Canadian Pairs 2017/2018 Season News and Updates

[Erin]

Drew is not exactly known for consistency, either. He has had a few total meltdown performances with Camille. I think at this point, Kirsten might as well stick it out with Mike. That was the purpose of switching four years ago in the first place anyway.

 

[barbarafan]

Drew is not exactly known for consistency, either. He has had a few total meltdown performances with Camille. I think at this point, Kirsten might as well stick it out with Mike. That was the purpose of switching four years ago in the first place anyway.

Stick it out??? Mike was always a strong partner when he skated with a pair girl with good technique. When he dumped his partner to skate with Kirsten his technique did not work because her technique on lifts and throws was terrible...She stood there & expected to be hefted instead of using core strength to do her part of the job. He seemed to lose all confidence as well as she was not exactly a supportive partner. Gauthier and Bruno fixed them both up and when he started to skate with other partners while Kirsten was out with the concussion his confidence grew and now he is the whole package. If she thinks she is too good for him let her fly and steal another partner. Quebec is full of young female single skaters coming up and he can grab one. I believe it was in the summer skate that prenovice girls had more than 175 entries..or maybe it was novice, but all ages had tons of girls. Eny meeny miny moe.

 

[JillyBean16]

Stick it out??? Mike was always a strong partner when he skated with a pair girl with good technique. When he dumped his partner to skate with Kirsten his technique did not work because her technique on lifts and throws was terrible...She stood there & expected to be hefted instead of using core strength to do her part of the job. He seemed to lose all confidence as well as she was not exactly a supportive partner. Gauthier and Bruno fixed them both up and when he started to skate with other partners while Kirsten was out with the concussion his confidence grew and now he is the whole package. If she thinks she is too good for him let her fly and steal another partner. Quebec is full of young female single skaters coming up and he can grab one. I believe it was in the summer skate that prenovice girls had more than 175 entries..or maybe it was novice, but all ages had tons of girls. Eny meeny miny moe.

PAUSE!
I need to jump in

Barbarafan it is apparent that you have a compulsive hate-on for KMT.

For years I have read your slanderous posts and have, up to now chuckled at your absolute ridiculous comments but you have gone too far. As a skating insider - I’m calling you out on your bs.

Do tell us where you obtained the expertise to make the statements in your posts.

She stood there & expected to be hefted instead of using core strength to do her part of the job. Wrong – how do you know what she expected? Please explain where you got this info.

Gauthier and Bruno fixed them both up and when he started to skate with other partners while Kirsten was out with the concussion his confidence grew and now he is the whole package. Wrong –Aside from an occasional death spiral Michael did not skate with other skaters while Kirsten was injured

He seemed to lose all confidence as well as she was not exactly a supportive partner Wrong – Kirsten and Michael are completely supportive of each other and have been from day one. They are known as a team that never argues and are considered a joy to coach.

If she thinks she is too good for him let her fly and steal another partner. Huh? The only people talking about Kirsten and Michael splitting up are on this forum. When has KMT ever given anyone the impression that she is too good for Michael? And steal another partner? What exactly does that mean?

I don’t have the time or energy to pick apart your previous posts about KMT. Kirsten and Michael are wonderful hardworking skaters who have an excellent relationship with each other and with the entire skating community. Stop the bashing unless you can back it up with facts.

 

[barbarafan]

PAUSE!
I need to jump in

Barbarafan it is apparent that you have a compulsive hate-on for KMT.

For years I have read your slanderous posts and have, up to now chuckled at your absolute ridiculous comments but you have gone too far. As a skating insider - I’m calling you out on your bs.

Do tell us where you obtained the expertise to make the statements in your posts.

She stood there & expected to be hefted instead of using core strength to do her part of the job. Wrong – how do you know what she expected? Please explain where you got this info.

Gauthier and Bruno fixed them both up and when he started to skate with other partners while Kirsten was out with the concussion his confidence grew and now he is the whole package. Wrong –Aside from an occasional death spiral Michael did not skate with other skaters while Kirsten was injured

He seemed to lose all confidence as well as she was not exactly a supportive partner Wrong – Kirsten and Michael are completely supportive of each other and have been from day one. They are known as a team that never argues and are considered a joy to coach.

If she thinks she is too good for him let her fly and steal another partner. Huh? The only people talking about Kirsten and Michael splitting up are on this forum. When has KMT ever given anyone the impression that she is too good for Michael? And steal another partner? What exactly does that mean?

