2019 Skate Canada: quad-queen Alexandra Trusova debuts with a bang

You know what? Even Matt Bellamy, lead singer of Muse, congratulated Alexandra for her win at Skate Canada, three quads landed, thanking the 15-year-old for using one of his songs, “Pray (High Valyrian)”, in her free skate.

What does this mean? Well, just this: the historical feat of Alexandra Trusova left the enclosed (and rather small) world of figure skating – and flied into the world.

How could it not to? The Russian teenager has been working on the quads for some time now, she landed them here and there, in the junior circuit, at Japan Open, at Ondrej Nepela Memorial, of course, at home, in Russia – but only last weekend in Kelowna, at 2019 Skate Canada, her first senior Grand Prix event, she shined while entering the history of the sport and the statistics.

Her free skate score (166.62 points), her technical element score (100.20 points), her combined total (241.02 points) are now the new world records – and she might be the only one to try to break them, at least this season. In the ladies’ field at the moment, with four quads scheduled in the free skate, no one does even come close to Alexandra.

And her attempting four quads and landing three in Kelowna, two of them in combination (quad Toe-triple Toe, quad Toe-single Euler-triple Salchow), made the news world-wide.

Followed by a large array of emotions, from utter amazement to skepticism and worry, Alexandra’s quads brought the world of skating into a different era, one that’s changed completely from what we used to know, one that will have to adapt to the changes (or at least try to find ways to adjust).

And Yuzuru Hanyu and Alexandra Trusova attempting, jumping and landing, at the same rhythm even, shoulder by shoulder, a quad Toe, while rehearsing for Skate Canada gala, might be the most suggestive image of this new world that we entered.

[In the meantime, in Russia, also in Eteri Tutberidze’s camp, 11-year-old Veronika Zhilina already landed a quadruple Toe and a quadruple Salchow.]

***

Speaking of Yuzuru Hanyu, he made some history of his own in Kelowna – or, as Brian Orser put it while waiting for the scores, “You may have won your first Skate Canada!”

Yuzuru laughed hilariously.

He did that, yes – the double Olympic champion won a medal that eluded him for quite some time (this was Yuzuru’s fourth Skate Canada).

Finally, the time for it has come – and that brings us to one of the classic interviews with Brian Orser that we proudly host on Inside Skating, along with that precious lesson for his skaters, any skaters, really: “As a mature skater, you’re not gonna win every competition. Pick your battles”.

And for Yuzuru, who won the big ones, all is left now is to focus on personal goals, to create more personal stories.

***

Another very personal and touching moment last weekend was when Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier and coach Carol Lane saw the scores for their free skate to “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell.

A chorus of screams followed, and Piper even made the cameraman go back a step or two – she needed a larger frame to enjoy the moment, the surprise, the gratitude, to the fullest.

They’d just won the first Grand Prix gold medal of their career, in their ninth senior season, at Skate Canada, with a story that’s both personal and very moving.

They won a medal in a colour they didn’t even expect, when they had decided, maybe, they would skate for their own emotions, and the emotions of the audience.

***

In the pairs event, the “babies” won – 17-year-old Aleksandra Boikova and 19-year-old Dmitrii Kozlovskii – babies, compared with the rest, not at all babies when it comes to the amount of work and efforts put into this result. You’d somehow seen it coming from last season – that hungry they are for improvement, results, ascent in the world rankings.

These stories are all here – but so are many, many others, meant to encapsulate the joy and the emotions of 2019 Skate Canada.

by Florentina Tone

ACT ONE

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha at 2019 Skate Canada: enthusiasm, energy, speed to the fullest. And that’s what we call a highly contagious rhythm dance, to music from “Westside Story” by Leonard Bernstein. Future of Canadian ice dance is on really good hands. And eyes are naturally drawn to Marjorie.

***

Watching Betina Popova and Sergey Mozgov is like watching a show. Their performances are always full of character – they become one with the story. And it was just like that in Skate Canada. Thoroughly enjoyable skate to music from “Cabaret”.

***
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Sara Hurtado and Kirill Khaliavin: smooth as butter, soft as butter, on the ice of Kelowna. We’re loving the ice dance team they became. Royal look as well from Sara – though we do have a soft spot for her previous red dress; it went so much better with their silky dance. And this is classic Finnstep, really: they won’t surprise you the theme, the originality of it, as so many other teams do this season – instead, they wanna take your breath away with the beauty of the movements. And they do just that – at least, the first part of the dance is such a joy, you are amazed. [And Sara came back to Canada, her home for so many years – and that must have been such an emotional encounter.]

