Canadian Pairs 2019/2020 Season News and Updates

Mad for Skating said:
Relax, we’re not dealing with Didier here. ;)
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:p I just asked a question, because there was earlier talk in this thread about the usual difficulties. It doesn't matter if we're dealing with Didier or not. I'm just wondering if there's any info regarding a year or 6 months delay or whatever. I personally wouldn't use Didier as a benchmark for such cases, not even humorously. In fact, U.S. fed has in the past permanently delayed the release of an ice dancer whose career was scuttled as a direct result of that non-release hardball.

Whatever delays are happening apparently don't prevent S/D from competing at local competitions in Canada. Sometimes delays in being released can affect new partnership momentum. For example, I don't think the year delay for Tran was helpful in his partnership with Marissa Castelli. Granted, they had other problems that were never resolved which complicated the growth and forward development of their partnership
 
essence_of_soy said:
Thanks for that. I know it is early days, but her pairing with Deschamps seems like such a step backwards. Too bad Deanna can't skate singles for Canada as well.
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Ehhhh, Max is a better skater than Nate. His triples are reliable, better SS and he's a beast on lifts. His resume is not good because he most recently skated with two girls who were new to (and not all that cut out for) pairs. I'm SO happy he has a real shot at showing what he can do.
 
Rock2 said:
Ehhhh, Max is a better skater than Nate. His triples are reliable, better SS and he's a beast on lifts. His resume is not good because he most recently skated with two girls who were new to (and not all that cut out for) pairs. I'm SO happy he has a real shot at showing what he can do.
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Hmmmm....he looked like he was really struggling on the individual elements (triple jump, sbs combo spin) and especially the lift.)
 
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Patinage Quebec hasn't made any of their Sectional videos available to watch on demand yet (I can post links to the Senior Pairs event videos when I see them uploaded). As a reminder, that competition debut video of Stellato/Deschamps' SP took place six weeks ago and this is what I posted last weekend:
Sylvia said:
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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essence_of_soy said:
Hmmmm....he looked like he was really struggling on the individual elements (triple jump, sbs combo spin) and especially the lift.)
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Lifts often take time to gel with a new partnership. Max is an excellent lifter, with great ice coverage on his lifts.

Individual elements can also often be rough with a new partner because you may be changing the timing to match your partner.

There is a lot of potential with this team even though things are rough at the moment. Now, I said the same with Castelli and Tran when they first started and they never really lived up to what they seemed like they could be, so the potential may or may not pan out. But given that if you ask me, Max is one of the best pairs skaters in Canada, I can certainly see why Deanna chose to skate with him.
 
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Erin said:
Lifts often take time to gel with a new partnership. Max is an excellent lifter, with great ice coverage on his lifts.

Individual elements can also often be rough with a new partner because you may be changing the timing to match your partner.

There is a lot of potential with this team even though things are rough at the moment. Now, I said the same with Castelli and Tran when they first started and they never really lived up to what they seemed like they could be, so the potential may or may not pan out. But given that if you ask me, Max is one of the best pairs skaters in Canada, I can certainly see why Deanna chose to skate with him.
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I have to admire Stellato in returning to the sport after being away for so long. She has achieved more than many skaters even dream of, earning national and Challenger Series podium placements, along with Grand Prix, Four Continents and World Team assignments. I guess the only thing left is to aim for the 2022 Olympics.

As one of the sport's senior stateswomen competing against athletes half her age, there is a lot to be said for someone who is doing this for the process and for themselves.

Skating is all about facing and taking risks head-on. I hope this new partnership works out for her.
 
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essence_of_soy said:
I have to admire Stellato in returning to the sport after being away for so long. She has achieved more than many skaters even dream of, earning national and Challenger Series podium placements, along with Grand Prix, Four Continents and World Team assignments. I guess the only thing left is to aim for the 2022 Olympics.

As one of the sport's senior stateswomen competing against athletes half her age, there is a lot to be said for someone who is doing this for the process and for themselves.

