Canadian Pairs 2018/2019 Season News and Updates

[RoseRed]

The FS lifts of Walsh & Michaud were really very good. That's where the lack of height difference matters the most. The way they relate to each other on the ice in the FS is great too. For whatever reason they seem to have lost confidence in the jumps where the height issue should actually make the elements look more matched. Hope they can get this aspect back soon.

The 3S is new for them I believe. Last season they were doing 3T and 2A. Obviously Evelyn was doing it for singles, but the timing can throw it off for sbs. And I think they were reworking their throw technique. Doesn't seem to be working out so far. And they also talked about trying harder throws and sbs jumps in the summer. Maybe they haven't been practising the ones they're competing as much? IDK.

 

[Rock2]

I didn't see the W/M skate -- just looked at the protocols. Messy.
I'm not sure how their summer training went. I have heard different things but can't confirm.
Yes the 3S is an add this year but I'm not sure who was the hold up in adding it. I think Trennt competed junior singles with the 3S and 3T and IIRC 3S isn't Walsh's best jump in singles. I'd have to double check.

Looks like they downgraded the second throw from 3Z to 3T, unsuccessfully.

This is overall not what you want heading into your first GP.

My perspective on Canadian pairs overall is that results just aren't going to be there this fall. All need to organize themselves to put much more work in to look ready to make an impression come nationals. I'm expecting like zilch from all of them until that point.

 

[levineismine]

Our latest interview with Kirsten and Mike after Autumn Classic:

Link

Enjoy!

 

[Japanfan]

Dylan is very articulate and engaging. He just needs to find his groove. It's early in his career, so I cut him some slack over some of his awkward interviewing at ACI.

I agree that he needs to find his groove - but he does show some promise as a commentator.

 

[halffull]

Just watched MTM2's SP from Finlandia. Sad to see his lift position is still horrible, the throw was bad from the start & the music is horrid. They have NO connection. Glad to see there are some good upcoming younger teams. As much as I'd like to enjoy MTM2, I just can't warm up to them.

 

[Rafter]

I think they do have some connection, so disagree with you there. The throw was never going to be landed, you could see it from the start. The twist has not improved at all and did he two-foot the SBS jump? It was hard to tell but kind of looked like it.

I thought they looked much improved at nationals/Olympics but they seemed to have regressed since then.

I'm so tired of Julie Marcotte pairs choreography. It seems like every team who trains with Marcotte/Gauthier HAS to use her or something.

 

[Sylvia]

I thought they looked much improved at nationals/Olympics but they seemed to have regressed since then.

If anyone took the time to read @levineismine's Moore-Towers/Marinaro interview (link posted above in post #333), Kirsten explains how much training time they lost this summer due to her ankle injury.

 

[RoseRed]

I think they do have some connection, so disagree with you there. The throw was never going to be landed, you could see it from the start. The twist has not improved at all and did he two-foot the SBS jump? It was hard to tell but kind of looked like it.

I thought they looked much improved at nationals/Olympics but they seemed to have regressed since then.

I'm so tired of Julie Marcotte pairs choreography. It seems like every team who trains with Marcotte/Gauthier HAS to use her or something.

I don't think it's that they have to. Alexandrovskaya/Windsor used Massimo Scali for the FS, for example. But she's in Montreal, right there to make adjustments and work with them continuously. That must be pretty appealing to the teams there. That doesn't mean she's the right choice for all of them, but it does have it's advantages. She may also be more available and affordable than some other options too.

 

[aftershocks]

I think they do have some connection, so disagree with you there. The throw was never going to be landed, you could see it from the start. The twist has not improved at all and did he two-foot the SBS jump? It was hard to tell but kind of looked like it.

I thought they looked much improved at nationals/Olympics but they seemed to have regressed since then.

I'm so tired of Julie Marcotte pairs choreography. It seems like every team who trains with Marcotte/Gauthier HAS to use her or something.