***

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson shine on this type of lively music, lots of highlights in there as well. Technically, they raised the bar as well, and they know what suits them, what kind of dance, what kind of movement. This rhythm dance, to music by The Blues Brothers, put their strengths under the spotlight.

***

These two right here, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, are among the skaters that make ice dance so exciting, so fun to watch. And we’ve missed them so – and they kept us glued all the way. Wonderful presence at Skate Canada and definitely our highlight in the rhythm dance event: their impersonation of Mack and Mabel is so full of details that you don’t even want to blink, not to miss a nuance, a smile, a movement of the arm. And you want to dance with Mabel, you do. As always with them, the expectations are high – it doesn’t occur to you they might do something “usual”.

***

Madison Hubbell debuted the Marilyn Monroe character in Skate America and gave it additional shine in Kelowna. We’re still not that drawn into the music, the choice of it anyway – but you cannot deny their strengths, their qualities. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue’s edges are just fantastic – and even though you might not be a fan of this particular rhythm dance, they embody the characters to the fingertips, to Madison’s blond curls.

***

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker: a dance that flew by in a second. Loved the joy, the energy, the power they brought to the ice. And… did you feel like dancing? We sure did. One of our highlights at Skate Canada, a dance that made us wanna move.

***

We’ve been following Young You for a couple of years now – and what an amazing skater she grew up to be. Our highlight in Lombardia Trophy a month ago, she made herself proud with a fabulous short program at Skate Canada, a flying triple Axel atop of everything. Her future looks so very bright – bright as her sparkling dress. We are happy – and so is she.

***

A Seven Nation Army couldn’t stop Marin Honda from competing at Skate Canada last week (not even a car accident), and a sea of Japanese flags welcome her when entering the ice. And apart from doubling that Flip, it was a beautiful performance from Marin – she was literally flying on the ice of Kelowna. We’re under her spell, we’ve been for some time.

***

We think Gabrielle Daleman is any choreographer’s dream – she commits to every single nuance of music; and every movement has meaning, has purpose. Welcome back, Gabrielle – you belong to the very best the sport has. And she fights for every element in the program, and we love that about her.

***

Another Russian young phenomenon, Alexandra Trusova, debuts on the senior Grand Prix circuit – and does that with fire, with attack, with commitment. And have you seen those jumps? Sooo easy – she’s like a spinning top in the air. And the music from “Peer Gynt” helps her, it builds and builds, and we are stunned. In the Kiss and Cry, she’s relaxed – she knows the next day she’ll bring the big guns to the game.

***

This short program is so dark – and it suits Yelim Kim so well. You can’t resist being drawn to the story, to the character she portrays. A true Black Swan. And the depth of talent in the Korean ladies skating is just mind-blowing.

***

You can see Evgenia Medvedeva puts enormous pressure on herself – and you feel for her. But you can also see how much her skating has improved while training in Toronto. Surely a short program she would wanna forget – struggling with the Axel, falling on the Lutz and sliding into the boards – but she doesn’t need to forget this is all still part of the process. In the Kiss and Cry, she’s so mad at herself she doesn’t even say a word to Brian Orser. That competitive she is.

***

No doubt about it, Bradie Tennell’s short program has spark – and sparkles. Well done to Benoît Richaud for entrusting her with such a peculiar choreography – and well done to Bradie for performing it to the fingertips. She was stunning last week at Skate America and now as well.

***

Ladies and gentlemen, that was a flying Rika Kihira on the ice of Kelowna, at 2019 Skate Canada – committing to every single nuance, every single pam-pam of the music. A wow skate from Rika, followed by a so well deserved standing ovation. Eyes are glued – and not only to the stunning triple Axel she began with, but to the overall performance and her focus. She sold this program to the fullest – and she was absolutely stellar in her “Breakfast in Baghdad”.

***
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Liubov Ilyushechkina and Charlie Bilodeau’s start of their short program has such a Bond-mood. And, for the next minutes, you almost ask yourself if they’re dancers or pair skaters. That well the program is constructed, with highlights, with crescendo, with dramatic moments (such is exiting from the lift, as if she were falling, but she is not, she is twirling). No wonder: both their programs this season are choreographed by Marie-France Dubreuil and Guillaume Cizeron – great vehicles to start a partnership and a career.