Skating is all about facing and taking risks head-on. I hope this new partnership works out for her.
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So while I don't know her personally, based on her quotes and post skate reactions, I believe she is doing this (at least partially) to win. She's not just out there to compete. She want to be part of one of the best pairs teams in the world. I'm glad she's getting another opportunity to do just that.
 
essence_of_soy said:
I have to admire Stellato in returning to the sport after being away for so long. She has achieved more than many skaters even dream of, earning national and Challenger Series podium placements, along with Grand Prix, Four Continents and World Team assignments. I guess the only thing left is to aim for the 2022 Olympics.
Click to expand...

She's too late to Canada for 2022. She's aiming for 2026. (and I'm not even joking. The girl is cray)
 
Thanks to @Sylvia for re-emphasizing her earlier report on news of the Deanna/ Max partnership. The performance video I re-posted from Sylvia's original link was their debut outing, as Sylvia reiterates happened 'weeks ago.' I only re-posted it because we don't yet have access to their most recent performance. Frankly, the way we fans light into and over-critique what we see in the early going, I can understand coaches and skaters perhaps wishing to keep early competitive performances on the down low and not widely distributed. ;)

ITA with @Erin's and @wickedwitch's observations above. :cheer2: As I said on the previous page:
aftershocks said:
It's too early to ring a death knell. IMO Deanna & Maxime are a good match physically. It's clear they need time and hard work to gain timing, rhythm and confidence with each other...
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I also agree with Rock2's emphasis on how good a skater Max is:
Rock2 said:
Ehhhh, Max is a better skater than Nate. His triples are reliable, better SS and he's a beast on lifts. His resume is not good because he most recently skated with two girls who were new to (and not all that cut out for) pairs. I'm SO happy he has a real shot at showing what he can do.
Click to expand...

However, I wouldn't phrase Rock2's comparison between Max and Nate the same way. It seems to me that Max and Nate have a lot of physical similarities in their dark coloring and in their physiques, in terms of relatively short stature, and long waists with comparatively shorter legs. Nate is perhaps a bit more stockier and muscular looking. I think both Max and Nate are good skaters and great pairs partners. Maybe the biggest difference is that Max strikes me as displaying more inherent elegance in his style and carriage. So that bodes well again for Deanna & Max matching up beautifully and having a promising future if things progress the way they are hoping and working toward realizing.

Deanna has made clear how grateful she is to Nate for helping her learn pairs. They had a good run together, despite the setbacks. Pairs figure skating is perhaps the toughest discipline in the toughest ever sport/art. When adding in the gnarly fs politics and inevitable physical trials and tribulations, trying to make it as a top pairs team in any setting, becomes even more daunting.

It may not have been an easy decision for Deanna & Nate to split. I think Deanna was frustrated by seeing some 'writing on the wall' in terms of how far she and Nate could go in light of the tough U.S. pairs depth at the top with few to no opportunities to make it to Worlds and Olympics. Deanna clearly loves competing, she loves and missed the sport, and she's very ambitious. She's a courageous athlete and a great pairs diva! :encore: I wish her and Max all the best! ♥
 
Rock2 said:
She's too late to Canada for 2022. She's aiming for 2026. (and I'm not even joking. The girl is cray)
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Receiving Canadian citizenship for 2022 is too late, but I suppose working toward being one of Canada's best pairs teams is D&M's main aim at this point. Deanna is currently 36. In two years, she'll be 38, and in 4 years, 42. Amazing!

Still, there are a number of badass athletes still competing in high level sports into their late thirties and early 40s. (Eg., the Williams sisters in tennis, Rafa and Federer, et al.) Zoe Jones of Great Britain, who skates pairs with Chris Boyadji, is currently 39 and likely aiming for 2022 Olympics. Plus, Deanna looks years younger than her age and she surely takes excellent care of herself. She had all those years too when she wasn't banging up her body, so in figure skating years, perhaps her body is healthier than twenty-somethings who have been banging their bodies and joints into the ice non-stop since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. ;)

ETA:
Thanks to Sylvia for providing more details about who Deanna & Max are working with. I looked up Ian Connolly. His face is familiar from seeing him before in the kiss 'n cry on occasion, but I didn't know anything about him:
myskatecoach.com

Ian Connolly - My Skate Coach

Professional Achievements and Specialties: Expert at Technical training in singles and pairs. Coaches globally Manager of athletes for the strategies of the new scoring system Development of Long Term Athlete – from beginner to competitive Organizes and conducts several seminars Experience as...
myskatecoach.com

So do Deanna & Max train at Boucherville Centre Elite? Boucherville is about 9 miles north of Montreal...
 
