Canadian Pairs 2019/2020 Season News and Updates

Mad for Skating said:
I loved Lubov and Charlie’s performance! Some little technical glitches but the program is beautiful. I think it suits them better than the SP, and I loved getting to see her godly lift positions. Considering that this is their international debut, that was excellent. I adore the pair spin with the catch-foot position!
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I liked the l/p music for them. I thought they skated to it well. If the music is supposed to be dreamlike. I felt they captured it😎
 
Mad for Skating said:
I like Evelyn and Trennt's programs this year, particularly the FS. However, I've joined the club that worries if their small height difference is holding them back. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's much harder to execute a high twist and good-quality throw jumps when partners are close in size. For example, if the girl can't get high enough on the throw, she won't be able to make the rotation and she's more likely to fall. I love them and wish them the best, but I wonder if that is why they are struggling. Hopefully they can get it together on the Grand Prix, because I would love to see their programs clean.
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I think many of us figure skating fans often get too wound up about lack of height differences. ;) Sure we notice it visually, but physical drawbacks and disadvantages can be overcome by two pairs partners if they work together and have great desire to succeed together. I was just discussing this phenomenon in the general pairs thread in Trash Can, about Duhamel/Radford. D/R were not a great physical match because of the huge difference in their heights. But they made it work because they had so many other things in common, including a deep spiritual bond, which they have both previously discussed in interviews.

Every team is different, thus every pairs teams' journeys together will be different. In the case of Trennt and Evelyn, sure the height similarity can be distracting, and it's possible they have more difficulty on lifts and throws as a result. However, there are ways of overcoming such drawbacks. I would cite Cain-Gribble/LeDuc as one example of a pairs team who are close in height, and still successful. Ash has spoken about how people reference the close height issue as a drawback for her and Timothy. But they and their coaches don't seem to see it as a drawback. They apparently view it as an advantage. Yes, they had to find ways to adjust on lifts and throws, but they've managed to do so by working together, and also through gaining coaching assistance and advice from Nina Mozer who has another successsful, tall pairs team: Zabiako/Enbert. C-G/LD make their similar height and long lines work for them on the ice in unique, distinctive ways.

What I observe in Evelyn & Trennt is competitive grit and a similar desire to succeed. They also get along well together and with their coach. That's a good foundation to build upon, in the absence of any particular amazing pairs weapons in their arsenal. E&T don't get a lot of pop on most of their elements and they haven't started out the season very consistently, but that's not an indication of where they will end up. :) Their programs are okay this season, and maybe they can make them better over time. Right now, their programs aren't especially setting the rink on fire.

The thing for E&T is that they are similar in height to each other, but they are not as tall as Z/E or C-G/LD. Moreover, E&T do not have similar body lines, thus the height difference combined with slight differences in body lines is somewhat of a challenge for them in finding ways to make an impact together on the ice. They have so far overcome these slight physical drawbacks by working well together, and being for the most part consistent competitively when it has mattered. I think their biggest challenge is continuing to grow together and above all finding a unique style that can set them apart. As I said, currently they seem to be exploring different inspirations, but I haven't yet seen them find a vehicle which truly expresses who they are individually and as a team. But that's always the key factor which is hard for every team to discover. Partnering together is all about going on that journey of discovery. For me, that's part of what makes pairs skating so exciting.
 
Janef said:
... The Russians always seem to have well matched teams in this aspect but there is a larger talent pool to choose from I suppose.
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barbarafan said:
This is for sure...There is a very small percentage of people in Canada who could afford figure skating past the huge group lesson stage. So the majority of the pop. however talented will never be known of.
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Janef said:
You are so right. I often wonder how it works. I guess in Russia where they always seem to have such a talent pool it must be cheaper or expenses covered.
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This is an interesting discussion to explore, perhaps in the general pairs thread...
 
I wish they had provided more information about what the changes are for the triple twist that is starting to see results. They indicate they both learned another way - 10 years or so of doing it the former way.
 
^^ Thanks for the article, and good luck to K-MT/M this season! I'm interested in seeing how their new programs (which are better than last season) will grow over the course of this season.

Meanwhile, Sui/Han were obviously not at their best fitness and confidence level at 4CCs, but then neither were Kirsten/Michael at their best in the 4CCs fp performance. Both teams were a bit tight and nervous. I also don't think K&M had the best programs that they were fully able to hone and explore last season. Their programs were serviceable and okay, not outstanding. Plus, they got a slow start to the season last year with Kirsten's injury, etc. It's interesting learning about the drawbacks of their mindset and how they learned from the challenges they experienced.
 
Colonel Green said:
A CBC article about KMT and Michael's training, etc.
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puglover said:
I wish they had provided more information about what the changes are for the triple twist that is starting to see results.
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I wouldn't expect them to go into detailed specifics about the changes they made. But perhaps it would be interesting for a book to be written about all the various different techniques employed in this most difficult of sports. The variety of techniques is part of what makes progress so difficult, particularly for pairs partners who may have trained under different techniques.

There was commentary here last season about K-MT/M lacking an explosive, point-grabbing 3-twist, particularly in the competition where they lost to the Knierims. So apparently, K&M and their coaches were mindful of that, and/or they heard the complaints. ;) I'm just kidding. I think they understand what it is they need to work on in order to make advances to top contention. Sure they might possibly check out more positive critiques from fans while skipping the trivial crapola.
 
