Shows
Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJunior Worlds 2022: DanceWe wrap up Junior Worlds with our favourite discipline and a really fun event - the junior dance! We discuss the many pattern dance interruptions that were assessed by this tech panel, how to balance skating with full speed and energy with not making major mistakes, and the nice balance we have of countries with lots of talent competing with each other, plus newer countries having teams that are competitive with the best junior teams. Plus, we take some time to discuss the newly released rules and requirements for dance next season, and announce an upcoming hiatus for the podcast.2022-04-211h 19Flutzes and Waxels PodcastWorld Team Trophy 2021: Dance And MenThe men and dance teams at world Team Trophy didn't perform quite as well for the most part as they did at Worlds, but we find tons to discuss, including speculation on who might skate a disco rhythm dance next season, who might be in the fight for Canada's Olympic spots, and which French skaters are delivering the weird programs we always hope for from team France. Plus, since this is the last competition of the season, we talk a bit about what we'll be doing on the podcast this off season!2021-04-191h 29Flutzes and Waxels Podcast2020 Peggy Fleming TrophyThere was finally some real skating this week, so we're back to discuss the ins and outs of the 2020 Peggy Fleming Trophy, which was done virtually. We discuss scoring confusions and the programs we most enjoyed, plus a discussion of whether virtual competitions would work for regular season events, and what the ISU seems to be considering for the rest of the season going forward (and why we're quite concerned about it).This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-07-191h 28Flutzes and Waxels PodcastISU Skating Awards RecapTo follow last week's Waxies, this week we're taking a look at the online iteration of the official ISU Awards! We discuss the form it was intended to take and the form it ended up being, our most and least favourite categories included, and ponder just what the future of these awards might be.This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-07-131h 21Flutzes and Waxels PodcastThe First Annual Waxie Awards! With Guest PatrickThis year, we're trying out something a little different, we're here with the first annual Waxie Awards, which recognizes all the things that don't matter at all in this season in figure skating!We brought back our internet friend and yours, Patrick! Who you may know as @team_pdd on twitter. A huge thank you to Patrick for joining us and helping us have a little fun on the show this week.We hope you'll laugh along with us as we nominate our favourite skaters, teams, and moments for silly awards. Join in on the fun by voting on our...2020-07-041h 03Flutzes and Waxels Podcast2019 Rostelecom RD Rewatch CommentaryThis week, we're trying something different! We're recorded a full-length audio commentary track for the 2019 Rostelecom Rhythm Dance, where we discuss technical elements, little nitpicks to look out for, and how we assess skating quality - but this time accompanied by video! We hope that you watch along while you listen to us, and that we can help you learn a little something about how to be a better ice dance viewer. This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxelsLinks:ISU Official Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnVICTx0UmsRussian...2020-06-221h 39Flutzes and Waxels Podcast2019/20 Season's Best List: Senior DanceThis week, we're back with our final list recapping the season: Senior Ice Dance! This was our most agreed upon list of the season, and we discuss how our favourite programs are assisted by strong music editing, the programs that gave us something we didn't even know we needed, and which teams might want to think about keeping their strongest programs for next season (or however much we get of it).This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-05-2557 minFlutzes and Waxels Podcast2019/20 Season's Best List: Junior DanceOur last discipline to cover in our lists of our favourite programs is ice dance, but this year we couldn't restrict ourselves to just one list! We begin with our favourite Junior programs of the season, and discuss under-rewarded choreographic elements, why we love seeing more goth/emo programs in dance, and why it's okay (and important!) for Junior skaters to skate like the young exuberant people that they are. This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-05-1158 minFlutzes and Waxels Podcast2019/20 Season's Best List: PairsOur lists of the best pairs programs of the season continue to surprise us! We discuss the continuing dominance of the Russian pairs, why clean skates can be more important to your enjoyment of a pairs program than in other disciplines, and wonder what the future might hold for pairs skating, and whether some of the young teams on our list can keep the sport moving forward.This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-04-2658 minFlutzes and Waxels Podcast2019/20 Season's Best List: MenWe continue wrapping up our best programs of the season with the men, and again have very different lists! We discuss the programs that made us see skaters in a new light, why covers of pop songs can be risky to skate to, reiterate the value of field moves, and conclude with the least surprising number one program imaginable (but come on, it obviously deserves it). This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-04-111h 04Flutzes and Waxels Podcast2019/20 Season's Best List: LadiesWith the cancellation of the World Championships the skating season is abruptly over. But on the plus side, that means it's time for our season's best lists! We begin with our picks for the best ladies programs of the season, and discuss how much we've missed spirals, joyous junior skaters, and our childhood inspirational figures (who were ice dancers, of course).This episode is brought to you by InSkate! Check them out at https://inskate.co/flutzes_and_waxels2020-03-291h 02Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJunior Worlds 2020: Ice DanceJunior dance has been what we've looked forward to all season, and the competition at Junior Worlds did not disappoint. We discuss our feelings about the podium, and why we might have preferred it to be closer in points, why we personally prefer precision over speed in dance (even if international judges might not seem to agree), and dive into the continuing battle for dominance among Canadian junior dancers, and whether Canada will have enough JGP spots next season.2020-03-091h 15Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJunior Worlds 2020: LadiesThe junior ladies field is often a bloodbath, and we recap the strong skaters fighting for the podium, and the fight to even make it to the free skate. The top few skates were so solid that we spent a lot of time discussing the relative merits of choreography, plus we discuss why it's a bad idea to put tons of media pressure on a 13 year old and whether the Japanese ladies can come back from a bit of a slump year like the men just did.2020-03-0953 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastJunior Worlds 2020: PairsThis was a bit of a rough competition for the junior pairs, including the usually solid Russian teams. We discuss an immensely costly spin mistake, whether it's a good idea for teams to train a backup plan for side-by-side jump issues, and some young teams with potential who are still working on incorporating the harder pairs elements.2020-03-0952 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastJunior Worlds 2020: MenWe're back to recap the Junior World Championships, and we begin with the men, who have a history of being inconsistent, particularly at Worlds. We discuss an uncomfortable throwback to last year's Junior Worlds, our slight annoyance that even our winner wasn't fully clean, and speculate on what next season might look like for the top finishers here.2020-03-0859 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastFour Continents 2020: MenWe wrap up Four Continents with the men's event which saw a number of strong skates. We discus the risk/reward of repeating programs, some skaters who had a great competition that we won't see at Worlds who wrapped up their season in a strong way, and our continued wait for the official Canadian World's assignments to be released.2020-02-1058 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastFour Continents 2020: PairsThe pairs field was small again this year at Four Continents, but there was a lot of excitement. We discuss the late withdrawals, a surprising number of unintentional double throws, the constant flux of the US pairs field, and go off on a tangent about whether base values should be modified to encourage skaters to try quad throws again.2020-02-1046 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastFour Continents 2020: Ice DanceDance standings continued to be a bit unpredictable at Four Continents, and we discuss the continued importance of base value at the top and our excitement for the development of dance in the three continents outside of North America, plus some tangents on the importance of an arena that has had proper audio outfitting for figure skating and whether the base and GOE values for choreographic elements should be changed.2020-02-1053 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastFour Continents 2020: LadiesThe top women brought out the big tricks at Four Continents, and we discuss the excitement of a warmup filled with triple Axel and quad attempts, how this competition seems to be one where skaters will try out new things feeling they have nothing to lose in doing so, and the continuing question of who'll get the two Canadian women's spots at Worlds.2020-02-0957 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastEuropeans 2020: PairsWe wrap up our Europeans recaps with the pairs, in which we discuss our frustration with Tarasova and Morozov's continuing struggles, whether Boikova and Kozlovskii can take the gold at Worlds, how exciting it is to see a team skate well in their home country, and our always increasing admiration for Zoe Jones.2020-02-0233 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastEuropeans 2020: LadiesThe ladies event at Europeans saw great comeback skates and some mistakes from the top three, and we discuss the many skaters coming here straight from the Youth Olympics, how hard it is to keep switching between Junior and Senior programs, and why switching layouts and tech content is rarely successful for most skaters and should probably be avoided.2020-02-0236 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastEuropeans 2020: MenThe men continue to be inconsistent at Europeans, and we discuss more boot problems, the race between the top two Italian skaters here, why throwing in lots of quads (especially at the last minute) is often a big mistake, and why Kevin Aymoz might have cracked under the pressure to fail to qualify for the free skate.2020-02-0255 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastEuropeans 2020: Ice DanceThe dance event at