2023 Challenge Cup

[gsk8]

The 2023 Challenge Cup will take place Feb 23-26, 2023, in Tilburg, Netherlands, at IJssportcentrum Tilburg. This international event will feature all the figure skating disciplines at the Novice, Junior and Senior levels (except for Novice Pairs and Ice Dance). This event will also provide an opportunity for athletes to try to achieve the minimum Technical Element Score (TES) for the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships.

The competition will be conducted in accordance with the 2022 ISU Constitution and General Regulations, the 2022 ISU Special Regulations & Technical Rules Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance, and relevant ISU Communications.

• Official Site
• ISU Event Page
• Announcement
• Schedule
• LiveStream
• Results

 

[surimi]

So, Torgashev is confirmed to compete here for his WC minimums. It's going to be strong lineups in senior women and men. In women, we know all of Kaori, Mana and Mai have a big chance of podiuming, but in men, we already know that at least one really good skater is going to be off the podium because there are already four - Sota, Shun, Tatsuya and Torgashev. I'm naturally hoping it's not gonna be Sota.
Is there a page with info yet? I know the full entry list was published as late as mid-February last year, but maybe they have the event page up?

 

[ladyjane]

I have been checking the Dutch website pages, and nothing yet.

 

[4everchan]

Skate Canada doesn't even have Challenge Cup on its schedule of events, but they have no Senior Bs listed on their website, so let's hope they are planning to send skaters in the second half of the season... Not too hopeful... I hope Nic and Emma (if there are competitions with pairs) and Fiona Bombardier will get sent somewhere.

 

[Sackie]

You think Skate Canada would wake up at some point and start sending out these hopeful skaters. They seem to stick with the few top skaters and hope for the best with them. But look what happened at nationals - Gabby had to w/d due to injury and therefore we had a Bronze medalist who can not even go to 4CC. Although with the way Fiona skated I am not sure Gabby would have been in the medals. And we almost had the same situation in men's with Mathew N.
Find it weird that Michael Slipchuk would let this happen. I remember him skating in a major event and the commentator saying how he was being taken more seriously as a skater now since he won a senior B event. Also remember the same thing being said of Charlene Wong. So you would think he realises the importance of the Senior B events.
And when you look through the list of medal winners of some of the Senior B events it is nice to see all the CAN there. Some that did go on to do well elsewhere but a lot that didn't.

 

[ladyjane]

I would love to see Nick and Emma (yes, there is a pairs competition) as well as Fiona!

 

[yesterday]

They will do the draw on the 22nd so they are not in a hurry to finalize their entries I suppose. At least schedules are complete.

 

[surimi]

Fa is coming there, and the site is up!

Challenge Cup & NK Kunstrijden | Schaatsen.nl

www.schaatsen.nl

Okay, so that makes two people I'll be really excited to see. And a very tough battle of good athletes for the podium.
It's nice they realize the location is facepalmy for international audience coming from Schiphol, and offer free admission.

 

[auser]

Any chance of a live stream?

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

The entry lists are here: https://www.schaatsen.nl/media/57906/entrylist-cc2023_v10feb.pdf

This is a dream line-up in men's for me. I hope there will be a stream.

 

[Winnie_20]

I haven’t really been paying attention to figure skating since… well, last year’s Olympics, really (for various reasons). I think I watched some events of the first two GPs of the new season, and that’s it.

I follow the news here just enough to still know who are good skaters, though, and of course CC has always been a favorite event for Japan to send their skaters to, and I am a fan of their skaters in general, so… Must say, am seriously impressed with the entry lists!
Although I have enough experience with this event to also know not to get too excited, there are always WDs of big names. Hoping for the Japanese skaters to all make an appearance (those three ladies, wow! And I would love to see Koleto and his partner skate in real life sometime), and Young You, and I have read good stuff about Torgashev, so am willing to be impressed!
If the skaters come, I will probably try and go to the event by car.

 

[MFarone]

I really hope a stream will be available. Reading protocols after the competition is not in anyway better than watching the competition!