***

We were really anxious to see Feiyao Tang and Yongchao Yang, because everything that comes from Hongbo Zhao’s school has to be top quality. So we assumed they’re good, and we assumed just right – apart from the spins, everything else in their tango short program looked great, skated with attack and commitment to music. And he in particular has this ability to carry the program.

***

Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii were flawless in their “My Way” short program in Kelowna – and even better than last season. And that’s what happens when you put together two wonderfully talented single skaters – and they become a team under the attentive eye, with a soft spot for details, of a certain lady with so much love for pair skating: Tamara Moskvina, of course. At 17 and 19, in their pink pale costumes, Aleksandra and Dmitrii were beautiful, flowing on the ice – and showing even more signs of greatness for the years to come. Eyes on Beijing, anyone?

***
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Oh, there’s so much beauty in this short program that Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim have this season, skated to the voice of Beyonce singing “At Last”. Content-wise, choreography-wise, we think it’s the best short program they ever had – a program celebrating love, their love, and giving us goose bumps from the very first seconds. The music allows them to breathe, allows the program to breathe – and it’s just a thing of beauty. Their twist is definitely among the very best, the throw was just fantastic, and the whole program had a certain je ne sais quoi. Oh, wait, we know what it had: it had quality, it had both of them thoroughly enjoying the music, it had us glued to their smiles, their story.

***

A whole new look for Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov in their short program this season: ballerina bun for Evgenia, different cut for her dress, long hair for Vladimir; they seem completely changed. And they are changed, and in a good sense. Technically, they have always been good, brilliant even – what they lacked was an artistic identity. They have been trying all things there, from Rachmaninov to Christina Aguillera, and that made it difficult to put them under an umbrella. Well, Marina Zueva tries to find that umbrella for them this season, tries to find those pieces of music that can make them excel, put them under the spotlight.

And she might have done just that with Ravel’s “Bolero”. The program keeps Evgenia and Vladimir’s best things, the twist, the throws, but has so many other highlights here and there. They might have found what works for them – they just need to put their hearts into it. Because in Kelowna they seemed a bit cautious, and the lack of (obvious) enthusiasm can make them shine less, or even look tern, in spite of the elements being really good-looking and sparkling.

***

Oh, this contemporary music – “Love on the Brain” – works so well for Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, and they do such a wonderful job portraying it. Every tiny bit of nuance is highlighted in the choreography – and the result is a beautiful, longing dance, that keeps us fully invested, 100 percent in their story. They’re good, Kirsten and Michael, they’re better and better with the seasons, and it’s always a joy to look at them, dance with them.

***

A huge Winnie-the-Pooh is the first thing that we see from the arena, resting in the arms of a young lady. And, with the camera moving from one side of the stands to the other, you’ll see other spots of yellow here and there, heads of Pooh, people dressed as Pooh, ladies wearing yellow jackets (intentionally or not) – bright yellow, pointing to the real star of this second Grand Prix event of the season: the two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu.

He’s the man most people in the arena want to see – so for his fans around the world, and especially for those in Prospera Place, all other performances are a long introduction to the main act of the day: Yuzuru Hanyu skating to “Otoñal”.

***

No reason not to enjoy the whole event though – and we do just that, enjoy the super quality of Roman Sadovsky’s skating, feel sorry for the jumps he misses (the triple Axel, the Lutz combo), but still be taken away, drawn into the way he moves across the ice. He is a talent indeed – he was one from the start, and we still remember him from the Junior Grand Prix Final a while ago.

***

Nicolas Nadeau: skating a flirtatious, smooth program, head movements and all, a message to a girl: “Baby, don’t fall in love while I’m away”. And the crowd definitely loves him here in Kelowna. Plus: it’s always interesting to see a skater doing things a little different: Nicolas spins and jumps clock-wise – a good role model to skaters like him.

***

No doubt about it: Andrei Lazukin has just the right attitude for his “Mack the Knife” program, the attitude of a proud boy in town. He’s in the character for the whole duration of the program – and he might have sang all the lyrics from top to finish. And we followed him from the very start – from the quad Lutz (almost there; we love the way skaters made a friend out of the quad Lutz) to the somehow shaky Axel and combo. Still, he danced, he kept the program going, and we’re fond of this particular student of Alexei Mishin.

***

…and while the last six skaters are on the ice for their warm-up, we hear lyrics like “sushi from Japan” and “kick it, Jackie Chan”, and we know the sudden bursts of emotion and enthusiasm, the loudest ones, are caused by Yuzuru Hanyu landing his warm-up jumps.