Europeans was a wild one, and we try to explain for all those who have been asking just what happened during Papadakis and Cizeron's skate and why they wound up coming second to Sinitsina and Katsalapov. Plus we discuss the rest of the field including some exciting up-and-coming junior teams and the very close results of the Spanish dance battle.2020-01-3052 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastUS Nationals 2020: PairsWe wrap up our US Nationals recaps with the pairs, where we saw a lot of strong skates. We discuss the difficult decision of who to send to Worlds, why unexpectedly winning as a fairly new team might not be the best thing for you, and why intentional pops can be a good strategy if your side-by-side jumps are too inconsistent.2020-01-3040 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastUS Nationals 2020: LadiesThe ladies at US Nationals had almost as strong an event as the men did, and we discuss why your favourite skate of the night doesn't need to be the winning one, the interesting choice still to be made about which skaters will get Junior Worlds spots, and the many skaters who made us get emotional with their skates here.2020-01-2848 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastUS Nationals 2020: DanceWe continue our recaps with the US Nationals Dance event, which was a rather messy one. We discuss the many many slip ups at this event, including two major Finnstep keypoint issues for the top two teams, the dangers of getting a new program just for Nationals, intentional choreographic falls, and the subjectivity of judging and calling choreographic elements.2020-01-2747 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastUS Nationals 2020: MenIt was a busy week of skating between US Nationals and Europeans, but the US men skated so well we decided to start or weekend recaps with them! We discuss how impressive it is that Nathan Chen on an off day is still unbeatable, enthuse about the many great artistic skaters throughout this event who we enjoyed whether their jumps went well or not, and debate who the world team should be (not knowing that it was announced as we were recording).2020-01-2752 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastYouth Olympics 2020: Ladies And DanceAfter a break to attend Canadian Nationals, we return to the Youth Olympics to cover the events we didn't have time to last week. We discuss a number of up-and-coming ladies we're curious to see at Europeans, why speed and power are so important in junior ice dance, and our immense frustration over frequent falls by talented teams. Plus, we briefly discuss the team event, particularly as it pertains to the dance field, and imagine new team events for the senior skaters.2020-01-2358 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCanadian Nationals 2020: Novices And JuniorsFinally, to wrap up our coverage of Canadian Nationals we discuss a little bit of everything that happened this week in the Novice and Junior events. We discuss our pattern dance nostalgia, confusion and frustration over Junior Worlds spots, the most successful double dippers competing in more than one event, and how we can better handle bad warm up injuries in the future to try to prevent skaters from competing with undiagnosed injuries.2020-01-231h 09Flutzes and Waxels PodcastCanadian Nationals 2020: MenWe wrap up our recap of the senior events at Canadian nationals with the men, an event with results almost as unexpected as the ladies. We discuss the amount of attention paid to Nam and Keegan's bromance, the great audio mixing of Roman's free skate for arena speakers, and some really enjoyable skates that didn't make it into the top five.2020-01-2145 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCanadian Nationals 2020: PairsThe pairs event was a dramatic one in all the best ways, and we discuss last minute ice patches and warmup antics, a perfect example of how twist quality can set up a program for success or failure, and why we're so excited that Walsh and Michaud made Skate Canada hold off on assigning a second team to Worlds.2020-01-2042 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCandian Nationals 2020: LadiesThe ladies event at Canadian Nationals was quite a shocker! We had some amazing skates, some disappointments, and some sweet moments. We talk the good, the bad, and the discourse.2020-01-1949 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCanadian Nationals 2020: DanceWe're back home from the 2020 Canadian Nationals, and we're ready to break it all down!We started with our favourite, the dance, featuring Gilles and Poirier, Lajoie and Lagha, and Soucisse and Firus. We talk hair malfunctions, fluke falls, and wanting it too bad.2020-01-1940 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastYouth Olympics 2020: Men And PairsWe're still in the midst of competition for the Youth Olympics, but we're here to discuss the two events that have completed - the pairs and men. We discuss our relief over Panfilova and Rylov's win, some frustrating commentary in the men's event, the danger of padded boards, the rise of team Georgia, and our excitement for the future of the many youngsters competing here.2020-01-131h 03Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJapanese Nationals 2019: Men And DanceIn the second half of our Japanese Nationals recap, we have a lot to say about the current state of Japanese ice dance, plus we discuss our relief over Shoma Uno's renewed confidence, our excitement for the junior skaters here who were really pushing the top seniors, and why what Daisuke Takahashi