OES News 2020/2021 Season

[text_skate]

Yesterday, Austrian Trixi Schuba, celebrated her 70th brithday. She won OGM in 1972 in Sapporo. She is spending her birthday in a small circle because of current situation.

Article Olympic champion Schuba turns 70

Eiskunstlaufen: Olympiasiegerin Schuba wird 70

Eiskunstlauf-Olympiasiegerin Beatrix „Trixi“ Schuba feiert am Donnerstag ihren 70. Geburtstag. Die Triumphatorin von Sapporo 1972 verfolgt weiterhin die aktuellen Entwicklungen im Eiskunstlauf, auch wenn ihr das aktive Eislaufen derzeit nicht abgeht. Ihren Geburtstag verbringt sie wegen der...

sport.orf.at

excerpt:

"I am privately at a friend's house, I will toast a bit there," Schuba told APA. "Everything is going very well with me, I am taking the whole situation (CoV pandemic, note) calmly. I'm happy and content and taking care." Foreign trips have been cancelled since last year, he said. "I haven't changed my lifestyle, have always lived pretty much on my own. I'm lucky that I live in the countryside and I'm a dog owner and I walk a lot."

Schuba will possibly make up for a bigger celebration in a year's time for her 71st birthday. "This year it will be 50 years that I have won the European Championships and the World Championships, so I have already had an anniversary. Next year it will be 50 years since I won the Olympics. So the chances are still good that I can celebrate something," she enumerated the numerous occasions.

She followed World and was particularly impressed with Mikutina as well as the pairs duo Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer.

"I think that is very nice for our sport. I am very proud of the girl," Schuba said of Mikutina and praised her coach Elena Romanova. "I know she is a very good coach, very sensible."

 

[text_skate]

Post-Words article about Mikutina in Austrian newspaper Der Standard (3rd Apr.), very intersting, about training situation, school, and other details such as nerves, starting a life in a new country, ... . BTW: according to newspaper she has Austiran citizenship.

Although, it's a bit dated, I thought sharing, is a good idea. It's interesting.

Eiskunstläuferin Olga Mikutina: Vom Dörfchen in den WM-Eispalast

In der Ukraine konnte sie sich nicht ihrem Talent gemäß entwickeln. In Vorarlberg sieht es trotz anderer Hürden besser aus: Die 17-Jährige überraschte als WM-Achte

www.derstandard.de

Mikutina has had to balance school and sport in recent years. Practice time on the ice is precious and fiercely contested. Often the Vorarlberg duo only had one hour left. "We had the ice until 2 pm, but I had lessons until 1 pm. Or an ice hockey team came right after that." Sometimes the team had to go to Switzerland.

The reigning national champion wants to rehearse a new choreography, work on her skating speed and become more flexible. "So that I can be even more competitive," she says, fine-tuning her first jump with quadruple rotation. The goal is the Olympics in Beijing. "I want to skate my programme nicely." That already worked well in Stockholm.

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks, @text_skate! Olga Mikutina's latest IG post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNp4U_whV0R/

Unfortunately, our ice rink in my hometown has already been defrosted. And now we are going to Switzerland to train. By the way, my school started again and I'm really a little bit even glad about it. Learning something new is always interesting and useful. I don't have much free time now, but I don't despair, because I like a busy schedule

IGTV video of Mikutina's Worlds 7th place FS (8th overall) and happy message she shared on March 28: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CM9f53mnrKq/

 

[TAHbKA]

Israeli local competitions today and tomorrow

 

[Sylvia]

@TAHbKA, did any notable ISR skaters compete?

