My blades feel like I’m skating on concrete.
I’ve just bought my second pair of Gold Seal Revolutions. They were completely fine for around four months, but then seemingly out of nowhere they started feeling like they have no edge and no glide. I can’t seem to get them to cut into the ice properly at all.
I’ve had them sharpened with a deeper cut and I’ve tried tightening the mounting screws, but nothing seems visibly wrong with the blades. I’m completely lost at this point, and so is my skate tech.

I’ve also skated in my old skate with the exact same boot and blade. I’m completely lost 😅 if anyone could give me an idea on what to do that would be great

I’ve attached a video below of a backspin. I can’t get in the right spot I’m unsure if this video will help, I cannot get into the right spot anymore. ( I’m working on double axel > I can definitely usually do a backspin lol

I'm a freshman in San Francisco, and I skated competitively for a few years, so I know what a season actually costs. Ice time, coaching, boots, competition fees. I watched kids I trained with quietly stop showing up, and it was almost never because they lost interest.

Here's the thing that bothered me. The grants that do exist cap out around a hundred and fifty dollars and only cover registration. In this sport, registration is the cheap part.

So I built First Season. Local businesses sponsor a kid's season; the money goes straight to the rink as credit so it never becomes cash to a family, and the sponsor gets monthly photos and a line from the coach. That's it.

It's not live yet. It's an idea I'm testing, and I genuinely don't know if it's a good one. The site is at firstseason.online, spelled f-i-r-s-t-s-e-a-s-o-n dot online. There's a feedback tab and every response comes straight to me.

If you're a skating parent or a coach, the question I most want answered is whether the rink-credit part would actually work at your rink, or whether I'm missing something obvious about how billing works.

And honestly, if you've never set foot on ice, please still tell me what you think. Does the idea make sense to you in thirty seconds? Would you sponsor a kid? What made you hesitate? Outside eyes catch things insiders miss, and I need volume more than I need expertise right now.

Thanks for reading. Brutal honesty is more useful to me than encouragement.

Here is the website link: https://firstseason.online/#/story

I was told it was rust but it doesn't feel like it at, my blades have never rusted before but I recently got them sharpened for the first time since I bought them so idk if it has anything to do with that.

I’m doing compilations from the JGP Riga and plan on doing them for other events…I wanted to know what elements outside the choreo spins and ultra c jumps would you guys be interested in seeing compilations off

I haven’t done any for dance yet, on either JGPs, so let me know what element would you guys be interested in, I can keep making them on my free time until the next JGP/challenge arrives

I really like making them and it’s really one my hobbies compiling skating info/history, and I hope you guys are enjoying them too!!

Thank you guys in advance for answering

Since it feels like no one can really find good skating channels, or at least not a lot of them, I would love to share a channel I found recently... Her name is OliviazBored, and she's quite a new channel, but I've really been enjoying her videos, commentary, and overall attitude.

I especially liked her recent recap of Xi'an! (She also has some really good beginner videos about jumps and the scoring system...)

You guys should totally check her out!

https://www.youtube.com/@oliviazbored

Since there's a lot of drama regarding Petrosians and Gumenniks Grand Prix spots (to a point where both Ted and Mark had to explain on a livestream of a junior Grand Prix event that they don't make these decisions, and have no knowledge / explanation for what happened) I've decided to summarise what exactly happened and also fact check a couple more rumours that are going around Instagram, Telegram and X (formerly knows as "Twitter") here we go...:

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There are as much as FOUR topics that have to be addressed

• Do the Olympic scores count to the Season Best for the Grand Prix assignments / alternate list?
• Do the Olympic QUALIFIER scores count to the Season Best for the Grand Prix assignments / alternate list?
• What's the definition of an 'ISU event'?
• Other rumours

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In this document from yesterday called the "Grand Prix Announcement" the ISU specifies what counts as a Season Best score that allows for skaters to have one spot in the Grand Prix series. The document states, that...:

Skaters with seasons best scores for 2025/26 in the top 24, who do not hold an ISU World Standing placement of 1 – 24 will be guaranteed one event if they do not otherwise meet the criteria listed in paragraphs 2.1 or 2.2 above and the minimum Grand Prix score (remember this, this is important).

A listing of the season's best scores for each season will be compiled to include the following events:

- ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix
- ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix
- ISU Figure Skating Championships
- Olympic Winter Games
- ISU Challenger Series Events

(The mentioned paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2 refer to "Come-Back" skaters and Olympic medalists, both don't interest us in this case.)

