When I learned last year that the World Figure Skating Championships (Worlds) were going to be held in Boston in 2025, I put in for a media accreditation with the International Skating Union (ISU). Aside from attending and reporting from Worlds in Boston in 2016 and an event at the Skating Club of Boston that honored Dick Button in 2023, I’ve been relatively absent from the sport while I pursued other ventures. But after last week, with the excitement on and off the ice, it may be time for a return (not a comeback as Norma Desmond stated in Sunset Boulevard!).

In my lifetime, I’ve been to over 10 World Figure Skating Championships. The first one I attended as an accredited journalist was in Birmingham, UK in 1995.  That’s where I met journalist and sports columnist Christine Brennan who at the time was reporting for The Washington Post. It was on our way to London by train after the competition where she taught me about the “inverted pyramid” in journalism. A lesson I have carried forward in over 30 years as a writer. Needless to say, it was wonderful seeing Christine last week.

I wasn’t in the TD Garden for more than an hour and felt there was an atmosphere of excitement by everyone I came across. Was this Worlds different from the others? Aside from a new scoring system that I’m still getting used to (I’m sorry I still love the 6.0 system), how was it going to be different? Perhaps it was the outstanding on-ice performances juxtaposed with LED lighting panels, combined with the various shades of blue, along with the displayed hashtag of the event (#WorldSkating), the Instagram handles of the competitors, their music selections, or the enthusiastic sell-out crowds, that made this Worlds unique. Whatever it was, the combination worked.

For me, there were two performances that I will always remember. When I first learned that Alysa Liu took two years off from skating starting in 2022 to move on with her life, the first thing that occurred to me was how can you do that and hope to have any sort of meaningful return? Boy, was I wrong in my thinking! You see, in the sport I followed and reported on, it was unheard of that someone would take time off at the height of their career. But in Liu’s case, it was obviously the right decision as her win not only justified it, but her performance alone exuded an enthusiasm that was felt by all of us who witnessed it.

The second performance was by someone called the “Quad God” who also did some on-ice maneuver called a “Raspberry Twist”.   Yes, you read that right.  Ilia Malinin, the then-reigning world champion had performed six quads at the 2024 World Championships. At last week’s Worlds, he not only performed six quads, but a rare quad axel. The machine “effortless” precision of the jumps blended perfectly with the choreography and other elements that easily led him to win a second world championship. His creation of the “Raspberry Twist” with a sideways in air twist is named after his last name which is “Raspberry” in Russian. Like Liu, Malinin’s another skater who enjoys performing. It showed in their wins!

But Worlds isn’t just about the performances on the ice, it’s who you interact with off the ice. One of the first people I met with after I arrived last week was Ari Zakarian who represents Ilia Malinin. Ari and I go way back to the founding of International Figure Skating magazine. In those days Ari was performing around the world as a professional skater. For me, I needed to know what was going on. It was then that I gave Ari a pager. When Ari paged me with a number, that meant he had news to report! I joked about giving him a pager again when at one moment during the event he misplaced his cell phone. Thankfully his phone was found and nobody had to revert to 1990s tech!

The concourse at any Worlds is the definitive place for the impromptu meet and greet. From the exhibitors presenting their products to reunions and meetings of friends and colleagues. I think I have forgotten over the years just how many people I know in the sport. When I was publishing my magazine back in the 90s and early 2000s, it wasn’t just about knowing the athletes, but the very fabric of the industry. From the journalists to the agents, from the sports federations to the vendors, from the coaches to the enthusiasts who were our subscribers, it was grand seeing so many friends and colleagues.

But it’s what goes on behind the scenes where the machinery of Worlds really happens. For me, that means the press room where the press conferences and mixed zone are also located. The comings and goings from those rooms serve as the Grand Central of any world championship. For it is the press room that most will pass through on their way to work, comment, monitor, or administer. It is a beehive of activity that reports on what the world will read and see.

Of course, no Worlds would be complete without the parties and receptions. Sheryl Franks & Elin Schran’s party at The Greatest Bar has now officially become a tradition (following the first one at the 2016 Worlds). Their party brings together a terrific cross-section of the sport representing decades of talent on “both sides of the ice”. From “Ice-Capades Mr. Debonair” aka Richard Dwyer (who I call the Dick Van Dyke of figure skating) to producers, coaches, and athletes, the conversations never tire but nor are they long as all are in rotation to catch up with the latest.

However, it was the Dick Button Tribute Event that brought those in attendance back down to Earth as we remembered the legend that was the incomparable Dick Button. Produced by U.S. Figure Skating the tribute event brought together luminaries, associates, and family that honored his work and levity. So many shared heartfelt remarks while also quipping about Dick’s remarkable wit that he would demonstrate to all of us at one time or another. Each one of the stories I heard was unique, passionate, and funny. Yes, that was one thing we all admired about Dick, his ability to make us laugh—even at ourselves! Thank you, Dick, for your commentary, your work, and the laughs all the way.

In closing, it was a week of record crowds, inspiring performances, and reunions that will not be soon forgotten. Perhaps it’s time to look at introducing something new to a sport that has reinvented itself.   

Next report.