Walley & Flip: A Figure Skating Podcast

Walley & Flip: A Figure Skating Podcast

por Walley & Flip

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2025 Grand Prix Final Recap

This week on Walley and Flip we break down a Grand Prix Final that delivered from start to finish. We open with Pairs, which featured one of the greatest competitions of the quad. Every team pushed the standard and we look ahead to how they may stack up once the season reaches its final boss stage in Milan. We also ask the central question of the moment: can Miura and Kihara be beaten, and what would it take. In Ice Dance we cover the battles between Chock and Bates, Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen, Gilles and Poirier, and Fear and Gibson. Were the results what we expected, and what trends might continue into the second half of the season. We also consider whether Guillaume and Laurence can close the gap on Chock and Bates and what factors may determine that race. In Men we look at the surprise strength of Shun Sato and Daniel Grassl, the rise of Yuma Kagiyama, and the extraordinary technical level from Ilia Malinin. And over in women, would you have ever thought the reigning world champion winning the Grand Prix Final would feel like a SURRPISE? The field remains as deep as ever and we can't wait to watch these women shine their light around the world in milan!

A Torgasboard of Comp Recaps

Walley and flip are back with a last-minute episode to recap all of the small but mighty (and impactful!) competitions from this past weekend. Between the comeback kids (Gabby Daleman and Keegan Messing) competing at Skate Canada challenge, to the always-tense Korean ranking competition, to one of the final Challenger events of the season at Tallinn Trophy, there was no shortage of drama or discussion! Also, how could we not discuss Andrew Torgashev's middle-of-the-night meltdown tweeting spree. Flip offers him some much-needed publicist advice before he continues his season! We also very informally preview the grand prix final this weekend in Nagoya. Japan! The last great showdown before the Olympics!

2025 Finlandia Trophy Recap

We are back after our hiatus from Skate America! This week we’re talking all things Finlandia Trophy, starting with the ice dance drama: technical calls that made zero sense, teams that looked targeted, others lifted onto a pedestal for… what reason exactly? And in the end, did any of it actually change the standings? (Short answer: no, because Guillaume and Laurence made it crystal clear they’re the top team.) Over in women, we’ve got our angelic trio- Mone Chiba, Amber Glenn, and Rino Matsuike- with Rino officially kicking off the holiday season thanks to a clean Nutcracker free skate. Men’s was shockingly quite predictable, with some of your usual sloppy programs keeping things interesting and us scratching our heads on how high some of the scores were...And we look ahead: what can we expect from Yuma Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa at the Grand Prix Final and heading into the back half of the season? Do they have the momentum for an Olympic podium run? Over in pairs, it's a little less exciting- but how far has Hase/Volodin's stock fallen? Can they rise again before the olympics?

2025 NHK Trophy Recap

Join us for our fourth stop on the grand prix road trip as we recap the NHK trophy! In ice dance, the Shibutanis took us out for a night in Japan, and Flip might still be on the dance floor at the club. Meanwhile, Guignard and Fabbri faced off with Fear and Gibson in what might be their last meeting before Europeans, but can Guignard and Fabbri overtake Fear and Gibson as the season heats up? Over in men’s, it was the most predictable podium on paper, but who saw Shun Sato and Yuma Kagiyama ending up this close? The pairs event brought another nail-biter between Conti and Macii and Pavlova and Sviatchenko, while the women’s field delivered one of the strongest showdowns of the season, with Kaori, Loena, and Sofia rockin the podium. Will Loena and Sofia skate their way into the Grand Prix Final? Listen to find out our thoughts and delusional takes!

