Predictions: Skate America 2018

Skating season is upon us and between being on and off sick, the cold weather and my packed calendar, I’m not sure if I’m ready. Either way, onwards we go, there is no turning back! Skate America predictions, let’s go!

Mid-Season Favourites

The mid-season mark has passed and I’m fully aware I’m late but hey, better late than never, right? Either way, I do love Olympic programs since they generally showcase the best that a skater can offer. Most of the time. I’ll try not to include any repeat programs this year since it seems to be the vogue these days *cough*Moulin Rouge for almost 3 seasons *cough* so here goes!

Predictions: Cup of China 2017

I have a feeling the competition is starting soon so here are my predictions really quickly. The Cup of China is always an interesting competition since there’s always that attempt to build the roster to maximize medals for the home team… except there really isn’t much to work with at the moment outside of pairs for China at times. Either way, onwards and upwards!

Predictions: Skate Canada International 2017

What am I doing in the name of figure skating love? I’ll be heading to Regina, Saskatchewan this weekend to watch Skate Canada live so there won’t be any tweets. I will admit to being bewildered at the thought of going to the Prairies and Saskatchewan of all places. Of all the Prairie provinces in Canada, I expected that I’d visit Saskatchewan last, if not ever. Oh well, I guess it’ll be an interesting opportunity to discover another Canadian city. Anyways, onwards to predictions! This will likely be short and sweet since I still need to pack and prepare for this weekend!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY 2016! They say in Japan that your first dream of the year is an omen for things to come. If that’s true, then I hope you all had wonderful dreams last night.

If it’s not, thank the heck goodness because I had nightmares where I was in a weird survival situation where I shot a kid and had to carry a canoe through the forest. I think I was probably in one of those dystopian worlds that’s so popular nowadays. Either way, the shock of my dream murder woke me up and I swear I shed one tear (I was super upset over my dream actions – no, seriously) and then fell asleep again… only to have another nightmare where all my friends left me alone and then I proceeded to buy over $200 in cake to drown my sorrows in. My dreams are messed up. I hope, if anything, that you found them humorous, it’ll be a consolation that my twisted nightmares gave someone delight.

In any case, catharsis aside, I usually post a video of an up and coming skater in on New Year’s Day as a reminder of things to come and look forward to. Looking at the juniors, I have been enjoying Marin Honda’s skating for a while and so I thought I’d post a video of her. It’s not a perfect performance but she’s still a joy to watch and a breath of fresh air, which may be what I need right now.

Enjoy!

~Rinkside Cafe

P.S. The GPF recap post is coming. I still have yet to catch up with everything. If my nightmares are any indication, a lot of stressful things have been happening lately and I’m doing my best to stay afloat. I will aim to have it done next week.

 

Breath of Fresh Air

As some of you might know, I’ve been recharging over the summer and I think I’m about ready to dive into the next season. Life is still up and down for me but I think some good figure skating will help me cope with some of the down days. A youtube recommendation reminded me that there are promising young skaters coming up the pipeline and I happened upon this video.

Marin didn’t do as well in her LP at this competition but I quite enjoyed watching this SP. She’s a breath of fresh air and she reminds me of a young Carolina Kostner, full of potential though far from perfect. I look forward to watching her skate in the future.

What are some young skaters who, in your opinion, look promising? Let me know in the comments!

~The Rinkside Cafe