A Brief History Summary of the 2021-2022 Grand Prix Season.

[parachuteinjune]

You know what, I'll just start this post now. Despite having wanted to write it as a half-time thingie in the middle of the season. Despite it being 2.5 weeks to the Olympics and thus Euros already being over, too. And mostly despite not having the time, or memory, to write everything down now.

You know what, consider this a very random rant on thoughts of programs (and performances) this season (possibly with remarks about later events). Consider it a work in progress, too, as I will keep adding to it whenever I remember something. Consider it incomplete.

Men

• The biggest surprise of the GP season: Nathan finishing third at Skate America. THIRD. The unbeatable mastermind. THIRD.
• The second biggest surprise of the GP season: Yuzuru Hanyu missing out again because, hey, injuries in an Olympic season are so en vogue.
• Re: Nathan: I had been so convinced that he'd keep his programs from last season (I was surprised he had created new programs for 2020-2021 when almost nobody had, and they were amazeballs, so keeping them for the Olympics seemed like a no-brainer). I was surprised to see new programs at Skate America. The SP started so boring, but the voice sounded familiar ("Isn't that the same voice that's sung his Nemesis program?"), but then it switched to the best part of Nemesis. Don't get me wrong, I luuuuurved Nemesis, but it seemed like such an awkward choice. What with that being the program he bombed twice at the last Olympics. Yes, it's a statement to choose that song again, but boy, you don't want to go around being asked about it all the time. And once again, that song proved to be his nemesis. What an omen. Then the LP ... I thought he'd at least keep his Philip Glass LP, but the screen went "Mozart" and I was like WTF. I could appreciate the program and saw it as a tribute to his balletic past, but no comparison to what he's put out before. While it was better at the second event with cleaner performances, it just wasn't the real deal. [No wonder he switched both programs for Nationals, but I wouldn't have expected him to go back two seasons ... ]
• I also hoped that Kolyada would keep his beautiful Nurejev/The White Crow program, which he didn't. I can see they're trying to showcase that balletic style by choosing The Nutcracker instead, but hmm. That's such an in-your-face "Russian Olympic program."
• Vincent Zhou skating to "Vincent" remains one of the most beautiful things ever. <3 Very cool that he won Skate America!
• Gotta mention Deniss Vasiljevs next [after his fabulous performances and bronze at Euros! OMG I was fangirling like crazy *blushes*]. When I first saw him at the GP, I thought, "Damn, has he muscled up?" I don't remember his upper body looking quite like that! Also, the hair. Call me crazy, I love that ponytail. Because it's a real ponytail, not the type that Jason used to sport. I love the fact that it entirely falls apart during the performances because Deniss puts so much full-body action into his performances. Hell, I cheered him on for wrecking that 'do. Maybe I'm just glad that his hair has grown past the tiny man bun. Maybe I applaud him for being out of the ordinary. Maybe I'm just thrown back to my childhood and teenage days in the 90s when I swooned over lots of boys with longish hair. Yes, he looked just like that when he sat in that K&C with his hair open. Hmm-hmm.
• It is so, so cool that Kvitelashvili skates to "Tout l'univers" by Gjon's Tears. The first time I didn't pay any attention to the SP skate at all, I was just celebrating the song choice.
• Equally cool are Matteo Rizzo's song choices (so funny that he skated to Zitti e buoni RIGHT AFTER KVITELASHVILI IIRC). It's way cool that he made two LGBTQ+-friendly song choices, what with Måneskin for one program and "Two Men In Love" for the other. Respect!
• Shoma Uno is looking strong again. Not quite where he used to be, but on the mend. Last season's choices were pretty wild, this season a bit more towards what we know from him. I love the Bolero version he has selected. (Way too many Boleros this season in general, though.)
• Kagiyama is keeping it up!
• Jason Brown and Sinnerman, great pick once more,

