Winnie_20

But without stuffies and flowers. :-(

Team Japan is so awesome in The Hague! It’s wonderful to be able to sit so close to the action. Too bad about the stream, though, even my iphone’s recordings are better, lol.

Shoma and Rika are coming to The Hague! Last year Rika came but Shoma WD, I anticipate the reverse this time...

Just gonna leave this here... Remember this is a promo for a FS event in the Netherlands. *coughs and grins*

Oh thank goodness!! A skater who actually has a HOBBY! Go go Shoma, stick with it!!

Yes well, two of the French guys are not coming. Kevin is the only one still coming. Apparently. edit: been looking for source info, sorry. One came from the ffsg on twitter, reportedly, but I am not a twitter user. I saw both reported WD on GS in the assignments topic. Let’s hope it’s just rumors, but knowing the French GP track record...

Hey Sota, there's two spots open at IdF! Okay, it's really really really short day (never mind the airfare would be too high for the paper-medals-so-obviously-not-too-rich French fed), but still.

Yes. :-)

Wait, where did this come from?! https://www.eurovisionsports.tv/isu/infront/ Infront...?

Aaaaaand... I bought the VPN for nothing! Because, lo and behold... the NOS and the Netherlands are no longer on the list!! https://www.isu.org/figure-skating/news/news-fsk/12731-where-to-watch-isu-grand-prix-of-figure-skating-series-2019?templateParam=15 (Yes, I know I can cancel the VPN service, but I'm not going to. It's honestly been on my To Do list for ages, I just never made the time and effort to look into it until now. Glad I've done so now. plenty of opportunities to use it still.)

Oddly enough, I can see them listed fine... and no hint whatsoever that the actual stream might be blocked. Would be funny if I just bought a VPN for nothing (nah, not nothing, I have been in need of one for quite a while, it was actually an item on my To Do list, lol). Tomorrow evening, we will know the truth!

From the sounds of it, it was a package deal everywhere. And of course a very high asking price. Dutch NOS probably paid whatever they had to to obtain the license for the speed skating... and got useless FS license along with it. For most other countries, it would be the other way around, lol. I wonder how many will bother airing or streaming any of the huge amount of speed skating they now have the rights to?! ;-)

sillycinnamon: well, shoot, if they sold it as a package to your home country, then that pretty much confirms my fear that that's what's happened to the Netherlands, too. Meaning there's no chance in heck I can watch FS either on television, nor on NOS livestream, nor on youtube. Because the NOS would *never* show figure skating, no matter how many broadcasting licences they have. edit: I have decided I don’t need more drama in my life, and so I have bought a VPN. Got a good deal, I think, just over 3 euros per month for three years, so that should take care of all this stupidity for the time being. :-)

Yes, horrible wasteland. Nebelhorn Trophy, Bavarian Open, that event in Dortmund... You’re very lucky. ;-)

Tsk. The NOS do *not* broadcast or stream figure skating, EVER, with the exception of the winners at Worlds, if you're lucky to happen to catch it. So if the ISU are claiming the NOS have the broadcasting rights for the figure skating GP, that means either they somehow managed to sell it in a full package together with the speed skating, or else they're simply lying and don't want to have to deal with blocking speed skating but not figure skating, and just block the whole thing. Either way, it sounds like I'm screwed and will have to look into a VPN. Never put a Dutch speed skater in charge of the ISU. *sigh* I'm sure he's perfectly happy with how this is turning out.

What network would that be, then? I thought the sole exception to the European rule are the nordic countries and Russia.

I haven't watched figure skating with commentary in years, except for a few instances when Yuzu and Shoma skated, just out of curiosity to hear what they said. Otherwise, long live the no-commentary livestreams. Sure hope we'll get that with youtube, too... Or at least optional no commentary. But considering the stream is accessible to the whole world, I doubt very much they'd be stupid enough to provide a single audiotrack, ie English commentary.

I'm so excited about this news still! I love Daisuke and I love ice dancing and just the idea of seeing him on the ice in competitions again... yeaaaassss!

... wow. *mutters under her breath* Please don't get injured, please don't get injured, please don't get injured.

Source? More info? Anything? Argh!! LOL thanks, we posted at the same time, it seems. Okay, June 21st it may very well be, then. Guess I can sit back and relax. Actually, I can sit back and relax, regardless. I decided I was upset enough about missing both Finnish and French GPs last season due to sad personal circumstances, that I might just as well make up for it and buy tickets for the French GP. So I did. I don't really care who shows up (although am partial to Papadakis/Cizeron and the Russian and Japanese girls), as long as *I* show up.

Thanks. :-) It's my first time amongst such a crowd, and it's standing. Outside. I'm terrified!!! I'm not sure I even dare bring my smartphone (I live at walking distance from the outdoor venue, so don't really need to bring anything with me.) But, but, but... no smartphone means no checking GP assignments. Ugh! What do I do, risk my phone being stolen and risk my friend being mad at me for checking my smartphone every couple of seconds instead of enjoying Phil (and Sheryl Crow)? Or risk missing the assignments altogether. Chcoices.

Oh, great... sure, let's release the assignments when I'm standing amongst a 60,000 people crowd listening to Phil Collins.

LOL lady at BBC commentary on telly now calls him not human, half robot half alien. *giggle*

Am I right in understanding they mean she'll be doing a 4S in the first half *of the free skate* and a 3A in the second half of the free skate? Cuz I thought they were talking about the first and second half *of the season*, and that makes zero sense, lol.

I already was a big fan of team Japan, but seeing them all so up close again last week... *hearts* I think I prefer Wakaba and Yuma over Rika and Sota, though. Better at drawing the audience in. :-) And Sara Honda... I hope we continue to hear more about her next season. Hanna Yoshida (last year’s winner in the same category here) doesn’t seem to have skated many competitions this year, or...?