Papadakis and Cizeron's "Find Me" is probably the program I've watched the most times in the past decade or so. The version by On Ice Perspectives, in their practice rink, is my favorite. I would give so much to see that program filmed in a completely empty rink with minimal lighting; maybe just a couple spotlights, with Gabby and Guillaume in simple white flowy costumes like they're spirits descended just for those few moments of the routine.
The lift where they look at each other right on the "I can remember what it was like to stare blindly into your eyes" is THE lift of all time to me, I think about it all the time
Gen Z here, so I loved learning about the 80-90s skating from Wendy and Adron's abundance of hot takes! I think Adron's the biggest Chock/Bates fan I know. On Wendy's bunker picks: I also watched P/C's Find Me a lot during the pandemic, I think the performance captures the feeling of loneliness everyone felt during the lockdown, so it was perfectly timed. I'd also bring Rika Kihira's Breakfast in Baghdad program to the bunker, it's so unique and one of my favs. On Adron's hot takes: Anna Shcherbakova fan here too! She's has neither the technique nor skating skills, BUT she's a fantastic competitor with an iron will 💪She always gets it together when it matters, brings the musicality and the quads. Nathan/Sasha VS Yuzuru/Anna would be peak chaotic pairs rivalry. They're not singles skaters, but I'd like to form a same sex ice dance team of Katsalapov/Donohue, they both bring a certain toxic energy 😅For program swaps: Chock/Bates skating to Smart/Diaz Mask of Zorro program, I think Maddy would slay it! What do you guys think of France's chance in the Olympic team event with Adam and (possibly) P/C?
Rika Kihira is a lovely skater. We're so sad to lose her to injury this season. The idea of Nathan/Sasha VS Yuzuru/Anna is PURE chaos and we are HERE for it! (There needs to be a FS video game or something where you can "choose your fighter" like this.) You're right, Shcherbakova is such a clutch skater. Which makes it doubly infuriating when her team ignored her, or actively seemed to root against her. Katsalapov/Donohue?? Toxic is the word indeed, can you imagine the drama? And we have high hopes for Adam at the Olympics, but still so much can change before then. He's improving all the time, but might have peaked a little early this season. He probably needs to diversify his programs a bit more, too.
It would be really fun to see how they'd adapt to that different discipline. Jason feels like a natural transition, his skating skills are already phenomenal. Kevin might find it more challenging, but there are few more expressive skaters.
Very fun episode! Thank you! What's next? Your Worlds preview? Worlds is one month away! Still time to get your tickets. Can't wait. But then, I'm a crazy person, already have my Boston 2025 tickets!
Worlds preview coming soon! Our latest episode is about Challenge Cup, and then we're going to cover Junior Worlds. Admittedly, we don't pay a ton of attention to Juniors, so there will be a lot of new faces to us. We wish we could go to Worlds! But maybe we should plan ahead for Boston...
This is such a great episode!! I'd love to see more Q&A's in the future! Wendy, your story about Kurt Browning signing your stuffed monkey made me so happy!! Some of my initial reactions: A small part of my heart sunk when Shoma said that he thinks he can't beat Ilia :( I think he's still very much in the conversation at Worlds. I'm also very concerned for Ilia's long term health. Obviously his skills are incredible, but I really hope he's staying healthy and taking care of his body as he trains high impact jumps like the quad axel. I really want him to have a long career where he can go to multiple Olympics and grow as a skater. I will say that I STRONGLY DISAGREE that solo dance should be a separate category for skaters like Kevin Aymoz and Deniss Vasiljevs who excel in artistry and don't have the same technical arsenal. First of all, that gives the perception that solo dance is just an afterthought discipline for skaters who think they can't measure up to skaters like Ilia Malinin in terms of their technical arsenal or who are on their way to retiring. I believe that solo dance should be able to emerge and grow as its own separate discipline for audiences to enjoy. In terms of the discussion of artistry vs technical - Yes skating is a sport, but it's athleticism doesn't just come from jumping quads. There is athletic merit to artistry and mastering complex components. A lot of times training hard on adding more spin revolutions, covering the entire ice during footwork sequences, and mastering skating skills takes just as much energy and strength as jumping. When I skated competitively, my step sequence was easily the hardest part of my programs because it took so much energy and strength to maintain speed and flow throughout the whole sequence. I actually also had some pretty hard falls during practice where I would place my body weight on the wrong edge and belly flop at full speed. (And this is all when I was training the flip which is my least favorite jump).The artistry in the sport isn't just meant to be aesthetics or looking pretty while you skate. Often times it's the key to making programs as magical and electrifying as they are, and it also makes the skaters more balanced and well rounded. Seeing a skater like Yuma Kagiyama put so much emotion and energy into his programs is amazing to see in addition to his impeccable jumps! And of course, the beauty of skating is seeing so many athletes who have different strengths and weaknesses compete together. Unfortunately, I don't think the way the current IJS set up is rewarding skaters who do put in extra hours to train their spins, footwork sequences, and program composition. I hope the ISU is able to figure out a way to reward both technical elements and artistic components equally so we can see different types of skaters compete in a level playing field.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comment about solo ice dance. As a former singles skater who learned ice dancing late in my career, I can attest to the fact that ice dance is HARD! You can "freeskate" your way through the pattern dances until about silver level, and then you come to realize that ice dance truly is a separate discipline with specialized skill sets that you actually have to learn. I wish people would stop suggesting solo dance as a back-up plan. It's literally a separate sport.
