Canadian Pairs 2018/2019 Season News and Updates

[Janef]

I don't see any reason to think that. It's possible to do a better twist even with their height issue; they're still a comparatively new team, so they can improve on that.

I hope you are right!

 

[shutterbug]

I was looking at Natasha Purich's Instagram this past week, and she is healing from her injury quite well...

She's on icepartnersearch.

 

[Sk8mom123]

I wonder if Ostiguy and Choinard will stay together they also don’t have a great height difference. She’s gotten tall but still quite slim. Tall boys are hard to find.

 

[Vase]

Bardei could skate with Julianne?
I would think Ostiguy would be looking for a new partner, they served well in junior with the younger teams, but taking them to Senior I am not sure they have what it’s gonna take.
I am a big Ostiguy fan, he just needs the right partner.
Having more tall pair guys would help these tall pair girls.
Zach seems to be the only tall guy in junior and the junior girls are not done growing.

 

[Japanfan]

Yes. When you see the Russian juniors better than our seniors teams. It’s kind of embarrassing. North America in general has a long way to go to match this level (training/funds)

But the Soviet/Chinese system would not work in North America.

 

[aftershocks]

Bardei could skate with Julianne?

Seriously?

ETA: Okay, I get your drift. I didn't see the mention of B/B's split when I read your post.

 

[Janef]

But the Soviet/Chinese system would not work in North America.

True. Maybe not that style but something to boost the calibre up to match up better. Better funding????

 

[Mad for Skating]

I understand what you’re saying but let’s be realistic. She is too tall for him!

They will always struggle with that, but Ashley Cain is supermodel tall and Tim still manages to get her up there. Cain/LeDuc started with a very weak twist and it’s gotten much better - I think the same could happen for Walsh/Michaud. Trennt is short for a pair guy but he’s very solid. I’d give them some time.

 

[RoseRed]

They will always struggle with that, but Ashley Cain is supermodel tall and Tim still manages to get her up there. Cain/LeDuc started with a very weak twist and it’s gotten much better - I think the same could happen for Walsh/Michaud. Trennt is short for a pair guy but he’s very solid. I’d give them some time.

That's true. Although C/L have a bigger height difference than W/M by a few cm.

And 5'6" is not 'supermodel tall'.

 

[aftershocks]

It was Walsh but I’m sure he asked Brasseur as well. I’m not convinced Bilodeau would be tall enough for Brasseur.

Why would this even occur to you??? Justine Brasseur is listed as 5' 1/2" and Charlie Bilodeau is listed as 5' 11". Where's the height issue?

Unless Justine has grown taller and her height has not been updated on Wiki. Bardei is supposed to be 6'3", so it does look from this video like Justine is taller than the listed stat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghpSTo-5S4s
Maybe she's more like 5'4" now.

 

[Japanfan]

True. Maybe not that style but something to boost the calibre up to match up better. Better funding????

I too was wondering how to boost the caliber and don't know whether more funding or better allocated funding are the answers.

SFAIK one thing the Soviet/Russian and Chinese systems do well is identify talent young and cultivate it. So, maybe Skate Canada and the US fed could employ professionals to do that. But that would only work if skaters identified to have talent for pairs and dance were interested in those disciplines.

In Canada, a lack of depth in pretty much all the fields seems to be an issue. Canada does well at producing some high ranking skaters, but there can be lacks within the fields themselves.

Of course Skate Canada would say that isn't true - as Rod or Tracy said, "the cupboard is just being restocked".

We do have L&L and Gogolov coming up, both which look to have a lot of promise. But that's still not a full pantry.

 

[aftershocks]

Ya know, come to think of it, maybe it's not an entirely bad idea for Skate Canada and US fed pairs experts to join forces and work toward making North American pairs a juggernaut in a battle against Russian and Chinese dominance. Somewhat in the way that happened kinda by coincidence in ice dance, eh! Just sayin...

