All posts by Tristan Taylor, Features Editor

Sports

Americans dominate World Figure Skating Championships

 
Figure skaters stand on the ice in a line and smile
From left to right: Evan Bates, Madison Chock, Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, Riku Miura, and Ryuichi Kihara. Photo by Lindsey Dionne

The 2025 World Figure Skating Championships were held at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts from March 26 through March 30. The event, sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) determined the entry quotas for the 2026 Championships (in which the location has not been announced) and the 2026 Winter Olympics (to be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy).

The event was held in Boston at a time when the sport needed something to focus on.  Just under two months prior, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a United States Army helicopter over the Potomac River, leaving no survivors on either aircraft.  Among those on the American Airlines flight were eleven upcoming skaters, some of whom who were considered hopeful competitors for the 2030 Olympics, as well as four coaches.  Two of the coaches (Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov), were the parents of skater Maxim Naumov, who stayed behind in Wichita and missed the flight.  The victims were part of the Skating Club of Boston and had been preparing to land in D.C.

The men’s event was highly contested, with upcoming American superstar Ilia Malinin, known for his backflips on ice, beating 38 other skaters to win his second gold medal, including upcoming skating phenom Mikhail Shaidorov (of Kazakhstan), two time Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (of Japan), and reigning bronze medalist Adam Siao Him Fa (of France).  Cha Jun-hwan became the highest placing South Korean skater of all time with a seventh place finish, while two time Olympian Jason Brown finished eighth.

The women’s event was also fierce, with American skater Alysa Liu winning the gold medal, making a dramatic comeback to the sport after two seasons off the ice, unseating reigning gold medalist Kaori Sakamoto (of Japan) while also beating upcoming star Mone Chiba (also of Japan), reigning silver medalist Isabeau Levito (of the United States), and social media favorite Amber Glenn (also of the United States).  Reigning bronze medalist Kim Chae-yeon (of South Korea) placed tenth in the event.

Adam Siao Him Fa.

While the fan favorites Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (of Japan) won the pair skating event, they had to beat reigning champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (of Canada) to do so.  A difference of 20.03 points was able to prevent the Canadian pair from taking the gold again, and they ended up in fifth place.  Miura and Kihara narrowly beat out reigning bronze medalists Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (of Germany) for the gold.

The ice dancing event had two of the three medaling pairs from last year’s championships on the podium again this year, with American pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates retaining the gold medal position, while Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (of Canada) were able to move up from bronze to silver.  The British pair consisting of Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson took home the bronze, while the reigning silver medalists Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (of Italy) finished in fourth.

After the competition came the Exhibition event, where notable skaters showed off their talents in a non-competitive situation.  Maxim Naumov, who did not compete in the tournament, participated in the exhibition, earning a standing ovation from the crowd at TD Garden.  Mikhail Shaidorov performed a program inspired by Kung Fu Panda, while Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson performed a Rocky-themed program.  With help from other skaters, Estonian skater Niina Petrokina skated to “Cell Block Tango”, which also earned a standing ovation.  Amber Glenn’s program to “Hot To Go” by Chappell Roan included the viral dance performed many times on the social media platform TikTok, while Ilia Malinin’s program, dedicated to the victims of American Airlines Flight 5342, was filled with emotion.  At the end of the exhibition, Malinin and Adam Siao Him Fa did backflips on the ice at the same time, prompting cheers from the audience.

In all, the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships showcased the stars of the sport.  While the sport’s veterans were able to continue making names for themselves, it allowed newer stars to break into the scene as well.

Editor’s Note: Tristan Taylor attended the Championships in Boston so was able to observe the competition firsthand.

Features, Home Page News Bytes

Astronauts return to Earth: Two were stranded for nine months

 

Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have finally returned home after unexpected issues during the test of Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft forced the two to dock aboard the International Space Station.

