2021 Grand Prix Final Cancelled

(2 December 2021)  The ISU announced today that the 2021 Grand Prix Final will not be held in Osaka, Japan next week, releasing the following statement:

The ISU was informed by the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) that the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2021, scheduled to take place from December 9 – 12, 2021 in Osaka (JPN) cannot be held as planned.

Unfortunately, considering the complicated epidemic situation involving travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, safety concerns and logistical challenges, the organization of the event was extremely challenging. The Japan Skating Federation and the Local Organizing Committee tried their best to find solutions but ultimately concluded that, regrettably, they are unable to organize and hold the event as planned.

The ISU regrets that the hosting of the event is no longer possible in Osaka in December. The ISU will evaluate a possible postponement to hold the Event at the end of the season and will take a decision as soon as possible. The ISU thanks the Japan Skating Federation for their efforts and cooperation.

While details were not provided, one can infer that cancellation was due to Covid precautions related to the Omicron variant that was recently discovered.  A day earlier the Japanese government announced that travel restrictions that had been recently somewhat relaxed would be tightened.  Japanese airlines will not be taking reservations for flights to Japan through the end of December and flights have begun to be cancelled.  Foreign carriers operating flights into Japan were also requested to stop taking reservations.

Additional restrictions are also being put in place within Japan in response to the Omicron variant.

2021 Grand Prix Final Qualifiers

(27 November 2021)  The 2021 Grand Prix Final will be held December 9-12 in Osaka, Japan.  Six entries each will complete in Women's, Men's, Pairs and Ice Dance categories for both Junior and Seniors.  The qualifiers for the senior categories were determined from the result of the six Grand Prix competitions that began with Skate America and ended with Rostelcom Cup.

The results of the Final should provide a good indication of the prospects for the competitors at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.  The Games open just eight weeks after the conclusion of the Final.

The results of the Grand Prix also provide a useful report card for the quality of skating in the ISU member countries.

Women

Kamila Valiyeva (RUS) — 30
Anna Shcherbakova (RUS) — 30
Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) — 26
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) — 24
Maliya Khromykh (RUS) — 24
Aliona Kostonaya (RUS) — 24

Russia is the first nation to earn five spots in any discipline in Grand Prix Final history (since 1995). Four of the Russians are coached by Eteri Tutberidze. One Olympic medal contender not present in the final is Aleksandra Trusova, who won at Skate America, but did not compete in her second event due to injury.  But first she will have to make the Russian team, more than likely having to beat out Tuktamysheva for the third spot on the Russian team.

No U.S. women qualified for the Grand Prix Final and no U.S. woman even made a Grand Prix podium this season, for the first time ever.   The best finishing U.S. woman was Alysa Liu, over 128 cumulative points (sum of two competitions) behind the leader.  The women's skating program in the U.S. remains in complete disarray.  Time for soul searching and house cleaning after the Beijing games for this discipline in the U.S.

Men

Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) — 30 points
Shoma Uno (JPN) — 28
Vincent Zhou (USA) — 28
Nathan Chen (USA) — 26
Mikhail Kolyada (RUS) — 26
Jason Brown (USA) — 24

2021 World silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, won both of his Grand Prix competition this season. Nathan Chen was third at Skate America, where his unbeaten streak since 2018 was broken.  He remains the favorite for the Final, and the Beijing games as well, but he will be hard pressed by the other top men.  Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu missed both his Grand Prix competitions due to an ankle injury, thought to be due to his quest to achieve a quad Axel.  Hanyu needs to decide in the time time left before the Olympics, whether he wants to be a three-time Olympic champion or a two-time champion who came close to landing a quad Axel.

Three U.S. men qualified for the Grand Prix Final, but the positive news for the U.S. men ends there.  The other U.S. men in the Grand Prix placed so far down in the standings, there seems little to be optimistic about.

Pairs

Anastasia Mishina & Aleksandr Galliamov (RUS) — 30
Sui Wenjing & Han Cong (CHN) — 30
Yevgenia Tarasova & Vladimir Morozov (RUS) — 28
Aleksandra Boikova & Dmitriy Kozlovskiy (RUS) — 26
Daria Pavliuchenko & Denis Khodykin (RUS) — 26
Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) — 24

Russia qualified four pairs for the Final, a new record.  Sui & Han are looking to cap their career with Olympic Gold in their home country, but they will have stiff competitions from the current Russian World Champions Mishina & Gakkiamov, and the other leading Russian team.

