# This Week in Skating / 2025 NHK Trophy Recap

An episode of [This Week in Skating Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1621874792), 11 Nov 2025, 50 min.

Audio: https://audio2.redcircle.com/episodes/bc9011da-5bc9-42a0-863a-ac17781d7bfe/stream.mp3

In this episode, Daphne, Matteo and Gina chat about NHK Trophy, the fourth Grand Prix event of the 2025-2026 Grand Prix Series. NHK Trophy Results: https://www.isuresults.com/results/season2526/gpjpn2025/index.htm --- This Week in Skating is hosted by Gina Capellazzi, Daphne Backman and Matteo Morelli is a cooperative project between Figure Skaters Online and Ice-dance.com. New episodes are available every Tuesday. Website: https://www.thisweekinskating.com Email: thisweekinskating@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisweekinskating Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thiswkinskating Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinskating Thread: https://www.threads.net/@thisweekinskating Patreon: patreon.com/ThisWeekinSkating Read less Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

## Transcript

[0:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Hi everyone, I'm Vincent Joe.
[0:01] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Hi, I'm Kathy Reed.
[0:03] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I'm Allison Reed.
[0:05] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Hi, I'm Ashley.
[0:06] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Hi, I'm Grace.
[0:07] \[SPEAKER_03\]: We're from the Haternets.
[0:08] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I am Martin Rezzi.
[0:10] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Hello everyone.
[0:11] \[SPEAKER_02\]: How are you?
[0:12] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Thank you.
[0:14] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Thank you.
[0:15] \[SPEAKER_00\]: We're from the Haternets.
[0:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Welcome to this week in Skating, the weekly podcast bringing you the latest news from the world of figure skating.
[0:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Here are your hosts, Daphne, Gina and Matteo.
[0:36] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And we're back back to talk about NHK trophy.
[0:39] \[SPEAKER_03\]: This week, it is myself, along with Matteo and Gina.
[0:45] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And yeah, it was Grand Prix event number four.
[0:56] \[SPEAKER_03\]: um we have two more to go and you know what in two or three days I'm gonna be on my way to Lake Placid for Skate America.
[1:05] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So I am getting very excited to get to see some of these programs in person.
[1:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yes, and I'm heading to Finland afterwards.
[1:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So we all have a base of Grand Prix apart from Gina thing.
[1:18] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah, I don't know if I'm going to make it to Skate America.
[1:22] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Mother Nature decided that winter needed to come in mid-November.
[1:27] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I currently have here where I live snow on the ground with a mixture of leaves.
[1:35] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So, um, and my route to Lake Placid is quite treacherous without any snow, so, um, so we'll play it by ear, but, um, I probably, um, not going to be there just looking at the what the weather is supposed to be, um, yeah, I'm not quite sure, but, um, I'll be watching from home if I'm not there, um, for sure, and, uh, yeah, um,
[2:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think this is one more reason for Skater America to come back in the first grandfrees and it's so you don't have any issue with Winter.
[2:08] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Uh-huh.
[2:09] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Absolutely.
[2:10] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yes.
[2:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: That's it.
[2:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I assume please listen.
[2:13] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Thank you.
[2:14] \[SPEAKER_04\]: They need to hear from me on that one.
[2:17] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I will come whoever needs to hear it from me and he's to be the first one in October because there would have been no issue if this happened four weeks ago.
[2:26] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Um, but yeah, and I agree because I just got back from the dance final and now I'm turning around and going to this event.
[2:36] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So it's, it's not something I usually do.
[2:40] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I'm not usually, um, having to event so close that I'm planning to attend.
[2:46] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So yeah, I would have rather had the event be the first one, but I understand for whatever reason they reorganize things.
[2:54] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah.
[2:56] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Well, and then the other thing is to it's not just the weather.
[3:00] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I have another trip, not skating related next week.
[3:06] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And so I would need to come back on Sunday because then I'm leaving at the beginning of the week for my next trip.
[3:14] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So it's all like, can I do both?
[3:20] \[SPEAKER_04\]: sort of thing, but I have been, I don't know about you both, but I've been kind of counting down for this grand pre to be over.
[3:28] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Like, I'm, you know, at the beginning, I was ready.
[3:31] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I was like, yeah, let's go.
[3:33] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And now it's just like, okay.
[3:35] \[SPEAKER_04\]: All right.
[3:36] \[SPEAKER_04\]: How many more do we have?
[3:38] \[SPEAKER_04\]: It's just it's I guess it's just because we have so much to do and now we're throwing in not only, you know, the grand prix, but like definitely you were at the final.
[3:51] \[SPEAKER_04\]: The sectionals are happening and it's not just sectionals here in the US.
[3:55] \[SPEAKER_04\]: There's qualifying events going on in all different countries and so I'm just kind of
[4:03] \[SPEAKER_03\]: ready for just a break just a little break part of it is to that we we start our season or we start doing episodes in the summer because that's when things start picking up again and this is really the busiest craziest time this
[4:28] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I keep just thinking it, you know, once we get through November, it will settle down for a little bit.
[4:36] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And then it will amp up again in January as we're heading into the Olympics.
[4:42] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And this is our first Olympics as a podcast.
[4:46] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So we're going to be planning episodes and doing different things in preparation.
[4:54] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, there's just a lot going on.
[4:56] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It's feeling a lot like that, too.