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aftershocks said:
:p I just asked a question, because there was earlier talk in this thread about the usual difficulties. It doesn't matter if we're dealing with Didier or not. I'm just wondering if there's any info regarding a year or 6 months delay or whatever. I personally wouldn't use Didier as a benchmark for such cases, not even humorously. In fact, U.S. fed has in the past permanently delayed the release of an ice dancer whose career was scuttled as a direct result of that non-release hardball.

Whatever delays are happening apparently don't prevent S/D from competing at local competitions in Canada. Sometimes delays in being released can affect new partnership momentum. For example, I don't think the year delay for Tran was helpful in his partnership with Marissa Castelli. Granted, they had other problems that were never resolved which complicated the growth and forward development of their partnership
Click to expand...

Don’t worry, I was just joking about Didier because he caused all that chaos with Massot. You bring up some great points here, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see about the release/citizenship.
 
aftershocks said:
Receiving Canadian citizenship for 2022 is too late, but I suppose working toward being one of Canada's best pairs teams is D&M's main aim at this point. Deanna is currently 36. In two years, she'll be 38, and in 4 years, 42. Amazing!

Still, there are a number of badass athletes still competing in high level sports into their late thirties and early 40s. (Eg., the Williams sisters in tennis, Rafa and Federer, et al.) Zoe Jones of Great Britain, who skates pairs with Chris Boyadji, is currently 39 and likely aiming for 2022 Olympics. Plus, Deanna looks years younger than her age and she surely takes excellent care of herself. She had all those years too when she wasn't banging up her body, so in figure skating years, perhaps her body is healthier than twenty-somethings who have been banging their bodies and joints into the ice non-stop since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. ;)

ETA:
Thanks to Sylvia for providing more details about who Deanna & Max are working with. I looked up Ian Connolly. His face is familiar from seeing him before in the kiss 'n cry on occasion, but I didn't know anything about him:
myskatecoach.com

Ian Connolly - My Skate Coach

Professional Achievements and Specialties: Expert at Technical training in singles and pairs. Coaches globally Manager of athletes for the strategies of the new scoring system Development of Long Term Athlete – from beginner to competitive Organizes and conducts several seminars Experience as...
myskatecoach.com

So do Deanna & Max train at Boucherville Centre Elite? Boucherville is about 9 miles north of Montreal...
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They might be skating at Ste.Julie...I have seen instagrams there...I thinks Ian might be at more than 1 rink.
 
aftershocks said:
They have to have a try-out first though. And I don't ever see that happening, ever. :( ;)
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Cant see it happening either, Michaud seems pretty tight with his coach and it seems Kirsten likes to be in control.
But if some junior teams keep progressing, they are a lot younger then MTM and then with I/B, something may have to happen.
Next season could be exciting.
 
It will be interesting to see how our three pairs do in Warsaw starting tomorrow. All of them doubtless angling for that third 4CC spot in the New Year.
 
Vase said:
Cant see it happening either, Michaud seems pretty tight with his coach and it seems Kirsten likes to be in control.
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I also don’t see it happening, but on the point re the coach, I’ll just point out that Walsh & Michaud’s coaches (Alison Purkiss and Brian Shales) are listed as part of MTM’s coaching team now. Purkiss and Shales were with MTM at Skate Canada, presumably because Bruno Marcotte stayed behind for baby related reasons.
 
^^ Oh yeah, I recall seeing or hearing something about that. And in their recent interview, Kirsten & Michael spoke about having a team of coaches to draw upon. Do Purkiss and Shales coach at a nearby rink or at the same rink as Bruno and Meagan?

