#nepela memorial 2019

[figureskatingcostumes]

Natacha Lagouge and Arnaud Caffa's free dance costumes at the 2019 Ondrej Nepela Memorial.

(Source: RHP)

[teamchampery]

Another interview with Deniss and Stéphane from Bratislava. Thanks for sharing!

[figureskatingfanblog]

Alexandra Trusova of Russia had a stunning senior debut, winning the Nepela Memorial by over 40 points. Kaori Sakamoto of Japan rebounded, placing second in the free to win the silver. Hanul Kim of South Korea was fourth in the free, but held on to win the bronze.

[ivett-toth]

Video of Ivett’s FS at Nepela Memorial!

Program layout: 3S, 3Lz, 2Lo, 2A || 3Lz1T, 3T1Eu3S, 2A2T

[asintoticamente]

No offense to my fellow countryman matteo rizzo whom i love n appreciate v much but this mustard shirt is unacceptable

[spanishfsteamtranslations]

By the way, Sara and Kirill were wearing costumes that they’ve worn on previous seasons because they had problems with the shipping of the actual costumes they’re supposed to wear this season and their cosumes are coming back to Spain while they’re in Bratislava. According to Sara, if everything goes well, they’ll wear the definitive costumes for their next competition.

Source: Sara Hurtado’s instagram stories

📷 Spanish Federation via twitter

[memories-dance]

Announcer: *reads Deniss' score in Slovak language*

Audience: *hysterical screaming*

Announcer: "He's in third place."

Me:

[sywtwfs]

2019 CS US International Classic, CS Nepela Memorial & JGP Poland: Info & Streaming

This week in skating: Two Challenger Series events and the fifth Junior Grand Prix! Subscribe to our calendar to see all competition times in your own time zone.

==================================

US INTERNATIONAL SKATING CLASSIC

Results | Entries | Detailed schedule | Website | USFS Fanzone | ISU

Designation: Challenger Series When: Sept. 19-21 Where: Salt Lake City, UT, USA Level & disciplines: senior men, ladies, ice dance, pairs How to watch: Paid livestream on NBC Gold

Schedule (UTC-6) 9/19: Pairs' SP 6:30PM; Men's SP 8:00PM 9/20: Rhythm Dance 2:30PM; Ladies' SP 4:15PM; Pairs' FS 6:35PM; Men's FS 8:30PM 9/21: Free Dance 4:25PM; Ladies' FS 6:15PM

Notable entries: Keiji Tanaka, Sota Yamamoto, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Alexei Krasnozhon, Jimmy Ma, Vincent Zhou, Satoko Miyahara, Yuna Shiraiwa, Young You, Ting Cui, Amber Glenn, Cheng Peng/Yang Jin, Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov, Ashley Cain/Timothy Leduc, Tarah Kayne/Danny O'Shea, Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus, Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko, Madison Chock/Evan Bates

==================================

27TH ONDREJ NEPELA MEMORIAL

Results | Entries | Detailed schedule | Website | ISU

Designation: Challenger Series When: Sept. 20-21 Where: Bratislava, Slovakia Level & disciplines: senior men, ladies, ice dance How to watch: Free livestreams on Youtube

Schedule (UTC+2) 9/20: Ladies' SP 14:00; Rhythm Dance 17:00; Men's SP 19:10 9/21: Ladies' FS 11:00; Free Dance 14:30; Men's FS 17:00

Notable entries: Matteo Rizzo, Deniss Vasiljevs, Dmitri Aliev, Mikhail Kolyada, Alexander Samarin, Kaori Sakamoto, Mako Yamashita, Stanislava Konstantinova, Maria Sotskova, Alexandra Trusova, Sofia Evdokimova/Egor Bazin, Betina Popova/Sergey Mozgov, Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov, Sara Hurtado/Kirill Khaliavin, Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter

==================================

JGP BALTIC CUP

Live results | Entries | Detailed schedule | Website | ISU

Designation: Junior Grand Prix When: Sept. 19-21 Where: Gdansk, Poland Level & disciplines: junior men, ladies, ice dance, pairs How to watch: Free livestreams on the JGP Youtube channel

Schedule (UTC+2) 9/19: Ladies' SP 10:15; Pairs' SP 15:55; Men's SP 18:40 9/20: Rhythm Dance 10:00; Pairs' FS 13:10; Ladies' FS 16:10 9/21: Men's FS 11:00; Free Dance 15:35

[allekha]

It’s Pride month, so let’s celebrate some of our LGBT skaters!