And he seems composed and undistracted, in his blue, veil-like shirt, like a jewel, royal collar and all.

***

Nam Nguyen skated a beautiful short program, to “Blues for Klook”, in the men’s event at Skate Canada, a program choreographed by Mary Angela Larmer – and we had so many flashes of Daisuke Takahashi skating to the same music in Nice, a couple of years ago, a signature program of his. It may seem disrespectful to bring another skater into conversation, but some performances, like Daisuke’s skate at 2012 Worlds, have this habit of imprinting themselves into the mind of the viewers. They become iconic – and, no matter how hard you’d try not to bring them into conversation, they just pop up, alongside with the nostalgia.

That aside, Nam had a great skate in Kelowna, with spark and attack, a more extrovert array of emotions than Daisuke’s rather subtle “Blues for Klook”; and Nam made himself proud with that skate, and received a standing ovation in return.

***

What a beautiful, elegant skater Camden Pulkinen is – and his skate, to “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla, performed by Josh Groban, one of our highlights in the men’s event in Kelowna. Gorgeous skating skills, him flying to the music, to the voice of Josh, the surface of ice, his world, our world for the next 2 minutes and 40 seconds. He seemed to have some troubles with a nosebleed after the spins in the first part, but managed to stay in control, stay undisturbed, he managed to remain free. Wonderful short program at Skate Canada and wonderful discovery overall: Camden Pulkinen, in his senior Grand Prix debut. And he cannot believe his scores, he almost chokes when he sees them, eyes wide open, smiling to the ears.

***

And when Yuzuru Hanyu enters the ice, the photographers’ lens turn as one to the right, where he usually goes before taking the center for his skate. They know, they’ve been following him for a while. And the yellow army of supporters in the stands is getting ready as well: “Ganbaaa!, Ganbaaa!”

And the thing with Yuzuru Hanyu is that he knows just how precious he is – he knows his worth.

And he skates with this kind of conviction – that, when he’s in top shape, he’s the best skater this world has. He knows how his practices have been, how consistent – and if no injuries are there to make him stop, he knows nothing can stop him. Can you imagine how it’s like to skate with this kind of trust in your abilities? Yuzuru Hanyu has this royal mantle around him – and even if the mantle is invisible for the mortals’ eyes, we know it’s there, he knows it’s there.

And Brian Orser, asked about how everything went in Kelowna with Yuzuru before the men’s short program, only said that: “The practice (here) speaks for itself”.

So when the day came – and Yuzuru’s main goal was to show the flow of his short program to “Otoñal” – he shut everything off and skated with that purpose.

A flying quad Salchow, unbelievable triple Axel, transitions in and out of the jumps, spins even – and a quad Toe-triple Toe at the end. But there’s more: this was not (just) the flowing water that you’d expected, because Yuzuru punctuated the skate with gestures, categorical gestures, winning gestures; he softened some parts, but then he thickened the others, adding his majestic punctuations in the process.

And those head movements, arm movements were like small pauses in a conversation – small pauses to admire the beauty, as if you were in a museum, in front of some amazing statues – and so very pleasant to the eyes.

And the smile on his face during the whole step sequence, him jumping in the air, facing the sky, the sound of the applause and the Hurray-s, the emotions of the arena, their goose bumps, our goose bumps. Such a great moment that was.

And then the Pooh-rain followed – more like a Pooh-storm, with lightning and all.

And the giant Pooh – you know, that one from the beginning – flied onto the ice, and Yuzuru needed to make his way to the boards, in between the golden plushy toys.

***

Matteo Rizzo might have been slightly stressed following Yuzuru Hanyu on the ice of Kelowna (at least, he learned how to cope with the Winnie-s), and he overthought that quad Toe, recovered for a gorgeous triple Axel, and then he missed the combination, falling after the triple Lutz.

And then he tried his very best to sell the rest of the program – and he did just that, a smile on his face through and through. But as soon as the music stopped, his real feelings came out: he was disappointed. And it’s so unusual for him to make so many mistakes.

But the truth is Matteo is trying to up the ante this season, and surely a part of the strategy was not to play safe and, hence, he put a quad in his short program. And Skate Canada was a test for that – and we know he needs some time to adjust to the changes.

Overall, the program choreographed by Shae-Lynn Bourne is a good vehicle for Matteo – it puts him in a different light, it makes him look more joyous than in his previous lyrical programs. And thought it was not the best day for Matteo in Kelowna, there were so many positives out there as well, and he can use this as a learning experience.

