2020-21 Canadian Pairs News & Updates

karmena

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316
3 Olympics is quite an accomplishment - not a record, but not everyone can be a Savchenko.
IMHO if Kirsten have not split with Dylan, she already would have been an Olympic medalist. It does not matter how much she improves now, nothing will be bring her on the podium. Nothing. I would be very happy to be wrong.

She and Dylan had a magic ( "IT") factor.
 
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dramagrrl

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2,123
Perhaps in the team competition if they had split the pairs (i.e. D/R only skated one of the two programs and the second pair, being MT/M 1 in that theoretical case)? I'm not even sure of that. S/B did extremely well at Canadians that year and also placed 9th at the Olympics, so they still could have been Pair #2 even if MT/M 1 had continued together.
 

honey

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2,283
Perhaps in the team competition if they had split the pairs (i.e. D/R only skated one of the two programs and the second pair, being MT/M 1 in that theoretical case)? I'm not even sure of that. S/B did extremely well at Canadians that year and also placed 9th at the Olympics, so they still could have been Pair #2 even if MT/M 1 had continued together.

If we’re counting team medals in this discussion, then KMT/Dylan already achieved that and this shoulda, coulda, woulda is all a moot point :p

I assume this poster is talking individual event medals that they think KMT and Dylan could have medaled at.
 

dramagrrl

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If we’re counting team medals in this discussion, then KMT/Dylan already achieved that and this shoulda, coulda, woulda is all a moot point :p

I assume this poster is talking individual event medals that they think KMT and Dylan could have medaled at.
Oh, that's right - I'd forgotten they were part of the silver-medal winning team in 2014.
 

skategal

Bunny mama
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11,866
Whatever the implications for how many medals KMT could have won in the 2014/18 quad, we should overall be glad she switched partners since we wouldn't have had a top pair in this quad otherwise.
I have a feeling Bilodeau would have stuck around if he was getting top billing from Skate Canada which he probably would have been if KMT/MM weren't around.
 

Sylvia

TBD
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79,987
London Free Press article on Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud by Ryan Pyette:
“For world team selection, Mike [Slipchuk] and Shae [Zukiwsky] came in and so that felt like a competition for us,” Michaud said. “We had to do a run-through and sent videos out to our technical specialists for feedback. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from people who have seen our long program (Vai Vedrai from Cirque du Soleil) and, in general, it’s been over a year since we’ve competed in front of people.
“We’re excited to get back to it because that’s why we do this and we’re very grateful for this opportunity.”
The mission, along with twice-a-week training mates Moore-Towers and Marinaro, is to secure at least two Olympic berths for Canada. They will be tested for the virus before they leave in little more than a week, get tested again on arrival and must remain within the hotel/rink bubble until their departure the day after their free skate on March 25.
 

puglover

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I wonder if Bruno will go when, as I understand it, Alison Purkiss coaches both teams.
 

Colonel Green

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13,930
Honestly, I think the Canadian Federation made a mistake pushing D/R over M-T/M1. I think if Kirsten knew she had the federation’s support, she would have stayed with Dylan.
D/R came out ahead because they were more consistent, not primarily because the federation backed them.

Beyond which, D/R won four World medals, including two World titles, and an Olympic medal. Even if one liked M-T/M more, it'd be hard to imagine them bettering those results. The federation benefited more, in the end, from KMT being able to continue another quad.
 

dramagrrl

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IMO, there is not a chance that MT/M1 would have matched or even come close to matching D/R's career results. I admit I was also pretty surprised that D/R ended up becoming World champions, let alone multiple-time World champions and Olympic medalists, but I would have been even more shocked if MT/M1 would have managed anything more than maybe a World bronze medal. The difference was not as much in raw talent or base skills as it was in Meagan Duhamel's extreme drive to do whatever it took to improve and get to the top of the standings, and D/R's matched goals and relationship as a team.
 

Sylvia

TBD
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79,987
Copying out all the tweets for easier reading:
KMT: "Training has been going exceptionally well. It's been a really bizarre year, and training has been a little up and down. But now it's going fantastic. [We feel] really well prepared."

MT/M have been focused on repetitions and run-throughs to get more mileage on their programs. "Having a clear goal of Worlds the last month, or two months, has been awesome, and we are ready to lay it down in Sweden," said MM.

KMT: Uncertainty "was the hardest part of this season. It's really difficult to mentally prepare yourself when things continue to get canceled. We understand the cancellations, but that doesn't make it easier."

KMT says they did not expect that Worlds would take place. "Once it was an Olympic qualifier, we knew for sure we were going to do it," she added.

MT/M noted that they did not get to compete at the last Olympic-qualifier Worlds (2017, Helsinki) and said that this time, they really want to compete and help earn spots. "It's about paying it forward, for Canada and another team." --KMT

MT/M are looking forward to competing with Walsh/Michaud in Sweden, and hope that they will be able to compete together again at the Olympics next year, along with both their coaches (Bruno Marcotte, Allison Purkiss).

