2016 Four Continents Blog by Min & Gamelin

Hey everyone! Yura Min and Alex Gamelin here blogging for ice-dance.com for the first time from our first championship event together, Four Continents! We’re so excited to share our experiences with you!

This trip started like most of our trips this season have started, with our biggest fan driving us to the airport. Alex’s twin sister and previous partner, Danielle, has become our cheerleader since her retirement. She stays up late or wakes up early to watch us compete online whenever there’s a live stream. We love you, Danielle!

No trip is complete without some sort of hiccup. This time, our plane was missing a pilot. Luckily, a new one was found within the hour and we got on the plane just in time… to sit on the runway for an hour and a half waiting for another missing crew member and de-icing. The 13-hour-long first leg of our journey went by pretty quickly, though, and not one unhappy screaming baby! We had a few hours to spare at Incheon airport in Seoul, so we got some delicious Korean food. Bulgogi for Alex and kimchi jjige for Yura (our favorites).

Then the best part of the trip (well, second best, after the Korean food of course): our second plane into Taipei was all Hello Kitty themed, from the pillows to the spoons to the jet itself. It was marvelous.

Now as we write this, we’re on the 40-minute bus ride from the airport to the hotel, with plans to pass out as soon as we get to our rooms. Official practices start tomorrow for all disciplines, so check back soon for our next update from Taipei and the Four Continents Championships!

~ Yura & Alex