2025-26 U.S. Ice Dance News, Updates & Discussion - Backstreet Boys & Spice Girls

[Lanie]

one of my jazz teachers in the 90s used to make us do ab exercises to a forever long remix of this song every week so it just makes me want to do crunches

you've been crunch-lov'd

like pavlov'ed

with crunches

 

[TanithandBenFan]

This is all I wanted from them so I’m thrilled!! I know it’s a popular choice but I truly think they (maybe more specially Caroline) were made to skate to Groove Is In The Heart

I don’t think it’s Groove is in the Heart. Their motions are 99% saying “I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

 

[litenkyckling]

I don’t think it’s Groove is in the Heart. Their motions are 99% saying “I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

Well they have 2 hints and the first is quite literally the opening lines to that song so…

 

[Wyliefan]

Maybe it's a medley of both?

 

[tony]

I don’t think it’s Groove is in the Heart. Their motions are 99% saying “I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

Maybe it's a medley of both?

The hints literally say part 1 and part 2. And yes, it's the exact lyrics of the song. I don't see how one would think it's not

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Ah I was only paying attention to the miming. And I think subconsciously I didn’t want Groove is in the Heart because I hate that song

 

[peibeck]

Can the Shibs really be thinking of starting their season at NHK? That seems like absolute madness.

Even as a fan of the Shibs back when they competed, I always felt they had a bit of a superiority complex after winning bronze in their Worlds debut (2011?) even after their results weren't nearly as good in following seasons.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I still can’t figure out where people got American Woman from whatever gestures Maddie and Evan were doing, so I am clearly not the winner for this game.

 

[jmtfti]

He pointed to the American flag on his sleeve, then to Madison, so "American" + "Woman" is a reasonable guess. Though it'd be funny if it turns out to be something entirely different and both they and the fans are just bad at charades.

 

[Willin]

My guess as to why the Shibs decided to come back:

It would be hard not to notice that the level of dance is not as high as it was when the Shibs were competing. They were up against V/M & D/W at the beginning of their career and then P/C entered the mix. They won three world medals and two olympic medals, none of them gold. I imagine they may have seen C/B winning worlds the last three years and thought, hey we were consistently beating them when we competed and they are older than us. Perhaps they thought it was possible for them to win Olympics or Worlds or maybe even an Olympic Team Gold with the absence of Russia.

Idk, just a guess.

I could believe this.

But it's so misguided. They were known for their tech - but now tech matters less than ever with the increasing number of choreographic GOE-based elements, the mostly removed pattern dances, and changes to PCS. That's not to say they won't have an edge in that aspect given how even the podium is now routinely dropping levels, but it is to say that that edge is a lot less meaningful than it once was.

 

[Tinycities]

I’m listening to the groove is in the heart video on YouTube and I don’t hear those lyrics? I feel like I’m going nuts trying to figure that part out

 

[litenkyckling]

I’m listening to the groove is in the heart video on YouTube and I don’t hear those lyrics? I feel like I’m going nuts trying to figure that part out

Maybe you need to listen to the recording and not the video version but the lyrics are in the first 10 seconds of the song

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Clip of Green/Parsons’ RD which is indeed both songs. They look amazing!

Caroline Green on Instagram: "You guessed it! For our Rhythm Dance this year we’re skating to Groove is in the Heart by Dee-lite and I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. Here’s a sneak peek!👀 #figureskating #icedance #iceskating #newseason #newprogram #

Visite-nos para descobrir mais sobre a nossa equipe de figure skating e a nossa nova apresentação para a nova temporada. Estamos ansiosos para compartilhar nossas habilidades com vocês!

www.instagram.com

 

[Wyliefan]

Clip of Green/Parsons’ RD which is indeed both songs. They look amazing!

Caroline Green on Instagram: "You guessed it! For our Rhythm Dance this year we’re skating to Groove is in the Heart by Dee-lite and I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. Here’s a sneak peek!👀 #figureskating #icedance #iceskating #newseason #newprogram #

Visite-nos para descobrir mais sobre a nossa equipe de figure skating e a nossa nova apresentação para a nova temporada. Estamos ansiosos para compartilhar nossas habilidades com vocês!

www.instagram.com

We nailed it! And yes they do!

 

[Rukia]

i love caroline green

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Nice! That pull through maneuver is fun.

 

[barbk]

He pointed to the American flag on his sleeve, then to Madison, so "American" + "Woman" is a reasonable guess. Though it'd be funny if it turns out to be something entirely different and both they and the fans are just bad at charades.

What is so funny is the meaning of that song, and why any American team would choose it?

 

[BittyBug]

But if they do withdraw from all fall events, go to Nationals and qualify to the Olympics, they have very very small window of opportunity to compete again before the Olympics to even have the scores needed. And no, they would not be able to go to 4CC either without a minimum score.

How would they qualify for the Olympics without a BOW?

