US Pairs 2012-13 news & updates

[olympic]

No danger there. Lindsay will be 21 in April. Agewise, she would be better suited to Rockne than his two previous partners.

If they were to get together, they'd have a lot more leeway to do something 'sexier' or more romantic than Rockne would have with MBM

[ioana]

Even while pretty much doing the best they could at Nationals in a depleted field, D/L still didn't really come close to making it to Worlds, which was probably discouraging. They did much better at Nationals than they did on the GP circuit, so they can be proud of that.

Dunno, pewter medal after less than a year together and huge improvements from their early-season outings are anything but discouraging, I would think. I'm not sure what their end goals were, but based on how much progress they made after just one year together, even Sochi wasn't out of the question. OTOH, I always liked Lindsay and am hoping this means she has a chance to get a good partner after a strong showing this year. I'm behind a Davis/Brubaker pairing.

[semogal]

I really enjoyed Lindsay and Mark's performance at Nationals. They showed much improvement from their GP assignments. And their Gala performance was a big crowd pleaser. Sad to hear they are already calling it quits.

[kwanfan1818]

I think Davis and Brubaker would look great together.

I suspect Ladwig wanted to see if his experience would make his new team competitive, especially if a D/C and M/B tandem could get a third Pairs spot, since M/B hadn't split at the time. Even with M/B out of the picture and Y/R non competitive, while US Pairs aren't the deepest in the world, there are solid young teams competing now, and the odds of D/C and C/S earning that third spot are less than D/C and M/B, which was a long shot anyway.

He also may not have been ready to give up skating when Evora did, but maybe this year was what he needed for closure.

[jdonavan]

I was kind of under the impression that Ladwig continued in part to see how he could do with a partner who could jump better than Evora. But pair skating is a lot more than that. Even while pretty much doing the best they could at Nationals in a depleted field, D/L still didn't really come close to making it to Worlds, which was probably discouraging. They did much better at Nationals than they did on the GP circuit, so they can be proud of that.

But was the field really all that depleted? I thought it was one if the stronger US Nats for Senior pairs in some time. Even without D/C and Rockne and Y/R the skating was quite strong. Its a new generation coming up and frankly I'm thankful.

Mark has always been a wonderful leader in US pairs and I wish him all the best in the future!

[LilJen]

First break up of the off season is Ladwig and Davis. They have broken up as of today. Probably be officially announced in a few days.

WHAT???? They did so well after less than a year together!!

[aftershocks]

Rockne was a commentator on Skate Radio (broadcast in the rink) during the Pair FS event on Saturday.

How do you get Skate Radio? Is it only broadcast during figure skating events, or is it exclusive to U.S. Nationals?

[TwizzlerS]

How do you get Skate Radio? Is it only broadcast during figure skating events, or is it exclusive to U.S. Nationals?

You need to be at US Nationals and purchase the ear phones.

[madm]

Lindsay is 4'11". Might Rockne be interested?

Lindsay is from So Cal and was training in L.A. previously with Themi and Peter Oppegard, so moving back to So Cal might be her preference. I could totally see her skating with Rockne and John Nicks (or Meno/Sand) at Alisa Viejo! Her size is perfect.

[olympic]

Lindsay is from So Cal and was training in L.A. previously with Themi and Peter Oppegard, so moving back to So Cal might be her preference. I could totally see her skating with Rockne and John Nicks (or Meno/Sand) at Alisa Viejo! Her size is perfect.

She would probably need some time to acclimate to a shorter male partner, but she strikes me as someone who is spunky and can easily make adjustments. IMO, 4-11 is actually the perfect partner size for Rockne. Keauna was just a bit too tall and MBM was just a bit too short

[madm]

How do you get Skate Radio? Is it only broadcast during figure skating events, or is it exclusive to U.S. Nationals?

