Last week, the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating began with the NHK Trophy in Nagoya, Japan. The way the series works is that senior-level skaters are assigned to represent their countries based on their previous competitive placements and international ranking.  

Skaters in the Grand Prix earn points based on their placements. The six skaters in each singles category (men and ladies) and six teams in each category of pairs and dance who earn the most points out of the six Grand Prix competitions move on to the Grand Prix Final.

Many of the top skaters in the world skate in the Grand Prix series, so it’s good to follow to increase your skating knowledge.

The International Skating Union (ISU) websitehas information on each Grand Prix event as well as all the major international skating competitions each year.

Here’s a recap of the NHK Trophy by PJ Kwong at CBCSports.ca: NHK Trophy event offered dramatic twists.  

For inspiration, here are videos of the gold- and silver-medalists in singles from the NHK Trophy. This is the beginning of the international season, so the skaters’ programs will become even stronger as the season progresses!

Here’s the short program of the NHK ladies champion, Carolina Kostner from Italy:

Here’s the long program of the NHK ladies silver medalist, Rachael Flatt from the USA:

Here’s the short program of the NHK men’s champion, Daisuke Takahashi from Japan:

Here’s the short program of the NHK men’s silver medalist, Jeremy Abbott from the USA: