Canadian Pairs 2018/2019 Season News and Updates

[Janef]

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..........

She is tall for pairs. I think the longer legs in lifts pose balance issues for the partner. She also tends to lunge forward quite a bit

 

[mag]

With skates on it is....

5’11” tends to be the minimum height for girls over 18 wanting to model. 5’10” might work, but it is extremely unusual for models to be shorter than that.

 

[oleada]

I can’t see Bardei and Seguin matching at all. It’s too bad B/B as they had some potential and now the Canadian field looks incredibly bleak. That said, I do agree that neither Brasseur’s jumps nor throws were all that consistent, so I don’t see how she could be considered as a better match for Charlie than Lyubov. Walsh/Michaud are too close in height, and frankly, not good enough to be real contenders.

I don’t think that the twist issue is only a matter of height; I think it’s technique. Moore-Towers/Marinaro who have a good height difference don’t have a good twist; it was never a strength for Duhamel/Radford either. I think that Canadian coaches should really look at how other countries - Russia, China and even Dalilah Sappenfield - are teaching this element because across the board it’s not working for the Canadian teams.

 

[barbarafan]

I can’t see Bardei and Seguin matching at all. It’s too bad B/B as they had some potential and now the Canadian field looks incredibly bleak. That said, I do agree that neither Brasseur’s jumps nor throws were all that consistent, so I don’t see how she could be considered as a better match for Charlie than Lyubov. Walsh/Michaud are too close in height, and frankly, not good enough to be real contenders.

I don’t think that the twist issue is only a matter of height; I think it’s technique. Moore-Towers/Marinaro who have a good height difference don’t have a good twist; it was never a strength for Duhamel/Radford either. I think that Canadian coaches should really look at how other countries - Russia, China and even Dalilah Sappenfield - are teaching this element because across the board it’s not working for the Canadian teams.

They should ask Lubov to help with their twist. She had a fabulous twist with her Russian partner. Cdn twist technique stinks.

 

[clairecloutier]

All doubts aside as to Walsh/Michaud's viability as partners , here is an article I did about them for Figure Skaters Online:

http://figureskatersonline.com/news...ud-our-partnership-has-grown-a-lot-this-year/

 

[Tinami Amori]

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

with his wife Karina, both of them?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkqTcNHAXV2/

 

[JoannaLouise]

All doubts aside as to Walsh/Michaud's viability as partners , here is an article I did about them for Figure Skaters Online:

http://figureskatersonline.com/news...ud-our-partnership-has-grown-a-lot-this-year/

Thanks for the interview!

This was my favourite part:

“A lot of my friends, in their phone, it’s Trennnnnnnnnnnnnnt. Yup. It’s good–something to laugh about. I like it. Makes me different,” said Michaud with a resigned laugh.

 

[Skateforlive]

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

Is he still skating?

Yes , he is skating with Nadine Wang now!

 

[RoseRed]

Yes , he is skating with Nadine Wang now!

For Canada or for the US?

 

[Skateforlive]

For Canada or for the US?

Canada

 

[Vase]

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.

Very true,

They should ask Lubov to help with their twist. She had a fabulous twist with her Russian partner. Cdn twist technique stinks.

So talking about the twist technique, is it more on the girl? Just trying to get a basic understanding, I was never a skater.

 

[aftershocks]

Ah, Nadine Wang with Francis Boudreau-Audet, interesting. I guess it makes sense for them to skate for Canada, because SC are looking for more depth at the moment. And Francis probably isn't interested in trying to gain citizenship for yet another country.

Plus, U.S. has a lot of promising pairs teams, at the moment. Sadly Deardorff/Settlage split. But with Calalang/Johnson looking good and Lu/Mitrafanov on the rise, along with the current top contenders (and a couple of other young promising teams in Liu/Meyh & Digerness/Neudecker), the U.S. field is currently crowded. Serafini/Tran may or may not end up working out, but I'm hopeful for them getting better at least -- so that's already a transplanted male Canadian fs representing the U.S. in pairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ostHJ5hllWo Nadine Wang/Spencer Howe U.S. juniors fp 2018
They were coached by Gauthier/Marcotte, but Bobby Martin sat in for them in the kiss 'n cry

So since Nadine was already training in Canada, I guess that's how she ended up partnering with Boudreau-Audet. I wonder whether Spencer Howe is still in skating, or looking for a partner?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmOswluocY8 Suto/Boudreau-Audet 2017 RC Not very scintillating in their 3rd season together; unsurprising that they split
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRX3l5S1T-Y sp at the same event is a bit better (Commentators said their partnership was constantly challenged by language and cultural barriers)

Wang/Howe needed work as well but they were newer together. Maybe Francis and Nadine will click better under Gauthier/Marcotte? Both former teams trained under these coaches.

 

[barbarafan]

Very true,

So talking about the twist technique, is it more on the girl? Just trying to get a basic understanding, I was never a skater.

Nor was I but....when Lubov & Dylan first got together Dylan and coaches decided they would blend the 2 techniques together and it wasn't long before they had a decent twist...better than any cdn pair at the time.But I felt it would be better if they had chosen the Russian technique. Lubov knows the Russian technique and she was sky high in the air with Russian partner. If Gauthier & Marcotte want to turn out good pairs internationally they need to switch.

 

[Skateforlive]

I heard that big guy David-Alexandre Paradis have a new partner!

 

[Mad for Skating]

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'.

She’s tall for a pair girl. I think she was listed like 5’8” somewhere. Compared to pair skaters like Duhamel and Sui who are less that 5 feet, she’s tall.

