a jump? 

I actually have touched on this same topic before and miraculously enough I was able to find that old post, here you go.

In that old post I used Patrick, Shoma, Javi, Nathan, Boyang (the 2017 WC top 6) for juxtaposition, but it should be noted that none of those 5 is whom I’d call a “muscled” jumper. Their upper body might not be as totally relaxed as Yuzu, who is absolutely in a league of his own in that regard, but their takeoff postures are all fair enough to look at, and they don’t overuse their upper body to force start the rotation either. If you want to know what a truly “not relaxed” upper body looks like, I, sadly, have to point you to Junhwan (as discussed here in comparison with Javi), and Zhenya, especially back around when she was in junior / first turned senior. See the way she pushed her arms out taut and tensed up her shoulders before both of the jumps?

Now you can compare Zhenya’s 3F3T against this combo of Kaori’s below to see the difference between her takeoff and one with a quiet, relaxed upper body (most of the Japanese ladies are pretty good at that, but I think Kaori is truly the standout example even among her teammates). 

Continued:

Thirdly, in regard to the current rivalry between Yuzu and Nathan, I felt the same as Brian Orser that it kind of reminds me of back in 2013-14, when Yuzu was a teenager rising star chasing Patrick the 3 time worldchampion. And Yuzu was known as a great jumper back then while Patrick was renowned for his skating skills, and it was very excited to see them go against each other. Now Yuzu is so well rounded (pray for his ankle!) and Nathan is developing quickly too, are we gonna see more of that excitement in the next year or two? I hope its good for the sport. Sorry about this long Questions post. :)

Yes, of course, it’s good for the sport to have a lot of variety in (1) the natural baseline abilities of the skaters (2) which areas each skater chooses to focus on and (3) the strategies employed by the skaters, as a result of (1) and (2) combined. It’s also great for the sport to have a new generation developing and competing against the older one(s), whilst both continuously pushing / inspiring each other to move forward. A sport lacking such generational movement, IMO, is as good as dead, and no matter how intense the competition among the existing generation is, when you look at it as a whole, such a competitive landscape would ultimately feel somewhat… bleak (for lack of a better word). I know that feeling very well because that gloom and doom mood just about sums up the prospect of men’s tennis for the last half of the decade. Sure it’s been fun and it still is, mostly, to watch the holy trinity of Roger - Rafa - Novak trying to one-up each other on how many entries they have in the history book, but one can’t help but screaming into the void, from time to time: where are all the darned kids? 

So, yeah, you could say that, even though the outcome of their competition might not always be to my liking, I’m glad that a rivalry of sort exists between Yuzu and Nate, I think it does make the men’s competition more scintillating to follow for new and old fans alike, and just as importantly, I believe it’s part of the reasons why Yuzu’s decided to stay with us for at least another season.

Here’s to an exciting 2019-2020 skating season!   

[scatteredfangirling]

Four Continents 2020: Young You

i am a sucker of cute student/coach moments okay!! i literally was like “wow same pre-skate ritual as satoko” and then i realized oh bc it’s mie hamada that’s why

really beautiful lines, great execution of that opening 3A

she kinda suffers from lego/cup hands, but otherwise very good packaging

have i mentioned that i really appreciate her dress bc it’s beautiful

she seems pretty at ease

oof that’s a slow start to the combo spin

that 2A was so tilted imo but she somehow still got it WITH another jump tacked onto the end

her little victory fists on that last jump !! you’re doing great sweetie !!!

oh wow her layback ina bauer is so beautiful and not done for long enough for me to enjoy it

i love everything about her except her spin speed - we stan an imperfect princess that still has room to grow!

[eight-edges]

Super sad about Zhenya’s Beillmann

Back injuries are super serious in general, but especially in sports like figure skating, where back flexibility lets you do so many pretty elements. I know a girl at my rink who also had a stress fracture in her back. She lost her beillmann and layback Ina Bauer for at least three years before both her back and mental block were well enough to try them again. She is still struggling with them, but over the last 6 months she has made great progress with their return.

If Zhenya thinks that her back injury was bad enough that she will never do a beillmann again, I can’t even imagine how much pain she must have been in! She came to Brian from Eteri with a broken back. Over-use and stress on any bone is super dangerous, but on the back?? My lord, poor girl! I hope her back recovers eventually and that she , God forbid, won’t ever need surgery or anything like that. Back injuries should never be taken lightly.

[yuzuviere]

loena hendrickx's diferente and carolina kostner's ne me quitte pas for the program asks?

Loena’s Differente

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / i have decided to stan forever 

I like how this starts out but I never really felt anything while watching this program. Also there’s a part after the stsq where the music kinda goes weird and quiet (well, quiet compared to the rest anyway) while she pumps out the rest of the jumps and you know me. Your resident ‘movement matching with the music’ uber. So the jumps didn’t come out as powerful as they could’ve been for me because of how the music was just… there. But not really helping the performance.

Caro’s Ne Me Quitte Pas

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / i have decided to stan forever 

If any lady can make me like a dramatic program with dramatic lyrics it would be her. This program fits her well. There’s an Ina Bauer here that isn’t a layback but I like it enough to mention it lmao IT’S SO SOFT. And the step sequence oof. Also her layback spin is aesthetic

[seraphine16]

Sway With Me (Touken Ice Skating AU)

tmAuthor’s Notes: I shared this headcanon with @ladywongs a few days ago, it was supposed to be pure and innocent but her comments made this became erotic instead lmao. I’ve read too many fics and headcanons by Toukaisbetterthanyou mods that I’m becoming a Touken trash now, I’m sorry. God please forgive me for writing this. Everyone, I’m sorry for writing this trash 🙇

Summary: Kirishima Touka is a professional figure skater, winning several silver and bronze medals ever since her international debut. For the upcoming world championship, the theme is sensual ice dancing – which she will be performing with her coach, Kaneki Ken due to their perfect chemistry… and heated gazes.

