[Preview] NHK Trophy 2015

Finally, we’ve reached the last Grand Prix competition before the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. While the International Skating Union added one more spot in the light of the cancellation of the free skate in Trophee Eric Bompard, competition is still as tough as ever. With the most hospitable figure skating crowd in Japan, the pressure is huge on their home skaters, all stars in their own right. Of course, there are other skaters vying for a medal and for that spot in the Grand Prix Final.

So here are our final contenders in the NHK Trophy and our thoughts on how they’ll fare in this competition:

[Recap] Rostelecom Cup 2015

Being the second-to-the-last Grand Prix competition, we expected Rostelecom Cup to be one exciting and tough event for both fans and skaters. Again, it did not disappoint. There have been expectations met, there were pleasant (and not-so-pleasant surprises), and there were close calls. It just goes to show that as the Grand Prix series draws to an end, we get to see the depth of competition, both in the run for a Grand Prix Final title and with the potential to make a statement in the next World competition.

So now we go to our recap:

[Preview] Rostelecom Cup 2015

Before we begin our preview, we’d like to start on a somber note. It had been a week since the tragedies in Paris, Beirut, Lebanon, Korea, and Kenya, and we send our thoughts and prayers to those who the deceased have left behind. In line with this, we have decided not to write a recap of Trophée Éric Bompard (TEB), out of respect to the those affected by recent events.

With the rest of TEB cancelled, the state of the skaters’ qualifications for the Grand Prix Final are left in a limbo. The International Skating Union will be announcing how the qualifying points will be issued, but for now, let’s go to our next competition.

Rostelecom Cup is the second-to-the-last competition before the GPF in Barcelona. Again, we’ll see familiar faces who have competed in the past four competitions, and some familiar faces who will be making their comebacks after some time off, one particular comeback being Olympic champion Adelina Sotnikova. Of course, with the competition being in Russia, we’ll expect the Russian skaters to do their best, but not without getting quite a fight from the other skaters.

Without further ado, here’s our fearless forecast:

[Preview] Trophée Éric Bompard 2015

This week marks the second half of the Grand Prix series, with three more competitions to go. These last three competitions will be the most crucial, as most of the skaters have already competed in the previous three Grand Prix competitions. Their placement in these competitions could earn (or cost) them a spot in the Grand Prix Final.

In Trophée Éric Bompard, we have four medalists from the men and two medalists from the ladies in earlier GP competitions. Without a doubt, this is going to be a close fight!

[Recap] Cup of China 2015

 

When we first started watching competitive figure skating last season, it’s Cup of China which brought the most distress for us. (No need to elaborate. You know what happened.) This year, we’re fortunate enough to find out that there was no repeat of the disaster that was. Yes, there are still disastrous moments, but we’re happy to report that the skaters and the fans ended the event unscathed.

And so, without further ado, here’s a recap on what happened the past weekend:

[Preview] Cup of China 2015

Good news! We’ve survived two competitions in the ISU Grand Prix Series, and we’re moving to the third competition, which means that we’re almost halfway through the series. Cup of China may be the scariest competition out of all the six (we all know why, and we’re not going to elaborate), but hopefully things turn out for the better this time around.

So here’s our fearless forecast for the upcoming competition in Beijing:

[Recap] Skate Canada 2015

The second leg of the Grand Prix series kicked off in Lethbridge, Canada, and if you think the events in Skate America the week before was surprising, then you haven’t seen what happened in Skate Canada. Here’s a little lowdown on what happened: