Figure Skating Champions SURVIVOR: Pairs ROUND 3

[allezfred]

Bye bye Sale & Pelletier. There's no way of whining your way to gold in this one.

• Shishkova & Naumov: Worlds 1994
• Kovaříková & Novotny: Worlds 1995
• Woetzel & Steuer: Worlds 1997
• Kazakova & Dmitriev: Olys 1998
• Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze: Worlds 1998, 1999, Olys 2002
• Petrova & Tikhonov: Worlds 2000
• Shen & Zhao: Worlds 2002, 2003, 2007, Olys 2010
• Totmianina & Marinin: Worlds 2004, 2005, Olys 2006
• Pang & Tong: Worlds 2006, Worlds 2010
• Savchenko & Szolkowy: Worlds 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012

[hanca]

No poll? I want to vote!!!!

[allezfred]

I've no idea what you're talking about.

[blue_idealist]

I've been voting for Woetzel & Steuer, but I'm actually changing my vote to Kovarikova & Novotny. I re-watched their 1995 Worlds FS last night on youtube, and I didn't enjoy it. In my memory, they had been better than that.

[Mafke]

Sticking with K/N. They had some nice programs but their winning effort wasn't so good.

W/S still have the trainwreck factor (often entertaining through odd/wrong choices) barely keeping them in.

[julieann]

Voting for Petrova & Tikhonov this round.

They got two of their major golds (Euros 2000 and Worlds 2000) because of the lack of B/S not competing because of Berezhnaya's doping violation. The other Euro in 1999 was won after B/S dropped out after being in first after the short. They won their only Russian Championship in 2006 because T/M (the reigning champs for three years) dropped out.

[judgejudy27]

Time for Woetzel & Steuer to go. Way outclassed in sheer quality by all remaining pairs, and they were inconsistent as heck to boot.

[Vash01]

I've been voting for Woetzel & Steuer, but I'm actually changing my vote to Kovarikova & Novotny. I re-watched their 1995 Worlds FS last night on youtube, and I didn't enjoy it. In my memory, they had been better than that.

They were actually better in 92 when they won the world silver, than in 95 when they won the world title (over S&N). I never got to watch their 95 Euros' LP; I heard they were robbed. Still, they were pretty good overall- a bit slow but they presented themselves well.

I am voting for W&S this round. There are other pairs that were weak/borderline for me, but when the overall quality is compared, in my mind W&S had to go.

[judgejudy27]

Here were the performances of the top 3 at the 1995 Europeans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy1Y0ZIp9zE Kovarikova & Novotny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z73t2cq2Rzg Woetzel & Steuer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QCfpDMlMZ4 Shishkova & Naumov

My results were Kovarikova & Novotny 1st, Shishkova & Naumov 2nd, and Woetzel & Steuer 3rd. S&N skated fairly well apart form the one mistake but their performance was a bit flat compared to Worlds, and even better skated their long program this year was a bit flat and below their potential too although they still deserved to win Worlds later with it with the performances the night of the long program come Worlds. Kovarikova & Novotny definitely had a very strong and confident skate even with the doubled triple toe, definitely the winners IMO. All top 3 teams had one moderate mistake, with W&S having a couple other shaky landings on top of that. It was a far better skate than their nightmarish Worlds melt down (when they went from 2nd to 5th) but definitely not a clean one, heck you never see clean LPs from W&S. Woetzel & Steuer's program was a blank, all one level of music and skating, an attempt of orginality but not an effective one, and as usual many of their elements and the quality of their lines dont compare. I love hearing the play by play guy say "Sandra was this a home town decision". Even to the non trained eye what happened is obvious.

Then the make up gold for K&N at Worlds when they didnt skate nearly as well and were marked over a flawless S&N, and the ring of horror both in judging and increasingly wretched skating for the pairs of the next few years was underway.

[Macassar88]

Love the caption about Sale and Pelletier's loss.

[Taso]

Then the make up gold for K&N at Worlds when they didnt skate nearly as well and were marked over a flawless S&N, and the ring of horror both in judging and increasingly wretched skating for the pairs of the next few years was underway.

The Ring of Horror of 90s/early 00s pairs judging indeed. Who is our Alberich?

[blue_idealist]

They were actually better in 92 when they won the world silver, than in 95 when they won the world title (over S&N). I never got to watch their 95 Euros' LP; I heard they were robbed. Still, they were pretty good overall- a bit slow but they presented themselves well.