2025 Skate Canada Recap

We're saska-tuning out the judges moving forward for the rest of the season, but please, come join us as we recap this weekend's happenings at Skate Canada! In the women’s field, Canada’s Olympic race is heating up: Maddie Schizas vs. Sara Maude Dupuis- who’s got the edge? And is Gabby Daleman still in the mix? Meanwhile, the Sarah Everhardt betrayal stuns everyone- can she bounce back stronger at NHK? The podium was as expected but still delightful: Mone Chiba, Isabeau Levito, and Ami Nakai took the top three spots. The men’s event? Everyone brought it, yes, even last place Aleksa Rakic, who rocked the house along with the other canadian men. Ilia Malinin delivered one of the calmest, most commanding skates of his career, and Kevin Aymoz screamed at the judges, thank you, Kevin. In pairs, Deanna Stellato Dudek and Max Deschamps silenced any doubters (how dare you ever doubt them) with a powerhouse performance that firmly cements their podium potential. As for dance, let’s just say the vibes were off. Where is this season going? Not the ending we were hoping for, but the conversation’s just getting started.

2025 Cup of China Recap

Walley and Flip are back to unpack all the Cup of China drama. Amber Glenn looks composed and confident, maybe even on track for another undefeated start. Alysa Liu’s Lady Gaga revival has us questioning her Olympic prep timeline, and Rino Matsuike’s 65-point short with 30 in components? Judges need to find god. In ice dance, Chock and Bates debuted their zebra and bull era with mixed results, Green and Parsons’ Twizzle fall sparked concern, and Smart and Dieck delivered one of the strongest rhythm dances of the event. On the men’s side, Tomoki Hiwatashi brought star power, Shun Sato stunned, Daniel Grassl became the pope, and Mikhail Shaidorov was treated unfairly. Pairs brought the drama too- Metelkina and Berulava’s lift nearly stopped our hearts, while Sui and Han made a surprise return. It’s early-season chaos in full form, and we’re here for every questionable costume, underscored skate, and moment of brilliance.

2025 Grand Prix de France Recap

This week, we're recapping Grand prix de France! Ilia Malinin takes it home in the men’s event in just an absolute shocking turn of events, Adam Siao Him Fa stages another of his signature free skate comebacks, Nika Egadze goes for a sail, and Gabriele Frangipani counts to four. The Japanese women continue to impress and exhibit complete perfection, leaving us plotting how to sneak an extra Olympic spot or two their way. Things feel completely despondent over in ice dance, rich with injustices and more disturbing shake-ups looming for the rest of the season. 0:50 - 12:01 Grand prix de France Women's Recap 12:02 - 16:59 Grand prix de France Pairs Recap 17:00 - 27:25 Grand prix de France Men's Recap 27:26 - 39:29 Grand prix de France Ice Dance Recap 39:30 - 46:16 Breaking news and Cup of China preview

2025 Denis Ten Recap & Debut of "Three Beats to Glory"

Walley and Flip are so back. This week, we’re recapping the Denis Ten Memorial Challenger and a handful of early domestic events. The season has only just begun, but there’s already a lot to talk about. Keegan Messing made his return at a Canadian event, but the scoring left us with some questions. With just one Olympic spot available for Canadian men, the competition is already intense. We also get into the growing conversation around Mikhail Shaidorov and Ilia Malinin’s skating skills and how that comparison is playing out. On the women’s side, we’re applauding Bradie Tennell’s switch to Young and Beautiful for her short program. We’re also wondering whether Haein Lee might be finding her way back to the form that earned her a world silver in 2023. And with Maddie Schizas competing a lot this fall, we’re asking whether this strategy will help her build momentum or end up putting her Olympic spot at risk. We also talk about Oona and Gage Brown’s new free dance (and violent ending) to The Godfather. To close out the episode, we debut a new game - "Three Beats to Glory" where we each name three pieces of music a skater or team has used, and the other has to guess who we’re thinking of. Tune in for another fun episode! --- 00:00 Introductions 01;02 Keegan Messing at Texas Trophy 02:09 Bradie Tennell at Boston Open 03:05 Adam Siao Him Fa shoutout 03:48 Denis Ten Memorial Men recap (Mikhail Shaidorov) 05:52 jump value discourse: are difficult combinations awarded appropriately? 08:49 Ilia Malinin vs. Mikhail Shaidorov skating skills? 09:39 Denis Ten Memorial (Nika Egadze and Jason Brown) 13:30 Den Ten Memorial Women recap (Haein Lee, Maddie Schizas) 18:39 Denis Ten Memorial Ice Dance recap (Diana Davis/Gleb Smolkin, Oona/Gage Brown)

