by Jacquelyn Thayer Olympic figure skating commentators tend to keep the sport’s coverage in a classic 6.0 mindset: there is a technical elements mark, obviously used to score things like jumps and twizzles, and an “artistic” or “presentation” mark — meant to score something less definable, based heavily on subjective emotions and tastes. It’s true…
Our Snapshot Stats series at Tumblr has offered a few takes during this Grand Prix series. Blame Russia? A Curious Dip A State of Stasis? More analysis still to come — keep an eye out in the pre-Nationals interval!
In addition to our Snapshot Stats on Tumblr, this Olympic season we’ll also be taking a numbers-oriented look right here at the topic of international assignments: who gets them, who doesn’t, and how often does reality reflect promise? Kicking things off, a first look at Canada’s NextGen program. Heading into the 2017-18 skating season, Skate…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Editor’s Note: This article has been sourced through both public documents and interviews obtained as possible. For the sake of both accuracy and education, we welcome more detailed information on U.S. funding and will gladly update if and when that information is made available. Two for the Ice took its first look…
With today’s surprise reveal of 2017-18’s Grand Prix assignments, Two for the Ice has compiled the hows, whys — and possible huhs — of who and how many assignments the dance and pair teams in question received. Given the smaller fields in Grand Prix pairs — a total of 48 spots versus the 60 up…
With today’s surprise reveal of 2017-18’s Grand Prix assignments, Two for the Ice has compiled the hows, whys — and possible huhs — of who and how many assignments the dance and pair teams in question received. We’ll look first at dance, the larger and, thus, more unwieldy field. Couples who placed in the top…
by Jacquelyn Thayer In the wake of the 2017 World Championships, an expanded look at the numbers beneath the outcomes. THE SCORESIf the 2017 World Championships — like any major skating event — told us anything, it’s how little confidence one should place in past scores and relationships between those personal bests so-called, particularly in…
by Jacquelyn Thayer After publishing in August a procedure for selection of the team to represent the nation in ice dance at the 2017 World Championships — giving the slot to the team with the highest short dance technical score at an international event — the Spanish winter sports federation yesterday courted controversy by declaring…
by Jacquelyn Thayer This week’s Grand Prix Final features a fair range of U.S. and Canadian teams. In pairs, Canada’s Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford and Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau will make repeat appearances; in dance, last year’s three U.S. entries — Maia and Alex Shibutani, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and Madison Hubbell…
by Jacquelyn Thayer This Grand Prix ice dance team-by-team analysis has been expanded from recent Snapshot Stats features on Two for the Ice on Tumblr. CHOCK & BATES vs. WEAVER & POJE A pair of world medalist teams in an oft-unsteady position: Madison Chock and Evan Bates ceded the U.S. national title to Maia and…
