2023-24 British and Irish Figure Skating

[gleungc6]

Following the creation of a number of other threads in this vein for the 2023/2024 season, I thought I’d start this.


Senior Grand Prix assignments: Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson; Ice Dance.

They will be going to Skate Canada Int., Vancouver, BC, Can. October 27-29, 2023; and NHK Trophy, Sapporo, JPN. November 24-26, 2023.

Following last year’s Season’s Best scores, Fear/Gibson rank as number 2 among the couples going to SkCan. Gilles/Poirier have them beat. Among the couples going to NHK, they are also number 2, with Guignard/Fabbri ahead.

Phebe Bekker/James Hernandez have the possibility of being nominated as a substitute if there are withdrawals. The replacement list follows Season's Best scores.


Junior Grand Prix assignments: yet to be released.


Upcoming domestic events: Solo Ice Dance Championships (10-12 July), Robin Hood Trophy (22-27 July), Magnum Open (4-7 August), August qualifier (21-27).


This year the British Championships are from 27 Nov-3 Dec.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Wow, looks like we are going to have a bumper-sized thread to rival the original Hanyu Fan Fest thread:

"2023-34 British and Irish Figure Skating"



CaroLiza_fan

 

[gleungc6]

Sorry, I've edited it now!

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sorry, I've edited it now!

No bother. I just thought it was so funny when I saw it, and just had to say something!

Thank you for giving me a chuckle!

And thank you for starting the thread!



CaroLiza_fan

 

[gleungc6]

GB Performance Squad:

Senior Dance: Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson, Phebe Bekker/James Hernandez
Junior Dance: Ashlie Slatter/Atl Ongay-Perez

Source: https://www.iceskating.org.uk/figureskating-icedance

Senior Men: Graham Newberry, Henry Privett-Mendoza, Brandon Bailey
Junior Men: Edward Appleby, Tao Macrae

Senior Women: Nina Povey, Kristen Spours
Junior Women: Arabella Sear-Watkins, Alexa Severn

Source: https://www.iceskating.org.uk/figureskating-singles

Senior pairs: Ana Vaipan-Law/Luke Digby, Lydia Smart/Harry Mattick

 

[FlossieH]

GB Performance Squad:

Senior Dance: Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson, Phebe Bekker/James Hernandez
Junior Dance: Ashlie Slatter/Atl Ongay-Perez

Source: https://www.iceskating.org.uk/figureskating-icedance

Senior Men: Graham Newberry, Henry Privett-Mendoza, Brandon Bailey
Junior Men: Edward Appleby, Tao Macrae

Senior Women: Nina Povey, Kristen Spours
Junior Women: Arabella Sear-Watkins, Alexa Severn

Source: https://www.iceskating.org.uk/figureskating-singles

Senior pairs: Ana Vaipan-Law/Luke Digby, Lydia Smart/Harry Mattick

What's happened to Lucy Hay and Kyle McLeod?

Edit: I'm surprised Freddie Leggott is missing, too.

 

[gleungc6]

What's happened to Lucy Hay and Kyle McLeod?

Edit: I'm surprised Freddie Leggott is missing, too.

Here is the criteria for all disciplines (detailed in Appendix 2) https://www.iceskating.org.uk/_files/ugd/edc78b_312284c527f54085b4d8f08955463d4c.pdf

Based on this criteria I think it is because Freddie has not achieved FS junior world mins. https://skatingscores.com/gbr/men/freddie_leggott/ here is his skating scores page.

Lucy and Kyle have not reached junior world mins for either programme. https://skatingscores.com/gbr/pairs/lucy_hay_kyle_mcleod/

However the documents states that people can join mid season if they achieve the relevant criteria (point 3.2)

 

[FlossieH]

Here is the criteria for all disciplines (detailed in Appendix 2) https://www.iceskating.org.uk/_files/ugd/edc78b_312284c527f54085b4d8f08955463d4c.pdf

Based on this criteria I think it is because Freddie has not achieved FS junior world mins. https://skatingscores.com/gbr/men/freddie_leggott/ here is his skating scores page.

Lucy and Kyle have not reached junior world mins for either programme. https://skatingscores.com/gbr/pairs/lucy_hay_kyle_mcleod/

However the documents states that people can join mid season if they achieve the relevant criteria (point 3.2)

What I don't understand is how they can achieve those minimums if they can no longer be selected for international events? To only have six skaters in total available for selection for junior grand prix events is disappointing. We had more skaters available for selection last year and few of those had the technical mins for Junior worlds.

 

[gleungc6]

What I don't understand is how they can achieve those minimums if they can no longer be selected for international events? To only have six skaters in total available for selection for junior grand prix events is disappointing. We had more skaters available for selection last year and few of those had the technical mins for Junior worlds.

I can’t seem to copy the relevant text but on page 13, appendix 1, it states the criteria for being selected for international events and you don’t need to be on the performance squad for that. Eg, if you’re on the development squad and top 10 in your category, you’re eligible to be selected for an international event, where you then may be able to earn minimums to get onto the performance squad mid season.

Regarding JGPs, Development team skaters and other identified skaters can be selected for JGPs without being on the Performance Squad (appendix 1), so there could be more than the 6 performance skaters who might be selected. Essentially, non-performance skaters can be sent internationally.

 

[Weetos]

Freddie Leggott is 19 and will be 20 in January. He is no longer junior eligible. I was surprised too I didn't realise Ed is actually younger than him by almost a year!

 

[FlossieH]

Freddie Leggott is 19 and will be 20 in January. He is no longer junior eligible. I was surprised too I didn't realise Ed is actually younger than him by almost a year!