Hungary's Julia Lang, 17, is currently in Russia training for 3 weeks in Eteri Tutberidze's group with her "main goal to stabilize the triple-triple combinations and to jump everything with more momentum." Her 2021-22 SP will be choreographed by Daniil Gleikhengauz (she answered questions in this article on the HUN federation website):

„Mintha egy filmben lennék” | Magyar Országos Korcsolyázó Szövetség - MOKSZ

Olimpiai, világ- és Európa-bajnokokkal egy jégen készülhet magyar bajnokunk – Láng Júlia három hétig a világ legeredményesebb, Eteri Tutberidze vezette edzőgárdájától tanulhat Moszkvában. Ma pedig az is biztossá vált, hogy ez idő alatt új programmal is gazdagodik: az olimpiai szezonra legalább a...

hunskate.hu

Lang placed 30th in the SP in her Worlds debut in Stockholm. It will be interesting to see if Lang or Ivett Toth (or ?) will get to try for the Olympic spot at Nebelhorn Trophy.

 

[TAHbKA]

@TAHbKA, did any notable ISR skaters compete?

You mean they exists???

AFAIK no

 

[Sylvia]

Nice to see Austrian TV coverage of "Olympic hope Olga Mikutina" (3+ minute interview & story in German):

Olympiahoffnung Olga Mikutina

Die Eiskunstläuferin Olga Mikutina aus Feldkirch gilt als Olympiahoffnung Vorarlbergs. Die 17-jährige gebürtige Ukrainerin hat sich bei der Eiskunstlauf-Weltmeisterschaft in Stockholm einen Quotenplatz für die nächsten Winterspiele in Peking gesichert.

vorarlberg.orf.at

The figure skater Olga Mikutina from Feldkirch is considered to be Vorarlberg's Olympic hope. The 17-year-old native of Ukraine secured a quota for the next winter games in Beijing at the World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm.
Her father was a hockey player and she has been on the ice since she was four years old. Chance led Mikutina to Vorarlberg five years ago. Here she came into contact with trainer Elena Romanova, the former trainer of Olympian Viktor Pfeifer.
At the World Championships in Stockholm, after a great short program, the Vorarlberger by choice was able to improve again with rank 11 in the freestyle. Rank 8 is the best World Cup result for an Austrian in 23 years.
"When I think of ice skating, there are lots of positive emotions," Olga Mikutina told ORF Vorarlberg.

 

[Sylvia]

Since the Kiss & Cry section is currently open to all, here's the link to the next & final OES competition of the season -- Egna Spring Trophy -- where I've listed out the initial Senior & Junior entries: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ophy-april-29-may-2-egna-neumarkt-ita.108255/

I found this document linked from the Team Belgium section of the Royal Belgian Figure Skating Federation's website: http://www.skatebelgium.be/uploads/4/4/0/7/44077929/bnt_season_2020-2021_update_2021_03_03.pdf

Belgian National Team - SEASON 2020-2021 (last updated March 3, 2021):
TEAM-ELITE members [note: ages listed are as of July 1, 2020]:
HENDRICKX LOENA 20 SENIOR 204,68 SENIOR - ISU [2021 Challenge Cup; scored 208.44 at 2021 Worlds]
PINZARRONE NINA 13 JUNIOR 186,90 JUNIOR - ISU [2021 Sofia Trophy] 150,02 JUNIOR - NAT.
HOVINE JADE 16 JUNIOR/SENIOR 125,39 JUNIOR - ISU 114,40 SENIOR - NAT

Nina Pinzarrone (who is 14 now and was supposed to make her JGP debut this season & hopefully will later this year!) will not be old enough for ISU Senior events in 2021-22 because her 15th birthday is after July 1. Her training mate, Jade Hovine, is old enough to go to Nebelhorn and compete for Belgium's 2nd Olympic spot.

I first tweeted about Nina P. back on March 1st after she won a close contest with Switzerland's Kimmy Repond in the Junior event at 2021 Sofia Trophy (includes their video links & protocol sheets): https://twitter.com/SylviaUnseen/status/1383899326192095239
Pinzarrone also won the Junior event at Skate Helena in Belgrade last week with Hovine finishing 2nd to her.