is doing in his skating comeback is so important to give everyone in skating some perspective on what a lengthy skating career can look like if you still want to keep skating into your thirties.2020-01-021h 11Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJapanese Nationals 2019: Ladies And PairsThis week we're going back in time to cover a competition we missed recapping over the holidays - Japanese Nationals! We begin with a discussion of the one and only current Japanese pair team, followed by the ladies, where we discuss the merits of tough Nationals scoring, the struggles of two former national champions, and the fantastic rise of two skaters to the podium who've struggled a bit with their consistency lately.2020-01-0256 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRussian Nationals 2019: PairsIt's been a while since we've seen as strong a pairs field as this, and we take the time to discuss every single one of the amazing skates from the pairs at Russian Nationals! We discuss the impossible choice of who to send to Junior Worlds, why the Russian pairs standard and the international pairs standard are not the same at all, and fantasize about a competition where the best Russian pairs can all compete against the best of the rest of the world.2019-12-3058 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRussian Nationals 2019: MenThe men had a rough time of it at Russian Nationals, and we discuss the struggles everyone had putting two clean skates together, our concerns over the pressure put on a lot of the juniors skating senior, whether attempting quads is even worth it for some of these skaters, and whether the final standings came out the way they should have.2019-12-3048 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRussian Nationals 2019: Ice DanceWe continue our discussion of Russian Nationals with the ice dance, which was a mixed event. We discuss wobbly twizzles and being on the wrong side of uncontrolled speed, lament the lack of weird programs from the Russian teams this season, and laugh over awkward music choices that maybe should have been put through a translator and/or music editor.2019-12-3051 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRussian Nationals 2019: LadiesWe're back from our holidays to discuss the 2019 Russian Nationals, starting with one of the perennial highlights, the ladies! We discuss the continued fight for dominance between the top three finishers and what balance of triple Axels and quads might be needed for each of the three to win Worlds, plus we get excited over some young skaters who finished down the results list, lament the lack of a number of great skaters from years previous, and try to figure out what, if anything, can be done about broken boots at a competition.2019-12-291h 04Flutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final 2019: Junior LadiesThe junior ladies have long been a highlight at the Final, and this year's crop were no exception. We discuss how to project confidence to help your GOEs, why you can still win in juniors or seniors without a quad or triple axel, and why criticizing young girls for not having it all at 13 or 14 is so frustrating and counter-productive for long and healthy skating careers.2019-12-1247 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final 2019: Junior MenThe junior men at the Final had a very good JGP season, but saw some struggles in this last event. We discuss strategies for breaking in new boots, the best Kiss and Cry reactions of the event, and why getting a time deduction to make sure you get a level 4 on your last spin might be risky for your point total, but gets you total respect from us.2019-12-1241 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final 2019: Junior Ice DanceWe've been excited about junior dance all season long, and the Final was a chance to see where the best all stack up against each other! We discuss the best Bonnie and Clyde programs of the season, how important good camera angles are to ice dance, and which teams are ready to make the push to the senior level and which could still use another junior season.2019-12-1246 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final 2019: Junior PairsJunior pairs have long been dominated by great Russian teams, and this year's Final was no exception. We recap the slightly disappointing skates by the incoming favourites, a team with more difficult side-by-side jumps than the senior teams, and try to parse out just which teams will make it to Junior Worlds between all the amazing teams we saw here.2019-12-1038 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final 2019: LadiesThe ladies at the Final displayed an unprecedented level of technical difficulty, and we discuss why this change should be more shocking than it is, the short preparation time most of the skaters have to get ready for their national championships, and whether Trusova in particular can continue and even build on the level of technical difficulty she's currently attempting.2019-12-1048 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final: PairsThe pairs at the Grand Prix Final were a bit of a letdown, but between flukey skates, weird falls, and the mostly good short programs, there's lots to discuss. Plus, Sui and Han finally get their first Grand Prix title!2019-12-0834 minFlutzes and Waxels Podcast2019 Grand Prix Final: MenThe men's event was more than a little contentious, but we break down the scores, the skates, and some of the fan reaction, but focus even more on the things we enjoyed most, including Grand Prix Final Bronze Medalist