SportsEducation

The Skating Session

Tony Wheeler & Thomas Vu

Hosted by lifelong figure skating fans Tony Wheeler and Thomas Vu, The Skating Session dives deep into the world of competitive figure skating with sharp analysis, historical context, and a millennial lens. From dissecting Grand Prix assignments to unpacking Olympic rule changes and iconic comebacks, Tony and Thomas bring decades of fandom and a critical eye to the ice. Whether you're a seasoned fan or a returning viewer from the golden age of the 90s, this show offers smart, opinionated, and informed commentary on the sport’s past, present, and future.

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https://www.theskatingsession.com

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28 episodes
Avg 1 hr 26 min
English

Episodes 28

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Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

S2 · E17
January 12 · 1 hr 44 min
2026 US National Championships Competition Review & Insight
Tony and Thomas are back from St. Louis and ready to talk all things National Championships. Running on zero sleep, we highlight all four disciplines, the no-surprise Olympic announcements, some of the insights we heard from skaters, officials, and fans throughout the week, and some of our favorite moments and run-ins with former champions and skating personalities. Watch us on YouTube!
S2 · E16
Dec 9, 2025 · 1 hr 39 min
Grand Prix Final Event Review [Part 2] - Ice Dance Deeper Dive & Women
Watch on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/145468805 (No YouTube this week, they don't want us showing elements!) Tony and Thomas complete recapping the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. As seems to be requested most heavily, we do a deeper dive into the dance event and compare the elements of the top teams against the all-but-forgotten about GOE scoring rubric. We share our opinions of the results between the top two and the heated battle for the bronze medal, and then briefly recap the women's competition. Enjoy!
S2 · E15
Dec 8, 2025 · 1 hr 21 min
Grand Prix Final Event Review [Part 1]
Tony and Thomas are back with their first of two videos recapping the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. 30 years of this event, and it's the last time contenders from both Europeans and Four Continents nations will face off against each other before the Olympic Games. This first video focuses on the pairs and mens competitions, with a brief look at ice dance. Tomorrow, we will deep-dive the dance event and also review the women's competition. Enjoy!
S2 · E14
Nov 30, 2025 · 1 hr 36 min
Question & Answer Week; Reaction to Ice Dance Judging Video
Tony and Thomas are back on this “off week” in preparation for the Grand Prix Final. We have some updates on the response from our Finlandia judging video, including reactions around the Internet and through the ISU as well as a current competitor writing to us about all of it. We also opened up the forum this week to ask questions that you would like us to answer and discuss. Enjoy! Link to YouTube videos of edges: The Four Figure Skating Turns Thomas’ “Technical Panel” Youtube videos: @thetechnical panel Olympic qualifying document / SkatingScores charts: USFS Oly Selection Criteria Skating Scores Women's Chart Skating Scores Men's Chart Skating Scores Pairs Chart Skating Scores Dance Chart ISU Technical Documentation The Technical Requirements for 2025/2026 Ice Dance Scoring Rules & Rubric Scale of Values
S2 · E13
Nov 23, 2025 · 2 hr 7 min
Grand Prix #6 - Finlandia Trophy Competition Review
Tony and Thomas are back after the SOS ice dance judging rant yesterday with a full review of the sixth and final Grand Prix regular season stop, Finlandia Trophy. Were there more ice dance shenanigans in the free dance? What was the fallout of the scoring yesterday? As always, a review of all four disciplines plus mention of who we will see in two weeks at the Grand Prix Final. Hopefully by then, Tony's voice and his health will be back to normal. Enjoy!
S2 · E12
Nov 21, 2025 · 26 min
SOS Ice Dance Judging - Special Episode on Finlandia Trophy Rhythm Dance & Reaction
You know something is up when we break our normal upload schedule to bring you a special episode on the ice dance technical panel calling that ramped up last week at Skate America and has continued this week at Finlandia Trophy. Shawn Rettstatt, head of the ice dance technical committee, is the technical controller in both events. Although not the be-all end-all of the scores, we discuss some of the element calls we saw in the rhythm dance today. And for the millionth time, we beg for the complete overhaul the discipline needs. See it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/2DZ3Kx3HTIk
S2 · E11
Nov 17, 2025 · 1 hr 38 min
Grand Prix #5 - Skate America Competition Review
Tony reports in from Lake Placid while Thomas breaks things down from home as they dissect Skate America from every angle, from NBC’s Chock/Bates-centric coverage and slow-twizzle discourse to the tech panel’s quad Lutz calls on Kevin Aymoz and Shoma Uno, Jason Brown’s Riverdance short, and the judging trends shaping the men’s field. They dig into standout dance performances from the Browns and Lajoie/Lagha, analyze the error-streaked Men's event, and have a heartfelt moment talking about fan favorite Wakaba Higuchi.
S2 · E10
Nov 8, 2025 · 2 hr 8 min
Grand Prix #4 - NHK Trophy Competition Review
Tony and Thomas are moving right along with the Grand Prix series, this week with stop number four in Osaka, Japan for the NHK Trophy. A lengthy discussion about the dance event and the return of the Shibutanis keeps us over two hours! As always, we also highlight the pairs, mens, and women's competitions and share some of our favorite moments of the week. Enjoy, and please remember to subscribe and like!

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