@pardisalizadeh-shabdiz5637 @christinethorp3684 Perhaps we didn't make it clear enough, but we never wanted to imply that solo ice dance was a lesser sport or "back-up plan". We would not suggest that switch would be easy in any way. Rather, for some, it would represent a transition - one that required learning new skills as part of a separate discipline. Much like Daisuke Takahashi transitioning from singles to ice dance, which pushed him to develop all new abilities - that he acknowledged was an immense challenge. (And we're grateful for the years we got of him and Kana.) This sport is full of skaters who for one reason or another changed disciplines, and found ways to sustain competitive careers (or, in Deanna Stellato-Dudek's case, return to it). Having a new solo discipline just opens more avenues.
I'm super late to the game, but these are my bunker picks ! - Aljona Savchenko & Bruno Massot's "La Terre Vue du Ciel" free skate at the 2018 Olympics - Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir's "Moulin Rouge" free skate at the 2018 Olympics (and the tape HAS to include the kiss and cry) - Joannie Rochette's short program at the 2010 Olympics (also has to include the kiss and cry, as someone who also lost a parent at a similar age I can't put words onto what it means to me) - Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron's "Fame" rhythm dance, I love the costumes so it pains to me to say this but I think it has to be the OnIcePerspectives version because my god the way it shows off the speed of their finstep blows my mind - Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron's "Find Me" free dance, probably at GP finals, or maybe NHK purely because of Gabi's adorable reaction to the slow motion replays - Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani's rhythm dance at US nationals 2018 - Mirai Nagasu improv'ing to Styx's "Boat on the River" at Improv Ice - Nathan Chen's 2018-2019 "Caravan" short program (can't chose which iteration of it... Maybe Rostelecom??) - Kevin Aymoz's "Horns" short program at skate Canada 2018 - Wenjing Sui & Cong Han's "Rain in your Black Eyes" free skate at worlds 2019 OR their Blues for Klook short program - Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean's Bolero at the 1984 Olympics - Olivia Smart & Adrian Diaz's "Mask of Zorro" free skate at the 2022 Olympics (Yes I know that's 12 but you guys get to watch each other's stuff !) Honorable mention to Tessa & Scott's compulsory dance from the 2010 Olympics because I've never been so excited during a compulsory dance (and maybe their Carmen too!) And in terms of all-time Favs : Single Men is Shoma Uno (but maybe Nathan Chen too), single women Mirai Nagasu, Ice Dance I cannot choose between Virtue/Moir and Papadakis/Cizeron, and Pairs probablt Sui/Han but also specifically Vanessa James And a question, if you ever do another Q&A or if the subject comes up : I'd love to hear what you guys think about specific clubs dominating a whole discipline, like for example IAM or Eteri before the ban (maybe positives and negatives of this...) I feel very negative about what happened to the women's discipline because of Eteri, but I love IAM, and I feel like that's helped me see more nuance in the topic Love the podcast, can't wait for more !!
That's a great Q&A idea! *scribbles notes furiously* And you've got a lot of brilliant bunker picks (and a bunch we need to go back and watch). Especially love the mentions of Smart & Diaz's "Zorro" routine (so underrated!), the Shib sibs, and Sui & Han. And you've given us an interesting idea for a videos series... 🤔😎
Fun! I mean I’m trying to forgive you both for the Michelle Kwan erasure. 2004 Tosca.. 1998 Lyra Angelica and 96 Salome are some of the all time greats. Usova and Zhulins blues for klook in 93. torvill and Dean as well. They did a program called January Stars in maybe 1995 that I consider the best work of art on the ice ever. Whenever I get someone into skating, these are what I’ve shown them.
