Bringing this conversation over from the Canadian Olympic announcement thread, since it pertains to I/M and pairs selection:
Which 'darling' are you referring to: Meagan Duhamel, Kirsten Moore-Towers, or the young and promising team of Seguin/Bilodeau? I think it's obvious that Skate Canada are very high on S/B (as they should be), but I found it interesting how S/B were placed ahead of M-T/M in the sp, when Julianne fell on the sbs jump element and M-T/M were overall a bit better in the sp. The scoring had the two teams practically tied, but that result likely had many fans giving the judges some side-eye. And then I/M were taken down several notches in the sp by not even getting at least a 66+ or closer (albeit they didn't perform the crucial sbs jumps well). Still, the scoring kind of made the statement that the other teams were preferred.
Sadly for I/M, the Cdn Nats scoring is also a reflection of the GP results for these teams, except that
S/B were not received that well in the marks by international judges, even though their programs this year are boffo IMO. In any case,
M-T/M had the better results behind D/R on the GP, so Kirsten & Michael earned the respect they were shown in the marks at Cdn Nats. They have improved tremendously when they were not really expected to break through. What helped Kirsten/Michael was ironically the problems S/B have had the last two seasons with injuries, which allowed Kirsten/Michael the huge opportunity to compete at Worlds, get the experience and gain recognition. The fact they were able to use those opportunities to their advantage can not be downplayed in how much they have improved, and in how their confidence as a team has skyrocketed. What a truly lucky decision Kirsten made to be coached by Gauthier/Marcotte (and even more that Meagan was okay with M-T/M coming on board). Had Kirsten and Michael stayed with the Wirtzes, they'd be toast -- their partnership done and over. Under G/M and Julie Marcotte, M-T/M have flourished and uncovered potential probably no one thought they could realize together. Even Ted Barton admitted that in his sp commentary!
It's got to be difficult for I/M right now. There was so much anticipation among fans for their partnership. And they started out very well, facing all the obstacles of waiting for Luba's release from Russia, and then applying for Canadian citizenship; finding the funds to train and be coached in a good training center. Finding the right music and choreo to build a successful partnership. Trying to continue building and maintaining an upward trajectory, while knowing it was urgent to get it all done within a limited timeframe. That had to be so hard for them. And then, Dylan experiences injuries in their final season.
They have had a lot of peaks and valleys along the way.
I think they still have so much to offer and to explore with their partnership, but their ultimate goal was to make the Olympics. And failing that, what will they decide to do now? It's heartbreaking.
In a way, as I already mentioned in this thread, I think I/M should not have revealed earlier in the season their plans to retire after this season and hopefully do shows. It may have been taken in a light by Skate Canada that I/M were expendable if they were not going to continue competitively. If Dylan had just hedged a bit and said they hadn't decided what their future together will be, and that they were just focused on working hard to make the Olympic team and represent Canada. By saying they were looking ahead to doing shows, it took focus and momentum away from their urgency to make the Olympic team. They had reached such a high by coming in ahead of D/R at Worlds 2017, but they needed to keep their foot on the pedal and not let up and think they were automatic favorites along with D/R for the Olympics. The young team of Seguin/Bilodeau were always a threat. And obviously, so were M-T/M. The fact I/M placed ahead of D/R at Worlds, while a happy achievement for them, surely did not endear them to Meagan and the Montreal pairs camp.
So, combined with Dylan's injuries and their indecisiveness regarding their programs this season, and Luba's struggles with jumps, and revealing too soon that they planned to retire after the season was over, things simply did not pan out the way I/M had hoped. Once again, they still have a lot to offer and it would be nice if they could regroup and come back for one more year competitively. Although, I don't know if Dylan feels he has enough left in the gas tank. Frankly, Eric seems to be feeling the same way. I think it's more Meagan driving the enthusiasm to keep battling strong as they come down the stretch. This dynamic recalls to my mind Aliona Savchenko when she was with Robin Szolkowy, and he frankly was thinking of retiring post-2010 (even though he committed to continuing another four years).
I haven't seen any arguments that I/M should have been selected for the team, only disappointment by their fans for the challenges I/M faced and weren't able to overcome this season. There are a few overwrought fans grumbling about I/M's scores, but still being realistic that I/M did not have the strong showing they needed to have at Cdn Nats. Especially against a young stunner of a team (S/B), and against another resilient team (M-T/M) who started out as an awkward partnership but are now demanding everyone's attention (even despite Michael still having a way to go in developing his partnering skills).
I was simply pointing out to 
News coming out of AB sectionals... apparently Purich/Portz are done.