PI
Name
Nat.
Designated events
Total Points
Tie breaking

1
2
3
4
5
6
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

USA
CAN
ITA
JPN
FRA
RUS

1
Yuma KAGIYAMA
JPN

15

15

30
1
564.43
2
383.26
197.49
181.17
23
Q

2
Shoma UNO
JPN
13

15

28
1
560.83
2
369.18
187.57
191.65
21
Q

3
Vincent ZHOU
USA
15

13

28
1
556.25
2
359.31
198.13
196.94
21
Q

4
Nathan CHEN
USA
11
15

26
1
576.55
2
386.94
200.46
189.61
22
Q

5
Mikhail KOLYADA
RUS

13

13
26
2
538.19
2
361.41
181.25
176.78
23
Q

6
Jason BROWN
USA

13

11

24
2
523.75
2
340.36
174.81
183.39
24
Q

WOMEN

• It's a bit frustrating that there are again so many new Russian babies in the sport and they all (more or less all) instantly slay. It's gotta suck to be Russian. It's gotta suck to be Tuktamysheva, medal at Worlds, and again be ignored for the Olympic team because you stand no chance.
• Kamila Valieva. Holy moly. I knew the name, but was surprised to see her, and even more surprised by what I saw. I expected the 3A girls (Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova, Alena Kostornaia) to battle it out with Tuktamysheva, but suddenly Kamila enters the scene, wins everything by a landslide, and is now the hot favorite for the Olympic gold medal. Poor thing. Always those 15-yo Olympic sensations.
• How awesome are Loena Hendrickx's SP showings?! :0D Especially that one lead after the SP, even on her birthday if I'm right? Woohoo! She stands out. Very happy for her when she medaled.
• I love Eva-Lotta Kiibus's costumes because they are always super colorful, every year.

PI
Name
Nat.
Designated events
Total Points
Tie breaking

1
2
3
4
5
6
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

USA
CAN
ITA
JPN
FRA
RUS

1
Kamila VALIEVA
RUS

15

15
30
1
537.79
2
366.18
185.29
171.61
24
Q

2
Anna SHCHERBAKOVA
RUS

15

15

30
1
466.47
2
316.80
165.05
149.67
23
Q

3
Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA
RUS

13

13
26
2
462.11
2
300.77
151.64
161.34
24
Q

4
Kaori SAKAMOTO
JPN
9

15

24
1
439.27
2
291.55
146.78
147.72
21
Q

5
Maiia KHROMYKH
RUS

13

11
24
2
446.04
2
309.28
154.97
136.76
24
Q

6
Alena KOSTORNAIA
RUS

11

13

24
2
436.39
2
284.37
145.41
152.02
23
Q

PAIRS

PI
Name
Nat.
Designated events
Total Points
Tie breaking

1
2
3
4
5
6
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

USA
CAN
ITA
JPN
FRA
RUS

1
Anastasia MISHINA / Aleksandr GALLIAMOV
RUS

15

15
30
1
454.26
2
302.22
153.34
152.04
15
Q

2
Wenjing SUI / Cong HAN
CHN

15
15

30
1
448.60
2
289.59
145.11
159.01
15
Q

3
Evgenia TARASOVA / Vladimir MOROZOV
RUS
15

13

28
1
435.77
2
279.63
142.14
156.14
15
Q

4
Aleksandra BOIKOVA / Dmitrii KOZLOVSKII
RUS
11

15

26
1
422.49
2
269.89
139.79
152.60
16
Q

5
Daria PAVLIUCHENKO / Denis KHODYKIN
RUS

13

13
26
2
405.67
2
262.30
138.68
143.37
16
Q

6
Riku MIURA / Ryuichi KIHARA
JPN
13

11

24
2
417.62
2
271.01
135.57
146.61
15
Q

ICE DANCE

PI
Name
Nat.
Designated events
Total Points
Tie breaking

1
2
3
4
5
6
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

USA
CAN
ITA
JPN
FRA
RUS

1
Gabriella PAPADAKIS / Guillaume CIZERON
FRA

15

15

30
1
441.31
2
264.78
132.61
176.53
20
Q

2
Victoria SINITSINA / Nikita KATSALAPOV
RUS

15

15
30
1
427.16
2
254.02
129.11
173.14
17
Q

3
Madison HUBBELL / Zachary DONOHUE
USA
15

13

28
1
417.44
2
249.07
125.96
168.37
19
Q

4
Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER
CAN

15

13

28
1
414.13
2
247.13
125.32
167.00
20
Q

5
Madison CHOCK / Evan BATES
USA
13

13

26
2
419.01
2
250.44
125.68
168.57
18
Q

6
Charlene GUIGNARD / Marco FABBRI
ITA

13

13
26
2
403.76
2
245.38
124.15
158.38
18
Q

GENERAL STUFF

• The GPF got cancelled for Covid and I never even checked who would have been there at the time. That's why I plan to post that here after all.
• Massimo Scali's hair has grown. A lot.
• Jeremy Abbott's hair has grown. A lot(ter). I wonder if he and Massimo were having a bet. :0P