The Real Dancing on Ice on NOW

[soupforbrains]

Hi all,

not sure if there was a better place to post this but the World Figure Skating Championships started properly today and continues over the next few days.

It is available to watch in the UK on eurosport, OR if you have amazon prime, you can get a 7 day free trial to eurosport which will cover you.

the Pairs Short Programme competition started just after 17:30 today and carries on for a couple of hours,

Come join me watching and take a look at what dancing on ice SHOULD look like :)

It’s on BBC 2 on Sunday. I’ll have to wait until then unfortunately

The highlights only are on BBC on Sunday and that will only be 2 or 3 routines from each of the categories. But if it's the only way you can watch then it's better than nothing!

But actually the BBC have coverage live of all of the free programme competitions over the next few days on the red button, website and iplayer.

Thursday;
17:05 Pairs Free Programme

Friday;
16:55 Ladies Free Programme

Saturday;
9:55 Mens Free Programme
15:55 Ice Dance Free Programme

Sunday;
16:30 Highlights
18:00 Closing Exhibition Gala

Oooh I didn’t realise it was on the red button too. I don’t think I’ll be getting much work done then over the next few days!

Oooo. Thanks! Might have to stick with the red button free programmes (but that's probably too much time lost to watching as it is...). I love proper ice skating. Ever since reading White Boots, I wanted to be an ice skater. Unfortunately, despite taking lessons I am too scared to doing turns and step sequences at speed. Which then makes it impossible to do jumps, or anything really!

@terrywynne It helps to start learning really really young, before you know to be scared. :)

[quote soupforbrains]@terrywynne It helps to start learning really really young, before you know to be scared. :)[/quote]
I can imagine that would help! I didn't start lessons until early 20s and just never got comfortable at speed (though the one injury I did get was at slow speed, thus proving that you need speed to make the moves work).

I mean I could do spins and small jumps but it's like the difference between the celebs and then watching the pro group routines and realising how slow even the best celebs are. And then you watch competition and exhibition skates and realise how constrained the pro routines are by the small rink...

Oh yeah, choreographing for teeny tiny pads is a massive PITA

Oh thanks for this OP!
Always loved the ice skating, like a pp since reading White Boots.

Going to catch up later, sorry to see Trusova doing so poorly in the ladies short...

I might reread White Boots now! It's a bit weird to read it now that the figures part of figure skating is no longer a separate competitive element.

@Starzinhereyes Yeah she had a bit of a mare.

@terrywynne my friends and I still do figures! It’s excellent for training. Though I musts admit I am too young to have ever done it At tests or competitively. My sister still has her figures blades though!

The men’s short was a good watch this afternoon. Shame Chen dodt go clean but with what he’s capable of in the long it’s not over yet. Great to see Kagiyama up there too.

But for me Kevin Aymoz was my favourite routine and performance. And how the HELL he saved that landing without putting hand/foot down only made it better (although not his scores)

Looking forward to the pairs long tonight. Especially Riku/Ryuichi and Walsh/Michaud who are for me the most beautiful/interesting pairs. But obviously the battle for the medals will be fun too.

I have vague memories of my mum saying that one of the British male ice skaters used to do averagely in the figures and then have to make up lots of ground in the short/long programmes - not sure who it would have been, though I think it was someone successful! (probably in the 1970s/80s). I have vague memories of watching ice skating on TV where the skaters already had a score from their figures before you got to the televised coverage but, looking at when figures were dropped, it must be one of my earliest memories or I am remembering being told about....

Which discipline did you compete in?

Watching pairs now - I love pairs because it looks so scary, no way would I do the throws!

I competed in ladies, a little dance and pairs and also I did synchro (which most people don’t even know exists but is still my favourite discipline to both watch and do)

I’ve skated my whole life, my brother is a hockey player and my sister coaches now so it’s a bit of a family thing.

And yes when I watch skating the only thing which sometimes makes me flinch are the throw jumps.

@soupforbrains

I competed in ladies, a little dance and pairs and also I did synchro (which most people don’t even know exists but is still my favourite discipline to both watch and do)

I’ve skated my whole life, my brother is a hockey player and my sister coaches now so it’s a bit of a family thing.

I know that synchro exists! I had one year where I had the time to skate several times a week and happened to be near a rink with an adult team so its actually the only figure skating I have competed in (very badly - not being able to turns at speeds is, I'm sure you'll agree, a hindrance for synchro )

I also played hockey at university for a couple of years (as there was no figure skating university group). I was terrible at that too (the speed issue again!) - definitely on the 3rd or 4th line...

That is quite a family of skaters though. I am impressed that you have done pairs.

It’s great that you skate as an adult. It’s really sad that even people who have skated to pretty high standards when young end up generally never skating as adults.

On the pairs, I love ave Maria, but that choreo was boring.

Thank you, @soupforbrains - I hadn’t spotted this!

They’ve a lot of work to do but I LOVE this young Georgian pair. Very excited about their future.

The Germans were disappointing for me, but loved that from Walsh and Michaud, not perfect but a great skate.

Way better skate from the Italians than they managed in the short. Not bad for a roller skater. Haha

Aw I’m so gutted for Riku and Ryuchi didn’t have a clean skate but I still love watching them, they’re just so fluid and gorgeous.

I like the Italian couple showing that you don't have to be 17/23 (the Georgian girl was so young) to be at the World Champs - a shame about the couple of mistakes

Yes I like the italian pair too. I can’t wait to see what the Georgians produce in future years. They have SO much potential.

Am utterly THRILLED with the result. Felt that from the moment they finished their skate they’d got it. Despite the couples who were to come. What a phenomenal achievement it is in just their first season in senior competition.

I’ve now rewatched their skate 3 times.

Also bonus marks for the response they gave in the interview re: how they would be celebrating. Haha

Thrilled for Mishina & Galliamov, hope they keep this programme for the Olympics. Would be an amazing atmosphere with a full audience.... Not a great reaction from Boikova but what does she expect, they had mistakes, lucky to get bronze...

Can't believe it has taken me this long to realise the Russians are still competing independently aren't they? Just watching the final skates and finally noticed they have no flag in the results. (I had lost track of the whole situation with the Russian doping).

@terrywynne I had assumed that things were back to normal again from that front too until I watched the short programmes on Wednesday.

In case you were wondering they are considered to be representing the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, abbreviated to FSR.