Shpilband/Zoueva Split Aftermath: What Happens Next?

[AJ Skatefan]

That was a time when I was devouring everything on the FSU related to ice dance and especially to I/K, yet I have read nothing about their taking a vacation when the Tokyo Worlds were cancelled. I remember the interview with Tarasova where she said they had been given too long a vacation during the previous summer, not between the two dates for the worlds.

Besides, Zhulin is very unlikely to disparage his star Russian team only weeks before the Moscow worlds. He comes from a generation of ice dancers for whom appearances were everything.

If anyone else remembers such interviews or if you can give a link, then I'll believe it, but otherwise such surprising information could hardly fall under the radar.

This is not to say that I/K's work ethics are immaculate - actually I've "heard" that she is not the hardest worker. However, this doesn't mean we should start urban legends about the extents of the problem.

Thanks.

[Ziggy]

AFAIK, Peter Gerber is skating with someone named Justyna, so I suppose it's the Justyna you've mentioned. I heard that they were training with Igor at some point, although I hadn't heard if it was a permanent move.

From what I have heard, he is skating with Justyna Plutowska:
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00010546.htm

I am surprised there were no better options for him available on Ice Partner Search.

Plutowska is a Polish citizen but she is the skater who got a partner and training conditions arranged in Moscow but left after the first day because the training was too hard.

[Sylvia]

Cross-posting this new article on Zoueva's teams in Canton:

According to this article, Oleg Epstein is working with Marina Zoueva on choreography for team Canton.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

Excerpts:

... And at Canton's Arctic Edge, Fusar-Poli's former partner, Maurizio Margaglio, has been schooling Marina Zoueva's teams in the Yankee Polka, the required pattern in this season's short dance.

"The biggest challenge for the teams is the compulsories (pattern dances), and I called Maurizio because he has great knowledge of compulsories and has done a lot of ISU seminars," Zoueva said. "He can come only from time to time, because he also has a contract with the Finnish skating federation."
...

[Charlie] White added that an initial report suggesting the top Canton ice dancers had requested Shpilband's ouster was not accurate.

"Unfortunately, the first newspaper article in the Detroit Free Press was very incorrect," he said. "The author never interviewed us and we never said what was attributed to us there. We still adore Igor and we are very grateful for all of the work he did for us over many years."

Davis stressed that whatever differences Zoueva and Shpilband may have had, they remained professional during sessions with the skaters.

"We had felt before that there were tensions between them, but that did not affect our training," she said. "We made the decision to stay with Marina because she has done more of our choreography lately, and she stayed in Canton."

In addition to Margaglio, Oleg Epstein, the Chicago-based choreographer and coach, is working on a near full-time basis in Canton, helping Zoueva plan programs and elements. While he will return to Chicago on occasion, some of his students, including U.S. junior champion Gracie Gold, will visit him in Canton.

ETA: There are also quotes by the Shibutanis and Tessa Virtue about their coaches' split.

[UMBS Go Blue]

Lurrrrrrrrrrve how "THE STARE" is the image they use for F-P/M in the IceNetwork article.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Barbara vs. Maurizuo through ice dance students? Talk about a fan's dream.

[Macassar88]

Lurrrrrrrrrrve how "THE STARE" is the image they use for F-P/M in the IceNetwork article.

I love the softer eye joke

[caseyedwards]

All I remember was Nikita complaining that Zhulin wasn't around enough for their coaching & claiming that they had to work out lifts by looking at other skaters on youtube, and Zhulin countering with general comments about them not always having a great work ethic. You may be confusing his comments with TAT's earlier in the season about them having too much of a break over the summer before the 2010-11 season, but as I said before, that was largely due to Nikita's back problems.

This is entirely correct and a very common occurrence where info is blended to create a wrong impression about someones disliked skaters.

[Dragonlady]

This is entirely correct and a very common occurrence where info is blended to create a wrong impression about someones disliked skaters.

It's entirely incorrect to assume anyone who posts something negative about a skater, dislikes that skater. Just because you like a skater, it's quite possible to be disappointed in some aspect of their personality or style but still like the skater.

I was a huge fan of one skater in particular who had a notoriously bad work ethic. I knew this was the root of this skater's inconsistency, and while I wished said skater had worked harder throughout their competitive career, it never happened. Oh what might have been.

[allezfred]

I was a huge fan of one skater in particular who had a notoriously bad work ethic. I knew this was the root of this skater's inconsistency, and while I wished said skater had worked harder throughout their competitive career, it never happened. Oh what might have been.

Eman?

[kimkom]

Eman?

That was my guess too.

He broke my heart more often than any man I ever dated.

[Ziggy]

Eman?

It couldn't be any more obvious, innit.

[POZNANIANKA]

Yep, Baily Carroll has quit skating last Winter, IIRC.

Peter Gerber might be training with Justyna Plutowska at the moment. I'm not sure if I can recognise her on that photo, though. If they are together and training with Shpilband, that would be amazing news.

Picture in that profile... that's Peter with Baily in 2010; Baily quit at the end of September, last year.
Peter has been training with Justyna for about 8 months now, back in Poland and now in the US. They are with Igor and plan to stay there.

[Ziggy]

Picture in that profile... that's Peter with Baily in 2010; Baily quit at the end of September, last year.
Peter has been training with Justyna for about 8 months now, back in Poland and now in the US. They are with Igor and plan to stay there.

That is really awesome news! Thanks.

[Sylvia]

Article on Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas:
http://www.goldenskate.com/2012/08/t...-to-challenge/

The were part of the famous dance stable of Marina Zueva and Igor Shpilband in Canton, Mich. and naturally were affected by the split of the coaches that happened while they were on vacation. The dancers weighed their options and decided to go with Shpilband to Novi, Mich.

“We honestly just felt that Igor would be able to provide more of what we needed as a team,” commented Tobias. “Igor and Marina’s split was just devastating for everyone though, especially the skaters. We miss everyone at Canton every day.”

Stagniunas still has ties to Canton as he teaches there.

Meanwhile, the skaters have adapted to their new training environment and enjoy the company of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ekaterina Riazanova and Ilia Tkachenko, and Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. Tanja Kolbe and Stefano Caruso have also joined them for a couple of weeks.

“Training is going extremely well in Novi,” said Tobias. “Both Deividas and I relocated here to be closer to the rink. It’s a very international rink.”

[Dragonlady]

It couldn't be any more obvious, innit.

And you would be wrong. It was NOT Sandu.

[Norlite]

Eman?

Mabee??

[galaxygirl]

Is it a Canadian skater? My first thought was Nicole Bobek.

[Karpenko]

Can we use a land-line or phone a friend?

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Anyone Canadian.