Ditch & Switch. When a skater dumps a program mid-season.

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I am reminded of how Michelle Kwan dumped her RUSH short program in the 2000/2001 season for EAST OF EDEN, and Gracie Gold swapped out Gershwin’s Three Preludes for Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor.

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For me, the riskiest change was when The Duchesnays abandoned their Mirror free dance (using music by George Winston) for a sequel to their breakthrough Missing routine. The team had mere weeks to put together Missing II. The move definitely paid off, with a win at the 1991 World Championships.

Duchesnay & Duchesnay (FRA) - 1991 European Figure Skating Championships, Free Dance

Sofia, BULGARIA - 1991 European Figure Skating Championships, Ice Dancing, Free Dance - Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay of France placed 2nd in the Free Dance an...

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Are there any other examples people can think of (and whether you preferred the former or the latter routine, too).

 

[skatfan]

The one that comes to mind is the 2006-7 season when Belbin and Agosto ditched their terrible That’s Entertainment free dance program for Amelie by the time they competed at US Nationals (I think they competed it there).

T. BELBIN & B. AGOSTO - 2006 CUP OF CHINA - FD

TANITH BELBIN & BENJAMIN AGOSTO - 2006 CUP OF CHINA - FREE DANCE

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Tanith BELBIN & Benjamin AGOSTO - 2007 Worlds - FD

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As Agosto noted in their interview on The Skating Lesson, their first free dance is why there is now a Champs Camp in the US.

 

[On My Own]

Karen Chen and her 2017-18 season programs, and I did like her going back to On Golden Pond. The Long was also better than Carmen.

Stephane Lambiel got Dralion before the 2006 Olympics, and I liked it much more.

 

[skatingguy]

Savchenko/Szolkowy 2009/10

Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy TEB 2009 FS

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Savchenko & Szolkowy - 2009 Skate Canada FS - Out of Africa

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[kwanfan1818]

I loved Jeffrey Buttle's Glenn Gould program, but I think he said there was no place to breathe in it. I'm just glad I got to see it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFa8-Qf25Q


He switched back to his Samson and Delilah program, which he first skated in 2004, by Canadian Nationals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUoqEHQvYUQ

 

[Private Citizen]

I think the most extreme example was Lobacheva and Averbukh in 1999-2000. How many free dances did they have that season? I think at least four?

1. Cirque du Soleil: Skate America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNDkxB-VIbw)
2. Diablo*: NHK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJGpyH0QTBY) and Russian Nationals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0v6tK0wyuA) *This was always how it was identified, but someone told me it was a transliteration mistake and the music is called something else. Shazam doesn't return anything for me.
3. Afro-Celt Sound System: Europeans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVy0uRiFqOA)
4. Jesus Christ Superstar: Worlds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr8SV5vphw4)

Cirque du Soleil and Afro-Celt Sound System were new and each (I think) skated only once; Diablo (or whatever it's called) was their 1998-99 program, and Jesus Christ Superstar was a reworked version of their 1997-98 program.

Can anyone beat or tie that? Has any other skater or team had FOUR or more different short programs or free skates in the same season?

I liked the original Cirque du Soleil program, but the loss to F-P&M at Skate America seemed to trigger a crisis of confidence.

 

[zigzig]

Karen Chen switching btw Slow Dancing in the Big City to Carmen and back to Jalouise.

Ashley Wagner dumping R&J and also her La La Land / Moulin Rouge switch up.

Olympic years really bring out the jitters and program insecurities

 

[briancoogaert]

Surya Bonaly did that so many times !
She changed programs, sometimes for a new one, sometimes to go back to 4 seasons !

 

[skategal]

Sale & Pelletier 2001-2002 season dumped their Orchid FP after Nationals and before SLC 2002 Olympics to go back to Love Story.

We all know how that turned out.

No need to elaborate further.

 

[Wyliefan]

Karen Chen switching btw Slow Dancing in the Big City to Carmen to Carmen and back to Jalouise.

Ashley Wagner dumping R&J and also her La La Land / Moulin Rouge switch up.

Olympic years really bring out the jitters and program insecurities

Also Nathan going from Mozart back to Elton John. I was disappointed by that at first, but it turned out to be a good decision.

 

[paskatefan]

Todd Eldredge originally skated to music from "Chess" in the 1995/1996 season, but when he listened to the soundtrack from "First Knight" (on the way home from a competition, IIRC), he decided he HAD to skate to that (and the rest is history)!

 

[made_in_canada]

I loved Jeffrey Buttle's Glenn Gould program, but I think he said there was no place to breathe in it. I'm just glad I got to see it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFa8-Qf25Q


He switched back to his Samson and Delilah program, which he first skated in 2004, by Canadian Nationals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUoqEHQvYUQ

I loved the Glenn Gould program too, though I get why it wouldn’t work. He used it as a show program and I saw it in that context. He obviously dumbed down the jumps, but not much else was adjusted. It was stunning

I think it usually works out for skaters to switch programs. It feels awful to train programs that don’t feel right or aren’t working for whatever reason which doesn’t help you perform well.

 

[coppertop1]

In 1999-2000, Elvis Stojko switched from his long program from Star Wars to The Mummy, which was he used as his second program in the GPF, back when the GPF had two free skates

 

[Nmsis]

Pechalat Bourzat's FD in september 2009 - Alice 1 not ready but
Pechalat Bourzat's FD in november 2009 - Alice 2
Pechalat Bourzat's FD in march 2010 - back to Circus from 2008-2009

Findlay Richaud's FD in august 2008 - Tektonik no ready but
Findlay Richaudrs FD in february 2009 - Mission


That was the " Stop being influenced by that crazy lady from Villard ! Be normal ! Or better, be boring ! You are yearning for that podium, right ?" era at the FFSG and the ISU.