That's a shame. I think Freddie has a lot of potential, but he is inconsistent in competitions. He would have benefited from another year to gain more international experience at Junior level. I thought Ed Appleby was older - I was surprised to see him listed on the national team for Juniors.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Freddie Leggott is 19 and will be 20 in January. He is no longer junior eligible. I was surprised too I didn't realise Ed is actually younger than him by almost a year!

That's a shame. I think Freddie has a lot of potential, but he is inconsistent in competitions. He would have benefited from another year to gain more international experience at Junior level. I thought Ed Appleby was older - I was surprised to see him listed on the national team for Juniors.

Add me to the list - I too thought Ed was older than Freddie!

I suppose the reason we got confused is because Ed started skating before Freddie and, as a result, has always moved up levels a few years before Freddie.

The first competition that Rink Results has listed for Ed is the September 2012 edition of the Southern Open, where he was competing at Level 1. The first competition that Rink Results has listed for Freddie is the March 2015 edition of Skate Southern, where he was competing at Beginner level (his first Level 1 competition was three months later in June 2015). At the same event, Ed was already competing at Basic Novice B level (Intermediate Novice level in the current nomenclature).

When Ed started doing Advanced Novice competitions in April 2016, Freddie was still at Level 2. Freddie didn't reach Advanced Novice level until Februrary 2019.

Similarly, when Ed started doing Junior competitions in June 2017, Freddie was still at Level 3. Freddie didn't reach Junior level until October 2019.

Since October 2021, Ed has been doing Senior competitions alongside his Junior competitions. Freddie, on the other hand, has yet to make his Senior debut.

So, it is little wonder that we thought Ed was older than Freddie!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Houston, we have major problems.

You know how British Eurosport lost the rights to the figure skating at the end of last season, and that Viaplay took over the UK rights to all of the ISU run events (figure skating and speed skating) for the next 5 seasons.

Since then, Viaplay have got into major financial difficulties, and have announced today that they are going to focus on the Nordic region and the Netherlands, and pull out of all other markets.

Source: https://www.viaplaygroup.com/sites/default/files/pr/20230720_viaplay_report_presentation_q22023.pdf (Page 17)

So, what will happen the rights? I really hope British Eurosport tries to get the skating back. They have traditionally had a real passion about showing wintersports. And, they also have the Olympic rights. It would be the natural place for them.

I would hate to see Sky Sports get the figure skating rights, and then take the easy way out and just give us the NBC coverage (remember that Sky and NBC Universal are both owned by Comcast). Can you imagine how Tara and Johnny would go down with the British audience?! Plus, I don't want to subscribe to the full Sky Sports - I'm happy enough with just Sky Sports F1.

As for DAZN, like with Viaplay, I wouldn't subscribe to it just for figure skating. And anyway, I don't think they would try to get it because, apart from Ice Hockey in Italy, they don't have any wintersports rights in any of the other countries that they operate in. So, I get the impression that means they aren't interested in wintersports.

Of course, there is the possibility that Premier Sports could buy back what was until a few months ago the UK side of their business (I didn't realise it at the time, but it was only the UK side of the business that was sold to Viaplay; Premier kept the Irish side of the business). But, apart from Ice Hockey, they never showed any interest in wintersports before. So, I wouldn't imagine they would start now.

I hope the ISU and Infront can sort something out quickly, and definitely before the start of the Senior GP Series.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Weetos]

Ew, the thought of getting nbc coverage is not very appealing.

I will cross my fingers something positive comes out of it.

 

[gleungc6]

Crossposting from new partnerships thread:

New junior ice dance team for GB: Sophia Bushell/Anthony Haddad (source: Sophia’s IG stories).

They are listed as substitutes on the Austrian JGP (Ashlie/Atl are the couple currently entered for that event).

Anthony was previously partnered with Jamie Fournier for Canada, Jamie Fournier is now with Everest Zhu at IAM in Montreal, skating for Canada.

Sophia skated at Ally Pally in London prior to this partnership.

 

[Weetos]

Does this mean they are training in the US now then? I wish them the very best of luck! Wonder what his citizenship situation is..

 

[gleungc6]

Bushell / Haddad debuted at Lake Placid.

Here are protocols for the FD. 2 falls

NQS And SDS - 2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Champions

Event Results for NQS And SDS - 2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Champions

ijs.usfigureskating.org

Protocols for RD

NQS And SDS - 2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Champions

Event Results for NQS And SDS - 2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Champions

ijs.usfigureskating.org

 

[Weetos]

I guess that was both of them falling? It seems like they haven't been together long, and Sophia's PBs with her previous partner were 42 and 62, so it's a good start for them despite falling.

 

[gleungc6]

For: GBR

JGP Istanbul entries:

Men: Arin Yorke
Women: Arabella Sear-Watkins

JGP Linz entries:

Men: Edward APPLEBY
Women: Daria DALGICH
Dance: Ashlie SLATTER / Atl ONGAY-PEREZ
Pairs: Lucy Hay/Kyle McLeod (might be of interest to @FlossieH)


For IRL:

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00110204.htm for Istanbul

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

JGP Istanbul entries:

Men: Arin Yorke
Women: Arabella Sear-Watkins

Just when see her name on Arin's ISU Bio, a thing I have been wondering for a while - is his coach, Tamara Cvijanović, anything to Hana Cvijanović (ISU Bio)?

And just to add, Sophia TKACHEVA from this side of the Irish Sea is also going to Istanbul.

CaroLiza_fan