2015 ISU Challenger Series Confirmed

[CaroLiza_fan]

The latest ISU Communication (1933) was released on 2nd April 2015:

http://static.isu.org/media/198197/1933-decisions-of-the-council-communication.pdf

Amongst the other things decided (suspensions of Federations, GP Final location, and speed skating announcements) are the Challenger Series dates:

6. Allotment ISU Figure Skating Challenger Series
Further to ISU Communication No. 1928 and the corresponding applications received the Council has selected the following 10 International Figure Skating Competitions for the ISU Figure Skating Challenger Series for the season 2015/16:

[TABLE="class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]U.S. International FS
[/TD]
[TD]Salt Lake City, USA
[/TD]
[TD]September 16-20, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Nebelhorn Trophy
[/TD]
[TD]Oberstdorf, Germany
[/TD]
[TD]September 24-26, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ondrej Nepela Trophy
[/TD]
[TD]Bratislava, Slovak Republic
[/TD]
[TD]Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Finlandia Trophy (no Pair Skating)
[/TD]
[TD]Espoo, Finland
[/TD]
[TD]October 8-11, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mordovian Ornament
[/TD]
[TD]Saransk, Russia
[/TD]
[TD]October 15-18, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]IceChallenge
[/TD]
[TD]Graz, Austria
[/TD]
[TD]October 27-Nov. 1, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tallinn Trophy
[/TD]
[TD]Tallinn, Estonia
[/TD]
[TD]November 18-22, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Warsaw Cup
[/TD]
[TD]Warsaw, Poland
[/TD]
[TD]November 26-29, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Denkova-Stavinski Cup
[/TD]
[TD]Sofia, Bulgaria
[/TD]
[TD]December 2-6, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Golden Spin of Zagreb
[/TD]
[TD]Zagreb, Croatia
[/TD]
[TD]December 9-12, 2015
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

All dates are subject to confirmation/change.​

Finally, a Senior B in Russia! But, no Canada. :disapp:



CaroLiza_fan

 

[ice coverage]

... Finally, a Senior B in Russia! But, no Canada. :disapp:

CaroLiza_fan

Many thanks, CL_fan -- for the thread, for the news, and for your presentation of the list as a nifty chart .

It's good for everyone's planning purposes that the new list has been announced this early.
(In contrast, the 2014 list was announced in June.)

For those who are curious about what led to these big changes in the Challenger list, the link to the previous GS thread that discussed ISU Communication No. 1928, published in Feb 2015:

"ISU Challenger Series modifications for 2015/16"
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...U-Challenger-Series-modifications-for-2015-16​

I wonder whether no Asian country applied to host a Challenger event??
And I wonder whether the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International simply will not return for a second year at all (not even as a non-Challenger event).

A quote from Communication No. 1928:

The competitions, included in the “Challenger Series”, should not, if possible, clash with the dates of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events.​

So, for comparison, the dates of the 2015 GPs:

23 - 25 Oct 2015 United States
30 Oct - 1 Nov 2015 Canada
6 - 8 Nov 2015 China
13 - 15 Nov 2015 France
20 - 22 Nov 2015 Russia
27 - 29 Nov 2015 Japan
10 - 13 Dec 2015 Barcelona Spain GPF​

Ice Challenge does conflict with Skate Canada International.
Tallinn Trophy conflicts with Cup of Russia.
Warsaw Cup conflicts with NHK.
Golden Spin conflicts with the GPF.​

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Many thanks, CL_fan -- for the thread, for the news, and for your presentation of the list as a nifty chart .

Hey, no need to compliment me for the "nifty chart" - it was done in columns in the original PDF. But when I copied it into the post, the columns disappeared and it just became a mess. So, I had to turn it into a table.

It's good for everyone's planning purposes that the new list has been announced this early.
(In contrast, the 2014 list was announced in June.)

Cannot agree more with that. Makes things much easier for everybody.

I wonder whether no Asian country applied to host a Challenger event??
And I wonder whether the Skate Canada Autumn Classic simply will not be held this year at all (not even as a non-Challenger event).

As with last year, I too was surprised that there were no Challenger events in the Asia/Pacific region. I would like to think that Skate Down Under applied for Challenger status, and that some of the Far Eastern countries also put in bids.

And I really hope that the Autumn Classic is held, as it would be a real shame if we returned to the times of Canada not having a Senior B at all.

A quote from Communication No. 1928:

The competitions, included in the “Challenger Series”, should not, if possible, clash with the dates of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events.​

So, for comparison, the dates of the 2015 GPs:

23 - 25 Oct 2015 United States
30 Oct - 1 Nov 2015 Canada
6 - 8 Nov 2015 China
13 - 15 Nov 2015 France
20 - 22 Nov 2015 Russia
27 - 29 Nov 2015 Japan
10 - 13 Dec 2015 Barcelona Spain GPF​

Ice Challenge does conflict with Skate Canada International.
Tallinn Trophy conflicts with Cup of Russia.
Warsaw Cup conflicts with NHK.
Golden Spin conflicts with the GPF.​

As for the dates, well, I am not surprised that they were not able to avoid clashes with the GP Series.

