2026 Worlds Free Dance PBP - Whale, That's All Folks!

[Debbie S]

I was wondering what possible outcome there could be in this appeal.

The call/score won't be changed. The British fed just wants to make a point and go on record. Maybe they are hoping for a consequence for the tech panel.

 

[once_upon]

The call/score won't be changed. The British fed just wants to make a point and go on record. Maybe they are hoping for a consequence for the tech panel.

Yeah, it reminds me of the unreviewable calls in other sports (American football, volleyball, basketball, etc).

The teams can file an objection after the game to make a point but it won't change the outcome.

The ISU needs to make a decision about lifts, inform to skaters and dance academy/choreographers, judges and stick with it.

 

[shan]

That kind of lift seems too risky to ever feel confident. Is there another team doing this type of lift this season or since Hubbell/Donohue?

 

[Wyliefan]

BTW, why was it a 2-point deduction? Is that standard for an illegal element?

 

[kwanfan1818]

I don't know why an illegal element can get any points at all: if it's illegal, it should be invalidated plus the deduction, IMO. If it's the second half of a combo lift, then only the second half should be invalidated.

 

[PRlady]

Came home and am trying to catch up. FWIW, Emilea and Vadym kept the attention of a four year old. She wandered off during the Brits. Yes I know that means nothing but I’m kinda glad the first FD my grandchild ever sat through was that one.

I’m as politically suspicious as @Private Citizen and it seems to me that Lewis’ lift hasn’t changed over the season. But I thought L/B were robbed much more evidently than the Brits. It’s a shame Lilah and Lewis didn’t get the penalty much earlier in the season, Laurence and Gui changed their intro steps and Z/K removed the 1A or salchow or whatever that panel thought Emilea was doing, in response to deductions.

I truly didn’t want Z/K to medal this quickly, I’m afraid of the backlash. But it’s clear as daylight they are US #1 and I doubt that any current American team will overtake them, at least until A/V are eligible. And it’s also clear, st least to me, that Emi and Vadym deserve what they’ve gotten this season. They are as exciting a team as ice dance has and well-suited to be The Next Ones.

 

[Sparks]

That kind of lift seems too risky to ever feel confident. Is there another team doing this type of lift this season or since Hubbell/Donohue?

Here is an idea - do not try overhead lifts in Dance. EVER. That would be a good boundary and would eliminate the confusion. Leave overhead lifts to pairs.

 

[Vagabond]

I don't know why an illegal element can get any points at all: if it's illegal, it should be invalidated plus the deduction, IMO. If it's the second half of a combo lift, then only the second half should be invalidated.

The protocols describe it as an "illegal element/movement," which leaves some wriggle room if you aren't locked into a position.

https://results.isu.org/results/season2526/wc2026/FSKXICEDANCE----------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[fan]

The commentators say it differently - is it emi-lee or emi-lee-ah?

 

[Debbie S]

The commentators say it differently - is it emi-lee or emi-lee-ah?

The latter

 

[Karen-W]

Here is an idea - do not try overhead lifts in Dance. EVER. That would be a good boundary and would eliminate the confusion. Leave overhead lifts to pairs.

That's sort of how I feel too. Didn't the Dance lift rule used to be that the lifting partner's arms couldn't go above the shoulders? I think FearGib (and HubDon 4 years ago) thought they could get away with it because Lewis' hands don't go above his head when they're spread out to support Lilah but that's a fine line that was just waiting to get called by some persnickety panel.

 

[mtnskater]

Right when Lilah and Lewis did that lift I thought to myself, himmmm his elbows looked really locked/straight…and isn’t that illegal…and didn’t H&D get dinged for that some years back? But I didn’t really expect it to be called because top teams get away with more than others. But I wasn’t really that surprised when it was because his arms WERE straight.

 

[Karen-W]

Right when Lilah and Lewis did that lift I thought to myself, himmmm his elbows looked really locked/straight…and isn’t that illegal…and didn’t H&D get dinged for that some years back? But I didn’t really expect it to be called because top teams get away with more than others. But I wasn’t really that surprised when it was because his arms WERE straight.

HubDon never got dinged for their "overhead" lift in 2021-22. They did get dinged at 2019 4CCs for a stationary lift that did not remain stationary, so it was called Base level which caused them to lose that title to ChoBat.

 

[literaryfreak]

Regarding Lilah and Lewis' lift: Marie Bowness (Tech Specialist here) has a past reputation for been tough on calls. I might even say the Shin Amano of ice dance panels.

