Alina Zagitova, Russia’s golden girl at the 2017 Grand Prix Final, graces the cover of the February 2018 issue and is the lead story in our coverage of the competition and how it all played out in Nagoya, Japan, in mid-December.
A CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE 2017 GRAND PRIX FINAL. First-time champions were crowned in all four disciplines, including Alina Zagitova who continued a four-year Russian domination of the ladies event. Fourteen skaters and/or teams from the 2016 campaign once again earned places at the Final, but some that medaled in France a year ago did not land on the podium in Nagoya, Japan.
It has been a long road to the upper echelons of the sport for Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès. Persistence, determination and the desire to be the best have been their strongest allies in the campaign to rise to the top of the international pairs field. So many disappointments and oh-so-many close podium finishes had them wondering if all the time and effort they were putting in was worth it.
There is an unmistakable determination in Adam Rippon’s voice as he talks about the opportunity to fulfill a skating dream that has lived inside him almost since the day he first laced up a pair of skates.
Japanese nationals is always a pressure cooker with so much talent in the men’s and ladies fields. But in this Olympic season, with everything on the line and only a handful of berths up for grabs at the Winter Games, the pressure reached a boiling point for many.
There were few surprises when it came to the results of the 2018 Russian Championships in late December. Everyone expected to land on the podium did exactly that.
AT ICE THEATRE OF NEW YORK
Earning a place at the 2017 Junior Grand Prix Final was a serious challenge for skaters in all disciplines this season. The seven-event Junior Grand Prix Series, which played out around the globe from late August through early October, was one of the most competitive in recent history.