[5:00] \[SPEAKER_03\]: When I was at the Ice Dance Final, and Pacifico sectionals in Henderson, Nevada, I felt that a lot.
[5:08] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I would just felt like there's so much going on.
[5:11] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And it's not a complaint.
[5:15] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It's just stating a fact of how it feels right now, or it's acknowledging how it feels.
[5:25] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yes, I don't love skating and it's just that it's all it's it can be a lot after a while you finish everything for one Grand Prix and you get like a day and then photos are coming in from the next Grand Prix and you're you're writing a recap and you're working on a preview for the next what it's just a lot in you know short span of time so yeah the grandfathers are that they're almost like you blink at their finished
[5:54] \[SPEAKER_01\]: When you're in the thick of it, it's a lot, really, really a lot, and no stop as you said.
[6:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So you keep up with the idea of excited, and it's also quite an exciting season, because there's so much that is happening at every single ground for people.
[6:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: We are not poor for sure, but it's so crazy.
[6:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Working, you know, we're always thinking, what do we have to do next?
[6:16] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, it's to balance.
[6:17] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I mean, it really is like a balancing act.
[6:19] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I, I
[6:21] \[SPEAKER_03\]: send the other day to one of my friends.
[6:23] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I feel like I'm just throwing plates in the air like I'm juggling plates and I know that one of them is gonna crash and I don't know what one it is because
[6:32] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I don't want anything to crash, but with everything, it's like, no, you got to get this ready for IDC and then this is this weekend's gating and then something else happens.
[6:45] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And then flights, my flight coming home was delayed like five hours.
[6:49] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I got in it like, or pulled into my driveway at like 230 in the morning, instead of it was supposed to be like 10 p.m.
[7:02] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So that kind of threw me off completely, and then I was jet lagged.
[7:07] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So it's just, there's a lot of things going on.
[7:09] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So it's not a complaint.
[7:11] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It's just acknowledging that the intensity of things right now is very, very high.
[7:18] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And it will relax just a bit after we get through this month, and then through the Grand Prix final.
[7:30] \[SPEAKER_03\]: for a few weeks in December because it's necessary to be able to preserve our psyches for what's to come starting in January.
[7:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, we are not exactly like the skaters we talk about, but we also have to manage our energy.
[7:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So basically our bodies and brains and take the breaks that we need.
[7:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yes, and I feel that too like I feel like managing my own energy some days I don't have the energy that I would like to have one more recording because There's just so many things going in my head, but this week we are going to sit here and we are going to talk our rather this week we are going to talk about
[8:24] \[SPEAKER_03\]: kind of exciting in that way, and this event was very similar.
[8:34] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah.
[8:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Plus, Japan is always one of the top destinations for all the skaters out there, so the where skaters, the when there, and you could see the where absolutely ecstatic about the Japanese urgency, the warn that they get from them at the welcome, and overall what I keep hearing about events in Japan is that they're incredibly well organized, so I suppose that as a skater,
[9:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: team to round them and also browse media, although none of us has been there before, but the feedback to the Japanese Federation is always incredibly positive.
[9:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So hopefully one day will experience that, I don't know, it's quite a trip, but you can definitely see that because all the athletes are smiling, they're happy, you can see that.
[9:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, they're really enjoying themselves there.
[9:24] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah.
[9:25] \[SPEAKER_04\]: They did have a gala as well as a banquet, you know, how the skaters love the banquet because they get to dress up and have a good time after the work on the ice is done.
[9:39] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And then I don't know if you guys caught it, the music that they come out to
[9:46] \[SPEAKER_04\]: The skaters, is it one direction?
[9:49] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Are they playing like a one direction song?
[9:52] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I thought I saw a Jackie tweet that it's one direction or something.
[9:57] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah, Tina, it was one direction.
[10:00] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Song called, come on, come on.
[10:03] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Again, I didn't notice it so much because I was more just waiting when I was watching.
[10:09] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I was just kind of waiting for the event to start.
[10:12] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I was doing some other stuff.
[10:16] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I wonder what they'll play in the U.S.
[10:19] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I don't know.
[10:19] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I'll report back on that.
[10:21] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Okay, you do.
[10:22] \[SPEAKER_04\]: In case I'm not there.
[10:23] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Or while I'm watching it, hope.
[10:25] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Okay.
[10:27] \[SPEAKER_03\]: All right, that sounds good.
[10:28] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The cell, Mateo, why don't you kick it off with the men?
[10:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Let's do that.
[10:33] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So gold was won by Yuma Kagiyama.
[10:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This was his third consecutive NHK gold.
[10:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: He won by just one and a half-boring and he managed to nail his quartz alcohol in the free skate by mise on the quadruple loop and he came back to nail the quadruple double two and six triple jumps.
[10:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: At the end of his free skate he collapsed on the ice and I think he was visibly tired and probably relieved at the same time, not quite sure, but he ended up in the second free skate in the afternoon but still managed to win gold and he will next compete at Finland in two weeks where I'm going to see him so looking forward to that.
[11:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Silver was won by Shun Sato, who had another excellent free skate, which contained Quatt loads 2 Quattos as well as 5 triple jumps.
[11:25] \[SPEAKER_01\]: He won the free skate but finished second overall and he has qualified for the final.
[11:30] \[SPEAKER_01\]: bronze medal was won by Lukas Britsley as Ritzaland.
[11:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: He was in fifth place after the short program, but he managed to nail two quattos in the free skate and had trouble with his free triple axel.