I don’t have the time or energy to pick apart your previous posts about KMT. Kirsten and Michael are wonderful hardworking skaters who have an excellent relationship with each other and with the entire skating community. Stop the bashing unless you can back it up with facts.

Dear Miss JillyBean...skating insider....How long have you known Miss Moore-Towers..just since she landed in Quebec? Is this where your insider info comes from? Are you from her rink?

 

[JillyBean16]

Dear Miss JillyBean...skating insider....How long have you known Miss Moore-Towers..just since she landed in Quebec? Is this where your insider info comes from? Are you from her rink?

I've known KMT very well since she was 15. I know every single one of the skaters on the Canadian team. I am a skating insider with a role in the national skating community. How about you?

 

[barbarafan]

I've known KMT very well since she was 15. I know every single one of the skaters on the Canadian team. I am a skating insider with a role in the national skating community. How about you?

So from Skate Canada? How did you like her having tryouts with her boyfriend behind her partner's back? How did you like it ending 2 very promising skater's careers. Ian Beharry and Katie Bobeck....He skates now for Carnival Cruise lines she doesn't skate. All that sparkles is not gold. Are you affiliated with Kitchener Waterloo club?

 

[Sylvia]

For years, I have rooted for D/R largely because I think Meagan is so awesome. If Meagan wants to start her skating vlog, skating blog, or religion, I am there.

Meagan wrote about her Olympics experience in her blog (Feb. 20, 2018): http://www.lutzofgreens.com/the-olympics/
Excerpt from the end:

We stood on that podium and received our bronze medals with pride. My bronze medal looks and feels like gold. It almost feels like a lifetime achievement award, that will forever serve as a reminder of an amazing journey.
I’ve learned so many lessons during my skating career, but the most important lesson of all is to NEVER GIVE UP. I’ve learned that the most difficult roads often lead to the most beautiful destinations. I’ve run into endless amounts of road blocks that I had to find a way around. I failed thousands of times to get these Olympic moments and medals. I was counted out and criticized. I’ve been told so many times that I can’t do it. I don’t have the right body; I don’t have the right skills or I don’t have the ability. I looked at all of these challenges directly and I responded “Watch Me”.

(CC: @wickedwitch)

 

[JillyBean16]

So from Skate Canada? How did you like her having tryouts with her boyfriend behind her partner's back? How did you like it ending 2 very promising skater's careers. Ian Beharry and Katie Bobeck....He skates now for Carnival Cruise lines she doesn't skate. All that sparkles is not gold. Are you affiliated with Kitchener Waterloo club?

Ian Beharry actually coaches at K-W with Kris Wirtz and has not been on a cruise ship for some time. You should not believe everything you hear/read and you certainly should not repeat it as the gospel truth. Please try to have some respect for the skaters. They work incredibly hard and do not need to read things about themselves that are not true. What's worse is that people who read the stuff you post may actually believe it. Your posts are not factual and are somewhat inflammatory, especially to KMT. I am not affiliated with any one club.

 

[barbarafan]

Ian Beharry actually coaches at K-W with Kris Wirtz and has not been on a cruise ship for some time. You should not believe everything you hear/read and you certainly should not repeat it as the gospel truth. Please try to have some respect for the skaters. They work incredibly hard and do not need to read things about themselves that are not true. What's worse is that people who read the stuff you post may actually believe it. Your posts are not factual and are somewhat inflammatory, especially to KMT. I am not affiliated with any one club.

Then this is new. He just started back with K/W. Are you trying to say that the underhanded tryout did not end Ian Beharry/Katie Bobeck very promising skating careers. They were winning together on the Junior Grand Prix. The tryout was with Kirsten & Ian with the blessing of Kris Wirtz behind their partner's backs. Pls confirm that you know this did not happen. I am not making this up. As for the poor skaters...if you do the crime...serve the time.

 

[JillyBean16]

Then this is new. He just started back with K/W. Are you trying to say that the underhanded tryout did not end Ian Beharry/Katie Bobeck very promising skating careers. They were winning together on the Junior Grand Prix. The tryout was with Kirsten & Ian with the blessing of Kris Wirtz behind their partner's backs. Pls confirm that you know this did not happen. I am not making this up. As for the poor skaters...if you do the crime...serve the time.

As with many things in skating there is much more to the story than is common knowledge. There are always two sides - neither side is our business. I don't believe that anyone forced anyone to quit skating. I believe that everyone in the situation had a choice. That is all that I will say about that.

 

[barbarafan]

As with many things in skating there is much more to the story than is common knowledge. There are always two sides - neither side is our business. I don't believe that anyone forced anyone to quit skating. I believe that everyone in the situation had a choice. That is all that I will say about that.

