2021 ISU World Team Trophy, April 15-18, Osaka, Japan

[yeslek]

My understanding is that the top athletes are being sponsored by the boot and blade companies. I could be wrong though......

And I think they would prefer to give their skaters two pairs rather than the negative press of hearing they broke down.

 

[yeslek]

Blades at Bradie's level cost over $500. It's not realistic to have multiple sets on hand. Feestyle skaters usually wear out boots long before blades, so mounting current blades (with plenty of life left) on new skates is a standard thing.

Seems like a small cost for someone that high level. They aren’t managing their funds well then if you could lose a spot at the Olympics for it. Get rid of one horrible costume, reuse an exhibition costume, bring one less coach for one less day (in a non-covid year)etc. until you have your backups taken care of.

 

[MacMadame]

bring one less coach for one less day

What couches are making $1000 per lesson?

 

[yeslek]

What couches are making $1000 per lesson?

The cost to bring them to a competition for one day?? Their cost, hotel, meals, etc. it adds up.


Since you know everything though it’s coaches not couches.

 

[Coco]

That brings up an interesting question...do skaters traveling to 4CCs and Worlds on behalf of, say, the US or Canada or Russia have to pay the same travel and opportunities costs for their coaches that they would pay for a trip to Nationals or does their federation cover it?

 

[MacMadame]

The cost to bring them to a competition for one day?? Their cost, hotel, meals, etc. it adds up.

It wasn't clear that you meant "at the competition".

Since you know everything though it’s coaches not couches.

And since you are so nasty in all your posts... <ignore>

 

[Aceon6]

Seriously, has anyone here bought two pair of anything and had them be EXACTLY the same? Or tried on jeans in the same size from the same company?

A fraction of a mm in width could impact both mounting and the feel of the edge. Switching would be so hard.

 

[Hedwig]

Back up boots are there so you can break them in easily once the other pair has broken down. That is not a matter of 1-3 practices. Every pair of boots is slightly different and will effect your whole skating. If the boots had broken down a week before Worlds, Bradie would likely have switched to them. So it just was not realistic. That has nothing to do with costs and sponsoring but is the nature of a sport so complicated as figure skating where you get an element right by adjusting your shoulder one milimeter and failing completely when you forget to think about your big toe while doing something (not doing anything witj the toe really. Just thinking about it or not makes the difference)

 

[yeslek]

Back up boots are there so you can break them in easily once the other pair has broken down. That is not a matter of 1-3 practices. Every pair of boots is slightly different and will effect your whole skating. If the boots had broken down a week before Worlds, Bradie would likely have switched to them. So it just was not realistic. That has nothing to do with costs and sponsoring but is the nature of a sport so complicated as figure skating where you get an element right by adjusting your shoulder one milimeter and failing completely when you forget to think about your big toe while doing something (not doing anything witj the toe really. Just thinking about it or not makes the difference)

I understand that. Im sure she had to weigh the costs and benefits of switching and chose not to and decided her current set was the better option. I would have been upset if I had to skate in a back up pair but depending on what was wrong it would have been an option to consider. It couldn’t have been that horrible since she still chose to skate in the exhibition. (They at least looked better than Keegan’s skates!)

 

[yeslek]

Battered skates give Nathan Chen the boot at World Championships — Globetrotting by Philip Hersh

HELSINKI, Finland -- Everyone has a favorite pair of shoes, the ones so comfortable you will have them repaired over and over again and then wear them even after no repair will really hold them securely together. For figure skaters, that situation is compounded by the stresses from torque and impac

www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com

Interesting insight from when Nathan had the same issue needing to decide between back ups that hadn’t been used yet or battered down skates and said he’s always going to have a better pair of back ups ready to go.

 

[Tavi]

Back up boots are there so you can break them in easily once the other pair has broken down. That is not a matter of 1-3 practices. Every pair of boots is slightly different and will effect your whole skating. If the boots had broken down a week before Worlds, Bradie would likely have switched to them. So it just was not realistic. That has nothing to do with costs and sponsoring but is the nature of a sport so complicated as figure skating where you get an element right by adjusting your shoulder one milimeter and failing completely when you forget to think about your big toe while doing something (not doing anything witj the toe really. Just thinking about it or not makes the difference)

I agree, but it kind of begs the question of why she brought a pair of back up boots with her if they weren’t even minimally broken in and there was no way she could have confidently competed in them. The only thing I can think of is that the old ones failed at the last minute - ie, in the last practice or at the 6 minute warm up - and tape really was her only option. It’s really too bad, but hopefully she’ll get back on track at WTT.

 

[yeslek]

I agree, but it kind of begs the question of why she brought a pair of back up boots with her if they weren’t even minimally broken in and there was no way she could have confidently competed in them. The only thing I can think of is that the old ones failed at the last minute - ie, in the last practice or at the 6 minute warm up - and tape really was her only option. It’s really too bad, but hopefully she’ll get back on track at WTT.

Yes. That was exactly what I thought too!

 

[Colonel Green]

This event is also a big opportunity for the participants who didn't participate in Worlds to get a top 24 season's best and (in theory; we'll see if they keep the normal rules) thus a guaranteed Grand Prix invitation somewhere. Particularly in the ladies, where half the participants either didn't go to Worlds or didn't make the free skate there (in the case of Gutmann).

