Join us for our fourth stop on the grand prix road trip as we recap the NHK trophy!In ice dance, the Shibutanis took us out for a night in Japan, and Flip might still be on the dance floor at the club. Meanwhile, Guignard and Fabbri faced off with Fear and Gibson in what might be their last meeting before Europeans, but can Guignard and Fabbri overtake Fear and Gibson as the season heats up?Over in men’s, it was the most predictable podium on paper, but who saw Shun Sato and Yuma Kagiyama ending up this close? The pairs event brought another nail-biter between Conti and Macii and Pavlova and Sviatchenko, while the women’s field delivered one of the strongest showdowns of the season, with Kaori, Loena, and Sofia rockin the podium. Will Loena and Sofia skate their way into the Grand Prix Final?Listen to find out our thoughts and delusional takes!
We're saska-tuning out the judges moving forward for the rest of the season, but please, come join us as we recap this weekend's happenings at Skate Canada!In the women’s field, Canada’s Olympic race is heating up: Maddie Schizas vs. Sara Maude Dupuis- who’s got the edge? And is Gabby Daleman still in the mix? Meanwhile, the Sarah Everhardt betrayal stuns everyone- can she bounce back stronger at NHK? The podium was as expected but still delightful: Mone Chiba, Isabeau Levito, and Ami Nakai took the top three spots.The men’s event? Everyone brought it, yes, even last place Aleksa Rakic, who rocked the house along with the other canadian men. Ilia Malinin delivered one of the calmest, most commanding skates of his career, and Kevin Aymoz screamed at the judges, thank you, Kevin.In pairs, Deanna Stellato Dudek and Max Deschamps silenced any doubters (how dare you ever doubt them) with a powerhouse performance that firmly cements their podium potential.As for dance, let’s just say the vibes were off. Where is this season going? Not the ending we were hoping for, but the conversation’s just getting started.
Walley and Flip are back to unpack all the Cup of China drama. Amber Glenn looks composed and confident, maybe even on track for another undefeated start. Alysa Liu’s Lady Gaga revival has us questioning her Olympic prep timeline, and Rino Matsuike’s 65-point short with 30 in components? Judges need to find god.In ice dance, Chock and Bates debuted their zebra and bull era with mixed results, Green and Parsons’ Twizzle fall sparked concern, and Smart and Dieck delivered one of the strongest rhythm dances of the event.On the men’s side, Tomoki Hiwatashi brought star power, Shun Sato stunned, Daniel Grassl became the pope, and Mikhail Shaidorov was treated unfairly.Pairs brought the drama too- Metelkina and Berulava’s lift nearly stopped our hearts, while Sui and Han made a surprise return. It’s early-season chaos in full form, and we’re here for every questionable costume, underscored skate, and moment of brilliance.
This week, we're recapping Grand prix de France! Ilia Malinin takes it home in the men’s event in just an absolute shocking turn of events, Adam Siao Him Fa stages another of his signature free skate comebacks, Nika Egadze goes for a sail, and Gabriele Frangipani counts to four.The Japanese women continue to impress and exhibit complete perfection, leaving us plotting how to sneak an extra Olympic spot or two their way.Things feel completely despondent over in ice dance, rich with injustices and more disturbing shake-ups looming for the rest of the season.0:50 - 12:01 Grand prix de France Women's Recap12:02 - 16:59 Grand prix de France Pairs Recap17:00 - 27:25 Grand prix de France Men's Recap27:26 - 39:29 Grand prix de France Ice Dance Recap39:30 - 46:16 Breaking news and Cup of China preview
