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

[Matryeshka]

I love Laurence over-annunciating the lip synching of La Marseillaise. That's the best part.

I need a break from this post-podium song. Its peppiness makes me feel stabby.

 

[MacMadame]

I think most of the younger teams are thinking they have at least 2 more Olympic cycles in them so they can probably wait out Gui's ego through 2030.

I wonder how many are also banking on FBCiz retiring mid-quad.

 

[BlueRidge]

I'm thrilled for Z&K, great skate today but I pretty much died with Fear and Gibson.

 

[Matryeshka]

Ice Dance is in desperate need of new blood. I hope some new teams rise out of juniors and with the Browns just stomps all over everyone (except Z/L and L/B). I don't care from which country. If LaLa stay in and get away from Marie Universe, they do shall be exempt from said stomping.

Why did when skating end did they decide poker was an appropriate replacement? Like, of all the programs, POKER?!!!

 

[Sally1214]

Look, I have issues with them as people but I don't actually think it's possible to overmark that.

Truth.

 

[Cachoo]

I'm thrilled for Z&K, great skate today but I pretty much died with Fear and Gibson.

Same. Love them both, love their story and strength on the ice. But damn Fear and Gibson have been snakebit this year. It is hard to watch that heartbreak and disappointment.

 

[CassAgain]

Hell, maybe THEY should move to Igor.

About La/La—I had the same thought!

 

[OrioleBeagle]

About La/La—I had the same thought!

Green & Parsons as well.

 

[Karen-W]

So .... 3 Canadians on the podiums. I'll just have to settle for both gold and silver medals. Now, I just KNOW they're going to play the wrong anthem!!

No offense but this is no more a "thing" than all the Russians who want to claim Malinin because his grandfather still lives in Russia.

 

[tangerine dream]

Same. Love them both, love their story and strength on the ice. But damn Fear and Gibson have been snakebit this year. It is hard to watch that heartbreak and disappointment.

While the result here will be a disappointment for F/G the overall performance was so much better than what they did at Euros or Olympics, so hopefully this still feels like ending the season on a higher note than they last few months have probably felt.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

It might be because they are very different people with different interests. In the end, we probably get a compromise.

This sounds likely. I desperately want the LaLas to call up fellow Montrealer Louise Lecavalier of La La Human Steps and choreograph the ultimate voidy contemporary free dance.

 

[Cachoo]

About La/La—I had the same thought!

Imagine Dragons "Whatever It Takes".....whatever it takes La La's. Don't leave us yet!

 

[Private Citizen]

I really hate that Fear and Gibson lost bronze, nearly silver, on a technicality. Was the lift appreciably different than every other time they’ve skated that program this season? When the judging took so long, I wondered if something was going on….

I just don’t trust ice dance at all. Whenever something weird happens, I default to politics first. And I’m right 80% of the time.

I hope there were no shenanigans.

 

[Karen-W]

I wonder how many are also banking on FBCiz retiring mid-quad.

With the next Olympics in France and Gui's ego? They'd have to be braindead to bank on a mid-cycle retirement by FBCiz.

 

[puglover]

At the end of the interview with Ashley, Laurence said something like "see you again" which could mean nothing or may be a hint that they are not retiring. I really don't understand why anyone is in a big rush for them to retire. They (together) have just gotten started and demonstrate everything I thought ice dance is supposed to be.

I don't know either of them, or for that matter, anyone who knows either of them so I can't speak about them as people - but I do love their skating.

 

[Private Citizen]

So .... 3 Canadians on the podiums. I'll just have to settle for both gold and silver medals. Now, I just KNOW they're going to play the wrong anthem!!

If only SC hadn’t released LFB, you’d still have three Canadians on the podium and they’d be playing Oh Canada now.

 

[Spikefan]

I can only hope some other teams rise up and make things competitive. This last quad had zero suspense until this season. I don’t want to know the placements before the comp even starts.

 

[fsfann]

That would be awful, but my god have they been failed by their team, the Canadian federation, and judging.

Hell, maybe THEY should move to Igor.

I had the same thought when I watched the Americans.

 

[jlai]

I really hate that Fear and Gibson lost bronze, nearly silver, on a technicality. Was the lift appreciably different than every other time they’ve skated that program this season? When the judging took so long, I wondered if something was going on….

I just don’t trust ice dance at all. Whenever something weird happens, I default to politics first. And I’m right 80% of the time.

I hope there were no shenanigans.

But that is assuming F/G has been marked correctly had the 2-point deduction not taken place.
There are better skaters than F/G further down the standings who skated really well.
All in all, I would wuz robb for L/B and L/L being stuck being the second in your coutnry before wuzrobbing those 2 points for F/G.
If the rule is applied correctly then off the podium they go.

 

[Karen-W]

At the end of the interview with Ashley, Laurence said something like "see you again" which could mean nothing or may be a hint that they are not retiring. I really don't understand why anyone is in a big rush for them to retire. They (together) have just gotten started and demonstrate everything I thought ice dance is supposed to be.