***

Deniss Vasiljevs didn’t up the ante – no quads in his short program yet – but he’s upping the ante artistically with every season that passes. He’s just a gorgeous skater to watch and, season after season, he becomes even better in terms of expression. And the short program music – “Bloodstream” by Tokio Myers – is such a good choice, and he’s a black bird, sparking feathers and all, flying on the ice of Kelowna. We thoroughly enjoyed the program, and even if the TES-box was not at all friendly, especially comparing it with Yuzuru’s, we knew Deniss would get a good score. Artistically, he’s among the very best.

ACT TWO

Captivating free dance from Betina Popova and Sergey Mozgov, to the unique voice of Freddie Mercury. And that lift, oh my, absolutely bold of them to even try it, let alone put it in a competitive program. But that’s who they are: innovative, pushing the boundaries, choreography-wise, performance-wise, in all of their programs.

***

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha’s skating is so highly contagious – you wanna get up and dance with them, skate with them. But you decide not to – you wouldn’t keep up, really. Their speed is just fantastic. And their commitment to the program, likewise. And we did appreciate having two “Bohemian Rhapsody” dances, one after the other.

***

Sara Hurtado and Kirill Khaliavin’s free dance is a work of art. And we’ve been dying to see it ever since it was choreographed by Antonio Najarro. A masterpiece, really – and the music, their skating gave us goose bumps. Choreography-wise, this might be their best free skate so far.

And we’ll leave here the music they used – in case you want to listen to it on repeat (as we do): “Orobroy” by David Dorantes and “Puerta del Sol” by Manolo Carrasco and Ara Malikian.

And this is not the typical flamenco program – no, this is subtle, this is beautiful, this is contemporary. And the more we watch it, the more we fall in love. And having these out of the box free dances for a couple of seasons already almost turned into a signature, a trademark of Sara and Kirill.

But there’s a danger to that as well: having a program like that, that you continuously want to polish and refine, to reveal all facets, putting a lot of efforts into showing the nuances of music, the choreography, can make you less attentive to the technical details, can make you lose speed, look rather cautious here and there.

And so they need to find the perfect balance in between embodying the music and still being competitive technical-wise – their scores in Kelowna were a signal in that sense.

***

Oh, wow, Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson skating not just to Madonna’s voice, but to the sound of the applause as well – and the truth is they have an amazing vehicle in their Vogue free dance this season, and they continue their ascent in the rankings. Their commitment to the dance is just phenomenal, and their progress is undeniable. Lots of speed, lots of power, wonderful poses, movements fitting the theme.

***

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Give them all the 10-s! That was just a fantastic performance from Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue at Skate Canada. Fantastic in terms of choreography, story, commitment to the theme, to the music. Skating on the edge, they’re the masters of it, and we are lucky to live the story at their side. And we liked it better than in Skate America.

***

We are so in love with Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier – and their endless talent to tell those stories that make your heart melt. This is the case with each of their free dances – and this one in particular, to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”, is like a beautiful, yellow jewel. We are moved.

With 126.43 points, a personal best for them, and 209.01 overall, they go into the lead – and Piper almost knocks down the cameraman when jumping to her feet, expressing joy, amazement, surprise, all at the same time. And when they catch their breath again, Carol Lane resumes it, British-style: “That was quite good then”.

It was. Not just good. Emotional, heartwarming, highly addictive.

***

This theatrical free dance – the sparkling story between Marie Antoinette and a Spaniard – is such a good vehicle for Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker this season – and we love their ability to fully embody their characters. So much potential in this dance still – looking forward to seeing it grow throughout the season. And as the scores had them in fourth place in Kelowna, they need to go back to the drawing board and shift things up before their second Grand Prix event, Cup of China in Chongqing.

***

This is the road to redemption for Marin Honda, as our colleagues from Europe on Ice have beautifully written. And we are thrilled Marin convinced Lori Nichol to choreograph her a free skate to music from “La La Land” – it really embraces her. And she’s flying to it. Welcome back, Marin.

And she seems to have found a new level of maturity, plus, she seems at ease again. And the fact that she decided to compete here, in spite of her injured foot, the accident, says a lot of her mindset now. And she has this wonderful connection with Takeshi Honda, they laugh a lot in the Kiss and Cry, and maybe that’s what was missing also in Marin’s first year of change.

***

Serafima Sakhanovich was among our favorite skaters in her junior years – we loved her blue programs. And we are really fond of this one too, to the iconic music of “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” – she seems to have found her way again.

