the fact that ilia landed a historic jump in a small challenger, on a random wednesday evening in lake placid, with like 12 people in the audience, with just one inaccessible livestream that didn't allow for replays, is very funny to me

As a french person, I can maybe give a little more context about how skating is seen here. The sport was more popular during the time of Candeloro, Surya Bonnalli... The popularity decreased little by little after them (furthermore a lot of ice rings are now closed or will close in a short time for different reasons which doesn't help to begin the sport). And I would say that the sport is seen as extremely toxic since a few years because of various scandals thatexploded in France. One of the biggest, was the one with Sarah Abitbol when she explained that she was s*xually ab*sed as a teenager. That she said it to the federation and the federation did... nothing. A short time after that it was shown that the trainer ab*sed a lot of girls during all his career. Other names where claimed a short time after. So a new president was named to clean all the sh*t. But for the popular opinion it's too late to forget this. All the recent scandals with russians etc didn't help too.... I personnally thought that P/S were in a safe place, because far from the abusive system in France and protected as individuals. I was wrong and I am really shocked by this. In various sports there are a lot of scandals like this which are bringing in front of the scene since a few years. As a parent I would be scared to let my child doing high level of competition because of the unsecurity of the system. One more point: the gouvernement is not interested in taking care of the mental health of the citizens (which is not new) and doesn't help the different federations to develop and promote their sport activities (please note that this is my point view, so be kind in the comments 😉)

This is the exact reason why I’m glad I found this sport as an adult and not as a kid. I’ve been skating for a year and a half starting at the age of 28 and the adult skating community has been purely amazing. We all know none of us are going to the Olympics, we’re just in it for the joy of the sport. And I’ve had the privilege of being able to meet so many awesome people from different backgrounds. Though I don’t have any solutions, it saddens me that the elite levels leaves the athletes feeling so hollow.

When Gabriella told her coaches and Guillaume that she was pregnant, they said they will give her time to deal with her problems. But she felt that her choosing to go through an abortion was the only way they see it. Like her choosing to keep going with the pregnancy wasn't an option (it would have meant "let them down"), so she felt even more pressured and lonely. Plus training was really hard, because of the effect of the depression she had. That's what I can translate from the original TV report

idk why, but ice dance always felt less 'tainted' to me, boy was i wrong. you hit the nail on the head with the team thing, there's probably more pressure to maintain this image because it's not just the one skater that is impacted. and things will never change so long as this sport exists. im so sorry for everything these athletes have to endure it is absolutely brutal

You don’t have to go to far about toxicity, go to any rink, you will find and Eteri, dance moms, the jelous girl, the good nice girl, the good talented bitch, the fat girl that is actually skinny. I grew up with that enviroment being a theatre and dancing kid and when I started figure skating it was the same story. It’s difficult to love something that makes you cry so much

I’m a figure skater and there is a lot of toxicity in the sport. At my rink it’s super common for girls to have mental breakdowns along with inside drama. The coaches are also super harsh and they tell you a lot of mean things to push you and if you don’t do well you are replaced by the next girl. It’s really bad in the competitions. I love this sport but things need to change. I started developing body dysmorphia along with other mental health issues because of it.

A little sad that Ilia Malinin didn't have a crowd for his 4A. It would've been incredible for all parties concerned.

What I really felt sad about was the fact that Gabriella didn't feel safe enough to go to her skating partner and coaches immediately. She must have felt so alone!

Figure skating is very toxic, but I'm equally concerned about the sport "dying". After skating competitively (was a juvenile synchro skater and woman's junior single) I quit the sport for 14 years and only just resumed it this year-mainly because of the intense pressure, the competitiveness, and how the other girls treated me and each other. There was no room for imperfection and everyone was on-edge (no pun intended), always scrutinizing each other and deliberately trying to sabotage their teammates. That said, now that the competitive element is gone, I love skating. It's a performance, a workout, and a massive mind-body challenge. I hope that if the sport "dies" in its current form, that it would rise again through people like me, who do it because they want to perform, or because it's just a hobby they really enjoy. I think there's a lot of room for prestige within figure skating through showcases and galas rather than medals.