I am voting for W&S this round. There are other pairs that were weak/borderline for me, but when the overall quality is compared, in my mind W&S had to go.

You're right, K & N were better in '92. I just watched the LP. Oh well, my vote still stands.

[briancoogaert]

Petrova & Tikhonov !!!

[sk8ingcoach]

Very shocked the S/P are eliminated so early.... oh well

[Cheylana]

I voted W&S again.

[DaiKozOda]

I can't really believe that, at the moment, Petrova & Tikhonov are on the verge of being eliminated in this round considering that Woetzel & Steuer and Kovarikova & Novotny are still in the list.

Woetzel & Steuer - A well matched couple that had good chemestry between them and looked sexy together. That made them appeling to a large audience. Sometimes they would use unsual pieces of music which was really nice. Nevertheless their technical content wasn't exactly spectacular. Besides they were inconsistent.
Mandy and Ingo got two major titles in their career: euro title in 1995 and world gold in 1997. Both those titles were controversial in my eyes especially the european title.
In total they had 3 medals at Worlds and 4 medals at the euros.

Kovarikova & Novotny - Beautiful couple. Medalled twice at world championships: one gold and one silver. Won a "golden" silver at the 1995 European championships. They had a much more classical approach to their skating but it was really nice to see them perform. Their lifts were very solid. When landed, their side by side jumps were beautiful. Good speed across the ice.

Petrova & Tikhonov - Classical pair that were by far much more consistent than the previous two. Solid long career. Petrova & Tikhonov conquered 8 medals in the european championships including two golds with really good skates. In the world championships they made it to the podium in 4 different occasions having won gold in 2000.
There were some situations in which I felt they were very hard done by the judges maybe because they didn't had a strong political support. Their lifts were a highlight. Maria had some really beautiful landings in the throw jumps. They kept pushing themselves throught out their career. Plus they competed in a time in which they had a lot of strong oponents.

[blue_idealist]

I can't really believe that, at the moment, Petrova & Tikhonov are on the verge of being eliminated in this round considering that Woetzel & Steuer and Kovarikova & Novotny are still in the list.

Woetzel & Steuer - A well matched couple that had good chemestry between them and looked sexy together. That made them appeling to a large audience. Sometimes they would use unsual pieces of music which was really nice. Nevertheless their technical content wasn't exactly spectacular. Besides they were inconsistent.
Mandy and Ingo got two major titles in their career: euro title in 1995 and world gold in 1997. Both those titles were controversial in my eyes especially the european title.
In total they had 3 medals at Worlds and 4 medals at the euros.

Kovarikova & Novotny - Beautiful couple. Medalled twice at world championships: one gold and one silver. Won a "golden" silver at the 1995 European championships. They had a much more classical approach to their skating but it was really nice to see them perform. Their lifts were very solid. When landed, their side by side jumps were beautiful. Good speed across the ice.

Petrova & Tikhonov - Classical pair that were by far much more consistent than the previous two. Solid long career. Petrova & Tikhonov conquered 8 medals in the european championships including two golds with really good skates. In the world championships they made it to the podium in 4 different occasions having won gold in 2000.
There were some situations in which I felt they were very hard done by the judges maybe because they didn't had a strong political support. Their lifts were a highlight. Maria had some really beautiful landings in the throw jumps. They kept pushing themselves throught out their career. Plus they competed in a time in which they had a lot of strong oponents.

I love Petrova and Tikhonov, and I agree with you.

[judgejudy27]

Blech if the insanely overrated Woetzel & Steuer, by far the weakest team to ever win a World title, Grand Prix final, or European title (yet they somehow managed to win all 3, lol, when all 3 arguably should have gone to a different team, but it also reflects what a weak era for pairs that was) survive another round. I even feel guilty voting for Sale & Pelletier over them as annoying, unsportsmanlike, and overscored as S&P are they are still far and away a superior pair to W&S.

[blue_idealist]

I just realized if I had voted for W&S like I originally was, instead of K&N, they'd be tied with P&T with 35 votes each. Darn!

[judgejudy27]

This is the LP performance W&S won their World title with btw:

1997 World title: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYU2QLBsZ58

Almost undoubtably the lamest World title winning performance of all time in pairs, and one of the worst in any discipline. They had atleast 2 significant mistakes in all their major event winning performances too- 97 Worlds, 97 Grand Prix final, 95 Europeans. I wonder if they did a clean long program anywhere in their career, even their own Nationals. They had a few good short programs in their careeer atleast.