***

We saw this “Love Story” program in Lombardia Trophy, a month ago, when it was still a work in process. Now it’s almost a work of art. And Yelim Kim decided the fall on the Flip, and her crashing into the boards, won’t define her free skate, and so she regrouped and skated beautifully till the end.

***

It’s all coming back to us now: Gabrielle Daleman loves to skate. And we love to watch her. And her journey, with highs and lows, is her journey – and we are (and we are many) her allies. Some of our most powerful memories from Worlds in Helsinki, in 2017, have her in the center; her “Rhapsody in Blue”, skated in the Cave (the unusual practice rink at Worlds), was just fantastic. And this is where she belongs, onto the big stage. She realizes that herself, in the Kiss and Cry: “It’s all coming back to me now”.

***

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the new Evgenia Medvedeva. More powerful than she has ever been. The speed, the attack, those new jumping passes – that fire within. Evgenia-the warrior. That standing ovation? We are part of it. “You deserve this”, Brian Orser says. She does.

And this is a redemptory skate for Evgenia at Skate Canada, after the meltdown in the short. “You did your job”, Ghislain Briand says. “We’re getting there – you fought hard”, Brian adds.

Finishing 5th, her chances of going to the Grand Prix Final are pretty slim – but, from where we stand, this is again a blessing in disguise: she can work more, focus more, find who she wants to be in skating.

***

What a beautiful skater, what a complete skater Bradie Tennell has become over the last few seasons. She definitely found who she was on the ice, her artistic identity while skating to Benoît Richaud’s choreographies. But this is about her: she did that, she skated like that.

***

Just a little touch of star-quality from Young You on the ice of Kelowna – well, actually more than that. Because we are amazed with the talent, the skating skills, the enthusiasm, the power, the speed of Young You’s skating. She’s taking the skating world by storm – a stunning performance even after a failed triple Axel. And her winning a medal here was definitely among our highlights from 2019 Skate Canada.

***

We were not ready for this. A quad-fest from Alexandra Trusova in her senior Grand Prix debut. She attempted four, she landed three, two in combination, and we are STUNNED. That TES-box right there – are we in the men’s event or what? Historical skate in Kelowna, in case you didn’t notice it for yourselves. And she seemed at ease as well – she’ll say smilingly that even at home, during practice, she usually misses the first jump (the quad Salchow, in this case), only to finish the program on a high note afterwards.

And she is ready to dominate the ladies skating this season – and the following ones.

***

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A free dance like an embroidery, a metaphor – paying attention to the music, to the nuances of it. Lots of subtlety as well – but you see the program, you do, through the quality of Rika Kihira’s movements. And she did have the triple Axel as her ally, in the journey of becoming the “International Angel of Peace” (as her program is titled), but, even with that wonderful skate, Rika can only aspire at silver here in Kelowna. She has made her decision for the next season though: she’ll be coming back to working on the quads. There is just no other way to climb to the top in the ladies skating right now.

***

“Je voudrais voir la mer”, Liubov Ilyushechkina and Charlie Bilodeau say in their long program, and they’re very convincing while skating to it – we’re sure they’ll eventually see the sea, and the peak of the podiums also.

Because their partnership is really special – we know it, they know it: their unison, their beautiful lines, the boldness to attack and show some elements we’ve never seen before (that final lift, oh my), programs constructed to showcase their qualities, their dancing qualities and, most of all, their joy, their enthusiasm while skating; have you seen those beautiful smiles all along the program?

They’re not fake, they’re not some masks you put on because the programs asks for them. No, they’re real, they’re authentic. That happy they are about skating, about finding each other and continue their career.

And their programs this season, you can easily see, are made by dancers – even more to their advantage.

“Super flow”, Marie-France summarizes.

***

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov: their stamina is definitely not at the right place at this time of the season. They seemed in all places on the ice of Kelowna – they struggled a lot to find each other, to put out a convincing performance. Their long program to peculiar music – praising Marina Zueva’s efforts to go into different directions, in order to find what suits them – is still a work in progress.

But, actually, we’re questioning the music as well – though interesting in general and interesting to work with, they don’t seem to connect with it. They actually don’t seem to connect with each other that much – everything seems a little bit forced. Marina may want to make them look like a couple skating to “Ti Amo” (I Love You), but you just don’t get this idea while watching Evgenia and Vladimir in Kelowna. Hopefully, the program, the connection with it will grow while the season progresses.

