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

[~tapdancer~]

I can't wait for everyone to decide z/k and cpom and whoever else is left are tired and old in a few years when they have new faves

Oh come on. I explained my post because back in the days when skaters that achieved goals (maybe not all of them), they often retired to explore pro skating which was very lucrative and popular especially in the 90s. My main complaint with ice Dance is it is the only discipline that skaters can stay around a very long time and if they have success, they are definitely held up rightly or wrongly...I remember hearing a commentator at Canadians nationals saying that no matter what any other team did, they could not overtake B/K for about 10 years. Now I loved B/K but I remember reading a lot of negative about them on this board and others. If you have faves, you have faves. You can't help but root for them and hope they are scored well. You want success for them.

You know, the happiest time was the D/W vs V/M years. I thought both teams were amazing but I preferred D/W. I loved them. And of course I wanted them to win all the time. And the beauty of it was, sometimes D/W won, other times V/M won. It was an amazing rivalry and I think all the Ubers were satisfied in the end. I can't say that for sure, but as a D/W fan, they exceeded my expectations and I will cherish the years watching them skate.

I think if there are teams you just can't get into, it's easy to see them with critical eyes. And our faves can do no wrong in our eyes. It's just human nature.

 

[Rukia]

Oh come on. I explained my post because back in the days when skaters that achieved goals (maybe not all of them), they often retired to explore pro skating which was very lucrative and popular especially in the 90s. My main complaint with ice Dance is it is the only discipline that skaters can stay around a very long time and if they have success, they are definitely held up rightly or wrongly...I remember hearing a commentator at Canadians nationals saying that no matter what any other team did, they could not overtake B/K for about 10 years. Now I loved B/K but I remember reading a lot of negative about them on this board and others. If you have faves, you have faves. You can't help but root for them and hope they are scored well. You want success for them.

You know, the happiest time was the D/W vs V/M years. I thought both teams were amazing but I preferred D/W. I loved them. And of course I wanted them to win all the time. And the beauty of it was, sometimes D/W won, other times V/M won. It was an amazing rivalry and I think all the Ubers were satisfied in the end. I can't say that for sure, but as a D/W fan, they exceeded my expectations and I will cherish the years watching them skate.

I think if there are teams you just can't get into, it's easy to see them with critical eyes. And our faves can do no wrong in our eyes. It's just human nature.

it's literally just a joke lol

 

[~tapdancer~]

it's literally just a joke lol

After all these years, I still can't get the humor on here! Sorry!

 

[Belsornia]

Start orders are out for the Ice Dance Final. No Yi/Savelev, but I think everyone else we were expecting to be there made it to the draw.

Are Chen/Chitipakhovian in juniors another Dostatni team? I feel apprehensive now when I see another recently arrived from Russia boy representing the Broadmoor.

 

[LilJen]

So, um, Charlie and Tanith are divorcing, it was said in a PBP thread? What happens with MIDA?

 

[just tuned in]

So, um, Charlie and Tanith are divorcing, it was said in a PBP thread? What happens with MIDA?

Maybe it will play out like the Yuka Sato / Jason Dungjen situation.

 

[VGThuy]

Maybe it will play out like the Yuka Sato / Jason Dungjen situation.

That their coaching center will fade into obscurity?

Yeah, I know it technically is still running but, it’s not what it once was.

 

[my little pony]

That their coaching center will fade into obscurity?

would it be so terrible?

 

[VGThuy]

would it be so terrible?

I think so just because we can have alternative training centers to IAM in North America.

 

[my little pony]

I think that is a good thing but I question if this is the camp. It doesnt even rival little IAM imo.

 

[kwanfan1818]

The IAM camp didn't rival Shpilband/Zoueva, which didn't rival the lock that the Russian coaches so aptly described in The Runthrough Lore episodes had when they started. They all have to start somewhere.

The Whites had far more hardware to start off with than Dubreuil/Lauzon when they hung their shingle, which made them and any mistakes a lot more visible. What seems to be most visible is that they, like Zanni, don't seem to be learning from their mistakes. D/L have two major advantages: they are in Montreal, which is probably the most attractive city in Anglo/Franco North America with the bonus of an exchange rate advantage, and they were fine with taking international teams from the beginning and collecting the full set of judges. Winning the US judges doesn't translate to international success.

