2020-21 Canadian Pairs News & Updates

[Winnipeg]

I hope Justine continues

 

[dramagrrl]

I also hope Justine continues, but when I try to think of a high-level partner that may currently be available for her (especially within Canada), I can't think of anyone. Maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

 

[Colonel Green]

I also hope Justine continues, but when I try to think of a high-level partner that may currently be available for her (especially within Canada), I can't think of anyone. Maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

In these situations it's often a surprise who turns up.

I'm sure there's another Ukrainian she can steal, they seem to be a bottomless barrel of talent for other countries.

 

[Sk8mom123]

I also hope Justine continues, but when I try to think of a high-level partner that may currently be available for her (especially within Canada), I can't think of anyone. Maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

I think you are right. Finding a partner is not easy. Perhaps why Choinard partnered up with Mayr. It’s so hard to find a Canadian partner to excel with especially if the girls are on the taller side. I adore Justine. I wish her all the best.

 

[dramagrrl]

I suppose Justine could try out with Chloe Chouinard's previous partner, Shaquille Davis, although he doesn't have nearly the same level of pairs experience as Justine. I'm not sure how committed she is to staying in Quebec to train (or he is to staying in pairs or staying in Ontario), though.

 

[Colonel Green]

I suppose Justine could try out with Chloe Chouinard's previous partner, Shaquille Davis, although he doesn't have nearly the same level of pairs experience as Justine. I'm not sure how committed she is to staying in Quebec to train (or he is to staying in pairs or staying in Ontario), though.

Davis is too old to make sense as a partner to a teenager who's just making a start in seniors.

 

[skategal]

I think Justine would look great with Francis Boudreau Audet.

Is he still partnered with Nadine Wang?

 

[aftershocks]

Julianne had that gift to bring it out of the pair.

I think they somehow had that magical something together that they both brought out of each other, for whatever reason. They were sympatico, especially with the right material, which often made it seem as if they were a couple off-the-ice too, but I guess that was never the case.

I hope Julianne is doing well, and will find something productive that uplifts her spirits, should she decide not to return to skating. It's a shame about her concussion, which in the end, is really the setback that put in motion their eventual split.


ETA:

Justine Brasseur and Mark Bardai are done according to her instagram. She is looking for new partner.

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Well, I know this isn't truly surprising since they seemed to have a lot of off-ice issues with compatibility and logistics. Still, they were so good with the lifts and throw twist elements, and they had good speed and lots of potential. But I guess when it doesn't work, it doesn't. This current slow down and pause in training couldn't have helped either. Plus, Mark having a family and Canada closing its borders was surely also presenting a problem for Mark and Justine at this time. Mark must have returned home, and absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder.

I think Justine would look great with Francis Boudreau Audet.

Is he still partnered with Nadine Wang?

Maybe Justine could partner with her boyfriend, Spencer Howe. That is if Howe splits with his current partner, Emily Chan. The same would be true for Boudreau-Audet pairing with Justine: He'd have to split with Nadine Wang. The main bonus of a Brasseur with Boudreau-Audet pairing is that they are both Canadian. Howe and Chan (of the U.S.) seem to have potential, but they didn't have a particularly good first season.

Another issue, of course, with a Brasseur & Howe pairing would be the country representation/ citizenship/ release problems. Still, they would already have chemistry down pat, even though it isn't always easy to skate with a significant other.

 

[aftershocks]

I dare to believe, that Walsh/Trennt, when they eventually figure out their skating identity, will surprise themselves and all pair figure skating fans. Though they have a long way to go.

Agree, Kirsten is mesmerizing indeed, she is a star, no doubt. But every star needs her sky.

Ummm, Walsh/Micheau are engaging to watch for sure, and they have gumption and competitiveness. They are just still trying to find their style thematically, music-wise, choreographically, etc. Thus they have tried different genres on for size, and not all have worked for them. Witness the need to change and retool their sp last season. Also with some help from Max Trankov, their 3-twist looks better and they were much sharper together at 2020 Canadian Nationals especially. The sp change put them back in a good comfort zone too. I'm always impressed by their competitiveness and upbeat spirit.

Still, I'm not fully sold on how far Walsh/Michaud might go together. For sure W/M's personal compatibility and competitiveness along with Canadian political clout, has helped them. Plus, they benefited by the JulianneS/CharlieB health problems and split, and by the late first season stumbles by new team, LubovI/CharlieB.

