2020-21 Canadian Pairs News & Updates

[Xsktrx]

justice for Evelyn and Trennt who have proven themselves worthy of the second Olympic spot they gained for Canada - they may not be the best team out there but they have shown time and time again that they are willing to push themselves to improve every season. Compare their 2018 Skate America performance with their 2021 Worlds... huge improvement in so many areas. They've never taken their spot on the World's team for granted and have continually strived to be better. That and Eric choreographed for them, which can't be the best feeling.

It seems that Meagan wasn't treated well in this situation - but the entire decision doesn't seem necessary. In the end, MTM and WM will be equally as hurt by this.

Vanessa was happy to skate with Morgan until 2020 and so for me - I just can't look past that.

All the fans of our current top 2 teams can hope for is that Eric & Vanessa aren’t head and shoulders above the other two forcing Skate Canada to make a decision and that Skate Canada does the right thing based on who has been representing Canada the best these past few years. But I won’t hold my breath.

 

[Catherine M]

I don't understand why some are thinking that Evenly & Trennt's Olympic spot is being taken away from them. What about Matte & Ferland? Brasseur & Daleman? Don't they get a chance to go out and compete for their Olympic dream??? So many skaters/teams have secured Olympic spots and never seen the inside of an Olympic ice arena as nothing in this life is guaranteed. They should use this as a positive and keep striving to get better and up their technical difficulty.

Best of luck to all the skaters as they prepare for this upcoming season in still very difficult times.

 

[overedge]

Meagan said she never said she didn’t want to compete again and Eric never asked her to compete again on FB in reply to a post on TSL.

I understand that, but I was responding to a post suggesting she would have reacted less bitterly if different things had happened. How Meagan decides to react is up to Meagan.

 

[overedge]

Because I don't follow TSL, what evidence did Dave and his sidekicks have of this supposed pairing? Or was it one of these "I know something that you don't" teasers?

 

[Wyliefan]

I don't understand why some are thinking that Evenly & Trennt's Olympic spot is being taken away from them. What about Matte & Ferland? Brasseur & Daleman? Don't they get a chance to go out and compete for their Olympic dream??? So many skaters/teams have secured Olympic spots and never seen the inside of an Olympic ice arena as nothing in this life is guaranteed. They should use this as a positive and keep striving to get better and up their technical difficulty.

Best of luck to all the skaters as they prepare for this upcoming season in still very difficult times.

When you're almost sure you're headed to the Olympics and suddenly you see the spot slipping away, I doubt you see it as a positive.

 

[Lemonade20]

Because I don't follow TSL, what evidence did Dave and his sidekicks have of this supposed pairing? Or was it one of these "I know something that you don't" teasers?

Well Dave has been known to be gossipy....

 

[overedge]

Well Dave has been known to be gossipy....

I know that. Which is why I am asking, what exactly did he say about this supposed pairing?

 

[Sylvia]

I know that. Which is why I am asking, what exactly did he say about this supposed pairing?

Colonel Green posted what he watched yesterday earlier in this thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...airs-news-updates.107092/page-18#post-5992478

He also quoted this April 7th "cryptic" post:

The good news is, things are percolating beneath that top layer and behind the scenes. Let's not assume that the landscape tomorrow will reflect what we see today. Excited to see what we put out on the grand prix this fall - something tells me we might have a battle at next year's nationals that I hope will elevate all teams to push that much harder.

 

[tony]

Because I don't follow TSL, what evidence did Dave and his sidekicks have of this supposed pairing? Or was it one of these "I know something that you don't" teasers?

It’s happening. Vanessa got her official release from France about two weeks ago and now they are really getting the ball rolling. This is known throughout the Canadian skating circles.

 

[Xsktrx]

I don't understand why some are thinking that Evenly & Trennt's Olympic spot is being taken away from them. What about Matte & Ferland? Brasseur & Daleman? Don't they get a chance to go out and compete for their Olympic dream??? So many skaters/teams have secured Olympic spots and never seen the inside of an Olympic ice arena as nothing in this life is guaranteed. They should use this as a positive and keep striving to get better and up their technical difficulty.

Best of luck to all the skaters as they prepare for this upcoming season in still very difficult times.

