Crystal Skate

It's all a bit of a mess, really... That's what I said about the ladies' event going into these championships, and I stand by it. But the fact we have so many options for a gold medal who have never won a World title before is also exhilarating. So will the newbies be able to compete against Mao Asada's trained nerves of steel? Angelina Kuchvalska  is not competing for a medal here, but rather for experience and a higher placement than last season. She skates to Tosca , and the purple dress she wears is gorgeous. However, the presentation is lacking drama. Technically, she gets too close to the boards and falls on the triple Toeloop. Her score: 54.78 . We see another purple and sparkles combination, this time won by Gabrielle Daleman . The music is You'll Have to Swing It . The choreography is breathtaking, the last two jumps punctuating the sharpest points in the music. When it works, and this time it does, this approach to the choreography is a showstopper. Sh...

The men's competition has always kept us on the edge of our seats. Each season the World Championships seem more difficult for them, as the number of quads rises and the artistry gets more important. With three men reaching for the gold and at least three others targeting the other two spots on the podium, this season's Worlds won't be any less exciting than the ones before. Let's start with  Misha Ge , who surprised us last season by finishing the Worlds on 6th place. That's very unlikely to happen here. His programme is clean, but he has no quads. Did you know he's one of the few skaters who can change direction during his camel spin? The music is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 . His score: 77.43 . Adam Rippon  doesn't attempt his famous Quad Lutz, but does land a triple with his arms aloft. The music is Who Wants to Live Forever  by Queen. The crowd gets wild cheering for him. Beautiful spin at the end. He gets 85.72  points. If we didn...

We've been talking about and anticipating the Worlds all season long. Now they're finally here, and they're bound not to disappoint. As it's become custom, the ice dancers are opening the event with their short skate. France's champions are here to defend their world title, with Canada's finest as their main rivals. The US and Italy are also looking to acquire a good spot for the final. Before we get to all that, the UK's Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland  are sharper and more refined than ever. Their routine has a classic set up with two alert sections and a lento in between. Difficult entry into the rotational lift. Their score: 68.23 . Hallelujah  is the strongest short programme of Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue  so far. The presentation is emotional without struggling to appear so, and the music changes pace just in time to avoid monotony. No mistakes here. They get 68.44  points. Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland from Great Britain waltzing to D...

As we prepare for the 2016 World Championships, there seems to be only one question on everyone's minds. It's not about how Boston's first ever Worlds will measure up to the rest, it's not even about the drug scandal which took one of the best ice-dance couples out of the competition. The one and only question seems to be: how do you beat the three world champions going head to head in Boston? The logo of the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships I don't even have to say their names for you to know exactly who I'm talking about. Their rivalry is so famous in the figure skating world, they might as well start calling themselves The Three Rivals of the Ice, or some other cheesy name you're bound to find plastered on some ice show poster. No matter which country you're in, Hanyu, Fernandez and Chan are starring in all the headlines related to this year's World Championships, just as they did last year (even if Chan wasn't even competing) a...