***
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Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii: a display of power, sharpness, enthusiasm; they almost looked too enthusiast in parts. But these two are the real deal, and their partnership is proving so very successful.

And their Bond-themed long program this season is exactly that, a collection of strengths, highlights, powerful throws, twist, lifts, skated in complete freedom, with hints at the characters they embody here and there (maybe they should try to stay more in the character, not just poses, gestures and smiles – but the truth is so much focus is required to do what they do on the ice, technically).

And we love that “tail” their jumps have, that circle they make on the ice after landing, with much effect on the viewers, us included, and leaving them some time to breathe.

They skated marvelous in Kelowna and, at 17 and 19, they can hope things will be even better from now on. And seeing Tamara Moskvina in the Kiss and Cry, happy with them, happy for them, sending good thoughts and thanks to St. Petersburg, we are spoiled. We love Ms. Moskvina.

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***

These two, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, they even breathe in unison. And one of their strengths is exactly that unison, skating as one, making the story as convincing as possible. And their long program this season, titled “Carry You”, portrays the lyrics, carries them, and carries us for four entire minutes. At Skate Canada in Kelowna, Kirsten and Michael collected enough points to get the silver medal; but they surely left some other points on the table, so they’ll be wanting to make up for the losses here in their following Grand Prix event, NHK Trophy in Japan.

One thing is sure though: they’re so pleasant to watch.

***

“Stand by Yuzu” seems to be the dominating message in Prospera Place, the arena in Kelowna hosting this year’s edition of Skate Canada. As on the short program day, the yellow dots here and there brighten the space and raise the anticipation.

***

Roman Sadovsky: we could watch him all day. And Roman has been skating to “Schindler’s List” for the second year now in his long program – and he has all the qualities to do it. And the program starts on a heavier note, more like a storm, but then it softens with the piano, and the “Prelude in C-sharp minor” by Sergei Rachmaninov. And the piano is predominant in the program – you know it’s a dramatic story there, but you don’t feel the tension as much.

***

Matteo Rizzo is not there yet in terms of quads – he opened the Loop after only three revolutions and didn’t really make the rotations for the quad Toe either – but most certainly you see that he’s trying to push himself further, technically, this season.

Artistically, he is already among the very best for a few seasons now. Dancing to flamenco in his long program, he is a gorgeous skater to watch: arms stretching in the air, a precious step sequence (our favorite moment in the program), the subtle tension of the music, performed with just the right amount of energy.

And there’s something about this flamenco free skate that makes Matteo shine – but it’s not that “in your face” flamenco type of music; the chosen one, “Galicia Flamenco”, is about subtlety, nostalgia and longing. A beautiful choice, a beautiful interpretation – with a (long waited) crescendo in the second part (maybe we wait just too much for it?).

Setting high goals for him this season, Matteo is surely not happy with how things worked out in Kelowna, but this is the very start of the season – energy, stamina wise. With him, the best is yet to come.

***

In the six-minute warm-up before the second group, there’s enough time to notice all the yellow caps, all the heads of Pooh in the waiting. And the Winnie-s in their entirety on the stairs, at the feet of the owners, in between the rows. And then the “Aaaah!”, all the appreciative sounds that follow Yuzuru Hanyu in the warm-up.

And Yuzuru is glowing, a subtle, dark mauve glow.

Don’t be fooled by this subtlety though – he is always followed by a rich mantle of love, warmth, appreciation.

And that euphoric mantle glows more than anything in the world of skating right now – no other skater is more loved, more impatiently followed, hearts trembling, than the man himself, Yuzuru Hanyu.

***

Deniss Vasiljevs, skating to Steve Vai’s electric guitar, as if he were that guitar. You can see he puts himself out there, highlighting every high and every low of that music, but we are actually doubting the choice of the music here. It suits him, it does – but it seems just too linear, too much of the same mood, same rhythm. And, of course, the program is about the beauty of movement, no doubt about it, but human heart needs accents here and there, to get excited, to run across the ice. And we’re not getting those vibes, those accents in Deniss’ long program this season. We’ll watch it again in Rostelecom Cup in Moscow.

***

It was obvious from last season: Keiji Tanaka started to get consistent with his jumps, and that allowed him to perform more. Or he even started to feel that his technical and artistic package is on a par with the big ones, and he can challenge them; if his mind allows it. And it did, and that made him relax, loosen up, enjoy.

And he did just that embodying Sherlock Holmes on the ice of Prospera Place in Kelowna.

