out of the radar, but pairs is finally blossoming out, Tarasova / Morozov are the new Shishkova / Nuamov reliable but nothing else, they are on borrowed time with finally many juniors transitioning to seniors showing good potential.
russian current Ice Dance has become stable and with the non Kustarova juniors becoming seniors soon,
Skptcova / Alyeshiv flopped with their senior transition as expected from Kustarova/Alxeeva students the other current juniors are much better (Non Kustarovas)
so to sum it up, students mostly will have prospects if you are a non Kustarova or a Buyanova *cursed
No they are not the new S&N, who were dumped by the judges to make room for other pairs, like W&S or Y&B who were nothing special, IMO. S&N were beautiful skaters with great SS, positions, pointed toes, unison. They didn’t have the charisma or presence of other great Russian skaters, but they were very good and they (and some others) don’t deserve to be slammed.
T&M have great basic qualities but they have been anything but reliable. There is a beauty to their skating and it needs to be appreciated. My complaint against them is that they don't deliver When they must, with the exception of the most recent RN.
We will see what happens next. The only things they have in common with S&N are great positions and SS, and IMO neither pair deserves to be sneered at.
Russian Pairs had looked Very strong 4-5 years ago but it all fizzled out. Young pairs (e.g. I&M, M&R, M’s next partner) broke up or got sick, new pairings didn’t work out, and some senior pairs didn’t fulfill expectations. Finally they had only V&T, S&K and we know what happened after 2014. So Russia has two inconsistent pairs T&M and Z&E at the top and several young pairs who may or may not develope or stay together or stay healthy. While I like some things About both top pairs they have not shown the consistency that earns the respect of the judges.
Everyone is on "borrowed time" because there are always new younger skaters with potential...but not all potential turns into great senior results. I love B/K and all the JGPF medalists but they still have to establish themselves and show consistency, and not break up. Easier said than done. And while T/M may not be the most exciting, they're still a lot more exciting than Z/E, so I don't think they are just going to fade away any time soon.
I agree about the “borrowed time”. No athlete is safe because there are always more talented ones challenging them, at least in Russia.
I don't look for”exciting pairs”. I look for those with great pairs requirements (esp. basics) and the ability to deliver when it counts, particularly in big competitions. The great Russian pairs of the past had that ability. T&M have the potential to be great. I don't see that in Z&E but they are good enough to hold the third spot for next year. When S&K, who had the potential to be great, struggled with injury, and A&S (still in development phase) split, the outlook looked grim. Now there is some hope due to the young Jr. pairs but it is still only a hope.
Nobody can predict what will happen. The pairs in the USSR and in the 90s (remnants of the USSR system) continued to be at the top level, but how many of them were actually “exciting”? Some people found G&G boring, and they will be only satisfied by “exciting”, with poor positions and mediocre basics. So T&M will never be their cup of tea, no matter how they perform. IMO T&M need to improve upon two main things- consistency and unison on sbs spins (I am really nit picky about those spins). The judges gave them good marks even with Candyman when they skated nearly clean. It was an atrocious choice for them when they tried to be “exciting”. They are beautiful and that’s what they need to showcase.
I would like to see T&M skate this year’s LP clean from competition to competition. It is a beautiful LP that suits them. At SA they were very much appreciated even when not clean. They need to stick to their natural style, and not try to be something else. They have to accept that to some people they will always be a “nothing special” or “unexciting”. They will have their devoted fans if they fulfill the great promise we saw 3-4 years ago.
