Stars on Ice cast

[Manitou]

So until now I have thought that Stars on Ice is dominantly a US cast, some current and some past skaters, there are some foreign retired skaters, but basically it is not a tour where I can see current world skaters.
Therefore I was rather uninterested to see yet again Eldredge, Davis/White, Cohen etc. I have seen them tens of times live and I think I can pass this time. However, a second ago I came across this post on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg7D0T6HLWO/?taken-by=russian_team_fs

The caption says "Alina and Zhenya practicing for Stars on Ice". My goodness, are they going to be included in the US series of Stars on Ice, or is it another series somewhere else deep in Russia under the same name?

Generally, can we have a thread where we can post latest news about upcoming Stars on Ice cast? It's important, because the cast is actually a dominant factor to decide whether or not we go to the event.

 

[stormblade]

So until now I have thought that Stars on Ice is dominantly a US cast, some current and some past skaters, there are some foreign retired skaters, but basically it is not a tour where I can see current world skaters.
Therefore I was rather uninterested to see yet again Eldredge, Davis/White, Cohen etc. I have seen them tens of times live and I think I can pass this time. However, a second ago I came across this post on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg7D0T6HLWO/?taken-by=russian_team_fs

The caption says "Alina and Zhenya practicing for Stars on Ice". My goodness, are they going to be included in the US series of Stars on Ice, or is it another series somewhere else deep in Russia under the same name?

They are practicing for the Stars on Ice tour in Japan. Stars on Ice is hosted in US, Canada and Japan. Japan typically invites top international skaters. USA and Canada tend to stay with domestic skaters (unless you're Javier Fernandez, the honorary Canadian). I also don't understand why the US tour on Stars on Ice insists on US skaters only, but skating is not nearly as popular here so perhaps there is less incentive to offer a more star studded cast.

 

[Manitou]

I also don't understand why the US tour on Stars on Ice insists on US skaters only,

That's what I thought. That's basically disqualifies the US part of the tour...
Well, I understand that Hamilton and Wylie need to make their living too, so this is their show...

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

That's what I thought. That's basically disqualifies the US part of the tour...
Well, I understand that Hamilton and Wylie need to make their living too, so this is their show...

What are you talking about? Hamilton and Wylie haven't been on the tour in years! Well, other than special after Christmas one night only special show in Lake Placid.

The current upcoming US tour is: N. Chen, Brown, Nagasu, K.Chen, Wagner, Rippon, Hubbell/Donohue, Davis/White, Shibs, and special guests Tennell and Zhou.

 

[thedude]

What are you talking about? Hamilton and Wylie haven't been on the tour in years! Well, other than special after Christmas one night only special show in Lake Placid.

The current upcoming US tour is: N. Chen, Brown, Nagasu, K.Chen, Wagner, Rippon, Hubbell/Donohue, Davis/White, Shibs, and special guests Tennell and Zhou.

I think Hamilton owns the rights to the show. Essentially his company produces the show and organizes the tours. It's probably related to money and visa issues that makes it hard for foreign skaters to tour

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I think Hamilton owns the rights to the show. Essentially his company produces the show and organizes the tours. It's probably related to money and visa issues that makes it hard for foreign skaters to tour

I am aware that Hamilton is the founder of the show, been going since the mid-90s, and am an elite skater myself. The tour has had international skaters off and on in the last 5 years on the US tour (Rochette, Gordeeva, Kulik, Browning, Chan, Kerrs, etc), they seem to definitely want the post-Olympic tour to be all US skaters though. Although, last year wasn't much different.

The point I wrote above that you quoted had to deal with the person I quoted making like Hamilton and Wylie etc still skate in the US tours which they do not and haven't in many years.

 

[Manitou]

The point I wrote above that you quoted had to deal with the person I quoted making like Hamilton and Wylie etc still skate in the US tours which they do not and haven't in many years.

Well, whenever they make us a favor by inviting current Russian skaters let me know...

As for this one I don’t think I want to spend an entire evening watching Wagner and Rippon. Limit it to only H/D, S/S and Nathan, or simply take out Wagner and Rippon, then I might be interested.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Well, whenever they make us a favor by inviting current Russian skaters let me know...

Yeah, doubtful that's going to be happening anytime soon.

 

[Barb]

And it seems that Russia has enough own skating shows. Maybe some American skaters should be invited to Russian skating shows.

 

[Ravyn Rant]

I wish the US SOI cast included foreign skaters. They can't even throw us a bone during an Olympic year. I've had several invites to head south to San Jose for the Mother's Day show, but I cannot find any enthusiasm for it. I just spent a small boatload of $$$ to see the same skaters at Nationals.
I miss Champions on Ice. *sigh*

 

[Barb]

Seeing people asking for foreign skaters, I suppose 4cc tickets will sell very fast. I hope it include Shoma, Yuzu, Boyang, Wakaba, Satoko, Mai or Kaori or Marin (many ladies japanese options), S/H, Z/Y, J/P, W/P, G/P, M/R, S/F, Keegan M., Gabby Daleman, K. Osmond.

