2026 Worlds Preview!

Yes, the skating is STILL happening.

This time on The Nice Capades…

• The post-Olympic Worlds is the most fun Worlds.

• Not so much a prediction as a dream.

• Some resources to help you get the most out of it.

• Three Non-Figure Skating Things: Pop Culture I Recently Liked

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For the last two weeks, I’ve been away from Atlanta, staying with family while Georgia Power does some utility work in my area. Between my dog losing her mind over stranger danger in the front yard and the potential for “unexpected power outages,” it seemed like a good idea to skip town.

I just returned this weekend to find the dreaded greenish yellow haze.

The Pollening is upon us.

My body immediately shut down as the full force of spring allergies hit me all at once, and I had to lay on the sofa for four hours upon arriving home. Today, I am slightly improved and able to stay upright for minutes at a time. Let’s see how far I can get with this newsletter before my allergies tell me I need a nap. (This is my primary allergy season symptom. Some people sniffle and have runny eyes. I can’t keep my eyes open. Spring is the Season of the Sleeps.)

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The figure skating season is almost over! Worlds is this week!

I absolutely love a post-Olympics Worlds. Sure, the Olympics is The Big Dance. The Prom. The night to remember and all that. But the World Championship right after the Olympics is the afterparty. Everyone’s hair is messed up, the seniors are drunk, people are nostalgic for something that hasn’t quite ended yet, and there’s a jovial delirium as you stay up later and later. And at least one person is going to end up crying rivers of mascara down their face. (I think it will be Kevin Aymoz.)

By the time these skaters get to Worlds, most of them are exhausted. They’ve spent the last four years putting all of their mental and physical energy into preparing for one event, and now it’s over. But they can’t completely blow off Worlds (at least most of them can’t) because they need to earn their country spots for NEXT year’s Worlds. And for some of them, they’re desperate to end the season OR THEIR CAREER on a positive note if the Olympics did not go as planned.

So there’s a loopy energy around a post-Olympics Worlds. In a stew of genuine exhaustion, high emotions, and preemptive grief, anything can happen. Not to mention that some of the season’s top skaters won’t be here, which already opened up some podium spots. Expect to be surprised by the outcomes here.

Stories to watch for:

• Redemption Skates. Think Ilia Malinin, Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson, Maddie Schizas, and the guy who didn’t get to skate his Joker free program in Milan. These skaters are fueled by the burning flames of destroyed Olympic dreams. Sometimes that leads to incredible skates. Sometimes it means they want it too much, and they crash even harder at Worlds.

• Last Skates. Though hardly anyone has announced their official retirement post-Worlds, you’re going to see a lot of skaters taking extra-long final bows and touching the ice one last time before they tearfully greet their coaches after the free. Kaori Sakamoto’s final bows will bring down the house. Again, this can go either way— a satisfying, beautiful final skate… or a final letdown and a resigned fake smile.

• Hungry Skates. Not everyone is retiring. In fact, for some skaters, a post-Olympic Worlds is the place to make a statement for the NEXT Olympics quad. We’re also likely to get a sense of who the judges might favor in the wake of many retirements. Should scores reflect what actually happens on the ice? Yes. But haven’t you learned by now that some skaters are more equal than others? PCS scores at this event could be telling. Watch for the next Diamonds of the Season to get personal best scores, covering their faces in shock, as their scores reflect a sudden jump in component scoring. I think we’re most likely to see this for Zingnik in Ice Dance, but I’m hoping the perennial fourth place Hungarian Pairs team see a boost, too.

• And finally— spot watch for next Worlds. Can Team USA keep three spots in all three disciplines with Chock/Bates out in Dance, KamO out in Pairs, and Jason Brown now out ( 😭) in Men? Looks dicey to me. Can Maddie Schizas channel her redemption energy all the way to a Top 10 finish, finally re-securing two spots for Canadian Women at Worlds? And what about Stephen Gogolev? Can he keep riding the wave of his breakout season for one last event, maybe earning a surprise medal and a second spot for Canadian Men? And what of Team Korea, notoriously forced to over-compete by their federation but loaded with talented juniors nipping at their heels? Can they summon up enough energy to ensure multiple spots for the Men and Women next year?

And, naturally, I will also be watching for Kiss and Cry hijinks amongst a group of skaters who are simply too tired to give a f*ck. Supposedly, the ISU is considering a proposal to formally punish skaters for complaining about scores next season, so I encourage all skaters to make exactly the facial expression they want at this Worlds.

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A brief Worlds podium wishlist with no explanation other than these are not predictions so much as what I would personally ENJOY.

• Kaori, Amber, and some how Julia Sauter.

• Yuma, Ilia, and Gogo

• Piper/Paul, Lopareva/Brissaud (Euro dance club Frenchies), Zingnik

• Minerva/Nikita, Alisa/Misha, Hungarians

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If you’re trying to figure out how to watch in your area or if you can squeeze in the Women’s Event between meetings at work, So You Want to Watch Figure Skating has all the details.

For previews on what to expect in each discipline and other Worlds related content, check Rocker Skating, The Runthrough, fs.skatingstan, and Scoreography.

And if you’re interested in my live commentary, I’m most likely to share that on Instagram.

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Three Non-Figure Skating Things: Three Pieces of Pop Culture I Enjoyed This Week

• Culture Study did a podcast episode analyzing the celebrity image of Hilary Duff with Allie Jones of Gossip Time. This was delightfully fluffy and thoughtful at once, which is my Platonic ideal of a pop culture analysis. (Spotify)

• Are you irritated about the Bratzified American Girl dolls and want to read someone else being mad about it in a smart way? Here you go! (Patreon)

• It’s really hard to find TV show to watch with my parents. They use their DVR to record every single possible network crime show (there are so many more NCIS variations than you think), and they think the sit-coms I like are mean or weird or both. We intersect sometimes— we love Schitt’s Creek and Only Murders in the Building, and we can all agree on Jeopardy. I suggested we try watching The Burbs on Peacock because it was promoted as similar in tone to Only Murders. After watching the full season, I would say it’s a cousin to Only Murders, but not quite as clever. Still, we did enjoy watching it together, and we got pretty into guessing what would happen in the finale. It was sort of a cozy mystery? Anyway, if you need something to watch with your parents, this is not a terrible choice. A gentle, warm bath of a crime show with some genuinely amusing characters.

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What’s Next: On Thursday, paid subscribers will get my mid-Worlds hot takes. Which, depending on how things go, could just be mild takes. And then everyone will get a Worlds Debrief newsletter next weekend!