Two U.S. teams qualified as alternates.  A U.S. team has not made the final since 2015.  The Grand Prix is proof the U.S. pairs program remains lost in the wilderness.  When U.S. pairs are overtaken by a relatively new Japanese team (and deservedly so) you know the U.S. pairs program remains in serious trouble, as it has been for many years.

Ice Dance

Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) — 30
Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) — 30
Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue (USA) — 28
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (CAN) — 28
Madison Chock & Evan Bates (USA) — 26
Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri (ITA) — 26

It appears inevitable that Papadakis & Cizeron, four-time World champions, and Sinitsina & Katsalapov, the reigning World champions, will be fighting for the top two podium positions at both the Final and the Beijing games.  Hubbell & Donohue, Gilles & Poirier and Chock & Bates are closely matched in points this season, and will most likely be vying for the bronze medal at the Final and the Beijing Games.

The retirement after this season of Hubbell & Donohue, and possiblely Chock & Bates, will leave the U.S. dance program significantly weakened.  Carreira & Ponomarenko and Hawayek & Baker both seem to have stalled out, with only Green & Parsons showing significant improvment this season

2021 Rostelcom Cup

Men's Event Report

Pairs Event Report

Ice Dance Event Report

Results Details

2021 Internationaux de France, Grenoble France

Men's Event Report

Pairs Event Report

Ice Dance Event Report

Results Details

2021 NHK Trophy, Tokyo Japan

(19 November 2021)  NHK trophy was held within a tight bubble due to the government's strict Covid response measures. All four categories had fewer than the normal number of entries due to skaters who had withdrawn prior to the start of the competition and could not be replaced in the time available.

Although new travel regulations came into effect November 8th, the process for foreigners to gain entry is still long and complicated.  A Japanese business (JSF in this case) must first ask a government ministry for permission to invite a traveller. They must then send an invitation letter to the traveller who uses it (and other required documentation) to apply for a visa at a Japanese Consulate.   Processing that application can take at least five days, and is some cases many more.  Travellers must now quarantine for three days upon arrival in Japan and test on arrival and after the three days of quarantine.  Their destination city must be their first port of entry into Japan.

In addition to preventing substitute skaters from reaching the competition, foreign media were unable to cover the competition on-site.  The process described will also be in place for the Grand Prix final in Osaka in December, and will also likely preclude on-site coverage by foreign media.

Men's Event Report

Pairs Event Report

Ice Dance Event Report

Results Details

Torino, Italy is Third Stop of 2021-22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating

Women's Event Report

Men's Event Report

Pairs Event Report

Ice Dance Event Report

With China choosing not to host Cup of China this season due to Covid concerns, the third Grand Prix of the season is being held in Torino, Italia, under the name Grand Premio d'Italia.  The Palavela in Torino is again the site of Grand Prix skating after being the site of the Grand Prix Final in 2019.  Covid protocols are similar to those used at Skate America, with the Skate Canada-type bubble not in use.

Entries rolled over from the initial assignments to Cup of China, and then subsequently several withdrawals and substitution took place.  Torino was to be the second assignment for American Bradie Tennell, who withdrew from Skate America due to injury.  She was replaced by Nicole Schott of Germany.  Several lesser Chinese competitors withdrew to be replaced by various lesser Italian skaters.

The short programs and rhythm dance will take place Friday, November 5, starting at 3:00 PM local time.  The free skates and free dance will take place on Saturday again starting at 3:00 PM.  The exhibition again will be Sunday starting at 3:00 PM.

In addition to being the site of the 2019 Grand Prix Final, Palavela was the site of the 2005 European Championships, the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, the 2007 Winter Universiade and 2007 Grand Prix Final, and the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships.

The name Palavela is a portmanteau of Palazzo a Vela, the latter meaning sailing palace or palace of sail, which is descriptive of its roof, designed in the form of a billowing sail.

