Eric Radford and Vanessa James to compete in pairs together for Canada

[starrynight]

I know it’s off season and it’s drama.

But this is basically the split of a team that’s been retired for 3 years and hasn’t skated together publicly for 2 years.

There’s been far more dramatic splits out there.

 

[Mme Bovary]

I think it was a tweet revealing that Papadakis/Cizeron caught rona at a gathering at Eric Radford’s house.

It was basically ‘rona shaming P/C and Radford just to give his detractors more ammunition.

I think that was the most ridiculous part of it all.

 

[pairsicedance]

I know it’s off season and it’s drama.

But this is basically the split of a team that’s been retired for 3 years and hasn’t skated together publicly for 2 years.

There’s been far more dramatic splits out there.

Yep! This is highly entertaining but has nothing on Ilinykh/Katsalapov/Sinitsina/Zhiganshin (for me at least)

 

[taz'smum]

Eric's version of events

scroll down to Eric's post

 

[starrynight]

What makes a great competitive team doesn't always make a great show skating team.

I often think that a dedicated show skating team who train regularly with a show focus would be better performers than the retired competitive teams that live in different cities and have just a short preparation time before shows to blow out the cobwebs.

But I also appreciate that even pre-'rona there weren't enough shows in North America to make it a viable full time career and so it is about big name skaters.

But given that Stars on Ice was seriously struggling pre-'rona I do wonder what an October tour (if it even happens) would be like.

 

[Viscaro]

Wow this news sent me back to FSU ! I was so happy for them.

And then, back on the forum, back on the drama.

Dang it seems there is a lot of hate on twitter still. In my COVID hiatus from the figure skating season I had totally forgot about TSL ! Don't understand the fuss about that Radford party either. Some people on that TSL thread answered like it's already costed PC olympic gold. Slow down your horses people.

But we should have a new exciting pair to watch ! I'm very glad

Edit : haha, did not know that word was banned now.

 

[starrynight]

Dang it seems there is a lot of hate on twitter still.

Yeah but twitter is just a permanent hate-fest about everything. It certainly doesn't represent the real world.

 

[Bigbird]

We apparently have forgotten the epic arguments and glares between James and Cipres and how much of a cad he could be towards her on the ice. In many instances James' fear out on the ice with him was palpable. Good for her that she got this second chance.

 

[starrynight]

We apparently have forgotten the epic arguments and glares between James and Cipres and how much of a cad he could be towards her on the ice. In many instances James' fear out on the ice with him was palpable. Good for her that she got this second chance.

If Cipres would act like that towards a child, he might not have made life easy for Vanessa either.

 

[Karen-W]

I know it’s off season and it’s drama.

But this is basically the split of a team that’s been retired for 3 years and hasn’t skated together publicly for 2 years.

There’s been far more dramatic splits out there.

Yeah. All last evening I kept wondering how much worse it would have been had social media existed when Kyoko Ina dumped Jason Dungeness after '98 Worlds. I still remember the fan reaction on various forums to that, lol.

 

[starrynight]

Nothing interesting has happened in North American skating for a while now, so this is probably getting more attention.

 

[dramagrrl]

Nothing interesting has happened in North American skating for a while now, so this is probably getting more attention.

Anything that brings Rosie DiManno out of the woodwork has to qualify as high drama.

 

[allezfred]

Neither Kirsten or Mike were involved in a situation where their former partner was bullying and harassing an underage skater, and then conspiring with their coaches to cover it up.

What are people who are proposing that Vanessa should be held to account for the actions of her former partner and coaches suggest she do?

 

[anonymoose_au]

What are people who are proposing that Vanessa should be held to account for the actions of her former partner and coaches suggest she do?

Well she could make a statement that she supports the victim and condemn Morgan (i.e stop following him on Insta)

Also I think a lot of people feel Vanessa surely must have known about what happened. If that's true her failure to report her suspicions to the relevant authorities is pretty bad.

 

[starrynight]

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Quite a strong statement from Ashely Wagner denouncing the new team.

There's a lot of strong language being thrown around when not a lot is known about Vanessa's circumstances.

I will say that while lots of athletes are happy to live blog every thought that enters their minds, not all athletes are necessarily equipped to make big statements or be involved in activism or controversy. Inserting oneself into social network controversy sounds terrifying. Not everyone has the resilience to do that.

 

[allezfred]

Well she could make a statement that she supports the victim and condemn Morgan (i.e stop following him on Insta)

I guess she could, but she hasn't. People do and don't do things for all sorts of reasons.

Also I think a lot of people feel Vanessa surely must have known about what happened. If that's true her failure to report her suspicions to the relevant authorities is pretty bad.

The above is speculation by people with too much time on their hands.

 

[Frau Muller]

Wait - what are Vanessa & Eric’s ages now? Each in their mid-30s? Wouldn’t this be akin to Calla Urbansky teaming up with Hongbo Zhao...10 months prior to an Olympics that they think they could medal? Guys, they may be punking us - it’s all about garnering publicity! Posting a couple of 20-second clips of lucky throws doesn’t tell the whole story. September will be here soon & we’ll see how they perform. Let the skating tell the story.

 

[allezfred]

Wait - what are Vanessa & Eric’s ages now? Each in their mid-30s? Wouldn’t this be akin to Calla Urbansky teaming up with Hongbo Zhao...10 months prior to an Olympics that they think they could medal? Guys, they may be punking us - it’s all about garnering publicity! Posting a couple of 20-second clips of lucky throws doesn’t tell the whole story. September will be here soon & we’ll see how they perform. Let the skating tell the story.