That is correct......Katie could have gone back to the rink next day and skated with the worm who stabbed her in the back....Sometimes integrity does not let you do things...After all Dylan did not dump Kirsten for her back stabbing ...he went back and skated with her ...such a happy ending...Oh ...wait a minute...

 

[Simone411]

Meagan wrote about her Olympics experience in her blog (Feb. 20, 2018): http://www.lutzofgreens.com/the-olympics/
Excerpt from the end:

Thank you so much for sharing the link to Meagan's blog! I guess I'm a little behind on things because I had no idea she had a blog. This is awesome, and I'm going to add a link to my skating directory! Love it!

 

[jmtfti]

Ian Beharry skated a successful season with Brittany Jones after the split from Bobak.

Having seen Purdy/Marinaro live when they competed at seniors, including in some tough practice sessions, it's not correct to say that he's been consistently rock solid, on the technical level, as a partner. He has improved quite a bit but each pair will have issues specific to itself given size, technique, etc. and it's possible for someone to be decent, or good enough, rather than assigning one partner or the other to an extreme.

 

[yfbg722]

That is correct......Katie could have gone back to the rink next day and skated with the worm who stabbed her in the back....Sometimes integrity does not let you do things...After all Dylan did not dump Kirsten for her back stabbing ...he went back and skated with her ...such a happy ending...Oh ...wait a minute...

I can shed some light on this. Katie no longer trusted her coach or her partner. And in order to be a successful pair girl you absolutely have to trust those two people.

Ian's sister brought the secret tryout to Katie's attention. She didn't agree with what her brother was doing. She had a personal relationship/friendship with Katie's family. Her story was consistent. She said she'd seen video. There had been family discussion at the dinner table for months with KMT working to convince Ian to skate with her. There was absolutely no reason for Katie to not believe what she was being told by the sister who was more of an insider than any of us will ever be since she was still living in the family home with Ian at the time. Ian and KMT's behaviour toward Katie had been awful for a couple of months. Ian and the coaching staff were not happy with Katie's performance at worlds because they didn't medal although neither took into account she was skating with two injuries against medical advice because Skate Canada wanted her there, believing that even injured they would skate well enough to keep three places for the next year's worlds - a feat they did indeed accomplish. There was every reason to believe what she was told because Wirtz had also asked Katie to lure another boy to the club for a
"pretend" tryout to get him in the door. It made sense that he was trying to grow his business by splitting these two teams and forming three.

As for Dylan, while he was told of the secret tryout, he chose not to believe it, keep his head down, and do his job. He advised Katie to do the same but she believed the sister was telling the truth. I'm really sorry that went the way it did for him though I do have to say I've enjoyed watching him skate with Lubov. She's been a bright light in the Canadian pair world. I'm only sorry that they didn't make it onto the Olympic team this year. I'd have enjoyed watching them there.

As for Ian and the cruise ship, KMT probably played a small role in that. There was a pretty infamous dustup at Nationals the next year with Ian and I think Liam Firus. Mike Marinaro and Craig Buntin were maybe involved in trying to calm the situation down. Without searching the exact details I believe the incident was a jealousy fueled one over KMT. The result was a lot of embarrassment for Skate Canada and I was told Ian and Brittany had their international assignments for the next season taken away from them. Ian wasn't happy with this and decided to leave competitive skating for the ship. He is indeed back in the KW area coaching though I have heard a few different rumours about what his intentions are for the future. Some of them are quite interesting but I have no second sources so will just let time tell there.

Katie chose to retire and focus on schooling. She was just finished high school so university seemed a better option to her than figure skating. It's a shame because she and Ian really did have something special. To achieve what they did in only ten months together was kind of miraculous. It would have been nice to see where it could have gone had they had more scrupulous people surrounding them. I believe they likely would have made the Sochi team since their junior scores were equal to what Paige and Rudi were scoring in senior at the time but who knows? They were young enough this quad wouldn't have been out of reach for them either.

I will never be a Wirtz or KMT fan. I understand many people are and that of course is their choice as it is mine to look forward to the day when perhaps I'll fully enjoy the sport again without having to see any of the infamous K's. I'd also like to note that to this day, almost 6 years later, the sister's story has never changed. I believe her still.

Ancient history now but I'm with those that believe Mike probably shouldn't be too comfortable in his partnership. He should definitely have a plan B if he wants to go another quad. He has to look out for himself.