The Boeing Crew Flight Test launched on June 5, 2024, and was expected to last eight days, with a scheduled landing on June 14 in the American Southwest.  However, due to a thruster malfunction on the Starliner spacecraft, codnenamed Calypso, the two instead boarded the International Space Station as scheduled, but stayed due to the risks of returning to Earth aboard the Starliner, which was brought back to Earth uncrewed on September 7.  Later in September, Williams and Wilmore were added to the plans for SpaceX Crew-9’s return mission aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, codenamed Freedom.  

After months of preparation, the two, joined by Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, the two original members of Crew-9, have finally returned to Earth, landing in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, on March 18.

One NECC student, Matt Branscombe, told the Observer, “I’m grateful that we have strong Americans coming home to be with their families and communities”.  Another NECC student, Jasmine Dionne, said “They signed up for it and knew something like this might happen.  I’m glad that they’re home now, and they should be on leave to spend time with family”.

Now, Williams and Wilmore mist battle the hazards that come from such a long stay in space, such as loss of strength, potentially irreversible damage to vision, atrophy of the muscles, a significant risk of radiation sickness, and a higher risk of cancer within their lifetimes.

We at the Observer would like to issue our congratulations to Williams and Wilmore on their successful return, and would also like to wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

Chuang Asia Season 2 kicks off

 
The logo for the second season of Chuang Asia. Photo courtesy of T-Pop Wiki

Chuang Asia’s second season has started with promise, as 60 trainees took the stage to fight for seven spots in a brand new boy band, one that will likely boost the popularity of the T-Pop scene worldwide. 

The Thai spinoff of the iconic Produce 101 franchise in South Korea is gaining attention for it’s star-studded lineup of mentors and trainees alike.

Fans in Thailand can watch the show live on WeTV, while international fans can watch the full episodes for free on YouTube. 

Chinese rapper The8, known as an established member of K-Pop group Seventeen, and Thai rapper BamBam, a member of K-Pop group GOT7, act as producers of the series, as well as mentors, joined in that role by Thai singer Jeff Satur, Thai actress Yaya Urassaya, and Chinese singer Tia Ray, with a sixth guest mentor present in most episodes.

The first round got off to an electric start, with the 60 trainees dividing themselves up into teams for the Global Audition Stage, a first chance for the mentors and the viewers alike to get to know how each trainee performed. 

Among the notable trainees are many faces who have previously participated in other spinoffs of Produce 101, including Chinese trainee Hu Yetao (from the fourth season of the Chinese adaptation Produce Camp), as well as Japanese trainees Hikari and Koshin (from the first season of Produce 101 Japan), who are joined by fellow Japanese trainees Hikaru, Lyu, and Shoya (from the second season of Produce 101 Japan, who have since debuted in J-Pop group Maison B). 

Other notable trainees include Taiwanese trainee Dong Dong and Chinese trainee Ricky (formerly known as Feng Junlan), who both competed on Boys Planet, as well as Chinese trainee David (who competed on Asia Super Young), and Indonesian trainees Bianura and Ryan Winter, who are part of the rock band Apple Mint.

Representing the broadcasting nation of Thailand are 12 trainees, with the most notable being 4Teen member Ninja, soloist Thi-o, T3N1 member Peanut, and former NOTE7 member Smart. 

Newer trainees who have caught the eyes of many viewers are American trainee Myst, Chinese trainees Omar and Yao Zihao, and South Korean trainee Kohi (who previously participated on the dating show His Man).

While nobody was eliminated after the first round, the second round immediately became challenging, as the trainees were split up into 10 teams of six and were matched up against each other. 

Although which teams won and lost each matchup don’t determine the elimination results, only the Top 35 will make it to the third round, with that number decreasing as the show goes on. 

During the finale, seven trainees will be announced as the members of the debuting group.

All fans can download the WeTV app and vote for their seven favorite trainees every day.  Fans are also encouraged to check out the official Chuang Asia account on TikTok for extra content, camera angles focused on certain trainees, and even more information about the show.

Chuang Asia: Season 2 is a well-run reality competition show, with the vocals, rapping, and dancing creating very entertaining performances that fans of all ages will enjoy.

The first elimination will occur on Sunday, March 9, with 25 trainees leaving the competition.