JGP #1 - Riga Cup, Riga LAT - Ice Dance RD & FD

[her grace]

The Italians finally have a worthy team to succeed Charlene and Marco when they get to retire and make little ice dancers! I didn't notice them much last year but they're quite good.

I’m excited for them and for Italy to have a team this good waiting in the wings. They had to sit out most of last season due to his country change, which didn’t give them a lot of time to build momentum. This year, with the age-change rules, they’ve getting a chance to build their reputation before moving to seniors.

Why do I get the feeling that the judges are telling the Germans they will never win Junior gold? Each year they get passed by another team. Also, guys, the costumes, it's hard to look worse than your country's senior team but you're really in there trying. It's a shame, they're such an attractive couple.

I have hope that they can do it if they can get their levels up, but part of me says, “not from a power country and not from a power coach means not much chance.”

And the new US team is sort of interesting. I hope he has a growth spurt in him because right now they're the same height and it bothers shallow little me.

It’s funny because in ballroom dance, the couples are supposed to have similar heights—it better showcases matching movement. And now in ice dance we’ve moved so far away from that standard, probably because of the necessity of doing complicated lifts.

 

[Karen-W]

Both French teams, as always with Arribert, interesting to watch. I forget who complained about the plaid miniskirt but obviously that person wasn't around for Mod London circa 1967, that's what they're going for. She just needs more Mary Quant eyeliner.

'Twas me and I definitely got a Mod Squad/Twiggy vibe from the costumes, especially her dress. I'm just pretty much over Arribert playing around with plaids & diagonal/geometric elements in her teams' costumes. Three seasons in a row now, at least and I'm like "move on, find something else interesting, please."

 

[jlai]

I’m excited for them and for Italy to have a team this good waiting in the wings. They had to sit out most of last season due to his country change, which didn’t give them a lot of time to build momentum. This year, with the age-change rules, they’ve getting a chance to build their reputation before moving to seniors.


I have hope that they can do it if they can get their levels up, but part of me says, “not from a power country and not from a power coach means not much chance.”

It’s funny because in ballroom dance, the couples are supposed to have similar heights—it better showcases matching movement. And now in ice dance we’ve moved so far away from that standard, probably because of the necessity of doing complicated lifts.

Didn’t Bulgaria become successful at ice dance once? Or did it not apply because of a power coach?

 

[Kateri]

Didn’t Bulgaria become successful at ice dance once? Or did it not apply because of a power coach?

If by "successful", you mean "were finally allowed to win gold, once all the teams from power countries retired, despite the fact they should have been beating them already for years". #stillbitter

 

[Wyliefan]

I wish, I wish, I wish Grimmskiy could clean up the endings of their programs. They always want to end with something fancy, and it keeps backfiring on them. And it's the last thing the judges see.

Still, they did very, very well for having dealt with sickness (again) and a last-minute coaching blowup. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. At this rate, they ought to be Schwarzenegger levels of strong once they get to seniors.

 

[her grace]

Didn’t Bulgaria become successful at ice dance once? Or did it not apply because of a power coach?

Denkova/Staviski definitely had success—but it sure took them a long time to get their due, (I’m with you @Kateri ) and they became World Champions after Linichuk was in their corner.

The young Czechs would be a more recent example of a non-power nation and an emerging power coach who succeeded on the junior level. Jury is still out on whether they can reach top rung of senior success.

 

[victorskid]

Free Dance YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3_077yTCEw

Free Dance Start Order: https://results.isu.org/results/season2425/jgplat2024/SEG008.htm

​

	Warm-Up Group 1
1	Sofiia REKUNOVA / Denys FEDIANKIN	UKR	15	25.51
2	Arina BELJAJEVA / Frederick MERILO	EST	14	29.90
3	Mimi MARLER DAVIES / Joseph BLACK	GBR	13	42.81
4	Hilda TAYLOR / Alexander BUCHHOLDT	FIN	12	43.07
5	Eleonore GABET / Maxime EVEQUOZ	SUI	11	44.12
	Warm-Up Group 2
6	Sumire YOSHIDA / Ibuki OGAHARA	JPN	10	50.65
7	Sofiia DOVHAL / Wiktor KULESZA	POL	9	52.54
8	Eva BERNARD / Amedeo BONETTO	FRA	8	53.69
9	Aurea CINCON-DEBOUT / Earl Jesse CELESTINO	CAN	7	55.79
10	Michelle DEYCH / Ryan HU	USA	6	56.17
	Warm-Up Group 3
11	Sandrine GAUTHIER / Quentin THIEREN	CAN	5	56.59
12	Louise BORDET / Martin CHARDAIN	FRA	4	57.67
13	Caroline MULLEN / Brendan MULLEN	USA	3	61.06
14	Darya GRIMM / Michail SAVITSKIY	GER	2	61.97
15	Noemi Maria TALI / Noah LAFORNARA	ITA	1	62.95

 

[victorskid]

And the stream is live.