Skate Radio is a volunteer activity put on by the Professional Skaters' Association (PSA). In addition to broadcasting in the rink at U.S. Nationals, I think they have also done broadcasts at Skate America and maybe at Skate Canada. If you ever attend Nationals, you can buy the Skate Radio set (receiver and earphone) for about $15 at the USFS merchandise table. The broadcasts have been only for Senior events (SP and FS). Jimmie Santee was in charge of it this year, and he always had two people commentating with him who were former skaters or judges for the specific event. Some of the guests I recall are Rockne Brubaker, Nancy Ruedebusch, Brent Bommentre, Kim Navarro, David Santee, and Ryan Bradley. Jimmie provided the play-by-play calling of the elements (like a technical specialist would) - he was able to see the technical specialist's screen on his table, so that he could tell you which elements were under review and what level they were called. Hearing this broadcast makes it so much easier to understand the skaters' scores (e.g. underrotated jump calls, levels earned on each element). Jimmie did not have access to the judges' marks though. If you were in the rink and wonder where they were located, they sat at a table on the main concourse behind the K&C, right next to the Ice Network broadcast table.

[DarrellH]

I was thinking of this scenario before the season even started. If he found the right partner, would Rockne skate past this next year?

[euterpe]

Rockne is 26, not old for a Pair skater. I could see him sticking around til 2018.

[Lacey]

OK, I'm in. West Coast. Just not sure about Sand/Meno, Oppegard or would Nicks even take on a pair? Choreo? To me, it's a done deal,, even before a tryout.

[madm]

OK, I'm in. West Coast. Just not sure about Sand/Meno, Oppegard or would Nicks even take on a pair? Choreo? To me, it's a done deal,, even before a tryout.

Of course Meno/Sand and Nicks would take them on. They all previously worked with Rockne. Nicks would probably be a secondary coach though since he is phasing out of coaching. And Philip Mills would be a wonderful choreographer for them.

[carriemarie]

OK, I'm in. West Coast. Just not sure about Sand/Meno, Oppegard or would Nicks even take on a pair? Choreo? To me, it's a done deal,, even before a tryout.

Meno/Sand would absolutely take Rockne and any partner on. I am sure Oppegard would be happy to as well. Nicks wouldn't be up for anything other than a little consulting. Without sounding harsh, though, Lindsay is the right height, but she is bigger overall than Keauna and Mary Beth. Ladwig is taller than Rockne and struggled with Davis because she was bigger than Amanda. I feel like Rockne might have the same issues.

[icellist]

Lindsay is a natural jumper so I think the only real strain on Rockne would be upping his strength training for lifts. But with all teams, more practice on timing.

[carriemarie]

Lindsay is a natural jumper so I think the only real strain on Rockne would be upping his strength training for lifts. But with all teams, more practice on timing.

She has wonderful jumps, but the twist will be an issue as well. Rockne has a different technique than Mark (and Themi) with twisting. And she really has never had solid throws. To be completely honest, if Rockne is looking towards 2018, he should find a singles girl. If he is looking for a decent placement next year than Lindsay is his choice, but they certainly won't make the Olympic team and I don't think Rockne cares much about a pewter medal at Nationals. The young first year teams threw down this year and Rockne will have to really bring something great to the table if he wants to be considered for Sochi. I think Rockne is an excellent skater that should absolutely be on an Olympic team, but sometimes that doesn't always work out.

[jdonavan]

Amanda Evora and Rockne were seen talking at Nationals....discuss

[acraven]

During one of the pairs Skate Radio broadcasts, Rockne was asked about his partner search. His response was something like, "Sometimes you just have to introduce someone to pairs"--suggesting that he is open to taking on another singles skater. I'd guess that if he's thinking that way, 2018 is a real possibility. I agree that the senior pairs field at Nationals was unexpectedly strong, with lots of new teams that look really, really good together and can jump. Wonderful as Rockne is (and he is exceptional), getting to 2nd--or even 3rd--place next year with someone new to pairs wouldn't be a foregone conclusion.