2026 Europeans - Pairs Free Skate - "Don’t Drop Me Now"

[my little pony]

I cant help it, I think the French babies are cute

 

[Citlali]

Rough first group

 

[rfisher]

I just listened and didn't pay much attention to the performance.


I would stan.


When I was skating, I had this dream of skating to the Joey Ramone cover of It's a Wonderful World. I never got fast enough to do it, alas.


Lyrics have opened up whole genres of music not available without them and even given us some new takes on old warhorses. No, every program with them hasn't been a gem but neither was every program to music without lyrics.

So I am okay with them in a way I wasn't when the rule change was first announced.

Give me Carmen any day.

 

[skatingguy]

Aurelie Faula/Theo Belle
Rank after SP: 13
Coach: Claude Peri Thevenard, Lola Esbrat
Music: Yearning, Hob Fi Dimashq, Oasis

Triple Twist 1 - messy catch
2S+1A+1A+SEQ - Aurelie doubled the first jump, Theo with a hand down on the first jump
Throw 3Lo - two-footed
Axel Lasso Lift 4
1A - Aurelie singled, Theo stepped out
Back Outside Death Spiral 2 (3 after review)
Throw 3S
Reverse Lasso Lift 3
Choreo Sequence
Hand-to-Hip Lift 2 (4 after review)
Pair Combo Spin 4

Okay, so they saved the only interesting move of the program until the final element. He was in a broken leg sit spin position, and she was planking in his arms. Otherwise this was not a very entertaining program.

99.19 = 3rd Place
152.85 = 2nd Place

 

[Sally1214]

Faula/Belle got stronger as the program went on and finished with a couple of great lifts .... really liked the last one where she was so close to the ice but not on it. Loved Aurelie's dress. Quite a bit of arm/neck-ography from her at one point in the middle of the program but, overall, I enjoyed it. Great 3salchow. Things picked up after she landed that.

 

[Nadin]

Nice spin position at the end but the choreo was a bit too predictable overall

 

[Lizziebeth]

Theo Belle's costume is very unflattering. At least lose the belt.

 

[MacMadame]

Give me Carmen any day.

So everyone skates to Carmen? That might tax even my love for that piece of music.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

So Irma and BunsOfSteel moved up a spot.

 

[Karen-W]

HolDar - SBS 3f - fall out from her on the landing; 3tw - low but good; SBS 3s - fall for her; throw 3lo - fall; first lift - slow but nice; choreo seq - deaaaad slow; throw 3s - may have two-footed; second lift - again slow but fine regardless; last lift - is he still skating on the borrowed blades, if so, major props for taking his time to get through everything safely; FIDS - nice; combo spin - deadly slow to end because that's been the whole program... And to add insult to injury, she apparently cut her leg... Poor thing!

DanTsi - 3tw - nice; SBS 3s - well, they stood up, but I'm sure there will be a q; throw 3lo - gorgeous landing; SBS 2a+2a+1a - he singled the first 2a; first lift - really nice; choreo seq - decent enough, I guess; throw 3f - fall, bad throw from him really; second lift - nice; last lift - excellent until the dismount which had no flow out; BODS - not sure she got low enough; combo spin - eh, okay enough, I suppose. Well, that was better than they've done most of the season, so good for them - hopefully they can keep this going in Milano-Cortina.

CalMag - oh, that's right, I'd forgotten about this bat-crazy costume combination, she still needs to shellack the wispies. SBS 2a+1a+2a - she falls on the last 2a; 3tw - good; throw 3f - two-footed & hand down - soooo slow going into it; first lift - fine; SBS 2s - well, there ya go; throw 3lo - two-footed; choreo seq - not the worst; second lift - hate the way she's tilted in the air but I like the dismount; last lift - eh; BODS - okay; combo spin - they picked up some speed going into it, which isn't saying much since they've been slow most of the program, but then lost the speed when they changed positions, so eh...

FauBelle - 3tw - crashy landing; SBS 3s+1a+1a - she doubled the 3s; throw 3lo - two-footed; first lift - alright; SBS 2a - she singled & he was wild on the landing; BODS - decent; LMAO at this obvious rest break; throw 3s - nicely done; second lift - good; choreo seq - eh, oh, wait there's a bit of a dance break, give them all the points, lol; last lift - fine; combo spin - very interetsing position to end, I'll take it!

Well, that was a group that's been gotten through...