I loved figure skating myself and my mom and sister watched figure skating since Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Paul Wylie, Debbie Thomas, Kristie Yamaguishi, Tonya Hardy, Nancy Karrinagton, Brian Botanio, Todd Eldridge, Michael Weiss, Rudy Galanio, MICHELLE KWAN, Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes, Tara Lipsiski, Jeremy Abbott, Jason Brown, some Canadian skaters, some international skaters but I am biased, routed and cheered for my country like everyone else!!! My favorite: MICHELLE KWAN, the men, JEREMY ABBOTT and NATHAN CHEN, Pairs: Tia Babylonia and Randy Gardner, Meno and Sands, and Knimio and Frazier and ice dance skaters; Davis and White, and Chock and Bates, Neset and Marynov and I too have many favorites too, but they are Amerians because they are unpopular Internationally that I observed and judged strictly!!! International, I admire our beloved and nemesis neighbor CANADIANS and some of the Russians: the GOAT, Anna S., and Kamala V; the men the quad king P and I know his face Alexi something, pairs: the one who lost her husband and I was impressed by them, the Chinese teams but I can't remember faces, the German teams can't remember the names and the Canadians and now the Japanese team, ice dance: Japanese team who retired, Czech Republic teams, and French teams, and Italians but I enjoyed some Korean skaters too like Ja Shin, and Japanese skaters like Uno and Sato... French: Fa and A ... For the judging, I prefer the composition skills should be higher than the technical skills when skaters have both artistically and athletically; and for the Americans: two women: Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn who you didn't speak about and there are alternatives: Ava Zeigher, Eylse Gracie ( 4 Continents) and Starr Andrews: men Ilia Mallanin, JASON BROWN, and Camden Pulkenin, alternates; Andrew Torgashov, Maxim Nunmov and I forgot the last one pairs Chan and Howe, Klam and O'Shea and Plazas and Fernandez alternates Lui and Naga Martin and Bernard and Ice Dance Skaters: Chock and Bates, Carreria and Pomanerico and Bratti and Somerville Alternates Greene and Parsons, Pate and Bye, and Zengis and Kolenik and those are our best for now because they completed Internationally of the Grand Prix and some medalled and came in the top 10 from all disciplines and as long as they do their best and enjoy what they are doing should at least be in the top 10, but I honestly hope that they think 🤔 like a winner like their foreign contenders and they can only do their own planned programs and execute both without any or slightly hesitation and hope that the judging system would be basically better than last time...I like to reiterate again, I want American dominance because I am biased and only route and cheer for USA all the way!!! But realistically I know that Canadians are planning to do the same thing because it's their HOUSE; Japanese skaters and the Korean skaters are the ones to beat because they are the dominant teams and Belgium skaters are on the raising stars in the women in the Grand Prix series and European Championship and for pairs, watch out for Hungarians, Germans, Italians, Japanese, Georgian and Australian teams because it's anybody as long as they follow their program and execute their own programs well to receive a winning scores and that is the same thing in ice dance contenders; the ones to watch Italians, French, Korean, Czech Republic, Finland, LAT, Ukraine, Israel, Brits, and Spain besides USA and CANADA: all disciplines are going to be FIERCE and extremely competitive and effective... so we will have to be glue to the tube watching it unfold or in my case, my phone because I can see it all on Peacock 🦚 streaming app and hopefully without COMMERCIALS so I can't predict what team would be on the podium and as I routed for team USA in track and field, I would be doing the same thing for team USA!!!! I would like for you to comment on Synchronized Skating: our American teams for seniors and Haydennette and Skyliners and for the juniors Team Elite and Skyliners both are our best and competed INTERNATIONALLY and I too loved Bettie Davis ( Ashley Wagner) and Jason Brown River Dance and Davis and White Phantom of the Opera and Michelle Kwan East of Eden and there were others Internationally and nationally... personally, when the Olympics of ice dance contenders for the podium were Canadian, French and the United States, I personally preferred the French outshined the Canadian team that was when the USA siblings received the bronze medal beaten out Chock and Bates and the other American team, and that is why Chock and Bates are still competing as well as Potier and Giles of Canada and we cannot leave out that Italian veteran team: all veterans vs the young teams which include as veteran the FRENCH: it'll be INSANE because they trained and practiced in MONTREAL except Italians and Czech Republic teams for the top two groups fighting for the podium slots; I believe that the ISU should provide fourth place medal too!!!! Just saying!!!! Thanks for sharing your podcast; I enjoyed it because I like fair interpretation of the top 10 from a spectator's point of view and insights and I can relate with all fairness!!! Thanks again and can't wait for your next podcast!!! 😊😊😂😂
Worlds is shaping up to be a really intense showdown. Hopefully we'll be able to watch it in real time (as opposed to time-delayed like many of the competitions in the other hemisphere). It's fairly unlikely that we'll cover Synchronized Skating, sorry! Neither of us really enjoy watching it, so we wouldn't be good commentators for it.
@@scoreography Thanks, but you might because that sport is extremely competitive like artistic gymnastics working together in a team for different countries; the top teams are Canadians, ( Les Supreme), Finland teams and I forgot their names and then the AMERICANS: coverage used to be on You Tube and Peacock 🦚, but not 🚭🚫 RECENTLY for World's, but I am sorry that you don't favored that competition which is like synchronized swimming too: you can go on Peacock 🦚 now for figure skating and other events... that is what I did for track and field, swimming and speed skating but that is on You Tube!!! But I agree with you and we can compare notes; thank you again!!!