Characters: Black Reaper Kaneki, :Re Touka

Warnings: NSFW, sensual dancing, sexual tension, age difference

Words: 7736

Performance Song: Michael Buble - Sway

For those who read Regina: I’m sorry for postponing chapter 13 to next month. And trust me the smut in Regina won’t be similar to this trash, even in the Red Ginseng chapter where they’ll do it multiple rounds (ok I better stop now before revealing more spoilers hehe)

Here are some of their moves and positions in case I couldn’t explain properly… I told you this is trash.

 1st Part

2nd Part

3rd Part

4th Part

5th Part - But in this fic their bodies are soooo much closer, and Kaneki’s hands are somewhere else ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

6th Part

Layback Ina Bauer

ENJOY!

Michael Buble’s Sway echoed throughout the massive ice skating arena as a couple was practicing their performance for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championship. Kaneki Ken, fully clad in black pants, black jacket with a tight black top underneath – leaned against the ice rink wall, observing them with a frown on his face.

As their coach, he wasn’t impressed at all. They weren’t performing up to his high standards. They kept on making mistakes, falling, and not to mention – bickering.

“Don’t put your face so near to my crotch! That’s disgusting!”

“Shut up, horse shit Touka. I’m just following the choreography. You’re so damn heavy, you need to reduce the amount of cake you’re having every week.”

“I’m. Not. Fat! You’re just not strong enough, shitty Nishiki.”

The bickering continued for a period of time, and his ears just couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Enough!” Kaneki’s stern voice made them stopped their bickering and turned their heads towards him.

“Both of you are too stiff. Nishiki, you need to hold her as if you worship her body. And Touka, what’s with your expression?”

“What’s wrong with my expression?” She returned his question, her eyes showing total disbelief.

‘Are you seriously asking me that?’ He almost rolled his eyes. Almost.

“You need to look as if you really want Nishiki to touch you, not like you’re disgusted having him as your partner.”

“I can’t.” She simply said.

“Yes, I can’t too. She may have a nice body, but I only worship Kimi’s.”

“Guys… this is just an act…”

“Nuh uh, can’t help it. We’re figure skaters, Kaneki, not proficient actors. I don’t understand why the hell the theme is sensual this year. It’s so hard to get into the mood when you don’t have any feelings for your partner.”

“It’s mutual, shitty Nishiki. I hate you too.”

“Thanks, shitty Touka. I know.”

Kaneki just sighed at their immature behavior.

“Don’t you want to win the gold medal, Touka?” His brows furrowed in frustration, he had been coaching her for a little over two years, and her biggest accomplishment was only two silver and three bronze medals.

As someone who had won numerous gold medals throughout the 15 years of his career – and also won the world championship four times, he was not impressed with his female student.

“Why don’t you show us then?” Nishiki crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes glinted with a hint of mischief towards his coach.

“…Excuse me?”

“Shitty Nishiki, are you kidding me?” She had enough of his touch on her body every time he was coaching her, she could not bear having him touching her for the whole three minutes, and multiply that by a countless number of practices. Especially with this choreography, where there would be plentiful sensual elements. No, it would drive her insane.

Nishiki just smirked. Everyone in their team could feel the sexual tension between these two idiots, but no one dared to say a word. Kaneki Ken was just too intimidating to be teased.

There was a deafening silence throughout the arena as Kaneki gave a piercing stare at Nishiki, followed by a heavy sigh and the removal of his glasses and black jacket, revealing his tight top underneath.

Touka eyed him appreciatively. She had always admired his body. The muscles on his biceps, not too bulky but just nice, the hardness of his abs that she could feel whenever he was standing a bit too close to her, and the firmness of his hands. They were strong, and she couldn’t help the shiver she felt whenever he held her. Those hard muscles sculpted by the constant training and exercise to maintain his strength as a figure skater – especially to lift his partner while performing ice dancing. And he still maintained them, working out now and then even when he decided not to join any competition anymore.

“Alright, I’ll show you.”

“Are you serious?” Her mouth gaped in shock, and she could feel that she was starting to panic a bit.

He moved towards her, and Nishiki backed away to the ice rink wall, delighted that he was able to watch them practicing this dance together.

“Watch and learn, Nishiki. This is how you should hold her.” Kaneki stood right in front of her, his right hand gripped her waist – tight, while his left lifted her chin up until she met his grey eyes.

“And how you should look at her.”

His eyes never left her even though he was speaking to the hazelnut–haired man, his pupils dilated briefly – he looked as if he was yearning for her – his gaze went to her supple lips for a moment, and suddenly Touka felt a little hard to breathe normally.

“Music. Start.” Tsukiyama played the music, then shortly after, they started to perform their dance according to the music.

When marimba rhythms start to play~

Dance with me, make me sway~

They glided on the ice, sometimes hand in hand, sometimes hand on waist while performing several graceful spins and steps together. Nishiki grinned, forming a plan in his mind.

Hold me close, sway me more~

Kaneki stood behind Touka and that was when the first part of their sensual dance truly started. She raised her arms, locking them around his neck as his hands grabbed her hips, swaying side by side with her before subtly grinding his pelvis against her backside. His hands then traced further up from her waist to her breasts – kneading them slightly in the process – earning a gasp from her before he traced higher to her shoulders and arms, unlocking them from his neck to pull them backwards together.

He definitely held her as if he was worshipping her body, his gaze never left her – and it was intense.

Other dancers may be on the floor~

The second part was a curve lift, he posed the shoot–the–duck position – where he lifted her while he bent the skating knee and extended his free leg in front of his body, his right hand lifted her right thigh, while his left hand supported her upper body. Touka’s left hand was holding her right leg which was pulled up from behind and above her head, creating the Full Biellmann position.

Dear, but my eyes will see only you~

This was one of the parts where he needed to worship her body. He leaned in, giving tiny kisses starting from her lower back then went up higher until the middle of her shoulder blades. Her body involuntarily arched even more, and she let out a small whimper.

“Good. You’re into it.” She couldn’t help the heavy blushing on her cheeks as he said that.

He had to lift her again in the third part, but differently from the second one. Her legs resting on his shoulders – the part where she appeared disgusted with Nishiki just now. Yet this time, with Kaneki, she had to clamp her lips together to stop only God knows what may come out of her mouth.

Make me thrill as only you know how~

They spun, his hands gripped her thighs strongly as she lowered her head and body – his breath hot against her clothed sex. She was lucky that she wore long pants for the practice. But on the day of the performance, her dress would only cover her crotch – and that would be a problem. His touches had always left her flushed, he just had that effect on her.

“Alright, let’s practice the final two parts.”

Her heart skipped a beat the moment he said it. Having him so close to her body… she wasn’t sure if she could handle it that well.

She also realized that he planned to proceed straight to the fifth and sixth part which was the final, leaving the fourth part.

Like a flower bending in the breeze~

Her body bent backward, performing an outside spread eagle while he bent forward towards her. She was pressed flush against him as they were chest to chest. His hands cupped her ass, subtly grinding against her again which made her almost squeaked, but she bit her lower lip to suppress her voice. After several elegant spins and jumps, they finally came to the final part that she dreaded the most.

He performed Besti squat move – where both of his knees bent outwards into a squatting position, his thighs held parallel to the ice and his torso kept upright. She jumped then wrapped her legs around his waist while her arms closing around his neck. His arms immediately supported her back while she bent her body backwards.

Bend with me, sway with ease~

He nuzzled the valley of her breasts and went higher to her collarbone, then her neck, up to her jaw. He stopped moving when their lips were just a mere inch from each other, his eyes staring into hers – hot and burning, her face flushed, flustered and she was panting hard.

It was different. With Nishiki, this part never made her enraptured like this. It had never made her breath fell short, and never made her feel the urge to get closer – to close the gap between their lips.

But with Kaneki, it was as if they were magnets from different pole, attracting them towards each other. Her fingers ran through the nape of his hair, and he let out a small hiss – his eyes fluttered shut.

“Merveilleux!” Tsukiyama clapped his hands excitedly, while Nishiki just whistled.

The pair instantaneously pulled away and stood up. Touka was having a little problem in balancing herself that she almost fell forward – luckily Kaneki was fast to catch her. Their bodies glued together for a moment – and she could feel the rigid muscles of his chest again, she swallowed her saliva, dryly.

“You alright?” He was still panting – his hot breath and the way he looked at her – she almost felt suffocated.

She just nodded, and pulled away from him, leaving the ice rink hurriedly.

“See that, Nishiki? That’s how you do it.” He said as he put his round glasses back on.

“I’m sorry, Kaneki. I don’t think I’ll participate in this championship.”

Nishiki raised his hands before Kaneki could even protest, giving himself the space to explain himself.

“You should watch your performance just now. You and Touka have perfect chemistry, and I can definitely feel the sexual tension, just like how you want it to be.”

“I was just acting–“

“I didn’t say you weren’t.” He smirked, teasing the experienced coach. Kaneki just glared at him frustratingly. “But it was a great acting, well done Kaneki. This championship main focus is Touka so it should be alright if her coach participates, am I correct?”

“Yes, you are correct. But–”

“Then, it’s decided. You will be her partner.” He turned around and took the GoPro out of its stand.

“What the fuck, Nishiki? You have practiced this for two days–“ He shoved the GoPro to him. It had been a tradition for them to record their performance every time they practiced.

“Watch the video, then come and find me if you think I could be a better partner for her compared to you.”

Kaneki transferred the video to his office laptop then watched it attentively, and he couldn’t believe himself. He knew he was good, he had done ice dancing several times before and had heaps of experience – which was one of the reasons why he became her coach for her international career. But when he watched the video, he didn’t expect himself to look so enthralled. He was not only worshipping her body, but he seemed… hypnotized by it as well. He watched until the end, in the final part they did seem as if they were going for a kiss – which was what he planned for when he designed the choreography. The final part should look as if Nishiki and her were going for a kiss, and it should end there, leaving the crowd hanging.

His heart knew, that if it wasn’t for Tsukiyama or anyone else in the arena, he might’ve claimed her lips back then. Might.

‘Shit.’

He cared for the talented 21–year old blue–haired figure skater, and had fallen for her throughout his two years of coaching her. But to let his emotions to be shown like that, it wasn’t like him. At all.

Well, at least he could cover it up by saying it was just his great acting skill. Even if his heart knew it wasn’t the truth.

He replayed the video, focusing on Touka’s expression this time.

He was greatly impressed.

He compared the video of her practicing with Nishiki to the one she practiced with him just now – the difference was remarkable.

If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. But would she? He was eight years older than her, of course she wouldn’t look at him that way.

But she did.

In the video, she appeared flustered at first, especially when he gently kneaded her breasts. Then her expression turned somewhat euphoric when he kissed the middle of her shoulder blades. The part where his face was between her legs while her head and her body were hanging upside down, she looked as if she was holding herself back – and it amused him to no end. In the final part, she seemed totally dazed. She was staring at his lips longingly, her eyes half–lidded and heavy.

“Kaneki?” Touka knocked softly on his office door, which startled him as he was watching their video. She stepped in when he had given his permission.

“Yeah?”

“I heard from Nishiki that you’ll be my partner. Is that correct?”

He cursed under his breath. ‘That bastard.’

“Well… Yes, it is correct. I’ve just finished watching the video. We… definitely have more chemistry compared to you and him.”

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before she responded.

“I see.”

“You sound disappointed.” He stared at her, eyes narrowing, trying to read her mind.

“I – I’m not. You want me to win the gold medal, right? So I guess you won’t mind participating.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. By the way, great job. We have a lot more movements to practice – especially twist lift in the fourth part.”

Twist lift, a move that begins with the man assisting the lady in a jump where she rotates and is caught mid–air by the man, who then places her down back on the ice.