[11:42] \[SPEAKER_01\]: He doubled one and stepped out of another, but still managed to get his bronze medal, and this was actually second-ground three medal.
[11:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So let's open the floor.
[11:52] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Well, I just want to point out, first of all, Shun Sato is definitely making a case for
[12:00] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Olympic team representing Japan.
[12:02] \[SPEAKER_03\]: We saw him at the World Championships.
[12:06] \[SPEAKER_03\]: He finished six.
[12:08] \[SPEAKER_03\]: He's definitely stepped up.
[12:10] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I think he's got to be in contention for the for the team.
[12:15] \[SPEAKER_03\]: He has to be with this.
[12:17] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I guess we'll wait and see how he does at the final, but you know this is a really great season that he's having so far.
[12:25] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Can I add as well?
[12:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I want to see his coach as well as your limpic gains because his coach's reactions on a kiss and cryotry is priceless, so that's going to add.
[12:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: If he skates well at your limpic games and we see these reactions there, that's going to be an Olympic moment.
[12:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think
[12:41] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, for sure.
[12:42] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Um, boy Yang Jin, finish him fourth place.
[12:47] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I mean, that's probably the best he's skated in a while.
[12:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And on the contrary, I was quite sorry for a June 1 chart, which was third after the short program, but then had a...
[13:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: quite a cut-a-strafting, shall we say free skate?
[13:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And that was quite terrible because of course you don't want any of them to have a skate like that and when it that happens you know that there you know some of them like him I think was trying to keep composing the kiss and cry but he was definitely upset and I wish him to get back very strong but yeah definitely not since day I'm afraid
[13:25] \[SPEAKER_04\]: No, but then on the flip side, you had Slovakia's Adam Hagara, who had the fourth best free skate.
[13:33] \[SPEAKER_04\]: He was a ninth after the short program moved up finished sex in his senior Grand Prix debut.
[13:40] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So you know, you always hate when they have one skater has a really bad program, drops
[13:49] \[SPEAKER_04\]: in the placements, but then there's always somebody in there that has a really good skate and moves up to, you know, having good results.
[13:59] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, and that was in a way that what what happened we look at isn't it, because he was not in the top three after the show program, but then he managed to get back.
[14:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I feel like he's got this rock music in his short program, which is quite unusual for him, but I think it's he's enjoying it.
[14:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But the free skate music I was reflecting on the fact that it's this sort of, we know that Lucas likes to travel a lot and explore different countries and cultures and I feel like this kind of music is
[14:31] \[SPEAKER_01\]: are music that he embraces fully and you can see that he's enjoying skating on them.
[14:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I find very good, a lot of pleasure watching him skate on this type of music.
[14:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I want to kind of call the him look as the explorer explorer and yeah and he's programmed to like that in a way they show that and yeah they pay him back.
[14:51] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Well, moving on to the women, first thing I want to say before I go into the placements, Mateo, can you talk about your predictions for the placements?
[15:02] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Because I was a little shocked after the short program with who was in first second and third and you texted our group and said, that's exactly what I had for the placements.
[15:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, I don't know.
[15:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I don't know whether I can call it a prediction, but I thought before the event I was looking at the entries for the women's and I thought, okay, these three are going to do really well and I think Luna will not have his move one.
[15:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So let's see what she does and we know that she didn't do well that she didn't do bad at all.
[15:37] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But when we sort of taught three there after the show program,
[15:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And it's more of a feeling, though, it's difficult to explain isn't it?
[15:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I might share a few more things in the future just to see whether maybe I have some psychic powers that aren't developing.
[15:54] \[SPEAKER_04\]: We may need to have you do predictions, like the rest of the events for the rest of the season.
[16:01] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Because I was I was a little surprised after the short program not to see Luna in the top three I thought she would come out with a strong short program and would be in the top three Of course that didn't happen, but she did come back in the free and she took the bronze But let me back up a little bit here
[16:23] \[SPEAKER_04\]: One person that I saw handing out medals was the legendary Madori Edo, very cool that she was there and Robin got a really good photo of her with Kawari Sakamoto.
[16:36] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I think I shared that on social media, but it's cool when the legends are there supporting and watching the current skaters.
[16:48] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Gold was won by Kauri Sakamoto, her second consecutive NHK Gold.
[16:53] \[SPEAKER_04\]: She won the event by 27 points.
[16:56] \[SPEAKER_04\]: She hit six clean triples, earned a season's best score in all segments.
[17:02] \[SPEAKER_04\]: With the win in NHK and Silver in France, she has punched her ticket to the Grand Prix final, her fifth Grand Prix final.
[17:09] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I love both her programs this season.
[17:13] \[SPEAKER_04\]: They are just the perfect programs to cap off what it's going to be her last season.
[17:21] \[SPEAKER_04\]: She said this is her last season.
[17:23] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And so these are...
[17:25] \[SPEAKER_04\]: the best programs to end her amazing career.
[17:29] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I am hoping fingers crossed, toes crossed, that I'm going to see her do at least one, maybe two, in the team event at the Olympics.
[17:39] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So because these programs, I love them both so much.
[17:46] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Silver one silver was won by Sophia Somana Kina of Kazakhstan.
[17:51] \[SPEAKER_04\]: This was her Grand Prix debut.
[17:54] \[SPEAKER_04\]: She was second in the short program, third in the free skate but finished second overall.