 

[Karen-W]

You've only missed one

Yah, but I had to eat one of my soft taco supremes that I picked up at Taco Bell on the way home and apparently there's work in the queue that I can do, sooooooo, had to prioritize and put the skating on pause throughout, lol.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Can't wait for the Fau/B to skate to Notre Dame.
I just want to see him shuddering every time the music screams "Belle!"

ok, I didn't expect my wish to get fulfilled SO fast.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Well, I still despise Notre Dame de Paris but the program had some lovely moments.

 

[rfisher]

Bidar is the Czech version of Krasnopolski or Don Baldwin. The eternal skater. Except the other two eventually ran out of partners.

 

[Hedwig]

V/B
3twist
sbs 3sal she falls out
sbs 2a1a2a he step out
throw 3lutz
throw 3sal wonderful
she has such a great posture

this was light years from everything in group 1

and we have so many Italians competing here - for Iceland for Czech Republic.... such a skating powerhouse it has become

 

[Karen-W]

ValBid - 3tw - nice; SBS 3s - she flipped out on the landing; SBS 2a+1a+2a - hand down for him on the last one; first lift - nice; throw 3z - nice, which was surprising considering how slow they were going into it; throw 3s - gorgeous; BODS - fine; choreo seq - eh; second lift - another one who is tilted in the air, but whatever; last lift - really nice spread eagle for him to start off iwht; combo spin - meh. Nothing about this program makes me like NDdP more - which is to say, I still hate that music and this program was unremarkable.

 

[Citlali]

Danseeeeeee mon Esmeraldaaaaaaaaa

 

[Hanna]

OK I'll take those throws at least.

But Chris enthusiasm is maybe a liiiiittle OTT.

 

[skatingguy]

Anna Valesi/Martin Bidar
Rank after SP: 12
Coach: Ondrej Hotarek
Music: Notre Dame de Paris (soundtrack)

Triple Twist 3
3S< - Anna under-rotated
2A+1A+2Aq+SEQ - Martin hand down on the 3rd jump
Axel Lasso Lift 4
Throw 3Lz
Throw 3S
Back Outside Death Spiral 4
Choreo Sequence
Reverse Lasso Lift 3 (4 after review)
Hand-to-Hip Lift 3 (4 after review)
Pair Combo Spin 3 (4 after review)

Strong skate for them, and some nice elements coming together.

113.62 = 1st Place
167.42 = 1st Place

 

[mini_mim85]

Great skate and great wedgie

 

[Wyliefan]

Meeting time. Time to mute again.

 

[susieB129]

That "lift" was hideous.

 

[Sally1214]

I really, really liked Anna and Martin. A few glitches here and there in the early moments but the program really grew as they continued. Lifts were strong. Good connection between the couple throughout. Definitely a team to keep an eye on.

eta: Such joy in the K/C. Nice to see.

 

[my little pony]

was the side cunniliftus on purpose or an aborted lift?

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Izzo/Mei are not planning to take any prisoners, I see.

 

[Hedwig]

I/M

2twist
sbs 3flip 2a she steps out
sbs 3lutz very good
throw 3loop nice
I do not know what it is but they give a messy appearance overall without the mistakes, - like they do not quite gel together yet?

throw 3lutz both hands down

I think it is her: she has not a great posture in a lot of the elements, especially visible in the last two lifts but also in the steps in between

 

[skatingguy]

Gabriella Izzo/Luc Maierhofer
Rank after SP: 11
Coach: Severin Kiefer, Alexei Letov, Olga Ganicheva
Music: Troy (soundtrack)

Double Twist 3
3F+2Aq+SEQ - Gabriella stepped out of the Axel
3Lz
Axel Lasso Lift 3
Throw 3Lo
Choreo Sequence
Forward Inside Death Spiral 2
Pair Combo Spin 1V (no value after review)
Throw 3Lz - hands down
Reverse Lasso Lift 3
Hand-to-Hip Lift 3

Nice side-by-side jumps even with Gabriella's error on the double Axel, and if they can continue to improve the quality, and difficulty of the pairs elements they will be competitive with the top teams.

103.43 = 2nd Place
158.08 = 2nd Place

 

[Karen-W]

IzzoMaier - 2tw - fine; SBS 3f+2a - she landed forward on the 2a; SBS 3z - swish; first lift - good; throw 3lo - swish again; choreo seq - decent; FIDS - okay; combo spin - well, it's not slowing down terribly throughout, so I'll give them a pass; throw 3z - hand down; second lift - alright; last lift - okay. Some good, some okay, nothing terrible, but the program was dead boring.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

was the side cunniliftus on purpose or an aborted lift?

I'm not sure which option is worse.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Wasn't she a singles skater?
Impressive jumps
The rest is ....questionable.