I'm thinking from M-T/M's comments in interviews that they are feeling the pressure of carrying Canadian pairs forward. It's a different story than when they were underdogs battling from behind. Also, keep in mind that Kirsten has been injured which gave them a slow start to the season (ETA: I see @Sylvia already pointed that out in her above post). It does not look like M-T/M are as well trained or comfortable just yet with their new programs. If they can shed feeling the pressure of not having any strong backup right now among Canadian pairs and simply focus on themselves like they have done previously, they should be okay.

Granted they are not to some people's tastes as a pair team. I personally like the way they have grown as a team over the past few seasons, and I enjoy their personalities. I wouldn't write them off from being able to rise to the occasion in the long term. This is a transitional season, and yep perhaps their music and program choices aren't hitting a home run at the moment, but I'm not going to give up on them. They don't strike me as quitters either.

Figure skating is often a roller coaster. We should be used to some fairly bumpy rides across the board, which is what makes the magically transcendent and sublime rising to the occasion (as we saw by Savchenko/Massot in Pyeongchang) all the more sweet whenever it happens. M-T/M did themselves and their country proud in Milan, and that's nothing to dismiss in the face of them having a shaky start so far this season.

 

[Rafter]

Well they looked much today in the LP so maybe they’ll be alright. But Mike is still two footing the SBSs.

 

[barbarafan]

Just watched MTM2's SP from Finlandia. Sad to see his lift position is still horrible, the throw was bad from the start & the music is horrid. They have NO connection. Glad to see there are some good upcoming younger teams. As much as I'd like to enjoy MTM2, I just can't warm up to them.

Just watched MTM2's SP from Finlandia. Sad to see his lift position is still horrible, the throw was bad from the start & the music is horrid. They have NO connection. Glad to see there are some good upcoming younger teams. As much as I'd like to enjoy MTM2, I just can't warm up to them.

Where did you see it?

the channel I was watching it on yesterday is not there today.

in the short on the throw they seemed to go back to their setup prior to moving to Gauthier...where KMT does not do assisted throw but just bend her knees and Michael has to haul her up and oooff her across the ice.

 

[Colonel Green]

Another silver medal for KMT and Michael, though I expect this feels like a very different silver from the last one, since they did very well here (and weren't really that far away from winning, after Tarasova and Morozov fell apart in the free skate; a UR here, low GOEs there made the difference).

 

[supergirl573]

If they don't make the GPF, the can still go to Zagreb, which is nice.

 

[Catherine M]

So the roster is out for the next Challenge event in Austria and Skate Canada is sending Cotop and Roman but NO Brasseur & Bardei.

I do NOT understand that decision at ALL as they have what 5 or 6 senior pair teams and Justine & Mark are their most promising team in a long, long, long time and need to be out on the international circuit ASAP.

After Austria, there are only 2 more challenge events so the window is closing to get them min scores.

 

[barbarafan]

So the roster is out for the next Challenge event in Austria and Skate Canada is sending Cotop and Roman but NO Brasseur & Bardei.

I do NOT understand that decision at ALL as they have what 5 or 6 senior pair teams and Justine & Mark are their most promising team in a long, long, long time and need to be out on the international circuit ASAP.

After Austria, there are only 2 more challenge events so the window is closing to get them min scores.

That totally su**cks......I wonder who from Skate Canada was there to monitor at Quebec Summer Skate or I think it is Georges Ethier.?

 

[Erin]

So the roster is out for the next Challenge event in Austria and Skate Canada is sending Cotop and Roman but NO Brasseur & Bardei.

I do NOT understand that decision at ALL as they have what 5 or 6 senior pair teams and Justine & Mark are their most promising team in a long, long, long time and need to be out on the international circuit ASAP.

After Austria, there are only 2 more challenge events so the window is closing to get them min scores.

I don’t understand it either now that we know Mark has been released. I would think they would want Brasseur and Bardei to have two Challengers to get the international experience and now we don’t know if they will even have one?

Skate Canada is showing a lot of willingness to send skaters out to Challengers this year, which I applaud, so that makes this decision even more inexplicable.