As someone who is in synchronised skating from Australia, my coach is always telling us how “brutal” Russian training is. But luckily she also does understand that mental health is important and that we skate better when we feel more confident. However, the following is a true story. I was in a private lesson and was worried about getting in someone’s way who was practicing spins. And my coach yelled out “he’s a nobody! Don’t worry about him” I can confirm that skating can be exactly like dance moms when it comes to drama 😂

Bro when i saw the title i was just like "what did tutberidze do this time"😭

Ugh I had no idea Gabi went through all of that 😭my heart hurts for her. I hope she’s doing ok.

Thank you Paola! As always a great conversation.

I think you’re missing a huge game player in this issue which is Canada. The camp in Montreal is literally in Canada and figure skating is very popular in Canada. Canadians are always left out and focus is always on the Americans even though figure skating is such a big part of the culture in Canada. Sad.

You are like the news channel of figure skating to me. I appreciate all your information and the photos add to it.

Skating can be very toxic, and the "looking the part" thing goes very deep. Even off the ice you have to wear pretty/expensive looking clothes (at least we did in my day). Shows were even more toxic. The pressure about weight was insane. I ended up having to be around 8 or 9lbs LIGHTER than I was as a senior level competitor, and I was super fit with a 6 pack when I trained! I was eating 1200 calories a day, and performing 2 hours a day (that's all the days calories just performing alone), not including my private practice time, and any other fitness I did like blading/situps etc. I only ate a "normal" meal once a week after being weighed in front of everyone else. We were fined for even gaining 1lb, regardless of if you were on your period. The stress was awful on us weight-wise, and I naturally have muscly legs, so I got hell for not having skinny legs (how the hell you're meant to change your natural body-shape, I've got no clue!) Btw, I was a US 2-4, with a 20 inch waist, and STILL got hell! I loved shows, but that was the one real issue I had, and I saw quite a few people in my travels with eating disorders, which is no real surprise tbh 🙄

This is very interesting. You do a good job on your videos! Thank you!

Here is my two cents: the sport needs to get a deep cleanse and address the toxicity for it not to "die" and maybe have a renaissance in countries like France and even the US. The toxicity is known and even within the fandom well represented - even as a volunteer at events you get to hear and see a lot of backstage mess that does not get reported on (or simply kept in the circle for whatever reason). Fact is that with Hanyu gone they will struggle even more and while in Japan and Russia, the sport will staty popular that won't be enough and so the ISU should stop trying to rip away artistry from the sport and focus on what matters. Honestly I feel like some have happily just being like "SEEEE Russia is so bad" and thus felt like they had some odd non existent moral high ground, but there is none. There have been enough talk about how Vincent Zhous mom is like and the mental hell he went through OR Nathan Chen and the Pyeongchang Olympics mess. We need change. In a way I think the sport that we knew will die in its current state and only be revived by a revised understanding of what is next. Honestly? Good that Russia is off the ice for a while since I feel this way we will see a lot more of the other parts of the world and the nastiness hidden away there.

Thank you for sharing your insights and thoughts. It is good to stay updated with news from the figure skating community.

It was Alena setting Sambo70 on fire. Kami was with her. I know, I was the torch.

Queen, you and Dave Lease are the only sources of quality skating news and insight. Thanks!❤

I can only take comfort now that Gabi has such a strong friendship with her other IAM teammates. That she had to hide this from them breaks my heart! I'm soooo disappointed with IAM not being supportive afterwards, I've learned pairs is brutal but didn't suspect ice dance.

Yay another video 😊

Hey there. I watched the documentary. I found the documentary to be more about their journey together. Certainly there were legitimate questions about appearance in figure skating, heteronormativity, and Gabriella does talk about her abortion, which is so courageous of her, but the documentary doesn't feel "scandalous" to me at all, and I don't know why Guillaume or their coaching team would need to make public statements.

It's definitely true that there is a cultural issue Worldwide in figure skating. There's toxicity everywhere no matter what country. However, I feel that in Russia, it's different. No one sees the mental harm that is being done. No one sees a problem with the excessive diets. The culture of Russia seems to applaud harsh methods for the good of the country.