“You’ll catch me, right? I don’t want to fall from that height.” She looked scared, she had learned the move a few years ago, but it was still risky as the male partner needs to have a strong grip and perfect timing to catch the female partner.

“Of course I’ll catch you. Who the hell do you think I am?” His brows furrowed in irritation at her question. She bowed slightly, apologizing for underestimating her skillful coach.

“I’m sorry.”

“No worries. You did well during our practice. For our upcoming ones, I want you to feel it more. Act like you really want me. And your expressions – display them as if you truly enjoy my touch. Here, watch this video.”

He showed her the video, asking her to give lustful look at their lewd position.

“Facial expressions are scored in this championship, so I really need you to work on them. You did well during the final part, but I need you to feel it from the start. Could you?”

“From the start? How?”

“Like this.”

He stood up and reenacted their first part. His right hand, firmly wrapped around her waist went a little bit higher, grazing against the underside of her breast. Her breath hitched slightly. His left hand lifted up her chin – she seemed flustered – then they moved in sync even though the song wasn’t played. He then went behind her, his hands held her hips firmly.

“I’m supposed to do this subtly, but imagine as if I’m doing it like this, okay?” He grinded against her ass, with much more pressure than during their practice session earlier. She let out a small gasp spontaneously.

His hands trailed higher, kneading and fondling her breasts much longer this time, running the rough pad of his thumbs against her hardening peaks. Her hands quickly went to her mouth, trying to stop her moans.

He stopped, turning her around so she could face him. His hands grasped her shoulders.

“Don’t hold it in.”

“But – it’s–“ ‘embarrassing.’

“Just do it for the gold medal, okay? After you’ve won this, you can finally retire and focus on your brother.”

She bit her lower lip, quite surprised that he remembered her decision to retire from figure skating after winning a gold medal. She didn’t like doing this, she was just doing it to support her brother. But she couldn’t quit that easily. Figure skating costs a lot of money, the government of Japan  had spent a lot on her. The only way she could retire early is by winning an international championship.

“I won’t touch you like this while we’re practicing, don’t worry. But I want you to act as if I’m doing it like this.”

“Okay. I… I’ll try my best.”

They had practice sessions every day and night, sometimes they still practiced even though there was no one else left in the building but them.

She followed his advice, to not hold it in, let it out and imagined that he was touching her more than he did in reality. But there was no need for her to imagine because the way he touched her, the movement of their bodies together, the burning gaze that he gave her, and his soft lips on her bare skin left her extremely rapturous. Especially the final part, where if either of them leaned in, then they would definitely share a kiss, which she wouldn’t mind at all.

When he was appointed to be her coach two years ago, she hated him to the core. He was rude, harsh, and whenever he was pissed off, he would always kick any chairs or table after he stepped out of the ice rink. He had been treating her a bit better starting from last year – after he brought her home when she was tipsy celebrating her first international silver medal. That was when she confessed that she was supporting her brother, and how she hated doing this because it took away their precious time together as a family. She wanted to make up for all the time lost – but it seemed as if she was a bit too late as her brother was growing older each year. Which was why she wanted to win a gold medal as soon as possible.

He decided to reveal his secrets as well, saying he was forced to do this by his aunt, and once he had won multiple medals, he just got stuck in this industry. He wasn’t enjoying his job at all. He wanted to find happiness by maybe being a writer or something, but it seemed like he would never achieve that goal in his life.

After that night, they both changed their perspectives towards each other. He was trying his best to train her, to fulfill her wish. Touka, on the other hand, found that he was actually a nice guy on the inside despite the cold exterior he seemed to emanate. The change gradually made her changed as well, especially with the way she acted around him. His touches somehow made her blushed – and there was a time when he noticed she wasn’t bending backward enough for layback Ina Bauer move – that he went behind her and pulled her backward together with him.

“See? It’s not that hard.” One of his arms wrapped around her, rested on her stomach to ensure their balance, but his breath was hot against her ears – and all the mechanisms in her body which support her balance while leaning backward – was gone.

She fell, and because he was behind and under her, they fell together onto the ice rink. He was so pissed that he refused to train her until she could master that move – which she did in only two days.

When he saw her mastering that move, the smile on his face – her first time seeing him smile so genuinely and proud of her – she knew that she had fallen for her bastard coach.

“One last practice, okay?”

His abrupt question brought her back to the present.

There was no one left in the building but them, and they had practiced the dance a lot of times to make their moves perfect and synchronize with each other. Solo figure skating usually took her weeks to practice, but ice dancing usually requires much more time to ensure the synchronization and chemistry between two people.

She nodded, responding to his request.

Kaneki didn’t know what came over him – maybe because there was no one else left in the building, or because it was 1am in the morning, or because he was too tired of practicing… or too tired of holding himself back.

It wasn’t just her that was affected by this dance, but him as well. Each sound she made, each unconscious grinding towards him – especially in their first and fifth part, each soft caress on his skin left him breathless. The fact that he had fallen for her since a long time ago didn’t help at all, it only made him more frustrated with holding himself back. He was tired of spending so much time together, caressing each other for work purposes – and not personal. He hated the final part of the dance so much, where their lips were only centimeters from each other – it tortured him to no end.

God, he just wanted to kiss her senselessly.

The music started, and their moves were perfect – until he started to fondle her breasts a little bit longer than usual, wanting to hear more sweet moans coming from her lips. The best part was she didn’t seem to mind at all, and she was grinding towards him as well. He stopped when he felt his cock was starting to stir in his pants. Sure, he got half-hard sometimes when they were practicing, but not this early. Usually it was during the fifth part – when he cupped her ass and grinding subtly against her, mainly due to her responding to his actions. Sometimes he didn’t get them at all because he was trying his best to hold himself back. But never this early. So he continued with their next move even though they were behind the music by several seconds.

Touka seemed to notice his hardness. For three weeks, she had been aching so much. She hated his acting skills. He was able to portray lustful expression without even feeling it – unlike her who displayed them due to his sensual touches on her body. She hated how she was the only one who was into it. She hated how obvious everyone could see her feelings for him. She hated how this was all for the sake of the championship. For the sake of winning the gold medal.

So when she felt his hardness during the early part of their dance, her aching just turned into more intense that she needed some sort of… contact. So she grinded towards him more – but he was quick to proceed to their next move, leaving her frustrated.

During the curve lift part, his kisses on her lower back were much more passionate than usual – making her breath catch in her throat. She couldn’t take it anymore, his hold on her thigh, his left arm around her breasts, the way he kissed the middle of her shoulder blades – he was driving her crazy. She let out an involuntary squeak and lost her balance – she fell, dragging him down with her.

He glared at her, but his facial expression switched to normal as they stepped outside the ice rink. He started to remove his skates, indicating they were done for the night.

“We’ll continue this tomorrow. Don’t lose your focus, Touka. It’s just me.” She realized how ironic he sounded when it was him who made her lose her focus.

“It's because it’s you.” She muttered under her breath while removing her skates as well.

“Excuse me?”

“I said – it’s you who did this!”

“What did I do?”

“Everything!” She didn’t mean to yell at him, but she did.

“What do you mean?”

“I – I don’t know... it’s… it’s when you touched me.”

Her gaze was drawn to his Adam's apple as he gulped, and his eyes darkened slightly at her confession.

“What happened when I touched you?” His voice sounded deep and raspy to her ears as he stepped nearer to where she was sitting, but his eyes were fixated on her lush lips the whole time.

She could hear her heart thumping loudly against her ribcage, and for a moment she wondered if he could hear it too.

“Your touches – they – burned my skin. They made me flustered and flushed and aching. I–“

She wasn’t given a chance to explain any longer as his lips crashed into hers, kissing her with so much fervor. She instantaneously wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers raked into his soft black hair. Oh how she wanted to hold him like this during the final part of their performance.

Their tongues danced and twirled together, just like how their dancing was.

“You were feeling it, so – I did a great job then.” He spoke in a murmur against her mouth before deepening the kiss, his hands wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, feeling her closer as her breasts were pressed firmly against his chest. Her soft moans filled his ears, making his half-hard cock from earlier seemed to stir again in his pants. He pulled her hips closer towards him, groaning into her mouth at the blissful sensation.

She felt it again – the strong ache that she had been feeling for the past few weeks.

“But – you made me – achy.” She spoke breathlessly as his lips never seemed wanting to leave hers. It was as if they were intoxicated with each other.

“Where are you aching?” His mouth trailed lower to her neck, latching on and sucking the tender skin there – making her unable to process his question properly.

“Wha – What?”

“You said I made you achy. Where?” He was staring hard at her now, his eyes drinking in the sight of her face – flushed and slightly panting. God, she’s beautiful.

“Everywhere.” She whispered, too embarrassed to say the word.

“That’s a vague answer, Touka–chan. Let’s reenact our dance.”

He performed the final part, bending his knees and wrapped her legs around his waist. Instead of just nuzzling the valley of her breasts, he showered her with open–mouthed kisses, making her shudder in pleasure against his mouth – her hands grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling him closer. His mouth went higher, his tongue licking her collarbone and her neck before sucking on the soft spot. She whimpered, tilting her head to the side, giving him more access to her neck. He went for her lips again afterward, where the kiss turned into wild tongue duel that left them breathless.

This – was how he wanted the final part to happen.

Her knees were giving her away now – he seemed to realize it as well and carefully pushed her down onto the floor, his lips once again claimed hers as he pinned her wrists above her head.

“Are you able to find out now?” He whispered into her ear, nipping her earlobe teasingly and making her squirmed beneath him.

“Find out… what?”

“Where’d you feel achy.”

“I’ve told you – it’s everywhere–“

“Where is everywhere? Is it... here?” His right hand kneaded her breast, his finger rubbing slow circles around a puckered nipple through her shirt, which resulted in a moan and an arch of her back.

“Or... here?” Following their choreography, his hand sneaked to her thigh next, gliding to the inner part, caressing it sensually. She was wearing short pants, thus she felt even more sensitive having his strong yet teasing hand directly on her skin. She instinctively rubbed her thighs together, trapping his hand in between. Now the ache that she had been feeling peaked up even more.

“Or...” he parted her legs slightly just to move his hand. “Here?” He cupped her through the fabric of her shorts, rubbing slowly but steadily. Her hips automatically bucked against his hand, desire for more – touch.

“Here then.” He seemed to be smirking, pleased to be able to tease her that much. To see her so desperately wants him, to know that she also craved for him for the past three weeks. His ego surged with pride and satisfaction.

He parted her legs wider, reenacting the fifth part of their choreography but with her lying on the floor. His hands cupped her ass, arching her hips towards him.

This time, it wasn’t his hand – but his hips – along with the growing tent in his pants grinded against her.

“Ka–Kaneki!” Her legs reflexively locked him at her ankles, pushing him closer to her.

“Yes?” Their hips were still grinding against each other, earning sweet moans from her lips.

“I want–” He kissed her again – passionately, his hands fondled her breasts through her cloth, and she let out a loud moan – her head fell back in a deep bliss.

He picked her up, leaning her against the wall. His hands working on removing her shorts and panties, and she was eager in helping him quickened the process.

She arched into his touch as his hand immediately cupped her mound again. She was already so wet, he subconsciously licked his lips in anticipation.

“Get ready for our third part.”

‘Third part?’

Oh. Their choreography.

He kneeled down, hoisting her legs onto his shoulders, then he stood up, raising her with him using his strength. She was on a high ground against the wall, his breath on her cunt, hot.

His hand went around her thigh, parting her labia then he wasted no time having a taste of her juice. She was a blushing mess above him, grabbing his head and pulled him closer, closer to her, wanting to feel – more. His tongue worked its magic, circling and lapping around her clit which made her grabbed his head even harder, her lips moaning incoherently at his action. He didn’t mind, it boosted his pride seeing her like this. He plunged his tongue into her wet folds, pushing it in and out of her.