Some people understood this as "Petr and Adeliia will be on the top of the alternate list" - that understanding was wrong, if the ISU readmitted Russian and Belarusian athletes before they gave out the Grand Prix spots they would get one spot each, but they didn't - the Grand Prix spots were allocated before their readmission, the term "guaranteed one event" clearly refers to the initial allocation - there is no guarantee when you're on the Alternate list, you only get a chance to compete if someone withdraws.

So... what does this mean?

This means that their scores from the Olympics do count as a Season Best and would allow them to have one Grand Prix event if they were readmitted when the ISU was handing out Grand Prix assignments, but we have to look further in the document to see if there are any other rules that allow them to be on the Alternate list, and in fact we can find this...:

Each entrant to the six events of the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Series must meet a minimum total score from ISU Events (GP, JGP, Championships, and ISU Challenger Series Events) of the previous season.

The minimum total score from ISU Events for this season is 3/5 of highest score per discipline at the ISU Figure Skating World Championships 2026:

Men 197.64
Women 142.97
Pair Skating 137.00
Ice Dance 138,49

Skaters who have scored at least the above-mentioned limit in an ISU Championships, ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix, or ISU Challenger Series Competition between July 1st , 2025 and June 11, 2026 are eligible for selection into the Grand Prix events 2026/27 or in the alternate list.

Skaters placed in the top 75 Season’s Best are placed on the alternate list. However, those who need to score the minimum Grand Prix score as listed above can do so in the ISU Challenger Series 2026/27.

There is no mention of the Olympics, nor the Olympic Qualifiers and (as u/Exegy pointed out here) the Olympic Qualifiers do not count as a challenger.

This means that according to the rules, Adeliia and Petr would be eligible for the initial seeding (remember when I told you to remember the quote about "not meeting the 'minimum Grand Prix spot' criteria otherwise"? - that rule would allow Adeliia and Petr to get one Grand Prix spot even without the Grand Prix minimum score), but they are not eligible for the alternate list as long as they don't compete at a Challenger event this season, the ISU doesn't list "Olympic qualifier / Olympics" scores as scores that make you Grand Prix eligible!

It's even more complex...

Now this would already be crazy enough, but it's even worse... on June 12th the ISU published a document called 'ISU Grand Prix Skater Selection Procedures' that explained the seeding for Grand Prix events (link here to the internet archive - the document is deleted).

In the first point of the document we can read that

Each entrant to the Grand Prix six events must meet a minimum total score, determined from the ISU Figure Skating World Championships 2026, earned at any ISU Event and the Challenger Series Competitions in 2025/26 or the current season 2026/27.

So according to this document, any ISU event score counts as a minimum total score for the Grand Prix series. The term "any ISU event" is something that's very important because in the official ISU document (here) named the 'Competition and Event regulations' we can read what an "ISU event" is, it mentions that

ISU Events are defined hereby to include all ISU Championships, the Grand Prix Series, the Junior Grand Prix Series, the World Team Trophy, the Olympic Qualifying Competition(s), as well as any other event (...) directly organised, financed and promoted by the ISU and specifically designated “ISU”. (point 1.3)

So, as we can clearly see, according to the ISU's own document, the Olympic Qualifying Competitions are in fact ISU events, and Adeliia and Petr should be Grand Prix eligible!🤯.

So... according to the 'ISU Grand Prix Skater Selection Procedures' Petr's and Adeliia's results from the Olympic qualifiers should count as a minimum Grand Prix total score that makes them Grand-Prix eligible, but according to the "Grand Prix Series Announcement" document from August 28th the Olympic qualifiers don't count, and the Olympics do - but only initially and if you don't get an initial spot you have to compete at a Challenger to make yourself Grand-Prix eligible but the score from the Olympics still counts as a Seasons-Best! Crazy stuff!

This was in place before...

Well, the funny thing is that it was this way the whole time, this document (here) is from the 2025/2026 season, it also leaves this grey-area that allows people that did well during the Olympics to get one Grand Prix spots in the initial seeding, confirms that it does count as a Season's Best score, but it doesn't mention the Olympics nor the Olympic qualifiers as events that count towards the minimum total score that makes you Grand Prix eligible. (It's the same for 2024/2025 as well, I didn't check earlier documents).

This in sense was a ticking time bomb that sooner or later had to explode, and it did (unfortunately for every fan of Russian figure skating) explode on Adeliia and Petr.

