ISU Figure skating Awards

[icewhite]

I'll get the Golden Skate Awards started:

Best constume women: Mone Chiba

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Bestcostume men Adam Sao Him Fa

https://www.goldenskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Adam-SIAO-HIM-FA.webp

You cannot be honest
But okay... I guess everyone is free to nominate. But Mone's dress can not win. And Adam's is good but no way the best.

Are the categories the same as in the ISU awards, or are they different ones?

 

[Jeanie19]

You cannot be honest
But okay... I guess everyone is free to nominate. But Mone's dress can not win. And Adam's is good but no way the best.

Are the categories the same as in the ISU awards, or are they different ones?

We could just vote on the finals and see where it stacks to who actually won.

 

[Mathman]

You cannot be honest
But okay... I guess everyone is free to nominate. But Mone's dress can not win. And Adam's is good but no way the best.

I confess that a great performance is what makes a costume look great.

Are the categories the same as in the ISU awards, or are they different ones?

We should use our imagination and make the ISU look ... unimaginative!

 

[Jeanie19]

I confess that a great performance is what makes a costume look great.



We should use our imagination and make the ISU look ... unimaginative!

That wouldn't be hard.

 

[TallyT]

We should use our imagination and make the ISU look ... unimaginative!

Hey, if we are gonna do that, I am including shows and nominate Yuzu's Haku which is hand on heart the most beautiful costume in the history of people getting dressed to go on the ice.

{ahem} Not a great year, official-competition wise. But I do love Nina Pinzarrone's FS, nearly all of the Koreans (duh!) especially Seoyeong Wi's free and both of Haein's, and Starr Andrew's magnificent pink. I'd add Mai and Minsol but I suspect they would make sackcloth look gorgeous just by the adorableness factor shining through; Mai's SP and Minsol's FS dresses are lovely though. As usual, so many of the men swither between drab and dire though Shoma continues to do his bit to raise the sartorial stakes.

If I had to choose one competition Costume of The Year though... Kevin. Bolero. Gotta be.

 

[el henry]

I love Kevin's Bolero outfit, deep vee, murder gloves and all.

But IMO only one man, and one man only, should win best costume every year. Never failing to bring the bling and so impressive doing it.

This year's entry:

 

[Weathergal]

I love Kevin's Bolero outfit, deep vee, murder gloves and all.

But IMO only one man, and one man only, should win best costume every year. Never failing to bring the bling and so impressive doing it.

This year's entry:

I could go along with that.

I'm probably not gonna get too much agreement on this one, but I'm also submitting Lukas Britschi's SP costume with the colorful reveal. I know it's a bit cheesy, but I love it anyway, and he sells it so well!

 

[TallyT]

I love Kevin's Bolero outfit, deep vee, murder gloves and all.

But IMO only one man, and one man only, should win best costume every year. Never failing to bring the bling and so impressive doing it.

This year's entry:

Hey, you know I love me some bling with the best of 'em, and Donovan brings the bling with utter aplomb But Kevin's Bolero is perfect for cocking a snoot at the "we don't need no stinkin' sparkles, we are manly macho men in manly macho... stuff!!!" brigade who then proceed to look like they'd shopped at the cheapest and most uninspired PreNotLoved-R-Us they can find. It's hot, it's sexy, it's sleek and perfect for him (as is the beard) and it proves that the drab is not only not needed, it's just lazy. Yes, I'm biased (I loathe young guys turning up in their grandma's blackout curtains or sofa cushions) so sue me

And can I also give both of them extra marks for making sure the shades of black in their costumes match. The number of guys who wear all black and can even make that clash...

 

[el henry]

Hey, you know I love me some bling with the best of 'em, and Donovan brings the bling with utter aplomb But Kevin's Bolero is perfect for cocking a snoot at the "we don't need no stinkin' sparkles, we are manly macho men in manly macho... stuff!!!" brigade who then proceed to look like they'd shopped at the cheapest and most uninspired PreNotLoved-R-Us they can find. It's hot, it's sexy, it's sleek and perfect for him (as is the beard) and it proves that the drab is not only not needed, it's just lazy. Yes, I'm biased (I loathe young guys turning up in their grandma's blackout curtains or sofa cushions) so sue me

And can I also give both of them extra marks for making sure the shades of black in their costumes match. The number of guys who wear all black and can even make that clash...

Oh, I get it, and I agree, well said.

Men skaters who I am over:

1. I'm too cool for school so I forgot my costume. The cool kids don't need bling

2. I am an ATHLETE and ATHLETES don't care about things like costumes. (right bub. Let me tell you, the ATHLETES of the NFL care a great deal about their uniforms and care which one they are wearing from week to week and even opine as to which looks best)

3. Manly man don't care about costumes. Oh please, I can't even start with this one, it doesn't even get an eye roll.

Back to the positives, If we go to juniors, I also nominate Anthony Paradis, a skater with his own style and nails to match.

 

[TallyT]

If we go to juniors, I also nominate Anthony Paradis, a skater with his own style and nails to match.

Anthony is definitely his own man and one of a kind, and his costumes are perfect for him.