I totally agree. I suspect some posters (me included) are assuming that unless Evelyn and Trent go considerably backwards this next year the other pairs would have to show dramatic improvement like adding 20+ points to their current typical scores which is not impossible but also no easy task since Matte & Ferland have been together for years so not a new pair and Stellato and Deschamps aren’t a couple of youngsters just cutting their teeth in senior pairs. As for Brasseur and Daleman I agree the jury is certainly still out on them. I mean this discussion would never get to McIntosh and Mimar but if one looked at the Challenge scores they scored 166, less than 6 points behind Matte, Stellato and way ahead of Brasseur who was coming off an apparent injury to be fair. McIntosh is 16 and they were in their first year together, the youngest senior team combined age both just up from Junior and their first actual competition (since Sectionals was essentially an exibition skate) but they could have more top end potential, just not in time for this Olympics. However I agree everyone gets to compete and have a chance to prove themselves. Stranger things have happened.

 

[skatfan]

Didn't Meagan just have a baby?

Her baby is over a year old. She won Battle of the Blades show last fall over her former partner and did a double twist with a hockey player to do it! She’s in very good shape.

 

[RoseRed]

I really like Evelyn and Trennt, and would be disappointed for them if they don't get to go to the Olympics, but at the same time this is a sport. If Vanessa and Eric come together and are genuinely better by Nationals and win the Olympic spot, then I'm okay with that. Even if it's just for the one season, because they really want to try to go to one last Olympics or something. It doesn't need to make some big difference for Canadian pairs and Skate Canada - if they're just doing because they want to that's okay.

And Evelyn and Trennt were never guaranteed a spot. They were for sure the favourites for the second spot as things stood, and if Vanessa and Eric do come together and are ahead of them quickly* that'll be very disappointing. But even if this hadn't happened, there was always the possibility of another team surprising next season and getting the spot. But yeah, they were clear favourites and it will very much suck for them if they don't get a spot. And I'll be disappointed because I'm a fan. But that does happen in sports sometimes, especially around the Olympics.

*And I do think there's a decent chance of that, since both of them were significantly better/higher ranked than W/M in their old pairings. We saw how Alexa and Brandon came together quickly (yes they had mistakes at Worlds, but they were still comfortably beating teams at W/M's level), and Eric and Vanessa were more accomplished. On the other hand, those two hadn't been out of competition like Eric and Vanessa, so I'm not saying they'll look that good. They might be way behind W/M. We really don't know.

The whole situation with Meagan and Eric seems very messy, and I feel for her, but I also find it hard to judge when we're just getting bits and pieces of it from her perspective, and haven't heard anything from him about it. So I'm leaving that to the side for the moment.

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Eric always struggled with the triple twist. It will even be harder with a taller partner. I know it’s not just the men’s pure strength but it’s a big part of it. Very curious about the coaching team that will have to work wonders to get the technique in synch. Vanessa and Eric should have beautiful lines and matching styles. They can be a stunningly beautiful pair.

 

[Erin]

Eric always struggled with the triple twist. It will even be harder with a taller partner. I know it’s not just the men’s pure strength but it’s a big part of it.

Meagan actually used to say that their size difference made the twist harder.

That said, meshing techniques for the twist is often what takes the longest to come together for a new pair, so it may be an issue either way.

 

[Frau Muller]

Wait - are Bruno & Meagan divorcing? Or is the story-rumor just about the Eric-Vanessa partnership?

Sorry. I’ve been out of it, working all day!

 

[overedge]

Thanks @Sylvia for the more detailed information.

For all we know at the moment, Eric and Vanessa might have been at the rink at the same time, and that got blown up into "they are planning to skate as a pair and go to the Olympics". There seems to be more to it based on Meagan's comments. But personally I'm going to wait until there's more substantial public evidence (like an actual announcement) before Walsh/Michaud's chances next year, or anything or anyone else.

If it is true, I also hope, as others have mentioned, that they're prepared for some blowback about what Vanessa did or didn't do during the controversy around her previous partner's actions.

 

[Orm Irian]

Meagan actually used to say that their size difference made the twist harder.

That said, meshing techniques for the twist is often what takes the longest to come together for a new pair, so it may be an issue either way.

Vanessa had a decent twist with Yannick Bonheur, though I think they only ever did doubles. She may be able to adapt to another new partner relatively easily having done it before.

 

[anonymoose_au]

If it is true, I also hope, as others have mentioned, that they're prepared for some blowback about what Vanessa did or didn't do during the controversy around her previous partner's actions.

From what I've seen on Twitter (hellhole of FS information BTW) it's Eric they need to worry about.

The Twitterfans already tearing into him, accusing him of everything from being a traitor to being an abuse apologist.

Now, I can understand Meagan been upset, she knows Eric personally and probably hoped they had a future career in shows.

These Twitter people though, toxic through and through. May the Lord have mercy on you if you get into their bad books.