 

[Marta24]

I wish, I wish, I wish Grimmskiy could clean up the endings of their programs. They always want to end with something fancy, and it keeps backfiring on them. And it's the last thing the judges see.

Still, they did very, very well for having dealt with sickness (again) and a last-minute coaching blowup. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. At this rate, they ought to be Schwarzenegger levels of strong once they get to seniors.

It at leasts speaks to the strenghth of their partnership. I hope they can find a coaching situation that works for them.

 

[Wyliefan]

It at leasts speaks to the strenghth of their partnership. I hope they can find a coaching situation that works for them.

From your lips to God's ears.

 

[Belsornia]

Ooh, looks like Mimi abandoned the sparkly Loena bottoms from last week.

Solid JGP debut, kids.

 

[Wyliefan]

Why are Mark and Ted all into heart hands all of a sudden? One of them said something about a campaign. Is it a charitable thing -- make heart hands and the commentators donate to the poor?

 

[Kateri]

Why are Mark and Ted all into heart hands all of a sudden? One of them said something about a campaign. Is it a charitable thing -- make heart hands and the commentators donate to the poor?

Well-intentioned nonsense about how people should make heart-hands in the k'n'c to (somehow) combat online abuse.

 

[Wyliefan]

Well-intentioned nonsense about how people should make heart-hands in the k'n'c to (somehow) combat online abuse.

Well, it's a good cause, but good luck with that.

Cool program for the Finns.

 

[victorskid]

Well-intentioned nonsense about how people should make heart-hands in the k'n'c to (somehow) combat online abuse.

There is a video with Mark explaining all about it - it was shown during one of the breaks yesterday (and probably the day before).

 

[Belsornia]

Why are Mark and Ted all into heart hands all of a sudden? One of them said something about a campaign. Is it a charitable thing -- make heart hands and the commentators donate to the poor?

It’s an ISU campaign attempting to discourage people from being gross in the comment section:

ISU Figure Skating ⛸ on Instagram: "Together let’s #ShapeHearts🩵 Join our initiative to keep our community a place of respect and support by leaving a kind comment to your favorite Skater🫶 With the start of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, we’re excited

1,733 likes, 67 comments - isufigureskating on August 29, 2024: "Together let’s #ShapeHearts🩵 Join our initiative to keep our community a place of respect and support by leaving a kind comment to your favorite Skater🫶 With the start of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, we’re excited to launch...

www.instagram.com

Unfortunately I don’t think any number of heart hands in the KnC will stop people who want to say mean things about children on the internet.

 

[Wyliefan]

There is a video with Mark explaining all about it - it was shown during one of the breaks yesterday (and probably the day before).

I've been mostly muting the videos, so that explains how I missed it.

 

[Kateri]

Unfortunately I don’t think any number of heart hands in the KnC will stop people who want to say mean things about children on the internet.

This. Although I will say they've also done the more useful thing of disabling chat and comments on the stream.

 

[beckab81]

The Japanese team was cute. I found her posture a bit of a distraction (might be because of the lack of height difference and she was bending a lot), but great building blocks, and a fun program.

 

[Amy L]

Ted and Mark think One Piece is a niche Japanese thing. I should show them my husband's t-shirt collection.

 

[Wyliefan]

I heard "Phantom of the Opera" and thought that was a very strange Christine costume. Just another incorrect music listing.

 

[Belsornia]

I think Dovhal/Kulesza are much better at perky fun than blandly lyrical. And the usual Sylwia Novak problem of giving her teams more difficulty than they can cope with, sigh. Nice coordinated eye makeup though!

 

[Kateri]

Gosh, I wonder what country this team are from?

 

[beckab81]

Is it a requirement that a team competing for France must show the MOST Frenchiness possible?

 

[Wyliefan]

Bernard/Bonetto saw Lop/Bri going uber-French a couple seasons ago, and said, "Hold our baguette."

 

[Kateri]

Bernard/Bonetto saw Lop/Bri going uber-French a couple seasons ago, and said, "Hold our baguette."

They actually have a baguette, and are going to throw it on the ice at the end, because deliberate deductions are also French.

 

[Amy L]

We didn't need to be introduced to another Irrepressibles song.

 

[Frau Muller]

Are the French in the Russian army? ( shirts)

 

[her grace]

Bernard/Bonetto

French team in stripes. Just think how many fewer patterned costumes we’d see without the French dancers? Problems on straight line lift dismount, out of sync on twizzles. Avant garde style, but hard to get a great feel for it while the elements were shaky.

 

[PRlady]

We have been watching The Tudors because I missed it all those years ago. Sir Thomas More is not my favorite guy but when he said that his problem at the French court was that they were…SO French…I wondered if they had ice dance in the 16th century.