Canadian Ice Dance 2019/2020 season: News and Updates

[Dobre]

I also keep in mind their decent showing on the GP considering he was then injured. I don't think they or SC are expecting 100%, to your point.

Yes, probably the hope is to be at least as strong as they were before the surgery.

 

[Rafter]

Interesting results among the Canadian teams today at JW. I wonder if this result will help Makita/Gunara get a little more respect among Canadian dance judges. Canadian dance judges seem to have favoured D’A/W and B/B up to this point even though I think M/G are the stronger skaters and have more difficult programs. That said, I’d like to see M/G work with choreographers other than Wing/Lowe for the FD.

Watching D’A/W and M/G back to back really highlighted how open and easy D’A/W freedance is.

I wonder what will happen to B/B longterm. She looks too tall for him and I also thought their FD made her look stiff. The problem is that they’re reverse skaters so partners will be hard to find.

 

[Colonel Green]

Interesting results among the Canadian teams today at JW. I wonder if this result will help Makita/Gunara get a little more respect among Canadian dance judges. Canadian dance judges seem to have favoured D’A/W and B/B up to this point even though I think M/G are the stronger skaters and have more difficult programs.

Unfortunately, I don't think this result is going to be that big a help, when you consider M/G skated error-free and ended up only fractionally ahead of the other two teams, both of whom had deductions and level problems.

Speaking of the latter: TCC, why have you not fixed Natalie & Bruce's combination spin? That thing has been called a level 2 so many times, clearly there's something about its construction that is vulnerable to execution problems, that should have been significantly revised some time ago. They would have been eighth rather than eleventh if they had gotten a level 4.

 

[Rafter]

Unfortunately, I don't think this result is going to be that big a help, when you consider M/G skated error-free and ended up only fractionally ahead of the other two teams, both of whom had deductions and level problems.

Speaking of the latter: TCC, why have you not fixed Natalie & Bruce's combination spin? That thing has been called a level 2 so many times, clearly there's something about its construction that is vulnerable to execution problems, that should have been significantly revised some time ago. They would have been eighth rather than eleventh if they had gotten a level 4.

Well it’s not like M/G were getting all level 4s in the RD and FD.

 

[Colonel Green]

Well it’s not like M/G were getting all level 4s in the RD and FD.

No, but the things they got lower levels on -- the RD pattern, step sequences, the one-foot -- are things that basically nobody gets perfect 4s on. The other two teams lost twizzle and/or spin levels, which are supposed to be your base of points.

M/G beat the other two on RD pattern levels, for instance, and their free dance BV was similarly 1-2 points higher than their rivals.

 

[wickedwitch]

I'm thrilled with Makita/Gunara's results. I think they're the most promising of Canada's junior teams and am looking forward to watching them develop. Plus, their RD from this season was a favorite of mine.

 

[Rafter]

No, but the things they got lower levels on -- the RD pattern, step sequences, the one-foot -- are things that basically nobody gets perfect 4s on. The other two teams lost twizzle and/or spin levels, which are supposed to be your base of points.

M/G beat the other two on RD pattern levels, for instance, and their free dance BV was similarly 1-2 points higher than their rivals.

We’ll see what happens next season. It will probably come down to who has the best material. My point is that M/G are closer to D’A/W in the eyes of international judges than the judges within Canada have marked them. D’A/W seem to get a big push in Canada.

I’m assuming M/G will be assigned to the JGP in BC this fall based on this result.

Congrats to M/G for being the top Canadians in any discipline at JW.

 

[euterpe]

D'Alessandro /Waddell were not only the lowest-placed of the Canadian teams, but the only one to lose to US #3 (Browns). I just don't get the hype they've gotten all season.

 

[barbarafan]

Unfortunately, I don't think this result is going to be that big a help, when you consider M/G skated error-free and ended up only fractionally ahead of the other two teams, both of whom had deductions and level problems.

Speaking of the latter: TCC, why have you not fixed Natalie & Bruce's combination spin? That thing has been called a level 2 so many times, clearly there's something about its construction that is vulnerable to execution problems, that should have been significantly revised some time ago. They would have been eighth rather than eleventh if they had gotten a level 4.

