2024 Masters - weekend of September 28 - Villard de Lans - FRA

[BlueRidge]

I was optimistic when I checked out their music and I'm not disappointed. This works so much better for them than anything traditional. Impressive!

 

[her grace]

Did we have an upset in ice dance?

All three of France’s top teams look strong.

 

[Karen-W]

Now that's an opening pose. They start with Lopareva's skate planted firmly in the middle of Brissaud's chest.

Stylistically, this is a much better fit for them than their FD last season - which was just a wannabe PapCiz knock-off. The program itself kind of doesn't really go anywhere, so who knows how it will be received internationally, but I don't hate it, so that's a step up.

 

[beckab81]

Score for Demougeot & Le Mercier seemed pretty low compared to what they were scoring internationally last year, I'll be interested to see the protocols.

A few rough spots for Lopareva & Brissaud, but a really interesting program that I'm looking forward to seeing grow over the season!

 

[BlueRidge]

I've disliked all L&Bs recent FDs so I'm pleased with this choice that is quite dramatic if not entirely convincing.

 

[BlueRidge]

Score for Demougeot & Le Mercier seemed pretty low compared to what they were scoring internationally last year, I'll be interested to see the protocols.

I want to see them too, because right now I. Do. Not. Get. It.

 

[her grace]

I loved L/B’s last FD. Not on TV, but in person, it was breathtaking. Amazing use of the blade. This year’s FD is better suited to them and if they can bring that command of the ice, it could take them places!

 

[Wyliefan]

This score is taking FOREVER.

 

[Wyliefan]

Senior FD:

FPl.	Name	Club	Nation	Points	RD	FD
1	Evgeniia LOPAREVA / Geoffrey BRISSAUD	BOR-BORD/BOR-BORD	FRA	200.71	1	1
2	Marie DUPAYAGE / Thomas NABAIS	VLP-VILL/VSC-Vitry	FRA	185.87	2	2
3	Loicia DEMOUGEOT / Theo le MERCIER	VLP-VILL/BEL-ASM	FRA	178.94	3	3
4	Natacha LAGOUGE / Arnaud CAFFA	VSC-Vitry/VSC-Vitry	FRA	169.26	4	4
5	Lou TERREAUX / Noe PERRON	BEL-ASM/BEL-ASM	FRA	157.47	5	5

And protocols: https://www.ffsg.org/resultats/2024...------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[Frau Muller]

He finishes 7th with 167.71. The podium is Pitot, Economides, and Spinar.

Even Samy Hammi beat Kevin. Kevin shouldn’t be going to Grand Prix at this stage of his career.

 

[BlueRidge]

I don't at all take issue with any of the other scores in the FD here. I'm quite happy to see Lagouge and Caffa score 100! But I'm mystified as to why Demougeot & LeMercier scored so low.

 

[nuge]

Roxane Petetin hasn't changed a bit in twenty years

 

[Marta24]

Why are the French judges tanking my Demougeot/Le Mercier?

And good to see that Lopareva decided to stop being boring. Really liked their new FD.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Demougeot looked wiped at the end of the program and in the KnC. I hope she's okay.

 

[BlueRidge]

Why are the French judges tanking my Demougeot/Le Mercier?

And good to see that Lopareva decided to stop being boring. Really liked their new FD.

Wait, are you me? Same opinions here.

 

[Nmsis]

But I'm mystified as to why Demougeot & LeMercier scored so low.

Politikssssss ...
Last year, Jr Nats ice dance results were a joke where the dancers of Lyon were crushing all the dancers from Villard and Chalons. Lol.

 

[BlueRidge]

Politikssssss ...
Last year, Jr Nats ice dance results were a joke where the dancers of Lyon were crushing all the dancers from Villard and Chalons. Lol.

I mean I assume politics but why is hitting D&LM and not D&N?

 

[Nmsis]

I mean I assume politics but why is hitting D&LM and not D&N?

Using one to crush the other is a smart plan.

 

[BlueRidge]

Using one to crush the other is a smart plan.

I have trouble with the who's who of French ice dance, who is this all supposed to benefit?

 

[Karen-W]

I have trouble with the who's who of French ice dance, who is this all supposed to benefit?

It's more like it's supposed to, eventually, crush Karine & all the VDL teams. Undermine DemLeM by having them lose badly to DupNab domestically, which then causes DemLeM to possibly lose momentum internationally; meanwhile DupNab are still trying to climb through the mid-level ranks internationally - ultimately neither move up and Karine/VDL are wounded.

