Zhemchuzhina after the free skating. (Credits: Zhemchuzhina - 2021) 

The competition season 2021-2022 started in Russia Monday and Tuesday, with the 1st stage of the Russian Cup traditionally taking place in Moscow. Since the competitions were full of pretty unexpected moments, they turned out to be extremely bright and fascinating with the debut of new senior teams, close fights and delighting results.

Three senior teams took part in the competitions, with two of them being created just this year.

The team Zhemchuzhina from Togliatti from the very first day grabbed the leadership, performing confidently and impressively. Their inspiring short program to the song "You raise me up" by Josh Groban brought them 69,33 points, which provided them with an advantage.

The Omsk team Aquamarine rocked the audience with their dynamic performance to the famous song "It’s my life" by Bon Jovi. They gathered 62,49 points and came the third.

The second place after the first day went to the more experienced Moscow team Crystal Ice Senior, which showed their understanding of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". It was exciting to see them skate at an extremely high speed; however, three offensive falls prevent couldn’t but influence the result. The team got 63,67 points. 

After the free skating, the podium remained unchanged. 

Zhemchuzhina confidently and precisely presented their free program to "Je Suis Malade" and blew off the competition with a score of 205,54 in total.

Even though Crystal Ice Senior was in the lead after the free program thanks to an energetic and emotional program, the gap between the teams after the short one kept them away from the victory. The team earned 201,25 in total and ended in second place. 

With 181,50 points for both performances, Aquamarine got their first senior bronze medal.

The short program day for Juniors was as gripping as for the Seniors. 

On the first day, team Pirouette from Orenburg took third place with 59,31 points. In the short program, the team showed good skating skills and perfectly transmitted their program's theme. 

The team Crystal Ice Junior from Moscow presented an amazing short program to the song "Human" by Rag'n'Bone. Although the team skated well, they didn't manage to avoid falls and got 62,35 points.

The team Zhemchuzhina, on the contrary, performed a clean program. Since the previous season, the team has improved a lot, so they gathered a high score, reaching 66,02 points and taking the top place after the first day. 

The day of the free skating turned out to be a real fight for the places on the junior podium.

The team Idel from Kazan, which had taken only fourth place the day before this time, tried and did their best. The skaters in bright green dresses lit up the spectators and ended up in third place with 175,68 points in total.

Zhemchuzhina followed the chosen strategy and made one more time an outstanding and ambitious performance earning 194,60 points in total. However, it wasn't enough to get ahead of Crystal Ice Junior, which, undoubtedly, took up the challenge. The Moscow team skated their “Phoenix bird” in one breath and won the event with a total of 196,86. 

Nine junior teams participated in the event. 

Nine teams also participated in the Novice competition. Team Ice Fantasy won, followed by Team Frivolete and Team Ldinka. 

The next stage of the Russian cup will be held at the end of the month in Verhnaya Pyshma, a city in the Sverdlovsk Region.