[17:59] \[SPEAKER_04\]: In her free skate she's skating to sunset Boulevard and I actually questioned to you guys why she could skate to it and then Diana and Max couldn't skate to it.
[18:10] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Because we know Diana wanted to
[18:14] \[SPEAKER_04\]: music and we know Caroline and Michael Skates who it is an exhibition program so I was kind of curious maybe why one skaters allowed to do it compared to another I'm not sure.
[18:25] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Now Sophia only has one grand pre and I think she told a golden skate that she
[18:34] \[SPEAKER_04\]: doesn't know she'll get another Grand Prix opportunity, she's hoping, but she will compete at a Challenger, either in Zagrab or Talon.
[18:44] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And as I mentioned earlier, Brons went to Luna Hendricks, her first Grand Prix event since missing last season with injury.
[18:51] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Hendricks was fourth in the short program.
[18:54] \[SPEAKER_04\]: She had five clean triples in her free skate, with second in the free skate and moved up
[18:59] \[SPEAKER_04\]: third overall, and she will compete in Finland in two weeks, so Matteo will get to see her in person.
[19:05] \[SPEAKER_04\]: A couple other people I want to mention, young you of Korea miss the podium by 0.15 points.
[19:14] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Her best finish at a Grand Prix since John Wilson trophy in 2022.
[19:19] \[SPEAKER_04\]: much improved from her ninth place at Grand Prix to France.
[19:23] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Sarah Everhardt of the U.S. was fifth, and Yuna Oki was sixth for the second week in a row.
[19:30] \[SPEAKER_04\]: She came up from ninth after the short program.
[19:32] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Now, both these women competed two weeks in a row.
[19:36] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So, well done.
[19:38] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Um, for them, I still don't know how these skaters do back to
[19:46] \[SPEAKER_04\]: for anybody else who would like to share about the women's event.
[19:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Oh my god.
[20:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I was actually reflecting because we noticed she didn't win Grand Prix the France and it's fine because the the scared of one the Grand Prix was really good but there's a maturity recovery that comes out so much compared to almost most other skaters yeah in the circles I think so I'm glad that she's scared of where she's scared of it because if she can do that at your limpic games
[20:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: you know, she extends a really strong chance to get a big, big medal.
[20:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But despite of that, she's a pleasure to watch.
[20:30] \[SPEAKER_01\]: She's got such a class, such musicality, she's very expressive, mature as I said, and she's got a fantastic skating quality here in, wow.
[20:42] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Definitely.
[20:43] \[SPEAKER_02\]: We're going to miss her.
[20:45] \[SPEAKER_02\]: That's for sure.
[20:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Can I say, as well, so you mentioned Sophia's sunset boulevard music, I love sunset boulevard.
[20:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I was actually lucky enough to see the musical in London with Nicole Schrodinger.
[20:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I'd like to find a question, an answer to your question as well, because I'd like to see more skaters getting to it.
[21:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: as a competition program, but it was very nice to see her scale to that appeal.
[21:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's on when I remember as well when Nicole Troutinger admitted a very high note that I think Sophia was just going through the eyes and she also opened her mouth hands up in the sky and she was almost lying like, ah, well I'm not going to be Nicole Troutinger but
[21:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know what I mean and that was got a beautiful moment and in terms of getting a second ground free So it's today's news that Nina Petroquina of Estonia pulled out of Finland because of injury Okay, and I just checked it seems like there are no assignments as yet So I don't know whether she might be a name going there or there's someone else before her But we'll soon find out.
[21:49] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm sure
[21:50] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah, well on your sunset boulevard definitely like how you said Sophia was kind of when the Cole, you know, saying that high note, or I could just see Diana in a in a lift position with her facial expressions and so that's why I was like, okay, if
[22:13] \[SPEAKER_04\]: If Sophia can skate to it, why can't Dan and Max skate to it?
[22:16] \[SPEAKER_04\]: What's the problem here?
[22:18] \[SPEAKER_04\]: This whole copyright and permission and the rights to all of the music is so complicated.
[22:25] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I just wish it was not.
[22:29] \[SPEAKER_04\]: as hard for skaters to skate to music you know if they want to skate to something let them skate to it and I wish we had more artists and composers on board with skaters skating to their music and not having more issues with you know skaters skating do it.
[22:50] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I know it's just, you know, there's a lot of legal and complexity issues with that, but it just would be better if I would put skate to whatever music they wanted to skate to.
[23:00] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I wish that it was a simpler process for the skaters to be able to get the approval to use the music.
[23:07] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I think that's a big part of it because I'm totally in support of creators getting proper
[23:21] \[SPEAKER_03\]: for what they create, whether it's a photographer or a musician or, um, you know, any content creator.
[23:33] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It's just difficult because things, it wasn't because what happened in 2022 has had
[23:50] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I have to wonder if that's also to blame for maybe not having as many interesting music choices as we may have had.
[24:04] \[SPEAKER_03\]: People are afraid they don't want to get sued.
[24:18] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It's made a difficult for people to be able to watch the sport they love.
[24:24] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I don't think it's helping us win, or I don't think it's helping skating win new fans.
[24:33] \[SPEAKER_03\]: When it makes it so difficult to figure out where to go and watch something.
[24:37] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So that's disappointing.
[24:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Can I bring us back to the women?
[24:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Don't just say something about Luna Hendrix, if that's okay.
[24:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You can.
[24:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I feel like she's back.
[24:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: She's strong, but I don't know whether you feel the same.