Kirsten is all-in with Michael. And Trennt seems to be all-in with Evelyn. But look, perhaps Evelyn & Michael and Kirsten & Trennt would make better matches? :shuffle: Anyway, the prospect or possibility somewhat reminds me of Brian Johnson and Jessica Calalang training together with other partners for years under Meno/Sand without realizing, until respective partner splits brought them together, that perhaps they were made for each other. :D

As well, Amanda Evora tried out with Rockne Brubaker before he briefly teamed with his final partner, Lindsay Davis. In their tryout, Evora/Brubaker were said to look good together, but it was too late logistically and personally for both of them to make the necessary sacrifices to give it a go. Frankly, Davis should have remained with her prior partner, Mark Ladwig, who had promisingly paired with Davis after his long-term partner, Evora, decided to retire. :COP:
 
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aftershocks said:
^^ Oh yeah, I recall seeing or hearing something about that. And in their recent interview, Kirsten & Michael spoke about having a team of coaches to draw upon. Do Purkiss and Shales coach at a nearby rink or at the same rink as Bruno and Meagan?

Kirsten is all-in with Michael. And Trennt seems to be all-in with Evelyn. But look, perhaps Evelyn & Michael and Kirsten & Trennt would make better matches? :shuffle: Anyway, the prospect or possibility somewhat reminds me of Brian Johnson and Jessica Calalang training together with other partners for years under Meno/Sand without realizing, until respective partner splits brought them together, that perhaps they were made for each other. :D

As well, Amanda Evora tried out with Rockne Brubaker before he briefly teamed with his final partner, Lindsay Davis. In their tryout, Evora/Brubaker were said to look good together, but it was too late logistically and personally for both of them to make the necessary sacrifices to give it a go. Frankly, Davis should have remained with her prior partner, Mark Ladwig, who had promisingly paired with Davis after his long-term partner, Evora, decided to retire. :COP:
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I'm still sorry Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch split up. I saw their last free skate together at the 2014 World Championships, and they were not only coming into their own as a top-drawer team, but as a genuine threat to Duhamel and Radford.
 
Erin said:
I also don’t see it happening, but on the point re the coach, I’ll just point out that Walsh & Michaud’s coaches (Alison Purkiss and Brian Shales) are listed as part of MTM’s coaching team now. Purkiss and Shales were with MTM at Skate Canada, presumably because Bruno Marcotte stayed behind for baby related reasons.
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Purkiss was Michael's coach with former partner b4 switching with Kirsten. Am sure her concern would be with Michael.
 
aftershocks said:
Receiving Canadian citizenship for 2022 is too late, but I suppose working toward being one of Canada's best pairs teams is D&M's main aim at this point. Deanna is currently 36. In two years, she'll be 38, and in 4 years, 42. Amazing!

Still, there are a number of badass athletes still competing in high level sports into their late thirties and early 40s. (Eg., the Williams sisters in tennis, Rafa and Federer, et al.) Zoe Jones of Great Britain, who skates pairs with Chris Boyadji, is currently 39 and likely aiming for 2022 Olympics. Plus, Deanna looks years younger than her age and she surely takes excellent care of herself. She had all those years too when she wasn't banging up her body, so in figure skating years, perhaps her body is healthier than twenty-somethings who have been banging their bodies and joints into the ice non-stop since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. ;)

ETA:
Thanks to Sylvia for providing more details about who Deanna & Max are working with. I looked up Ian Connolly. His face is familiar from seeing him before in the kiss 'n cry on occasion, but I didn't know anything about him:
myskatecoach.com

Ian Connolly - My Skate Coach

Professional Achievements and Specialties: Expert at Technical training in singles and pairs. Coaches globally Manager of athletes for the strategies of the new scoring system Development of Long Term Athlete – from beginner to competitive Organizes and conducts several seminars Experience as...
myskatecoach.com

So do Deanna & Max train at Boucherville Centre Elite? Boucherville is about 9 miles north of Montreal...
Click to expand...
Let's face it though Deanna will have a lot more competition to try to make an Olympic team in Canada then Zoe Jones has in GB where there is not much competition. It might be unrealistic to look all the way to 2026 to make the Olympics.
 
Jammers said:
Let's face it though Deanna will have a lot more competition to try to make an Olympic team in Canada then Zoe Jones has in GB where there is not much competition. It might be unrealistic to look all the way to 2026 to make the Olympics.
Click to expand...

Too bad Deanna is already married. I'd be happy to make the sacrifice so that she could skate for Ireland.
 
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