Innovations! Blog #3 by Elliana & Alex

Hello from Debrecen!

The competition is officially underway here, with the mens and the pairs short program events already in the books.  Team USA had some outstanding performances, with Vincent Zhou and Tomoki Hiwatashi sitting in 4th and 6th respectively.  We cheered them on as they skated well and earned ISU personal best scores!  Team USA pairs skaters Chelsea Liu & Brian Johnson, Lindsay Weinstein & Jacob Simon, Joy Weinberg & Max Fernandez sit in 5th, 8th and 10th place, respectively, going into the Free Skate event.

For the ice dancers, we had a final short dance practice plus our official draw.  Igor and Fabian coached us to a great practice!  We love our “Sweet and Tender Beast” short dance and keep it fresh for new audiences (and panels) by changing the emotion ever so slightly from performance to performance.  It has been a way for us to keep our on-ice chemistry palpable for those watching, plus it keeps the program ever evolving.  The program has so many complexities — the key points of the Starlight Waltz, the nuance of the way that Alex caresses Ellie’s face, the blind entrance to our circular step sequence —  that on any given day, it can have as many twists and turns as a Rubik’s Cube.  And  yes, the Rubik’s Cube is our Innovation of the day! 

Invented by Hungarian architect Erno Rubik, this novelty puzzle toy swept through the world more than 30 years, yet still has a place on the desks of many scientifically-minded people. Whether one finds the cube relaxing or frustrating (hmmm — similar to some days at the rink!), everyone is intrigued by it.

Thanks for reading our blog!
Ellie & Alex