Cain and LeDuc still do not have a great twist.

It’s not huge like Tarasova/Morozov’s, but they get the job done.

5’11” tends to be the minimum height for girls over 18 wanting to model. 5’10” might work, but it is extremely unusual for models to be shorter than that.

Well that may be the standard for the modeling industry, but personally I don’t think height has anything to do with beauty. I know plenty of gorgeous girls who are short and they rock it! (Ahem, Sui, Savchenko, Tarasova).

All doubts aside as to Walsh/Michaud's viability as partners , here is an article I did about them for Figure Skaters Online:

http://figureskatersonline.com/news...ud-our-partnership-has-grown-a-lot-this-year/

Thanks! This is awesome! I really love them as a team and think they work well together despite the lack of height gap. I loved their short program this season! They are still young, but I think they have potential in the next few years.
They seem really funny and cool.

 

[mag]

Well that may be the standard for the modeling industry, but personally I don’t think height has anything to do with beauty. I know plenty of gorgeous girls who are short and they rock it! (Ahem, Sui, Savchenko, Tarasova).

Modeling has very little to do with beauty. It is about who has “the look” and who wears the clothes the best.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Modeling has very little to do with beauty. It is about who has “the look” and who wears the clothes the best.

I suppose so. I just meant there are many gorgeous ladies who are not tall.

 

[aftershocks]

I think Trennt and Evelyn have a nice, upbeat vibe and they obviously get along well together. I've enjoyed watching their progress. They seem to have a very determined approach, and they've been able to have some good showings this season, despite some inconsistency. Their task will be to continue to improve, and to find out what makes then unique in terms of style and approach. All teams today have to find a way to stand out from the pack and to discover what makes them unique as a team, and how best to express that on the ice.

 

[Japanfan]

I suppose so. I just meant there are many gorgeous ladies who are not tall.

Absolutely. But they won't make it in the fashion modelling industry (and probably won't aspire to).

 

[Rock2]

What are we discussing here!?!?!? I'm so lost....

Can someone tell me who Nadine Wang is and this 'big Paradis' guy? Unfamiliar with both

 

[Rafter]

Meagan Duhamel’s first Instagram story has a video of a team doing a death spiral. Can anyone tell if that’s Brasseur? The boy has short dark hair and slightly darker complexion.

 

[Rafter]

What are we discussing here!?!?!? I'm so lost....

Can someone tell me who Nadine Wang is and this 'big Paradis' guy? Unfamiliar with both

I’m not sure who Paradis is but I think Nadine Wang is a US skater who skated with Spencer Howe for a while.

 

[Skate Talker]

So just a thought regarding lack of height difference. I have always marvelled at how successfully Sui & Han cope with it, especially since he just does not look very strong at all yet seems to do the lifts, twists, throws quite effortlessly. I am wondering if the lack of height when both partners are so tiny is less significant than when both partners are taller. Not sure why but it makes sense to me - perhaps centre of gravity without those long limbs whipping everywhere or something?

 

[Rafter]

So just a thought regarding lack of height difference. I have always marvelled at how successfully Sui & Han cope with it, especially since he just does not look very strong at all yet seems to do the lifts, twists, throws quite effortlessly. I am wondering if the lack of height when both partners are so tiny is less significant than when both partners are taller. Not sure why but it makes sense to me - perhaps centre of gravity without those long limbs whipping everywhere or something?

Could be. Because Walsh and Michaud with her long long legs look very awkward in the twist and lifts.

 

[Rock2]

I think the factors affecting the woman are your technique, your overall weight, your core strength and the length of your legs. The bigger you are in any dimension, the harder it is for any man to toss you up there and the harder time you have pulling in to a tight rotation.

I marvel at the overall level achieved by C/L and B/B in overcoming her size. Also, I never thought R/W would get close to a 3Tw but they are further along than I ever expected although it's taking years...

 

[Rafter]

I marvel at the overall level achieved by C/L and B/B in overcoming her size. Also, I never thought R/W would get close to a 3Tw but they are further along than I ever expected although it's taking years...

Yes but Ruest can’t land a SBS jump (or rarely) and the throws are hit and miss. Ruest and Wolfe transitioned into pairs too late IMO.

 

[Rock2]

Yes but Ruest can’t land a SBS jump (or rarely) and the throws are hit and miss. Ruest and Wolfe transitioned into pairs too late IMO.

That's a whole other can of worms. I seem to remember her being better with jumps as a singles skater and earlier in her pairs career. I feel like some combination of their competitive drive and confidence or both have dissipated.

My understanding is that they aren't all that clean in training either. And not just jumps, but lifts and random trips and falls. They say you compete like you train, so I suspect that stuff gets in your head over time.

 

[Dobre]

I have always marvelled at how successfully Sui & Han cope with it, especially since he just does not look very strong at all yet seems to do the lifts, twists, throws quite effortlessly.

He looks incredibly strong to me. Cong Han and Marco Fabbri. The way they just lift their partners with ease. Power pack athletes. Similar to very strong short gymnasts like Blaine Wilson, Dragulescu, or Verniaiev.

 

[Catherine M]

Are Justine Brasseur & Spencer Howe still an off-ice couple? Maybe that's him in Duhamel's clip--I can't tell one way or the other.

And speaking of Instagram, Choinard & Ostiguy are landing sbs triple loops now, according to a clip on her insta

 

[Rock2]

What are the details on Howe in terms of age, height and is he in skating atm?