2023-2024 Season in Review |
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- We look back at our highlights from the ’23-’24 figure skating season, talk about the World’s exhibition gala, conjecture on possible retirements and team changes, examine the state of figure skating and FS fandom, and hand out our season-end Gold in Our Hearts awards.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:03 Corrections
6:23 The State of Figure Skating and FS Fandom
15:50 World's Gala
20:07 Chelsea Liu news
23:20 Highlights of the Season
36:40 Next Season Predictions
45:58 Adron's Favorite Moments
48:51 Gold in Our Hearts: Full Season Edition
53:42 Wrap-Up
The 2023-2024 figure skating season is over - now what?! Before we settle into the off-season, let’s recap some of the best moments of the season and dig into some thoughts on what’s to come in the sport we love.
Whether it was the Quad God Ilia Malinin claiming his first World title in World Record fashion, or the volatile rise of Adam Siao Him Fa, it’s easy to see why the men’s discipline has been probably the most exciting of the season.
The men from Japan alone proved they could have a competition as compelling as the World Championships with their two top men - the glorious Shoma Uno and sublime Yuma Kagiyama - leading a field of so many medal contenders its sad to see any get left off the World team.
Now that we’re halfway through the Olympic quadrennial, things are about to get even more interesting - and more serious for everyone. What may we see next year? Maybe the first quint? It’s very possible.
Outside of the men’s division, though, it’s been a great if unpredictable season for the women. Queen Kaori Sakamoto’s three-peat World victory was historic and not surprising, but many of the other women seemed to struggle to find their consistency this year.
However, the rise of Ava Marie Ziegler from the United States, Hana Yoshida from Japan, and Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium lit up the sport and gave us some enthusiasm for the future.
Also, after such an up and down year, it was heart-warming to see Isabeau Levito fight for her first World silver and remind us all that she’s a force in this sport.
The dance discipline held true to its standard of being the most predictable, with the same top teams from last season remaining on top. However, we saw some hints that a changing of the guard may soon be on the horizon.
For all our love of Chock & Bates, admiration of Gilles & Poirier, and awe at Guignard & Fabbri, we’re slowly starting to see a shift in Ice Dance that may lift teams like Lajoie & Lagha, Fear & Gibson, and maybe even Carreira & Ponomarenko to the podium. How that will rollout over the next season is TBD, but it’ll be interesting to watch.
Last but NEVER least, the pairs discipline saw the biggest emotional moment of the season with Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps finishing the season is storybook fashion by winning their first World title on home ice. Rarely have we seen a moment in the sport as inspiring as this one, and it will be remembered for years to come.
That said - outside of them, Japan’s Riku Miura & Ryuchi Kihara, Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase & Nikita Volodin, and several other notable top teams - the pairs discipline is where we hope to see the most improvement going into next year. There are many teams with potential, but few making big strides. We hope to see bigger and better - and just more - from them next season.
All in all, its been a great ride this year - and we cannot wait to see what you all have in store for us this fall!
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I'm only 15 minutes in the podcast but THANK YOU for explaining why some people actively started to hate the sport and why they protest against the new skaters. They bother me so much, because (although I'm a fan only for 3-4 years) I'm actually feeling like the sport is evolving right now (or in this quad) to a very good direction. And I'm just grateful for your quality contents and how you're always respectful and kind - one can be critical not only in a toxic way. I almost never comment on YT and even now I didn't wanted from my personal account but I really like your stuff so thank you really and I'll be your listener for a long time ;)
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment, and we're glad you found that part helpful!
We also recognize that a lot of people have totally fair, valid, and reasonable critiques of skating. But some of the negativity we see is frustrating, even if we understand where it's coming from.
I'm a lifelong skating fan (40+ years), and I really appreciate your thoughtful, enthusiastic commentary. Thanks for putting into words why some fans have started to turn against the sport, which has baffled me, frankly. While I miss some of my favorites, like Michelle Kwan and, more recently, Nathan Chen, I still appreciate the current field of skaters and applaud them for pushing the sport ever forward. Some aspects of the sport are BETTER for fans now, like being able to follow skaters on social media and sometimes even personally interact with them there, and forums such as this where fans can come together and share perspectives. Please do continue your podcasts through the looooong offseason, and thanks for all your hard work this season!
Thank you! We're so happy to have so many of the skaters active on Instagram (in particular), sharing more of their experiences. I (Adron) have said it on the show before, but seeing those international friendships and exciting travel experiences is one of my favorite parts of current FS culture.