 

[Private Citizen]

I don't know why an illegal element can get any points at all: if it's illegal, it should be invalidated plus the deduction, IMO. If it's the second half of a combo lift, then only the second half should be

It used to be reduced to base value, and this was changed. I agree with you in theory, but then controversial calls like this would have even more of an impact.

Someone said the panel seemed unsure what to do, and the level of this left kept moving during the review - from 4 to base back to 3 (counting the lift but not the feature).

I’m glad the Brits are calling for a review of the judging…. but I highly doubt anything will be done. It never is.

Regardless of what one thinks about the results, the skaters deserve better and more consistent calling.

Maybe the countries of the top five teams should be barred from the tech panel, as they are at the Olympics IIRC. I’d feel differently about this call if it came from three neutral countries like JPN, KOR, SWE

 

[Skate Talker]

4 elements getting reviewed makes me worried for G/P now!

So if this panel is so review happy, particularly with the final group, why would Smart/Dieck, of all teams, have absolutely no yellow review indicators - in real-time at any rate. Does anyone know if any of their elements were reviewed at all?

Incredible skate no doubt, but with Gabby, their programs to me flew by and felt half as long as others in the field while this team’s programs seem twice as long.

For me it's the exact opposite. I always found Gabby & Guillaume's free dances intolerably long, especially the one they skated at the 2018 Olympics that received the top marks for that segment. To each their own.

Worst news of the day if this is so. I hope not. The La La's are undervalued imho but that can change.

If Laj/Lag don't continue I will be sad, but it must be hard to dedicate so much time to something that continues to get less and less reward. Of course, Piper and Paul hung in there for years where results-wise they seemed to be just spinning their wheels and look where persistence and hard work got them.
Without them it seems to me Canada is in really bad shape. I don't see another team ready to step into senior competition at a high level. It could take many years before we see another contender.

I thought this was controversial earlier, and Gibson said he can't straighten his arms, so that couldn't be an issue, but then the response was that it whatever locked for him meant for him, ie, the most he could extend.

Not the first time a skater/team has been hit with a sudden dramatic change in judging after no hints of an issue the rest of the season. I often thought Slutskaya was mis-lead by inflated marks the entire 2001-2002 season until the Olympics, where they suddenly got realistic, imo, with her marks
.
As for ice dance specifically, I seem to remember there was an Olympics lift issue called on Torvill and Dean the year they made a comeback. Also I think Virtue and Moir could have had a big surprise with a negative ruling on their "goose" lift exit at the 2010 Olympics had it not been for the Russians making such a big stink about it ahead of time. Like Zingas and Kolesnik they wisely chose to make a change instead of taking the risk.

Then there's the whole thing about whether or not Gibson is physically able to straighten his arm. I recall Dylan Moskovitch couldn't straighten his arm completely due to a previous injury. As a Pairs skater he was required to have his arm in a locked position for a lift to count. From time to time the team would lose an entire lifting element because the caller would decide he didn't fulfill that requirement based on how it looked to them, even though he would actually have his arm in a locked position. (Dylan was one of the best Pairs lifters around.) I recall an interview with Dylan talking about it and just basically saying there was nothing they could do to have the call changed. Who knows, maybe the whole part about whatever "locked" is for the lifter could be a result of previous issues like Dylan's.

Whether or not it's "fair" to only call this now is a non-issue afaic. Is it fair that during the GP series some judging panels were much pickier than others and by "luck of the draw" comparable skaters/teams ended up with lower season's best rankings putting them in less advantageous starting positions, even different warm up groups in major competitions? This also has an impact on their scoring, particularly in the discipline of ice dance.

 

[allezfred]

The big question of the event is can anyone verify if @Private Citizen as promised flounced out of the arena in protest after Gilles/Poirier skated?

 

[Private Citizen]

The big question of the event is can anyone verify if @Private Citizen as promised flounced out of the arena in protest after Gilles/Poirier skated?

Yes, and I wasn’t alone.

 

[allezfred]

Yes, and I wasn’t alone.

You and your imaginary friend missed a great performance.

 

[Private Citizen]

You and your imaginary friend missed a great performance.

Apparently I missed seeing a rapist wildly applauding and rape apologists winning. I think I made a good decision

The other person is a well known individual on FSU (not American). I’ll leave it to them to identify themselves or not. Several other people did not applaud or stay for scores. I’m happy that the crowd response was third best, at most. (I was still in the arena and could hear the reaction.)

 

[Lanie]

I took off too. Saw it in Milan. Still not impressed. Definitely wasn’t alone in leaving.

