Your own personal European Touch Awards 2024

[Anna K.]

I mean, can we do it on a lighter note?

So, the Surya Bonaly French Touch Award goes to Adam Siao Him Fa with a bang.

But it doesn't necessarily have to be a backflip. So, do you have other and better ideas? What are your European Touch moments from the 2024 European Figure Skating Championships that you would like to award?

Oh, and of course! Your choice is supposed to be subjective and not completely serious

 

[iluvtodd]

We're not totally caught up with watching Europeans yet, and probably won't be until tomorrow @ the earliest. So far, I'd have to say Adam's backflip. Shocked that he did it, but I really didn't mind seeing it in competition (although I don't want to see that become a regular thing in competition).

I liked Surya's reason for doing it back in 1998 - in an interview she said that she wanted to be remembered (fondly) for it. We always looked forward to seeing her doing it & landing on one foot in the Champions on Ice tour.

 

[Anna K.]

I haven't watched all competitions either; I hope it means "not yet". However, this one I can give out already:

The Estonian Touch Medal Count Opener Award goes to... Aleksandr Selevko!

 

[norwegianfairytale]

I think it should go to the Selevko brothers or Aleksandr

First, it was touching to see how sad Aleksandr was for his brother after just having the skate of his life. Then it all turned around when Aleksandr won a medal and Mikhail was so happy and proud of his brother in the audience. Also, I noticed how sad Aleksandr looked for Lukas after his FS, despite it meant that he would get a silver medal. It´s great sportsmanship and he seems so very caring

 

[slider11]

I give a similar "good person" award to Allison Reed. She is always mindful of her late brother Chris who was a strong ice dancer in his own right and honors him in the Kiss n Cry. She also was very respectful and congratulary of the other teams in the award ceremony; I notice those things. All while skating in her "home" country (how many does she have?) - I don't care about that- I just think she's a good person!

 

[Seven Sisters]

I give my award to the Lithuanian audiences, whose evident involvement and enthusiastic support of all skaters rivaled that of the Japanese. The high points were, of course, the ecstasy that accompanied the performances of their dance teams, and the hearty boos that greeted the underscoring of Ghilardi/Ambrosini’s lights-out skate.

 

[YuBluByMe]

The Dirty Old Lady Award goes to Selevko the Elder. He was rocking that see-through shirt in the medal ceremony.

 

[icewhite]

My European touch award goes to the whole French team for being so... French.
Lopareva/Brissaud skated to Mylène Farmer and had Cizeron as one of their choreographers.
Dupayage/Nabais and Demougeot/Le Mercier skate to choreos by Karine Arribert-Narce and it shows.
Adam has Benoit as a choreographer and it shows. His short is to music by an Irish musician, his FS music composed by a German Brit. Luc's choreos are by Amodio and Fernandez. Lorine's short music is Spanish, her free skate music British, her choreographer Papadakis. (Kevin's free would be French, but... well...) Piegat/Strekalin's choreogapher? Cizeron. Their music? Schubert, Camille Saint-Saens, Aquilo, Einaudi. The Kovalev's music and choreo is quite complex to trace, but... I'd call it British-French. Their choreographers are French...

I'm not into nationalism and the French promotion of their language sometimes annoys me, but I like that there is now a structure of strong and interesting young choreographers in France, that there are some choices that are a bit out of the box and not Michael Jackson, that there is a bit of an individual and regional touch. I don't want everyone in the world to skate to exactly the same music and choreos by the same choreogaphers, I want some freshness and, well, why not Frenchness?

 

[ladyjane]

I have hardly seen a thing, and perhaps I never will, but I did see Rebecca and Filippo's Dracula and I wish those two take up acting after they've done skating. I don't know if to call it an Italian touch is right, but it was definitely entertaining!

 

[4everchan]

To me, it's all about Frangi ! 4everfrangi !

 

[Anna K.]

I have hardly seen a thing, and perhaps I never will, but I did see Rebecca and Filippo's Dracula and I wish those two take up acting after they've done skating. I don't know if to call it an Italian touch is right, but it was definitely entertaining!

It could be the Mediterranean Dracula Touch. Sounds good to me.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

One of my personal highlights is the stellar performance of Team Italy. All of them bring something unique to their performances and they are gracious competitors and winners. I'm so happy things are going well for them on the way to their home Olympics.

 

[elektra blue]

I mean, can we do it on a lighter note?

So, the Surya Bonaly French Touch Award goes to Adam Siao Him Fa with a bang.

But it doesn't necessarily have to be a backflip. So, do you have other and better ideas? What are your European Touch moments from the 2024 European Figure Skating Championships that you would like to award?

Oh, and of course! Your choice is supposed to be subjective and not completely serious

my award goes to team Italy that made me so proud and an honorable mention to the girl of the first group in the sp that skated in a Katarina Witt-like costume (i mean it's me, i have to give something out for costumes )

 

[Anna K.]

my award goes to team Italy that made me so proud and an honorable mention to the girl of the first group in the sp that skated in a Katarina Witt-like costume (i mean it's me, i have to give something out for costumes )

Regarding the reaction emoji I gave you.
I mean you should be indeed proud of team Italy but that Katarina Witt reference just cracked me up.

 

[invisiblespiral]

Breakout star: Aleksandr Selevko.

 

[Anna K.]

The Lithuanian Touch Best Gala Award goes to the organizers who brought up live music, Papadakis/Cizeron as guest stars, the incredible crowd, and actual fireworks in the end.

Talking about which,
the Swiss International Touch Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Best Exhibition Award goes to Lucas Britschgi who brought together other skaters to party out the crazy things in his number (I never expected a male-male lift to look like this but I liked it).

 

[lariko]

In this specific competition, Selevko. Darn, that was an absolute best of every world, and total debunk of the saying that the most unhappy people in each competition are the silver medalists and the 4th place finishers. Rizzo is next. Both of them outshone Sim Fa with his backflip by actual achievement and overcoming obstacles, so it is a huge emotional boost!!!

 

[noskates]

I'm not sure how to describe this but I watched the competition on Peacock and LOVED how - somehow - the skater's flag was displayed across the ice before their program. I'm sure in this world of technical wizardry it was done with some voodoo artifice but it was beautiful and very effective. I think the Lithuanians did a fantastic job with this competition and IIRC it was on fairly short notice! It's so gratifying to see nations who haven't always been on the forefront of figure skating getting involved.