Before I took my sabbatical (which turned out to be just 1 week off as I couldn't resist visiting!), I had been spending a LOT of time making out a spreadsheet of the calendars of the past five seasons, so that I could try to make out a theoretical calendar that took in this idea, as well as a couple of my own. But, I soon discovered that it would be impossible to avoid clashes, as there are just too many competitions in the autumn.

(For those that are interested, I will be uploading my spreadsheet to Google Spreadsheets, and posting a link and discussion to the other thread. But, it won't be until next week at the earliest, as I still have half a season to input, and the whole discussion to write).

CaroLiza_fan

 

[ice coverage]

Hey, no need to compliment me for the "nifty chart" - it was done in columns in the original PDF. But when I copied it into the post, the columns disappeared and it just became a mess. So, I had to turn it into a table. ...

As usual, you are too modest, CL_fan.
I had seen the columns in the PDF (thanks to your link to the ISU document).
But as we all know, you are one of the very few who has mastered table-making on GS.

Even with your instructions, I haven't gotten the hang of it -- it's still hit or miss with me.
You will notice that I did not even attempt to convert the GP dates into a table .

 

[Richie]

It looks a is if GP France and Russia have been switched compared to recent years. Doen anyone know where Thophee Bompard will take place? Is Bercy renovated or will it be in Bordeaux like in 2014?

 

[YesWay]

It looks a is if GP France and Russia have been switched compared to recent years. Doen anyone know where Thophee Bompard will take place? Is Bercy renovated or will it be in Bordeaux like in 2014?

If you search the right date range on the ISU calendar, it shows TEB is 13-15 Nov 2015.

But if you search online ticket vendors for Bercy, it seems that U2 are playing there 14-15 Nov 2015 and they're already selling the tickets.

Not conclusive, because eg. Rostelecom and TEB swapped their dates this last season.

But it seems pretty unlikely it's going to be Bercy: If the dates swapped again it would have be with an earlier GP like China or something, because Bercy seems to have more concerts scheduled on the weekends following 13-15 Nov.

Maybe it will be Bordeaux again. But who knows? Maybe it will be Nice? Or Lyon? Or somewhere else...?

 

[ice coverage]

If you search the right date range on the ISU calendar, it shows TEB is 13-15 Nov 2015. ....

For one-click access to the 2015 GP France page on the ISU site, which shows Nov 13-15:

http://www.isu.org/en/single-and-pa.../2015/11/isu-grand-prix-of-figure-skating-fra​

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

It looks a is if GP France and Russia have been switched compared to recent years. Doen anyone know where Thophee Bompard will take place? Is Bercy renovated or will it be in Bordeaux like in 2014?

If you search the right date range on the ISU calendar, it shows TEB is 13-15 Nov 2015.

But if you search online ticket vendors for Bercy, it seems that U2 are playing there 14-15 Nov 2015 and they're already selling the tickets.

For one-click access to the 2015 GP France page on the ISU site, which shows Nov 13-15:

http://www.isu.org/en/single-and-pa.../2015/11/isu-grand-prix-of-figure-skating-fra​

From the research I have been doing (see above), I've found that it's not unusual for the Cup of Russia to switch dates with other GP's from one year to the next. But, it is usually the NHK it switches with.


[TABLE="class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Week Ending[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]26-Oct-14[/TD]
[TD]Skate America[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]02-Nov-14[/TD]
[TD]Skate Canada[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]09-Nov-14[/TD]
[TD]Cup of China[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]16-Nov-14
[/TD]
[TD]Cup of Russia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]23-Nov-14[/TD]
[TD]Trophée Éric Bompard[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]30-Nov-14[/TD]
[TD]NHK Trophy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]07-Dec-14[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]14-Dec-14
[/TD]
[TD]Grand Prix Final[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE="class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Week Ending[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]20-Oct-13[/TD]
[TD]Skate America[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]27-Oct-13[/TD]
[TD]Skate Canada[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]03-Nov-13[/TD]
[TD]Cup of China[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10-Nov-13
[/TD]
[TD]NHK Trophy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]17-Nov-13[/TD]
[TD]Trophée Éric Bompard[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]24-Nov-13[/TD]
[TD]Cup of Russia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]01-Dec-13[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]08-Dec-13[/TD]
[TD]Grand Prix Final[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE="class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Week Ending[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]21-Oct-12[/TD]
[TD]Skate America[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]28-Oct-12[/TD]
[TD]Skate Canada[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]04-Nov-12[/TD]
[TD]Cup of China[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11-Nov-12
[/TD]
[TD]Cup of Russia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]18-Nov-12[/TD]
[TD]Trophée Éric Bompard[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]25-Nov-12[/TD]
[TD]NHK Trophy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]02-Dec-12[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]09-Dec-12[/TD]
[TD]Grand Prix Final[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE="class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Week Ending[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]23-Oct-11[/TD]
[TD]Skate America[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]30-Oct-11[/TD]
[TD]Skate Canada[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]06-Nov-11[/TD]
[TD]Cup of China[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]13-Nov-11
[/TD]
[TD]NHK Trophy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]20-Nov-11[/TD]
[TD]Trophée Éric Bompard[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]27-Nov-11[/TD]
[TD]Cup of Russia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]04-Dec-11[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11-Dec-11[/TD]
[TD]Grand Prix Final[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