I wouldn't call Kirsten 'mesmerizing.' For me, she has an interesting, spirited quality on the ice, along with fearlessness (albeit all pairs divas are fearless). Kirsten also possesses athleticism, general consistency, good timing, growth potential, an amazing can-do spirit and good skill in general. She also has showed the capacity to access her artistic side with the right music. She and Michael are actually an odd pairing who have made it work by the force of their desire, their upbeat personalities, and the luck of being able to switch to training with Marcotte/Gauthier at a make or break point early in their partnership.

The person who suggested (earlier in this thread) Kirsten and Trennt together hit the fantasy pairing button for sure, though that's unlikely to happen. Dreaming tho' is surely allowed. To be honest, who knows how pairings and starting anew would work with only two years out till next Olympics. However, amongst the two pairings, Trennt and Kirsten are the stronger pairs skaters of their respective partnerships. Evelyn and Michael have improved a lot. Evelyn was new to pairs when she and Trennt got together as juniors. Michael was a fairly recent senior pairs skater with junior experience; he needed to improve his partnering skills when he first joined with Kirsten in 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0aGYqwdla4 Walsh/Michaud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiODPHTMSkw Kirsten/Michael

ETA:
That's nice re Chloe pairing with Livo Mayr, most likely for Austria. If they develop well, they might make Worlds and Olympics together behind Austria's Ziegler/Kiefer. That's a great opportunity for Chloe, so I wish her and Livo the best of luck. The earlier clip is only of a death spiral. We need to see jumps, throws, twist, lifts. But I guess they will be working on all of those elements, once skaters can get back to training at rinks.

Is Olivia Boys-Eddy skating singles? Is she looking for another partner?

Here are Olivia and Livio at 2020 Pairs Challenge Cup:

Olivia BOYS EDDY & Livio MAYER AUT Free Skate 2020 Challenge Cup

www.youtube.com

They had a nice quality together. I wonder why they split? Olivia seems to have a similar skating physicality to Chloe Chouinard. Livo is deceptively tall. He's long-waisted with long legs. Can someone remind me of their coach's name who is with them in the kiss 'n cry? He also works with Deanna & Maxime.

Chloe & Shaquille at 2020 Canadian Nationals:

Choinard & Davis Short Program 2020 Canadian National Skating Championships

Choinard & Davis Short Program 2020 Canadian National Skating Championships

www.youtube.com

 

[Catherine M]

They had a nice quality together. I wonder why they split? Olivia seems to have a similar skating physicality to Chloe Chouinard. Livo is deceptively tall. He's long-waisted with long legs. Can someone remind me of their coach's name who is with them in the kiss 'n cry? He also works with Deanna & Maxime.

I'm not surprised Livo changed partners. As nice as a skater Olivia is, she unfortunately could never,ever land a sbs jump that was harder than a double flip. While Choinard has all her triples except maybe the lutz and I believe she works on triple/triple combos in practice. Sorry to see Canada loose her as a skater but opportunities for taller girls in pairs are limited so wish her all the best with her new partnership.

And the coaches name is Ian Connolly.

Edited to add that when tryouts start up again, I'd love to Justine Brasseur and Pier-Alexander Hudon see if they could work. He's not the tallest guy but has good upper body strength that could work.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Thanks. Chloe's technical skills (jump variety) are definitely an asset. I wasn't aware of Olivia's limited tech arsenal. The video I linked is the first time I've seen her. Although I've heard both Olivia's and Livio's names and the fact they were partnered, I hadn't seen either of them before. I was interested in discovering more after learning Chloe had partnered with Livio. I wish them the best. As I said previously, opportunities could be promising for Chloe/Livio once they're able to get back to training and gain some competitive experience together. Skaters have to take their opportunities where and when they can.

It might be a good idea for Justine to at least do a tryout with Pier-Alexandre Hudon. I'm not sure they would be a good match physically though. Hudon is a very capable pairs partner, so hopefully he will find someone suitable. Did Hudon and Levesque split due to him aging out of juniors? Looking at videos from 2017 when GL was 14 and from 2019 when GL was 16, we can see her progression. Still, she and Hudon weren't necessarily a great physical match either. GL has long legs and she may have been continuing to grow taller and possibly might have eventually outgrown Hudon. While they were an interesting pair to watch, and I like their music and choreo, she was still struggling a bit with some of the throws and sbs jumps. Hudon always looked more mature than GL, even more mature than his actual 4 years age difference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk7sDsEIHZI 2017 fp Gdansk JGP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JC_dL3mclE 2019 fp Lake Placid JGP

Regarding Olivia, if she loves skating, maybe she can continue in a different capacity. There's certainly little opportunity to move forward in the top ranks of the sport without consistent jumping ability or exceptional aesthetic abilities combined with adequate jumping skills that include some solid triples as a pairs girl.

