The past month has been a nightmare mentally and physically and work wise and just everything wise, so I haven't written on this blog for awhile. So this is going to be a month's worth of favorites before I leave for Skate America tomorrow!
1) Russians are doing their own thing now..
We all knew the Russians were planning to put on their own show alongside the rest of the world, having been banned by the ISU. However, I don't think anything prepared us for the high budget, shock and awe show that was test skates. Seriously, these skaters filmed intros that played on a giant screen and were grilled afterwards- It looked and felt like something out of the hunger games. No matter how ridiculous though, it was entertaining, and as much as I hate to admit, it did strike a cord in regards to how much entertainment seems to be missing from the regular season at the moment. Things seems slow and tired, and seeing the Russians fired up was exhilarating. I've decided that for me, it feels possible to watch and be entertained by the Russian content, while still supporting their ban by the ISU. Their talent and showmanship doesn't mean they should be allowed to compete with others, both for drug-related reasons and war-related ones.
Two highlights for me were: Sasha Trusova performing a program that seemed well rounded, despite having not been training. And most of all, Kamila Valieva performing a program with audio from her Olympic coverage, ending with her coving her face like she did in Beijing. Truly cannot make that up...
2) JGP comes to an end
The Junior Grand Prix has finally ended, and while most of the top skaters performed at the beginning of the series, there were a few skaters who had their start later on.
Lucas Broussard from the US won both of his competitions, and I think he shows real promise to be a rising star in this country. While Ilia is getting so much attention for his jumps, he lacks any sort of artistic qualities, while Lucas has the air of a Jason Brown type skater- really cool, thoughtful movement and really good jump technique.
Mone Chiba from Japan is my new favorite junior womens skater. I loved her last year, even when she placed 11th at Japanese Nationals, and was so excited to see her on this circuit. Something about her skating is just so pleasing to watch, and reminds me of how I would feel watching Satoko skate. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make the final, but that made her outings no less enjoyable.
Mrazkova and Mrazek continue to impress in junior dance. This rhythm dance was even better the second time around, and is now the only rhythm dance of the season that I have willingly watched more than once...
3) Finally time for the senior season
The senior grand prix starts this week! But since challenger series events have been ongoing, figured it was worth mentioning some stand out performances.
Junhwan's short might be my favorite of the season. I'm so ready to see this live on Friday. Stunning footwork, stunning movement, so cool!
Seeing Jason at the Japan Open was such a treat, even though he's likely done competing.
Kaori's new look just screams "star". This new program content is really exciting!
Comments