With Finlandia Trophy, the pre-Grand Prix — and most pivotal — stretch of the ISU’s 2016 Challenger Series has concluded, along with the debuts of most of the US and Canada’s international dance teams and pairs. Notable absences like Maia…
In the second question in Two for the Ice’s Ask the Expert series, ice dance coach and Mariposa School of Skating dance director David Islam — whose students have included current Junior Grand Prix competitors Hannah Whitley and Elliott Graham…
The earliest ice dance events of summer — Lake Placid and its championship and international competitions, Minto Summer Skate and the Championnats québécois d’été, or Quebec Summer Championships — are, by near definition, starting points for the long September-March international…
There will be no extended analysis of deeper PCS meaning this go-round, but a quick overview of just how tight the race in U.S. and Canadian pairs — for those 3-4-5 spots at home, for international opportunities or top 10…
The first question in Two for the Ice’s Ask the Expert series turns to the process of short dance creation, with ice dance coach and choreographer Carol Lane — an element of whose 2015-16 short dance with Juris Razgulajevs for…
With the dance field expanded to 10 couples apiece for the first time since the 2010-11 season, competitors saw additional opportunity — though some absences for those guaranteed at least one spot are also worth noting. Pairs, which remains at…
The ISU figure skating powers-that-be meet this Wednesday and Thursday to set out the coming season’s Grand Prix assignments across six events — this year, in a minor shake-up of schedule, Skate America, Skate Canada International, Rostelecom Cup, the renamed…
As the partnered disciplines go, pairs lends itself most readily to analysis by technical improvement — a fall or aborted element are explicit, easily marked errors and likewise, GOE typically does fairly well in grading an element’s obvious level of…
In this PCS series as in all analytical articles, it has generally been TFTI’s aim to provide some deeper insight into the numbers presented — related or not to on-ice performance. But in the matter of Grades of Execution in…
by Jacquelyn Thayer While this project has been in the works for a period, the topic of funding in figure skating has recently come to popular attention, with PJ Kwong and pair Hayleigh Bell and Rudi Swiegers highlighting specific costs…
