Skating

[ti-amie]

Alysa/Ilia career trajectory as an example of what's expected for women vs men skaters

I hope I make myself understood and please bear with me. Also correct me if I'm wrong I've caught up with past events but I still only have been a committed fan since 2022.

I was thinking about how women vs men skaters are perceived and what's expected of them can very much be exemplified by these two skaters (also you can place almost any Russian junior and make the same example tbh) and it's incredible not everyone sees this.

As we all know, the age limit has been increased in the hopes of teaching sustainable technique and lengthening the careers of top skaters, notably top women.

Women are being (still now sadly) taught quads and ultra-c elements very young, when their bodies are not yet ready, in hopes of them peaking as young as possible and making a name for themselves. And everyone is impressed every time, talking about their age like that's and incredible feat (it is at any age, but younger it's actually easier, as we have seen, but harder to maintain), lately we've seen that discourse with the new Canadian Junior champion, with Russian junior nationals, with Sophie Joline von Felten, and with Mao Shimada.

Why do I bring Alysa into the comparison?

Well Alysa is about one year younger than Ilia. And by age 14 we had seen her land a quad, a triple Axel, both in the same program, become American champion and everyone was talking about the upcoming prodigy. And then at 16 she was burnt out and decided to retire. And it had become a usual path for many female skaters, bombard them with ultra-c elements, make a name for themselves, win one big title and then be to tired or injured to continue. (I'm very grateful she was able to challenge this pattern by resting and coming back with a different approach with better examples of a sustainable career)

In comparison, Ilia, despite always being around and winning nationals in the lower levels, he wasn't being bombarded by media, and wasn't as noticed around the same time (2020). As far as I read, he landed his first quads after the pandemic, and then it became the upwards trajectory that we all saw.

I also noticed not many men in the Junior Circuit are doing many quads, when in comparison the women's Junior Circuit is girl after girl trying a triple Axel (it might be an exaggeration but yk what I mean)

So we have two skaters of a similar age, both at some point called "the future of the sport" and vastly different trajectories, vastly different expectations, vastly different peaking times (although Alysa is peaking again and we love to see it), the major difference being their gender.

While quads are celebrated in 12-year-old girls, with boys they'd all rather wait. While 16-year-old girls (and everyone else) are anxiously waiting the opportunity to compete in the Senior Circuit, boys turn senior at 18/19.

I'm not sure how to end this, and maybe this has been discussed before in this sub. Again, correct me if I got any wrong info. I hope with the changes we're seeing this starts to change and we get great female skaters with strong technical content that keep it for years.

I think that's it

[skatingfan]

I would point out that the US had World & Olympic Champion Nathan Chen in the men's event as Malinin was coming up, and no one of a similar stature in the women's event so there was more attention on Liu.

[Owendonovan]

Lots of parallels to gymnastics. No boy is looked at before they're 18 and every 13 yo girl with promise is scrutinized to be the next big thing.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

An artistic blast from the past

[skatingfan]

[ti-amie]

I saw Johnny Weir's beautiful skate earlier on IG but it was removed. He's still got it.

[skatingfan]

I saw Johnny Weir's beautiful skate earlier on IG but it was removed. He's still got it.

The whole event was streamed on YouTube, and USFS is posting clips.

[ti-amie]

The Skating Lesson Controversy Triggers U.S. Figure Skating Statement, Social Media Account Deletion
This online creator is in hot water after making some insensitive comments.
By Klein Felt Posted: March 07, 2025

A major online controversy surrounding online content creation team The Skating Lesson (TSL) has forced a response from U.S. Figure Skating as well social media account deletion by TSL itself.

Co-owned by figure skaters Jenny Kirk and David Lease, The Skating Lesson has served as an online hub for skaters across the world since 2013, as their YouTube channel provided news, analysis, and interviews from across the sport on their various online channels.

However, TSL has come under fire in recent days, as controversial statements were made by Lease about the tragic January Flight 5342 airline crash that claimed the lives of 67 people, including 28 skaters, coaches, and family members returning home from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

U.S. Figure Skating issued an official statement following controversial comments from fan-favorite skating creators The Skating Lesson.

This comes following a now-deleted video that appeared on TSL's Patreon page, in which co-owner David Lease shared his take on the deaths of 28 figure skaters, coaches, and family members in a January 29 plane crash over the Patomic River.

The controversy surrounding the video stems from Lease's comments about the victims of the crash, as he called their talent into question, pondering "I do not think it was worth the gamble of giving up your life" if they "were not going to make it in skating:"

"Not everybody who was on that plane that talented. Like I do not think it was worth the gamble of giving up your life, and your education, and you everything for skating. That is what hit me when I was doing the tributes to these people. These people died, and yes, they were doing a development camp, which they loved, but they were also being taken advantage of, because we all know they were not going to make it in skating. And it seemed like their families were hook, line, and sinker.

This prompted an immediate response from U.S. Figure Skating, who called lease's remarks "cruel and malicious," adding that the organization will "refuse to let such a vile narrative go unchallenged:"

"We unequivocally condemn the cruel and malicious remarks made by The Skating Lesson regarding the tragic loss of those aboard Flight 5342. Such heartless rhetoric has no place in our community. We value and celebrate every member of the skating world—from Olympians to those taking their first steps on the ice and we refuse to let such a vile narrative go unchallenged."

Lease and The Skating Lesson brand have since deleted all of their social media accounts, and their YouTube channel has been manually deactivated as well. The online creation team has not issued a statement since these remarks came to light.

This is not the first time Lease has found himself in hot water over controversial comments he made online. In 2022, the online creator was called out by Russian figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze as he made comments about the wedding of her daughter Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin.

In an Instagram comment at the time (via Sport Express), Tutberidze wrote, "You have no conscience, no honor," referencing Lease's reporting, saying "shame on you" to the YouTube personality:

"Dave, you are full of (expletive). You have no conscience, no honor. You have no respect for others because you have achieved nothing yourself. Your statements humiliate the people around you. Shame on you," Tutberidze wrote on social media."

Lease has been described as one of the most controversial voices in skating over the years, being called out several times for his commentary on the sport.

In a 2018 interview with Deadspin, former U.S. 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in men’s skating Timothy Goebel described how he sees Lease and The Skating Lesson project, noting, "He’s not a coach or a judge or a commentator. He has no skin in the game, so he just speaks his mind."

As this most recent controversy came to light, tributes for the victims of Flight 5342 continue to pour in from both within and outside the skating community, as some of the sport's greats publicly mourn the loss.

https://thedirect.com/article/the-skati ... dave-lease

Eteri is controversial in her own right but a broken clock is right twice a day.