At this year’s edition of Skate Canada, Keiji performed a beauty of a free skate, embodying all the nuances of his character. The music might have looked the same, rather uniform in places, but he didn’t allow the performance to stagnate; and once he got those opening jumps (they used to be his nemesis), he was free to become Sherlock Holmes.

And he stayed in the character till the very first second, till the very last gesture, right hand, fingers opened in the air. “Elementary, my dear Watson”.

And he got a neon green plushy toy in return – a hint to his peculiar exhibition program last year, to “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”? Maybe so. The fans know him so well.

***

19-year-old Camden Pulkinen: here’s the surprise of this edition of Skate Canada. A revelation in the short, Camden even surprised himself with that skate. His face in the Kiss and Cry, while seeing the scores, was so very telling. And then he got to be praised by his idol, Yuzuru Hanyu, in the press conference – and that made him even more surprised, and grateful at the same time. That’s a sure thing: Camden had the best time of his life during and after his short program in Skate Canada and, of course, we were all very anxious to see Part Two of this story, Camden’s blue free skate in Kelowna.

Blue shirt, with sparkles – he skates to music from the movie “The Last Emperor”, a program choreographed by Stéphane Lambiel, and that’s already promising. And the start is just fantastic, with a quad Toe and a flying triple Axel. And, skating, he becomes one with the emperor, and you can’t resist being amazed with the quality of his skate. And though, in places, the story tends to become a bit monotonous – he grows a bit tired, he smiles after tripping into the ice at a certain point –, Camden keeps it going, he keeps it alive until the very end.

And though the free skate doesn’t match the short, Camden can be proud of his debut in the Grand Prix circuit. So many take-away-s, so many things to remember.

***

…and for the next couple of minutes, we’ll be travelling into full winter – his costume IS winter – with Yuzuru Hanyu and the violin of Edvin Marton.

He fights a bit for the quad Loop (his knee is there to help), and then he pulls a quad Salchow out of nowhere, and the rest is history. One after the other, the royal jumps follow Yuzuru’s way, and he even has the time to follow his index finger in the air at the end of a sequence.

His bond, his connection with the ice is so powerful, unbreakable even – at the end, he stays, knees on the ice, hands on the ice, for a couple of seconds.

Undoubtedly, this skate is about the “origin” of his love for skating, but, also, and, most importantly, it’s an ode to the ice. The ice which had seen so much from Yuzuru during his career, but which was always there, under his feet, a precious ally. The ice which has always been a friend – an elastic net even, to help him fly.

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And that was a remarkable performance from Yuzuru Hanyu in Skate Canada, and his “Origin” free skate looked almost as good as he wanted it to be, as he had envisioned it to be. Because we know that Yuzuru will always find reasons to perfect even a skate like this – and he actually kept this set of programs for this season as well only to perfect them.

But he was brilliant in Kelowna: he flied on the ice, and he finished the program to the rhythmic sound, the deafening sound of the applause.

That good he is, that special.

Minutes after the skate, they’re still gathering Winnie-s.

And he embraces Nam at the boards, his former training mate, and heads to the Kiss and Cry, where a smiling Brian Orer awaits with a jacket and Yuzuru’s own Winnie. Brian laughs, while waiting for the scores: “You may have won your first Skate Canada!”

Of course he did.

And the music in the arena sounds so very fitting: “Don’t believe me, just watch!”

***

And what will Nam Nguyen do, in this atmosphere of intense joy in the arena? [The audience knows how to make Nam feel special, a Canadian skating in Canada.]

And Nam feeds with the energy of the crowd, and he flies into his two first jumping passes, two quad Salchow-s, the first in combination. And landing them gives him additional wings to fly, and so he skates an entertaining, flirtatious even long program to a Beatles medley, with so many highlights in it.

And you follow him with eyes amazed, because he is able to focus, and have here, in Kelowna, at Skate Canada, maybe the best skate of his career.

And he deserves it, Nam, after a journey during which he lost and found himself. Remember? He was a World junior champion, he used to train, alongside Yuzuru, with Brian Orser in Toronto, and then he left and wondered for a couple of seasons, until he found the right track again, until he found himself, found who he was.

And the audience feels this story is about his journey, and follows him all the way.

At the end, Nam falls on his knees, he can’t believe it – he skated best almost when it most counted. He still has the Worlds in Canada, but, above anything else, this victory is over himself – he proved himself he could do it again, get excited with his skate, get everyone on board with his excitement.

And that skate wins him a Grand Prix silver medal, five years after his first one, at 2014 Skate America.

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