Kevin Aymoz!2019-12-0845 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix Final 2019: Ice DanceThe Grand Prix Final has already come and gone, and the season is already half-over. The Grand Prix final in Torino had nothing on the chaos of the 2006 Original Dance, but there was chaos nonetheless. We talk judging discrepancies, technical falls, and the perils of skating in the first flight.2019-12-0847 minFlutzes and Waxels Podcast2019 Grand Prix Final PreviewSince there's a week off between the last Grand Prix event and the Grand Prix Final, we've decided to do a bit of a preview of all the exciting stuff coming to you next week. We discuss all competitors going, junior and senior, and try to predict who is most likely to podium, what the juniors have been doing to prepare in their time off, and just how many quads we're going to see next week - in both junior and senior, and in both men and ladies2019-12-0151 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastNHK 2019: PairsWe saw a lot of great skating from the pairs at NHK, and we discuss our awe over a brand new team we hope can change the course of Japanese pairs skating, just how easily you can lose levels in a death spiral, and what a rare skill it is to be able to do good side-by-side spins.2019-11-2847 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastNHK 2019: LadiesThe ladies event at NHK confirmed the last entries to the GP Final, and we discuss who might amp up the tech content at the Final, why changing your program might hurt more than help if you're having trouble doing the jumps within it, and how excited we are to see Mako Yamashita's return to form after a troubled year.2019-11-2859 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastNHK 2019: Ice DanceThe dancers ended this Grand Prix season pretty strongly with NHK, and we discuss whether a perfect score will happen in ice dance this season, the pros and cons of debuting a new Rhythm Dance in the middle of the season, and how hard it is to continue skating when your hair is in your face or your costume does something to throw you off balance.2019-11-2554 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastNHK 2019: MenThe final GP men's event of the season was a wild one, a roller coaster of emotions with GP Final dreams made and crushed. We discuss the guys who fought hard (with varying degrees of success) for a chance to make it to the Final, our excitement for the surprise bronze medalist of the event, and our dismay over Jason Brown's continuing jump struggles.2019-11-241h 08Flutzes and Waxels PodcastRostelecom 2019: MenThe men's event at Rostelecom was kind of a crazy one. We discuss why some of these skaters need to go home and really practice their jump math, why Shoma Uno was very lucky not to get his last hail Mary jumping pass in the free skate invalidated, and wonder just what chaos could be in store for the men next week at NHK.2019-11-1858 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRostelecom 2019: LadiesThere were some great skates from the ladies at Rostelecom as well as some disappointments, and we discuss our relief that Medvedeva was able to have a strong Grand Prix event after her struggles last year, how Trusova has been able to successfully fight for her jumps after a mistake in a program, and why getting angry about a mistake is much better for you than just getting disappointed.2019-11-1857 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRostelecom 2019: Ice DanceThere were some strong free dances and a lot of rough rhythm dances at Rostelecom, and we get frustrated over Finnstep interruptions and twizzle connections, are relieved and optimistic about Gilles and Poirier avoiding major mistakes so far this season, and are very intrigued by the battles for the Spanish ice dance gold and the Russian ice dance bronze coming up this year.2019-11-1755 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastRostelecom 2019: PairsThe penultimate Grand Prix event of the season was a pretty strong one across all disciplines, but we begin with the pairs, a very exciting field with a few surprises thrown in. We discuss the overall state of Russian pairs and speculate as to what might happen for a number of teams at Europeans, advise some teams to visit seminars or other coaches to work on their twist technique, and get excited for the future of a number of young teams at this event.2019-11-1750 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCup Of China 2019: PairsWe wrap up our Cup of China recap with our highlight - the pairs! We gush once again about Sui and Han and their amazing free skate, discuss what can be done to try to help Ryom and Kim to make it to more international competitions, and lament the varying levels of depth at the different Grand Prixs this season.2019-11-1140 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCup Of China 2019: MenThe men at Cup of China had their ups and downs, and we discuss the full event, including our excitement over the amazing comeback of Han Yan, the guys who we think need to take a bit of a break right now to come back stronger later, and why skaters at this level shouldn't try to rely too much on figure standing for their choreography.2019-11-1156 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastCup Of China 2019: LadiesWe continue our Cup of China recap with the ladies, which had a whole bunch of last minute replacements to make for a bit of a rough event. We discuss why a successful program can be the worst thing for your focus on the jumps later on, the many skaters struggling with growth and Lutz