 

[Sylvia]

Julia Lang, 17, is currently training in Russia for 3 weeks in Eteri Tutberidze's group with her "main goal to stabilize the triple-triple combinations and to jump everything with more momentum." Her 2021-22 SP will be choreographed by Daniil Gleikhengauz - link to the article published on the Hungarian federation's website - "Like I'm in a movie":

„Mintha egy filmben lennék” | Magyar Országos Korcsolyázó Szövetség - MOKSZ

Olimpiai, világ- és Európa-bajnokokkal egy jégen készülhet magyar bajnokunk – Láng Júlia három hétig a világ legeredményesebb, Eteri Tutberidze vezette edzőgárdájától tanulhat Moszkvában. Ma pedig az is biztossá vált, hogy ez idő alatt új programmal is gazdagodik: az olimpiai szezonra legalább a...

hunskate.hu

ETA a photo of Julia wth Anna Shcherbakova that was posted on Saturday, April 24: https://www.instagram.com/p/CODBhROpfY1/

 

[Sylvia]

Julia Lang's 5 photos with Team Tueridze before she left Moscow last week: https://www.instagram.com/p/COS_DphJz-F/

Czechfigureskating's 3.5-min. video featuring Eliska Brezinova who spent the past week in Brig, Switzerland with Benoit Richaud to choreograph her new free(?) program: https://www.instagram.com/tv/COj-EdKCjAj/

Netherlands' Lindsay van Zundert also was in Brig this week and got her programs choreographed by Richaud: https://www.instagram.com/p/COhrjc1LbPB/
Her IG story today shows her traveling in a car to Italy (with Richaud, I assume).

Congratulations to Niki Wories on her recent engagement to a longtime friend (he is a Dutch-American artistic rollerskating national champion who has crossed over to ice skating): https://www.instagram.com/p/COIgyH_rTl1/

Wories skated on the Keizersgracht (canal) in Amsterdam in this "Ode to a Sleeping City" video (February 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVozmGW7h8M

What happened to Niki Wories? She had the TES minimums for Worlds, but I don't think she competed this season. She apparently withdrew from Winter Star and maybe Challenge Cup too.

This May 5th article headline says "Wories keeps her sights on Beijing: 'The preparation never stops'":

Wories houdt vizier op Beijing: 'De voorbereiding stopt nooit' | Schaatsen.nl

24-jarige kunstschaatsster gaat vol voor eigen kans op olympische startplek

www.schaatsen.nl

Google translated excerpts:
She returned home in April 2020 and needs the help of her federation (KNSB) "to see if I can qualify for a visa for top sport." Based on her latest IG stories, it seems she has received a visa to return to train in Montreal?

... A training program was made with her coaches in Canada. "Having to be on the ice on your own every day is different from being able to implement that schedule with your coaches." Her ankle injury subsequently threw a spanner in the works at the first competition in December. Wories started at the Winter Star in Minsk to show her condition, but had to cancel the free freestyle. Where the six-time Dutch champion normally always continued, she now took a rest. The Challenge Cup in February also came too early.

In order to qualify for the only Dutch starting ticket, Wories must rise above itself next season. NOC * NSF has set two top 12 (equal to 186 points) in designated competitions as a requirement for an internal selection process. The idea behind it is that those Challengers are less staffed than a World Championship. Wories set her personal record [not ISU PB] of 160.87 points at the Bavarian Open in Oberstdorf in early February 2020. "Those points are achievable. Someone else has succeeded, so I can do that too. Just like every year, I just have to improve myself", it sounds sober. "I want to progress in every way. The preparation never stops, but the training and competition planning are still unclear. The fire is still burning, I want to make it to those Games. It is not without reason that I have been skating for twenty years."

Lindsay van Zundert set all her ISU personal best scores at 2021 Worlds -- 174.50 total (57.72 SP, 116.78 FS) -- when she got the Olympic spot for NED with her 16th place finish in Stockholm.