Now that you put together your list of "bunker" programs, any chance that you would put those together on UA-cam as a playlist? I was actually thinking the other day that one thing that could help me and others get more connected to the sport would be help finding videos of programs (from you or other fans) -- I'm sure that lots exist, but Adron's description of "programs that make me feel things" is the kind of information that I love seeing from other fans! Thank you for all your work on this podcast, it's a great combination of smart analysis, help keeping up with the sport, and genuine appreciation.
We're definitely going to make that bunker playlist soon. And we have some other plans like this for videos after Worlds/during the summer off season. More to come!
I was always an Olympic watcher, I would watch every four years and maybe catch it flipping through the channals. 2018 after the Olympics I stated watching all the GP and comptations. It was easier when the streaming let me watch it on my time. that is why I cannot wait until NBC ends their contract with USF the ISU and put it on YT it is so much better on YT
The ISU feeds on Peacock and YT are really solid, but the music rights issues have really messed up where and how long it's available. Like @EranMick said, a VPN is a big help with that. But it would be nice if there weren't so many hoops to jump through just to watch. Hunting down other country's Nationals and lesser challenger events is a pain.
To me, it's like paying for a specialized sport. I want to watch it on my time. I am willing to pay a fair fee for it. We should get everything. That's why I am thankful for podcasts that are keeping the fans engaged
You guys are inspiring me to start recording figure skating. Your skating tape collection sounds amazing!!! I was an Olympic skating fan and I became a super fan over covid watching skating on UA-cam while I was stuck at home, but so many amazing modern skating moments aren't online bc of copyright. A UA-cam channel that had tons of videos just got banned this week and all of their videos are gone :(
The rights issues around music and sports broadcast are just brutal for archiving FS. If all the nonsense that streaming companies have pulled over the last couple years have taught us anything, it's that we should be recording (or buying physical media for) anything we love. Because they can make it disappear with a push of a button otherwise.
I've never been to a competition live, so there were a lot of things I didn't know until I started watching a whole event -or most of it- on Peacock. (There's probably still a ton I don't know.) I started watching in the mid 90's and watched everything I could, with my grandma (who loved Paul Wylie!), from 97-05 but after that I didn't have cable or a way to watch tv until 2016, so I missed a lot of skating. I didn't start watching until 2018 again. Funny you didn't like Elvis Stojko, I didn't care for his look. I saw him once with a shorter hair, and I liked him much better. My unpopular opinion is that commentators shouldn't be berated for talking. People seem to think that there should be silence, and yeah, they could pipe down, but other country's commentators talk straight through much of the time. I'm surprised you didn't mention Michelle Kwan at all during this episode. I would love to see her do a program now, without jumps, but just see how her artistry would look today. Her costumes still rank among the best, too.
There were a few years in the early 2000s when we didn't have cable or any real broadcast TV, so definitely know what that's like. That's probably why Adron didn't get exposed to much until Wendy pulled out the old VHS tapes. Agreed about commentators, that's just them doing their jobs. Can't believe we didn't talk about Michelle Kwan! We've discussed her several times *off* the mic just in the past week, and even watched a couple of her programs (from her short hair phase, of all things). She's extraordinarily fit even today, we're sure she's still divine on the ice.
I still think that Jason will make the 2026 Olympics because he hasn't retired yet and he has said that he is going to Nationals next season. Also, Jason helps get the U.S. men thee spots for Worlds. Also, Jason is consistent and Max, Camden, and Andrew are not consistent. Nice Question and Answer video.
Papadakis and Cizeron's "Find Me" is probably the program I've watched the most times in the past decade or so. The version by On Ice Perspectives, in their practice rink, is my favorite. I would give so much to see that program filmed in a completely empty rink with minimal lighting; maybe just a couple spotlights, with Gabby and Guillaume in simple white flowy costumes like they're spirits descended just for those few moments of the routine.
The lift where they look at each other right on the "I can remember what it was like to stare blindly into your eyes" is THE lift of all time to me, I think about it all the time
It's definitely magic.
Gen Z here, so I loved learning about the 80-90s skating from Wendy and Adron's abundance of hot takes! I think Adron's the biggest Chock/Bates fan I know.
On Wendy's bunker picks: I also watched P/C's Find Me a lot during the pandemic, I think the performance captures the feeling of loneliness everyone felt during the lockdown, so it was perfectly timed. I'd also bring Rika Kihira's Breakfast in Baghdad program to the bunker, it's so unique and one of my favs.