[24:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: She's still cautious, so she's not 100% letting herself go.
[24:55] \[SPEAKER_01\]: She is still quite a lot in her head, I think, and I feel like she needs to gain that confidence back, which she is guessing, to then go out there and smash it, I think.
[25:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So let's see what she will do for the rest of the season, but it's definitely quite a comeback, given that she had surgery and she was out for a while.
[25:15] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I think it was definitely going to take her time and she's probably using into things.
[25:22] \[SPEAKER_03\]: We saw her last, I think, at the qualifying event for Mulan.
[25:29] \[SPEAKER_03\]: However, yeah, the process to come back from an injury is incredibly draining for an athlete.
[25:37] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And so,
[25:38] \[SPEAKER_03\]: She's on a trajectory.
[25:40] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I think this is a good spot for her to have a metal from the Grand Prix.
[25:46] \[SPEAKER_03\]: She doesn't want to peek now.
[25:48] \[SPEAKER_03\]: She doesn't want to push too hard now.
[25:50] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So she's taking the time she needs to get into.
[25:54] \[SPEAKER_03\]: the zone that she needs to be in for Malon.
[25:58] \[SPEAKER_03\]: This season is such a, it's an anomaly.
[26:01] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It comes around every four years and things are just different in many ways, just because you don't want to peek too early.
[26:10] \[SPEAKER_03\]: You don't want to peek too late.
[26:12] \[SPEAKER_03\]: You want to make sure if you're coming back for an injury, you're putting the time in and you're not coming back too hard too fast.
[26:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, and if you remember, when we had Gabrielle Dale and then joining us on the podcast a couple of months ago, she was talking about her journey back from recovery and there are two trajectories, of course, for a recovery journey for a skater.
[26:38] \[SPEAKER_01\]: There's the physical.
[26:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: journey which is of course necessary for the body to get back to the strength that it needs and the mental journey because you go from super intense training to I cannot train to having to go back with your body not doing what it was used to do before you had surgery.
[26:55] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So there are quite a lot of elements that need to to fall back into place, but all these cadres are quite an example because they're always showing you can do it.
[27:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: There are so many skaters that had surgery, that where it has been luna and drakes, matyrites, so I think Lucas, you know, quite a lot of them came back from surgery and they're there.
[27:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Some of them are meddling, it's great.
[27:20] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Now, she didn't compete after the qualifier, right?
[27:23] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I don't believe so.
[27:24] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Okay, I was, you know, um, just because the qualifier was back in September, and so I always kind of wonder, um, you know, like I said, I don't know how skaters can do back-to-back grand prix, because that's a lot to do.
[27:40] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Have two big events back to back.
[27:43] \[SPEAKER_04\]: but on the flip side if you have one big event and then you come down you don't compete for a couple weeks to like a month and you kind of come down a little bit and then you have to putt pick yourself back up.
[27:59] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I don't know if that's any better.
[28:02] \[SPEAKER_04\]: or what and and I'm not a you know I'm not a competitive skater like these skaters are and so I don't know what works best for skaters and what doesn't work but I was just kind of interesting she did really well at the qualifier she came out in what I thought was a pretty strong performance yet maybe a little um
[28:23] \[SPEAKER_04\]: timid or just kind of cautious, but then she didn't skate until now here at NHK.
[28:34] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And so how does that sort of work?
[28:36] \[SPEAKER_04\]: You know, do you you've come up your field pretty strong and then you kind of take this break and then you come back up again?
[28:44] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I don't know.
[28:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's probably quite individualized as well, isn't it?
[28:48] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah, yeah, but that's just my thought.
[28:50] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I always look at that when I look at some of these schedules that the skaters do, you know, some are competing.
[28:58] \[SPEAKER_04\]: That one after another after another and events.
[29:01] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And then there's some that are taking these kind of like a month break between events.
[29:06] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I don't know which, you know, is better.
[29:09] \[SPEAKER_04\]: But I got this all by preference.
[29:12] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah.
[29:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And coming back is something that I was thinking when I saw Yon Kiw at this event because she she's had a couple of years that I've been a bit up and down isn't it?
[29:21] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I felt like at this event she was third after the show program then she pulled out and she went in fourth place.
[29:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I felt like she really enjoyed it and I really, I was really glad to see her very happy on the kiss and cry of what she achieved.
[29:35] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So, yes, you know, every skater is going through
[29:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's good to see them being satisfied with whatever result they get, whether the medal or not.
[29:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Right shall we dive into the pairs now?
[29:49] \[SPEAKER_01\]: What do you think?
[29:50] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yes, yes.
[29:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Let's do it.
[29:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The gold medal went to Sarah Continental on Machi.
[29:55] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They came from second place in the short program to win the gold medal.
[29:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Their second ISU Grand Prix title.
[30:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The only mistake was in the free skate was that Sarah Conti fell on the throw triple loop.
[30:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They have now qualified for their fourth ISU Grand Prix final and they will head home to Italy first after being in Asia for three weeks because they were a cup of China before.
[30:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Silver went to Maria Pavlovla and Alexi's Vietchenko.
[30:19] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They came from third place in the short program to win the silver.
[30:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: There were only 1.3 points out of third first.
[30:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Pavlovans Vietchenko now have 24 points from the silver and bronze medals in their two grand pre-bent, but have to wait and see if that gets them into the final.
[30:35] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The bronze went to Zuyen Han, which struck from first place after the short program to finish a third.