 

[Sylvia]

Julia Lang, 17, is currently training in Russia for 3 weeks in Eteri Tutberidze's group with her "main goal to stabilize the triple-triple combinations and to jump everything with more momentum." Her 2021-22 SP will be choreographed by Daniil Gleikhengauz - link to the article published on the Hungarian federation's website - "Like I'm in a movie":
http://hunskate.hu/hirek/mukorcsolya/mintha-egy-filmben-lennek

Júlia Láng appeared in studio at the 13-minute mark of this Hungarian sports news broadcast today (May 14):

Sporthíradó, 2021.05.14-i adás

mediaklikk.hu

According to the English comments in hunskate's IG post, when she was in Moscow she trained with Team Tutberidze's junior group (9-14 y.o.), got a new SP, is keeping her FS (to the Kincsem film soundtrack by Róbert Hrutka), and would like the opportunity to return for more training after the Olympic season: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO2Zus0JWMw/

Olga Mikutina article by @Eislauffan for GS (May 14, 2021):

Dark horse Olga Mikutina thrives in Feldkirch

Austria’s Olga Mikutina became a dark horse at the 2021 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden last March. In what was her World Championship debut, the 17-year-old jumped […]

www.goldenskate.com

Excerpts:

Mikutina enjoyed her first World Championship and gained a lot of experience. “Everyone in Stockholm was very strong and it was great to compete with them and to have the opportunity to compare myself to them. That was very helpful,” she noted. “I watched everyone who skated after me. Each skater was interesting. One has a lot of speed and so I thought I need to work on that. Others are jumping very high, so maybe I should train that as well. I want to continue to develop, make my jumps higher and cover more distance. You can always improve.”
“You get more experienced with each competition and I am learning every time that I need to shut off unnecessary thoughts so I don’t put pressure on myself but enjoy skating,” the teenager added. “When you do one event after the next, it gets easier each time and you are less nervous. The lesson is to remain calm.”

Mikutina spoke no German when coming to Austria, but she picked it up quickly and is now fluent. [...]
The skater, who received Austrian citizenship in January 2020, is now looking forward to the Olympic season. She plans to keep her Free Skating to “Primavera” and “Experience” by Ludovico Einaudi and is currently searching for music for a new short program.
“We’ll probably just change some transitions (in the Free Skate),” Mikutina shared. “I want to be more consistent with my elements and do more triples with my arms raised above my head. As for quads, we’ll see. It would be great if it works out.” She plans to attend a summer training camp in Switzerland where she has worked with well-known Russian coach Viktor Kudriavtsev in the past.

Based on her recent Instagram stories, Slovenia's Daša Grm is training in Egna, Italy.

 

[Sylvia]

Based on her recent Instagram stories, Slovenia's Daša Grm is training in Egna, Italy.

She shared a positive update and some pics outdoors today: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO7f1a4l7Hz/

ETA her reply in the comments section: "... [Egna] for the summer. Keep following me and you'll see where I'm going for the 2nd half of the summer soon"

 

[Ka3sha]

Russian single skater, Vladimir Samoilov, will represent Poland starting from next season.

Российский фигурист с пятью четверными перешел в сборную Польши. Спорт-Экспресс

22-летний российский фигурист Владимир Самойлов сменил спортивное гражданство на польское.

m.sport-express.ru

 

[Sylvia]

ISU's feature article today (May 18) is on Nikolaj Majorov: https://www.isu.org/figure-skating/...y-affair-nikolaj-majorov-swe?templateParam=15
Excerpts:

It is not a surprise that his younger brother, Nikolaj, 20, continues the family tradition and represented the host country at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm. He finished 23rd in what was his World Championship debut and secured an Olympic quota place. Plus he became the first Swede to perform a quadruple Salchow in competition – the jump is named after famous Swedish Figure Skater Ulrich Salchow.
“I was not forced into skating,” Nikolaj pointed out. “I never was told that I have to do sports, do this or that. It was my choice. My parents took me to the rink, put me on skates and my feet stayed in skates,” he continued with a laugh. “The first time I started to really take skating seriously was when I went to the Swedish Championships and finished in third place in Novice. I was 11 years old. I took it from there.”

For the season, Majorov had prepared two new programs. The Free Skating is set to a martial arts theme. “My brother did that program,” Nikolaj shared. “He did karate and he knows a lot of moves and we were watching on Youtube, too.” The Short Program to “Sound of Silence” by Disturbed. Originally the Swede had another program but changed it as it felt not energetic enough.