2025 Chinese Nebelhorn, Actual Nebelhorn, and Nepela Recap

Walley and Flip are back to recap the final stretch of the pre-grand prix figure skating season from the Olympic Qualifier (aka Chinese Nebelhorn), to the actual Nebelhorn, and the Ondrej Nepela Memorial. With the Grand Prix series just around the corner, we’re breaking down the highs, lows, and head-scratchers from the final major Challenger events. We talk Amber Glenn’s fired-up Olympic campaign, Jia Shin’s quiet brilliance, and Isabeau Levito bringing back that sparkle. But not everyone impressed- Adelia Petrosian and Peter Gummenik fell short of sky-high Russian expectations, and we’re not holding back. The Italian men’s fight for just two Olympic spots is heating up, while the Italian women are leveling up fast. And of course, we crash out on the drama: Ice Dance travesties at the olympic qualifier, Rika Kihira switches to ice dance, USFS sabotaging their own skaters, programs that already need to be reworked, and Saki Miyake left without an NHK host spot?! 00:00 Introductions 02:30 Beijing Olympic Qualifier/Chinese Nebelhorn (Adelia Petrosian, Anastasia Gubanova, Loena Hendrickx, Peter Gummenik, Donovan Carrillo) 15:45 Beijing Olympic Qualifier Ice Dance Judging Controversy (Wang/Liu vs. Majorov/Reitan) 18:25 Rika Kihira switches to ice dance 20:30 USFS (hopefully unintentionally) sabotaging Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy 23:15 Yuna Aoki over Saki Miyake for the NHK host spot 25:00 Nebelhorn Recap (Amber Glenn, Jia Shin, Isabeau Levito, Stephen Gogolev, Andrew Torgashev, Lukas Britschgi, Miura/Kihara vs. Hase/Volodin, Fear/Gibson, Carreira/Ponomarenko) 37:30 Ondrej Nepela Recap (Lara Naki Gutmann, Anna Pezzetta, Kevin Aymoz, Matteo Rizzo, Daniel Grassl, Nikolaj Memola, Smart/Dieck, Taschlers, Green/Parsons, Tomi Guarino Sabate) 49:00 Alysa Liu Short Program change

2025 Lombardia Trophy and Olympic Qualifier Preview

In this episode of Walley and Flip, we dive into the latest happenings in figure skating, starting with Flip’s dramatic Reddit cleanup and a few words on Ilia Malinin. The Lombardia Trophy takes center ice, with a packed men and women's field. The Ilia vs. Yuma rivalry heats up early in the season, while Nikolaj Memola cements himself as the Italian Stallion with crowd-pleasing charisma. Shun Sato, Kao Miura, and Adam Siao Him Fa round out a strong men's showing. Over in the women's event, Ami Nakai’s face card never declines, Lara Naki Gutmann emerges as the shark in the water with her fierce “Jaws” program, and the discussion of impending heartbreak continues for Japanese women as we harp on the limited Olympic spots, highlighting the intensity of the competition among elite talent like Rion Sumiyoshi, Rino Matsuike, and more. Pairs and Ice Dance get a quick recap, we also break down the Italian federation’s Olympic selection criteria, and preview what has felt like the mythical Beijing Qualifier event looming on the horizon. Timestamps: 00:00 Ilia Malinin and Flip needs to delete her reddit 04:44 Lombardia Trophy Men's Recap (Yuma Kagiyama, Nikolaj Memola, Shun Sato, Kao Miura, Maxim Naumov, Adam Siao Him Fa) 13:19 Italian federation Olympic selection criteria 14:59 Lombardia Trophy Pairs Recap 15:46 Lombardia Trophy Women's Recap (Rion Sumiyoshi, Ami Nakai, Sarah Everhardt, Alysa Liu, Rino Matsuike, Alysa Liu, Lara Naki Gutmann) 35:15 Lombardia Trophy Ice Dance Recap 35:50 Bejing Olympic Qualifier Preview

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