On Adron's hot takes: Anna Shcherbakova fan here too! She's has neither the technique nor skating skills, BUT she's a fantastic competitor with an iron will 💪She always gets it together when it matters, brings the musicality and the quads. Nathan/Sasha VS Yuzuru/Anna would be peak chaotic pairs rivalry.
They're not singles skaters, but I'd like to form a same sex ice dance team of Katsalapov/Donohue, they both bring a certain toxic energy 😅For program swaps: Chock/Bates skating to Smart/Diaz Mask of Zorro program, I think Maddy would slay it! What do you guys think of France's chance in the Olympic team event with Adam and (possibly) P/C?
Rika Kihira is a lovely skater. We're so sad to lose her to injury this season.
The idea of Nathan/Sasha VS Yuzuru/Anna is PURE chaos and we are HERE for it! (There needs to be a FS video game or something where you can "choose your fighter" like this.)
You're right, Shcherbakova is such a clutch skater. Which makes it doubly infuriating when her team ignored her, or actively seemed to root against her.
Katsalapov/Donohue?? Toxic is the word indeed, can you imagine the drama? And we have high hopes for Adam at the Olympics, but still so much can change before then. He's improving all the time, but might have peaked a little early this season. He probably needs to diversify his programs a bit more, too.
Hats off to you! It was amazing.
Yay, glad you enjoyed it!
All those skaters doing solo ice dancing, especially, Kevin Amoz and Jason Brown would be great.
It would be really fun to see how they'd adapt to that different discipline. Jason feels like a natural transition, his skating skills are already phenomenal. Kevin might find it more challenging, but there are few more expressive skaters.
Very fun episode! Thank you! What's next? Your Worlds preview? Worlds is one month away! Still time to get your tickets. Can't wait. But then, I'm a crazy person, already have my Boston 2025 tickets!
Worlds preview coming soon! Our latest episode is about Challenge Cup, and then we're going to cover Junior Worlds. Admittedly, we don't pay a ton of attention to Juniors, so there will be a lot of new faces to us. We wish we could go to Worlds! But maybe we should plan ahead for Boston...
Great episode! Interesting idea about the bunker programs. Here's my list:
*Alena Kostornaia -- Angel (Max Richter) SP -- 2019 NHK Trophy
*Mao Asada -- Rachmaninoff FS -- 2014 Olympics
*Junhwan Cha -- No Time To Die FS -- 2023 Worlds
*Dmitri Aliev -- Masquerade Waltz SP -- 2018 Olympics
*Yuzuru Hanyu -- Chopin SP -- 2018 Olympics
*Mikhail Kolyada -- Nureyev FS (White Crow) -- 2022 Channel One Cup
*Nathan Chen -- Philip Glass FS -- 2021 Worlds
*Alexandra Trusova -- Romeo & Juliet -- 2021 Russian Nationals
*Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov -- Moonlight Sonata FS -- 1994 Olympics
*Yuzuru Hanyu -- Seimei FS -- 2018 Olympics
This is an excellent selection for the bunker! We need to hunt these down for a viewing party before digging into Challenge Cup...
Elvis (and Kurt) have kept Stars on Ice alive in Canada for years 😊
Now if somebody could have just kept it alive this year in the US...
This is such a great episode!! I'd love to see more Q&A's in the future! Wendy, your story about Kurt Browning signing your stuffed monkey made me so happy!!
Some of my initial reactions:
A small part of my heart sunk when Shoma said that he thinks he can't beat Ilia :( I think he's still very much in the conversation at Worlds. I'm also very concerned for Ilia's long term health. Obviously his skills are incredible, but I really hope he's staying healthy and taking care of his body as he trains high impact jumps like the quad axel. I really want him to have a long career where he can go to multiple Olympics and grow as a skater.
I will say that I STRONGLY DISAGREE that solo dance should be a separate category for skaters like Kevin Aymoz and Deniss Vasiljevs who excel in artistry and don't have the same technical arsenal. First of all, that gives the perception that solo dance is just an afterthought discipline for skaters who think they can't measure up to skaters like Ilia Malinin in terms of their technical arsenal or who are on their way to retiring. I believe that solo dance should be able to emerge and grow as its own separate discipline for audiences to enjoy.