You have the best youtube channel ever

If You talk about the documentary or interview, it would be nice if you make a link to this information for people who would like to read/see it themselves

Ahh shes back!!

Tomorrow when i have the time ill go translate some important clips from the documentary and I’ll drop them in here :)

her coach (Paradais) is not Dubreuil/Lauzon but Romain Haguenauer which is also coaching in this academy. Romain is the main coach...

where can i watch the documentary? (not only some clips on twt), could someone tell me?

Thank you! Would you have the link to this french documentary?

so what you're saying is we need a Netflix docuseries on the drama which will lure in a crowd which in turn will help change the landscape of skating as a whole.. right?! Really what im saying tho is I want a netfllix something on figure skating😭😭

Also I feel like this environment is in cheer if anyone has seen it on netflix. The coach is exactly like eteri and the flyer who was under such pressure that she didn‘t tell that her rips were partially broken and she could have died by continuing training

Hey, please where I can watch a Japan documentary about Evgenia Medvedeva? I can't find it on youtube..

where can i watch the documentary the jpn media made ??

I love your videos - I’m hoping you do one on the recent Russian test skates…

When I clicked on my notifications I saw a figure skating one. I thought I'd watch it next. Then this girls voice (Paola La) came on and it's like whoa. Stop. Rearrange my pillows. Wipe off the laptop screen. Oh damn, it's only 20 minutes. Then begin. This is the best content creator for the sport. For any sport. I was so excited to hear her voice because I love her videos *that* much. This was excellent. What a nice surprise. I had to come back and add that Ilia crushed it in here in America with nobody in the seats. That was extremely sad. I know who he is. You could ask 100,000k Americans if they knew who he was and you might get one yes. I wish he had been anywhere else but home because there would have been fans cheering him on. Americans only see figure skating once every 4 years. We have a once in a lifetime athlete and nobody knows it.

Please... Let me see Liza Tutkamisheva in a big competition once again before she retires... 😢

whoever tried to burn down the rink they just like me fr

Do you have a podcast or audio version of your videos?

great video! Please cover the Russian test skates, thx

there is no drama than the Eteri's drama, she owned the show. she invented the realistically reality show.

any information on where we can watch the two documentaries mentioned?

I would love a review of the test skates by you!!

So sad for Gabriella 💔

I just finished watching "Meddling". I cried for the Canadian pair.

Okay but am I the only one who heard "someone tried to burn the rink down" and imagined it was Trusova, fueled by the rage we saw at the Olympics? Only me? Okay. (Not that I want to accuse her of anything criminal, it just would fit so much into that storyline and this would have been her revenge... yeah I got way too much imagination)

hi queen

OMG OMG SHES HERE

If more can onsistNtly land a quad axel quints could be possible. I mean it can be done on trampoline and other assisted tools where landing (safely/cleanly on a hard surface) isn't an issue. But it really is the max a human body can go. And some believe it to be impossible (to do cleanly/safely)

I finally understand what they mean by it's their job and their colleague not their best friend, etc when sports partner talk about their pairs. Sad for Gabi and somewhat relieved that I don't really follow ice dance because it would've made me feel worse for her. How could they be so apathetic is beyond me, abortion is one of the worse things to put yourself through and people act like it's something easy and a small sacrifice.

The “and I almost forgot about the quad axel” killed me 🤣

I may be getting this wrong, but it sounds like you are saying that IAM is now giving off the same vibes as Sambo 70. Do I have that right? Because I disagree in a very big way. I don't think it's even close.

Link please

Please someone can tell me where i can find the documentary on papadakis ? Im french :)

I don’t like mentioning the witch’s name but it’s Hamada Mie (phonetically in English(not the furigana, just an English shortcut: Hah-Mah-Dah Mee-Ay) since you were struggling lol.

WOW!! Good for her!! As to the quad axel, I can't help feeling that this pressure to do more and more rotations is another type of abuse, bodily abuse. These jumps get an outsize attention compared to all the other program components and I am sick of it. As a skater and fan, it is a big part of why I am losing interest in a sport that I used to love.

