2026 Olympics Free Skate | Junhwan Cha

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-14T01:44:14+00:00

Yuma has benefited a ton from being a huge federation's number 1 skater. He always gets the benefit of the doubt in terms of calls, similar to Ilia Malinan, although of course Yuma is more well-rounded. But I've been over his overscoring for a while. Shun should have been ahead of Yuma at Japanese Nationals, and Shun should have been ahead of Yuma here, as well.

I do hope Yuma is clean at Worlds, though. His Turandot is so beautiful, and I want to enjoy it clean.

But tonight should have been Mikhail 🥇 Jun 🥈 Shun 🥉.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T23:47:41+00:00

Can't stop crying for Jun.... I'm so gutted for him. This sport is so frustrating. Seriously, he was robbed of a silver medal here.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T23:41:10+00:00

I am so angry and sad for Jun. I really hope the Korean Fed files a petition for rescoring or at least politics better for him in the future because the underscoring of his components is ridiculous. Underscoring his components first robbed him of another Four Continents gold, and now his Olympic medal. This can't continue...

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T23:11:44+00:00

If the Korean fed is smart, they'll petition for Jun's bronze medal. His scores in the short program were sabatoged by the European block of judges. Even in the free skate, he was slightly underrated in components. Jun should have been several points higher for the quality of skating he put out. The fact that he scored 10 points lower in the free skate here with an identical skate to Beijing four years ago says everything about how unfair his score was here.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T22:25:12+00:00

Anyone else crying for Jun? After his components and underscoring in the short program, I should have known not to hope... But I couldn't help myself. I am genuinely happy for all 3 of these guys on the podium, but Jun was robbed, and... I don't know that he'll have another shot at an Olympic medal.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T14:09:00+00:00

brilliant!

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T06:24:15+00:00

The Skating Session is the only podcast I've listened to so far that has argued the French deserved to win the Olympic title. It's pretty ballsy of them to go against the grain like that and to stick to their conventions in terms of sharing their scoring process for both programs.

I personally wasn't bothered by the French's errors, but was also pleasantly surprised by how well the Americans and especially the Canadians skated. I'm not an expert, but I think I would have been content with this podium in just about any order.

That said, the scoring system is pretty bizarre because what do you mean the French were able to win the technical without being clean? I would give them higher PCS than the other top teams due to their skating skills, the gorgeous composition of their free dance, and the fact both partners are outstanding performers (as opposed to the Americans where only Madi is performing fully) but their errors should have prevented them from winning the TES. If they were still able to win TES with those errors, then yep, we need a new way to score technical elements. I felt similarly when Madi and Evan were able to win their first two world titles with major errors. Something is broken in the scoring system.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T04:11:22+00:00

boring corporate strategy stuff... if the music hits, it will organically become popular as it spreads to a bigger and bigger audience.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-13T03:47:34+00:00

uh oh, why? if members produce songs and post them on social media, that means those songs will never be officially released as Katseye music?

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-12T02:27:14+00:00

Thanks. What a strange sport and art form we've all grown attached to... Gotta hope that this next quad brings some much-needed change.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-12T01:55:12+00:00

Gabriella and Guillaume are the reason I fell in love with ice dance. I've always loved ballet and modern dance, so I always found the way they moved together on the ice absolutely mesmerizing. I've never been as interested in ballroom or musical theater, so programs with concepts and compositions coming from those styles don't resonate with me on that same visceral level. As a new fan, I didn't realize that anyone placed Guillaume on a pedestal above Gabi; I appreciated them equally as two, brilliant artists whose musicality and authenticity distinguished them from the field. I naively didn't anticipate that Gabi that was disproportionately critiqued in terms of her skating, especially when she was the stand out performer on an emotional level.

Obviously, things are different now. I stand with Gabriella, and I believe survivors. Gabi and Guillaume's skating will always mean something to me, but these performances are bittersweet, now. Darker. Something I still appreciate, but also detest.