technique, and how Tuktamysheva can improve her component scores.2019-11-101h 05Flutzes and Waxels PodcastCup Of China 2019: Ice DanceCup of China is back after a year off, and we begin our recap with dance, which went okay, but we still have things to gripe about. We discuss some kind tech calling on the Finnstep, the vast improvement the Chinese dance teams have made in the last few years, and why if we were in charge of the ISU, our first order of business would be to bring back the compulsory dance segment.2019-11-101h 06Flutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix France 2019: Ice DanceThe dance event at this Grand Prix was an interesting one in a lot of ways, and we go into a lot of dance related tangents as we discuss the Finnstep's difficult key points and how they've changed, the skaters who need to fully commit to their costuming in the rhythm dance, and how in awe we are of Guignard and Fabbri for their set of skates here with his hand in a serious brace.2019-11-0559 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix France 2019: LadiesThe ladies event at Grand Prix France was a mixed bag, but we were able to get excited about Kostornaia's win and a few other fun skates, and we discuss the struggles faced by a whole bunch of the skaters here due to injury, growth, and ice conditions, and the options skaters have when they're in a tough field like Russia or Japan and the jumps don't come as easily as they used to.2019-11-0357 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix France 2019: PairsWith the seeded pairs withdrawing, this was a wide open field for the remaining pairs, and we discuss how Russian pairs with amazing technical skills can stand out from a crowded field, the exciting race for the top of the US pairs podium, and how hard it can be to recover in the rest of a program if your twist isn't your strongest element.2019-11-0341 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastGrand Prix France 2019: MenThe third Grand Prix event of the season had a whole lot of ups and downs, particularly in the men's event, and we discuss the emotional roller coaster the guys took us on across the two programs, why which warm up flight you're in really shouldn't affect your PCS as much as it does, and try to find any highlights from the event, or skaters who got through it unscathed.2019-11-031h 00Flutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate Canada 2019: MenThe men were the headline event for many at Skate Canada, and we recap the many ups and downs of the competition, including some amazing skates under tough circumstances, the pressure of trying to make the final when it's in your home country, and why this event could be a harbinger of a great rivalry to come this season as long as everybody stays healthy.2019-10-2851 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate Canada 2019: LadiesThe women's jumping revolution was more than present at Skate Canada, and we discuss what Trusova is amazing at (and what she can still work on), the skaters who are making triple Axels look easy, how the Russian ladies can keep motivated even if they're not currently on top, and why replacement rules for withdrawn skaters on the Grand Prix need to be updated ASAP.2019-10-281h 00Flutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate Canada 2019: PairsThere was a stacked pairs field at Skate Canada, and we recap all of it, including our excitement over the winners here (and their coach), why lifts in pairs should be thought of like spins in singles skating, and when a botched lift can be more excusable than a solo single toe.2019-10-2845 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate Canada 2019: Ice DanceSkate Canada was home to a wild, unpredictable dance event this year, and we break down just how Gilles and Poirier were able to defeat Hubbell and Donohue, how impossible it is to have two iconic programs in a row, and which teams might be able to make the final with two wins rather than one.2019-10-2853 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate America 2019: MenWe wrap up our Skate America recaps with the men, and discuss our excitement over Nathan Chen's programs and technical abilities (and why you should be excited too), debate early season quad strategies for a variety of skaters, and despair for the guys who have made the final before, but whose hopes for this year were dashed at this event.2019-10-2259 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate America 2019: Ice DanceWe continue our full break down of Skate America with the dance event, starting with the technical issue that shouldn't really have happened in the RD, and discuss some debuting programs we're not sure about, a great costume violation save, and what a perfect Smash rhythm dance could look like.2019-10-2254 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate America 2019: PairsWe continue our Skate America recap with the pairs, and discuss how easy it is for a wonky throw technique to lead to injuries, the importance of a relaxed facial expression for audience enjoyment, and the difficult balance after injury between being confident in your elements and risking injury again.2019-10-2141 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastSkate America 2019: LadiesThe Grand Prix season is officially here! We begin our Skate America recap with the ladies, and discuss how each of the Russian ladies handled the pressure placed on them here, our excitement over Wakaba Higuchi's clean short program, and why there was a wrong jump call on the official protocols that just