While skating is stereotyped as a ‘gay sport’ for men in the US and Canada, homophobia, transphobia, and a strong push for conformity to old-fashioned gender norms remain a huge problem. But despite the bullying and disgusting comments, and even the ravages of the AIDS pandemic, queer skaters have been out there making their mark on the sport for decades, and there have been more out skaters at the elite level than can fit in one gifset (or even several!). And of course, there are many more at the recreational and adult levels as well. The skaters featured here are:

Jason Brown (2019 Worlds SP) - Beloved by fans for his skating skills, graceful and complex programs, flexibility, and ray of sunshine personality, Brown is the 2015 US champion and has finished in the top 10 at two Olympics eight years apart. After competitions, he visits Ronald McDonald houses to personally share the toys thrown at him with the kids or make meals for families. Rumor has it that the Greensboro Coliseum had to be shut down for repairs after he skated there in 2014 because the crowd blew the roof off the building in their excitement for his Riverdance.

Fleur Maxwell (2006 Olympics SP) - A 3-time Luxembourg national champion, and the only competitor from Luxembourg in any sport at the 2006 Olympic games, Maxwell’s international senior career spanned more than a decade, even excluding the three years she retired in the middle. With flexibility, lovely arms, and fast spins, she was a beautiful skater to watch. She now runs a fitness business out of New York City. The asteroid 255019 Fleurmaxwell was named in her honor.

Axel Médéric (1988 Olympics FS) - Médéric was a French national champion and one of the earliest black skaters to go to the Olympics when he competed there in 1988. While he sometimes struggled with his jumps, commentators praised the quality of his transitional movements and his flow over the ice, and he was a lively performer. After he retired, he toured and performed for many years, doing shows and competing in pro tournaments.

Ondrej Nepela (1973 Worlds FS) - The 1972 Olympic champion, 3-time World champion, and 5-time European champion, Nepela became interested in skating as a child in when he watched a fellow Czechoslovakian win the men’s European title on the television. While not the most artistically inclined, he was known for his precision and working very hard at practice. After retirement, he performed in shows and coached a student to become European champion in her own right. He died in 1989 due to complications of AIDS; the Ondrej Nepela Memorial competition is named in honor of him.

Kaitlyn Weaver (On Ice Perspectives solo) - With her partner Andrew Poje, she won three world medals and two GPF championships in ice dance. The team were known for their emotional skating and interesting, innovative programs. She came out in June 2021 and openly discussed how she was afraid that coming out while competing would hurt her and Poje’s scores. Since then, she has been one of several skaters consulted by the ISU on how to make skating more inclusive and is on Skate Canada’s working group for equality and inclusion.

Rachel Parsons (2017 GP Russia FD) - In the 2016-2017 season, Parsons, along with her brother, was the National, GPF, and World champion at the junior level in ice dance. As a team, they brought interesting positions and sense of ease to their skating. She retired in 2019 due to an eating disorder, which she recently said she has made a lot of progress in recovering from, and came out as bisexual a few months later.

Javier Raya (2016 Worlds SP) - Raya was the 2011 Spanish champion and a six-time national silver medalist. While he was still competing, he had a chance to work in media for summer sports and also did commentary for figure skating events. Raya came out as gay in 2016, and in June 2020, he started the Skate Proud project to share interviews with out and ally skaters. He is now working at the IOC with the mission of promoting inclusion and diversity.

Christoper Caluza (2021 Finlandia Trophy FS) - The 3-time Philippines national champion, Caluza first began with roller skating, before discovering ice skating when his local roller rink closed; he developed a graceful and emotional style. After the 2013-2014 season, he took a break from competitive skating for several years to do professional shows, including on cruise ships. He decided to return to competition when he learned that the Philippines would be hosting the South-East Asian Games, where he ended up winning the silver medal, before he retired again in 2022.

Timothy LeDuc (2022 USNats SP) - Two-time National champion and a 4CC silver medalist with their partner Ashley Cain, LeDuc was the first elite figure skater to come out as non-binary, as well as the first out non-binary athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics. Their programs emphasized the pair’s wonderful lines and synchronization, and LeDuc was open about wanting to portray a sense of equality between partners rather than the traditional ‘stem (man) and flower (women)’ image of pairs.