2021 Skate Canada, Vancouver, BC

Women's Event Report

Men's Event Report

Pairs Event Report

Ice Dance Event Report

2021 Skate America Returns to Las Vegas, NV

Women's Event Report

Men's Event Report

Pairs Event Report

Ice Dance Event Report

2021 Skate America Gold Medalists Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue (USA), Alexandra Trusova (RUS), Vincent Zhou (USA) and Evgenia Tarasova & Vladimir Morozov (RUS)

Bradie Tennell Withdraws from Guaranteed Rate Skate America Due to Foot Injury

Starr Andrews to step into her place

by Liz Leamy

(20 October 2021)  Bradie Tennell, the tenacious Chicago-area native who catapulted to the top of the elite global skating scene several years ago when she claimed bronze at the 2017 Skate America Championships and then the 2018 U.S. title to qualify for the 2018 Olympics, had been looking forward to another memorable experience at the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America yet, due to a foot injury, announced her withdrawal from this event.

Tennell, the reigning U.S. champion whose spot will now be taken by Starr Andrews of California, had been training intensively at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs with Tom Zakrajsek, the World and Olympic coach, over the past year in preparation for the upcoming Olympic season.

During the summer months, however, she was said to have been dealing with some issues with this aspect of her physical well-being.

Still, Tennell had been looking forward to the idea of being able to compete at this famous international competition.

“I’m so excited to be going back to Las Vegas and very excited to be starting the Olympic season at that venue,” said Tennell, who clinched the 2021 U.S. title at the Orleans Arena last January in a media teleconference several weeks ago. “I’m looking forward to the competition and grateful to have had all the time I’m on the ice. I’m enjoying every minute.”

This season, Tennell, 23, who will be skating to a tango for her short and a ‘heartfelt musical piece’ for the long program, both of which were choreographed by Benoit Richard, has been trying to stay as focused possible on training in preparation the Olympic season.

“There’s nothing like the Olympics to bring the world together and celebrate sportsmanship at a global level,” said Tennell, a top ten finisher at the 2018 Olympics and also at the 2018, 2019 and 2021 World Championships. “The best thing for my mindset is to stay focused on myself and focused on what I can control.”

Known for her dedication and intensive daily work regiment, Tennell said she still gets chills when her name is announced at competitions, especially when it is accompanied by the fact that she is representing the United States.

“I still get chills when they announce my name representing the United States of America,” said Tennell, who was the 2019 U.S. silver and 2020 U.S. bronze medalist, respectively. “I can still remember [at the 2018 U.S. Championships] when they announced my name. The crowd was clapping so loudly and it is a memory that still brings a smile to my face. That’s what makes this sport so much fun.”

Tennell said she also still surprised and honored when she is recognized.

“It startles me all the time,” said Tennell, who said she was recently approached by a young skater at the Broadmoor World Arena who was excited to meet her, which she described as ‘a real honor.’

Tennell, who added that she likes to stay off of social media in order to further stay focused on the training tasks at hand, expressed gratitude for the support of her family, coach and others who have helped her through this journey.

“I’ve gotten so much support from my team and my family because without them, I wouldn’t be in this position,” said Tennell.

The ladies roster at Skate America, in addition to Starr Andrews, will feature Amber Glenn of Plano, Texas, the 2021 U.S. silver medalist; Alexandra Trusova, the 2021 Russian World bronze medalist and Satoko Miyahara of Japan who was fourth at the 2018 Olympics, among others.

Initial Covid Policies for Beijing Winter Games Announced

(30 September 2021)  The International Olympic Committee held an Executive Board meeting September 29, 2021, in the presence of the International Paralympic Committee. Beijing 2022 informed the Executive Board of the principles that will help deliver safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as scheduled.

The principles presented by Beijing 2022 will be detailed in documents referred to as Playbooks. The first version of these Playbooks will be released in late October 2021. A second version will then be published in December 2021.

The following preliminary principles were announced by the Executive Board.

1. Vaccination policy

   • All athletes and Games participants who are fully vaccinated will enter the closed-loop management system upon arrival. Games participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing.

   • Athletes who can provide a justified medical exemption will have their cases considered.

   • All vaccines recognized by WHO or related international organizations, or approved officially by the countries or regions concerned, will be accepted.

2. Games-time closed-loop management

   • From 23 January until the end of the Paralympics, a closed-loop management system will be implemented to ensure the safe delivery of the Games. This closed-loop management system will cover all Games-related areas, including arrival and departure, transport, accommodation, catering, competitions, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Within the closed loop, participants will be allowed to move only between Games-related venues for training, competitions and work. A dedicated Games transport system will be put in place.

3. Spectators/Ticketing

   • Tickets will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 countermeasures.