She had to choose, and that’s what we’re fighting for, our right to choose, and that choice is ours, so we have to own the aftermath, too. What did she expect them to say? I can understand them not wanting to share and accept part of that burden. That was her sacrifice. And she DID have a duty to her team. If she had decided to have a baby, it would have been over. SHE chose that. When Isabella Flores partner fell off the face of the earth right before nationals, he cost her everything. So gabi chose her goal and commitment to her partner and team over becoming a mother right then. And it’s ok for her to mourn that, but she would have regretted it forever if she had sacrificed her chance at a gold medal, too. This is life. This is what life is about.

Evgenia Medvédeva also looks like top model Magda Lagingue

Can somebody please tell me how you would have handled Gabi's crisis if you were the owners of IAM?

Paola, the evil Japanese Eateri's name is Mie Hamada. Hamada with an H, as in Harm ;)

I am super excited about Russian Test Skates, and would love to hear your commentary on it. Thanks for your great work!❤

This sport is obviously extremely high pressure and results oriented. And made worse by the bar being continually raised by some truly superhuman athletic wonders. So it should be no surprise that coaches, trainers and organizers etc. take what might appear a hard cold view with anything that is going to potentially obstruct success. Therefore the temperament and vulnerability of any child should be considered before parents give permission for entry into this type of training and the kids should be monitored closely. That said, for those tough and talented enough the opportunity to achieve some of the highest level in art and athleticism in humankind is the ultimate reward for them and us. There really is no room for coddling or mediocrity so it seems natural to me that mental health needs to be provided separate from the coaching and training and not allowed to become too much about feelings and emotions while at "work".

I truly feel so bad by Gabby

Una parola su Aliona Kostornaia e i suoi guai, uno dei pochi motivi per seguire il pattinaggio

Feel so bad for Gabriella :( OMG HOW DID I NOT SEE THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN EVGENIA AND EMILY CAREY, THEY REALLY COULD BE TWINS

Women’s figure skating has always had a toxic environment. In the 1980’s in the Capades, it was not uncommon for the skaters to be on diet pills, or take any substances that could assist you in not being hungry, or could “help” with losing a few pounds. There were weigh ins, as you did not own the costumes, the Capades did, and they set the weight limits, and if you were over their limit their were penalties involved. Also, even when off the ice, you had to look the part, as people knew that you were in the Capades, meaning hair done, the artificial nails, and makeup. It was seasonal work, and the hotel fees were paid by the girls, so you would share rooms, with as many girls as possible to keep costs down. Looks, was a huge part, as you were expected to look pretty, who wants to watch the un pretty overweight girl, even though she could skate her heart out. Also, when you complete, these are not your friends, they are your competition, remember that. Girls can be very catty. That in itself, can take away the joy of skating. But, I must admit, nothing feels more freeing, or better, then gliding on smooth ice, or landing a jump, or completing a spin. But remember, the human body was not meant to skate, and falling on hard ice hurts, and as you age, your body remembers those falls, that you brushed off as a youngster. Today, they sell crash pants, for practicing, why didn’t someone think of this back then. One owner of a rink, told me once, that he would hate to see my knees when I got old! I laughed then, I’m not laughing so much at that anymore. But, I still love the sport! My home rink, long ago closed, and it’s a produce junction now, but I can’t bring myself to shop there, as I loved my rink. I am hopeful that the sport will continue. Mental health issues have to be addressed, it should be required with a sports therapist, to help adjust to all the demands of the sport. Just in growing a few inches, throws everything off, and you have to adjust everything. ❤️⛸️

Russian national test skates are this weekend

Papadakis and Cizeron are the GOAT

i'm french i didn't know there was a documentary wi can help you with the translation

REVIEW THE TEST SKATES

Some definitively read too much on this. This video is Paula take on these stories. Her opinion.

10:38 "mainly most of the drama is kept in the russian side and the russians are not participating anymore, let alone their "cultural differences" DOESN'T REALLY LET THEM SEE how problematic some of the things are". This sentence comes from such a high moral ground, the western saying "oh yes they are barbarians not very developed like us so because of that they dont see it Like we DO, therefore they are wrong, we are right" . This sounds so arrogant.

No offense we talk about how Russian teams are terrible and don’t care about. But every high level sport doesn’t care about the individuals…agree to disagree i guess

yes pls rewiev russian test skates they are on the 24th and 25th

We need to remember we have heard only one side of this story.