 

[surimi]

I'd be happy to come, but I need to check the prices of the remaining hotels and flights yet. I still believe it's nuts to invite international fans and top skaters to such a remote place, and have skaters commute by two separate trains from Schiphol (at least I presume that's where they'll be landing). Rink accessibility there seems designed for cars and bikes of people living nearby, not tourists using public transport late at night. Not even free entry can make up for those flaws for me. But, Sota still plans to go there, and there are some interesting European names (like Josefin ) on the entry list, so I'll see if I can still go.
I see Fa is not on the entry list so not sure if it was ever confirmed. Rizzo may WD as well, but I hope Sota defeats the Selevkos as revenge for last year. C'mon.

 

[Winnie_20]

I'd be happy to come, but I need to check the prices of the remaining hotels and flights yet. I still believe it's nuts to invite international fans and top skaters to such a remote place, and have skaters commute by two separate trains from Schiphol (at least I presume that's where they'll be landing). Rink accessibility there seems designed for cars and bikes of people living nearby, not tourists using public transport late at night.

The word “remote” made me smile, nothing is really remote here, but yes, generally speaking, skating rinks are not located in the city centers. Just look at the The Hague Uithof, same thing. There are usually good trains and bus connections, but I guess that’s less daunting for people here.

I suppose we should be grateful it’s planned the weekend after carnaval. I vaguely remember a CC held during carnaval weekend, and taking the train home, and when I got to the Tilburg area, the train filled up with carnaval party-goers. Not a lot of fun.

 

[yesterday]

not yet online ofc, but they stated that a livestream will be somewhere here https://www.schaatsen.nl/challengecup/

 

[Winnie_20]

They always have a livestream.

 

[surimi]

The word “remote” made me smile, nothing is really remote here, but yes, generally speaking, skating rinks are not located in the city centers. Just look at the The Hague Uithof, same thing. There are usually good trains and bus connections, but I guess that’s less daunting for people here.

I suppose we should be grateful it’s planned the weekend after carnaval. I vaguely remember a CC held during carnaval weekend, and taking the train home, and when I got to the Tilburg area, the train filled up with carnaval party-goers. Not a lot of fun.

Well, I used the word 'remote' to refer to Tilburg, not the rink. I know that most rinks are located further from city centers.
Even if distances between two locations are small on maps, that doesn't mean transport is easy and not time consuming between them. My own country is a good example of that. Small distances, but often poor public transport connections with long intervals.

And is the situation with Tilburg the same as The Hague? Nah, I don't think so. From Schiphol, it's 30 minutes and one direct train ride to The Hague. From Schiphol to Tilburg, it's over 60 minutes, and two separate train rides. One could easily walk the short distance from Hague central station to downtown main square where my hotel was. In Tilburg, it looks like you need at least one bus ride from the main station to get to those places. In The Hague, it took one tram ride to get to Uithof. It remains to be seen whether I can find a hotel in Tilburg near which I can get on a bus that goes to the rink, without any further tranfers (and therefore delays, which is of big interest to me since oftentimes, competitions end after 10 PM).
Is this baseless whining of a too-comfortable person? Again, I don't think so. Organizers shouldn't just think of a healthy young person, fluent in English, with just a backpack, on a sunny day. Getting to the city/rink shouldn't be overlong and requiring several transfers for the sake of tourists who may be having health issues, are elderly, don't speak English too well, have a big suitcase, and the weather is inclement during their stay - cold, wind, rain... (as is typical for the season when most skating events take place) That's basic empathy. If getting to the city and venue is complex, then organizers probably shoudn't be surprised that tourists from more distant countries simply don't come. Hence locations like Tilburg or Oberstdorf make very little sense to me if the organizing committee want big attendance.
Will I be coming still? Yes, I will try to. Could the city/venue pick be more international audience-friendly? Definitely.

 

[gsk8]

Yes, there will be a live stream Waiting to see if it's free or not.

 

[Matthew]

... In The Hague, it took one tram ride to get to Uithof. It remains to be seen whether I can find a hotel in Tilburg near which I can get on a bus that goes to the rink, without any further tranfers (and therefore delays, which is of big interest to me since oftentimes, competitions end after 10 PM).
...

Bus line number 1 just needs seven stops from the main station to station "Stappegoor/Ijsbaan" where the IJssportcentrum Tilburg is.

 

[surimi]

Bus line number 1 just needs seven stops from the main station to station "Stappegoor/Ijsbaan" where the IJssportcentrum Tilburg is.

If you read my post again, I was referring to 'downtown' and 'hotel' when saying 'those places'. I imagine few spectators would take a big suitcase directly to the rink upon arrival.