u/Full_Extension_558

Or, what are your favorite aspects of Ilia's skating?

Having seen Ilia skate live at SOI I will say that the tightness, height and rotational speed of his jumps truly is incredible. It's one thing to see it on TV, a whole different experience (and appreciation) seeing it live. His flow and speed in general are also impressive in person. His performance skills really are top-notch, he can perform to the rafters. It's not JUST charisma, though that plays a part, but it's musicality and expressing the character of the music.

Less tangible, I appreciate how he doesn't rest on his laurels but continues to work and improve upon all aspects of his skating. Also, this can't really be measured and quantified, but I am truly impressed by his willingness to be vulnerable and share his emotional/inner journey on ice with the audience.

https://x.com/suggestme_name/status/2068004992985035242

I've been looking for a breakdown of this step sequence for a while.

video made by minimum verstappen (@/suggestme_name).

I've been following the ISU Congress thread on the main board, but was curious if there are any thoughts on the proposed changes?

The athlete round table on athletes and the impact of social media should be interesting.

At the Mississippi SOI show, during the closing number, a fan threw an item onto the ice right before Ilia was going at full speed around the parameter of the rink to do his final backflip. It was, honestly, a bit nerve wracking because he was going so fast, and about to go into the backflip and I don't even want to think about what would have happened if....

Amber hadn't quickly grabbed the item off the ice. I saw her say something to the crowd, but was too far away to hear it, but I'm sure it was something along the line of "don't throw things on the ice."

Just wanted to share that little anecdote because it was just such a perfect example of Amber looking after her fellow skaters/friends.

One of my biggest takeaways/revelations from seeing Ilia live, is just how truly WOW the backflip(s) are in person. I've always been "pro backflip" as it were, if Ilia, or Adam or any other skaters wanted to do a backflip in their programs, they should to their heart's content.

But seeing it live is really a completely different experience than seeing it on TV. I GET the crowds' wild reactions now. Seeing 6 back flips in a row at Southaven, was unbelievable. My jaw dropped and I was laughing in disbelief after he hit the 4th, then the 5th, and then the final one.

And the back flip can be such a thing of beauty, the extension -- esp in the IWMFLY back flip, the height, the distance, the running edge. And let's not even begin on the variation with the clap/grab skate behind his back in the finale...

Does anyone else have a much greater appreciation of the back flips seeing them live?

What a journey it has been huh? Going into February I would have never expected to have been so pulled back into figure skating after years away from the sport. I def would not have expected to go to any (let alone 3!) SOI shows (I'll be living off a $1.00 hot dogs for the next year, but it's worth it, i tell myself). And I would not have expected to take a plunge and get a reddit account after lurking for such a long period.

But it's has been an unexpected, but wonderful ride. Ilia has recaptured my love for figure skating like no one else, and thanks to him, I discovered so many incredible artists, and remembered why I love this sport that we call figure skating so much.

This community is incredible. The fans who went to the shows and make high quality videos at the star gazers and shows - thank you! Especially to idisccc and jjuice11, I'm so thankful and grateful for your skills and commitment. But I also did not expect to feel so much about the end of the season. (What do you mean there's not going to be any more daily content?)

And of course, to Ilia, even though I doubt he lurks here. What can I say? Just thank you for everything you've given to us. While I'm of course wowed by Ilia's skating and performance skills, I'm even more impressed with who he is as a person. I'm looking forward to seeing him over these next months and years exactly as he wants to give us, as an athlete, artist, performer, and a person.

Another show to add to the calendar! :)

Info from the Ilia Society https://x.com/TheIliaSociety/status/2059603716727329214 via Eddie Shipstad's instagram.

Ilia will be performing along with Chock & Bates and Andrew Torgashev.

Are there any skating choreographers you would want to see Ilia work with? (Besides the incredible Shae-Lynn)

I know he's all over the place collecting team jackets, but I would love to see what an Ilia - Benoit collab would look like (Ilia finally does Bolero ;) )

Or maybe Misha Ge or Kaitlyn Weaver -- I love her vision as a choreographer, and her Heads Will Roll piece for Amber is one of my favorite Amber programs.

But my top choice would be the forever voidy and gifted Rohene Ward.

I'm horrible at reviews since I was just trying to soak everything in, and it all seemed to go so fast. But here are some brief, stream of consciousness impressions. Please feel free to add your impressions/review etc. :)

Overall impressions, if you are able to go - it is SO worth it. My first time seeing SOI and it was fantastic, the performances were excellent, the pace was good, I enjoyed the group numbers a lot more than I thought I would. They all brought their A game, and I'm still smiling.

Ilia: He is SO well loved. I can't even begin to tell you... The applause and roaring cheers he got before he skated to "A Voice" gave me goosebumps. I loved seeing A Voice both the snippet of the program and the costume in person. Alas I wish I was on the 'judges' side so I could see his ending pose face forward though! I also wish it was longer, which is funny it seemed a perfect length watching the clips of it, but seeing it live it goes by so fast and I was just trying to absorb it all. But it was just perfect. I know his jumps and Iliabauer gets the (well deserved) credit. But his spins are so fast and gorgeous.

IWMFLY: His charisma is off the charts, of course; but skating wise I was sooo impressed with his flow and speed.

Lose Yourself/Jump Around : Seeing the entire program live, I am a FULL blown fan of this program. He sold me on it, and then some. This is the type of program that it is such a different experience seeing live. The highlight of the night for me. Okay, confession time, so being a grown ass adult, and old enough to be Ilia's (young ;) )mom I wanted to be dignified and all that. ;) His jumps in Lose Yourself/Jump Around were so impressive - tight, fast rotations and great height, I might have involuntarily let out an audible woo at one or two points. But seriously, it's one thing to see his jumps on the screen, it's another thing to see them live. It's also clear that he is having a lot of fun with this program, and that was great to see.

Group Numbers: My favorite was the opening number, the music, the costumes, and Ilia is the "star" of the number. It was, a great way to start the entire show, and Ilia is a force in this number. Too Darn Hot. I'm exhausted just watching this! This is a really fantastic program, with a lot of intricate choreography and a lovely show piece for Jason Brown, much like the opening one was for Ilia. Green tuxedo rose program: I liked this a lot better than I thought I would seeing it live! The charisma and charm and little choreography moves sells it. Ending Number: Lovely Iliabauer and his speed going into the back flip was INSANE.

ETA: the back flips. I've always liked them, but YES again, it is so different seeing them live. Just incredible

Going to SOI tonight (my first SOI show--ever!) and the star gazer before hand. Star Gazer tickets are for 3:30 PM. But from previous shows' advice it sounds like it is best to show up about 1 hour early for the Star Gazer in case the line is extra long/slow.

However, the email/everything I read online all notes that parking at the AllState Arena doesn't open until 4:00 PM

Has anyone attended a Stargazer at Rosemont before? What is the parking situation?

Thank you!

Now that the SOI tour is half-way over...

For those of you who have seen Ilia skate live, what stands out the most compared to watching him on T.V./streaming? I've seen posts mention how his command on the ice and performance is just at a whole different level seeing it live than just seeing it through the screen. And I have no doubt that's true for a lot of other skaters too. What surprised you the most?

Feel free to humble brag about seeing Ilia skate live ;) :)

From the Ilia Society:

https://x.com/TheIliaSociety/status/2050015920727412874

This is one of my first few Broadways, so I think anything that I'd love to see is just the energy, excitement, and, of course, the musicals. I think that's something that I'm really looking forward to.”