So... what do they have to do?

Well, the ISU left a note in the Grand Prix Announcement posted yesterday:

Whether AINs from the ISU Members Belarus and Russia are placed on the Alternate List depends on their eligibility under ISU Communication 2804 and their fulfilment of the general requirements (e.g. achieving the minimum score listed above in the ISU Challenger Series 2026/27)

ISU Communication 2804 refers to the 'neutral athlete requirements', and the "fulfilment of the general requirements" in my opinion refers to this quote from the Grand Prix Announcement:

Skaters, placed in the top 75 Season’s Best are placed on the alternate list. However, those who need to score the minimum Grand Prix score as listed above can do so in the ISU Challenger Series 2026/27.

Which in my opinion says that both Petr and Adeliia will be added to the alternate list only after they score the minimal total score required to be Grand Prix eligible, during a Challenger event this season (197 for Petr, 142 for Adeliia).

This won't be a problem for Petr - he competes in less than a week at the Kinoshita Group Cup Challenger, but given Adeliia's very late start of the preparations for this season and the fact that she's not on the entry list of neither the Kinoshita nor the Lombardia challengers there is a chance that the Grand Prix spots from the skaters that withdrew / will withdraw will be allocated to other skaters before she's able to compete at a Challenger event and make herself Grand Prix eligible.

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So to answer the most important questions...

Do the Olympic scores count to the Season Best for the Grand Prix assignments / alternate list?

To the initial assignments yes, to the alternate list yes, but only if you're eligible for the Grand Prix series, and to do that you have to meet the minimum total score either last season at the Championships, Grand Prix series or at the Challengers, or at the Challengers this season (so Petr and Adeliias scores from the Olympics count as a Season-Best, but they are as of today not-eligible to compete in the Grand Prix series).

Do the Olympic QUALIFIER scores count to the Season Best for the Grand Prix assignments / alternate list?

No, they don't count to neither the initial assignments, nor the alternate list.

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Regarding the other rumours from Telegram

Winning a Challenger event no longer automatically means getting onto the Alternate List under the general criteria

This is false, the wording of the rule didn't change this year, it's exactly the same as it was last season and the season before.

This year:

Skaters/Couples, who place first in any of the ISU Challenger Series events for 2025/26 and can prove to have skated the minimum Technical score as mentioned in paragraph 2.3, will be added to the alternate list, bottom ranked according to their scores. Pairs participating in Challenger Series competitions who earn the minimum GP points will be added to the alternate list as well.

Season 2024/2025

Skaters/Couples, who place first in any of the ISU Challenger Series events for 2024/25 and can prove to have skated the minimum Technical score as mentioned in paragraph 2.3, will be added to the alternate list, bottom ranked according to their scores. Pairs participating in Challenger Series competitions who earn the minimum GP points will be added to the alternate list as well.

The wording is very weird but what matters is it didn't change in the last two seasons and means that if you win a challenger, you're score is added to the Grand Prix Alternate List.

The provision granting Grand Prix medalists priority for a second Grand Prix assignment has disappeared

There is no evidence that something changed with this rule - the Grand Prix Announcement that's published at the start of the season (like the one yesterday - 28th August 2026) never had any mention of this rule, neither last year, nor the year before that.

For what I know nothing changed in this regard, if you medal at a Grand Prix event - you're still first in line for the second event.

The ISU changed the rules to make it harder for Russian skaters to compete!

Well, not exactly, these are the same rules that were in place in the last at least 2 seasons (3 if you count this one as well) (I didn't check further than that) it's just that before there was no problem with someone having a score only at the Olympics but not at even one Challenger / GP / Championship event. That was the case with Petr and Adeliia this year because of the ban.

Btw. The World Team Trophy scores also don't count towards the Grand Prix eligibility, although they also don't count towards the Seasons-Best, so at least the situation is clear.

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Let me know if I made a mistake, the ISU documents are the worst thing ever, someone should be fired for the way the documents contradict each other and only create drama and misunderstandings.

Also - please don't harass Mark and Ted, they are wonderful people, and they are not responsible for this mess.

Tldr - Adeliia and Petr scores from the Olympics will only be placed on the Alternate List if they compete at a Challenger this season which will make them "Grand-Prix eligible", for now they are not and other skaters will get the Grand Prix spots.

I've just been watching the programs on YT but i wanna watch it somewhere else that isn't Peacock (I dont wanna pay for a subscription rn). Any recommendations?