   • Specific requirements on COVID-19 countermeasures for spectators from China’s mainland and the details of ticketing arrangements are under discussion and development, and will be released to the public in due course once they are finalized.

4. Accredited guest policy

   • Beijing 2022 and the IOC underlined that all activities are being assessed and optimized to focus on essential aspects of Games delivery. Stakeholders will apply this principle for their plans and delegation composition.

   • In line with this principle, the IOC EB decided to cancel the accompanying guest category for all stakeholders.

5. Travel

   • Beijing 2022 will assist those stakeholders that are not in a position to book their pre-Games or Games-time flights independently.

6. Accommodation

   • Besides athletes and some delegation officials who are accompanying athletes living in the Villages, all participants travelling to Beijing will reside in Beijing 2022-contracted hotels that will be compliant with the COVID-19 countermeasures for the Games.

7. Testing

   • All domestic and international Games participants and workforce in the closed-loop management system will be subject to daily testing.

What It Means

Participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to arrive in Beijing three weeks earlier than they might have planned to quarantine.  This would seem to say unvaccinated athletes would lose three weeks of training time prior to the games if they cannot get an exemption - a disruption in training no athlete can afford.

The closed loop management system appears it will be organized as an extended "bubble," with participants confined to official hotels, venues, food service locations and the official transportation system.  This would seem to preclude moving about the city outside of the bubble at any time, starting with arrival at the airport, and ending with departure at the end of the games.

There will be daily testing of all participants.  Where and how this will be done is yet to be announced.

Participants will be required to stay in LOC-contracted hotels.  Anyone who booked a non-contracted hotel will now have to try and obtain accommodations through the LOC, which is something that needed to be completed at the beginning of the year.  This will no doubt induce sticker shock for some media who attempted to save on the cost of accommodations by not using LOC-contracted hotels.  For example, earlier in the year it was possible to book non-contracted hotels for less than half the price of contracted hotels - in some cases a savings of over $2000 (or more) for a 20 day stay at the games.  The LOC has announced adjustments to the accommodation booking and cancellation policies to deal with expected cancellations and new bookings.

Spectators from non-mainland China will be prohibited.

Other Rumors

Rumors have swirled for several weeks concerning policies for participats at the games.  One of these was the 21 day quarantine, which we now know applies to non-vaccinated participants. Another rumor concerns details of the vaccination policy, which we will not repeat, as the current policy announcement seems quite clear that fully vaccinated participants with WHO recognized vaccines will meet requirements.

One further rumor which we will repeat, is that media will not be allowed to bring their cell phones and computers into the country, and will be given LOC provided devices that will then be returned at the end of the games.

When first hearing of this, the purpose was hard to understand, but subsequently a news report out of Lithuania provided a hint of what may be involved here.

Recently the government of Lithuania advised its country's residents to stop using Chinese manufactured cell phones, as the devices were found to censor hundreds of terms in internet use that the Chines government finds objectionable.  In addition, the devices are said to provide usage information to a server in Singapore, that is suspected of providing the usage  information to Chinese authorities.

Putting two and two together, it is reasonable to suspect the purpose of the rumored games devices policy is to force all media to use devices that have installed malware that will allow Chinese authorities to monitor everything media say and do on the devices during the games.  We have no proof of this, but it certainly sounds in-character for the Chinese government; and if the policy is implemented, a reasonable person would conduct themself assuming everything they do with the devices will be monitored by Chinese authorities.

Bradley Lord’s 1961 U.S. Gold-Medal Winning Performance

A Template for the Ages

by Liz Leamy

(7 May 2021)  In light of the fact that this past winter marks the 60-year anniversary of the 1961 U.S. World figure skating team who tragically lost their lives on the Sabena Flight 548 crash near Brussels, Belgium on route to the World Figure Skating Championships that February, it is enlightening, inspirational and gratifying to learn about the incredible depth and talent, as well as the touching personal stories of those individuals who had been on that flight.

Bradley Lord, in particular, was a driven and talented 21 year-old top American contender who represented the Skating Club of Boston at the 1961 U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs where he famously clinched his first U.S. title with a remarkable free skate that still stands in terms of its choreography, execution and overall layout.