I don't know either of them, or for that matter, anyone who knows either of them so I can't speak about them as people - but I do love their skating.

Well, for me, after this past Olympic quad with the older teams refusing to retire it's felt like the discipline has really stagnated and all of the teams behind them were suffocated & inorganically held back. I feel like FBCiz staying around would have the same effect. I feel that way, actually, about most of the disciplines and would like to see some skaters take their laurels and good skates here or at the Olympics and just hang up their skates if they're closer to 35 than 30 in dance/pairs and closer to 30 than 20 in the singles disciplines.

 

[Sally1214]

No offense but this is no more a "thing" than all the Russians who want to claim Malinin because his grandfather still lives in Russia.

For goodness sakes, Karen ..... I'm just making a joke!

 

[Karen-W]

For goodness sakes, Karen ..... I'm just making a joke!

Fair enough. I've just seen one too many Russian posters over on X doing their usual thing and your posts struck that nerve.

 

[Sally1214]

At the end of the interview with Ashley, Laurence said something like "see you again" which could mean nothing or may be a hint that they are not retiring. I really don't understand why anyone is in a big rush for them to retire. They (together) have just gotten started and demonstrate everything I thought ice dance is supposed to be.

I don't know either of them, or for that matter, anyone who knows either of them so I can't speak about them as people - but I do love their skating.

My feelings exactly.

 

[Jammers]

Crazy how a country that was not known as a powerhouse in Ice Dancing has won more Worlds medals in Ice Dance then any other country since B/A started the run of American teams on the podium in 2005. This makes it 11 World championships in a row with a medal.

 

[Private Citizen]

Apparently only Shibs and Krylova/Fedorov; not Usova/Zhulin or Klimova/Ponomarenko.

Unless AI lies to me

AI lies, at least when it comes to Usova and Zhulin. Usova and Zhulin were 2nd in 1989 and had never competed at Worlds before. They had competed at Euros the year before.

Klimova and Ponomarenko were 3rd in the Olympics, after never having competed at Worlds, but they were FORTH at their first Worlds after Blumberg and Seibert's free dance music magically became OK again.

 

[Karen-W]

Spots for next season -

3 - FRA, CAN, USA
2 - GBR, ESP, LTU, GEO, CZE
1 - all other feds

Seeded GP teams next season -
Fournier-Beaudry/Cizeron
Gilles/Poirier
Zingas/Kolesnik
Fear/Gibson
Smart/Dieck
Lopareva/Brissaud
Reed/Ambrulevicius
Carreira/Ponomarenko

Invited GP teams next season -
Lajoie/Lagha
Davis/Smolkin
Mrazkova/Mrazek
Green/Parsons

 

[tangerine dream]

Crazy how a country that was not known as a powerhouse in Ice Dancing has won more Worlds medals in Ice Dance then any other country since B/A started the run of American teams on the podium in 2005. This makes it 11 World championships in a row with a medal.

And it's nearly entirely due to the influx of Soviet coaches to the US in the 80s and 90s. Thanks Russia!

 

[Cachoo]

AI lies, at least when it comes to Usova and Zhulin. Usova and Zhulin were 2nd in 1989 and had never competed at Worlds before. They had competed at Euros the year before.

Klimova and Ponomarenko were 3rd in the Olympics, after never having competed at Worlds, but they were FORTH at their first Worlds after Blumberg and Seibert's free dance music magically became OK again.

Yikes. That still stings after all of these years.

 

[Private Citizen]

But that is assuming F/G has been marked correctly had the 2-point deduction not taken place.
There are better skaters than F/G further down the standings who skated really well.
All in all, I would wuz robb for L/B and L/L being stuck in the second in your coutnry before wuzrobbing those 2 points for F/G.
If the rule is applied correctly then off the podium they go.

No, the ends can't justify the means here. The tech panel can't go calling things to make up for the judges overscoring.

I suspect the review meeting will be verrrrry interesting here.

The referee is British.
The tech controller American.
The tech specialists Canadian (and Italian).

Would love to be a fly on the wall for this one. I wonder if there was disagreement, which was the reason for the delay.

 

[jlai]

Talking about C/P's deductin on the lost pedal, do we count that as politiks too?

No, the ends can't justify the means here. The tech panel can't go calling things to make up for the judges overscoring.

I suspect the review meeting will be verrrrry interesting here.

The referee is British.
The tech controller American.
The tech specialists Canadian (and Italian).

Would love to be a fly on the wall for this one. I wonder if there was disagreement, which was the reason for the delay.

I didn't say the technical panel should compensate, just that the Brits have always been marked on the high side, so it's hard to wuz-rob them from me.

I would be more on board with the politks theory that pushes L/L and L/B with technically average teams (L/A, F/G) so Z/K could beat them.

But Z/K vs F/G? eh.