Walley and Flip are so back. This week, we’re recapping the Denis Ten Memorial Challenger and a handful of early domestic events. The season has only just begun, but there’s already a lot to talk about.Keegan Messing made his return at a Canadian event, but the scoring left us with some questions. With just one Olympic spot available for Canadian men, the competition is already intense. We also get into the growing conversation around Mikhail Shaidorov and Ilia Malinin’s skating skills and how that comparison is playing out.On the women’s side, we’re applauding Bradie Tennell’s switch to Young and Beautiful for her short program. We’re also wondering whether Haein Lee might be finding her way back to the form that earned her a world silver in 2023. And with Maddie Schizas competing a lot this fall, we’re asking whether this strategy will help her build momentum or end up putting her Olympic spot at risk.We also talk about Oona and Gage Brown’s new free dance (and violent ending) to The Godfather.To close out the episode, we debut a new game - "Three Beats to Glory" where we each name three pieces of music a skater or team has used, and the other has to guess who we’re thinking of.Tune in for another fun episode!---00:00 Introductions01;02 Keegan Messing at Texas Trophy02:09 Bradie Tennell at Boston Open03:05 Adam Siao Him Fa shoutout03:48 Denis Ten Memorial Men recap (Mikhail Shaidorov)05:52 jump value discourse: are difficult combinations awarded appropriately? 08:49 Ilia Malinin vs. Mikhail Shaidorov skating skills?09:39 Denis Ten Memorial (Nika Egadze and Jason Brown)13:30 Den Ten Memorial Women recap (Haein Lee, Maddie Schizas)18:39 Denis Ten Memorial Ice Dance recap (Diana Davis/Gleb Smolkin, Oona/Gage Brown)
Walley and Flip are back to recap the final stretch of the pre-grand prix figure skating season from the Olympic Qualifier (aka Chinese Nebelhorn), to the actual Nebelhorn, and the Ondrej Nepela Memorial. With the Grand Prix series just around the corner, we’re breaking down the highs, lows, and head-scratchers from the final major Challenger events.We talk Amber Glenn’s fired-up Olympic campaign, Jia Shin’s quiet brilliance, and Isabeau Levito bringing back that sparkle. But not everyone impressed- Adelia Petrosian and Peter Gummenik fell short of sky-high Russian expectations, and we’re not holding back. The Italian men’s fight for just two Olympic spots is heating up, while the Italian women are leveling up fast.And of course, we crash out on the drama: Ice Dance travesties at the olympic qualifier, Rika Kihira switches to ice dance, USFS sabotaging their own skaters, programs that already need to be reworked, and Saki Miyake left without an NHK host spot?!00:00 Introductions02:30 Beijing Olympic Qualifier/Chinese Nebelhorn (Adelia Petrosian, Anastasia Gubanova, Loena Hendrickx, Peter Gummenik, Donovan Carrillo)15:45 Beijing Olympic Qualifier Ice Dance Judging Controversy (Wang/Liu vs. Majorov/Reitan)18:25 Rika Kihira switches to ice dance20:30 USFS (hopefully unintentionally) sabotaging Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy23:15 Yuna Aoki over Saki Miyake for the NHK host spot25:00 Nebelhorn Recap (Amber Glenn, Jia Shin, Isabeau Levito, Stephen Gogolev, Andrew Torgashev, Lukas Britschgi, Miura/Kihara vs. Hase/Volodin, Fear/Gibson, Carreira/Ponomarenko)37:30 Ondrej Nepela Recap (Lara Naki Gutmann, Anna Pezzetta, Kevin Aymoz, Matteo Rizzo, Daniel Grassl, Nikolaj Memola, Smart/Dieck, Taschlers, Green/Parsons, Tomi Guarino Sabate)49:00 Alysa Liu Short Program change
In this episode of Walley and Flip, we dive into the latest happenings in figure skating, starting with Flip’s dramatic Reddit cleanup and a few words on Ilia Malinin. The Lombardia Trophy takes center ice, with a packed men and women's field. The Ilia vs. Yuma rivalry heats up early in the season, while Nikolaj Memola cements himself as the Italian Stallion with crowd-pleasing charisma. Shun Sato, Kao Miura, and Adam Siao Him Fa round out a strong men's showing.Over in the women's event, Ami Nakai’s face card never declines, Lara Naki Gutmann emerges as the shark in the water with her fierce “Jaws” program, and the discussion of impending heartbreak continues for Japanese women as we harp on the limited Olympic spots, highlighting the intensity of the competition among elite talent like Rion Sumiyoshi, Rino