The three best professional pair teams

[Vash01]

Actually that isnt really true. They won the prestigious Challenge of Champions 3 times, the biggest pro event alongside the World Professional Skating Championships, in fact until the early 90s it was viewed as the biggest pro event by many people. They also beat Underhill & Martini to win their first of three:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40VaQ_8-jM

Thanks for the correction. I did not see them as pros until after the 88 Olys, so I must have missed most of their pro career.

[judgejudy27]

Peter Carruthers is one of my favorite commentators btw. I wish he did more events, rather than many of the hobsnobs who have been given that spot on major skating broadcasts the last couple decades. How anyone would want the likes of Sandra Bezic, Scott Hamilton, Dick Button in his advanced age (he used to be good but he has sucked royally since the late 90s), Kurt Browning, and Dorothy Hamill who are all absolutely dreadful is beyond me.

[nlyoung]

S&P did go through the messy divorce period, but I think that the last year or so before they retired they had gotten back some of their old spark and seemed to be enjoying themselves again. Having seen them live several times they were certainly an entertaining pro couple and had the skills to back it up.

[Cherub721]

I wonder how Sato and Dungen would have done as a pairs team had they gotten together as amateurs in the early 90s somehow and competed for the U.S or Japan if there was any way that was feasible (which it probably isnt, but the whole thing is a fantasy idea anyway so who cares). I definitely think they would have been a better pair than Ina & Dungen who had terrible unision, absolutely no speed, often disjointed choreography and programs, and of course no chemistry on ice at all (forget lovers, they didnt even like each other they admited, and it definitely showed through), and they were 4th at the Worlds and Olympics, and probably would have medaled at the 98 and 99 Worlds had they not missed the 98 Worlds due to a fluke injury and split up.

Sato had nice throws, but I don't believe she did all the elements with Dungjen (eg, I don't recall them doing a twist). Being pro they had the opportunity to just skip elements they didn't like and concentrate on doing elegant (albeit very boring) routines. I don't think Olympic competition would've been so easy for them. As you said I&D did make 4th at an Olympics, and I really can't imagine Sato & Dungjen outdoing them by winning a medal. If you mean better as in more pleasant to watch, then that is possible.

[Vash01]

Sato had nice throws, but I don't believe she did all the elements with Dungjen (eg, I don't recall them doing a twist). Being pro they had the opportunity to just skip elements they didn't like and concentrate on doing elegant (albeit very boring) routines. I don't think Olympic competition would've been so easy for them. As you said I&D did make 4th at an Olympics, and I really can't imagine Sato & Dungjen outdoing them by winning a medal. If you mean better as in more pleasant to watch, then that is possible.

It's quite clear that had they competed as an eligible pair, they would have worked on the twist, and other required elements. You are correct in that as pros they could pick what they wanted to include in their programs. I was actually quite surprised that Yuka was able to perform so many pairs elements as a pro, despite the fact that she never skated as a pair before. At least some other singles skaters had done some pairs skating in the past (e.g. Paul Wylie), but not Yuka.

[judgejudy27]

I think Sato could have learnt elements like the triple twist. She clearly picked up the pairs elements very quickly in such a short time to do what she did, so had a real innate talent for pairs it seems. She might have had even more natural talent for pairs than singles, considering how long it took her as a senior skater to master the top singles skater things like the triple lutz and triple flip, but she never found the right partner to do pairs I guess, but it was often said in telecasts her dream had always to be a top pairs skater, but in Japan that is a very difficult thing for the girls to manage as there are almost no capable men going into pairs for the girls.

[zilam98]

I think Sato could have learnt elements like the triple twist. She clearly picked up the pairs elements very quickly in such a short time to do what she did, so had a real innate talent for pairs it seems. She might have had even more natural talent for pairs than singles, considering how long it took her as a senior skater to master the top singles skater things like the triple lutz and triple flip, but she never found the right partner to do pairs I guess, but it was often said in telecasts her dream had always to be a top pairs skater, but in Japan that is a very difficult thing for the girls to manage as there are almost no capable men going into pairs for the girls.

too bad. i wish she met dunjen when she was younger and in the amateur circuit. she could've been the star of the team. which top teams would they have been up against then?

[Vash01]

too bad. i wish she met dunjen when she was younger and in the amateur circuit. she could've been the star of the team. which top teams would they have been up against then?

K&D, B&S, W&S- the three Olympic medallists in 1998,

or

in 1994-1997 a weaker pairs field (Y&B, W&S, M&S, Z&S and brand new K&D), except at the 1994 Olympics. If Sato & Dungjen been skating in 94-97 (Ina & Dungjen paired up before 1994- I first saw them at the Olympic festival in 1993), there would not have been Ina-Dungjen, and S&D might have competed. They could have been world medallists.

[judgejudy27]

The 1998 Olympics wasnt even a great event. K&D won an overwhelming victory with a very good performance but hardly one of the all time best, and they had more memorable performances to that same program in the 96-97 season (GP final were they were robbed of winning, and Worlds were a silly doubled toe by him in both programs cost them the title), using it a second year it lost some of the lustre it had in its debut year. Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze succumbed to nerves and had some major mistakes in both programs, while Woetzer & Steuer were badly injured and thus understandably very subpar even for their IMO never particularly great standards. A top flight team skating well would have had no problem atleast medaling at the 98 Olympics either, especialy one who already had the reputation of skating well and winning medals previous seasons before that one. With the performances that event, Ina & Dungen probably would have even medaled with their U.S Nationals LP which was their best ever but unfortunately they came nowhere near duplicating at the Games, and as I said while completely random speculation and no way of knowing, I could easily have seen Sato & Dungjen being a better and far more pleasing team than Ina & Dungjen ever were.

BTW who is Z&S referring to.

[Proustable]

Zagoroska/Siudek?

[skateboy]

I may be the only one on this board that did not care for Underhill-Martini. I often found their routines vulgar.

Nope, you're not the only one. Something about them always bugged me and you hit the nail on the head.

[Vash01]

Zagoroska/Siudek?

That is correct. At that time they skated as Zagorska-Siudek. Later they skated as Siudek & Siudek.