 

[VGThuy]

I think that is a good thing but I question if this is the camp. It doesnt even rival little IAM imo.

There’s a long-term view as well. Anything can happen if those running the camps have a good eye on trends and invest in fostering coaching/choreographing talent.

 

[Allskate]

That their coaching center will fade into obscurity?

I think the thought was that they would continue to work together even if they are getting divorced.

But, I can't remember seeing Tanith at the boards during competitions lately.

MIDA is more than Charlie and Tanith. There are four coaches, and Greg is a big part of it. I would hope that MIDA would survive even if the marriage sadly does not. I do think it's beneficial, especially for U.S. figure skating, to have multiple ice dance centers in the U.S.. Not everyone can or should go to IAM. Even if MIDA never ends up coaching someone all the way to the Olympics, it would be good for skating to have the school.

 

[ice coverage]

... Are Chen/Chitipakhovian in juniors another Dostatni team? ...

No. Effie Chen was at Novi with her previous partner Kenny Eckert, and she remains there with her new partner.

... I can't remember seeing Tanith at the boards during competitions lately. ...

Tanith recently was at Mezzaluna Cup -- just a couple of weeks ago in Italy.

 

[Belsornia]

No. Effie Chen was at Novi with her previous partner Kenny Eckert, and she remains there with her new partner.

Thanks - that's good to know.

 

[marshallpond]

I thought MIDA was in a better position to follow IAM's non-hierarchical mode of teaching that has made IAM so successful. I had really high hopes when MIDA started.

I.AM thrives because its model of not having a single “head coach” builds a collaborative, interdisciplinary coaching model rather than a hierarchical one — and that’s been revolutionary for ice dance. Love them or hate them, I.AM has become so successful due to its business model, where founders share equal influence and each coach brings a unique specialty to the mix. I asked Benjamin Brisebois (who heads their junior division) what makes I.AM so successful and he explained that instead of one dominant coach making all decisions, I.AM operates like a creative studio. And I.AM operating ice dance sessions in 2-4 rinks, even six at times, simultaneously (especially in summer when the 2nd rink of the rec center they mainly operate does other rec center activities, leaving I.AM with only 1 rink) is a testament to how smoothly they operate their logistics. I.AM skaters typically get their schedule at night (similar to how NOVI does it), what rink they will train, and who they will work with that day.

Compare that with Novi's school, which can be chaotic in terms of who does who. Igor would choreograph something, and Pasquale would change it, causing confusion among the teams. And let us not talk of the chaos of Novi's billing system LOL (compared to I.AM, which sends the monthly bill (ice time + coaches' fees) to their skater at the start of the month, and whether the skater shows up or not, I.AM has already been paid for the month). Yes, I.AM's financial model requires prepayment.

Will MIDA survive the personal issues of its founders? Some people in the know think it is the end of this school. I know they have some issues with the rink, which prefers more hockey than an empty rink in the afternoon. I am hoping it won't be the case, as the US needs a strong school that can rival I.AM.

 

[Laura4]

Months ago I noticed that Tanith had deleted all of her posts on Instagram. I remember thinking that was odd and hoping it wasn't a bad sign of things to come. But I never expected to see rumors of a possible divorce.

 

[her grace]

As far as U.S. training bases go, Igor is still around. Gregory/Petukhov is building an innovative program at the junior level. Their team Aboian/Veselukhin have the best Vogue program IMHO of this season. But there isn’t one stacked program with lots of international teams and the judges that come with them.

 

[skatfan]

As far as U.S. training bases go, Igor is still around. Gregory/Petukhov is building an innovative program at the junior level. Their team Aboian/Veselukhin have the best Vogue program IMHO of this season. But there isn’t one stacked program with lots of international teams and the judges that come with them.

IAM is the only center like this. Everyone else looks like a boutique operation in comparison with them.

 

[jackson]

I think the thought was that they would continue to work together even if they are getting divorced.

But, I can't remember seeing Tanith at the boards during competitions lately.

MIDA is more than Charlie and Tanith. There are four coaches, and Greg is a big part of it. I would hope that MIDA would survive even if the marriage sadly does not. I do think it's beneficial, especially for U.S. figure skating, to have multiple ice dance centers in the U.S.. Not everyone can or should go to IAM. Even if MIDA never ends up coaching someone all the way to the Olympics, it would be good for skating to have the school.

Why are they divorcing - This is pretty shocking