Yeah figure skating is definitely dying. Especially after so many iconic legends are now retiring. But hopefully this small new generation can do something abt it. It's so sad.

Its a lot but also Sasha trusova just left eteri and will be training with her boyfriend at CSKA so more drama

Esta voz não é de Gabriela Papadakis!!

I'm sorry that GP was made to choose between her skating career vs motherhood, and that her skating colleagues gave her no support whatsoever. I'm glad that GP is speaking out to raise the level of awareness of the toxicity and misogyny in this sport, which I'm sure is well known amongst those who are actually in the sport. I hope there will be changes.

Paola, I’d love for you to get into synchronized skating this season! 🤍

Contrast this with Averbukh's interview of Anna Shcherbakova, which reveals her steely determination to win the gold medal. Aliona Kostornaya in her long interview claimed that Shcherbakova was the most abused skater in Eteri's stable, but Anna saw it all as the means of realising her ambition. I suggest that her success is more instructive than the failures of others to overcome adversity. What gave Anna the extraordinary strength to persevere and prevail when so many others, some famously around her, were breaking down? While Gabriella has suffered a lot, she overcame her obstacles too, and perhaps what made her succeed is worthy of admiration and contemplation.

I saw the documentary come out but I didn’t watch so I definitely will now - and yes the sport is super small here, but there was a huge scandal a couple years ago about a big coach being an abus3r and the head of the federation changed as a consequence of it all coming out. Personally, I know it hit everywhere because ppl, especially girls, started to speak up and even a former coach of my club went to prison bc girls filed complaints, so maaaany coaches including not big powerful camps were held accountable for their actions. Now, the head of the federation has changed again after the elections and we’re back with the old idiot but we have so little international names, and half of them don’t even train in France that it’d be hard to say if, if we had a big powerful camp, they’d be held accountable if they were bad…

I know i’ll get hate for this, but if you look at Illia’s skating foot, he does 1/4 rotation on the ground…

I thought this was going to be talking about parts of the documentary with english subs but it's just gossip based on a quote really kind of out of context of the entire story ( documentary).

I just miss russians in international competitions cuz they just hit different, also yay Kaori Sakamoto won 1st in worlds yayayyayayy

Look , let’s be realistic about achieving ( the highest ) success in ANY sphere : it takes GRIT , sacrifice, blood, sweat and ( buckets of ) tears . And ( being realistic about biology and human physiology) - a WOman trying to achieve ( any / most forms ) of athletic prowess/ success - will be generally “handicapped” by the fact that a woman’s body ( hampered by those womanly curves , higher BMI , problematic monthly surges of female hormones ) was evolutionarily developed primarily for procreation and continuation of the ( human) species . So , if any person ( woman or man ) is aiming for 🥇🥇🥇, the HIGHEST prize ( and NOT merely second best ) - then you either FOCUS ( with steely determination ) and do what it ( legitimately ) takes , or not ( as the case may be ) .

You should talk about the Shoma stuff. Apparently he knew his ‘gf’ when she was 13 and he was 17. And he’s a huge misogynist. We don’t stand for that

Papadakis drama is Eteris fault as usual

I would love if Olympia would be age restricted at age 18.

Respectfully, I do not agree with your conclusions or comments. And no, Guillaume and IAM do NOT have to respond to what Gabriella has said.

As a Native American I’d like to see more diversity in skating.

test skates was in 24-25

it's sad that the 4a was so overshadowed by the toxicity and drama

When everyone thinks abortion is "just a medical procedure", you don't get to be appalled when it is traumatic for the woman. Papadakis kind of reaped the fruits of her own beliefs.

That “It was not said out of malice” thing really sounds like an attempt to rationalize the lack of empathy and support Gabi received from her teammate and her coaches. The whole situation is shocking and now it makes me think that perhaps that’s why they decided to make Guillaume the focal point of their two Olympic programs

French skating fed treats their athletes as disposable. Seeing Mae Meite and Kevin Aymoz being sent to competition with injuries and putting them at further risk… ugh

Oh my gosh! She murdered a baby for sport. How cruel.