“Mmph!”

“I told you, Touka. Just let it go.”

He dipped in again, and she could hear the slurping sound of his tongue. God, that was – lewd.

His thumb played with the sensitive bundle of nerves of her clit, and she succumbed to the pleasure. Her vision whitened, her long moan sounded like a sweet melody to his ears. His tongue never stopped lapping at her, some of her juices flowed down his chin, which he didn’t mind at all.

Then – he surprised her by performing a spin, reenacting their choreography.

“Are you for real?!” She shrieked as she strengthened her hold on his hair, not wanting to fall from this height.

“Why? You want to continue this on the ice rink?”

“…We’ll fall.”

“Exactly. But we can try. If you want to.” It’s somehow manageable, but risky.

“And give me injuries six days before the championship? No thanks.”

“Next time then.”

She shuddered at his words. Next time. But she wasn’t given any time to think further as he unlocked her grip from his head, she got his message and started to bend backward, letting her body hung upside down with her fingers almost touched the floor just like their dance move. His hands were still gripping her thighs, and his breath teasing her cunt, he wanted to make her come from this position but it would be hard holding her and spinning her and eating her out at the same time. Plus, the whole day of practicing had drained a lot of his energy.

He shifted them to a nearby couch, she got the message and immediately rested her arms on it, while he slowly lowered himself down so that he could let go of her.

She was lying on the couch, while he sat on the floor, catching his breath.

“Not fair.”

“What?”

“You’re still fully clothed…”

She caught the smug on his face as he removed his top, revealing the perfectly toned muscles on his body. Once he removed his pants and boxer to free his straining cock – she wasted no time pushing him down onto the floor, feeling his hard muscles flex underneath her touch. She rained lingering kisses on his chest and all over his abs, earning low groans from his lips.

She could feel his erection poking her stomach, he was so hard it looked painful, and there were small beads of pre–cum leaking from the tip. Her hands gently wrapped around his cock before she worked her tongue around the tip, licking the pre–cum then swirled around the base to the tip again before giving him a hard suck that earned a loud grunt from him. He panted, his hips bucked up needily. He could feel his cock pulsating, hot and responding to her movement.

“S–Stop.” She released him with a pop, their eyes burning with desire as he pulled her up and gave her a long, searing kiss.

He pulled her shirt up and unhooked her bra right after. He took in every detail of her beautiful naked form, lingering a bit longer at the enticing mole on her right breast. His eyes darken with lust as his hands found her breasts – massaging, kneading, then took one them into his mouth. Suckling, biting, nipping. Whereas his hand massaged her other breast, moving his thumb over her nipple in little circles before pinching it slightly. Her fingers tangled in his hair, arching her back, pushing him even closer to her. He switched his attention to her other breast, giving it equal treatment as the other one. Her heavy breathing dissolved into high–pitched moans as he did all this. His cock twitched and hardened even more at hearing her moans.

Hastily, he lifted her up and placed her on the couch, his body hovering over her. A finger slipped into her folds. She gasped, then ground against his finger. He inserted another one then began pumping them in and out, rubbing her as he went. The loud wanton sound that escaped her lips drove him crazy.

God – he wanted to ram his cock inside her so badly.

He pulled out his fingers and positioned himself between her legs, slowly pressed the tip against her wet folds, they both groaned at the euphoric feeling. She automatically locked her ankles around him, pulling him closer – wanting him closer – to unravel the ache that she had been feeling these past few weeks.

With one single push, he entered her, pushing deeper and deeper into her wet, slick folds slowly. He groaned at her tightness. Oh how he wanted to just pound into her relentlessly. But he had to wait. And paused momentarily, waiting for her to adjust to his size and ensure she was okay. Once she had given him the sign, both swore they could see stars as he pulled out almost completely before slamming back into her.

It felt – so – good.

Her walls felt so amazingly tight around him, occasionally clenching his cock that he began to quicken his pace, thrusting into her faster, and harder. Her breasts bounced with each thrust, and it pleased him to no end feeling her body writhe with ecstasy underneath him.

“I’m – close.”

He gripped her thighs, hiking her legs up onto his shoulders. Being a flexible figure skater made this even easier for them. For that, he was grateful. They could try so much more positions compared to normal couple, and he couldn’t wait to try them with her.

His eyes closed briefly, speeding up his pace as he thrust erratically into her. She moaned at the new angle. The wet sound of their thrusts felt so rapturous, he ran the pad of his thumb to her sensitive nub, pinching it slightly and that was all it took for her to come. She half-shouted as an intense wave of pleasure washed over her body. Her nails digging into his back, her folds clenching his cock hotly and tightly that he came with a growl, spurting his seed deep inside her womb.

He gave her a wet, sloppy kiss before crashing himself on top of her, his panting breaths hot against her shoulder.

“Was I… was I able to stop the aching?”

She took a moment to calm herself before answering his question.

“Yes… but–“ Will this stop the aching forever or only momentarily?

“But?” his ears perked up at her words.

“I don’t know about tomorrow…”

“We’ll see, okay?” He cupped her cheek, then planted a kiss on her forehead.

She just nodded.

The next day came, and both of them couldn’t fully concentrate during their practice. Each touch reminded them of the previous night, and they found themselves feeling into it more than they normally did.

After one practice session ended, they excused themselves from the arena as he took her into his office, their hands frantically exploring, fondling, and tugging each other’s body. She lay sprawled on his desk, his cock pounding into her roughly as her heels digging into his back, both of them desperate for a quick release.

During the lunch break, he realized they shouldn’t have been distracted, that they should focus on the championship instead of losing themselves in each other again.

“We should restrain ourselves.” They were in his office after their lunch break, he sat further from her, knowing that he would lose himself in her touch again if he was a bit too close to her in that closed room.