 

[Karen-W]

How would they qualify for the Olympics without a BOW?

As previous Olympic ice dance medalists, they are included in the selection pool for consideration. Presuming they show up at Nats and finish Top 3, that's all the BOW the Int'l Committee would need to justify naming them to the team.

 

[tony]

How would they qualify for the Olympics without a BOW?

By a 2011-2018 special clause BOW, I suppose.

 

[Rukia]

How would they qualify for the Olympics without a BOW?

maybe there's a column for olympic medals + us skating hall of fame

editing to say tony gives a real answer, i give a terrible joke answer, the fsu ecosystem remains in stasis

 

[TheOGSkateGuard]

As previous Olympic ice dance medalists, they are included in the selection pool for consideration. Presuming they show up at Nats and finish Top 3, that's all the BOW the Int'l Committee would need to justify naming them to the team.

But that also means having to skate the RD before a lot of teams at Nationals with better WS standings. This isn’t 2018, when there was a drop off between the top 3 and the rest of the field…one miss on an element and they’ll be toast, especially if any of those teams between them and the top ones (Browns, cough, cough) skate lights out.

We may have a field in dance at Nationals where every single team has stood on an international podium at some point….so unless they’re skating close to that final group, I don’t see how they can finish 3rd.

 

[tony]

But that also means having to skate the RD before a lot of teams at Nationals with better WS standings. This isn’t 2018, when there was a drop off between the top 3 and the rest of the field…one miss on an element and they’ll be toast, especially if any of those teams between them and the top ones (Browns, cough, cough) skate lights out.

We may have a field in dance at Nationals where every single team has stood on an international podium at some point….so unless they’re skating close to that final group, I don’t see how they can finish 3rd.

It's Nationals. Start order isn't going to mean anything in the USFS getting the team they want.

 

[Allskate]

As previous Olympic ice dance medalists, they are included in the selection pool for consideration. Presuming they show up at Nats and finish Top 3, that's all the BOW the Int'l Committee would need to justify naming them to the team.

Yes, that gets them into the selection pool. But, the committee is supposed to look at their BOW from the last 12 months when choosing the team from the selection pool. And the selection criteria say that decisions shouldn't be based on one competition. Personally, I think it would be crazy to select anyone for the Olympic team based on a third place finish at a non-international competition, especially when it's been years since they competed in anything else. I also think it would be crazy for a skater to expect that.

 

[TheOGSkateGuard]

It's Nationals. Start order isn't going to mean anything in the USFS getting the team they want.

You may want to rewatch 2024 Nationals. Nobody was held up, not even the sickly World Champs who lost the FD. And yikes, it was a mess.

My take on US dance is much like ladies 25 years ago—it really doesn’t matter who the third team is, because so many are ahead of the rest of the world.

Shibs need the fall BOW or to skate brilliantly at Nationals to have a shot at placing 3rd. No judge will hold them up with errors over later teams skating well.

 

[PRlady]

Let’s presume Chock/Bates and Car/Pon have nothing to worry about even with errors given their BOW (the latter’s Worlds finish, ahead of teams I thought they would lose to, certainly helps.)

That leaves Green/Parsons, a technically adept team whose presentation is improving (a lot!) and Zingas/Kolesnik, a great presentation team whose tech skills (hers) are improving. Plus the Browns who finally have good programs, NES/Mar and Brat/Som who sometimes skate really well.

I don’t see USFS making room in all that for a comeback team whose season may be one and done, but I don’t know what pull the Shibs have behind the scenes.

 

[Rukia]

people are making a lot of assumptions based on a team that has yet to show up to anything so like idk i cannot be bothered at this point

if they really show up to only nats and make the team then i'll have some thoughts, but at this point i think the us teams that have been cooking the past few seasons just need to keep on keeping on

 

[tony]

You may want to rewatch 2024 Nationals. Nobody was held up, not even the sickly World Champs who lost the FD. And yikes, it was a mess..

You can’t hold up a team or skater that is missing elements left and right. For example, you can’t add a bunch of TES to skaters who do single and double jumps. Chock and Bates were abysmal and the equivalent to that in the free dance.

The Shibutanis got the royal treatment with their comeback announcement, and if they skate well enough at Nationals, I’m sure the scores will come.

 

[Karen-W]

You can’t hold up a team or skater that is missing elements left and right. For example, you can’t add a bunch of TES to skaters who do single and double jumps. Chock and Bates were abysmal and the equivalent to that in the free dance.

Yeah, she was deathly ill that week and probably should have withdrawn after the RD. At minimum, at the time, there were a lot of us here thinking CarPon should have beaten them in the FD because ChoBat were that dismal.

 

[tony]

Yeah, she was deathly ill that week and probably should have withdrawn after the RD. At minimum, at the time, there were a lot of us here thinking CarPon should have beaten them in the FD because ChoBat were that dismal.

They did beat them