Sylvia
Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
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Moss/Galbavy’s account tagged Wiktoria Pacha/Szymon Derechowski (POL) and Zarah Wood/Alex Lapsky (GBR) in their 2nd set of photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YIR7BrDYT/
Moss/Galbavy’s account tagged Wiktoria Pacha/Szymon Derechowski (POL) and Zarah Wood/Alex Lapsky (GBR) in their 2nd set of photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YIR7BrDYT/
I wonder if that means that Lori Nichol is no longer under exclusive contract with the CFSA and could choreograph for other teams. If so, that would be great news because her pairs choreo is some of the best we've seen in the last 5-6 years.Peng/Wang’s new FS was choreographed by Marie-France Dubreuil after Worlds: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ganRoLgr4/
... throughout the 2022/23 season, I asked athletes and coaches what it will take to grow interest in pairs, among both skaters and audiences.
I found consensus for some ideas: introducing skaters to the discipline early in their careers, more training and support for pair coaches as they are starting out, and the importance of international collaboration. Many also talked about the risks and rewards of the discipline’s spectacular elements, and how to overcome the fear that they can provoke in skaters, coaches, and even the audience.
I also found a lot of optimism about the future of the sport – optimism that has been partially born out by the rebounding number of teams at the 2023 World Championships and catalyzed by active work to repopulate the discipline.
Nonetheless, pairs is the smallest discipline, and there are real obstacles to future expansion. There is also some disagreement on what changes to the rules and culture of the discipline are necessary.
In the series “The Future of Pairs” I’ve been investigating how to strengthen skating’s smallest discipline. A major theme that emerged is the need to develop and support new pair coaches around the world.
Kevin Dawe coaches the 2023 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalists Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov. Dawe went from no pairs experience to bringing a team to Junior Worlds within two years. I spoke to Dawe at the start of the 2023/24 season.
Reposting my comment from the OES news thread about this.Oxana Vouillamoz and Tom Bouvart are a new pair competing for Switzerland. They both used to compete for France with their former partners.
x.com
twitter.com
Bouvart only competed a handful of times with Coline Keriven in the 2022-23 season - his last competition with her was Bavarian Open 2023. I didn't realize Vouillamoz was actually Swiss but her ISU bio says she was born in Sion. Her last competition with Flavien Giniaux was GPdF this past November, so the earliest this new team would be able to compete internationally is likely the CS Warsaw Cup.
From the end:I spoke with Bruno Marcotte at Worlds to get some updates on Miura/Kihara, Bombardier/Mimar, and Kam/O'Shea:
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Bruno Marcotte: "It's going to be important for Miura/Kihara to push the envelope" - A divine sport
Coach Bruno Marcotte talks about his students Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara, the 2023 World champions from Japanadivinesport.com
Q: One of the proposed changes involves transitioning a leveled lift in the free skate to a choreo lift. What do you think about that?
Marcotte: It’s good. It’s fine. Personally, I would like for them to add, and not remove, things, and maybe do something else [in lifts]. Lifts and throws are what makes us different from ice dance and other events. But I think it’s important that we bring in an element of the spectacular, an element of originality. It’s important for people that watch the sport. Because right now, when you watch a competition, pretty much everybody does the same lifts. So hopefully this choreo lift will be very different from the other lifts. I really hope that it’s not restricted by level, that it’s judged by personality. That would be cool.
Well, at least they'll never get in trouble calling a coach the wrong name.training in Caen with Bruno Massot and in Oakville with Bruno Marcotte.
Well, we know that Skate Canada has tightened up its release rules after the Soucisse/Firus departure and require the skaters to pay back all the money received as Canadian skaters. Theoretically, I'd guess Chloe owes less than Matte given that she's only competed on the junior level internationally - here's her ISU bio with Thrasher - http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00111117.htm. Jr Worlds twice, JGPF and 2 JGPs in 2022-23, 1 JGP in 2021-22 and also the John Nicks IPC in 2021, plus whatever team envelope funding she and Thrasher received.I heard that Matte & Pierre broke up partially because a release wasn't in the cards any time soon. If that's true, good luck to Chloe and Flavien.
This sounds like a comment from 1986 if the internet was a thing back then.plus I heard that he was hoping to find a partner who could reliably land a 2a.
Just curious - how do we know this?Well, we know that Skate Canada has tightened up its release rules after the Soucisse/Firus departure and require the skaters to pay back all the money received as Canadian skaters.
It was discussed somewhere in GSD - was there a thread dedicated to the Soucisse/Firus switch? If not then in the Canadian Ice Dance thread when the appeal ruling in favor of S/F was released last fall.Just curious - how do we know this?
FWIW, I recently heard that Skate Canada reportedly has made being released easier since S/F and that skaters don’t have to pay back any funding they’ve received. Hopefully this means Panetta’s release will be straightforward and that she will be able to compete in the upcoming season![]()
A bit offside but I was listening to a recent podcast that had Summer McIntosh on and when the topic of her sister came up Summer said that when they were both younger and still in skating and swimming that Brooke was a better swimmer (called her a natural swimmer that can still do all four strokes) and that Summer was a better skater at the time. But they each ended up picking the sports they did because Summer decided early on she wanted to be in control of her results and not let it be up to a judging panel and Brooke must have loved skating.There seems to be a rumor floating around Xwitter that Brooke McIntosh has a new, unidentified, European partner.
USFSA is proposing a technical commentate exclusively for Pairs. ISU Council is against the proposal.
ISU Council is proposing the following age limits for Junior
Pairs: 21 for women, 23 for men. Max 7 years age gap
USFSA wants 16 years old as minimum age for Senior Pairs for next season. ISU Council is against.
Pairs FS: lifts down from 3 to 2. One choreographic lift added. Choreographic pair spin added. Pair spin combination and
choreographic sequence gone. Jump combinations/sequences must have 2 jumps, not 3.
Just to clarify - the USFS proposal for 16 for senior pairs women is not for just next season but would be "From the Season 2024-25 forward" - which would mean it is a permanent change. Frankly, I agree with the ISU Council and see no reason to drop the age minimum for Senior Pairs Women down to 16.ISU Congress to Decide Big Changes for Pairs ; Rule makers hope to boost creativity with new elements by Anna Kellar (April 30, 2024):
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ISU Congress to Decide Big Changes for Pairs
The new proposed rules, which aim to increase creativity in pairs, would make unusually large changes in the midst of an Olympic cycleanythinggoe.com
ETA - relevant excerpts from this new GSD discussion thread on the ISU Congress 2024 Agenda that was published today: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/2024-isu-congress-agenda.111760/
ISU Congress to Decide Big Changes for Pairs ; Rule makers hope to boost creativity with new elements by Anna Kellar (April 30, 2024):
![]()
ISU Congress to Decide Big Changes for Pairs
The new proposed rules, which aim to increase creativity in pairs, would make unusually large changes in the midst of an Olympic cycleanythinggoe.com
ETA - relevant excerpts from this new GSD discussion thread on the ISU Congress 2024 Agenda that was published today: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/2024-isu-congress-agenda.111760/