 

[Janbo]

I know it's spilled milk but I loved loved loved Seguin/Bilodeau. I wish Seguin a wonderful productive future in whatever she does.

 

[Jislav]

Charlie Bilodeau is retiring

Charlie Bilodeau - Enfin libre | Sports | Radio-Canada.ca

« Ma décision est irréversible : c’est terminé. Aujourd’hui, je tourne officiellement la page. Je dis adieu au patinage artistique. C’est un soulagement indescriptible. Un sentiment de liberté comme je n’en ai pas éprouvé depuis très longtemps. »

ici.radio-canada.ca

 

[victorskid]

Charlie Bilodeau is retiring

Charlie Bilodeau - Enfin libre | Sports | Radio-Canada.ca

« Ma décision est irréversible : c’est terminé. Aujourd’hui, je tourne officiellement la page. Je dis adieu au patinage artistique. C’est un soulagement indescriptible. Un sentiment de liberté comme je n’en ai pas éprouvé depuis très longtemps. »

ici.radio-canada.ca

The translation: "My decision is irreversible: it's over. Today, I officially turn the page. I say goodbye to figure skating. It’s an indescribable relief. A feeling of freedom like I haven't experienced in a very long time. "

 

[clairecloutier]

I have a feeling this is the first of many such announcements to come.

Sad for Luba, but wishing Charlie the best for the future.

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Wow. It was tough reading Charlie's word. He sounds like he is in a deep depression.
Now we have to find a partner or a circus for Luba!

 

[Catherine M]

Best of luck to Charlie as he moves on to the next chapter of his life. Sounds like his heart hasn't been into skating for a very long time.

And good luck to Luba too.

Lack of pairs skating depth in Canadian is concerning but hopefully a couple of teams can form when training begins, whenever that may be.

 

[Erin]

Now we have to find a partner or a circus for Luba!

Since she stayed to complete her previous contract with Cirque du Soleil, presumably she left on good terms and could go back there. (Once shows actually go back to happening.)

 

[Wyliefan]

No! We just got Luba back!

 

[Dobre]

I feel really sorry for her, as she had just refocused and recommitted to the competitive side of the sport. The current situation, with rinks closing, has to be very tough for new teams that were hoping to use every minute in order to come together and develop in time for 2022.

 

[dramagrrl]

I am not surprised.

 

[CassAgain]

Best wishes to both Charlie and Lubov as they move forward in their lives. I really enjoyed watching them skate--that lift is one for the ages.

 

[miffy]

I’m quite shocked. They had such potential and he seemed so happy when they were competing last year. Shame but all the best to them both.

 

[muffinplus]

One season and that's it? Wow. I mean, of course it's his own personal business/ decision and all, and no, they didn't do well this year. but still. Bilodeau is not coming across very well IMO, with how his partnership with Julianne ended.. and now this... Feel sorry for Liubov.

 

[MR-FAN]

Charlie Bilodeau is retiring

Charlie Bilodeau - Enfin libre | Sports | Radio-Canada.ca

« Ma décision est irréversible : c’est terminé. Aujourd’hui, je tourne officiellement la page. Je dis adieu au patinage artistique. C’est un soulagement indescriptible. Un sentiment de liberté comme je n’en ai pas éprouvé depuis très longtemps. »

ici.radio-canada.ca

NOOOOO!!!

the potential...

 

[jmtfti]

Aaand Luba responds: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DB2CdJj3i/

 

[mcic]

Looks like Lubov had no idea...

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[muffinplus]

Aaand Luba responds: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DB2CdJj3i/

Wow. Well, I'm not surprised like dramagrrll said

 

[fan]

Luna and mark bardei skating for Canada?

 

[jmtfti]

Now Charlie is doing an Instagram Live with Radio Canada. I'm not bothering, but if it's archived later French speakers who are interested can check it out.