Matsuike, and more.Pairs and Ice Dance get a quick recap, we also break down the Italian federation’s Olympic selection criteria, and preview what has felt like the mythical Beijing Qualifier event looming on the horizon.Timestamps:00:00 Ilia Malinin and Flip needs to delete her reddit04:44 Lombardia Trophy Men's Recap (Yuma Kagiyama, Nikolaj Memola, Shun Sato, Kao Miura, Maxim Naumov, Adam Siao Him Fa)13:19 Italian federation Olympic selection criteria14:59 Lombardia Trophy Pairs Recap15:46 Lombardia Trophy Women's Recap (Rion Sumiyoshi, Ami Nakai, Sarah Everhardt, Alysa Liu, Rino Matsuike, Alysa Liu, Lara Naki Gutmann)35:15 Lombardia Trophy Ice Dance Recap35:50 Bejing Olympic Qualifier Preview
This week on Walley and Flip, we break down what felt like the first legitimate competition of the season. We gush over Mone Chiba’s magical performance, send our prayers to Kao Miura and Wakaba Higuchi, and officially begin construction of a shrine for Saki Miyake- because who casually medals at their first international senior event at 22? Historic.We also briefly check in on the Bolero Cup, where Lilah and Lewis debuted their Spice Girls rhythm dance and very Scottish free dance.00:00 Opening and Flip was stung by a jellyfish01:45 Kinoshita Cup Women (Mone Chiba, Kaori Sakamoto, Saki Miyake, Bradie Tennell, Hana Yoshida, Wakaba Higuchi, Maddie Schizas, Rinka Watanabe)20:50 Kinoshita Cup Men (Jun Hwan Cha, Kao Miura, Jimmy Ma, Kazuki Tomono, Tomoki Hiwatashi)25:05 Kinoshita Cup Pairs (Miura/Kihara, Metelkina/Berulava)26:28 Kinoshita Cup and Bolero Cup Dance (Fear/Gibson, Lauriault/Le Gauc, Zingas/Kolesnik, Neset/Markelov)32:08 Lombardia Preview!!
This week on Walley and Flip, we attempt to tiptoe around our real thoughts on ice dance at French Masters (and the rest of the ice dance season)... but let’s be honest, they still come out. We've got opinions, and they don’t stay buried for long.Then it’s pairs time. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps bring the drama at the John Nicks Challenge - can backflips turn into backflops? What would John Nicks say? We also begin to preview US pairs race, with a few rising teams making their case for that third olympic spot.Quick, sharp, and a little snarky - just the way we like it.00:00 Introductions00:46 French Masters Ice Dance (Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier-Beaudry, Evgenia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud) + other ice dance nuggets14:42 French Masters Men's Recap (Kevin Aymoz, Adam Siao Him Fa, Francois Pitot, Luc Economides)20:09 Lea Serna vs. Lorine Schild for the olympic spot22:42 John Nicks Pairs Challenge (Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps)27:00 The US Pairs race (Spencer Howe & Emily Chan, Ryan Bedard & Chelsea Liu, Audrey Shin & Balazs Nagy)31:00 Closing
This week on Walley and Flip: A Figure Skating Podcast, we open up about our skating fan origin stories.Then we dive into the land of maple syrup and miraculous recoveries: the Canadian comebacks are coming in hot. We try to make sense of Gabrielle Daleman and Keegan Messing's return, and the chances of them making the Olympic team.We break down what little we know (and wildly speculate) about USFS Champs Camp and Summer Sizzler...where were the Shibtuanis?We also brace ourselves for this season’s 90s-themed Rhythm Dance- a theme that sounds fun until you remember some people think Macarena counts as choreography inspiration.And we debut a new game: “Whose Warhorse Is It Anyway?” - where one of us shouts out a classic overused (not necessarily negative) piece of music and the other has to yell out the first skater who comes to mind. No thinking, just instinct.---00:00 Opening and how we became fans of figure skating07:00 Canada comebacks (Gabrielle Daleman, Keegan Messing)13:25 Japanese women tangent15:50 Canada comebacks (cont'd)16:46 USFS champs camp and summer sizzler (+ shibutanis)23:30 Rhythm Dance 90's theme26:15 Program announcement highlights39:20 "Whose Warhorse is it Anyway?"