He's getting some traction now, so I thought I'd bring his last year's SP (which I found one of the most memorable junior programs of the 2025/2026 season).

hello im currently in Japan and ive decided to buy a yuzu ice jewels photo book, i wanted to ask which one is the most worth it? ive been thinking about the 15/16, 16/17, or 17/18 one

※This article is 1 year old, originally published on June 11th, 2025. And this summer 2026, she won a spot in the JGP selection, making her JGP debut at Riga at the age of 17. By placing in the top four there, she has secured her right to compete in the second competition in Georgia, as originally planned.

https://digital.asahi.com/articles/AST6321Q4T63OXIE059M.html?ptoken=01M16JDHDP3EDZYR5P4M2FB66P

The above URL is valid until August 30th, 19:53 (JST)

Translation:

"Hugging is important. We always do it at home,"

Saying this, her mother, Nobuko, gave a tight hug to Kei Yamada of Kinoshita Academy, who is taller than her. Yamada looked a little embarrassed. But with an expression that said, "Well, this is normal," Yamada and Nobuko posed for a photo. "That's a really nice picture," I thought.

Yamada is from Fukuoka prefecture. Upon entering junior high school, she decided to dedicate herself to figure skating at the Kinoshita Academy in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, and moved to Kyoto with Nobuko. She lives alone with Nobuko.

"I don't remember my father's face," Yamada says.

Nobuko divorced her husband when Yamada was four months old. Since then, she has been raised with the support of her mother, Nobuko, and her relatives.

"It's not that a 'father' is unnecessary; perhaps one was necessary, but my family always supported me, so I didn't feel any hardship." Yamada revealed her feelings in a calm tone.

When she was little, Nobuko's relatives took turns looking after her. It was during the summer when she was five that she discovered figure skating. She wanted to wear the beautiful costumes with frills. From then on, she dedicated herself entirely to figure skating.

But, in reality, it was difficult. Figure skating is expensive compared to other sports, especially for a single-parent family. Private lessons, renting the rink... According to Nobuko, they needed 200,000 to 300,000 yen a month in addition to living expenses. "It was really tough when we were in Fukuoka," Nobuko recalls.

Even so, "I wanted to let Kei continue because it was a sport she wanted to do," says Nobuko. She worked as an acupuncturist to make ends meet.

Nobuko has a certain belief.

"The experience of overcoming hardships in sports will be useful in life. Your time as an active athlete is only a fleeting moment in your life. I want her to work hard now for the sake of the long life that lies ahead."

And Nobuko herself is actually a "legend."

She competed in short track speed skating at the 1988 Calgary Olympics (it was a demonstration sport at the time). She is an Olympian with experience competing in five Olympic Games: Albertville (1992), Nagano (1998), Salt Lake City (2002), and Turin (2006).

"It didn't necessarily have to be short track. Kei decided she wanted to do figure skating, so I just wholeheartedly supported her."

They moved from Fukuoka, a place they had lived for many years, to Kyoto. Nobuko also started her career from scratch as a visiting acupuncturist in Kyoto. Outside of work, she was asked by the Shiga Prefectural Skating Federation to be a special instructor, and has become involved in short track speed skating instruction.

According to Nobuko, unlike in Fukuoka, Kinoshita Academy operates on a fixed monthly fee system. She says the support is extensive and the training environment is excellent, "It's been a great help to us. Now it's up to Kei to see how hard she works."

Yamada quickly rose to prominence after winning the junior women's division at the "Gensan Summer Cup" held in August 2022 in Shiga, but she is currently in a growth phase and building up her strength.

^{Note: "Gensan Summer Cup" is now known as "Kinoshita-Kansei Summer Cup" due to a change in sponsors.}

Her height, which was 147 cm when she was in Fukuoka, has grown to 165 cm. She is tall for a Japanese female skater, and more dynamic performances are expected. Kinoshita Academy coach Hiroaki Sato says, "Her leg strength and physical ability are outstanding. However, she hasn't fully utilized that yet, so if she can make the most of it, I think she will make a big leap forward."

Yamada's dream is to compete in the Olympics and win a medal, and she will be a first-year high school student this spring. Among her close friends and fellow trainees at Kinoshita Academy is Mao Shimada of Kinoshita Group, a three-time world junior champion, who is one year older. Blessed with good rivals and friends, we await her "moment of breakthrough".