(I've posted the music info in the Programs & Choreographers thread.)

Nikolaj posted in late April that the Majorov family is relocating from Luleå and moving south to Norrköping: https://www.instagram.com/p/CONjeiGJsIM/

 

[Jeschke]

Russian single skater, Vladimir Samoilov, will represent Poland starting from next season.

Российский фигурист с пятью четверными перешел в сборную Польши. Спорт-Экспресс

22-летний российский фигурист Владимир Самойлов сменил спортивное гражданство на польское.

m.sport-express.ru

About time
Nebelhorn, here we come!

 

[Sylvia]

Федерация фигурного катания получила заявление Самойлова о желании выступать за Польшу

22-летний Самойлов является победителем и призером этапов Кубка России и юниорского Гран-при

tass.ru

MOSCOW, May 18. / TASS /. The Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FFKKR) received a statement from Vladimir Samoilov about his intention to play for the Polish national team. This was announced to TASS by the general director of the FFKKR Alexander Kogan.

"We received a statement from Samoilov about his desire to join the Polish team. The application will be considered in accordance with the regulations that exist in the federation. So far, no decision has been made on this athlete," Kogan said.

22-year-old Samoilov is the winner and medalist of the Russian Cup and Junior Grand Prix stages. His best achievement at the Russian championships was the sixth place in 2018. The last season he trained under the guidance of Victoria [Volchkova] Butsayeva.

Samilov's ISU bio (last updated in 2019-20 season): http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00034438.htm

 

[Sylvia]

Anything GOEs' interview with the NED pair team of Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba ("We discussed the past season, from injuries to problems with the p*ndemic, 2021 Worlds, and their goals looking ahead to the Olympic season"):

Daria Danilova & Michel Tsiba: The One With Friends on Ice - Anything GOEs

Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba are a pairs team representing The Netherlands. They competed in singles, Daria for Russia and Michel for The Netherlands, before changing disciplines to pairs and becoming a team in 2018.

anythinggoe.com

Danilova and Tsiba have already begun preparing for next season, with a goal of getting an Olympic spot at Nebelhorn Trophy in September. “We know what we can do, we know what our potential is, we just haven’t been able to show it to the world yet. Now we’re just working on the elements. We’re not changing much when it comes to programs, we’re just keeping it the way it is. We were thinking of maybe trying something new, but because we had not so many competitions last season, we definitely have not shown the full potential of our programs yet.”

There is, however, still one more hurdle before reaching the Olympics. Getting Danilova Dutch citizenship, a process that is normally quite complicated. One would have to live in the Netherlands for five years and pass a test to show you can speak Dutch, the latter of which Danilova has been studying for the past few months.
Suppose they earn an Olympic placement from Nebelhorn; in that case, there is a possibility that the Dutch Olympic Committee will help their case, but it’s a vague process. The team, however, is more hopeful for 2026.

 

[Sylvia]

May 3rd article ("The Pappas Post is a collective of news and content about the world of Greece, in English."):

Chicago Native Takes Third Place for Greece in Belgrade, Serbia Figure Skating Competition - The Pappas Post

Dimitra Korri, a four-time Greek national figure skating champion born in Chicago, Illinois, took third place for her ancestral country of Greece in the

pappaspost.com

Dimitra Korri, a four-time Greek national figure skating champion born in Chicago, Illinois, took third place for her ancestral country of Greece in the 14th Europa Cup Skate Helena competition in April 2021. [...]
The music for her Free Skate was “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica while the music for the Short Program was “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.
Korri placed third behind Antonina Dubinina of Serbia (first place) and Kristina Grigorova of Bulgaria (second place).

