The Greens were a real medal threat, but Wheaton's track record with sibling teams may have given the Greens pause. The Phams disappeared as novices. The Beckers were amazing technicians who won the low-level titles and then became a size mismatch. The Parsons did amazingly well through juniors and also succeeded in senior (a GP medal is nothing to sniff at), but their size mismatch also did them in. Maybe the Greens saw the writing on the wall for their future, and decided to break up now rather than do very well in juniors but not reach their ultimate senior goals.
Isn’t Caroline Green taller than Rachel Parsons?
I suppose for a skater like Somerville, it's more likely to earn a medal on the JGP (some time in his next 3 seasons) than it would be to earn a medal at a Challenger.
-Haines/Koszuta and Efimova/Petrov were aging out of JGP and wouldn't have an immediate impact (if ever) in Sr. with the deep American field above them.
-The Purnells, DelCamp/Gart, and Amoia/Becker, weren't at the international competitive standard.
Gunter/Wein were around a top 6-8 JGP international team so it would depend on how much progress they had made and the depth of the field whether they could medal.
Wolfkostin/Zhao had a lot of potential, but breaking up at their ages is fine and they have plenty of time to build momentum.
The Greens were a real medal threat, but Wheaton's track record with sibling teams may have given the Greens pause. The Phams disappeared as novices. The Beckers were amazing technicians who won the low-level titles and then became a size mismatch. The Parsons did amazingly well through juniors and also succeeded in senior (a GP medal is nothing to sniff at), but their size mismatch also did them in. Maybe the Greens saw the writing on the wall for their future, and decided to break up now rather than do very well in juniors but not reach their ultimate senior goals.
Canada is positioned well for the next JGP with several middle-jr.-aged teams who aren't so young that they just look cute and who also have a couple more seasons to establish themselves, e.g., Bronsard/Bouaragui, D'Alessandro/Waddell. Russia will be just fine with Ushakova/Nekrasov, Ivanenko/Karpov, Shanaeva/Narzhnyy, etc. But IMO, they were positioned well before all the American splits.
It's a shame about Wing/Lowe's group. I remember watching Orford/Hill's Theory of Everything FD and loving it. I don't remember if Wing/Lowe coached them at that point but I remember the commentator saying Megan Wing choreographed it and I thought it was a beautiful piece of work.
It is surprising having a bunch of junior teams at Wheaton shift, and two of them on the Junior World team.
With regards to DelCamp & Gart, I think she needs to develop her footwork...
I'm so off topic here but SAME. I was rewatching Orford/Hill's programs last week. Really wonder what could have been there...
Perhaps Gart is pursuing other interests.
I'm not sure what has been happening regarding the Greens. But obviously, she has been injured, and they were disappointed by their results at Junior Worlds.
If the Green/Parsons thing is real, I’d say the coaching team actively broke that team up to put Caroline with Michael.I'm not sure what has been happening regarding the Greens. But obviously, she has been injured, and they were disappointed by their results at Junior Worlds.
If the Green/Parsons thing is real, I’d say the coaching team actively broke that team up to put Caroline with Michael.
The Junior World ranks are about to be gutted. I count 16 teams--outside the Greens--that have either aged up, split, or are moving on. Including the entire podium. A 7th place result after mucking up your best element in only your 2nd year of junior eligibility is a bump in the road.
Gart has teamed up with Anya Lavrova. (She was skating in solo dance, and then competed briefly with Jeffrey Chen in novices this past season).
If the Green/Parsons thing is real, I’d say the coaching team actively broke that team up to put Caroline with Michael.
So that makes at least three completely uninformed theories based on the fact that we know absolutely nothing. LOL.
Everything is possible. Lets say someone acts with malice toward one of the siblings and this sibling decide to quit because of it.Not to be presumptuous, but I think it'd be more difficult to break up a sibling team in the manner some are suggesting. If a sibling team breaks up, it must have been a real family discussion. Maybe one sibling was pressured to give it up but still, It's hard for me to imagine someone acting with malice or bad faith towards one sibling partner in favor of another.
I disagree with this sentiment. Ice Dance teams no longer have to "wait their turn" or wait until a more experienced teams retires to make their move (onto the podium).IMO, the decisions of Hubbell/Donohue and Chock/Bates to continue to 2022 created a complete logjam where there just isn't anywhere for current junior teams to make a run at the podium. With Hawayek/Baker, McNamara/Carpenter, Carreira/Ponomarenko sewing up the rest of the top five spots (Parsons x 2 would have made it top 6 spots), it's a long long wait to even get a run at the US senior podium. I can see where waiting another 5 years, especially for teams with only 1-2 years of junior eligibility left, would have been enough to call it quits, or call for a change.
Everything is possible. Lets say someone acts with malice toward one of the siblings and this sibling decide to quit because of it.
I disagree with this sentiment. Ice Dance teams no longer have to "wait their turn" or wait until a more experienced teams retires to make their move (onto the podium).
Chock/Bates jumped right onto the podium when the paired up. When the Shibutani's turned senior, they debuted on the podium. They did not have to wait their turn.
Belbin/Agosto spent one season behind Lang/Tchernyshev (the more senior team), then passed them and in their turn Belbin/Agosto were passed by Davis/White (at that time a more junior team).
There has been a great deal of movement on and off the podium in the last twenty years. I don't think any of the junior teams coming up need despair. If they work hard enough, they will get on the podium. Nothing can stop talent.
Kriengkrairut & Giulietti-Schmidt
Lynn and Logan! What a delightful team they were. Thanks for the memory jog.
This wasn't directed specifically at me, but to be clear, I don't think the coaches acted deviously or caused bad feelings amongst the teams (in this case, anyway; Gropman/Somerville's split suggests some iffy coach actions).Not to be presumptuous, but I think it'd be more difficult to break up a sibling team in the manner some are suggesting. If a sibling team breaks up, it must have been a real family discussion. Maybe one sibling was pressured to give it up but still, It's hard for me to imagine someone acting with malice or bad faith towards one sibling partner in favor of another.
I have to disagree (with your disagreement).I disagree with this sentiment. Ice Dance teams no longer have to "wait their turn" or wait until a more experienced teams retires to make their move (onto the podium).
Chock/Bates jumped right onto the podium when they paired up. When the Shibutani's turned senior, they debuted on the podium. They did not have to wait their turn.
Belbin/Agosto spent one season behind Lang/Tchernyshev (the more senior team), then passed them and in their turn Belbin/Agosto were passed by Davis/White (at that time a more junior team).
There has been a great deal of movement on and off the podium in the last twenty years. I don't think any of the junior teams coming up need despair. If they work hard enough, they will get on the podium. Nothing can stop talent.
What these young teams need to do (to ensure their future success) is stick together, as we have seen a dozen promising teams (over the last twenty years) split up (for various reasons) just as they were about to make their mark as senior skaters.
Yes, and that was such a great opportunity for them that season too! (I can't remember if it was that season or the next one when they had the programs that I loved and thought they had a really great shot at making the Worlds team, but then they mucked up during the event and ahhh! So much for that. But a nice team. Another team that missed out on the top three at Nationals but really had a worthwhile senior career, IMO).
I think they were working with Ben Agosto too at Colorado Springs a few days ago.C/P have been working with Christopher Dean, per Christina's Instagram. No specifics yet. https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTuEDbJeca/?igshid=3gy7i1y2lczo