Robin is no longer in Irvine.
Thanks for the heads-up
@Cleo1782. I'm sorry to hear that. So now that you point this out, it makes me suspect things didn't work out for Robin Szolkowy at the Irvine rink perhaps because it was U.S. figure skating who had reached out and brought Szolkowy in. Reportedly, he'd been looking toward staying through at least the 2022 Olympics. Perhaps Meno/Sand were initially interested in the collaboration, but the interest did not originate with them. This seems somewhat similar to U.S. figure skating suggesting a collaboration between Jim Peterson and Dalilah Sappenfield, which really was not feasible, and certainly not in Peterson's best interests for the program he has built with Lyndon Johnston and Amanda Evora in Ellenton, Florida.
My below thoughts are in response to @skatingguy's speculation about Szolkowy's coaching success:
I think it's inaccurate to suggest that Szolkowy hasn't had any coaching success or that he's 'bounced around.' He worked with Mozer for a number of years, and his assocation with her brought him to the attention of U.S. figure skating after he had been involved in several pairs training camps in the U.S.
With Meno/Sand's breakout team in C/J having wonderful success, and with the star stature the Knierims brought to the rink, possibly M/S were not comfortable sharing renown and credit with a famous outsider brought in by U.S. figure skating, no matter how talented and capable Szolkowy is. To be fair, M/S are excellent coaches and they've worked hard for many years with some good teams. On the brink of major success with Marley/Brubaker, we know how that abruptly and sadly ended. And then Calalang/Sidhu were a building team with excellent momentum, scuttled by Sidhu's back problems. Fortunately, with the breakup between junior turned senior team of Liu/Johnson, a switcheroo worked out with the magic that happened between Calalang/Johnson, who seem 'made for each other.' Another recent switcheroo may work out just as well, if not better.
I'm sure a lot of fingers are being crossed for the pairing of Alexa/Brandon. Mine included!
Speaking of that new blended U.S. partnership, the fact that Chris Knierim will be working as a primary coach at the Irvine rink, likely further makes Robin Szolkowy's participation there superfluous. In any event, Szolkowy's former collaboration with Nina Mozer at a number of pairs training camps in the U.S. and internationally have garnered him solid praise from a number of athletes. Even C/J, during an interview earlier last season, acknowledged receiving helpful tips from Szolkowy.
So it's up-in-the-air why Szolkowy is no longer with the Irvine rink. Perhaps personalities and approaches didn't mesh well? Perhaps Szolkowy's role wasn't well-defined and maybe he'd expected to have a more prominent role? Or, since it is indicated in the original announcement articles that Szolkowy was not severing ties with his international training camps in Europe, he may wish to leave and focus more exclusively on building his profile on home turf? It might be a combination of all these factors. Who knows? Maybe Szolkowy has negotiated another opportunity in California or elsewhere in the U.S.
I recall seeing Szolkowy once in the kiss 'n cry with C/J and Todd Sand at an early season event. But that was the first and only time I saw him in the k&c with a U.S. pair team. Perhaps he worked mainly with younger skaters at the Irvine rink. Christine Binder shared k&c duties with Meno/Sand at the U.S. championships in January.
The Knierims pointed out in the U.S. championships presser that Meno/Sand are caring people as well as great coaches, and those qualities definitely come across. M/S deserve a lot of credit for coaching the 1, 2 pairs teams in the country at 2020 U.S. Nationals. I wish the Irvine training program much success that continues to build. The prospects are brilliant, and important for the burgeoning future of the U.S. pairs discipline. This is of course true in combination with the Colorado pairs program, and with the huge success of pairs training camps in Florida, especially at the Ellenton rink. Jim Peterson has proven how well he can guide pairs teams. Still, there is something to be said for constantly assessing where and how programs can be bolstered.
Figure skating is a tough sport and a tough career for skating coaches, but with the right attitude and approach, working with young athletes can also be extremely rewarding at every level, even without achieving Olympic-level accolades.
Robin was in Irvine last weekend. He posted five days ago that he is in quarantine. So when did he move?
No one said that Robin Szolkowy moved yet. Cleo1782 just said that he's no longer with the Irvine rink. Since there's a health lockdown going on everywhere, if Szolkowy has plans to move back to Europe with his growing family, he surely has had to postpone his travel plans for the near future. There hasn't been any official announcement made yet regarding Szolkowy's assocation with the Irvine rink, and probably there won't be. If anything, he'll eventually update his followers on his Instagram.
www.ifsmagazine.com
Thanks for sharing.
But yep it's important to improvise during these times. Speaking of which, the kitchen is a handy place to improvise altogether. 
