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Hi everyone! I hope this crazy week is finding you well. Last weekend was a bonanza of sports and the results… were a mixed bag. Skate America was delightful, if mostly predictable. Standouts included Ilia Malinin landing a quad axle, Amber Glenn getting her first grand prix podium finish, and Kaitlyn Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker announcing themselves as new rivals to Chock & Bates. I’m here for it—especially Kaitlyn and Jean-Luc’s routine set to music by Desi Arnaz of I Love Lucy fame!
Sadly, not everyone was kind to Kaitlyn this weekend—she posted about it on Instagram here (content warning: discussion of eating disorders). Take some time to watch it please, as Kaitlyn wants to make sure we’re all doing our best to protect the younger generation from buying into archaic body image standards.
Elsewhere, the UCLA football team is no longer undefeated and we’ll need to wait a while for Mikaela Shiffrin to make her season debut as the weather in Austria was too poor for skiing. The men’s event did take place on Sunday, however, with Team USA’s Tommy Ford returning in peak form. Watch his race below.
This weekend, we have Skate Canada, the second stop of the Grand Prix figure skating circuit. The biggest news out of this for me is that our friendly neighbors to the north, ice dancers Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles, will be skating to a routine set to the music of Evita! I’m so excited—it’s the perfect intersection of my love for theatre and sports. Some other big names to watch include reigning world champ Shoma Uno of Japan, American Lindsay Thorngren (making her senior debut), and You Youn of South Korea (who came in 6th place at Beijing 2022).
Sidebar: Did you know that skaters only need to compete in two of the six Grand Prix events to qualify for the championship in December? I learned that recently! Hence why most of the people at Skate America will not be in Ontario, Canada.
In addition, we have the NWSL final, with the Portland Thorns taking on the Kansas City Current in Washington, D.C.! There’s a great preview here, with statistics, season history, and a rundown of who to keep an eye on. There’s also the second leg of FINA World Cup swimming. And apparently, Speed Skating is back, too!
Next week, the World Gymnastics Championships begin November 1 in Liverpool, England, with Team USA hoping to secure a number of top-place finishes. While the big stars like Simone Biles and Suni Lee are not competing, both the men and women’s contingent have a strong chance to do well. I’m particularly curious to see how Brody Malone, Donnell Whittenburg, Leanne Wong, Jordan Chiles (a fellow Bruin) do. No matter what, this is an exciting open field for Team USA with a few faces you’ll recognize from Tokyo 2020! Look out for China, Japan, and Brazil to give it everything they got to keep the Americans from winning. The event kicks off with qualifications this weekend, but Peacock will begin the main competition streaming on Tuesday. Check out ESPN’s full guide to the event.
P.S. The NYC Marathon is coming soon on November 6! If you're in the city or running, let me know. I'll be cheering from Sunset Park, Williamsburg, 1st Ave on UES, and Central Park entrance on 5th Ave.
P.P.S. The World Series begins today, with the Phillies taking on the Houston Astros in Texas.
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