 

[haribobo]

The skaters without one looking to get a SB from this comp are:

MEN
Nam Nguyen, Roman Sadovsky, Adam Siao Him Fa

LADIES
Gabby Daleman, Alison Schumacher, Maia Mazzara, Lea Serna, Lara Naki Gutmann, Ginevra Negrello

PAIRS
Matte/Ferland

DANCE
Soucisse/Firus

 

[Sonata]

The skaters without one looking to get a SB from this comp are:

MEN
Nam Nguyen, Roman Sadovsky, Adam Siao Him Fa

LADIES
Gabby Daleman, Alison Schumacher, Maia Mazzara, Lea Serna, Lara Naki Gutmann, Ginevra Negrello

PAIRS
Matte/Ferland

DANCE
Soucisse/Firus

Most of these skaters are Canadian. They’ll be skating against skaters who just skated at worlds, some of them past and current world champions. Kind of intimidating, but glad they finally get to skate live before season’s end.

 

[Japanfan]

That brings up an interesting question...do skaters traveling to 4CCs and Worlds on behalf of, say, the US or Canada or Russia have to pay the same travel and opportunities costs for their coaches that they would pay for a trip to Nationals or does their federation cover it?

I'd also like an answer to that question.

SFAIK, when coaches travel with their skaters, the skaters have to reimburse them for coaching income lost. But I heard that some time ago, it might not be true. Or, not true for all federations. Skaters from countries that don't have much development in terms of FS or much funding wouldn't be able to pay coaches' costs, I would think.

 

[Debbie S]

In the U.S. (and I believe Canada, too), the federation pays the travel expenses of skaters and coaches (plus team leaders, medical, etc) for int'l comps where skaters are representing their country. For Nationals (and Nats qualifying events and summer club comps), skaters are on their own and are responsible for all coach expenses.

As for coaching fees, skaters are responsible at all comps, including int'ls. What the coach charges depends on the coach.

 

[missing]

Philip Hersh is to skating competitions what the Star Spangled Banner is to baseball games (only without the high notes).


Philip Hersh
@olyphil

Let’s see. CDC just issued travel advisory against going to CAN. ITA and FRA back in lockdowns. And yet those three countries scheduled to send figure skaters to an essentially meaningless event, #worldteamtrophy, next week in Osaka, JPN. Hello?

 

[MsZem]

Philip Hersh
@olyphil

Let’s see. CDC just issued travel advisory against going to CAN. ITA and FRA back in lockdowns. And yet those three countries scheduled to send figure skaters to an essentially meaningless event, #worldteamtrophy, next week in Osaka, JPN. Hello?

I didn't realize that the CDC is the relevant authority for sports events and incoming travel to Japan.

 

[mjb52]

Just because something is meaningless to one person (Phil) doesn't mean it's meaningless to someone else (the skaters who are going). For the Canadian ones especially, this will be their first opportunity to compete at all in over a year.

 

[Coco]

Not to mention their only chance to earn prize money.

 

[MsZem]

Not to mention their only chance to earn prize money.

And substantial prize money at that. Even members of the sixth-place team will walk away with considerably more than most skaters can win at ISU championships and GPs.

 

[skategal]

Philip Hersh is to skating competitions what the Star Spangled Banner is to baseball games (only without the high notes).


Philip Hersh
@olyphil

Let’s see. CDC just issued travel advisory against going to CAN. ITA and FRA back in lockdowns. And yet those three countries scheduled to send figure skaters to an essentially meaningless event, #worldteamtrophy, next week in Osaka, JPN. Hello?

I’d like to know how many countries on that CDC list are letting Americans travel there.

 

[allezfred]

I would say more relevant is that Osaka Prefecture where WTT is being held has seen a huge spike in cases and is now in a state of emergency with ICU beds filling up quickly.

Japan's Osaka declares Covid-19 emergency as cases rise

Japan's western region of Osaka has cancelled Olympic torch events scheduled across the prefecture, as record coronavirus infections prompted its government to declare a medical emergency.

tinyurl.com

 

[Colonel Green]

I would say more relevant is that Osaka Prefecture where WTT is being held has seen a huge spike in cases and is now in a state of emergency with ICU beds filling up quickly.

Japan's Osaka declares Covid-19 emergency as cases rise

Japan's western region of Osaka has cancelled Olympic torch events scheduled across the prefecture, as record coronavirus infections prompted its government to declare a medical emergency.

tinyurl.com

Yeah, at a minimum I’m not sure having an audience is a good idea.

But I do have a lot more trust in the Japanese health authorities in this area as compared to some other countries this year (like Sweden).

 

[cholla]

What's the story with them? Were they injured, sick, impacted by a lockdown or just having an off year?

Some financial difficulties have been mentioned. Le Gac has graduated and is working as an osteopath. They left their flat to go back and live with Lauriault's parents. At French December challenge, they didn't look very well prepared and both their RD and FD were lacking their usual pizzazz. They skipped Nationals, which wasn't a big surprise. It seems they are quietly slipping into retirement.

 

[Ka3sha]

Team Captains were announced:

ISU World Team Trophy 2017 - Teams

?? Team Canada: Nam Nguyen
?? Team France: Kévin Aymoz
?? Team Italy: Matteo Guarise
?? Team Japan: Ryuichi Kihara
?? Team Russia: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
?? Team USA: Jason Brown

 

[Frau Muller]

Russia with the only female captain! Yay, Empress!!! ??

 

[Colonel Green]

The ISU YouTube now has the WTT event streams scheduled (one week out).

 

[Colonel Green]

Team Captains were announced:

ISU World Team Trophy 2017 - Teams

?? Team Canada: Nam Nguyen
?? Team France: Kévin Aymoz
?? Team Italy: Matteo Guarise
?? Team Japan: Ryuichi Kihara
?? Team Russia: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
?? Team USA: Jason Brown

Kevin is quite emotional, not sure if he can be trusted with this post’s awesome responsibilities.