[30:42] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They had issues with their leafs in the free skate, and with the two bronze medal and 22 points, it's probably unlikely that we're qualified to the Grand Prix final, but we'll see.
[30:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: We have another two events and anything could happen.
[30:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And can I say, actually, Suihan, firstly, you know, there's still have a lot of really good things there, but there's something that is not quite there, yes.
[31:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I agree with what Mark was saying during his commentary, which is, the energy level doesn't seem to be back.
[31:13] \[SPEAKER_01\]: at the level of the other teams of their in the field and it kind of shows because particularly in the free program I felt like the energy was going up and down very often in different parts of the program so I'm very curious to see what's going to happen there if they don't qualify for the ground pre-final then the next event they're probably going to be
[31:35] \[SPEAKER_01\]: in China, suppose, and then we'll see them at your Olympics, I'd say.
[31:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[31:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: If they qualify, so it's quite a gap with presumably no ordering to national events unless they are down to take part in events, they'll find out soon.
[31:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[31:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I think the short, they can definitely go out and skate the short.
[31:59] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The stamina is in as big a deal, but when you go into the free skate, it's longer.
[32:04] \[SPEAKER_03\]: There are more elements.
[32:06] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The stamina really comes into play and they're not there yet.
[32:10] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah.
[32:11] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And we only have a couple of months before the Olympics.
[32:16] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So we'll have to wait and see if they are able to get that back.
[32:29] \[SPEAKER_03\]: in their careers that, but I just don't know that they're going to contend with those top teams going into Milan.
[32:39] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Like I, I'm just not sure that they're going to, I don't part of me doesn't think they're going to be able to to do it.
[32:48] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I know they're incredibly determined and Sui looks to me out of both of them.
[32:55] \[SPEAKER_03\]: She looks to be in
[32:57] \[SPEAKER_03\]: great shape.
[32:59] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I just don't know if he's going to be able to hold up under all of this because it's a huge, the toilet takes on your body is just incredible and to be able to go into Milan of the reigning Olympic champions.
[33:19] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I'm not sure what their goals are, but I would think they
[33:27] \[SPEAKER_04\]: especially with the lifts.
[33:30] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Um, because if we remember a couple of China, though they got credit for their lifts, they were doing lifts that were not what they, you know, they were doing press lift when it was supposed to be a law so, um, and here they were having issues with the lifts again.
[33:47] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So I'm kind of wondering if that is going to continue to be an issue for them
[33:59] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Repeating is Olympic champions and being competitive against the top teams right now.
[34:07] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Short program.
[34:08] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah, they have the stamina for that, but free skate is especially when there are more lifts in the free skate than there is in the short program.
[34:18] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I don't know and you're right.
[34:20] \[SPEAKER_04\]: It's, you know, we looks she looks ready, but I don't know about Han.
[34:25] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Han has had so many injuries over the years that
[34:29] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, I'm just not sure.
[34:31] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I'm not sure what their goals are at, you know, for this season or for the Olympics, I'm not sure.
[34:37] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I'm not sure what the hope is.
[34:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: particularly as you said, if you look at other teams and one of them was here, it is event Sara Conti and Nicola Machin.
[34:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Oh my gosh, they're in great shape, they're solid-ed, storytelling on the ice is phenomenal.
[34:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think Sara actually has a lot of fanscating now.
[34:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You can see that when she's out there on the ice and even Nicola, they're there.
[35:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Whoa, they bring everything in.
[35:02] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They know that your Olympics are in Milan and the one to you.
[35:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: to ain't big there and the energy level is there when the finished program they are they're probably emotionally exhausted potentially but physically you know they just stand out the guy out there and they're like okay look at us we did it we are ready for the next competition it's it's quite a joy to watch but the contrast between them
[35:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Angeline big champions are, it's quite big now, in fact, you know, it was quite sweet if you remember in China.
[35:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's almost like the Targets felt like the head to apologize to you to the Olympic champions because they were on top of them in the result, but that's the situation currently, you know.
[35:44] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I wonder how they're training what being away from their, you know, regular training rank for what three weeks.
[35:53] \[SPEAKER_04\]: They were in Asia for three weeks.
[35:55] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I mean, it looked like it went well given that they took home the golden Japan, but I always didn't curious when the skaters are away from their home base for an extended amount of time.
[36:06] \[SPEAKER_04\]: How training really goes for them.
[36:10] \[SPEAKER_04\]: seem to work well for Conti Machi, you know, um, now they'll head home.
[36:16] \[SPEAKER_04\]: for a few weeks, and then they go back to Japan for the final.
[36:20] \[SPEAKER_04\]: So they've been doing a lot of this Italy Asia thing, but yeah, that's always a thing I always have wondered when these skaters spend a lot of time in a different country and train in a different country away from their home training, how it goes for them and Perceran, Nickelodeon.
[36:40] \[SPEAKER_04\]: It went really well, spending time in Asia these past three weeks.
[36:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Can I say as well, Pavlov and Vietchenko, they are a team.
[36:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: That is growing a lot and fast.
[36:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And they are a threat.
[36:54] \[SPEAKER_01\]: A thing from their source of, you know, expressing themselves storytelling side, they're not there as yet as other teams in the field, but keep an eye on them because they are there.
[37:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They're not there to you, to just be there and float around there to thrash the top levels and there's no, but surely get in there.
[37:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it will be interesting to keep an eye on them
[37:20] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah, especially if they make it to the final.