 

[BlueRidge]

It's more like it's supposed to, eventually, crush Karine & all the VDL teams. Undermine DemLeM by having them lose badly to DupNab domestically, which then causes DemLeM to possibly lose momentum internationally; meanwhile DupNab are still trying to climb through the mid-level ranks internationally - ultimately neither move up and Karine/VDL are wounded.

This is hateful.

I love these teams.

 

[Karen-W]

This is hateful.

I love these teams.

Well, this is French ice skating - the fed that gave us Didier and massive corruption. Can we expect nothing more than cutthroat domestic politicking?

 

[tony]

I know this is on par for the majority of Aymoz’s season last year, but I’d give it time. He was in Miami just prior to this choreographing at least one of the two programs, so he’s starting his season somewhat late.

And Hami finishing 2nd in the long with a fall and no 3A or quad attempted kinda gives the picture of how almost all of them did today.

 

[Nmsis]

I have trouble with the who's who of French ice dance, who is this all supposed to benefit?

Good question.
That's easy, it's the school of Lyon.

I'm sorry but I'm gonna go back a while.

From 1996 ? .. to ... 2011 ? (around this period), no good junior french dancer was authorized to go anywhere else than Lyon.
Gailhaguet was backing the Zazouis.
Even the second ice dance school of Lyon in Baraban was complaining about it (namely Lydie Bontemps when she had to let Delobel/Schoenfelder go) but eventually, everyone "surrendered" to reality.
No coach outside of Charlemagne coud develop anything.

When Arribert arrived in junior around 2005, things started to get heated between her and Lyon.
She had one junior couple who was doing reasonably well internationally : Zoé Blanc / Pierre Loup Bouquet
And they wouldn't leave her.
And at times, Blanc/Bouquet would beat some of Lyon's best junior couples, like ... Elodie Brouiller and Benoit Richaud.
And Lyon didn't like that.
And many of the "rejected" ice dancers, the "not good enough for Lyon" started to go to her.
That's how she started to build up her school and to become kind of "legendary" because she "embraced" those kids and their journey in ice dance and gave them the best programs she could.
And despite not being the best (and falling quite often), her kids were popular, thanks to their programs and their total investment in what Arribert was giving them.
The minute she reached the senior international level, things became very heated.
There were repeated pressures on Blanc / Bouquet to leave her.
They were threatened about selections to international competitions.
An international judge told them Arribert was dangerous for their career.
They were deemed "different ... too different".
Arribert said how her first (and for long only) Worlds (2009) were a nightmare.
In the end, in early 2011, Blanc/ Bouquet chose to leave ice dance entirely.
Arribert got back to her mountain to her "not good enoughs".

In 2011, Gailhaguet changed his mind about Lyon, finding the Zazouis too powerful within the fed.
It took him 3 years to tear Lyon down, not helped by the fact that Papadakis Cizeron chose to train there for 2 seasons.

By 2014-2015, it was clear that Lyon was dead.
Then Arribert and Piton started to build the centers that we are now seeing in action.
One can wonder if they carefully waited for Gailhaguet's demise (2020) to take the light.
OTOH, it took quite a while for Lyon to get back on its feet. For long, they tried to go on as usual, getting good juniors from other centers, pairing them and going international with them. It didn't work. Of course, Haguenauer had left. Neil Brown also left...
Then they realised what Arribert and especially Piton were doing locally.
As they knew rivals were coming up, they built a development program from the scratch, from the youngest categories up, with the support of friendly centers (Ambre Perrier Giannesini was trained by the Delobel sisters).
And they are back with very solid ice dancers ...
But they are not alone anymore.
There are centers on their way who have cemented their existence and their value in ice dance. IMHO with an added value that Lyon doesn't have in terms of creativity and couple building.
But there is something that Lyon has : friends and former ice dancers.

 

[Frau Muller]

Did Mae-Berenice withdraw? She was on the list in post#1.

Answering my own Q. Mae-Berenice withdrew from Masters but didn’t retire: She’s on the CS Nice roster, in mid October!
https://results.isu.org/events/csfra2024_Women.htm

 

[Wyliefan]

Given that D/N also beat D/LeM in the RD at last year's Masters (we don't know what would have happened in the FD, as D/LeM withdrew), I don't know how much I'd read into this year's placements. It didn't seem to have any implications for last season.

 

[BlueRidge]

Given that D/N also beat D/LeM in the RD at last year's Masters (we don't know what would have happened in the FD, as D/LeM withdrew), I don't know how much I'd read into this year's placements. It didn't seem to have any implications for last season.

Thank you for this. For now, I think I'll take it to heart.

 

[Sylvia]

Playlist of 10 videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVR2YFMED-PLYa_qml8whZFW52EmquwBa