 

[Mathman]

Let me tell you, the ATHLETES of the NFL care a great deal about their uniforms and care which one they are wearing from week to week and even opine as to which looks best.

My entries:

Seattle Seahawks 2009
https://cdn.bleacherreport.net/imag...ttleseahawkslimegreen_original.jpg?1299260215

Denver Broncos 1960
https://cdn.bleacherreport.net/imag...ownandyellowthrowback_original.jpg?1299259559

OT. In the top picture, #84 is T.J. Houshmandzadeh. This Persian name means “Son of Wisdom.” I know this because I once followed the career of U.S. figure skater Armin Mahbanoozadeh (Son of the Goddess of the Moon).

 

[DancingCactus]

Hohoho. Now you've opened the box of Pandora.

I nominate all the flouncy shirts we've seen on the men this year. Deniss, Junwhan in the short and Paul in Wuthering Heights.

Best thing a women has worn this year must be Piper's shiny RD pants. And maybe Madison Chock's Dali dress.

And since we also need a most atrocious costumes category:

The Italians' RD costumes.
Whatever it is Smolkin had as his Swan Lake costume. Just argh
Somehow I don't remember any of the Women's dresses except Kaori's free skate costume and the few pieces of fabric Loena wears. This is bad.


I would nominate Benoit for most divisive choreographer.

And most entertaining program? Is that the program with the most mass market appeal? Because I feel Shoma's programs for example are brilliant, but entertaining is not a word I'd use to describe them.

 

[TallyT]

And since we also need a most atrocious costumes category:

I like the kid, but Liam Kapeikis's grubby white top has to be up there and I don't care if it's channelling early 70s.

 

[icewhite]

Just a side note: I just looked at the ISU page again and Ilia has an "impressive" insta following of 127.000? This sport is so niche. I know people personally who have so many more followers without being famous. So crazy. As a sport that is present in pop culture to a certain degree... there needs to be bigger marketing potential. I would so love to work on this.

 

[Magill]

Just a side note: I just looked at the ISU page again and Ilia has an "impressive" insta following of 127.000? This sport is so niche. I know people personally who have so many more followers without being famous. So crazy. As a sport that is present in pop culture to a certain degree... there needs to be bigger marketing potential. I would so love to work on this.

The point is his following is not that impressive even within this sport. Jason has more than twice of this on Insta (282,000) as does Jun-whan Cha (294,000), not to mention the non-competing greats like Yuzu or Nathan, or the Russian stars whose followings are huge but they are out of award eligibility for different reasons.
Among those currently competing there are quite a few skaters with similar following to Malinin's (slightly lower, slightly higher) so this justification does not hold even in the numbers aspect as his are nothing that special.
But I do agree about your general point.

 

[Mathman]

About Ilia Malinin, I wonder if the ISU 's biggest concern is attracting new and ever-younger fans to the sport. An old hand like Jason Brown, not to mention retired all-time greats, already have their admirers.

 

[icewhite]

About Ilia Malinin, I wonder if the ISU 's biggest concern is attracting new and ever-younger fans to the sport. An old hand like Jason Brown, not to mention retired all-time greats, already have their admirers.

I don't know if they are concerned with it, but I sure am.
It's not like figure skating has an abundance of young fans, although it would be easy to attract them imo. What do you mean by "ever-younger" btw? It would be nice to not have the next US nats sponsored by a bunch of companies who are addressing the 80+ age group. Nothing against 80+ fans, I'm not 16 anymore myself, but you cannot rely on old fans only and cater to their preferences, that's the way a sport dies.

 

[noskates]

Okay, this just made me laugh out loud and scare my cats. "the few pieces of fabric Loena wears." I'm so turned off by her costumes of late that I don't appreciate her skating. Unfortunately it seems like she's setting a trend with the cutouts.

 

[el henry]

USFS is twisting themselves into knots trying to attract "younger" fans, and actually, the crowd at US Nats was fairly age diverse (for skating). They can have funeral homes sponsor Nats for all I care as long as younger people show up.

The problem with "attracting younger fans" is that it is again, all my younger friends, relatives under 30 and random people that inform our opinions. I know of no independent studies on the subject and would love to see them.

Ari Z. thinks that promoting the heck out of Ilia and his jumps will attract younger people? Will it? I don't know. Ari hasn't given me any notice of studies or polls that shows the he knows either.

The ones I know couldn't care less about axels (isn't that something that trucks have?), aren't put off by costumes or judging or any of that, don't care if they use music of 2024 or 1924, they just. don't. want. to watch, figure skating. But that's just my little cousin. Someone else's little cousin may feel differently

 

[Mathematician]

It would be nice to not have the next US nats sponsored by a bunch of companies who are addressing the 80+ age group

I think few things are impossible in this world but getting North America or North Western European youth into skating is impossible. However I believe you can have luck more south with Italy/Spain for instance. I think I have even seen a good deal of Portuguese comments as of late (likely Brazil) so perhaps that is an untapped market (but its hard for me to tell the difference between Spanish/Portuguese so not sure).