I do realize that North American teams are rivals, but once again if the goal is to work toward everyone excelling, that would be a win-win in the long run for North American teams and for the entire discipline as a whole.

Or, I guess Skate Canada should just worry about rebuilding, and U.S. fed should concentrate on continuing to help all the teams in the U.S. with such amazing potential. In particular, providing funding for struggling teams and also finding more opportunities to compete for their skaters, as well as learning how to push for a more positive perception of U.S. pairs skaters. I'm tired of the perception continuing to be so unfairly negative.

 

[Cleo1782]

That's true. Although C/L have a bigger height difference than W/M by a few cm.

And 5'6" is not 'supermodel tall'.

Ashley Cain is at least 5'7 because I am 5'8 and we are very close in height standing side by side. So Ashley could be a short supermodel. She is very tall for a pair girl. Tiffany Steigler grew to be about 5'8 too. They are the two tallest elite pair girls I have ever known in real life. Girls like Kirsten Moore Towers and Deanna Stellato are so tiny I feel like I could put them in my pocket lol. It's really about the partner but there is a reason Tim and Ashley and Trennt and Evelyn do struggle on lifts.

 

[aftershocks]

... there is a reason Tim and Ashley and Trennt and Evelyn do struggle on lifts.

Please share your knowledge in more detail about this...

 

[Cleo1782]

Please share your knowledge in more detail about this...

I mean it's really hard to get Level 4 on lifts-lots of changes in position and direction plus variations. Vanessa and Morgan intentionally do 2 Level 3 lifts in their lp. The height difference is the hardest to get over in lifts. Sui and Han are the only team I can think of that have very little height difference and do crazy level 4 lifts. But they have been together forever. I am not going to lie, Ashley and Tim's lifts are scary in person, but as US nationals taught us-they aren't the only ones to miss lifts. I haven't seen Evelyn and Trennt live this year, but their lifts have always been a little scary to me. I think the 3twist is a timing issue because teams like Kayne/O'shea (with a large height difference) struggle with it as well. I think teams like Ashley and Tim and Trennt and Evelyn should just go with a level 3 and do it well (which Ashley and Tim are trying to do after Zagreb) instead of risking a missed lift or accident, but that's just my opinion and it means nothing lol.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Thanks for sharing.

am not going to lie, Ashley and Tim's lifts are scary in person, but as US nationals taught us-they aren't the only ones to miss lifts

As sometimes shaky and unsteady as I've seen C/L's lifts to be, I haven't seen Ash & Tim exactly miss a lift, i.e., not being able to get it all the way up on the initial try. I believe the problem at Zagreb was the throw where Ashley fell hard and her head and neck jerked back-and-forth in a whiplash movement. I think she became disoriented after that, even though she kept going.

But that ending lift as a result was likely dicey due to Ashley being woozy going into it as a result of the hard fall and whiplash movement. She was probably dizzy and unable to maintain control coming out of the lift, which may have contributed to her blanking out for seconds after her head touched the ice. Fortunately, her head did not touch hard since Timothy was trying mightily to hold on and break the fall. But sorry for being OT in this thread.

And thanks for sharing. It seems to me that with proper training, it's still possible to do enough to neutralize lifts being a weakness for skaters with less height differential. Going for level 3 instead of level 4 difficulty certainly makes sense as a strategy.

 

[RoseRed]

Ashley Cain is at least 5'7 because I am 5'8 and we are very close in height standing side by side. So Ashley could be a short supermodel. She is very tall for a pair girl. Tiffany Steigler grew to be about 5'8 too. They are the two tallest elite pair girls I have ever known in real life. Girls like Kirsten Moore Towers and Deanna Stellato are so tiny I feel like I could put them in my pocket lol. It's really about the partner but there is a reason Tim and Ashley and Trennt and Evelyn do struggle on lifts.

I'm going by her ISU bio which lists her as 167 cm, or just a little under 5'6".

 

[aftershocks]

I'm going by her ISU bio which lists her as 167 cm, or just a little under 5'6".