In terms of the discussion of artistry vs technical - Yes skating is a sport, but it's athleticism doesn't just come from jumping quads. There is athletic merit to artistry and mastering complex components. A lot of times training hard on adding more spin revolutions, covering the entire ice during footwork sequences, and mastering skating skills takes just as much energy and strength as jumping. When I skated competitively, my step sequence was easily the hardest part of my programs because it took so much energy and strength to maintain speed and flow throughout the whole sequence. I actually also had some pretty hard falls during practice where I would place my body weight on the wrong edge and belly flop at full speed. (And this is all when I was training the flip which is my least favorite jump).The artistry in the sport isn't just meant to be aesthetics or looking pretty while you skate. Often times it's the key to making programs as magical and electrifying as they are, and it also makes the skaters more balanced and well rounded. Seeing a skater like Yuma Kagiyama put so much emotion and energy into his programs is amazing to see in addition to his impeccable jumps! And of course, the beauty of skating is seeing so many athletes who have different strengths and weaknesses compete together. Unfortunately, I don't think the way the current IJS set up is rewarding skaters who do put in extra hours to train their spins, footwork sequences, and program composition. I hope the ISU is able to figure out a way to reward both technical elements and artistic components equally so we can see different types of skaters compete in a level playing field.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comment about solo ice dance. As a former singles skater who learned ice dancing late in my career, I can attest to the fact that ice dance is HARD! You can "freeskate" your way through the pattern dances until about silver level, and then you come to realize that ice dance truly is a separate discipline with specialized skill sets that you actually have to learn. I wish people would stop suggesting solo dance as a back-up plan. It's literally a separate sport.
@pardisalizadeh-shabdiz5637 @christinethorp3684 Perhaps we didn't make it clear enough, but we never wanted to imply that solo ice dance was a lesser sport or "back-up plan". We would not suggest that switch would be easy in any way. Rather, for some, it would represent a transition - one that required learning new skills as part of a separate discipline. Much like Daisuke Takahashi transitioning from singles to ice dance, which pushed him to develop all new abilities - that he acknowledged was an immense challenge. (And we're grateful for the years we got of him and Kana.) This sport is full of skaters who for one reason or another changed disciplines, and found ways to sustain competitive careers (or, in Deanna Stellato-Dudek's case, return to it). Having a new solo discipline just opens more avenues.
I agree with your suggestions for the ISU awards. I love your videos. Thank you for your podcasts.
So much appreciated!
Love this episode, and all of the hot takes
Yay, thank you!
I'm super late to the game, but these are my bunker picks !
- Aljona Savchenko & Bruno Massot's "La Terre Vue du Ciel" free skate at the 2018 Olympics
- Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir's "Moulin Rouge" free skate at the 2018 Olympics (and the tape HAS to include the kiss and cry)
- Joannie Rochette's short program at the 2010 Olympics (also has to include the kiss and cry, as someone who also lost a parent at a similar age I can't put words onto what it means to me)
- Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron's "Fame" rhythm dance, I love the costumes so it pains to me to say this but I think it has to be the OnIcePerspectives version because my god the way it shows off the speed of their finstep blows my mind
- Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron's "Find Me" free dance, probably at GP finals, or maybe NHK purely because of Gabi's adorable reaction to the slow motion replays
- Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani's rhythm dance at US nationals 2018
- Mirai Nagasu improv'ing to Styx's "Boat on the River" at Improv Ice
- Nathan Chen's 2018-2019 "Caravan" short program (can't chose which iteration of it... Maybe Rostelecom??)
- Kevin Aymoz's "Horns" short program at skate Canada 2018
- Wenjing Sui & Cong Han's "Rain in your Black Eyes" free skate at worlds 2019 OR their Blues for Klook short program
- Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean's Bolero at the 1984 Olympics
- Olivia Smart & Adrian Diaz's "Mask of Zorro" free skate at the 2022 Olympics
(Yes I know that's 12 but you guys get to watch each other's stuff !)
Honorable mention to Tessa & Scott's compulsory dance from the 2010 Olympics because I've never been so excited during a compulsory dance (and maybe their Carmen too!)
And in terms of all-time Favs :
Single Men is Shoma Uno (but maybe Nathan Chen too), single women Mirai Nagasu, Ice Dance I cannot choose between Virtue/Moir and Papadakis/Cizeron, and Pairs probablt Sui/Han but also specifically Vanessa James
And a question, if you ever do another Q&A or if the subject comes up : I'd love to hear what you guys think about specific clubs dominating a whole discipline, like for example IAM or Eteri before the ban (maybe positives and negatives of this...) I feel very negative about what happened to the women's discipline because of Eteri, but I love IAM, and I feel like that's helped me see more nuance in the topic
Love the podcast, can't wait for more !!
That's a great Q&A idea! *scribbles notes furiously*
And you've got a lot of brilliant bunker picks (and a bunch we need to go back and watch). Especially love the mentions of Smart & Diaz's "Zorro" routine (so underrated!), the Shib sibs, and Sui & Han. And you've given us an interesting idea for a videos series... 🤔😎
@@scoreography omg that's so exciting, very curious about your series idea !
Fun! I mean I’m trying to forgive you both for the Michelle Kwan erasure. 2004 Tosca.. 1998 Lyra Angelica and 96 Salome are some of the all time greats. Usova and Zhulins blues for klook in 93. torvill and Dean as well. They did a program called January Stars in maybe 1995 that I consider the best work of art on the ice ever. Whenever I get someone into skating, these are what I’ve shown them.