[37:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[37:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Namely, a quick note about Camille Covalve.
[37:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I don't know whether you've served you in the short program.
[37:29] \[SPEAKER_01\]: She had a fall on the ice and looks like she dislocated her right shoulder.
[37:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So, very sorry to have seen that and wishing her a speedy recovery.
[37:37] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So, yeah, best of luck to the two of them.
[37:41] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So, moving into dance.
[37:45] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Fearing Gibson, gold medalists, second NHK gold for them.
[37:50] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The first was in 2023.
[37:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So they returned to the top of the podium here.
[37:55] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They've qualified for the Grand Prix final.
[37:57] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They got a silver medal at Grand Prix to France, so they've qualified for the final.
[38:03] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Silver at this event went to Charlene Grignad, a Macho Fabri of Italy.
[38:08] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Fortunately,
[38:11] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Marco had some issue with the twizzles in the rhythm dance, and that put them behind.
[38:19] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Also, Charlotte had a collision with the Japanese team, Utanigashida and Masai Marita.
[38:27] \[SPEAKER_03\]: During the practice the day before, that rhythm dance, and she got bruised.
[38:31] \[SPEAKER_03\]: She wasn't paying, but she still managed to skate the way that she did, which was enough
[38:39] \[SPEAKER_03\]: to keep them in second place.
[38:41] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Despite that, the scores here were higher than they were in France and they've been putting in a lot of work with regard to the feedback that they received there.
[38:51] \[SPEAKER_03\]: There's still an outside chance they might make the final.
[38:55] \[SPEAKER_03\]: We're going to kind of have to wait and see how other teams do.
[38:59] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Dance is an unpredictable discipline and you just never know how it's going to be.
[39:05] \[SPEAKER_03\]: bronze medal went to Carolina Green and Michael Parsons of the US.
[39:10] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They were very happy with their result here.
[39:13] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They were disappointed to have to withdraw from cup of China.
[39:18] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And so they've just been working towards coming to NHK as prepared as they could be.
[39:25] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Battle for the US Olympic spot is going to be so wild.
[39:29] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And it's, I mean,
[39:32] \[SPEAKER_03\]: chalking baits, I think, they're the team that we know will be part of the team.
[39:39] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The other two spots every day I go over to my head and think, oh, it could be different than what I think, I guess we'll have to wait and see.
[39:48] \[SPEAKER_03\]: This was an impressive result for a category of Wolf Coston Dmitry Serveski.
[39:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: This is their first senior Grand Prix.
[39:56] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They were fourth in the Freedance,
[40:02] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And then I have to mention two other things.
[40:06] \[SPEAKER_03\]: First, I love the free dance.
[40:09] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I love both programs that we get from Arahara, in Perina, in the Finland.
[40:13] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They are always such a joy to watch because they look like they're having so much fun and there is joy that just radiate from them.
[40:20] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So you just definitely feel that.
[40:23] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And then I wanted to talk a little bit about this big return that we had at NHK Trophy.
[40:29] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Maya and Alex Shiputani have been out of competition for seven seasons.
[40:33] \[SPEAKER_03\]: This was their return.
[40:34] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And there's more work that's needed.
[40:37] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The sport has definitely changed in 70 years.
[40:40] \[SPEAKER_03\]: There's their elements that are expected.
[40:43] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I could see definitely the skating quality is still there.
[40:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They weren't really up to the level of some of the other teams.
[40:57] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I think a lot of that is because the technical expectations have shifted in dance since they last competed.
[41:08] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So it's just different.
[41:11] \[SPEAKER_03\]: There's more work needed there and I'm not sure there's enough time for them to get to the competitive place they might want to be.
[41:20] \[SPEAKER_03\]: time for US championships.
[41:25] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I mean we'll see, they've got another Grand Prix, they're going to Finland, we'll see how they do there.
[41:30] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But it seems like you're right, there's quite a lot of work needed, isn't it?
[41:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They also think shows on a kitchen crowded, they were, I don't know, was that a reality check?
[41:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Can we call it like that for them?
[41:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Or do you think that they were aware that it would have not scored?
[41:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: as high as day folk.
[41:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I don't know.
[41:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I was quite confused by their patron expression on the occasion.
[41:54] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, me too.
[41:55] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I think it was definitely a shock to the system for them.
[41:58] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They're not used.
[42:01] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I mean, one, they're not used to competing.
[42:04] \[SPEAKER_03\]: they haven't competed.
[42:05] \[SPEAKER_03\]: They're not really used to performing because they haven't done a lot of shows either over the last couple of years.
[42:12] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So this was like a huge performance opportunity for them.
[42:15] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And the fans were so excited to see them and you could feel that.
[42:21] \[SPEAKER_03\]: You could feel the love coming from the audience.
[42:25] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I think it definitely helped them get through the performance.
[42:30] \[SPEAKER_03\]: But again,
[42:34] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I'm not sure what their expectations are or what their goals are for the Olympics or making it to the Olympics, they may have thought they were in a better competitive place than they actually are.
[42:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: that can be very hard to stomach.
[42:57] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Yeah.
[42:58] \[SPEAKER_04\]: You know, they were very emotional, especially Maya in the free dance.
[43:04] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I know that may have just been given everything she has gone through.
[43:10] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Maybe she never thought she would be back on competitive ice again in, you know, in the emotions, just hit her.