[denissvasiljevs1999]

Throwback to the 2019 Nepela Memorial posted by the International Figure Skating Magazine

[figureskatingcostumes]

Jenna Hertenstein and Damian Binkowski's free dance costumes at the 2019 Ondrej Nepela Memorial.

(Source: RHP)

[teamchampery]

Podium selfie from Matteo Rizzo's instagram

[figureskatingfanblog]

Nepela Memorial 2019 Preview

Entries: http://www.isuresults.com/events/fsevent03111905.htm Website: http://nepela.kraso.sk/ Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9wltFbFYIB6SrFNSxA-Lw

The second Challenger Series event taking place this week is the Nepela Memorial, which takes place in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Schedule

9/20: Ladies’ SP 14:00; Rhythm Dance 17:00; Men’s SP 19:10 9/21: Ladies’ FS 11:00; Free Dance 14:30; Men’s FS 17:00

Skaters to Watch

As always, these are not necessarily podium contenders, but simply skaters to be kept an eye on.

Ladies - Ekaterina Ryabova (AZE), Ivett Toth (HUN), Lara Naki Gutmann (ITA), Roberta Rodhegerio (ITA), Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), Mako Yamashita (JPN), Hanul Kim (KOR), Stanislava Konstantiova (RUS), Alexandra Trusova (RUS), Maria Sotskova (RUS) Ice Dance - Katharina Mueller/Tim Dieck (GER), Sofia Evdokimova/Egor Bazin (RUS), Betina Popova/Sergei Mozgov (RUS), Viktoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov (RUS), Sara Hurtado/Kirill Khaliavin (RUS), Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Caprenter (USA) Men - Matteo Rizzo (ITA), Mitsuki Sumoto (JPN), Dennis Vasiljevs (LAT), Dmitri Aliev (RUS), Alexander Samarin (RUS)

[ivett-toth]

New interview by ujszo, it takes place after Nepela Memorial. Translation by @fanpower98​, thank you very much!

You ended up 8th on the first competition of the season. How do you estimate your performance in Bratislava?

I’m not fully satisfied. I wanted to start the season that I let myself go, I slacken a bit, enjoy the programs more so i can relax for the jumps too. My production wasn’t perfect but there were a lot positive things in my accomplishment. The spins and the step sequence in the short program weren’t executed on that level I’ve wanted to so in the free program I paid more attention to them and this showed on the points too. The quality of the jumps weren’t ideal yet but it’s still the beginning of the season. I’m glad I only have one new program, I kept the free from last year.

Why did you decide to keep the free program?

We wanted two new programs but couldn’t manage a cooperation with the french Benoit Richaud who choreographed my previous programs. There would have been no time to create two programs. So the free stayed and we set the short program together with my coaches and Nóra Hoffmann.

This evocative program of the twenties adapts very good to the feeling of the music, the costume and the hair superbly complete the production. How did you choose this music?

I didn’t have a swing-jazz program so far so I wanted to choose something like this. Previously the fans and the judges could see my dancy, modern, hip-hop side and now I wanted a program where I can show also my girly, womanlike side.

This swing-jazz style, is it close to you, anyway? Do you listen to it in your free time or this personality only shows up on the ice?

I can’t say I’m this or that fan, I love all sorts of music. I listen to jazz and when I have to run through my short at 7 am, this jazz music makes it much more easier. We will work some more on how to show the womanliness in the program, how to communicate better, flirt with everyone, look out to the judges. This is also a goal for the season.

What was it like to work with Nóra Hoffmann?

I haven’t worked with her before but I enjoyed it very much. She is very motivating, and it doesn’t matter what style the competitor has, she can bring that girly, womanly, wild side out of them that I haven’t even felt I had it in me. It was also a surprise for me that I can become like this, that I can put on a lot of dresses and characters and I can execute it more authentic than I thought.

What were the first feedbacks of this program like, what did the judges, the fans and maybe the other competitors say?

I have performed this short program once or twice on several galas, there the feedback was very positive. They said this program suits me very well, we got the dress right and something new is beginning to shine in my style again. I didn’t heard the judges opinion so far on it but my coaches and fans were very positive about the music choice, the costume and the whole program.

How did the preparation go? Did you change something comparing to previous years?