Second that
Wendy came close to putting Michelle's "East of Eden" on her bunker list. But, yeah, kinda can't believe we didn't mention her.
I loved figure skating myself and my mom and sister watched figure skating since Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Paul Wylie, Debbie Thomas, Kristie Yamaguishi, Tonya Hardy, Nancy Karrinagton, Brian Botanio, Todd Eldridge, Michael Weiss, Rudy Galanio, MICHELLE KWAN, Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes, Tara Lipsiski, Jeremy Abbott, Jason Brown, some Canadian skaters, some international skaters but I am biased, routed and cheered for my country like everyone else!!! My favorite: MICHELLE KWAN, the men, JEREMY ABBOTT and NATHAN CHEN, Pairs: Tia Babylonia and Randy Gardner, Meno and Sands, and Knimio and Frazier and ice dance skaters; Davis and White, and Chock and Bates, Neset and Marynov and I too have many favorites too, but they are Amerians because they are unpopular Internationally that I observed and judged strictly!!! International, I admire our beloved and nemesis neighbor CANADIANS and some of the Russians: the GOAT, Anna S., and Kamala V; the men the quad king P and I know his face Alexi something, pairs: the one who lost her husband and I was impressed by them, the Chinese teams but I can't remember faces, the German teams can't remember the names and the Canadians and now the Japanese team, ice dance: Japanese team who retired, Czech Republic teams, and French teams, and Italians but I enjoyed some Korean skaters too like Ja Shin, and Japanese skaters like Uno and Sato... French: Fa and A ... For the judging, I prefer the composition skills should be higher than the technical skills when skaters have both artistically and athletically; and for the Americans: two women: Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn who you didn't speak about and there are alternatives: Ava Zeigher, Eylse Gracie ( 4 Continents) and Starr Andrews: men Ilia Mallanin, JASON BROWN, and Camden Pulkenin, alternates; Andrew Torgashov, Maxim Nunmov and I forgot the last one pairs Chan and Howe, Klam and O'Shea and Plazas and Fernandez alternates Lui and Naga Martin and Bernard and Ice Dance Skaters: Chock and Bates, Carreria and Pomanerico and Bratti and Somerville Alternates Greene and Parsons, Pate and Bye, and Zengis and Kolenik and those are our best for now because they completed Internationally of the Grand Prix and some medalled and came in the top 10 from all disciplines and as long as they do their best and enjoy what they are doing should at least be in the top 10, but I honestly hope that they think 🤔 like a winner like their foreign contenders and they can only do their own planned programs and execute both without any or slightly hesitation and hope that the judging system would be basically better than last time...I like to reiterate again, I want American dominance because I am biased and only route and cheer for USA all the way!!! But realistically I know that Canadians are planning to do the same thing because it's their HOUSE; Japanese skaters and the Korean skaters are the ones to beat because they are the dominant teams and Belgium skaters are on the raising stars in the women in the Grand Prix series and European Championship and for pairs, watch out for Hungarians, Germans, Italians, Japanese, Georgian and Australian teams because it's anybody as long as they follow their program and execute their own programs well to receive a winning scores and that is the same thing in ice dance contenders; the ones to watch Italians, French, Korean, Czech Republic, Finland, LAT, Ukraine, Israel, Brits, and Spain besides USA and CANADA: all disciplines are going to be FIERCE and extremely competitive and effective... so we will have to be glue to the tube watching it unfold or in my case, my phone because I can see it all on Peacock 🦚 streaming app and hopefully without COMMERCIALS so I can't predict what team would be on the podium and as I routed for team USA in track and field, I would be doing the same thing for team USA!!!! I would like for you to comment on Synchronized Skating: our American teams for seniors and Haydennette and Skyliners and for the juniors Team Elite and Skyliners both are our best and competed INTERNATIONALLY and I too loved Bettie Davis ( Ashley Wagner) and Jason Brown River Dance and Davis and White Phantom of the Opera and Michelle Kwan East of Eden and there were others Internationally and nationally... personally, when the Olympics of ice dance contenders for the podium were Canadian, French and the United States, I personally preferred the French outshined the Canadian team that was when the USA siblings received the bronze medal beaten out Chock and Bates and the other American team, and that is why Chock and Bates are still competing as well as Potier and Giles of Canada and we cannot leave out that Italian veteran team: all veterans vs the young teams which include as veteran the FRENCH: it'll be INSANE because they trained and practiced in MONTREAL except Italians and Czech Republic teams for the top two groups fighting for the podium slots; I believe that the ISU should provide fourth place medal too!!!! Just saying!!!! Thanks for sharing your podcast; I enjoyed it because I like fair interpretation of the top 10 from a spectator's point of view and insights and I can relate with all fairness!!! Thanks again and can't wait for your next podcast!!! 😊😊😂😂
Worlds is shaping up to be a really intense showdown. Hopefully we'll be able to watch it in real time (as opposed to time-delayed like many of the competitions in the other hemisphere).