Gold in My Heart for the season: Jia Shin--her free program was breathtakingly beautiful every time she performed it. Shoma--because he's Shoma. Hase and Volodin--my new favorite pair team! I love them and their story and can't wait to see what their journey to the Olympics looks like. Hawayek and Baker--for "what might have been," and for creating the two most mesmerizing programs of the season.
You're not the first to mention Jia Shin in this comment section! She is *remarkable.* Hoping for a long, successful career from her. And we were *robbed* of those Hawayek and Baker programs, but so grateful On Ice Perspectives captured them. We adore them, but we've loved seeing them take such interesting directions beyond competition.
Gold in my heart - Aleksandr Selevko at Europeans! Thank you for your great podcast!
That's a terrific choice! We have high hopes for Aleksandr next season!
Ilia, Yuma, Adam, and Jason are the men that stuck out to me at Worlds I can't wait to see what Jason skates to for his short and long program next season. I get the feeling that Jason will skate in more competions next season and the Olympic season.
We hope we'll see more Jason next season! We love that he does all those show skates - but we never get to see them... *pouts*
I think that Shoma Uno will probably retire and Kevin Amoz will return to skating. However, I am worried that if Kevin has a couple of bad competions next season, he might retire. I also love Lukas B.
We have the same worry about Kevin. Lukas's unwavering positive energy has been so wonderful this season. And you can see how he draws other skaters in with that enthusiasm. It's so fun to watch.
Good news in this ever changing, unexpectedly sometimes, figure skating world:
1) Scoreography constantly growing in 2023-2024 season
2) Scoreography off-season with new topics
3)Scoreography next season!😊❤🎉
🥰
Your podcast is awesome. It has been so fun to live the season with you. The fan analysis is so on point. And I agree about ice dance. I wish there was a way to spice it up a bit, because once you've seen the programs, you've seen it all. The winners are very predictable.
Thank you! Agreed, the ISU really needs to find a way to balance the "purity" of Ice Dance with a more interesting approach that doesn't all but guarantee outcomes. Men and Pairs just gave us edge-of-your seat excitement. If Dance wants to maintain or grow at all, they need to capture at least a little bit of that energy.
I really liked what you said about people turning on the sport. I mentioned in another episode that I started watching figure skating this season and the thing is that i am also (unfortunately) on twitter a lot, and as you guys probably know 90% of the people on fstw are absolutely miserable about the sport lmao there are ofc valid criticism there as you said but theres also so much negativity and mention about how the sport is dying and whatnot but that kind of negative behavior aaaalllll of the time really turns off people from trying to get into it. thankfully (or not lol) i've been on twitter for a long time now im immune to its brand of negativity so i dont really care but it was still a surprise to see so many people there talking about how awful the season was and not having a point of comparison myself i was wondering if it was really the case bc honestly i had a blast so im glad to see i was not the only one!!
We avoid most of the really negative stuff on twitter. (We don't even want to still be on that platform. The only reason we've stuck it out is that figure skating fandom hasn't really taken root on Threads or Bluesky yet.) The way a lot of the "very online" FSTW fandom talks is like in-speak code that we can barely decipher sometimes. But there are a few accounts that are positive and a lot of fun. Some of them are SO deep in the fandom that they dig up interesting info we don't otherwise find. But, yeah, we honestly don't see the point of spending hours a day being big mad online about a sport, or willingly subjecting ourselves to that negativity.
Thank you for your video. It was a breath of fresh air. You have your favorite skaters, but your analysis were thoughtful and fair, no matter the skater. Look forward to next season. Jason Brown with his artistry and Kaori with her skills and lovely personality, reawakened my love for the sport.
I agree, the La/La team should have been on the podium. Hoping Papadakis and Cizeron makes a come back 😀
We've seen rumors that P/C have considered coming back, but they can't seem to get on the same page, struggling to communicate and agree on anything. Romain has been quoted saying "I don't think we should count on (their comeback)." 🤔
The problem with most US Pairs is that most of them don't stay together long enough to gel, although I do think that Kam and O'Shea might need to split soon if Ellie doesn't learn to land the throws and jumps more consistently.
Agreed, this is a clear and frustrating problem. We expect that Kam & O'Shea will stick it out at least another season, since they're our National Champs, and they seem to vibe so well together. But as much as we adore Ellie, she folds like a lawn chair during landings. We'd guess that's an issue with strength conditioning (and confidence), so hopefully they're working diligently to fix that during the off season.
Great episode! Echoing many comments that are thankful for you both joining the fs commentary community! Gold in my heart this season was Andrew Torgashev's short program to L'enfer. I'm a sucker for skaters making bold, unique music choices. The choreography was also so electric and powerful. It really stuck with me. Would you all consider doing interviews? It would be amazing to interviews with skater, or choreographer, or even other commentators or fans.