Colonel Green said:
Apparently Camille Ruest competed at SkAm with a "fresh hip labral tear" that happened last Monday.
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Oh boy, that sounds terrible. Once again, what skaters go through on a regular basis and still go out there to compete. :eek: Injuries hold skaters back from being able to concentrate on making improvements and achieving consistency. But it's never the done thing for athletes to complain even though we usually hear at some point about injuries and skating with pain. The same happens to dancers whose bodies are their instruments.

This is sad to hear. The commentators at SA kept saying Cami wasn't holding her core and pushing herself up enough in the lifts to aid her partner, Drew. Little did they realize that dealing with that kind of injury can affect partnering skills. It was also mentioned during SA that Peng is skating in pain, which is why they purposely went for double sbs jumps in the fp.
 
I don't recall seeing this interview posted after Nebelhorn Trophy, with Kirsten & Michael. They seem confident, happy, and adjusting well to their new training camp:

www.youtube.com

Interview Moore-Towers/Marinaro NHT 2019

Canadian pair skating champions Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro talk about their start into the season, their programs and more in this interview for f...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

I also love the interview with Luba & Charlie at Finlandia. Boy is SC pairs event going to be an interesting battle. Hopefully, everyone and I do mean everyone, will bring their absolute A-game and see the chips fall where they may. :watch:
 
Last edited:
In case this Player's Own Voice CBC podcast episode with Kirsten Moore-Towers has not yet been posted here:
The 2019 Skate Canada grand prix underscores the new normal on the national figure skating scene. Today's skaters are younger, and to the casual fan, less familiar than the stars of recent vintage. With one exception: Kirsten Moore-Towers. The reigning Canadian Pairs champion is keenly aware that she alone has yet to retire from her star-studded generation. Does that make her wistful? Not at all. For 'KMT', it's all about being grateful to still be at the apex of her sport, still loving competition. She joins host Anastasia Bucsis to talk about the maturing athlete's changing relationships with coaches and partners. Kirsten is a fierce competitor on the ice, and a constantly thinking athlete the rest of the time. She has a growing desire to help shape the sometimes unhealthy body image (and eating disorder-prone) culture of her sport. Moore believes we can avoid the messaging that all too often accompanies rewarding female figure skaters for being lithe and lean and preformative in skimpy outfits. At the ripe old age of 27, the veteran has a plan to leave her sport better than when she found it.
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Download Kirsten Moore-Towers on the leading edge
[mp3 file: runs 00:33:59]
 
Colonel Green said:
Apparently Camille Ruest competed at SkAm with a "fresh hip labral tear" that happened last Monday.
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Oh my gosh, that’s terrible! She needs to take some time off and let that heal. No wonder why they weren’t in top form there; it’s a miracle she was able to jump at all.

Alvyne said:
From TSN, some videos ahead of Skate Canada International

www.tsn.ca

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Figure Skating | VIDEO
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

www.tsn.ca

VIDEO

Figure Skating | VIDEO
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

www.tsn.ca

VIDEO

Figure Skating | VIDEO
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

www.tsn.ca

VIDEO

Figure Skating | VIDEO
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

www.tsn.ca

VIDEO

Figure Skating | VIDEO
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca
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These are all so cute, thank you for sharing!
 
Mad for Skating said:
Oh my gosh, that’s terrible! She needs to take some time off and let that heal. No wonder why they weren’t in top form there; it’s a miracle she was able to jump at all.
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Labral tears don’t just heal on their own with time off or rest. She would require a surgery and lengthy recovery to truly heal it. Depending on how bad it is, she can likely manage it somewhat with Physio, but that’s about it.

I don’t mean to sound harsh but I didn’t find this outing to be particularly worse than anything they’ve done before. I know she’s had a knee injury before which obviously caused issues, but it always just seems to be so many mistakes every time. I think they are lovely to watch, but I’m just not seeing a future with this team at this point.
 
honey said:
Labral tears don’t just heal on their own with time off or rest. She would require a surgery and lengthy recovery to truly heal it. Depending on how bad it is, she can likely manage it somewhat with Physio, but that’s about it.

I don’t mean to sound harsh but I didn’t find this outing to be particularly worse than anything they’ve done before. I know she’s had a knee injury before which obviously caused issues, but it always just seems to be so many mistakes every time. I think they are lovely to watch, but I’m just not seeing a future with this team at this point.
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Agree. Their ceiling at this point is 4CC. They have 5 high-risk elements in their LP (twist and all 4 jumps, which all have a material chance at being botched) and this isn't improving.
If she really has a tear I have to think if they want any chance at Olympics she may be considering surgery sooner than later.

Sad from a human perspective, but agree - not losing much on the career front.
 
honey said:
Labral tears don’t just heal on their own with time off or rest. She would require a surgery and lengthy recovery to truly heal it. Depending on how bad it is, she can likely manage it somewhat with Physio, but that’s about it.

I don’t mean to sound harsh but I didn’t find this outing to be particularly worse than anything they’ve done before. I know she’s had a knee injury before which obviously caused issues, but it always just seems to be so many mistakes every time. I think they are lovely to watch, but I’m just not seeing a future with this team at this point.
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I noticed she was favouring her leg coming off the ice. I wonder why they didn't withdraw? Maybe that indicates it's not too bad? I agree with you too they are nice to watch but they will not succeed in competition
 
Stellato/Deschamps skated to the duet version of "New York State of Mind" (Barbra Streisand/Billy Joel) and I thought they showed many improvements together since their local comp. debut in September.:) They did triple twist, sbs 3T, throw 3S (landed a bit forward) and their lift looked good; score was 60.43. Ian Connolly is their main coach in Montreal and Julie Marcotte choreographed their programs.
 
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