The Rocker Skating Podcast

The day before the 2026-27 season officially begins, the ISU released its decision to partially lift the ban on Russia and Belarus on ISU and international competitions. A quick look at what that means for skaters and competitions this season.

The 2026-27 Grand Prix assignments were revealed today, and of course, we've got all kinds of feelings about them! The selection procedures were amended just a bit for this season, so there was a bit of confusion, especially about the seeded skaters. But Jackie brings you all of his first impressions about who's in, who's out, and which events have the most interesting fields!

Jackie is fresh off his trip to the 2026 ISU Congress, the first time that media has been invited to cover it in person. He has a lot to bring back from Congress, including clarifications on a lot of questions that skating fans had (what do you mean two free skates?!), changes coming to the Grand Prix and "Big Worlds," and rule changes in singles and pairs for the upcoming season. Also,...

"Athletes are the heart and soul of the sport, and we need to recognize the amount of work that the athletes put in." On this episode of The Rocker Skating Podcast, Jackie sits down with International Skating Union President Jae Youl Kim at the 2026 ISU Congress to talk about the changes to prize money and future competitions, how proposed changes are being done and where athlete represe...

This episode was recorded on May 24, 2026. Things may have changed since then. Michelle and Jackie are back for an emergency off-season news episode. This has been one of the biggest rollercoaster off-seasons we've seen. Kaori Sakamoto got married? Marin Honda and Shoma Uno are coming back as ice dancers? Majorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha split up? WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

Part 2 of our final event recap of the season wraps up Worlds with Women, Pairs, and Men — and there was a lot to close out the year. Jackie and Michelle break down Kaori’s fourth world title and what it meant to see her finish the season with that skate after everything this Olympic year asked of her. In the Men’s event, they get into Ilia’s bounce-back Worlds after Milan and Yuma delivering the...

The final recap of the season is here, and Part 1 dives straight into Ice Dance. Jackie and Michelle break down the podium — what it means for Zingas & Kolesnik , the U.S. breakout team, and why Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron continue to dominate. They unpack the Lewis & Gibson scoring drama , including that “straight arm” deduction that cost them big, and highlight other standouts — inclu...

Jackie and Michele are back to preview the Men’s and Ice Dance events as we head into this very unpredictable post-Olympic Worlds. The fields are set (mostly…), but history says anything can still happen—and honestly, that’s part of the fun. Who are YOUR podium picks?

Jackie and Michelle are back to break down the Pairs and Women at this year’s post-Olympic Worlds. Who’s skating? Who’s out? And what wild moments are in store? One thing’s for sure—whatever unfolds, it’ll be unforgettable, as Jackie’s… very unique memories of past post-Olympic Worlds prove. Pairs and women up first—let’s dive in!

Canadian pair champions Lia Pereira / Trennt Michaud round out our week of interviews before we head to the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships. They join Jackie Wong to reflect on their past four seasons, from coming in sixth at Worlds in their very first season together to having some dream Olympic performances in Milan.

Next up on our pre-World Championships interview extravaganza are 2022 Four Continents champions Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, who join Jackie Wong ahead of their third appearance at Worlds in Prague. We learn so much about their approach to skating and choreography, including the narrative of their free dance this season and how their programs and elements have evolved as the season has gon...

It's the week before the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships, and not surprisingly, the withdrawals are still rolling in. Jackie is here to talk about who has opted out of Worlds and what the implications are, especially for qualifying Worlds spots for next season.

On the heels of their Olympic bronze and on their way to 13th World Figure Skating Championships together, Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier join Jackie Wong to reflect on their season. They talk about their third Olympics experience, having a camera crew document their past year for Netflix's Glitter and Gold, and why they wanted to finish their season at Worlds.

Fresh off their top 10 finish at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Spanish ice dancers Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck join Jackie Wong on The Rocker Skating Podcast to reflect on their Olympic experience, how they teamed up even though Olivia Smart was about to go on a British reality skating show, and how early disappointments as a team fueled them to become stronger and more innovative tha...

“People think this was a game. This is serious.” - James Hernandez“This is life” - Anthony PonomarenkoDid you know that pin trading is its own alternative sport within the Olympics? We have three of figure skating's premiere pin connoisseurs - Madeline Schizas (Canada), James Hernandez (Great Britain), and Anthony Ponomarenko (United States). They may be from different countries, but they all...

It's been a while, but Jackie and Michelle are back with a short News of the Week podcast to fill you in on, specifically, who's IN for the upcoming World Championships and who is OUT (...so far).

Jackie and Michelle recap all the action from the 2026 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn , breaking down the standout skates and biggest storylines from the next generation of stars. They dive into Rio Nakata’s powerful, dominant performance to win the junior men’s title, Mao Shimada’s historic fourth straight Junior World title — her final junior appearance before moving to the...

Whether you just fell in love with skating at the Olympics or you’ve been following the junior ranks for years, Jackie and Michelle are here to get you ready for the World Junior Figure Skating Championships . In this episode of The Rocker Skating Podcast , they break down what makes Junior Worlds so special, why it’s the perfect next stop for new fans fresh off the Olympic high, and which skaters...

2026 Four Continents Champion Yuna Aoki joins Jackie Wong on The Rocker Skating Podcast to reflect on her 2025–26 season — from a slow start to peaking at exactly the right moment to capture gold at the ISU Four Continents Championships. They talk about finding her stride late in the season, where her artistic inspiration comes from, and what shifted mentally and technically as she built toward th...

Part 2 of the Milan Olympic recap is here, and this time the focus is on pairs and women — two events that delivered exactly the kind of drama, redemption arcs, technical flexes, and edge-of-your-seat free skates skating fans live for. Jackie and Michelle break down the biggest moments in both competitions: the lifts that made everyone nervous, the throws that paid off (and the ones that didn’t),...

Jackie and Michelle are officially home from Milan — and yes, Michelle is back live on the mic. It’s time to start unpacking the Olympics… and there is absolutely no way this fits into one episode. This is Part 1 of our full Milan recap: the programs we can’t stop thinking about, the podium moments, the judging chaos, the practices, the atmosphere in the arena — and yes, the pins. So many pins. We...

Jackie is back one final time from Milano to recap the final event of the Games — and these women did not disappoint. He breaks down a thrilling Olympic final, including Alysa Liu’s improbable gold-medal performance, Kaori Sakamoto’s push for silver, and Ami Nakai’s standout bronze, as well as skate after skate from women who crafted their own Olympic moment one triple jump at a time.

Jackie recaps all the drama and history from the Pairs event at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He breaks down how Miura and Kihara delivered one of the most memorable free skates of the Games — storming from fifth after the short program to claim Olympic gold and make history for Japan, walks through Metelkina and Berulava’s amazing silver medal performance — another milestone, as it became Georgia’s f...

The women are ready to take center ice in Milan, and Jackie and Michelle break down everything you need to know heading into the Olympic event. From defending world powerhouse Kaori Sakamoto and Japan’s deep lineup with Ami Nakai and Mone Chiba, to Team USA contenders Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito, plus home-ice hopes for Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann and technical wildcard Adelia Petrosi...

Jackie is back on the mic immediately following the shocking finale of the Olympic men’s event in Milan, trying to process what we all just watched. From an unexpected podium shake-up led by Mikhail Shaidorov winning GOLD, with Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato joining him on the podium, to heavy favorite Ilia Malinin falling all the way to eighth after leading the short program, it was case of classic...