It was different now that we could go to a training camp. We spent one and a half week in Námestovo, Slovakia. Last year we couldn’t go, then we were home the whole time. We had ice opportunity in the training camp, we could work a lot, we had to accommodate to the hockey players tho, we could only go on the ice early morning or late evening. The preparation itself didn’t changed, of course I want to do more runthroughs during practices, I can still evolve in this.The main thing I want to pay attention to enjoy the program a little bit more, to be in the moment when I’m on a competition and this helps to do the jumps better. This sounds very cliché but on a competition your biggest rival is always yourself, you have to defeat those barriers in yourself so the choreography will be very good and you can do those practiced-for-thousand-years jumps.

You talked about similar things at the EC in Minsk in January that you want to slacken a bit, not to tighten on things that much. How do you feel where are you on this road?

I’m that type, and I think all athletes are like this, that I want to perform perfectly. I feel like most of the time my every portion is on it to make everything totally perfect and these times I get lost in the details. Very often things go differently on competitions than in practices. It’s easier there, of course, but at practices the percents are very positive, reassuring. We are working on it to do competitions like I’m doing practice.

How did you manage it at Nepela Memorial? Did you feel calmer or you still felt stress?

I wasn’t that nervous now that it overwhelmed my head. But if I can do the jumps in training with a better percentage, then I’ll get that small part which is missing now.

With what kind of goals did you started the season? Do you have a concrete goal settled or the main goal is to find this slackness?

This slackness is very much in the ring but we would like to have a more balanced season than last year. We would like to avoid big ups and downs so I can count on it to do things at competitions like I do at practices.

[thescribblerqueen]

Figure Skating Events: Fanfiction Guideline

(AKA: The guide I’m writing out because I figured there had to be more skating competitions that the Grand Prix series, Nationals, 4CC, Olympics, and Worlds but god are the Wikipedia pages for them a mess.)

So, the Wikipedia page for the list of figure skating events is vaguely a mess if you intend to use it for Yuri on Ice fanfiction like I do, so I took some time to read through it and make sense of the qualifications, multiple listings/renaming of events, outdated/short-lived events, and missing hyperlinks to pages about the events. I’ll try to link everything I can and hope I don’t mess up.

Fall Events:

ISU Grand Prix Series/Junior ISU Grand Prix Series

These series are specifically for the top ranking international skaters, and they are both slightly different between senior and junior levels. It was formerly named the ISU Champion Series. I’ve listed approximate dates they are held on.

Grand Prix for Seniors has 6 Events:

Skate America (~Oct. 18-20)

Skate Canada International (~Oct. 25-27)

Cup of China (~Nov. 8-10) *Note in 2018 was temporarily replaced with Cup of Helsinki but resumed in 2019

Trophée de France (~Nov. 13-15)

Rostelecom Cup (~Nov. 15-17)

NHK Trophy (~Nov. 22-24)

Grand Prix Final (~Dec. 10-13)

The Junior Grand Prix has different qualifying events but shares the final with the senior event. It usually has ~7 qualifying events that alternate every year from a list of 35 events. Meaning the qualifying events change from year to year. 

*Note Uzbeikistan was supposed to be a new 2020 event and an additional 36th event. 

If you want to know what events were during a specific year/season I’ve provided a google docs excel sheet here.

There is also another skating competition series that is ranked directly below the Grand Prix Series but above the other competitions called:

The ISU Challenger Series (Created in 2014)

This series is also held in the fall around the same time (August 1st-December 15th) as the Grand Prix Series. It is a senior only event, but some events predate the series and have junior competitions that are not part of the series.

Events:

Asian Open Trophy (~Oct. 30th-Nov. 3): This event existed prior to the Challenger Series and was called The Asian Figure Skating Championships. It is either held in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines or Taipei. It has existed since 2007 and was a Challenger Series event in 2018 & 2019. Until 2018, it was only open to Asian Countries. It is both Junior and Senior Level. *Note was not held in 2009.

Autumn Classic International (Sept.12-14th): It has existed since 2014 and occurs in Canada. It is a Junior and Senior Level event. *Note it was not a Challenger Event in 2015.

Finlandia Trophy (~Oct. 9-11th): This competition predates the Challenger Series and was established in 1995.Is held in Finland. It is a senior level event only. Has been part of Challenger since 2014. 

