Only Ayumi Kagotani/Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda competing in the Japanese pairs qualifier. Fall on the throw 3F and errors for both on the SBS 3Lz. Obviously there’s lots of work to be done, but it’s encouraging that they felt comfortable attempting such ambitious content!
Marin and Shoma unsurprisingly looking great—even the lift! No score box, though, and I don’t know enough about ID to predict the levels.
Very excited for Saki Miyake’s GP debut! I remember seeing her attempt 3A at Summer Cup years ago—so happy she’s finally made it to the big leagues!
We’re just a couple of days away from Marin Honda and Shoma Uno’s competitive ice dance debut! I’m confident they’ll perform beautifully—but will they also tick the boxes needed for a high score? No idea. Seven senior teams are competing in the qualifier. Where will they rank?
Ayumi Kagotani and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda are officially confirmed as having left Kinoshita Academy to train with Bruno Massot, who is now working in Japan to strengthen the country’s pairs field. I hope to see them competing more! www.instagram.com/p/DegwJSnCRm...
Yuna Nagaoka is back on the ice with partner Sumitada Moriguchi! I’m gagged—I didn’t think they’d be back by the Grand Prix. Very excited for them and hoping for no more bad luck! www.instagram.com/p/Ddq-Nf8E0s...
I’m not trying to be self-righteous—you can’t really be a figure skating fan while screaming “Won’t somebody please think of the children!”—but maybe don’t post a THIRTEEN-year-old’s skating unless it’s to say something nice? It’s literally their first season out of novice.
I’ve been noticing some (probably unconscious) gender bias in the way people are discussing figure skaters. When a male skater is working on a quad, the assumption seems to be that it’s his choice, but female skaters are being “forced” by their coach. Can you not believe that a
No, Shun Sato never called Cizeron his “soulmate.” You can have whatever opinion on a skater you want, but inventing fake quotes to support your stance is not ok. And no, “I read another tweet that said he said something like that somewhere at some time” isn’t justification.
A couple earning 4CC minimums in their first-ever international competition together, when one of them had never done ice dance until a year ago, is a very good result! Just in case we needed to clear that up…
Let’s go! (Weather sucks, and there’s the worst restroom line I’ve ever seen—really saying something as a female skating fan—but regardless, let’s go!) #Kinoshitacup
Since it’s a niche-ish sport, skaters may be pretty likely to see fans’ posts in their algorithms. Many will be reading through automatic translation. So it would be nice to be mindful of the slang you choose when talking about skaters. Not required—but nice.
I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about an ice dance competition as I am about the one at #KinoshitaCup I may not know much about ice dance, but I know four Japanese couples of potentially very similar levels going up against each other internationally is very exciting!
Bad day technically, but I do like Kao’s short program. Clean it should really make a fun performance! #kinoshitacup
Amazing short by Rio Nakata! That’s great to see, especially after quite a few guys having difficulties out there today. #kinoshitacup
JSF announced the singles TBA spots for NHK. Men: Nozomu Yoshioka Women: Mako Yamashita Yoshioka last appeared on the GP two years ago. Yamashita will return to the GP after a six-year absence, having last competed on the GP in 2020. news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/958...
フィギュアNHK杯の追加出場枠は吉岡希、山下真瑚に決定（毎日新聞） - Yahoo!ニュース
日本スケート連盟は2日、東京都内で理事会を開き、フィギュアスケートのグランプリ（GP）シリーズ第6戦NHK杯（11月27～29日、東京）について、男子の吉岡希選手（アクアピアSC）、女子の山下真瑚
news.yahoo.co.jp
FYI, according to JSF’s schedule, the NHK TBA selection takes place Aug. 2, though that doesn’t mean it will be publicly announced then. I’d guess ice dance TBAs are likely one spot for Kushida/Shimada, with the other being decided between Kihira/Nishiyama and Yamashita/Nagata.
Any common figure skating fan misunderstandings that drive you crazy? One of mine: When someone thinks a skater overrotating a jump is impressive/evidence they’re SO good at that jump that they should add another rotation. 🫣 #figureskating
Japan Post has announced a special stamp set in honor of Kaori Sakamoto’s retirement. www.post.japanpost.jp/newsrelease/...
A few points to keep in mind about Dreams on Ice: 1 There’s temporary seating placed on the actual ice surface, so skaters are working with less space. 2 Some costumes are finalized, but many are placeholders. 3 It’s JUNE. Most of these programs are basically brand new.
Very happy to see Kana Muramoto listed as choreographer for several new programs—I think the short program she worked on for Mayuko Oka was some of the most inventive choreography of last season, junior or senior.
Thank goodness JSF has kept all their ice dance spots at NHK this year! The assignments could actually go in a different direction than some casual fans might expect, but we’ll see. BTW, I’m 99% sure JSF won’t assign couples new to ID until they’ve done Nationals… 🤔
Just Nagaoka/Moriguchi representing Japan in pairs. A little disappointed they didn’t keep one TBA for Kagotani/Honda (I didn’t miss something, did I??).
Even without Kaori and Wakaba, plenty of Japanese women assigned. Two guaranteed spots for Yuna! Saki Miyake debuting in her 20s! The return of Mako Yamashita! And of course, Mao Shimada finally ages into seniors—interesting she didn’t end up at NHK.
With Yuma Kagiyama and Tatsuya Tsuboi out next season, Japanese men are a little thinner on the Grand Prix than in some recent years, but Rio Nakata senior GP debut!
From a logistical standpoint, I understand why spacing Grand Prix events out would be easier for skaters and organizers, but from a fan perspective, it was nice knowing the competition was coming at the end of each week, rather than remembering a schedule. 🤔
The salchow is the worst triple, unless it’s part of a 3S-3Lo combo, which is the most visually pleasing of the triple-triple combos (but sadly rarely used). Which is to say, I’m filled with contradictions. #figureskating
Interestingly (given recent discourse), Rika Kihira discussed trying out the two different salchow techniques in an interview in 2018. Full article here (Japanese): sports.yahoo.co.jp/column/detai...
I don’t know, man, did Daisuke Takahashi struggle with lifts because he’s not very tall, or did he struggle with lifts because he started competing in ice dance in his mid-thirties?
What are the chances Japan can, through a mix of politicking and improved performance, get to more than one ice dance spot by 2030? Low, right? …How many ID splits/retirements are the other countries looking at? 😩