 

[Colonel Green]

It may be that they’d prefer to do a later Challenger to have more time to work on things.

 

[IloveFS]

I am not optimistic about the Canadian Senior Pair teams, although I do think KMT has a lot of potential. I just don't think skating with MM is her way to the top!

 

[Colonel Green]

I am not optimistic about the Canadian Senior Pair teams, although I do think KMT has a lot of potential. I just don't think skating with MM is her way to the top!

Well, she’s at least made it to the top of the Canadian pairs field.

 

[IloveFS]

Well, she’s at least made it to the top of the Canadian pairs field.

But, would she be there if DR were still competing?

 

[Sylvia]

But, would she be there if DR were still competing?

Or I/M or S/B or ??? Does it matter?

It may be that they’d prefer to do a later Challenger to have more time to work on things.

Yes. I can't imagine that Skate Canada isn't going to send Brasseur/Bardei out later this fall.

 

[Colonel Green]

But, would she be there if DR were still competing?

My comment was half in jest, since KMT/M are basically #1 by default, but they’re hardly the only people who are at the top partly because other people retired.

 

[IloveFS]

My comment was half in jest, since KMT/M are basically #1 by default, but they’re hardly the only people who are at the top partly because other people retired.

I guess I just see a huge difference in their skating skills and abilities. MT is one of the best female pair skaters in the world (in my opinion). I think she needs a different partner!

 

[Colonel Green]

I guess I just see a huge difference in their skating skills and abilities. MT is one of the best female pair skaters in the world (in my opinion). I think she needs a different partner!

It’s way too late for that to be considered. For better or worse, this is the team.

 

[Rafter]

I don’t understand it either now that we know Mark has been released. I would think they would want Brasseur and Bardei to have two Challengers to get the international experience and now we don’t know if they will even have one?

Skate Canada is showing a lot of willingness to send skaters out to Challengers this year, which I applaud, so that makes this decision even more inexplicable.

I’m wondering if B/Bs coaches think they need a bit more time before competing internationally. The potential is there but some of the elements are still rough (lasso lift, throws).

 

[mag]

I guess I just see a huge difference in their skating skills and abilities. MT is one of the best female pair skaters in the world (in my opinion). I think she needs a different partner!

IMHO 50% of MMT’s problem with lifts is Kirsten’s. It looks to me like she is difficult to lift and I suspect it has to do with technique and accessing core strength. Yes, Micheal has his own problems, but lifting is a team activity. For this reason alone I would not say she is one of the best pairs women in the world.

 

[Alvyne]

B/B will be competing at Québec sectionals that weekend according to Patinage Québec. They will probably go to Golden Spin later in the fall.

 

[RoseRed]

So the roster is out for the next Challenge event in Austria and Skate Canada is sending Cotop and Roman but NO Brasseur & Bardei.

I do NOT understand that decision at ALL as they have what 5 or 6 senior pair teams and Justine & Mark are their most promising team in a long, long, long time and need to be out on the international circuit ASAP.

After Austria, there are only 2 more challenge events so the window is closing to get them min scores.

They can get their tech minimums at any senior B (it just won't count for SB) - it doesn't have to be a CS event. So there are more options for them. Otherwise I agree though.

 

[million$momma]

I think that B & B are too rough around the edges yet to guarentee getting the points needed at an international event. Their lifts, throws, and jumps and still pretty iffy. That is a lot of a program still! You want their first appearance in front of international judges to be positive. Right now it could be disastrous!

 

[Erin]

The points required to get the minimums for 4CC or even Worlds are not that high. Personally, I think it’s better to get out there and get the minimums because what if they are sick or injured later on in the year?

I don’t believe that this year’s minimums have been established but for reference, last year’s World minimums were 25 in the SP and 43 in the FP. The 4CC minimums were obviously lower. At Georges-Ethiers, Brasseur and Bardei scored 34.5 in the SP and 48.94 with a lot of mistakes in the FP. Obviously international judging would be different, but these posts about how sending them out would be “a disaster” are ridiculous.