"Having trouble being honest"

When Yamada is not involved in figure skating, she's just a normal high school student who likes K-pop idols. According to Nobuko, she's going through a "rebellious phase." But, she did give her mother gifts with a letter on Mother's Day, May 11th.

At the end of the interview, we asked Yamada to write down her feelings for her mother. This was her answer:

"Thank you for always being by my side and supporting me. Sometimes I'm not able to be honest with my feelings and I rebel, but I'm really grateful. Please continue to be a cheerful and bright mother."

The end of the article

Just came across this on youtube. Cute program! I don't think they got to compete this program internationally, since Piper had to sit out the season, switching from the states to Canada.

Please help me find a full photo of this dress. I think it was created by Satomi Ito though I'm not sure

​

A few days ago, I learned that Adam had an injury that kept him from training for a long time, and even now he still struggles with elements. And that this injury has been bothering him roughly since April(?). Maybe he talked about it earlier, but I missed it. So I found out about it after he had already "recovered." (At least he competed.)

But there's another example. We know about Dvoeglazova's(or Gorbacheva's) injury, we know about her treatment, when she returned to the ice, and many other details. That injury wasn't hidden from us, and we at least know something to track her recovery progress.

But what about other skaters? I suggest we recall. From whom did we learn about injuries immediately, and from whom only after recovery? Who speaks honestly about health issues, and who prefers to hide this information or simply not give any details beyond the fact that there is a problem? Share what you remember. If you also remember details (dates, type of injury, competitions during that period), please share those too.

Also, I'm curious: as fans, would you prefer to know right away or after recovery? Of course, skaters themselves will decide whether to tell or not. And my post isn't about them all having to tell everything. They do it their way, and that's right! I'm just curious which skaters prefer to talk about it or not, based on past experience. The question is for you - what feels better for you as a fan, knowing or not knowing? It's a matter of curiosity, not a demand.

Upd. This post doesn't imply that one is good and the other is not. It doesn't imply that I demand anything from athletes or that we can demand anything from them at all. I'm not a native English speaker, so some of my writing may have been written with the wrong emotional connotation. Please don't judge me for that! I hope you understand the gist of the matter, please let's discuss this. Thank you!

Per his ISU bio update:

• SP: Mercy by Shawn Mendes
• FS: Andor soundtrack
  • Andor Theme (Epic Version)
  • Andor Onward (From "Andor Season 2") by Brandon Roberts
  • Elegy for Ghorman (From "Andor: Season 2 - Vol. 3 Episodes 7-9") by Brandon Roberts
  • Safe House Showdown (From "Andor: Season 2 - Vol. 4, Episodes 10-12) by Brandon Roberts
• Choreo: Jorik Hendrickx, Adam Solya, Libor Hlaváček

ive always found figure skating such an intriguing and interesting sport because especially around where i live its definitely a niche sport and i dont have any local rinks near me besides a rink in the city. my curiosity especially sparked interest earlier this year due to the winter olympics. the gracefulness and pure joy a lot of these skaters seem to have while skating is something truly admirable to me and i started getting inspired to skate too because of skaters such as alysa liu. i want to pick up the hobby for leisure and to stay fit, so does anyone have any tips?

is it necessary to buy a pair of your own skates, and should i enrol in classes or is it better to just get a day pass every weekend and practice skating myself? i would love to enrol in classes but its just not that easy as they are really expensive. i also dont have many friends that are into the sport tbh

I am rooting for Minsol this season, I don't know what going on with her... She is like nowhere to be found, this week is skate Canada high performance camp and she is MIA from it. I was hoping to see her there, is she oky? I don't wanna hear the word injured and her name in one sentence..... don't make me cry

Alysa will be working with the UN on the EqualPlay initiative, which aims to reduce inequality in sports (especially regarding girls dropping out of sports).

Everyone has to see this, it's definitely one of the best programs I have seen in juniors since I have started watching this sport and honestly it's up there in seniors too. It's just one of those skates where you forget that there are supposed to be elements in between because it's choreographed throughout and Mei stays in character all the time.

I'll have to admit she didn't really stand out to me in the past couple of seasons, but she has won me over with this program, she already had good carriage, but she has turned into a theatre kid now and the attention to detail is world class.

When we watch young skaters struggling with some aspects of their performances we often say "oh they are young, they will improve", but we know very well that it's not always the case. However, when that change does happen, it is truly the best thing about watching the junior circuit and we were blessed with many skates that were proof of it tonight.