Those of you who know me know I am mildly obsessed with figure skating. I started skating myself when I was four years old and competed until age 15. I have followed the sport religiously practically my entire life, and if you follow me on Twitter you are probably very grateful that the skating season is now over.
I wanted to take a break from our regularly scheduled theater and television programming to share some of my favorite performances from this season. If you already follow the sport, this is a fun way to relive some of the best moments of the year. If you don’t but want to know what you missed, or just enjoy some good skating, the following should give you a good crash course in what happened in the skating world over the past eight months or so.
In no particular order:
Joshua Farris (USA)
2015 Four Continents Championships Short Program
Music: “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran
The rules were changed this season to allow lyrics in skating music for the first time (with the exception of ice dance, where they were previously allowed), and this program is probably my favorite use of this new opportunity. It’s contemporary and beautifully skated by one of our up-and-coming American men, who went on to finish 2nd at this event.
Satoko Miyahara (Japan)
2015 World Team Trophy Long Program
Music: “Miss Saigon”
Only turning 17 years old at the end of the season, Miyahara was one of my favorite performers to watch this season. Relatively new on the radar and the surprise World silver medalist last month, she delivered the best performance of her “Miss Saigon” free skate of the season at the final event, World Team Trophy. Bonus points for skating to a musical that is not Phantom of the Opera.
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker (USA)
2015 US Nationals Free Dance
Music: “Romeo and Juliet”
These two were my new obsession this year. World Junior champions in 2014, this was their first season at the senior level, and I think they have a very special quality and talent that will take them very far in ice dance. They had a fantastic first season on the senior scene, finishing 4th at Nationals, a surprise 3rd at NHK Trophy, and 5th at Four Continents. This free dance was my favorite from the event at Nationals this year.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (Russia)
2015 World Championships Short Program
Music: “Bolero”
Elizaveta really dominated this season, culminating in her first World Championship win. She opens this short program with a phenomenal triple axel, which is incredibly rare in ladies’ competition—only a handful of women have ever landed it, and her score for this segment was very close to the world record.
Ashley Wagner (USA)
2015 US Nationals Long Program
Music: “Moulin Rouge”
If I had to choose, this would be my #1 moment of the season. It’s hard to believe that I didn’t love this program when I first saw it at Skate Canada because it grew so wonderfully over the course of the season and Ashley upped the technical content SO much. She absolutely crushed it at Nationals, reclaiming her title and also creating such an unforgettable moment. This performance has taken up permanent residence on my list of favorite skates I rewatch when I’m sad. Moments like this are why I love the sport.
Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron (France)
2015 World Championships Free Dance
Music: “Adagio from Concerto No. 23” by Mozart
These two went from 13th at Worlds last year to 1st this year, which is basically unheard of in ice dance. Aged 19 and 20, they also became the youngest ice dance world champions in 49 years. This free dance is simply phenomenal—this team is so mesmerizing on the ice, and I always find myself unable to take my eyes off of them.
Jason Brown (USA)
2015 World Team Trophy Long Program
Music: “Tristan & Iseult”
This program is another that I didn’t love at the beginning of the season, but as Jason settled into it it really became a nuanced, mature, impressive piece. This season-ending skate from World Team Trophy is simply solid as a rock, featuring some of the most secure triple axels I’ve ever seen him do and once again showing what a consistent competitor he is.
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford (Canada)
2014 Grand Prix Final Long Program
Music: Muse medley
Meagan and Eric dominated pairs skating and were undefeated this season. This fun, modern program to a medley of Muse songs showcases their powerful skating and the incredibly difficult technical content that placed them in a class of their own this season.
Adam Rippon (USA)
2015 US Nationals Long Program
Music: “Piano Concerto No. 1” by Franz Liszt
This stellar free skate was such a comeback for Adam, who won a National silver medal in 2012 but has struggled since. He reclaimed that second place finish and earned a trip to Worlds with this skate, which starts with an attempt at a quadruple lutz, a jump no other man is currently doing in competition.
Javier Fernandez (Spain)
2015 World Championships Short Program
Music: “Black Betty” by Ram Jam
I have always really enjoyed Javi’s skating, and this fun short program was the perfect vehicle for him. This performance of it starts with an incredibly solid quadruple salchow and the lead he accumulated here was instrumental in his winning Worlds for the first time.
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier (USA)
2014 Skate America Long Program
Music: “The Lion King”
Haven and Brandon came out of the gate swinging at the first major event of the season with this “Lion King” program that I just really enjoyed. It made me wish more skaters would choose Disney music in the future, and they won a surprise silver medal here with this effort.
Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau (Canada)
2015 World Championships Long Program
Music: “In Your Eyes” and “Wallflower” by Peter Gabriel
This young Canadian team first caught my eye at the Junior Grand Prix Final, which they won. They competed at both junior (2nd) and senior (8th) worlds. I just really love their style, maturity, and consistency, and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow as they move to the senior level full-time next season.
ON STAGE & SCREEN 