Torg's programs were excellent this year. Kinda hope he holds onto that short program, it suited him so well!
Interviews are definitely on the horizon! We both have extensive interviewing experience (mostly outside of sports/skating), so that's absolutely in our wheelhouse.
@@scoreography Same, I'd be happy to see him keep his short for another season! Woohoo looking forward to the upcoming interviews!!!
scott moir is not /officially/ marjo and zak's coach but they've worked with him in the off-season since their senior debut season in 2019/2020, as recently as last season (zak shared an ig story of him visiting IAM london in the summer, but he was alone since marjo was getting her new puppy? and he was injured so couldn't do any lifts at all). during his beijing olympic commentary, scott said lala are the ones to watch in 2026 :D he also gushed about them at 2023 nationals (don't ask why i know all this 💀).
😆 Duly noted!
Love the review. My favorite skater of the season is Jia Shin. The most consistent skater, who I can’t recall fell once this season. Also such a beautiful packaged free skate with an iconic Ina Bauer.
She really is sublime. We decided to keep the review focused on seniors, but Jia is elite, no question.
@@scoreography well she is the Korean senior national champion ;) but I get it . To me the junior women killed it this season.
@@glaznflip1501 The Junior Worlds women's comp truly was a highlight of the season. That upcoming talent is *crazy* good.
Seeing Lagha on the cover made me click so quick!
Yay, mission accomplished!
Agree about Illia’s exhibition
Hopefully he can harness that intensity and expression for next year's programs!
I joined to listen to your show in the middle of the season, and immediately fell in love with it. Love your honest and balanced opinions throughout the season, and this last wrap up was the chef’s kiss. Can’t say thank you enough for the joy from listening to you.
This is so kind of you, thanks so much!
I click so fast whenever I see a new episode from you guys. Absolute adore this podcast - thank you so much! Do either of you figure skate yourselves? I’d be so curious to know! I started skating 2.5 years ago (at 37 years old!), it’s challenging but completely addictive, and it makes me appreciate even more what we see the skaters do at these competitions 😊
Neither of us has ever figure skated (nor have either of us been on the ice at all in a looooonnng time). But we did just recently join a rink that gives skating lessons, with plans to start in one of their upcoming sessions. We'll see how that goes... 😅
Another great installment!❤
Thank you!
Would you talk about what's going on with Ice Dance the next two season in regards to the requirements?
That's definitely in the plans! We're working to find an expect to join us for that conversation, to be as accurate as possible - that stuff is so confusing!
New subscriber! So glad I found y'all 😊
I would love a deep dive on the intricacies of ice dance. It's so beautiful but I don't understand what I'm looking at. What's good/what's bad? What is a deep edge? What's a no touch step sequence? All I know is that for whatever reason I'm a fan of the team that skated to Perfume.
So happy to have you with us! We have an in-depth ice dance episode in the works, just lining up some expert interviews for it. And Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko are terrific-as is that whole Perfume soundtrack!
(Side note: "The Night Circus" is one of Adron's favorite novels. He owns multiple copies!)
I love Kaori, Isabeau, Luna, and Amber.
Could you do something like road to the Olympics, what to be looking out for as we gear up for 2026, possible dark horses for the podium?
This is a good idea. Probably something we'd do later in the summer after most of the shake-ups and retirements are over...
@@scoreography and hopefully the citizenship status of some teams clearer too!
Thank you for talking about the evolution of the sport and having longing other stars or versions of the sport. My problem is that my take for the Women's event for the season is that we are still feeling the effects of the Russians being banned. Eteri Tutberidze with the d*ping, her horrible coaching and clear favoritism for her skaters made all the events so unwatchable that I don't even bother put anytime in watching them. Now there is a vacuum, and you can see the struggle these ladies are to see who gets to the top, and all the programs reflect that. I got the same vibes about dance. I couldn't get into it. Pairs, they are actually starting to get their footing this season, which was nice to see.
Adam earned his Olympic spot back in 2022. I saw him there first, and I knew he was going to climb the ranks, This was a crazy season for him with a crazier ending. Illia, I think, was injured, and doing all quads is unsustainable. Yuma, I didn't like it initially, but the progress he has made. I was glad to see him on the podium.
Shoma, I will have to say this he is the most Adorable Japanese man ever. I love him and his skating, but I think he waved the white flag to say he is done. He is a great skater.