 

[Vase]

Wonder who will train them? I wouldn’t think Bruno if Meghan is upset, and I think Eric lives in Toronto

 

[Xsktrx]

Wait - are Bruno & Meagan divorcing? Or is the story-rumor just about the Eric-Vanessa partnership?

Sorry. I’ve been out of it, working all day!

Depends on what you read into her comments about being betrayed personally and professionally. If Eric is the professional betrayer then does that make Bruno a personal betrayer or is Meagan referencing she was betrayed by Eric on both a personal and professional level. It may mean nothing but the last time Bruno appeared in one of Meagan’s instagrams was December.

 

[Xsktrx]

Wonder who will train them? I wouldn’t think Bruno if Meghan is upset, and I think Eric lives in Toronto

Back to Lee Barkell if they train in Ontario?

 

[Sylvia]

... I think Eric lives in Toronto

He and his husband live in Montreal - Luis posted in March about starting a new career in Real Estate there: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMSTpEcB4EM/

 

[Orm Irian]

Wonder who will train them? I wouldn’t think Bruno if Meghan is upset, and I think Eric lives in Toronto

Other Bruno, maybe? Massot does have those plans to open a high-level pairs school in France...

 

[Frau Muller]

Depends on what you read into her comments about being betrayed personally and professionally. If Eric is the professional betrayer then does that make Bruno a personal betrayer or is Meagan referencing she was betrayed by Eric on both a personal and professional level. It may mean nothing but the last time Bruno appeared in one of Meagan’s instagrams was December.

Thanks. You know, I read Meagan’s IG post this evening before logging into FSU. I thought that she was referring only to a betrayal by her husband! Silly me...

 

[Habs]

Depends on what you read into her comments about being betrayed personally and professionally. If Eric is the professional betrayer then does that make Bruno a personal betrayer or is Meagan referencing she was betrayed by Eric on both a personal and professional level. It may mean nothing but the last time Bruno appeared in one of Meagan’s instagrams was December.

She mentioned Bruno going to Worlds and how she was staying with her parents so when he got back he wouldn’t have trouble quarantining.

 

[Xsktrx]

Thanks. You know, I read Meagan’s IG post this evening before logging into FSU. I thought that she was referring only to a betrayal by her husband! Silly me...

Not silly you if the personal betrayal ends up being Bruno. But that’s off topic from the Eric thing I suppose.

 

[supergirl573]

If I was presented with the choice of skating with Meagan Duhamel and Vanessa James, it wouldn’t take me very long to decide who to make a comeback with.

Personally, it wouldn’t be the career choker who had previously spent years ignoring her partner’s sexual abuse of children until it became too personally radioactive for her to ignore. But that’s just me.

 

[puglover]

This is all certainly concerning. I would have thought Meagan was done with competition and seemed so happy to become a mother and start coaching. As for skating in shows, I can't see her leaving Zoe for a long period of time to tour with CSOI and coaching with her husband seems a much more stable life than doing a few shows that come along. If Eric is going to skate with another partner, he certainly stuck with Meagan and they reached their goals, so why would it be a betrayal if he decided to not retire and compete with someone else? I also really like Walsh/Michaud but they kind of got a gift from Charlie Bilodeau, and frankly so did MT/M. It also helped that Justine and her partner didn't make the kind of progress many expected and ended. Sport is sport.

 

[Alilou]

Meagan hardly ever posts pics of Bruno on her IG. It doesn't mean anything.

 

[greenapple]

While I like both current teams, it has become perfectly obvious that W/M - who are good friends with MT/M - have accepted that they are second fiddle to MT/M and that was going to be the status quo going forward. Neither was pushing the other because who wants to upset the apple cart? Now the apple cart has been overturned and a new dynamic is in place.

I see this as a positive for Canadian pairs skating. A new team with a wealth of individual experience should be the catalyst for change for how both the other teams think, operate, practice and compete.

W/M have no outright claim to an Olympic berth other than perhaps in their own minds because they just happen to be better than the other teams they have competed against the past two or three years. But neither do MT/M or R/J. For any of them to expect that an Olympic berth is their due would be folly. Who knows how much the other teams might improve this year? Expectation and a guaranteed trip to the Olympic Games are on two different planets.

The reality of the situation could likely be that three teams will vie for two Olympic berths.

Radford and James have a distinct advantage in that they have both won and lost at the highest level and know what it takes to be at the top. But that is still not a guarantee that they will earn a ticket to Beijing. So now is the perfect time for MT/M and W/M to up their games and develop a winning mindset.