 

[coppertop1]

This thread has devolved into the anti-KMT gossip thread

 

[barbarafan]

This thread has devolved into the anti-KMT gossip thread

After first devolving into a let's get rid of Mike thread. Sorry I really like and respect Mike and did not like the bashing of him. I feel he is totally marketable.

 

[coppertop1]

After first devolving into a let's get rid of Mike thread. Sorry I really like and respect Mike and did not like the bashing of him. I feel he is totally marketable.

I don't get why people were bashing him. I think he's a good partner, he and KMT are a good team

 

[laceup]

Mike has improved a lot this year. Kirsten is still better but they are growing as a team. I don’t see any other options for her as far as a Cdn man goes and there is the curse of the Olympics for imports .. Kaitlyn, Piper, Lubov. I’m sure with the progress they made this year they will and should stick together. They seem happy.

 

[shutterbug]

This might be a little premature, but has there been any official annoucemt as to which team will be given the Worlds spot left vacant by Meagan and Eric's decision not to attend?

Julianne and KMT looks so teeny in this photo from the closing ceremonies : https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfob-8OnVhm/?taken-by=skate_canada

 

[barbarafan]

This might be a little premature, but has there been any official annoucemt as to which team will be given the Worlds spot left vacant by Meagan and Eric's decision not to attend?

Julianne and KMT looks so teeny in this photo from the closing ceremonies : https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfob-8OnVhm/?taken-by=skate_canada

Dylan and Lubov were first alternates.

 

[skatingguy]

Dylan and Lubov were first alternates.

I believe Dylan & Lubov are passing on the World Championships - it has been posted on here somewhere but I don't remember what thread I was reading now.

 

[RoseRed]

I believe Dylan & Lubov are passing on the World Championships - it has been posted on here somewhere but I don't remember what thread I was reading now.

All they've said publicly (that I'm aware of anyways) was that they knew Meagan and Eric might skip and then they'd have to decide whether to go (or something along those lines). That was ~4CC I believe. I haven't seen anything definitive. But we should know soon enough when the Worlds entries come out.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

Breathe in, breathe out, there are a lot of sensitive minds in here with issues I never knew existed.

I was the first one writing her own fantasy. I, for my part, do not care how mean-spirited or good-minded is KMT. The girl has tons of potential. That's my opinion. I want to point out I also like singers that I would even want to hang around with. I care about skating and not their personal life.

I was simply having that silly thought of what her future would have been with one of the top men. As much as I am sure Mike is a real nice guy and he has improved a lot, he is not yet at the same level of the top one. Will he get get there one day, who knows, I wish him the best to come. I have nothing against him and I know for sure he is sweet guy. How do I know?

Some have read too much about my little silly comment. Life is good, dudes, life is good!

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

... and I hope you all feel better after clarifying some facts in here. Let go of that KMT bullet hempering your life!

 

[blue_idealist]

All they've said publicly (that I'm aware of anyways) was that they knew Meagan and Eric might skip and then they'd have to decide whether to go (or something along those lines). That was ~4CC I believe. I haven't seen anything definitive. But we should know soon enough when the Worlds entries come out.

I guess if they (I/M) decide not to go, it'll be Ruest/Wolfe? I don't even know if they have the Worlds minimums...

 

[Sylvia]

Worlds Alternate 2 – Camille Ruest/Drew Wolfe
Alternate 3 – Sydney Kolodziej/Maxime Deschamps

 

[Erin]

I guess if they (I/M) decide not to go, it'll be Ruest/Wolfe? I don't even know if they have the Worlds minimums...

Yes, they achieved them last season. Based on the standard at the Olympics and the way Ruest/Wolfe skated at 4CC, I expect Ruest/Wolfe could struggle to make the free skate if sent to Worlds (and the same could apply for Kolodziej/Deschamps) but both teams do have the minimums.

 

[skatingguy]

Know idea where to put this, but it's too good not to post.
Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes doing a single Axel in full pads and equipment.
https://twitter.com/307x/status/967975659480891392

 

[mag]

Know idea where to put this, but it's too good not to post.
Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes doing a single Axel in full pads and equipment.
https://twitter.com/307x/status/967975659480891392

This came across my Facebook feed today. Does anyone know if he perhaps started out in figure skating?

 

[Rock2]

This came across my Facebook feed today. Does anyone know if he perhaps started out in figure skating?

Yes.
Too lazy to fact check but I think he was a novice medalist at one point. Something about that level.
He's incredibly mobile as a hockey player, and credits his figure skating background for this skill.

I have always referred to him as the white Patrick Chan. Resemblance is scary.