But, the TEB is usually the same position every year, so it is strange that it is earlier next season. Especially when it means that it is now on the same weekend as that U2 concert.

Hope this makes things clearer

CaroLiza_fan

 

[StitchMonkey]

Maybe it will be Bordeaux again. But who knows? Maybe it will be Nice? Or Lyon? Or somewhere else...?

Are there any venues in Paris or near Paris that could host it? If yes, than that is a strong contender. There is talk that Paris wants to try to get the 2024 Olympics as it will also be the 100 year anniversary of the last time they hosted. And they way you campaign to get the Olympics is by hosting big international competitions. So, if Paris can host it, it would be a logical move to have it there as preparation.

 

[silverfoxes]

Saransk, Russia seems like a really random place for a senior B...not easy to travel to, I don't think. Why there?

 

[StitchMonkey]

Saransk, Russia seems like a really random place for a senior B...not easy to travel to, I don't think. Why there?

Im guessing the theroy was "It's closer to Asia! Easier for those countries to get there." In practice I wonder how many are going to have to fly through Moscow anyway.

 

[NMURA]

Im guessing the theroy was "It's closer to Asia! Easier for those countries to get there." In practice I wonder how many are going to have to fly through Moscow anyway.

Practically a Russian domestic competition with some participants from satellite states. I doubt anyone from other countries will be interested in. You have to go through Moscow and need the visa. Inconvenient and expensive.

 

[StitchMonkey]

Practically a Russian domestic competition with some participants from satellite states. I doubt anyone from other countries will be interested in. You have to go through Moscow and need the visa. Inconvenient and expensive.

So expect D10 and Misha? You would need a visa no matter where in Russia, I have no idea the airport situation, but I will take your word for go through Moscow. I wonder what the advantage was for Russia to stick it there over Moscow.

 

[NMURA]

They need at least 8 skaters from 4 countries to be point-eligible in singles. Probably some combinations of RUS, BLR, KAZ, UZB, ARM can make it. The Baltic states are not in for this and of course, Ukraine.

 

[dorispulaski]

And Golden Spin is still on the list as the final event where everything is decided.

 

[YesWay]

And Golden Spin is still on the list as the final event where everything is decided.

Well, I think the Challenger Series ladies winner was decided long before Golden Spin this year :-D

But I think I know what you mean... and I don't think they can get away with the kind of information "blackout" they had last time. The Challenger announcement doesn't add any requirement for televising/streaming etc but it is mentioned prominently. So hopefully they will get with the program... otherwise I think they'll be dropped...

 

[Florentina]

Practically a Russian domestic competition with some participants from satellite states. I doubt anyone from other countries will be interested in. You have to go through Moscow and need the visa. Inconvenient and expensive.

I don't really see the point. Obviously if you are based in Europe you will, if possible, choose events that are easily accesible. For others, sure you need to go through Moscow, but Saransk is really just an hour flight away. To most, if not all, European Challenger Series events, you will also have a lay-over at a major European airport. People may feel more comfortable travelling to and within the European Union than to and within Russia and therefore when presented with the choice, prefer those events.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Anyone else think Mordavian Ornament was meant to be Mordavian Tournament and something got lost in translation? I like Ornament better though.

 

[StitchMonkey]

Anyone else think Mordavian Ornament was meant to be Mordavian Tournament and something got lost in translation? I like Ornament better though.

I hope it turns out to be the Mordavian Tournament for the Mordavian Ornament!

 

[NMURA]

I don't really see the point. Obviously if you are based in Europe you will, if possible, choose events that are easily accesible. For others, sure you need to go through Moscow, but Saransk is really just an hour flight away. To most, if not all, European Challenger Series events, you will also have a lay-over at a major European airport. People may feel more comfortable travelling to and within the European Union than to and within Russia and therefore when presented with the choice, prefer those events.

I assume Moscow is considered "far" for most of the Europeans and the city called Saransk is "further away" from Moscow. The negative images surrounding Russia (olympics and international politics) are the additional disincentives.