IFS DECEMBER 2016 goes on sale November 5 in the U.S. and Canada.
IFS DECEMBER 2016 The competitive figure skating spirit that we see today in Japan is the result of a carefully planned and well-executed program that was set in place more than two decades ago.
Many wonder how it has become such a strong nation in recent years, producing one champion after another. There is no one simple answer, but the result is a combination of various factors that have contributed to that nation’s rise on the global stages.
Last season was a roller coaster of highs and lows for Japan’s Shoma Uno. Though the first half of the season saw him qualify for the Grand Prix Final and take a bronze medal in Barcelona, the second half of the year was not quite what the rising Japanese star had hoped to achieve. But, he is a determined young man who believes there are no limits to what he can achieve.
There are a few moments in her life that Gracie Gold would like to forget. As she heads into the new season, the outcome of the 2016 World Championships likely ranks at the top of her list.
Life has been a whirlwind for Javier Fernández since winning his second World title last March. His victory made front-page news in space usually reserved for tennis or soccer heroes in his Spanish homeland. Royalty and highest levels of government feted him, but the accolades and respect from his countrymen did not come easily.
”La Marseillaise” has rung out in honor of four French ice dance victories at the World Cham- pionships in the last 16 years. Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat were the first to hear their anthem in 2000, followed by Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder in 2008. That national anthem has rung out twice in consecutive years for Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron who danced into the French history books with their victory in Boston.
Wakaba Higuchi is the latest Japanese junior skater to make the move into the senior ranks. Higuchi, who was born on Jan. 2, 2001, said her parents were inspired by the new millennium that had begun the previous day when they named her. Wakaba means “new leaf” in the Japanese language, and this season her name reflects a new chapter that is unfolding in her skating career.