It's fairly unlikely that we'll cover Synchronized Skating, sorry! Neither of us really enjoy watching it, so we wouldn't be good commentators for it.
@@scoreography Thanks, but you might because that sport is extremely competitive like artistic gymnastics working together in a team for different countries; the top teams are Canadians, ( Les Supreme), Finland teams and I forgot their names and then the AMERICANS: coverage used to be on You Tube and Peacock 🦚, but not 🚭🚫 RECENTLY for World's, but I am sorry that you don't favored that competition which is like synchronized swimming too: you can go on Peacock 🦚 now for figure skating and other events... that is what I did for track and field, swimming and speed skating but that is on You Tube!!! But I agree with you and we can compare notes; thank you again!!!
Now that you put together your list of "bunker" programs, any chance that you would put those together on UA-cam as a playlist? I was actually thinking the other day that one thing that could help me and others get more connected to the sport would be help finding videos of programs (from you or other fans) -- I'm sure that lots exist, but Adron's description of "programs that make me feel things" is the kind of information that I love seeing from other fans! Thank you for all your work on this podcast, it's a great combination of smart analysis, help keeping up with the sport, and genuine appreciation.
We're definitely going to make that bunker playlist soon. And we have some other plans like this for videos after Worlds/during the summer off season. More to come!
I was always an Olympic watcher, I would watch every four years and maybe catch it flipping through the channals. 2018 after the Olympics I stated watching all the GP and comptations. It was easier when the streaming let me watch it on my time. that is why I cannot wait until NBC ends their contract with USF the ISU and put it on YT it is so much better on YT
Just use a VPN and you can forget about NBC, lol
The ISU feeds on Peacock and YT are really solid, but the music rights issues have really messed up where and how long it's available. Like @EranMick said, a VPN is a big help with that. But it would be nice if there weren't so many hoops to jump through just to watch. Hunting down other country's Nationals and lesser challenger events is a pain.
To me, it's like paying for a specialized sport. I want to watch it on my time. I am willing to pay a fair fee for it. We should get everything. That's why I am thankful for podcasts that are keeping the fans engaged
You guys are inspiring me to start recording figure skating. Your skating tape collection sounds amazing!!! I was an Olympic skating fan and I became a super fan over covid watching skating on UA-cam while I was stuck at home, but so many amazing modern skating moments aren't online bc of copyright. A UA-cam channel that had tons of videos just got banned this week and all of their videos are gone :(
The rights issues around music and sports broadcast are just brutal for archiving FS. If all the nonsense that streaming companies have pulled over the last couple years have taught us anything, it's that we should be recording (or buying physical media for) anything we love. Because they can make it disappear with a push of a button otherwise.
I've never been to a competition live, so there were a lot of things I didn't know until I started watching a whole event -or most of it- on Peacock. (There's probably still a ton I don't know.) I started watching in the mid 90's and watched everything I could, with my grandma (who loved Paul Wylie!), from 97-05 but after that I didn't have cable or a way to watch tv until 2016, so I missed a lot of skating. I didn't start watching until 2018 again. Funny you didn't like Elvis Stojko, I didn't care for his look. I saw him once with a shorter hair, and I liked him much better. My unpopular opinion is that commentators shouldn't be berated for talking. People seem to think that there should be silence, and yeah, they could pipe down, but other country's commentators talk straight through much of the time. I'm surprised you didn't mention Michelle Kwan at all during this episode. I would love to see her do a program now, without jumps, but just see how her artistry would look today. Her costumes still rank among the best, too.
There were a few years in the early 2000s when we didn't have cable or any real broadcast TV, so definitely know what that's like. That's probably why Adron didn't get exposed to much until Wendy pulled out the old VHS tapes.
Agreed about commentators, that's just them doing their jobs. Can't believe we didn't talk about Michelle Kwan! We've discussed her several times *off* the mic just in the past week, and even watched a couple of her programs (from her short hair phase, of all things). She's extraordinarily fit even today, we're sure she's still divine on the ice.
Was waiting for someone to mention Michelle
My first skating memory was Scott Hamilton when I was 8. I am now 53.
It's a lovely thing that Scott is still a visible personality around the sport, and one of its greatest ambassadors.
I still think that Jason will make the 2026 Olympics because he hasn't retired yet and he has said that he is going to Nationals next season. Also, Jason helps get the U.S. men thee spots for Worlds. Also, Jason is consistent and Max, Camden, and Andrew are not consistent. Nice Question and Answer video.
We're pretty sure the US fed has begged Jason to stick around for all those reasons!