 

[Frau Muller]

Didn’t Loena Hendrickx change her FP last season?

 

[ross_hy]

Sale & Pelletier 2001-2002 season dumped their Orchid FP after Nationals and before SLC 2002 Olympics to go back to Love Story.

We all know how that turned out.

No need to elaborate further.

I've always thought Orchid was the superior program - so sophisticated and well-choreographed. I've always wondered why they switched back to Love Story.

 

[skatfan]

I've always thought Orchid was the superior program - so sophisticated and well-choreographed. I've always wondered why they switched back to Love Story.

I agree that it was the superior program (I got to see it at skate America and that lift that went the entire length of the rink was something to behold) but they were not skating it clean as I recall.

 

[pat c]

I agree that it was the superior program (I got to see it at skate America and that lift that went the entire length of the rink was something to behold) but they were not skating it clean as I recall.

That and also the lift came under fire for being illegal or something. I can't remember exactly.

 

[honey]

I agree that it was the superior program (I got to see it at skate America and that lift that went the entire length of the rink was something to behold) but they were not skating it clean as I recall.

I also agree it’s the superior program, but all three lifts are identical in Love Story, so it’s not superior because of the lifts

I believe their intention the entire time was to revert back to Love Story for the Olympics. They were playing coy, but read between the lines in their and Lori Nichol’s interviews around the time of the GPF that season and it seems clear. I don’t believe for a second that it wasn’t the plan from the moment they began preparing for the Olympic season.

I think they knew that program would go over very well in the USA and to laymen Olympic audiences in general. And they were right. And it was something more comfortable for them.

 

[Marco]

Back in 2001, I felt Michelle Kwan's Miraculous Mandarin had potential from the only time she skated it - at GPF, as a second free skate. I understand why she stuck with Song of the Black Swan for Nationals and Worlds, but I do wonder what the program would have become if she ever picked it up for a full season. 2002 was probably too risky for that to happen, but 2003 was the "nothing to lose" season - I really wish she had used it that season.

 

[kosjenka]

I've always thought Orchid was the superior program - so sophisticated and well-choreographed. I've always wondered why they switched back to Love Story.

I remember Sale was asked by TSL about it and she explaibed that the Orchid was very complex and Love story seemd like a better fit for North American audience at the Olympics. She also comoared it to confy sweater. Its a good interview to watch if you are interested. Its before Sale went a bit out there.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I agree that it was the superior program (I got to see it at skate America and that lift that went the entire length of the rink was something to behold) but they were not skating it clean as I recall.

Unfortunately, their performance of Orchid at 2002 Canadian Nationals was not good.

I remember Sale was asked by TSL about it and she explaibed that the Orchid was very complex and Love story seemd like a better fit for North American audience at the Olympics. She also comoared it to confy sweater. Its a good interview to watch if you are interested. Its before Sale went a bit out there.

S&P received at least one 6.0 at the Grand Prix Final with Love Story and had some issue (I can't remember what exactly) with Orchid at the same competition (this was when 2 free programs were required), so that may have also have encouraged the choice to use Love Story at the Olympics. It's too bad because Meditation versus Orchid could have been epic.

 

[chewy]

I just watched Orchid, I didn’t realize that I missed pairs spiral sequences so much.

 

[honey]

Unfortunately, their performance of Orchid at 2002 Canadian Nationals was not good.

S&P received at least one 6.0 at the Grand Prix Final with Love Story and had some issue (I can't remember what exactly) with Orchid at the same competition (this was when 2 free programs were required), so that may have also have encouraged the choice to use Love Story at the Olympics. It's too bad because Meditation versus Orchid could have been epic.

They had been skating Orchid reasonably well all season until Canadians, which was a complete disaster. They were as steady in it as they were with their program in the previous season. A doubled 3T at Skate America, a doubled throw 3S at Skate Canada. Clean elements otherwise.

The issues at the GPF were really not anything out of the norm. A popped 3T and a couple wobbly moments on choreo. There were some interviews where they said that to compensate for the smaller ice at The Aud in Kitchener, they asked for their music to be sped up a bit and it ended up being sped up a little too much and had them feeling frantic the whole program. And then on top of that, Orchid was skated the same night as the SP which was skated earlier in the day.

All things combined, they really didn’t skate it that poorly there. Which only adds to my feelings that regardless of how the GPF went, they’d already decided they were doing Love Story at the Olympics.

 

[DreamSkates]

Ashley Wagner going into the Olympic season during which she faltered and did not earn a ticket.

 

[Impromptu]

2017-2018
Gilles and Poirier started out with this Perry Mason program:

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Before switching to James Bond at Canadian Nationals:

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[coppertop1]

Gabby Daleman ditched her Gladiator that's she had used for most of 2017-18 free skate and went back to Rhapsody in Blue for the second half of the season

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Gabby Daleman ditched her Gladiator that's she had used for most of 2017-18 free skate and went back to Rhapsody in Blue for the second half of the season

I had high hopes for Daleman's Gladiator program but Lori Nichol does not know how to choreograph warrior women programs. It's too bad Benoit Richaud wasn't an option for Daleman.

 

[skategal]

Speaking of Gladiator, Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen ditched their Viking inspired (or whatever that was supposed to be ) FD for Gladiator in 2021-22.

 

[coppertop1]

I had high hopes for Daleman's Gladiator program but Lori Nichol does not know how to choreograph warrior women programs. It's too bad Benoit Richaud wasn't an option for Daleman.

Agreed. That soft piano cover of Gladiator was so almost sedative.