never got fixed.2019-10-2159 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastFinlandia 2019: Ladies And Ice DanceWe wrap up our Finlandia recap with lots of excitement as we discuss Kostornaia's debut with amazing triple Axels and a super fun Twilight program, some successful skates by new seniors and up-and-coming ladies skaters, and try to figure out the case of the missing character steps in the dance event.2019-10-141h 16Flutzes and Waxels PodcastFinlandia 2019: Pairs And MenIt's the last Challenger event before the start of the Grand Prix, and we take a look at the new and debuting pairs who are ready to take on the world, speculate on just what Shoma Uno's plans are for the upcoming season, and continue to be surprised and excited by the continued ventures of Sergei Voronov on competition ice.2019-10-141h 05Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Egna 2019The final JGP event of the season had some amazing skates and some surprise medalists, and we discuss the comfort of being able to compete in your home arena, how easy it is to make program mistakes due to internal expectations and competing back-to-back weekends, and how to try and deal with your skates coming undone mid-program.2019-10-071h 16Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJapan Open And Shanghai Trophy 2019There were two small invitationals this weekend, and we recap both the Japan Open and the brand new Shanghai Trophy in this episode. We discuss Trusova's insane technical content, our excitement over the new men's programs displayed at the Japan Open, and try to discuss as much as we can about the Shanghai Trophy in spite of many missing program videos.2019-10-071h 39Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Zagreb 2019: Ladies And Ice DanceMore JGP finalists were decided in the ladies and dance events here, and we recap two really strong winning skates that made it to the final in both disciplines, the continuing Canadian ice dance pewter trend, and confusion over choreographic elements versus plain old choreography in the dance protocols.2019-09-3048 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Zagreb 2019: Pairs And MenWe're coming to the close of the JGP season, and this event solidified the pairs JGP finalists and some for the men. We discuss how wide open the pairs field at the JGPF will be, especially for the Russian skaters, and we lament the close-to-clean men's programs that just didn't quite make it into the final this year.2019-09-301h 01Flutzes and Waxels PodcastNebelhorn 2019: Men And PairsThe men at Nebelhorn were a bit of a mixed bag, and we discuss how some new seniors thrived while the others struggled a bit, but Nebelhorn also had the pairs event we've been waiting for, and we get excited over strong pairs from small federations and a couple of really strong skates that reminded us just how great pairs skating can be.2019-09-301h 01Flutzes and Waxels PodcastNebelhorn 2019: Ladies And Ice DanceThere was a lot of great skating this weekend at Nebelhorn, but also a lot of streaming issues. We discuss our excitement to actually see some of the programs that were lost or had audio issues from this event, and try to analyze just how cutthroat this season will be in ice dance with the depth we're currently seeing.2019-09-301h 05Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Gdansk 2019: Pairs And LadiesWe also saw really tough fields in pairs and ladies, and in the second half of our JGP Gdansk recap we discuss a terrifying botched twist, gush at length over our favourite Russian pair, and defend the junior ladies against the internet haters.2019-09-261h 08Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Gdansk 2019: Men And Ice DanceThe fifth JGP event in Gdansk was one of the toughest fields so far, and we discuss our awe over the excellent skates by the junior men, try to do JGP Final qualification math on the fly, and discuss the improvements we've seen from some of the top dance teams here over just a few weeks ago.2019-09-2657 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastOndrej Nepela Memorial 2019We continue recapping the weekend with the Ondrej Nepela Memorial, in spite of the less than stellar camera work at this event. We discuss devastating Zayak issues, the arrival of the ladies quad revolution, and some of our favourite crazy, out-there dance programs from this event.2019-09-231h 02Flutzes and Waxels PodcastUS International Classic 2019: Ladies And Ice DanceWe continue our discussion of the US International Classic with the ladies and ice dance events, and try to discuss some controversial program and costume choices. We go into a lengthy discussion of our issues with "Egyptian arms" programs and try to parse our complicated feelings about Schindler's List programs, while still trying to be able to enjoy the skating as much as we can at altitude.2019-09-2354 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastUS International Classic 2019: Pairs And MenThis has been another weekend of skating insanity, and we begin our recaps with the men and pairs at the US International Classic. We discuss how hard it can be to get a good idea of a skaters actual readiness when they're skating at high altitude, how some of the men were able to rise to the occasion in spite of it, and how much we wish the pairs had just competed in Oakville rather than here.2019-09-2346 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Chelyabinsk 2019: Men And Ice DanceWe finally finish playing catch-up with last week's JGP event in Chelyabinsk and recap the men's and ice dance events. We discuss