Those listings I suppose can be misleading. Timothy LeDuc is listed at 6'1" and standing next to him, Ashley does look a bit taller than 5'6" -- but maybe not by much.

 

[Cleo1782]

I am literally just eyeballing it. I was surprised she was that tall. I think 5'7 is a good estimate. 1 inch isn't going to make or break you either way. She is still tall, but good for her. Leduc looks about 6'1. Because standing next to him and Jim Peterson (who is about 6') Tim is slightly taller.
ISU bio's are misleading. I know a few pair guys that are listed 2 or 3 inches taller than real life (not Tim). A former US pair champion is listed as 5'11 and is a few centimeters taller than me..........

 

[Rafter]

I haven't seen Brasseur even on video for years and when I did she wasn't at a competitive level in juniors so I would be the last person to hypothesize a partner for her, much less to someone who is currently on the podium at Nationals.

Brasseur has some star quality and nice lines but watching her at nationals her 3sal is MIA and she looks scared of the throw jumps. She also always “injured”.

 

[Colonel Green]

In Canada, a lack of depth in pretty much all the fields seems to be an issue.

No, it isn’t. We have plenty of depth in men and ice dance.

Ladies, chronically, and pairs, recently, are where there’s less in the way of depth.

 

[Rafter]

She’s gotten tall but still quite slim. Tall boys are hard to find.

Yes tall boys are rare in Canada. Maybe they’re all playing hockey instead.

We definitely don’t make them like Bardei here, which is what made his arrival on the scene a bit refreshing (although I suppose Zach Daleman is tall like Bardei as was Radford). B/B had a world class 3twist which is something Canadian pairs are not good at. At all.

So Bardei and his great 3twist will probably be moving back to the Ukraine (because he has no partner, no sponsor, and no money) and we’ll be back to poorly matched teams that are competent but have no future at the international level (other than MT&M of course).

They will always struggle with that, but Ashley Cain is supermodel tall and Tim still manages to get her up there. Cain/LeDuc started with a very weak twist and it’s gotten much better - I think the same could happen for Walsh/Michaud. Trennt is short for a pair guy but he’s very solid. I’d give them some time.

Cain and LeDuc still do not have a great twist.

 

[Colonel Green]

Cain and LeDuc still do not have a great twist.

But it’s become pretty solid.

 

[skategal]

The only tall guy (6 foot, 1 inch) I can think of is Francis Boudreau-Audet.

Is he still skating?

 

[skatingguy]

Ladies, chronically, and pairs, recently, are where there’s less in the way of depth.

And a year ago we had four pairs that were top 10 quality so it's very recent indeed.

 

[Colonel Green]

And a year ago we had four pairs that were top 10 quality so it's very recent indeed.

Indeed. To an extent this season’s pair field is artificially small because of the unexpected Seguin/Bilodeau split; if one or both come back with new partners next season (which we know is happening with Charlie, at least) that will be a big difference.

 

[Janef]

That's true. Although C/L have a bigger height difference than W/M by a few cm.

And 5'6" is not 'supermodel tall'.

With skates on it is....

 

[Janef]

Yes tall boys are rare in Canada. Maybe they’re all playing hockey instead.

We definitely don’t make them like Bardei here, which is what made his arrival on the scene a bit refreshing (although I suppose Zach Daleman is tall like Bardei as was Radford). B/B had a world class 3twist which is something Canadian pairs are not good at. At all.

So Bardei and his great 3twist will probably be moving back to the Ukraine (because he has no partner, no sponsor, and no money) and we’ll be back to poorly matched teams that are competent but have no future at the international level (other than MT&M of course).



Cain and LeDuc still do not have a great twist.

 

[Janef]

Well said. Yes bardei and the beautiful twist are sadly going back to the ukraine

 

[Janef]

Well said. Yes bardei and the beautiful twist are sadly going back to the ukraine

If the split is official. Not sure where the news came from. Just saw it on this post from someone