I'm looking forward to the next skating season
I know I am in the minority but I do think the Russians being banned forget the political reasons makes it feel like we are missing a significant part of the skating world. I get it people do not like them for doping - though it has not been proven all of them were drugged It is great that we have seen the rise of so many countries without Russia = Italy, Belgium, France, Korea, Lots of criticisms about the russians artistry especially in the ladies but even without quads artistry is still a struggle. Objectively Kaori has not grown artistically or technically. Isabeau was a great medal here but not overly excited skating. The US there is some excitement but not the same of Tara, Nicole, Michelle and Sasha. THere is a ubiquitous quality about the top Isabeau; Bradie, Liu, I guess Amber's triple axel is "exciting" but a quick survey and people could not identify these four skaters unlike Michelle Kwan or Sasha Cohen. I guess the rise of LaLa in dance and so many pairs teams in the mix for medals - but then again this year they did not show huge C elements or artistry - Japan, Canada, Georgia, Germany, Australia, ver good teams but not amazing. Not Gordeeva and Grinkov. I agree to a point about dance. Except for the Brits - they are fun but really a bit cheesey and technically not as strong. Chock and Bates have had two "lucky" wins. Both years made mistakes. I don't know why the judges are so hard on Piper and Paul. I am fine if CB retire and Italy. I did like LaLa and I think Japan will be on top for pairs in the future. Piper and Paul scarily remind me not as to style of the other Canadian dance team from yesteryear Weaver and Poje. Kind of got the shaft constantly. If PC comes back Italy or Canada will end up off the podium if CB stay on - the wild card is the Brits and LaLa who really are the complete skating. The Brits have done so well on personality but their skating is overrated.
The fallout from the last women's Olympic comp has definitely reverberated through the sport. And it was difficult watching skaters we liked, Shcherbakova for instance, always looking like they were about to pass out at the boards, only to come alive _just in time_. We have no interest in seeing young athletes destroy their longevity by front-loading their career with bad technique and ultra-C jumps that destroy their bodies. We really like to see this (small, but encouraging) trend of adult women skaters advancing their technical and landing big elements _after_ their youthful "jumping bean" stage. The Women's division is obviously still figuring all this out, but rebuilding seasons are inevitable sometimes.
Will Josephine Lee and Anna Marie Ziegler be eligible for international assignments next season?
Josephine is way too young for senior international competitions. Ava Marie has been eligible for awhile (hence her win at NHK Trophy), but the U.S. fed seems unwilling to back her for some reason.
@rachelheller1396 @christinethorp3684 Right, sadly Joey doesn't turn 17 and senior eligible until next year. We hope Ziegler made enough waves this season to get some more support. She has apparently been fighting a hip injury for awhile, though. Hoping the time off since 4CC has helped repair that.
Interesting observations on the way we perceive things as fans. I've been thinking about that since there's been some comments like that going around after World's. It was hard to see people hating on skating even though World's was so nice. I was just watching some World's from Michelle Kwan's time, and I don't think skating was so much better back, it's always a progression. It's the same and it's changed. I do wish they'd make more room for the layback and spiral sequences. One thing I miss is the old fluff pieces on the skaters, but I guess we have social media now. Isabeau's gala showing was hmm. I can't seem to remember the names - Lagha and ... - but I hope they get some nice costumes next season. I haven't liked their costumes since that awesome parrot program a few years ago, he keeps wearing bulky shirts and she wears kinda funky new agey dresses. I think they need that to move up. Similar to the Italians, whose short costumes were hideous and not really 80's. Their free dance costumes were good, though.
We would also like to see more room for spirals, scratch spins and long Ina Bauers - just let some of the artistic elements breathe. We also miss the "packages" on the skaters. It felt like the pandemic squashed that trend, even for the Olympics. But maybe we can do a little something about that...
I think that Chock and Bates are going to have to skate better next year in order to win Worlds again. They will probably medal at Worlds next season, though
At the very least, they'll need to peak later in the season (if they keep competing).
I love their exhibition piece, I'd like to see them do something like that. But of course, they probably want to try something different, and I don't blame them either.
@@L.Spencer We've been hot and cold on the "Night Call" exhibition this season. It's been brilliant at some events, and lets them showcase an emotional intensity that's sometimes lacking from their competitive programs. But it looked a little sluggish to us at Worlds gala, and they had a bad fall during it at one of the GP galas. But doing something more emotionally intense and less avant-garde might be necessary for them to stay ahead if they continue competing.
Can't wait for the Japanese pair to grow up a whole bunch. The childish reaction after the Free Skate in the Kiss and Cry was so unprofessional and truly left a bad taste in my mouth. He wasn't sick for the medal podium. Worst case of disrespect to the sport EXCEPT FOR THE RUSSIA DRUG CHEATING. Get it together. You are better than that.