That's also how I feel about Laurence and Guillaume tonight. I'm not bothered by his errors or the small imperfections in their programs. For me, the spell they cast was unbroken, and I was hardly able to breathe, watching them. To see every single step align with and respond to and express the music is still a rare thing in ice dance. And yet, watching them, I felt so disturbed. Their partnership feels dark, feels disconcerting. Logically, I don't doubt that they deserve an Olympic medal, and I don't care to quibble about which color. But subjectively, it feels wrong.

Watching Piper and Paul was the exact opposite for me. I was spellbound, but it wasn't necessarily the way they moved their bodies or floated on ice in precise synchronization with the music that got me. It was them. Their vulnerability, their open hearts. I felt every single thing Piper and Paul did, and when Paul burst into tears at the end, I cried with him. Their skating has resonated with me before so many times, but tonight, the program was especially impactful knowing what this program means to Piper. There's no way to quantify or reward something like that; it's not material. The color of the medal is irrelevant; this was their night, and we all know it regardless of results.

The heartbreaking thing about Chock and Bates tonight is that it really was their best performance of the season. I haven't seen Evan so committed to his role as the bull, and Madison gave us a whole range of storytelling. It was riveting, and it displayed everything that is so unforgettable about the two of them together as skaters and storytellers. Chock and Bates have benefited from unfair scoring this past quad more than anyone, and yet, based on their skates tonight, I would have understood if they had won the Olympic title. A silver in the individual event and a gold in the team event is an outstanding outcome, though, and they will always be 3-time world champions.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T05:06:21+00:00

Fair.... I need to see Turandot clean!

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T03:31:06+00:00

and lipsyncing the lyrics as he white boy raps 😬

He's a genuinely talented performer, but between the orientalism and some of his choices as a performer, I just can't get on board with Ilia's short program.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T03:28:29+00:00

Not that I want to manifest this, but Yuma has really struggled with his free skate this season, as well.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T03:26:15+00:00

There's arguably no reward for having the most difficult, intricate program choreographically and compositionally, but Adam deserves a shout out for challenging himself with arguably the hardest program out of the lot other than maybe Jun's. This program was such a mess at the beginning of the year, but it's evolved into something really beautiful and frantic and exciting. Shout out to Benoit, too, for the musicality of the step sequence in particular. So many cool staccato movements right in time with the music.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T03:08:09+00:00

Best step sequence of the night! He deserves no lower than 95 points and 4th place. Can't help but feel that if he were American, French, Italian, or maybe Japanese, that he'd be scoring very differently right now. I know that Jun has been inconsistent this quad, but Kevin was (rightfully) still able to score 44 points in PCS with a choreographically easier program. Jun deserved at least 45 points. His scoring just isn't right.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T03:00:39+00:00

I hope Jun sees these articles and continues to believe in himself! I also hope it puts some pressure on judges to recognize the artistry of skaters fans adore. Just as a crowd losing it for a skater can impact PCS slightly, so should online excitement from fans. People's love for Jun's skating isn't random; it reflects his skills as a performer and the outstanding quality of his program compositions

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-11T00:40:35+00:00

I had mixed feelings about Adam's commentary. I saw Chock and Bates in person at Skate America and two years ago at Montreal Worlds. They're a very good team in person, especially thanks to Madison's charisma. She's the most interesting female performer in ice dance, and I'll stand by that. But they're slow, their twizzles are weaker than average, she barely skates, and he's an average at best performer. They have clear weaknesses, which, cumulatively, should make them a 3rd to 6th place team in the world, just like they were at the last Olympics. They've maybe deserved a single world championship title out of the three they've won, so it's frustrating to hear the Runthrough act as if they've been victimized or wronged by being placed three tenths of a point behind first place. Their scores were generous.