[43:18] \[SPEAKER_04\]: But also,
[43:19] \[SPEAKER_04\]: When I was watching their reaction in the kiss and cry after the free dance, I couldn't really tell if this too was
[43:30] \[SPEAKER_04\]: you know, emotions for how they skated in the sense that maybe, like, okay, we went out there.
[43:39] \[SPEAKER_04\]: We did it.
[43:40] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And maybe this is this is it.
[43:42] \[SPEAKER_04\]: This is enough for us.
[43:44] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Because it kind of, the look that Maya gave Alex was what was puzzling to me because it kind of like,
[43:53] \[SPEAKER_04\]: It was like a fulfillment look.
[43:55] \[SPEAKER_04\]: Like, okay, we did it.
[43:57] \[SPEAKER_04\]: We went out there.
[43:58] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And I kind of wonder then if, okay, this is it, they just wanted to go out there and see what they could do.
[44:05] \[SPEAKER_04\]: And maybe now we're not going to see them.
[44:08] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I don't know.
[44:09] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I mean, we can't read body language and figure out exactly what they meant by their facial expressions and a kissing cry.
[44:18] \[SPEAKER_04\]: But that was one of
[44:20] \[SPEAKER_04\]: When I was watching that, I was like, oh, okay, is that your way of saying, well, maybe this is it, maybe this, this is our, our curtain call were done.
[44:33] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, um, there are some interesting comments that were part of this AP article that I read on ESPN.com.
[44:42] \[SPEAKER_03\]: where Alex said, we're disappointed with the scores for sure.
[44:44] \[SPEAKER_03\]: We've been in this sport for a long time.
[44:46] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So we'll have to look at the protocols.
[44:48] \[SPEAKER_03\]: But we know what we did and what we came here to do.
[44:51] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And I don't disagree that they've been in the sport for a long time.
[44:55] \[SPEAKER_03\]: But they haven't been in the sport in the competitive realm for seven years.
[45:04] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And they really haven't
[45:08] \[SPEAKER_03\]: they've written some books.
[45:09] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I know that they've been very busy outside of the competitive realm outside of the performing realm really.
[45:16] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So I don't know how closely they were following all the technical changes in the expectations while they were outside of that.
[45:27] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And again, I mean, they've had a lot of pressure.
[45:31] \[SPEAKER_03\]: The video that came out that people saw and
[45:37] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Maya also had a comment where she said our timing in our return is separate from what the timeline of the sport is.
[45:45] \[SPEAKER_03\]: It's truly about where we thought we were at in our lives, our ability to show up as athletes and people.
[45:52] \[SPEAKER_03\]: That's what inspired our return.
[45:57] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And so they will be back at Finlandia trophy and you know Maya has been through a lot.
[46:03] \[SPEAKER_03\]: She
[46:06] \[SPEAKER_03\]: a few weeks ago, also was damaging for them, because they've always been incredibly contained and presented themselves a certain way, and this was a huge deviation from that.
[46:27] \[SPEAKER_03\]: And Alex came out and said that he feels terrible about what happened, and that he lost his
[46:36] \[SPEAKER_03\]: you know there's a lot i think there's a lot of pressure that's on them and i am not by any means apologizing for the behavior i'm just sharing that the pressure being an athlete at this level with the stakes what they are it just leads me to believe there are higher stakes or higher things at stake for them that we are not aware of.
[47:03] \[SPEAKER_03\]: or not, I'm not sure.
[47:05] \[SPEAKER_03\]: No one really knows what was going through his head.
[47:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I was also thinking about Masimo Scalion, the case in cry with them.
[47:13] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Did you see how emotionally it was after the freedom?
[47:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And you got in my big, you know, genuine, you know, emotions for diversity and the fact that they're all together, or in my beat that I've even more than what
[47:31] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, it was a moving research, but one that left us all with a lot of questions, I think.
[47:39] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Yeah, and you know what, I think it may have left them with some questions as well.
[47:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yes.
[47:44] \[SPEAKER_03\]: So I think we have, we have discussed NHK trophy.
[47:50] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Next week we will be talking about Skate America.
[47:53] \[SPEAKER_03\]: I hope to bring back lots of tidbits of information.
[47:57] \[SPEAKER_03\]: While I'm there, I'm excited to go and get to see some of my friends.
[48:01] \[SPEAKER_03\]: Not everyone is going, even if Gina is coming.
[48:04] \[SPEAKER_03\]: There are some of our friends that are usually there that are not because like placid is a very, um,
[48:11] \[SPEAKER_03\]: For those of us in New England, it's very easy to get to, mostly, but for anyone traveling from out of state or out of the area, it can be challenging to get to, and so yeah, I'm not going to see everyone, but I'm looking forward to those that I will get to see next week.
[48:29] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And we look forward to hearing your stories from there.
[48:32] \[UNKNOWN\]: Yeah.
[48:33] \[SPEAKER_04\]: No, I may be there.
[48:34] \[SPEAKER_04\]: I don't know.
[48:36] \[SPEAKER_04\]: You'll find out next week.
[48:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Thanks for tuning in to another episode of This Week in Skating.
[48:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Remember, you can keep up with us throughout the week by visiting our website at www.thisweekinscating.com.
[48:48] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Connect with us on social media for additional updates.
[48:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can find us on Twitter at This Week in Skating without the ease.
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[48:58] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You got a burning question or feedback for Gina Daphne or Mateo?
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[49:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Until next time, have a nice week.

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