Her expression changed, and he noticed tears started to pool in the corner of her eyes.

“You regretted it?”

“What? No. I didn’t mean it that way. Listen, I don’t regret it. I just – I want us to focus on this championship and not let our emotions take over.”

Tears from earlier dropped down her cheek, and it took every ounce of self-restraint in him to not stride towards her and wiped her tears away before kissing her fervently. And probably take her again. But he couldn’t. They should focus.

“I care for you, Touka. And I want you – I really do. But let’s give our hundred percent, we need to win this, okay?” His eyes pleaded with her.

She gave a small nod. At least, the feelings were mutual.

The practices, however, became more and more intense with them touching each other passionately, as if channelizing their desire through each contact. Every time they acted the final part, Kaneki was quick to pull away and stand up, knowing that he would kiss her and take her right there on the cold ice rink if he lingered just a little bit longer.

Those five days were extremely torturous for both of them, but at least it built up more tension for the championship day, hoping to gain more score based on their facial expression, and eventually winning the first place.

Finally, the championship day has come.

She wore a thin white dress that covered her full sleeves, revealing just the top of her cleavage, but her back was bare in V shape. The extra fabric near her shoulders had wings–like blue frails that will make her look like a butterfly whenever she spins. Kaneki stared at her from top to bottom, admiring her startling beauty. He couldn’t wait for the tournament to be over so that he could feel her in his arms again, fucking her senselessly…

‘Shit. These five days were killing me. I need to focus. We need to win this.’

He was slightly distressed that she decided to retire if she won this, but he would support her decision, her happiness is the most important thing in the world, even if they will be separated, even if he will no longer be her coach.

Touka taking in Kaneki’s look appreciatively. He wore a fully black outfit, there were some glitters at the front part, and his jet black hair was slicked back. God – his hard jawline and his burning gaze towards her just made he looked so very handsome. And his hair, she wished he would always slick them back.

Some of Kaneki fans came to watch his performance, given it had been more than two years since his last performance on any official event.

“For our next performance, please welcome the beautiful and handsome participants from Japan, Kirishima Touka with her coach, Kaneki Ken!!”

The crowd clapped and cheered as the couple stepped into the ice rink, waving their hands at them. After a few moments, they quieted down, and they stood still in front of each other, his right hand gripped around her waist, firm. His left fingers lifted her chin up – but after those painful five days – both of their gazes were at each other’s lips. “Focus, Touka.” He squeezed her waist softly, and she nodded.

Michael Buble’s Sway started to echo throughout the enormous stadium, and they began to move based on their memorized choreography. Having been practicing the same moves for a month, every step, jump, and spin were done gracefully, beautifully, erotically.

The way he kneaded her breasts sent shivers down her spine, her lewd expression displayed publicly for the judges to see. The thin material of her fabric didn’t really help her in giving full concentration as each touch felt like he was touching her bare skin.

He pulled her backward with him, two figures swayed as one.

When her thighs were hoisted up his shoulders, as they spun, she remembered that night when he was eating her out while having this position. He had told her so many times to display her feelings, so she did, presenting a total ecstasy expression. Nishiki just smirked from afar, amazed by the effect Kaneki had on her.

It was time for the twist lift – they had practiced this many times before but this act always scared her the most.

He spun her upwards, and she twisted in mid–air – gracefully like a butterfly.

‘Please, catch me.’

She closed her eyes, putting her trust in him as she felt her body starting to fall from the height.

His arms caught her and they spun together, she released the breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“I got you.” He gave her the same genuine smile that he had once given her last year, and she almost forgot her next move – but she was quick to focus her mind back into the competition.

After numerous jumps, steps, spins and twists, the final part had come. He nuzzled her body like he had always done these few weeks. From the valley of her breasts, to her collarbone then to her soft, enticing neck. He immediately thought of that night, the whimpering sound she made as he was sucking her neck. Her moans when he thrust into her, her half-shout as she reached her orgasm. The event of the night came flooding through his mind, he hated it. He needed to focus.

When his lips reached higher and stopped just mere centimeters from hers, he was panting heavily, his gaze burning into her lips. His hot breath drove her crazy – making her core ache for his touch again. The crowd applauded them, but they couldn’t care less about that right now. Desire overcame them as they both leaned in towards each other and kissed – it wasn’t a peck or a quick one – but a long, passionate kiss as they channelized their suppressed longing into the kiss. The crowd cheered even louder at seeing their displays of affection. They pulled away, and he rested his forehead on hers momentarily before they stood up, then bowed to thank everyone.

 The moment her name was announced as the winner, she cried tears of joy while hugging him tightly. Finally, she got what she wished for. To retire from this industry and spend her time with her brother.

“Thank you. You made this happen.” She murmured into their kiss as her hands slid into his silky hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss.

“No. You made this happen.”

“We made this happen.” He chuckled and just agreed with her statement.

They had sex many rounds on that night, due to repressing their desire for days, and also because she would be retiring soon. He wanted to make the moment last, as he might never see her again after her retirement.

But looking at how eager she took him in her mouth, the contortion of her face when she came around his cock, milking him, and the fact that he had actually admired her before he even became her coach – he found that he couldn’t let her go. No. He requested to be her international coach just to get closer to her, but at the same time he kept his distance, thinking he was too old for her. And with her mesmerizing beauty, she could get any guy she wants, so why him?

Nonetheless, he had fallen for her – hard. Seeing her hardworking side, how much she cared for her brother, and how her eyes shown him that she wanted him too, he just had to ask.

“Can I… can I still stay by your side even after you retire?”

Her mouth gaped, surprised by the sudden question. ‘Is this his way of proposing?’

She pulled him in, kissing him as their mouths moved together tenderly.

“Of course.”

She announced her retirement, enabled her to spend more time with her brother. After a year, Kaneki proposed to her, which she happily accepted.

He, too, retired from figure skating industry, publishing a book about his 30–years journey to find happiness, which he finally found – with her.