the many guys facing growth spurts, the breaking of the Canadian ice dance pewter curse, and the dominance the Russian skaters in all disciplines showed at this event.2019-09-191h 05Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Chelyabinsk 2019: Ladies And PairsThe fourth JGP event in Chelyabinsk, Russia showed the dominance of Russian junior skating, particularly in the ladies and pairs events. We are forced to be a bit nitpicky about the top competitors who were all so good that we don't even really have much to critique at all, and we enthuse about a new pairs team from North Korea who blew us away with their unity.2019-09-1755 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastLombardia Trophy 2019There were other competitions than just the Autumn Classic happening this weekend, and in this episode we play catch-up with the Lombardia Trophy! We get excited about how strong the competition was in the ladies event, discuss the improvements we're seeing from the men here, and discuss awkward music choices and twizzle mind-melds in ice dance.2019-09-161h 41Flutzes and Waxels PodcastAutumn Classic 2019: MenFinally, we wrap up with the men, AKA the Kevin Aymoz special, in which we try in vain to eloquently express our adoration for Kevin and his new programs, try to support all the young guys and new seniors with screams and burgeoning emotional over-investment, and guilt you into playing along at any and all competitions.2019-09-151h 05Flutzes and Waxels PodcastAutumn Classic 2019: LadiesWe continue our Autumn Classic recap with the ladies in which we lament missing seeing an amazing short program live for work, worry about the health and happiness of everyone, and also talk about some jumps and stuff.2019-09-1550 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastAutumn Classic 2019: Ice DanceWe have returned home from Autumn Classic, so prepare yourself for a deluge of content! We begin with the small but mighty ice dance event, in which we get way too emotionally over-invested in literally every single team and talk probably far too much about voguing.2019-09-1541 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Riga 2019There was a ton of great skating at the third Junior Grand Prix event in Riga, Latvia, and we break down all three disciplines that competed! We discuss the rise of South Korean skating, the ridiculous expectations placed on the Russian ladies based on previous dominance, men's skaters with tons of potential who let inconsistency and spins get in the way of success, and the curse of the Canadian pewter ice dance medalists.2019-09-081h 46Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Lake Placid 2019: Men And DanceIn part two of our JGP Lake Placid recap we discuss the ice dance and the men, and assess the quads that were attempted in the men's event, discuss our horror over witnessing a disastrous RD event live in the front row, and laugh over a teeny tiny Canadian flag at the men's medal ceremony.2019-09-031h 07Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Lake Placid 2019: Pairs And LadiesWe attended the second JGP event in Lake Placid and it was a big one! In part one we discuss the pairs and ladies events, including our frustration with some viewers overly criticizing junior skaters, our live in-arena thoughts on Alysa Liu's quad lutz, and our adoration for all Russian pairs skaters.2019-09-031h 02Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Courchevel 2019The 2019-2020 season is officially here! In this episode we recap the first junior grand prix event of the season and discuss the surprising lack of quads in the men's event, how altitude and immense pressure made for a tough ladies event, and music issues in the dance event due to audio issues, inappropriate choices for junior skaters, and music that doesn't follow the ISU's requirements.2019-08-252h 00Flutzes and Waxels Podcast2019 Minto MadnessIt's the off season, but things are starting to happen in skating before the JGPs roll around, and in this episode we discuss a little bit of the skating we've seen in the last few weeks. We recap the 2019 Skate Ontario Minto Sectional competition, and get particularly excited about the Tea Time Foxtrot and junior ice dance, plus we recap last week's Skate Ontario Summer Stars fundraising gala and tell you a bit about our plans for our brand new Patreon!2019-07-2959 minFlutzes and Waxels PodcastHelp, I Need Skating Music! With Guest Rob CollingIt's the off-season, and we're trying some new things, starting with our first ever podcast guest! You likely know our guest Rob Colling by his Twitter handle, @skatingmusicguy, and he's here to join us for a lengthy discussion of the ins and outs of creating the music accompanying your favourite skating programs. We discuss some of the dos and don'ts for picking music that works well in an arena, how hard it is to find music that fits the many requirements for ice dance, and speculate on what music we might be hearing in the upcoming season's Rhythm Dance.2019-04-281h 12Flutzes and Waxels PodcastAutumn Classic 2018 - MenWe have reached the 100th episode of the podcast! How fitting that it's about an event we attended, and the season debut of Yuzuru Hanyu! We discuss the jumping history that we almost witnessed, parse the musical structure and storytelling of Junhwan Cha's freeskate, and puzzle over the many many spin issues in this event.2018-09-2455 min
Flutzes and Waxels PodcastJGP Brisbane 2017In the first ever episode of Flutzes and Waxels we dive deep into the first Junior Grand Prix event of the 2017-2018 season.2017-08-302h 05