Shpilband/Zoueva Split Aftermath: What Happens Next?

[Anjelica]

Yes but Liz Coates' leaving had nothing to do with Silverstein and Pekarek being 'no more'

[pani]

Yes but Liz Coates' leaving had nothing to do with Silverstein and Pekarek being 'no more'

Who did choreo for Silverstein and Pekarek?

And i think H-D were close to the Shibs at WCh. And they are only 1 year together.

[Sparks]

Who did choreo for Silverstein and Pekarek?

And i think H-D were close to the Shibs at WCh. And they are only 1 year together.

Have you seen both teams live?

[sap5]

Yes but Liz Coates' leaving had nothing to do with Silverstein and Pekarek being 'no more'

I didn't say that it did. I meant that Liz Coates was there the entire time S/P worked with Igor.

[Sylvia]

Didn't Shpilband choreograph Silverstein/Pekarek's memorable "Great Expectations" FD? Here's their performance from 2000 Four Continents (they won the bronze): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FEjEvV-gX0

[pani]

Didn't Shpilband choreograph Silverstein/Pekarek's memorable "Great Expectations" FD? Here's their performance from 2000 Four Continents (they won the bronze): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FEjEvV-gX0

This is main question for me - i love this FD.

[pani]

Have you seen both teams live?

Yes. In Nice. And i saw Shibs in Moscow at WCh.Maybe they have better ice coverage and blades at Nationals?
And i was talking about points.

[Dragonlady]

I also don't consider him a developmental coach. Skaters go to him at the Junior or Senior level usually. Someone else does the developing. I can think of two skaters he had a a very low level: Shannon Wingle and Jamie Silverstein. To me, a developmental coach takes a skater from the ground up (Juvenile-??) and builds a successful skater/team.

Paul McIntosh developed Virtue & Moir and Andrew Poje. Their strong technical basics, edge quality, unison and partnering skills are all to his credit. Similarly, McIntosh coached Andrew Poje from an early age until he teamed with Kaitlyn Weaver and moved to Detroit.

I always thought that Igor's teams were technically weak, especially in the CD's, and this is one area that really improved since he teamed with Zueva.

[pani]

I always thought that Igor's teams were technically weak, especially in the CD's, and this is one area that really improved since he teamed with Zueva.

The funny thing is Tshaikovskay in interview talked Marina didnt like CDs and thats why Zoueva-Vitman team didnt had good results.

[sap5]

I always thought that Igor's teams were technically weak, especially in the CD's, and this is one area that really improved since he teamed with Zueva.

Wow, how bad were they before?

I thought improvements were mainly due to the old guard retiring.

[casken]

The Shibs are amazing technicians and skaters, indeed far better technicians than "interpreters" at this point. Their speed, ice coverage and edges are all of superior quality, so I am rather confused by your assessment of power as their weakness.

Then it must not come across on television the way it does live.

[allezfred]

I think Shibutanis come across exactly the same way live as they do on TV.

And about them having the best blades in Canton. That's quite an insult to Virtue/Moir and Davis/White (not to mention most of the teams in the Top 10).

Hubbell/Donohue should have finished ahead of them at Worlds.

[Dragonlady]

Wow, how bad were they before?

I thought improvements were mainly due to the old guard retiring.

L&T were very slow and their CD's always got them off to a bad start. Similarly B&A were weak in the CD's compared to the European teams. Linichuk greatly improved their speed, basic stroking and blade precision.

[arakwafan2006]

This is main question for me - i love this FD.

This is one team that i thought would have really been to American ice dance what Belbin Agosto ended up being.

[TanithandBenFan]

Question, does Igor's wife teach at Artic?

I don't think Igor and Adrienne are married.

[Macassar88]

L&T were very slow and their CD's always got them off to a bad start. Similarly B&A were weak in the CD's compared to the European teams. Linichuk greatly improved their speed, basic stroking and blade precision.

Linuchuk is a great technician. I noticed that they also had better lifts after they went to her. But she have them some god awful programs

[literaryfreak]

Does anyone know the breakdown of Linichuk/Karponosov, as in who does what? My impression was that Karponosov was the technician and compulsory dances were his focus, and that Linichuk was the choreographer...and technician?

[sap5]

Linuchuk is a great technician. I noticed that they also had better lifts after they went to her. But she have them some god awful programs

Tanith mentioned that Linichuk made her gain weight so that she carry her own weight better in lifts.

[kwanfan1818]

And about them having the best blades in Canton. That's quite an insult to Virtue/Moir and Davis/White (not to mention most of the teams in the Top 10).

Jayne Torvill didn't have Maia Usova's blades either, but her competitive record was a whole lot stronger with much less politiks behind her. Nor did Klimova, and I loved Klimova.

Setting aside stylistic preferences, it's really not that unusual for someone down hierarchy to have a better skill than the teams at the top, and "better" doesn't mean the gap is great. Lanotte, for example, has had stronger skating skills than many of the men above him at various Worlds. Virtue/Moir, for example, exceed the Shibutanis in just about every other way, and no matter how voidy, interesting, or diva-like Pechalat, Bobrova, Weaver, Hubbell, or Capellini might be, or how much better their performance quality is or their range, I don't think their skating skills match Maia Shibutani's. (I've never seen Ilinyk live, and I think the top men are stronger and more evenly matched than the top ten female ice dancers on the whole.)

Hubbell/Donohue should have finished ahead of them at Worlds.

Possibly: I wasn't there. The Shibs had a horrible outing for them. M/H weren't close at 4C's, which I did see, and that nearly 30-point gap reflected what was on ice. I don't think M/H at their best are close to S/S at their best, but that could change, especially if Zoueva remains as unimaginative as she has in creating programs for them, and since H/D are a new team, vs. one that's been together for years, their potential improvement could be greater.

[Twizzler]

Tanith mentioned that Linichuk made her gain weight so that she carry her own weight better in lifts.

I have NEVER known Natalia to tell someone to gain weight. EVER. Get stronger and increase muscle, maybe.