2025 Ephesus Cup | Jan 20-26

[CaroLiza_fan]

Ah good, we were back in sync for Skater #16.

But they are clearly still working at it, because they are playing bits of her music while she is waiting for her scores.

She goes into 10th position, just 0.47 points behind the girl that skated directly before her.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Skater #20 was really good.

She got a lot of cuddly toys thrown down to her. I think she is a local skater, because she has the same big crowd with her that were with the local skaters yesterday.

Ach, the picture is breaking up. Stay with us - there is only 1 skater to go!

Ah good, it settled down.

She goes into the lead.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

İdil Rubab BİLEN (TUR) may not have won, but what she has done is unbelievable.

Five days after her uncle, her aunt and her cousin were killed in the fire tragedy, İdil has not only taken part in the Ephesus Cup, but she put in an amazing skate, and won the Silver Medal.



Again, my thoughts are with the whole of her family.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I forgot to say. There is now a dinner break, and skating isn't due to resume until quarter to the hour. So, about 10 minutes from now.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Skating resumes now with the Basic Novice 1 girls.

But, I am still getting ready, so I will pause it and play catch-up.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just started playing catch-up, and Skater #1, Ezgi ÖZER (TUR), was skating to the music that gets played on loop during the resurfacings at the Bosphorus Cup!

I thought she was good. But, she was shaking her head as soon as she finished.

When she went into the results area, she was met by the crowd that we see with the local skaters. And she sat down with her arms folded looking totally fed up. But then somebody took a group photo, and she smiled for that. But immediately afterwards, she put her head in her hands.

I just looked her up on Rink Results, and she must have instinctively known that she didn't skate to the standard she normally does. She normally scores a lot higher than this.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Are they having technical problems with the audio?

Skater #4, İpek Ezgi ÖZOĞLU (TUR), was skating to "Hit The Road Jack". And although we could hear the music and the male lead singer perfectly, we could barely hear the female backing singers at all.

She went into 2nd position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oh, this is annoying me. The first skater of Group 2, #7 Masal ORAN (TUR), was skating to a cover of "I Will Survive". And I recognised the voice, but just could not place who it was.

She was wearing a mainly gold dress, with black pattern on it. Although I liked it, it might have looked better with a bit less black.

Anyway, she was good.

And she's another local skater. The crowd are back.

She went into 2nd position. And she and everybody with her were really annoyed that she didn't take the lead.

Looking at the livescoring page, she was 4.29 points behind the leader. And it was mostly down to her PCS being lower than everybody around her. So, it is clear where work needs to be done.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Unfortunately, with the segment starting later than scheduled, and with me pausing it and running 2 skaters behind, I am going to have to leave now for dinner, with four girls left to skate.

But, I'll pause it again, and play catch-up again afterwards.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Ach, something went wrong with the stream, and when I finished the girls there now, it wouldn't let me wind forward to the start of the boys. So, I had to jump forward to the LIVE pictures, and wind back. And it would only let me wind back to near the end of Skater #2's programme.

Because I haven't seen Skater #1, I don't know if that was him sitting with Skater #2.

But, Skater #2 went into the lead.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The 2025 Ephesus Cup finishes with an Intermediate Novice double-bill. 12 girls, followed immediately by 4 boys.

However, I only have 3 Basic Novice boys left to watch, so I am going to carry on playing catch-up.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

What on Earth?!

Skater #16, Oğuz Berat YAŞAR (TUR), was wearing a multi-coloured top with black trousers.

He was skating to the music from "Schindler's List". But it was remixes. It went from normal version, to electric guitar version, to dance music version.

Totally inappropriate.

He went into 6th position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The Intermediate Novices started with the first of only two international skaters that are competing today. Marina MAKARENKO (UAE)

What's more, if the European Criterium website is correct, it was her 13th birthday yesterday!



HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY MARINA!!!

And she had a good skate. I enjoyed that.

She went into the lead. Obviously.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Skater #3 comes out wearing a tiger print dress.

My first thought: "is she doing a 'Lion King' programme?"

Mr. Litvintsev, you have a lot to answer for!

Needless to say, she wasn't. I don't know what she was skating to, but it was dramatic.

She looks uspet. I hope we don't end up with two skaters in a row crying.

No, she didn't.

The scores are taking a long time to come through.

She goes into 3rd and last position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oh, skater #6, Duru ÇİMEN (TUR), was next to skate.

That means that #4 Nisa ÖZTÜRK (TUR) and #5 İpek DEMIRSOY (TUR) hae both withdrwan.

Don't know the music, but Duru was wearing a grey dress with black, well, it looked like claw marks!

She was good.

She goes into 2nd position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Right, now that I have reached the Group 2 Warm-Up, I am going to take a break for half an hour. There is something I have to do before half past.

But, I'll go back to the girls when I am finished.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The opening skater of Group 2, #7 Nehir ALAN (TUR), was wearing a beautiful black dress.

I loved the music she was skating to, although I did worry that she was tempting fate. "I Am The Champion"!

I really enjoyed that!

She is a local skater, so the crowd are back for her getting her scores.

She went into 4th position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I have now reached the final international skater of the event, Skater #11 who, like the curent leader, is from the UAE.

I suspect that this girl may be the older sister of the girl that won the Silver Medal in Chicks 1 yesterday, but I haven't been able to find out for sure. All I have been able to find out are their ages. The older girl is 10, and the younger girl is 7 (turning 8 in a couple of weeks time).

Anyway, this one is wearing a white blouse with a black dress over it. And black gloves.

She is skating to what I initally thought was spooky music. But as it went on I realised that it was music from "Pirates Of The Caribbean". Just not the pieces that we are used to being skated to.

Well, "He's A Pirate" did appear at the end.

Unfortunately, the camera was going out of focus quite a bit. But, what we saw looked really good.

Correction: now that she has gone into the results area, I see it is actually a brown dress. Which fits the pirate theme better.

She went into 2nd position.

Will she be able to hold onto it and match the girl I suspect is her sister?

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The final girl, #12 İlkim Çağla AKTAŞ (TUR), was wearing a black dress with silver pattern, and skating to a female cover of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows".

I really didn't like this version of the song.

She went into 7th position.

So the two girls from the UAE that I think are sisters are each going home with a Silver Medal.

And we have a UAE 1-2, with Marina MAKARENKO leading from start to finish!

What a way for her to cap off her birthday weekend. A Gold Medal!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

And now. The end is here. And so we face. The final curtain.

The 2025 Ephesus Cup finishes with a group of 4 Intermediate Novice Turkish boys.

Yes, I know they've already finished. But, they're just starting for me!

CaroLiza_fan