August Continues: More Early Season Updates!

It’s Sunday afternoon; and I spent the weekend fighting for dominance at Trader Joe’s, deep diving on reviews for blurring powder for “pale, mature, acne-prone skin,” and checking skating scores. So we’re back to normal!

This time on The Nice Capades…

• I guess we’re handing out neutral status like it’s after dinner mints.

• Early competitions are something but not nothing.

• Three things I risked my life for at Trader Joe’s. Maybe not my life. But my mental health, for sure.

Meanwhile in Russia… the ISU is applying the same level of scrutiny to “neutral” athletes as a college town bouncer examining a fake ID.

This week, the list of the ISU’s approved “neutral” athletes expanded to include Kamila Valieva and Alexandra Trusova.

Given that one of Kamila’s pinned posts on Instagram is her standing alongside Putin, it now seems clear that the ISU will definitely not be applying their own criteria to achieve neutral status. At this point, I question why they are even bothering with the “neutral” label. If they’re just going to approve everyone, why not just reverse the ban completely and just own what they’re doing, which is letting the Russians back in without any real limitations? They would still catch a lot of heat, but it would be honest.

Supposedly, the application for neutral status is just an attestation that they promise to be neutral. There’s multiple people on social media claiming this is true, but there’s no hard evidence, so take it with some healthy skepticism. That said… given the number of eyebrow raising athletes now considered “neutral,” it feels accurate. Basically, it would appear the ISU handed out a DARE pledge to a bunch of teenagers on the first day of high school and called them drug-free.

More interesting to me: Sasha Trusova will now compete under her married name, Sasha Ignatova. This makes sense in the context of Russian culture, which is traditional. Of course she is taking the name of her mid-tier figure skating husband, even though she is the one with an Olympic silver medal and the name recognition. I’m sure she’s changing her competitive name for good wife reasons, but it’s interesting to consider if she might do it to make a fresh start, too. Kind of like Taylor Swift shedding one era for another through her appearance, except this is through a last name. The last time we saw Sasha internationally, she was sobbing and screaming and trying to hide from cameramen, so I wouldn’t blame her if she wants a symbolic clean slate.

I’ll admit— I think Sasha was wildly over-scored for her jump drill programs, but I’m pretty impressed she can compete at a high level again after having a baby. If we have to tolerate the return of the Russians under dubious circumstances, I am at least going to enjoy the intrigue of her return. I don’t know that I would be thrilled to see her on top of the next Olympic podium, unless the artistry of her skating has dramatically improved. HOWEVER…wouldn’t it be something to see a mother win an Olympic medal in Women’s singles skating? (An actual mother, not a figurative mother like Amber Glenn.)

Early season competitions are upon us!

nolan@n0lancarney

Hannah Lim/Zach Lagha 2026 Championats Québécois d’été Rhythm Dance: RD Score: 77.79

12:25 AM · Aug 8, 2026 · 123K Views

12 Replies · 142 Reposts · 582 Likes

This week, we saw the ramp up of competitive skating with the Cranberry Cup, Quebec Summer Championships, and Kinoshita Summer Cup. I don’t take toooo much stock in early competitions in a post-Olympic year. The top dogs are still tired from their post-Olympic media blitzes and summer tours, so they won’t show up until later in the season. Mostly, we’re seeing the young-scrappy-and-hungry athletes trying to get a head start in a new Olympic quad. Here’s what stood out to me:

• Hannah Lim and Zak Lagha scored pretty well for their first competitive rhythm dance. Honestly, maybe too well. Hannah Lim has never seen a score this high in her competitive career, and it’s just a summer comp. But then again, it’s hard to interpret the scores, yet, because the elements and scoring rules have changed for this quad, so you can’t really use last season as a benchmark. That said, it would appear they’re getting a generous and kind eye from Canadian judges, and I will certainly read into that.

• Alexander Selevko took one lesson from his Olympic experience: maybe you can’t be the best one, but you can be the sexy one. Following the fervor over his Olympic Prince short program, he’s opted to stay in that specific skating lane with a “Dirty Diana'“ program. So far, the judges are rewarding him for finding his brand.

• The Kim twins of Korea went One-Two at Cranberry Cup, and they have matching triple Axels, too. Keep your eyes on them; they could be the first set of twins to make it to the Olympics in Women’s singles. You can practically see the NBC media team salivating over this story, four years in the future.

Three Non-Figure Skating Things: Stuff I Bought at Trader Joe’s This Weekend

Shopping at Trader Joe’s on a Saturday afternoon in suburban Atlanta is a contact sport. Naturally, I must brag about the spoils of my conquest.

• Cucumber + Citrus Face and Body Wipes: I have this fun new middle-aged thing where my skin gets extremely itchy every time I sweat. I wake up with claw marks on my neck, thanks to my proto-night-sweats. I keep these wipes handy so I can clean off the sweat every time I use my walking pad or run a strength training routine. It really does help keep the itch at bay.

• Sour Confetti Chews: These are kind of like sour, chewy Sweet Tarts in cube form. They’re made in Germany, but I don’t know enough about German candy to know if this is a dupe of something well-known. They won’t unseat my all-time favorite TJ’s candy, Sour Swimmers, but they’re still a good treat.

• Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs: If you have an air fryer, these are clutch. Completes any lazy girl dinner that needs a shot of protein.

What’s Next: No newsletter next weekend because this week will be extremely busy, and I’m realistic about the writing I can produce. But I’ll be back the week after! Until then, you can find my snap judgements on my Instagram here.