2026 Silver Skate Winter Cup | Jan 29 - Feb 1

[CaroLiza_fan]

The first wee tote skating to the version of "Under The Sea" that was in the live action re-make of "The Little Mermaid" reminded me that I watched said re-make a few weeks ago.

I was very disappointed in it. It wasn't a patch on the animated original.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Mmmmm. They are having technical difficulties today.

So far, in just two programmes, we have lost the picture four times.

I hope they get it sorted out soon. Apart from anything else, I'm sure the parents of these little girls would want videos to keep and to show relatives. And the picture cutting out spoils that.

On the plus side, at least the camera isn't detecting faces today.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

You know, with all the debates going on about age-appropriate music, it was re-assuring to see that three of the four Pre-Chicks B girls skated to music from Disney films, and the fourth skated to a beautiful instrumental piece.

It's just a pity that the livescoring isn't working yet today.

Now straight onto the first of the Chicks B skaters (it was a combined Warm-Up group).

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

And just like that, the livescoring is now working.

Thank you to whoever got it going!



CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Now this is novel. The second of the Chicks B skaters to go was doing a "Swan Lake" programme. But rather than wearing a dress that was black or white or both , she was wearing a yellow dress.

Just you be different, love!

Awwww. She has a tiny little girl sitting with her on the sofa. Must be 2 or 3 years old at most.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The first of the five girls in this competition from the Startas club was skating to the Monkees' cover of Neil Diamond's "I'm A Believer". And it worked really well.

And it started me thinking. Other Monkees songs would work well too. But, we never see programmes to them.

For that matter, we don't see many programmes to music from the 60's in general.

If they insist on continuing to have decade themes in Ice Dance, maybe this would be an idea.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oh no, The final little girl in Group 1 had a meltdown in the middle of her programme. She didn't seem to have hurt herself. I think her mind just went blank and she forgot what she was supposed to be doing.

She went over to the boards and stood there for a long time while the music was still playing, and the audience was trying to encourage her.

Eventually the music stopped, and she went out into the middle of the ice, bowed, and withdrew.

It can happen to the best of us.



CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

During the Group 2 Warm-Up, we heard a female voice shouting in the background.

I really hope it wasn't the wee girl that had just withdrawn getting told off by her coach.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

That was funny.

The seventh skater's name was called, and this girl in a blue dress came out and got into position. And then her coach called her back to the boards. It was the wrong girl. Skater #7 had withdrawn, and Skater #8 had gone out without realising it wasn't her name that had been called.

The irony is that Skaters #7 and #8 are team-mates! So, surely she would have recognised the name that was called, and known that she wasn't there.

Anyway, after that embarrassing moment, she came out again when her own name was called, and did our first "Dernière Danse" programme of the week.

She went into the lead.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Skater #10 skated to "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince.

Never seen a programme to that song before. But it worked really well.

We get quite a few Prince programmes, but they are all to the same two or three songs. Yet he has a much more extensive back catalogue.

It would be nice to see more programmes to some of his other songs.

She went into 5th position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

That unscheduled break due to the earlier withdrawals worked out well for me, as it meant I could start my breakfast rather than wait for another hour and a half.

Back in time for the first boys of the day. There were supposed to be 3 older boys and 1 younger boy, but the last of the older boys has withdrawn.

The Warm-Up for the first group of Basic Novices (the boys and the first 4 younger girls) is just finishing.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

That was different from the third of the girls to skate.

She was wearing a dress that was magenta in the top half, and yellow in the bottom half. And she started off skating to a weird re-mix of "Le Freak" by Chic, followed by "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez.

It was a fun programme. And you could see she was throroughly enjoying herself.

Awwww. Because her coach is seeing to the next skater, she has a team-mate sitting with her.

She goes into 3rd position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

That was different from the third of the girls to skate.

She was wearing a dress that was magenta in the top half, and yellow in the bottom half. And she started off skating to a weird re-mix of "Le Freak" by Chic, followed by "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez.

It was a fun programme. And you could see she was throroughly enjoying herself.

Awwww. Because her coach is seeing to the next skater, she has a team-mate sitting with her.

She goes into 3rd position.

CaroLiza_fan

Mmmm. The coach isn't with the next skater either. The same team-mate is still on the sofa.

The Group 2 Warm-Up is on, and the final skater in that group is from the same club. So I suppose the coach is seeing to her.

But, they really need to be on the sofa, because this girl is crying.

She goes into 4th and last position.



CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Group 2 Warm-Up for the younger Basic Novice girls has just finished. And in this group is a skater that I always keep an eye out for, because I would not be surprised if she is related to my baby girl in some way.

Alisa and her older sister Maria (who is not competing here) not only have the same surname as Stefania, but they look like younger versions of her too!

Alisa YAKOVLEVA (LAT) will be the eleventh and penultimate skater to go in the competition.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

My poor eyes!

The second girl in the group is wearing a blue and pink dress.

On the plus side, she is skating to "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" by Shania Twain.

That was an enjoyable programme!

She goes into 6th position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The Armenian girl just did a programme that was as French as you can get!

French music, French costume, everything!

I just looked her up to see if she was by any chance based in France, and whilst I didn't find out for definite, I did see a video of her doing a sequence of jumps outside the Louvre last April. So, she has at least been to the country.

She was good.

She goes into 4th position.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Alisa is doing an Indian programme!!!

She os wearing a dress where the top half was blue with lots of sparklies,, and the bottom half is black.

I LOVED THIS PROGRAMME!!!!!!

I haven't heard this particular song before, and it is rather slow compared to the music we normally hear in Indian programmes. But it worked really well for Alisa.

Whether or not she is related to Stefania, Alisa has definitely been watching her. Because there were bits that I was recognising from Stefania's Indian themed programme from a couple of seasons ago.

Raimo Reinsalu sitting with her.

She goes into 6th position.

WELL DONE ALISA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Back from the resurfacing for an Advanced Novice triple-bill. A group containing the 4 older girls and the boy; followed by two groups of older girls.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Laura RUTKAUSKAITE (LTU) wearing a beautiful royal blue dress with silver pattern.

She is doing a "Phantom Of The Opera" programme. Using the music that normally gets used.

Oh dear. A fall on a jump early on, and then a freak fall on nothing late in the programme.

She came off the ice looking very disappointed.

She has two much younger team-mates sitting on the sofa with her. One of them gave her a big hug. I wonder if this girl is maybe a little sister.

She's disappointed with the scores.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

What happened the stream?! The picture went into 4:3 ratio rather than 16:9 for a while.

Elija DRAVNEL (LTU) is wearing a white dress.

I don't know what it is, but I love her music!

It was a programme of two halves. The first half all red, and the second half all green.

As soon as she finished, she put her head in her hands in dispair.

Just seeing it close up when she was standing next to the camera in the results area before sitting down, this is like a wedding dress!

She goes into the lead of both the FS and overall.

CaroLiza_fan