Crystal Skate

If figure skating were a job you had to apply for, the ideal candidate would have to be more than just a skater. They'd have to also fulfill all the following requirements: talent, creativity, hard work, flair and an eye for detail. On their CV, under skills, they'd probably put: great taste in music, masterful presentation skills, ability to choose a great costume, lots of charisma and, yes, of course, outstanding skating skills. Anyone lacking one of these attributes would not even be called for an interview. In the real world though, there is no such thing as an ideal figure skater, which is why we end up with bits and pieces of perfection spread all over the place rather than concentrated in one athlete. The best programme, the best costume, the best choreography, the best music choice, the best jumps, the best spins, the best presentation, etc. cannot all be found in one place. That's why it is no surprise that the best costume worn this season by a man in the free s...

There are many skaters who could climb the men's podium at this year's Skate Canada. Unfortunately for the hosts, none of them are actually Canadian. Instead, we've got athletes from Europe and Asia ready to battle it out, metaphorically of course, for their first Grand Prix medals of the season. Let's see who gives it their best in the short programme. Although Liam Firus 's routine isn't exactly fascinating, it is a decent start to the competition. He can't control the landing of the triple Axel and falls, but the rest of the jumps are quite strong. His score: 64.94 . Andrei Rogozine  brings back a song we haven't heard in a while: Mozart's Lacrimosa , this time with lyrics. The Canadian interprets it with that dramatic fierceness you'd expect from a Canadian-trained Russian-born skater. He is here as Kevin Reynolds' substitution, but with a programme as good as this, he's already overcome that status. He gets 70.95  points. S...

Javier Fernandez raised the bar incredibly high last season with three perfectly-landed quad jumps. Will he manage to keep his title with a programme as equally impressive or is it time for a new European champion? Maxim Kovtun, Florent Amodio and Michal Brezina are all waiting to take his place. Brian Joubert 's NEW short programme is not exactly what we might have expected. He looks rather stiff and overly worried, especially after missing the quad and the Triple Axel. The music is Mutations from the soundtrack of Amaluna . The story, if there is any, doesn't show much, but it is obvious that this is the type of music he could work wonders with if he just kept his nerves in. His score: 73.29 . The first thing that draws your eyes to Florent Amodio is the gorgeous red costume. La Cumparasita turns out to be a perfect match for the French skater. The biggest mistake was the final spin, where he couldn't keep his balance. He earns 78.60 points. Michal Brezina is t...

The highest stakes in figure skating have always been in the men's competition. They have the most difficult elements, so it's only natural they should receive the greatest glory. However, having fans expect great things from you is a double-edged sword and many a skater has chosen a grand programme just for the sake of grandness, ensuring a big fat flop. Let's see how some of the top skaters decide to play their hand this season:   Evan Lysacek  - his name is on everyone's lips because when an Olympic champion sets his mind on a second gold medal, he is bound to become 'the skater of the moment' (at least as far as America is concerned). This is a skater whose always had grand programmes (he won the last Olympics with Scheherazade ) so there was really no point in him going another direction. For the short program he chose the oh-so-famous Swan Lake  by Pyotr Iylich Tchaikovsky. The bad thing about this music is that it's been chosen so many times by so m...