KMT says they are "pleasantly surprised at how excited they are" to compete at Worlds despite knowing that there are risks, with many countries/skaters coming together

"I'm super-excited to get out on competition ice again," MM said. "Before the pandemic, skating had become a little bit of a job for us, a little monotonous. The break rekindled the love of the sport. I haven't looked forward to a competition this much since I was a little kid."

KMT on safety concerns with Worlds: "It's something that's at the back of our minds, but we try not to let it come to the forefront." They know the risks, but are hoping for the best and focused on what they can control (their own safety protocols, such as masking, etc.).

MT/M said they do still wonder what would have happened if they'd been able to compete at 2020 Montreal Worlds, with the momentum they had last year.

They believe that if Montreal Worlds had happened, they would have had a real chance to make the podium or close to it.

MM said that many people in his hometown reached out to him after his grandmother's death from covid-19 this year. He was grateful for the support.

They will really miss having an audience at Worlds. "We are big feeders from the energy of the audience," MM said.

MT/M aren't sure where they will place at Worlds. "We don't know what to expect, because we don't have the data from this season." --KMT

MM said that normally by the end of the season, they know exactly what to expect in terms of scores, and can usually guess within 1 point after a performance. "This year, we have no idea." So, they don't have specific placement goals for Worlds.

After Worlds, MT/M need to complete a 2-week quarantine in Canada. Because of this, they decided to pass on doing World Team Trophy (assuming it happens). They would need to leave for WTT one day after finishing quarantine & it's just too tight.

"We always look forward to going to World Team Trophy," MM said. "But it's just not going to be feasible this year."

Instead, they will focus on starting preparations for the Olympic season. They have already chosen their music for next year & will begin choreography after Worlds.
 

Vase

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308
Kirsten looked super nervous at the beginning of the short, I hope she can regroup and move forward. I’m nervous for her.
Madeline came up strong in woman’s senior at the 16,17 age mark, here’s hoping our younger pair girls can pull together a top and bottom mark in Senior debut’s this season. The next four years will be important for them and Canada.
 

Xsktrx

Active Member
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167
Kirsten looked super nervous at the beginning of the short, I hope she can regroup and move forward. I’m nervous for her.
Madeline came up strong in woman’s senior at the 16,17 age mark, here’s hoping our younger pair girls can pull together a top and bottom mark in Senior debut’s this season. The next four years will be important for them and Canada.
It will be interesting to see how our newer Sr. Pairs come along in the next year or two. I could be wrong but Kirsten and Mike seem to be more focused on developing that second mark than upping their technical difficulty. Could be that’s the best they can do but the twist could be 4th best in Canada now based on some of the other twists we have seen in Canada. Throws look the same, no bigger or higher and basically the same jumps maybe since they paired up. Mike looks to be struggling speed wise with the lifts vs previous years. That being said, even though they scored 15 or 16 points less than their best ISU score I believe this is their highest worlds finish. Maybe just a strange year.
 

angi

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678
I thought this was the best I've ever seen Evelyn and Trent skate and their FS is really well choreographed imo. They both improved a lot this year, Evelyn especially really made progress and seems to be getting much more confident, and considering this is the improvement they showed after losing so much training time this year (and being injured) I can't wait to see how they will look when fully trained.
 

Colonel Green

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If I recall correctly, I believe the twist is what KMT sustained a rib injury on last autumn, so it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if that's affecting how they do the element still. They had made real headway on the twist in the 2019-20 season, but that progress has unfortunately been wiped out in the time off; that's probably Job 1 for the off-season.

I was kind of amazed at how well Evelyn & Trennt did given that they've never competed this free program before.
 
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Vase

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308
If I recall correctly, I believe the twist is what KMT sustained a rib injury on last autumn, so it would be entirely surprising if that's affecting how they do the element still. They had made real headway on the twist in the 2019-20 season, but that progress has unfortunately been wiped out in the time off; that's probably Job 1 for the off-season.

I was kind of amazed at how well Evelyn & Trennt did given that they've never competed this free program before.
I agree the injury could play a big part, let’s hope it’s not a ‘fear’ caused by the previous injury.
I heard a pair skater talk about how it’s so hard to get past the fear, once they’ve been injured from a pair element. Which I’m sure it goes for the jumps etc. but I don’t doubt a pair girl has a different level of fear in the elements, even if most look fearless.
 

kalamalka

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I think Kirsten has already shown an ability to get past fear on the twist - I still vividly "see" the incident at Canadians in Halifax early in the partnership when he threw her up and fell, so was completely unable to catch her. It was almost directly in front of me.
 

Vase

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Messages
308
I think Kirsten has already shown an ability to get past fear on the twist - I still vividly "see" the incident at Canadians in Halifax early in the partnership when he threw her up and fell, so was completely unable to catch her. It was almost directly in front of me.
Maybe she has, but 5yrs older I don’t think it helps to make things any easier. She’s no doubt still working through the process. Her rib injury is fairly new and I’m sure less training hours hasn’t helped.
 

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