Her program music in her ISU bio was last updated in the 2017-18 season; results are updated through 2021: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013564.htm

 

[Sylvia]

Ice Dundee's Instagram post yesterday: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPiu6lfL9CJ/

Massive Congratulations to Aleksandra Golovkina, who graduated from Northumbria University with a BSc in Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Huge achievement juggling academics & elite sport and achieving the best grades We are proud of you Aleks

Perhaps she'll be in contention to go to Nebelhorn Trophy for Lithuania even though she has not competed since 2020 Europeans? http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00011712.htm

ETA an interview she did at 2020 Euros:

Александра Головкина: “Работа с Арутюняном мне дала очень многое”. - Blossom on Ice

1 июля свой день рождения отмечает литовская фигуристка Александра Головкина - действующая чемпионка Литвы, бронзовый призер CS Warsaw Cup (2014), двукратный серебряный призер турнира Ice Star (2014, 2015), участница чемпионатов мира и Европы. В интервью порталу Blossom on Ice, которое...

www.blossomonice.com

Translated excerpt:

Now I live and train in England, working with David Richardson. Since I had an injury and did not skate, I went there to study and at first did not intend to return at all. But it was hard for me without figure skating, I started to train children, I started to skate a little myself ...

 

[Sylvia]

Greta Crafoord/John Crafoord, the sibling pair twins representing Sweden, are keeping their 2020-21 Senior Pairs free skate music to "Waves" by Dean Lewis, choreographed by Ilona Melnichenko (according to this clip filmed recently by OIP): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CPyBBHmnr8C/

 

[Sylvia]

Ivett Toth interview ("I want to give myself another chance") on the Hungarian federation's website:

„Szeretnék még esélyt adni magamnak” | Magyar Országos Korcsolyázó Szövetség - MOKSZ

Mindenkit meglepett az augusztusi tesztversenyen azzal, hogy tripla axelt kísérelt meg a rövidprogramban, a kűrt azonban sérülés miatt már nem tudta lefutni. A Budapest Trophyn aztán a várva várt Avatar-programot is bemutatta, majd a Mikulás Kupán bronzéremnek örülhetett – akkor láthattuk őt...

hunskate.hu

On why she had to miss Nationals this past season:

The truth is, I was overtaken by the coronavirus in early December. At first I just felt a little bad, I didn’t even want to do a test right away, but I just came to the conclusion that it shouldn’t be a joke. They passed the test, which turned out to be positive, so I was quarantined for two weeks. At first I thought I would know this thing loosely as a vibrant athlete, but it didn’t happen: not only did I experience a loss of taste and smell, but my lungs were also very affected by the disease, it was a torment to go up the stairs. In two or three weeks, I was pretty down, as I couldn’t put myself under any physical exertion during that time. Think about it when an athlete is told not to move for weeks… My test around [Dec.] 17-18 was already negative, but the sports doctor said I had to wait six weeks after the infection to go on the ice again. So I continued to work [off ice] until I was finally able to train again in the second half of January. But then, even for a month and a half, I gasped for air from the slightest load, it was awfully hard to get my condition back.

On her coaching switch to Ivana Reitmayerova (2010 Olympian/3-time World competitor for SVK) who is married to pair skater Márk Magyar:

We are not talking about a decision that I have been maturing for a long time, I had no problem with Zsófi. I just haven’t been able to show the form I wanted in the last few years, but I definitely want to give myself another chance, and I felt that with this move, the change I wanted could begin.
We started working together at the end of January, so we’re pretty early on. We are currently training camp in Bratislava with her mother's team, who is also an figure skating coach. We work on jumps, fix bad sticks[?], and give time to everything. There is no guarantee of anything, I don’t think there is a miracle coach who will solve everything in one fell swoop. I think the athlete needs to get to that level to feel he can change the innervation with that particular coach that he hasn’t been able to do so far. The workouts are in a very good mood and I am as confident as I have been so far.

On her academic plans:

What concerns me most now is the result of my biology studies, as I would like to start my figure skating training at the University of Physical Education in September, and next year I would be admitted to the physiotherapy department at Semmelweis University.

If I understood the machine translation correctly, Toth says she's keeping her SP to "Si, Mama" by INNA (a video is embedded in the article) that was choreographed online by Benoit Richaud last year, and that she will have a new free skate.

 

[Eislauffan]

ISU feature article on Josefin Taljegard (SWE). She features on the ISU podcast, episode 7, as well.

