2018 Pyeongchang Olympics: Review

I don't know about you but I am officially wiped out.  I didn't think it was possible to have a figure skating overload but that's where I am.  It's been two weeks of basically nonstop skating and I watched about 90% of it.  Thus, I am burned out.  So rather than my usual in-depth review, I'm just giving my overall thoughts about each skater.

2018 Olympic Medalists

2018 Pyeongchang Olympics: Top Skaters to Watch

It's hard to believe that nearly four years have passed!  But they have and here we are yet again, just a couple of days away from the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics.  The women won't compete for gold until later in the month but I'll look at the top skaters we can expect to see battling for a spot on the podium.

I'll Be the Judge of That: 2018 U.S. Nationals - Ladies' Event

The scoring of this sport is and will always be a subject of debate.  It's just bound to happen in a subjective sport like figure skating.  Every now and then the scoring leaves me not so sure if I agree with the results.  U.S. nationals gave me that "not sure" feeling this year, so I decided it was time for me to grab a pen and paper, watch these performances, and judge the competition myself.

Did the judges get it right?

2018 U.S. National Championships: Review

There's nothing like the Olympic Trials to remind everyone that this sport is the epitome of grace, athleticism and controversy.

This was one for the books!

2018 U.S. Championships: Preview

It's almost here!  The most pressure-filled event any U.S. skater will attend this year--yes, that includes the Olympics.  I expect this to be a dramatic event, especially in the women's field.  No one is a lock.  Some may have a better chance than others, but no one's ticket is stamped yet.  I'll take a look at where the competitors stand coming in and give them a bottom line for these championships.

There can only be 3...

2017 Skate America: Review + Final Grand Prix Standings

I don't think I'd be out of line in saying that this event was cursed by the skating gods.  Thankfully, some good came out of it for a few people.

Tiny Queen back on top!

2017 Skate Canada: Review

The second event of the Grand Prix season was a bit of a toss up.  With so many potential medalists in the field there were so many different outcomes that could have happened.  It all depended on who showed up.

Kaetlyn is back on top in Canada

2017 U.S. International Classic + 2017 Lombardia Trophy: Reviews

With the JGP series on hiatus for this week the Challenger Series (also known as "Senior B" events) took center stage.  We have two competitions to get through so let's go...

2017 U.S. International Classic

The newbie takes the gold!

Off Season Fun 2016-2017: Favorite Short Programs

Off Season Fun continues.  Now it's time to revisit my favorite programs from the 2016-2017 season.  Up first, my favorite short programs!

5. Mariah Bell: "Chicago"

End of Season Power Rankings: 2016-2017

Another season in the books!  With all of the competitions over and done with it's time to look back at how the skaters from my End of Grand Prix Power Rankings did in the second half of the season and give some notes on what we can hope to see from them next season.

10.  Karen Chen (USA)

2017 World Team Trophy: Review

I always love this competition.  It's more of a fluff competition in terms of it not really counting for anything important other than bragging rights, but it's still an opportunity for skaters to make one final statement before we head into the off season.

Japan reclaims the title!

2017 World Championships: Review

This World Championships carried a lot of weight, not only for the participants this year but for those who hope to make the trip to Pyeongchang next year.  With the winner of the event pretty much a given coming in, the focus was on who would step up to round out the rest of the standings.  Needless to say there were some surprises, both good and bad.

Evgenia goes back-to-back and the Canadians make history

2017 World Championships: Preview

It's almost time for the main event!  This is a crucial one as the Olympics are next year.  The placement of the competitors at this event will determine how many skaters each country gets to send to Pyeongchang.

As always I'll take a look at where each skater stands coming into these championships and give them a bottom line for this event.

Who (other than Medvedeva) will stand on the podium?

2017 Four Continents Championship: Review

Four Continents is usually a warm-up for the non-European competitors before the scene shifts to the World Championships in March.  For others this is a final hoorah before the end of the season.  All eyes were on a number of women at this event, particularly the Canadians and the Americans...but no one was watching the Japanese women...

Didn't even see her coming...

2017 U.S. Championships: Review

I was hoping to see some good skating here from a number of the competitors.  Luckily some of them didn't disappoint.  Unfortunately, a few others did...

A brand new champion is crowned!

2017 U.S. Championships: Preview

The 2017 U.S. National Championships are just around the corner.  In most cases there is a clear front-runner...unfortunately, that ain't the case this year.  Everyone seems to be struggling in some way which means this could be a very interesting competition, especially if someone has a breakout performance.  I'll take a look at where the skaters are coming in and give them a bottom line for these championships.

Who will stand on the podium?

2016 NHK Trophy: Review + Final Grand Prix Standings

The last event of the season was a good one!  With spots to the Final on the line it came down to who wanted it the most.

Another win for Anna!

2016 Cup of China: Review

The second to last event of the season looked as though it would be a pretty good one.  I figured there would be some competition but I have to admit, this was not the outcome I expected.

Not what I was expecting but I'll take it!

2016 JGP Cup of Mordovia + 2016 U.S. International Classic: Ladies Review

With two competition series going on there's plenty to cover.  This week was JGP Cup of Mordovia and the second event of the ISU Challenger series, U.S. International Classic.

JGP Cup of Mordovia

2016 Four Continents Championships: Ladies Review

A lot of the top names were invited to this event but only a few of them came...and even fewer actually showed up.

Not the podium I was expecting but, I'll take it!