Does anyone know where the fall deduction occurred on Nat and Bruce's program?

 

[euterpe]

The fall obviously wasn't on an element, so it had to have been in between elements. I know I didn't see it.

 

[bracketcounterrocker]

Does anyone know where the fall deduction occurred on Nat and Bruce's program?

I believe the fall deduction came from the last moment in the program when Bruce lost his balance and moved onto both knees rather than staying on one (like Natalie). There was even a brief moment when all of his weight was on his knees, as his upper body fell forward and the rest of his legs lifted off the ice. There have been some fairly harsh fall deductions over this season, but I'll be honest in saying I didn't think this was one of the harshest.

 

[barbarafan]

I believe the fall deduction came from the last moment in the program when Bruce lost his balance and moved onto both knees rather than staying on one (like Natalie). There was even a brief moment when all of his weight was on his knees, as his upper body fell forward and the rest of his legs lifted off the ice. There have been some fairly harsh fall deductions over this season, but I'll be honest in saying I didn't think this was one of the harshest.

Thanks....I was watching on replay and eyes were on her. Then when Ted was doing his review he said there was a point deduction but he didn't know why...After on the protocols it showed a fall.

 

[Dobre]

First, I want to say that I so enjoyed the battle among the Canadian junior dance teams as a whole this season! All four of the top teams had some really great skates, and they all had some real international successes along the way. They also all made some mistakes along the way and came back from them with better results at one point or another. Makita & Gunara, Bashynska & Beaumont, and Bronsard & Bouaraguia went up against each other multiple times this season, and everyone knew what was on the line because they kept splitting results.

I also don't really agree that the Canadian judges as a whole were too hung up on one team or another. The results kept turning. They fell one way at Lake Placid International and another way at Minto Summer Skate and another way at Skate Canada Challenge and then placements flipped at Canadian Nationals. The Bavarian Open results were different than I heard anyone predict and here we are with Junior Worlds flipping those results on end. What a great competitive junior ice dance season! The Canadian Federation could have just picked their team after Nationals. Or they could have just sent the three teams that had split results to the Bavarian Open and let D'Alessandro & Waddell stay home. But they didn't. SC very fairly, IMO, sent all four teams out to the same international at season's end and they sent the three that prevailed here. It was ultimately really well done. And kudos to all four teams for making this such an interesting & exciting battle! This is one of those scenarios where it is a shame that it is so hard to earn three spots without a medal-contending team as obviously Canada has 4 teams right now that are genuinely competitive for the top ten. (This state of depth has been several rebuilding years in coming so it is good to see).


Having said all of that, I will go ahead & celebrate now as a Makita & Gunara fan this season! I'm very proud of them. They had my favorite combination of programs among the Canadian junior teams from the very beginning of the season. The RD is just charming, and the FD is one of only a few pieces of music selected among the Canadian junior teams that is both very cohesive & I have not heard in umpteen years of watching ice-dance programs. Personally, I think M&G's choreography was a real advantage for them this season in that it wasn't coming out of the same creative source/style as much of the field.

M&G were 9th at last year's Canadian Junior Nationals so they had the furthest to climb of this year's Junior Worlds qualifiers from the start of the season. They did quite well in their summer international junior debut last season but earned a pair of low levels on the pattern at their debut JGP, and I think that left them with a lot of hard work and proving to do. Work they did need to do and which really seems to have paid off dividends in their larger body of competitions throughout this season. (Bashynska & Beaumont were 10th last year and get equivalent respect for their climb this year from me also). Anyway, for both these teams, this meant proving themselves worthy of second JGP berths, being sent to events with returning teams which had ranked higher than them at Nationals or sent to some events with deep fields or held in locations that made those events less-than-priority picks. Proving oneself also often means winning the technical base mark throughout the season but losing points on the second mark to teams that came into the season with more reputation.

But M&G did the work. They did what you have to do, which is compete steadily & consistently and take a few hits along the way but learn from the experience. And all that hard work means the next season you go out, you are starting off in the same starting groups as your peers or bringing in those same higher PCS or GOE marks. Of course, it also means having to come up with new material and learning a new pattern and new skills and all of the challenges that come with a new season and new competition. All part of the journey.