Category: Analysis

A Program Component Score Guide for the Olympic Viewer

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 —…

Snapshotting the Grand Prix

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!

Canada’s NextGen Dancers, the National Summer Series, and the JGP

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…

What Price Skating Glory, Part 2: Institutional Funding

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…

Breaking Down the 2017-18 Grand Prix Draft: Pairs

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…

Breaking Down the 2017-18 Grand Prix Draft: Ice Dance

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…

2017 World Championships: Charted Territory

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…

Snapshot Stats: The Spanish Inquiry

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…

Previewing the Not-So-Predictive Grand Prix Final

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…

PCS: Connecting the Dots #9. Mixed Doubles

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…