 

[allezfred]

Eh, unless you both quizzed everyone on exit while they were leaving their reasons you have no idea why they left when they did. Maybe they wanted to get a jump on the crowds for the metro.

Anyway, both of you are happy to have a man ACTUALLY convicted in a court of sexual assault lead your country so forgive me if your “protests” ring hollow. Of all the things going on in the world and this what you choose to make a statement about says a lot about you and not in a good way.

 

[jlai]

Could the political discussion move to pi.
Anyway I didn't know some of the audience didnt stay for the champions
To be honest Whale isn't my cup of tea either. Wish G/p skate to Vincent. That was very enjoyable while wuthering height was blah

 

[tony]

Apparently I missed seeing a rapist wildly applauding and rape apologists winning. I think I made a good decision

The other person is a well known individual on FSU (not American). I’ll leave it to them to identify themselves or not. Several other people did not applaud or stay for scores. I’m happy that the crowd response was third best, at most. (I was still in the arena and could hear the reaction.)

I mean come on, they weren't even third best when you consider how insanely loud they were for Taschlers and Mrazeks earlier in the night. And if you want to go down the road of audience screaming meter being the basis for results, then have fun with Fear & Gibson winning everything the next Olympic cycle.

The crowds and fans in general in Europe don't tend to give a shit about anything besides the skating and it was no different here. "Several other people" in a crowd of 17,000 or whatever it was isn't really saying much of anything.

 

[Private Citizen]

Of all the things going on in the world and this what you choose to make a statement about says a lot about you and not in a good way.

Given your views on happenings in the world, I’ll take that as a high compliment!

I do choose to make a statement about them, and I’m proud of it.

 

[NinjaTurtles]

BTW, why was it a 2-point deduction? Is that standard for an illegal element?

Yes, any illegal element / pose / move is -2 deduction per violation.

 

[allezfred]

Let’s be honest - the real reason you and others are salty is that you and others here went to Milan spending thousands on tickets, accommodation etc in the expectation of a result you didn’t get (twice! ). You are all the epitome of entitlement and sore losers. All the off ice stuff is just camouflage for that.

 

[clairecloutier]

I heard that Cizeron attended the ice dance committee meeting and seemed very interested in requirements for next year, so I have a feeling we'll be seeing him and Laurence again. Make of that what you will.

Of the teams below FB/C, I have to say I was very impressed with L/B. Of course they've always been good. But they really stood out in this free dance with the beautiful rise and fall of their knees and such easy, sweeping speed and flow. I would've had them higher on PCS. Loved the Bjork program, glad I got to see it in person.

I am crushed for L/L. Such a disappointing placement for them. I think my only comment is that White Crow, although beautiful, perhaps lacked a bit in variation of tone and movement. It is like one mood, one tempo, all the way through. Also there is a lot of side-by-side movement, not much face-to-face. C/P, for example, manage to have more different sections, more phrasing, more face-to-face interaction, in Perfume, I thought. White Crow is such beautiful music, but perhaps better suited to pairs/singles? Of course this is all just theorizing ... Anyhow, I really hope L/L can find the best material for next season, something really inspired, and a training situation they'll be happy with.

 

[Private Citizen]

Let’s be honest - the real reason you and others are salty is that you and others here went to Milan spending thousands on tickets, accommodation etc in the expectation of a result you didn’t get (twice! ). You are all the epitome of entitlement and sore losers. All the off ice stuff is just camouflage for that.

I think Cizeron is the epitome of entitlement and sore losing, willing to do anything, screw over anyone, and probably cheat (via the always corrupt French fed) in order to win. Congrats to the people who support him and his behavior. May you all reap what you sow.

I didn’t go to Milan expecting any ice dance result other than the one we got. The politics had been obvious since the beginning of the season. It was a great competition despite the winners, with many teams giving career best or otherwise memorable performances. I don’t regret spending anything.

The men’s free skate was the worst I’ve ever seen, so I do regret spending money on that. Worlds was a wonderful palate cleanser. I’m glad it put to rest that Kagiyama at his very best is still a second place skater. He’ll always have that one year at Four Continents….

 

[jlai]

Overall trend wise I think C/fb winning and this season in general signals a return of stricter calling of levels. If levels (if called correctly) will make more a difference in outcome so be it

This squad there has been numerous complaints about skaters earning placements just from having been around longer to earn the reputation.
With the French winning hopefully that tells everyone what the winnning standards are. Even if I don’t like fb/c I am ok with quality starting to win again.

People complained about f/g placements for ages and now they lost on a technicality people complained too lol