Lord, who had been second in the figure portion of that competition, held at the original Broadmoor World Arena, triumphantly pulled up to the first place overall with his electric program, edging out his talented rival, Gregory Kelley, a 16 year-old Newton, Massachusetts native who was the 1959 U.S. junior champion who wound up claiming silver at the 1961 U.S. Championships to earn a spot on that U.S. World team.

Skating to an operatic medley of Pagliacci, La Taviata and Sleeping Beauty, with visible determination, command and strength, Lord, who came from a family of Italian descent and lived in Swampscott, a North Shore coastline town nearly 15 miles north of Boston, demonstrated astonishing technical and artistic aptitude as well as notable speed and energy throughout his entire program, performing every primary turn and step including rockers, counters, loops, Mohawks and Choctaws performed in both directions, among other notable things.

At the same time, Lord does some show stopping moves, including a back-to-front pivot with a complete change of direction, clockwise-direction split jump (he is a counter-clockwise jumper and spinner) and double loop landed on a left-back inside edge, all of which generated thunderous applause from the packed crowd at the Broadmoor arena.

For Lord, it was all about doing his best.

“After I had skated, I felt I did the best I could,” said Lord, who attended Boston University and had wanted to eventually pursue a career in commercial art. “As long as I had done [my] best, I was happy. I knew Greg [Kelley] was a strong free skater and it all depended on how I did.”

Although this program dates all the way back from 1961, and Lord’s technical content consisted of double jumps (all of which were high, fast and technically solid), his components were dazzling on all counts and could still stand in competition today.

Specifically, his connecting steps were rich and complex, his skating skills were superior and his choreography and presentation is intriguing, full of depth and clear, powerful and effective in terms of its narrative and messaging, rendering this program as a true template for much of what the International Judging System stands for today.

Lord, who had placed fourth at the 1960 U.S. Championships and sixth at that year’s World Championships, was coached by Montgomery ‘Bud’ Wilson, a Canadian Olympic bronze medalist (who was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic military efforts as an artillery officer during World War II) at the Skating Club of Boston, who also did the choreography for this program as well.

Known as a ‘great guy and friend’ among his peers at the storied Skating Club of Boston venue where he trained all the way from the group lesson level up through the National and World Championship level, Lord had faced some struggles throughout his competitive career.

For one, he was said to have worked extremely hard to pay for his skating expenses, and had taken several aside jobs to help cover costs.

Further, Lord labored extremely hard to get through the challenging eight U.S. Figure Skating school figure tests, most of which did not come easy to him (or most anyone else, for that matter).

At the same time, Lord worked dogmatically to prepare to face off against Gregory Kelley, the formidable young American international contender who was fifth at the 1960 U.S. Championships and ninth at the1960 Worlds.

Known for his terrific speed and high jumps, Kelley, like Lord, had worked with Montgomery Wilson for many years at the Skating Club of Boston, but had made a coaching change several years prior to the 1961 U.S. Championships so he could train with Eduard ‘Edi’ Scholdan, an Austrian figure skater and coach at the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs.

Somehow, all of these challenges only seemed to motivate Lord in his pursuit of winning the 1961 U.S. title, something that was evident in his victorious free skate performance.

Ultimately, his impact among those who knew him, just as like his skating, was potent and still resonates to this day.

“Bradley was so nice. He would always come by to chat to see how we were all doing,” said Nancy Madden Leamy, a U.S. national coach based in Greenwich, Connecticut who trained with Lord at the Skating Club of Boston growing up. (She was also coached by Montgomery Wilson.) “We all worked hard at the club and then many of us would then go out to eat afterward and would sit together and just talk and laugh. It was a lot of fun and we had a good time.”

Certainly, the legacy of all the talented and fascinating members of the 1961 U.S. World team, as illustrated in the work and story of Bradley Lord, has had a great effect on so many and continues to serve as a powerful prototype and means of inspiration today for those who comprise the domestic and global skating world in terms of their skating, determination and perhaps more than anything, heart.

How Many Entries Did the U.S. Earn for the Men's Olympic Competition?  Three Like for Worlds?  If Only it Were That Simple.

With Nathan Chen and Jason Brown delivering first and seventh place results at the 2021 World Championships, their combined placement of 8 was far better than the 13 needed to earn three entries at the 2022 World Championships.

But if you though that also means the U.S. earned three entries for the Men's event at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, you underestimate the Byzantine complexity of ISU rules. <more>

The Axel is the Only Jump that Takes Off Backwards