Well if they make the Canadian team (highly likely) and are chosen to compete in the Team Event it is not unreasonable of them to think they can medal.

 

[angi]

The above is speculation by people with too much time on their hands.

I think it's a safe assumption that she knew about the situation once it went public around the rink which was when the parents of the girl involved came to confront her coaches. That was months before the 2018 Olympics and she kept skating with Cipres long after for over a season. She then went on tour with him after the news were made public. She also continues to follow him on social media and continued posting about their partnership after the news broke including posting and deleting stories that can be implied as supporting him. So for her to now state in an article that she was blindsided in 2020 (it actually came public at the end of 2019) when it's clearly not the case - that's her attempt to rewrite history.
She is in no way responsible for the actions of Cipres or her coaches. She is only responsible for her part in the situation and while she definitely found herself in a terrible situation she did not create, she not only did nothing to show even a glimpse of support for survivors of sexual abuse, she also kept supporting the abuser. If there's a legal issue preventing her from commenting on the situation she could simply say it instead of staying completely silent.
So she has every right to remain silent, but skating fans have the right to criticize* her part in this situation.

(*not like they do on Twitter, those people really need to learn a lesson or two about how to handle things.)

 

[Frau Muller]

Well if they make the Canadian team (highly likely) and are chosen to compete in the Team Event it is not unreasonable of them to think they can medal.

In the made-for-TV “Team Event”...vs China for bronze?

 

[skatingguy]

In the made-for-TV “Team Event”...vs China for bronze?

Japan - China's not really in contention for a Team medal.

 

[anonymoose_au]

I guess she could, but she hasn't. People do and don't do things for all sorts of reasons

True, but you can hardly blame people for not wanting to support Vanessa either. It's not like Morgan told an off-colour joke or something, he committed a criminal act. Surely if you found out your friend sent dick pics to 13 year olds you wouldn't be friends with them anymore. Especially if they were as unrepentant as Morgan clearly is...

 

[thvu]

There’s been far more dramatic splits out there.

Tell that to Duhamel.

 

[barbarafan]

Coached by Julie Marcotte?

Awkward times in the Marcotte family.

he is being coached by Ian Connoly as well. out of Ste. Julie which is where Meaghan and Eric were training under Bruno at the end.

 

[barbarafan]

Both Vanessa and Eric have posted Instagram stories showing some of their training together, along with their formal announcement posts - hers show a twist and a throw jump, his show two throws. So those who were wondering about how their twists would look can start to get an idea!

ETA: Not to get too tealeaf-ready, but from the wording of their respective posts I do get the impression that Vanessa was the driving force behind this - unsurprising if so, as she was also the driving force behind J/C...

They did say it was Eric who first approached her.

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

There are no shows in North America now and probably won’t be until 2022. There really isn’t such a thing as a professional career in skating at the moment.

If Eric wants a shot at the Olympics and has a partner that is actively hungry for it, he should take the opportunity. Competitive skating is where it’s at for the moment, as there are no shows.

Would Meghan truly have wanted to make a full comeback?

Agreed, though Eric would have been well advised to speak to Meagan in advance to secure her consent to say, if asked, that she supports his desire to compete and wishes them well. I feel confident that being the professional she is, she would have agreed. This all could have been avoided.

It makes me sad to think that this incident is what we will remember about Meagan years from now, instead of her intelligence and drive and everything she has achieved in the sport.

 

[barbarafan]

So maybe Duhamel's sister-in-law (?) new about this months before she did and didn't say anything? Is that part of the personal betrayal Duhamel mentioned a few days ago?

If they were working through March it would seem she was well in the know. Does Julie still do KMT2 choreo? Did she keep it secret from them as well? And then of course there is the thought that what if she sought her brother's thoughts on the subject but asked him to keep it from Meaghan. One lie leads to another in real life. If Meaghan was not talking at all about having another baby in the near future then either Eric or Vanessa or both embelished their story and they should acknowledge this.

 

[skategal]

What it boils down to in my mind is that Eric wasn’t up front with Meagan about the whole thing.

I would be more supportive of him is he was.

The CBC article said he invited Vanessa to try out for fun and the future possibilities of show skating just a few weeks after Battle of the Blades.

But he didn’t inform Meagan until months after that when Vanessa was released from France.

Last time I checked you didn’t need a release to perform in shows together so it’s a bit BS that he is saying he couldn’t inform Meagan because he didn’t know this partnership was on track until Va Essa was released.

I’m taking most of what they are saying with a huge grain of salt but both are agreeing with the point on which Meagan was informed.

Eric has a right to skate with whoever he wants but Meagan deserved a discussion much earlier than when she got one. It’s totally disrespectful from Eric.

 

[starrynight]

It is a shame that the legacy of 3 Olympic medals and 2 world titles is being tarnished by a squabble over some likely mostly forgettable Stars on Ice appearances.

 

[MsZem]

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Quite a strong statement from Ashely Wagner denouncing the new team.

She's not denouncing them. She's acknowledging that some people have a hard time supporting the partnership given the discourse regarding Vanessa.

Personally I think a lot of people online are frustrated that Cipres got away with the sexual abuse of a child, and the coaching team hasn't paid much of a price for covering it up, and they're taking it out on Vanessa - who's more easily accessible, though vastly less responsible.