Walley and Flip have made their glorious return for the 2025-2026 season. Join the fabulous ladies as they share their thoughts on Sunset Boulevard, cranberry bogs, highlights from the Cranberry Cup, program announcements they are most excited for, potential upsets, skating conspiracy theories, and more!00:00 - Introductions02:15 - Cranberry Cup (cranberry bogs)03:30 - Cranberry Cup highlights (Sofia Samodelkina, Isabeau Levito, Jia Shin, Sonja Hilmer, Aleksandr Selevko, Roman Sadovsky, Stephen Gogolev, Sophie Jolene Von Felten, and MORE!)20:30 - Programs Flip is most excited for 22:00 - Yuma vs. Ilia24:30 - Programs Walley is most excited for26:20 - Upcoming competitions and closings
It's an off-season opener like no other! Sisters Walley and Flip are back and skating straight into the chaos, kicking things off with their takes on the headline of the moment: the Shibutanis' stunning return to competition after a 7-year retirement. But that's just the warm-up.The main event? A no-holds-barred breakdown of the Ice Academy of Montreal—figure skating's powerhouse factory. From its humble beginnings to its world-dominating rise, we unpack IAM’s coaching magic, the politics that swirl behind the scenes, their recent controversies, and where they might be heading next. Is their reign untouchable, or is the ice getting thin?0:00 Introduction and Shibutani's Return04:23 Marie France, Patrice, and Romain09:15 Gabi Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron/ + Laurence Fournier Beaudry09:54 Humble Beginnings/IAM's olympic history, Tessa and Scott15:25 Political Pull and Strategy16:30 Choreography22:25 Coaching Staff and Expansion23:44 Scott Moir and Opening of the London Campus25:40 IAM Culture and Controversies36:14 90's Rhythm Dance Theme38:40 Skate America Breaking News
Clear the ice and cue the dramatic lighting — the First Annual Walley and Flip Awards are here, and no, the ISU definitely did not approve this message.This week, your favorite sister duo is handing out the hardware in categories you won’t find on any official ballot. From the 🥇 Greatest Underdog Story to the 😬 Skater Treated Most Unfairly Award, get ready for awards you didn't know the skating world needed.While we don’t do a deep dive into World Team Trophy, expect some choice highlights and plenty of WTT side commentary. Think of this episode as the skating version of a group chat rant—if that group chat had microphones and a name.Come and celebrate the 2024-2025 season, because if the ISU won't give out the awards that matter (AKA Skater Most Likely to Abort a Jump)....we will!(also- trust me, you don't want to know the number of awards we edited out of this episode....)00:00 Introduction to the Walley and Flip Awards02:20 Greatest Underdog Story05:08 Most Entertaining Program07:05 Best Choreographed Program08:35 Best Skating Skills Showcased this Season09:34 Greatest Potential12:25 Most Likely to Abort a Jump13:35 Best Coach16:20 Best Skating Friendship18:30 Biggest WTF Moment20:57 Skater Treated Most Unfairly22:30 (TANGENT) Alysa vs Amber Components at World Team Trophy24:00 (TANGENT) Choreography discourse: Kaori and choreographic history (Marie France, Benoit, etc.)....Shae Lynn choreography (Yuma Kagiyama, Ilia Malinin, Sarah Everahrdt)28:39 Moment of the Year
This week on Walley & Flip, your favorite skating-obsessed sisters are diving blade-first into the history of the World Team Trophy — how it started, what makes it unique, what we can be excited about for this year’s showdown, and why some skaters "hate this event" (Scott, we're looking at you!)Then, we get down and icy as we discuss Stars on Ice and what happened to the golden age of ice shows? We talk about the rise and fall, the missed opportunities, and where we go from here. History, hot takes, and a little heartbreak — it’s all in this episode of Walley & Flip.00:00 - Introduction and off-season cadence1:13 - World Team Trophy (history, predictions, team captains)15:20 - Stars on Ice/Ice Shows21:50 - World Championships 2027 Announcement, Grand Prix schedule adjustment
Walley & Flip dive into the men and pairs competition at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. From bloody murder screaming in the stands to standing ovations galore, the energy was wild.The sisters discuss the disappointing pairs competition that left them scratching their heads, while also unpacking some of the disturbing pairs program choices that had the crowd questioning what they just witnessed. But let’s not forget about our beloved men—the guys delivered some unforgettable performances that had the sisters cheering and debating in equal measure. There’s no shortage of skating skills discourse, as the sisters dissect who nailed it and who came up short.00:00 - 01:03 Opening01:04 - 1:54 Alysa Liu Tales01:55 - 16:50 Pairs Recap (Stellato/Deschamps, Efimova/Mitrofanov, Kam/O'shea, Miura/Kihara, Hase/Volodin, Metelkina/Berulava, Conti, Macii)16:51 - 34:33 Mens recap (Ilia Malinin, Mikhail Shaidorov, Yuma Kagiyama, Adam Siao Him Fa, Deniss Vasiljevs, Jason Brown, Kevin Aymoz, Roman Sadovsky, Lukas Britschgi, Junhwan Cha, Nikolaj Memola)