 

[Sylvia]

Alexia Paganini today: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP_actcM3G9/

hi guys, just wanted to share that i will continue my training in Zurich, Switzerland with Gheorghe Chiper and his team. I would like to thank Stephane Lambiel and the rest of the skating school for guiding me this past season. looking forward to competing

 

[clairecloutier]

There's a nice interview with Della Monica/Guarise on the ISU web site:

In the Spotlight: Nicole Della Monica/Matteo Guarise (ITA): “We are more conscious about what we have and what we do” - International Skating Union

Italian Pair Skaters Nicole Della Monica/Matteo Guarise have been competing at the World level for nine years and have three-top eight finished under their belts. The multiple Italian Champions are coming off a challenging year, but they finished on a high note, placing 8th at the ISU World...

bit.ly

They talk a little bit about how difficult last year was. They were off the ice for a while due to CV19 and, now being older, it was hard to come back and get back into competitive shape. Also, Guarise lost his mother to cancer in October.

They say that the Olympic season will probably be their last. Guarise wants to continue into coaching after they retire and help the grow the sport of figure skating in Italy. (He also wants to see roller skating continue to grow in the country.)

Her partner [Guarise] feels now different about competitions. “I don't care so much about the results anymore,” he shared. “I just feel lucky to be here and to skate as well as I can do in this moment because I see a lot of hard reality now - especially in the world of restaurants and hotels. I am from Rimini, it is a touristic city. About 80% of the people I know there have either a hotel or a restaurant. I talked to them, they have to wait for money from the state, and it is not coming. There is no work. We have our club that supports us, our Federation that supports us. We can go to the ice rink every day. We can work. Not everybody can go somewhere every day, because there is a lockdown. This situation gave us the chance to appreciate what we have."

 

[Sylvia]

There's a nice interview with Della Monica/Guarise on the ISU web site:

Also posted in the Italian news thread : https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ating-news-updates.104247/page-5#post-6012255

ETA:

ISU feature article on Josefin Taljegard (SWE). She features on the ISU podcast, episode 7, as well.

These links were also shared in Josefin's fan appreciation thread, along with this interview that was published on May 24:
http://absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2021josefintaljegard

 

[Sylvia]

Burak Demirboga's 4T in practice: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQYlgN9pOKN/

 

[Sylvia]

Can someone identify Elizaveta Zhuk/Martin Bidar's "Bang Bang" SP song/artist? https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQbg9j1isi_/

They currently are in Courmayeur, Italy (in view of Mount Blanc) at Benoit Richaud's Peak Ice camp to have their free program choreographed by him.

 

[tony]

Can someone identify Elizaveta Zhuk/Martin Bidar's "Bang Bang" SP song/artist? https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQbg9j1isi_/

'Boom Boom' by 2WEI - they are getting popular within skating circles.

 

[Ka3sha]

Федерация фигурного катания получила заявление Самойлова о желании выступать за Польшу

22-летний Самойлов является победителем и призером этапов Кубка России и юниорского Гран-при

tass.ru

MOSCOW, May 18. / TASS /. The Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FFKKR) received a statement from Vladimir Samoilov about his intention to play for the Polish national team. This was announced to TASS by the general director of the FFKKR Alexander Kogan.

"We received a statement from Samoilov about his desire to join the Polish team. The application will be considered in accordance with the regulations that exist in the federation. So far, no decision has been made on this athlete," Kogan said.

22-year-old Samoilov is the winner and medalist of the Russian Cup and Junior Grand Prix stages. His best achievement at the Russian championships was the sixth place in 2018. The last season he trained under the guidance of Victoria [Volchkova] Butsayeva.

Samilov's ISU bio (last updated in 2019-20 season): http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00034438.htm

Samoilov got at official release from Russian Fed, but he will need to train in Poland.
According to Aleksandr Gorshkov, a skater has to train in the country he represents.
Kvitelashvili and Tursynbaeva who

 

[kwanfan1818]

How can they enforce that, once they issue a release?