[macaroni-rascal]

Mana! Where was the amazing triple axel you did in the warm up, where did it go?! Her jump technique is stunning, and that spread eagle-ina bauer into her layback made me gasp out loud. Her knee is just stunning. I really enjoy her skating and I have found a new fav!

[persimmontea]

Rika Kihira ~ 2020 Four Continents Championships FS (International Angel of Peace)

Congrats on your 2nd 4CC Title 💚✨

[fs-rambling]

Reactions to SkAm 2020 - ladies short program

This isn’t really a formal analysis, just some thoughts and opinions upon watching the ladies’ short programs at Skate America this year.

Gracie Gold:  Aww, Gracie... I feel like she’s lost a bit of confidence, and it’s affecting her skating, but I think that the music she chose is personal to her and with time and practice she’ll be able to sell it really well.  The double Axel was excellent, but the triples didn’t work out today - I could feel some hesitation going into the jumps and I think it was mostly her holding herself back a little that caused her to double them.  I hope the free will go better for her.

Finley Hawk:  It was a pretty nice program, and I like her layback spin.  I noticed she doesn’t hold spiral positions long, so longer spirals is a thing I'd like to see from her.  I also think she needs a little work on performance and interpretation; I couldn’t feel that much emotional involvement, but she’s young and I’m sure she’ll develop more as an artist as time goes on.  Her Lutz edge looked a little questionable to me, though the flip and the Axel were both really strong.

Audrey Shin:  Absolutely lovely.  I could tell right away that her mind and feelings are really focused on the music and performance - I love how expressive she is, and the passion and commitment with which she skates is magnificent.  Her jumps all looked well done, and her spins were good but not outstanding.  Plus, she has a really pretty costume and it matches the program well.  I like her a lot and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her in the future!

Paige Rydberg:  Very nice overall.  I think she needs to tone up the intensity a bit in some places, and I didn't feel enough from her movement, but I do like her confidence in her ability. Her jumps looked good, and her spins were nice as well, so she did very nicely and the program does have a consistent, tangible vibe to it.

Pooja Kalyan:  I liked her program a lot!  She has a lot of energy, so I really enjoyed watching her.  I kinda wish she held that layback Ina Bauer a bit longer; it was a really important moment and it could have had more impact.  Concerning jumps, a few mistakes, and I think her air position could be a little tighter, especially in the first rotation, but they were alright, and overall her program was a pleasure to watch.

Sierra Venetta:  She’s a very nice skater.  I like her transitions; they’re numerous and very interesting, and her spins aren’t bad either.  A fair amount of commitment to the choreography, so that was good, but perhaps in between elements a little more attention to her hand movements would go a long way.  Her jumps were all fairly decent, besides the doubled toe in the combo, and again, she has a lot of transitions so I can’t exactly fault her too much.

Shan Lin:  Right off the bat, I can already tell that I like her costume - the soft variation and blend of colors looks awesome, and the design is pretty as well.  The darkening gradient on the gloves really calls attention to her hands at the right moments.  Also, I really, really love this program.  The way she uses the music and reflects its character with her skating makes it so nice to watch, although I’d like to see her emphasize some more choreo in the beginning.  The long, drawn out Ina Bauer, into the Besti squat, into the spiral?  I loved that.  Plus, her spins are good - very fast, with controlled, flexible positions.  Her double Axel was incredible too - so much height and distance, and so much flow throughout the jump.  There were some mistakes in the combo and the solo jump, so that’s unfortunate, and her air position could be better in the flip and the Lutz. Still though, it was a magnificent program.

Karen Chen:  Oh, how I love Karen.  And this program.  Holy cow.  Every one of her movements pulls in attention, and the choreography is exquisite.  Her commitment is indomitable.  Her emotions are so clearly in it.  Also, her spiral!!!  So amazing; I’ve been waiting so long to see her incredible long spirals again.  And as always, her layback was incredible.  The combo wasn’t quite perfect, but I loved the transitions into the loop, and the double Axel was so powerful.  I’m definitely going to be rewatching this program again and again and again.

Amber Glenn:  She’s incredible.  I like the costume, it fits the program well, and the design and movement of the skirt definitely helps.  Her performance was good, and the program is really well-crafted.  Also, her Biellmann spin was so nice to see - I’m pretty picky when it comes to Biellmanns and Amber’s isn’t perfect, but it is lovely.  The mistakes on the combo were unfortunate, and I really think the toe loop wasn’t too bad, but the double Axel looked light as a feather (can’t wait for her 3A!!!!) and the loop looked good as well.  Overall it was super good.

Starr Andrews:  A very enjoyable program.  I love her interpretation, and each of her movements is controlled and deliberate, which makes the choreography really stand out.  I also like Starr’s spins - especially her donut spin, and the layback spin was pretty nice as well besides that tiny bit of traveling.  The twizzles and that bit of choreo out of the double Axel were so nice.  Plus, I also liked that spiral she did, matched the music nicely.  Her costume is also super cool.  The popped loop killed her score, but the program as a whole was excellent and with more time I think it could be absolutely brilliant.

Mariah Bell:  Overall, it was a pretty nice program.  I do like Mariah’s spins - very nice layback, lovely catch-foot camel, and she does a Y-spin (my favorite!!!).  I loved her energy in the step sequence, though I feel that some parts of the program could have been better connected.  The double Axel looked effortless, but the combo was a little shaky and I’m not sure I liked her landing posture on all her jumps.  The score was a bit higher than I’d expect.  However, she did fairly well and I’m happy for her.

Bradie Tennell:  I really like this program!  I enjoyed Bradie’s interpretation, and her spins were very nice - good speed, and that I-spin at the end looked really flexible.  I would like to see Bradie really throw herself into her choreo though, because I couldn’t feel that she was really in it.  I did love that triple flip, plus the transitions out of it, and the double Axel was fine, but she didn’t get enough height on the toe to fully rotate.  Nice program though, so it will do nicely for her.