Walley and Flip recap and react to the ice dance and women's events of the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. Walley and Flip don't hold back, sharing their thoughts on how the ice dance event turned into a bit of a mess, with more than a few surprising twists and turns. They reflect on the skaters who pushed the envelope and those who played it safe—and why it didn't always pay off.They also spotlight the women’s event, where injustices and powerful victories created unforgettable drama. From controversial calls to inspiring triumphs, Walley and Flip break down what made the competition truly memorable.00:00 - 01:30 Introductions01:31 -05:30 Women's podium recap (Alysa Liu, Kaori Sakamoto, Mone Chiba)05:31 - 12:14 Remaining women's results and highlights (Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, Wakaba Higuchi, Chaeyeon Kim, Kimmy Repond, Lara Naki Gutmann, Anastasia Gubanova)12:15 - 24:14 Ice Dance reactions (Smart/Dieck, Chock/Bates, Gilles/Poirier, Guignard/Fabbri, Lewis/Fear, Turkila/Versluis, Reed/Ambrulevičius, Davis/Smolkin, Taschlers, Mrazeks)24:15 - 25:54 We revisit the women's competition (Alysa Liu vs. Kaori Sakamoto)25:55 - 27:30 The "leader's chair"27:31 - 33:38 We revisit the current landscape of ice dance and present our closing thoughts
Join Walley & Flip for a quick figure skating pairs preview in their final episode before the World Championships—right before they hit the road to Boston! With so many teams capable of making it to the top of the podium, get ready for some fun discussion and a whole lot of confusion as they try (and fail) to agree on anything. Don’t expect to learn anything this episode!00:00 - 01:54 Introductions and a new figure skating baby01:55 - 03:05 Pairs Overview03:06 - 11:44 Top 6 worlds predictions 11:45 - 13:00 the US Pairs Teams (Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, Alisa Efimova, Misha Mitrofanov)13:01 - 15:20 Top 6 worlds predictions (continued)15:21 - 17:00 Final thoughts and closingInstagram: WalleyflippodcastEmail: Walleyflippodcast@yahoo.com
Join Walley and Flip as they dive into the chaos that will be the men's competition at the World Figure Skating Championships. So many men, so little time! They’ll lose their minds over the madness of it all—from too many notable skaters being at risk of not making the free skate, to the guy with a pizza and a dream trying to make it big.00:00 - 02:22 Introductions and nerves/pressure for worlds02:23 - 03:26 Tara Prasad03:38 - 04:52 Listener Feedback04:53 - 06:41 Setting the scene or the men's competition06:42 - 09:50 Selevbros09:51 - 13:55 The Japanese men (Yuma Kagiyama, Shun Sato, and Tatsuya Tsuboi)13:56 - 19:30 The American men (Ilia Malinin, Andrew Torgashev, Jason Brown + Deniss Vasiļjevs mention)19:31 - 23:35 The Italian Men (Daniel Grassl and Nikolaj Memola)23:37 - 25:15 The French men (Adam Siao Him Fa and Kevin Aymoz)25:16 - 25:54 Jun-hwan Cha25:55 - 27:06 Mikhail Shaidorov (+ Ilia components/PCS talk)27:07 - 27:25 Lukas Britschgi27:30 - 36:54 Our top 10 men's predictions and closing notes
Join Walley & Flip as they breakdown the top women who will be competing in Boston at the Figure Skating World Championships and predict the top 10 placements.00:00 - 03:40: Introductions and ticket drama03:41 - 05:09 Guillaume and Laurence instagram training clips05:10 - 06:13 Cat ear mishap06:14 - 10:31 Olympic spots on the line10:32 - 21:23 Breakdown of the top women competing at World Championships21:24 - 30:32 Top 10 predictions and closing
Join Walley & Flip as discuss the top 10 ice dance teams of the 2024-2025 season based on their current season's best score. Then, listen to them completely ignore reality (on Flip's end) with predictions for the top 10 at World Championships.Expect scientific analysis of Olivia Smart: Desert princess, the tragedy of sound of silence, and Paul's open back.00:00-02:13 Introductions and Announcements02:14-22:02 Breakdown of the top 10 Ice Dance teams ranked by seasons best22:03-25:00 Breakdown of other notable Ice Dance teams25:01 -33:33 Walley & Flip's predictions for top 10 at worlds