Golden Spin of Zagreb (~Dec.5-8th): This predates the Challenger and is held in Croatia. It has always been a senior level event and Junior since 2017. Only the senior level event is Challenger. 

Ice Star (~Oct. 18-20th): Predates the challenger series and has only been included in 2017 & 2019. Held in Belarus.

Lombardia Trophy (~Sept. 13-15th): Predates 2013 and is event since 2014 but not in 2015. Held in Italy. Has both Juniors and Seniors.

Nebelhorn Trophy (~Sept. 25-28th): Predates 1969 as seniors only. Challenger event since 2014. Held in Germany.

Ondrej Nepela Trophy (~Sept. 19-21st): Predates 1993 as seniors only. Challenger event since 2014. Held in Slovakia.

Warsaw Cup (~Nov. 14-17th): Existed since 2012, seniors and Juniors. Challenger since 2014 except for 2018. Held in Poland.

U.S. International Classic (~Sept. 17-22nd): Existed since 2012 and Challenger since 2014. Seniors only.

*Note: You can use Figure Skating Fandom Wiki to see what countries participate.

Former events:  Denkova-Staviski Cup (2015 Oct. 20-25th Bulgaria),  Inge Solar Memorial – Alpen Trophy (2018, Nov. 11-18th Austria), Ice Challenge (2014,2015, Nov. 11-16 & Oct. 27-31st , Austria),  Mordovian Ornament (2015, Oct. 15-18th, Russia), Tallinn Trophy (2015-2018, Mid Nov. Estonia), Volvo Open Cup (2014, Nov. 5-9th Latvia).

After both Fall series end in December most countries have a National Championship or send skaters based on their international ranking.

After that there are ISU Championships.

1. European Figure Skating Championships AKA Europeans (January)

2. Four Continents Figure Skating Championships AKA 4CC (February) 

3. World Junior Figure Skating Championships (Late February/ Early March)

4. World Figure Skating Championships  (4th Monday of Feb. & 2 weeks after 4CC or Europeans)

Bonus: The Nordic Championships but only Christophe Giacometti would compete.

There is also a list of Annual competitions that do not fall under these categories.

International Cup of Nice: (Oct-Nov in Nice,France) Has been held since 1995 with the exception of 2005. Both Senior and Junior event.

Bavarian Open: (Early Feb. in Germany) Has been an ISU event since 2011. Both Senior and Junior Event.

Egna Spring Trophy: (End March Italy) Held since 2011, both Junior and Senior event.

Coupe Du Printemps/Spring Cup: (March Luxembourg) Held since 2012, both Junior and Senior events.

Japan Open: (~Oct. 5) 

The Japan Open is an annual senior international figure skating team competition organized by the Japan Skating Federation. The current format (team event) was established in 2006. The competition is held every autumn in Japan. Invited skaters compete in the disciplines of men’s and ladies’ singles. Skaters perform a free program but no short. Individual results are combined for a team standing.

Medals Winner Open: An event held in 2012 (Oct.), 2015, 2016 (Jan.) by the JSF and sanctioned by ISU. Invitational event for skaters that won medals in major ISU competitions like Grand Prix, Europeans,4CC, Worlds & Olympics. It’s a senior only event where skaters preform only a free program and they are scored heavily on artistic values. Was hosted in Japan.

World Team Trophy: (~April 16-19, Japan) Held in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, & 2019. A team competition between six countries ( the US, Canada, Japan, France, Russia and China).

Multi-Sport Events Hosted on alternative Years/ Non-Olympic

Winter Universiade: Held every 2 years since 1960′s (expect between ‘72 & ’81). Is a multi sport event. Dates vary.

Winter Asian Games: Held in 1986,1990,1996,1999,2003,2007,2011, & 2017. Is a multi sport event. Dates vary. Held in Japan, China, South Korea, or Kazakhstan.

Obviously the Olympics as well but I shouldn’t need to mention but the official last event of the year is: 

Triglav Trophy. It is held in April in Slovenia, and is both a senior and junior event.

Okay, so I think I covered every competition that a male single’s figure skater could compete in during the time frame of the Yuri on Ice characters skating careers. These were all pulled from the List on Wikipedia and organized over several hours. Hopefully there are no issues with the links.

[spanishfsteamtranslations]

Not actually a translation post but I’ll post it anyway because I think it’s the first time that I see Kirill speak so much and so relaxed in an interview. I’m amazed