 

[silverfoxes]

I wish the US SOI cast included foreign skaters. They can't even throw us a bone during an Olympic year. I've had several invites to head south to San Jose for the Mother's Day show, but I cannot find any enthusiasm for it. I just spent a small boatload of $$$ to see the same skaters at Nationals.
I miss Champions on Ice. *sigh*

I would never spend my money on a ticket...and they're coming to my area for once. Just don't care about any American skaters enough for that. Besides the fact that it looks like a very cheap and cheesy production. I'd only pay money for an ice show if it was something like the ones they have in Europe. So basically...not going to happen.

 

[tothepointe]

I miss Champions on Ice also. I didn't realize the difference when I cam back into skating until I got to SOI and was like wait where are all the stars?

 

[el henry]

The Stars on Ice folks know what they can afford and know what folks are going to pay to see. And as much as we all would love to see international casts with all our favs (Deniss!) that’s not going to happen, unless one of us wins the lottery and funds the tour.

They’re not marketing to the die hards on a skating forum and they’re not making money from the die hards on a skating forum. Heck, i consider myself a die hard, and I couldn’t pick Alina out of a line-up and wouldn’t cross the street to see her skate (not a diss on her, not a ladies fan and that’s not happening).

But, in a wonderful mixture of marketing and planning for me, my fav skater is on the permanent cast. Jason :luv17: Hamilton:luv17: Four miles from my house:agree:

They made some money on this skating fan

 

[Manitou]

I see that with obvious advantages of living in America there are also some disadvantages. Here is one. This is a quote from "Stars on Ice" in Osaka, Japan:

"An incredible group of skaters has gathered beginning in Osaka for the #StarsOnIce – Japan Tour. The entire 2018 Ladies Olympic podium – Alina Zagitova, Evgenia Medvedeva, and Kaetlyn Osmond – plus 2018 World Medalists Wakaba Higuchi and Satoko Miyahara; 2018 Men’s Olympic Medalists Shoma Uno and Javier Fernandez and 2018 World Champion Nathan Chen; plus 2018 Olympic Gold Medalists Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, Patrick Chan, and Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford and Four Continents Ladies Champion Kaori Sakamoto – add four-time Olympic Medalist Evgeni Plushenko, and you have one of the best casts ever assembled! #SOI18 will perform 7 shows in Osaka & Yokohama over the next two weeks!".

And what am I stuck with? Wagner and Rippon...

 

[el henry]

You can’t seriously compare Japan with America, in terms of skating fandom and in terms of who will be in the cast. Of course, Japan will have the crème de la crème, and we would all love to be there.

And I for one am looking forward to Ashley and Adam. I would imagine Adam will be selling some tickets. And at “my” show I expect to see Adam’s Clarks Summit friends and family cheering section as well

 

[Manitou]

I would imagine Adam will be selling some tickets.

You nicely put it...
You simply cannot be wrong with that statement...

 

[Yatagarasu]

You can’t seriously compare Japan with America, in terms of skating fandom and in terms of who will be in the cast. Of course, Japan will have the crème de la crème, and we would all love to be there.

But why can't the States have this?
It's something I'll never understand. If you have the bigger names for just a few shows then those shows would sell, and word would spread. Re-invest and expand, with more PR. Rinse and repeat.

I mean if the question is to rebuild the popularity in US in re to skating, then one way to go about this is to rebuild the shows.

 

[el henry]

But why can't the States have this?
It's something I'll never understand. If you have the bigger names for just a few shows then those shows would sell, and word would spread. Re-invest and expand, with more PR. Rinse and repeat.

I mean if the question is to rebuild the popularity in US in re to skating, then one way to go about this is to rebuild the shows.

This is the “chicken or the egg” question and I don’t know the answer. Would bringing international stars help popularity? I really don’t know, because I truly believe that most Americans in the market for SOI would not be any more impressed by bringing in Yuzu than bringing in Vincent. And I say this as someone who would much, much much rather see Yuzu.

I saw international stars in what I swore was Champions on Ice, but now have no idea, in the 80s. Torvill & Dean were the headliners. But T&D were already famous in the US, on national news, and not just for a few seconds, to the extent that I am sorry to say Alina, Yuzu, Tessa & Scott and Aljona & Bruno on their best day combined do not have one tenth the recognition.

I think the recognition comes first, but that is just IMHO.

 

[oatmella]

If enough people in the US are willing to spend what they charge in Japan for SOI tickets (I think ticket prices can go well into $200-$300+), then maybe we could get all the international stars here too.
Of course I would love to go to the Japanese shows, but there are still enough skaters I like on the US tour to buy a ticket.