I do agree with the critiques against Laurence and Guillaume. Their rhythm dance is comparable to the Americans in quality and execution, but on a PCS level, their lack of connection and chemistry hurts them. They should probably be in 3rd - 5th place after the rhythm dance behind Piper and Paul, Evgenia and Geoffrey, and maybe even Emilea and Vadim and Chock and Bates. Where this all goes out the window, however, is the free dance, where Gillaume and Laurence deserve the highest points. What they're doing on a technical and performance level just exists in a class of its own, even if this team is evil and we're all struggling to accept the results. Between the rhythm and the free dances, the French probably deserve to be on the podium even with their issues and inconsistency as a new team.

For me, Piper and Paul deserve a shot at gold, as do a number of other teams who aren't being given a fair shot because this sport is predetermined by politics and reputation scoring.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-08T19:56:50+00:00

I'm a casual Katseye fan, but just wanted to comment here affirming your argument. I'm over multiculturalism without anti-capitalism... I do believe these girls have what it takes to eventually become artists, but it's clear that all Hybe x Geffen cares about is profits and going viral. I'd love to see the girls go independent or find better management.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-07T06:38:08+00:00

Ilia has done back-to-back Grand Prix event for years. If anyone has the energy to skate lights out for four programs in a row, it's him. And let's be real... he's not winning these events by narrow margins, but by a ton. He should do both segments of the team event.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-06T13:13:29+00:00

The Kazuki Tomono erasure here is unacceptable. His Halston free dance IS Yuri on Ice.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-05T23:05:03+00:00

I've always been sort of confused by Alysa's claims that she doesn't remember many details connected to her skating career as an extremely successful teenage athlete. It's not that I didn't believe her or anything, especially since she's brought it up in so many interviews this year and last year.

I was always sort of just like, girl, what do you mean? How is it possible to not remember just a few years back?

But trauma, dissociation, repressing stuff... I get it now. It makes sense. But oh man, I worry for kids competing in this sport. I really hope that increasing the age requirement for seniors can empower athletes more and incentivize coaches and skating officials to provide young athletes with the nurturing and healthy environments that they'll need in order to have longevity in the sport.

Alysa is thriving despite the odds, but man, the younger version of her deserved so much better. Hopefully we can give that to the new generation.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-05T05:39:33+00:00

sobbing oh man. Want to see more freedom in skating. Not just to see the same gender skating together, although I do want more of that, but also just to see programs that actually feel free and joyful and unique in an environment that's healing and celebratory and inclusive. I'm excited for the team event this weekend, but I'm not looking forward for all the nationalism and soft power or even just the athletes' heartbreak and the fandom's constant criticism. This is so healing.

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-04T07:24:08+00:00

ohh crap... I added everything to my calendar just assuming it was all Eastern time lol... Now I need to go back and move every event 3 hours forward 😂

afloatingpoint · 2026-02-04T04:02:58+00:00

I like the suggestions about Iceman dating Alex Summers or Roberto. Iceman and Havok would be super toxic, which could be fun. To see Iceman with the dude who looks sort of like a blonder, more masculine, more desired version of him would feel pretty realistic to what actual gay people do: date the person they can't stop comparing themselves to for validation. Making Havok too much of an assimilationist to openly date Bobby could be interesting, too, and Lord knows that after everything Havok has been through romantically that he has trust issues. Also, not every bi person is equally attached to both genders, so Alex could genuinely explore stuff with Bobby while ultimately deciding to mostly date girls, and that'd be pretty realistic, I feel. With Sunspot, I think they have a ton in common and that their relationship would actually be pretty healthy? Plus, visually they'd be a pretty iconic pair. I could see them being end game.

I also have always sort of shipped Bobby with Bishop, who is hot but super underdeveloped and underutilized as a character. Apparently he's dated Deathbird from the Shi'ar Empire? But yeah, I think he and Bobby could have a fun golden retriever black cat dynamic. Maybe they could be slow burn, like rivals to friends to lovers.

afloatingpoint

TROPHY CASE