Pairs Discussion Thread 2018-19--"Two Skating as One"

[Mad for Skating]

Dylan and Kirsten reunited made my day

 

[barbarafan]

Dylan and Kirsten reunited made my day

There should be a Puke button.

 

[Mad for Skating]

There should be a Puke button.

There should also be a “I just thought this was kinda cute, no harm intended!” button

 

[aftershocks]

For all lovers of Matteo Guarise:

From 2008, here is Sara Venerucci with our very own Matteo Guarise (he was also an Italian singles champion in roller skating, prior to becoming a figure skater). Sara & Matteo have enviable lines, connection and musical expression:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRf_rr2hp00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A_MCNf8em4

Here's Matteo roller skating in singles competition. He always had that special something. I'm glad he came to figure skating. He'd accomplished everything possible in roller skating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWchxdV_UKM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA2kmbjpJNM Bellissima!
I'd love to see Matteo perform a program with Della Monica to some version of the second half music of the latter program.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^^^ Ya aint gotta tell me but once

 

[aftershocks]

^^^^ Ya aint gotta tell me but once

As I can see from your avatar pic! What a bod! I hope his personality is as sublime and fetching ...

ETA: That voice-over in the last clip with Matteo
"Are you an angel, you must be an angel because you are the most beautiful creature in the universe..."

Oh, if figure skating had had Matteo back in his youth with Sara Venerucci as his diva on ice. Yum!

Ya know, that move at 3:33 to 3:37 in this clip with Matteo and Sara, is so boss, it'd be cool to see this done in pairs figure skating, but it's probably way too dangerous to consider with a skate blade on the man's foot as his leg in camel position whips around and around over his partner's body while she's hovering on her own in a backward death spiral entry position. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRf_rr2hp00

 

[Mad for Skating]

Thanks for the videos, @aftershocks! Matteo is amazing!

 

[aftershocks]

I would like to point out that I'm wrong about Matteo achieving everything possible as a roller skater. I don't know anything about the competitive structure of roller skating. I think Matteo at least was an Italian champion in roller skating. But oh, on Matteo's Instagram he indicates that he's a 2008 World champion in roller skating. Maybe he was a World professional roller skating champion perhaps? Can @Sk8swan help clarify? And probably the Italian skating federation recruited him to become a figure skater? Unless that was a personal goal Matteo had all on his own.

Thanks to sk8swan for posting a thread in Other Sports regarding roller skating. I knew Matteo is a former successful roller skater, and I've seen his roller skating videos back from when I first discovered Matteo on Youtube years ago when I learned about his boffo modeling pics and the fact he would be transitioning to figure skating.

Matteo worked briefly with three partners in 2010 before he teamed up with Nicole Della Monica in November 2011. After working for a short time with a Russian skater under Oleg Vasiliev, Matteo tried partnering with Kaela Pflumm and then Caitlin Yankowskas, both of the U.S. The partnership with Pflumm fizzled when she became injured. I'm not sure what went wrong with Yankowskas.

Here's cute Matteo as a toddler! What a cutie!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfPE_U-n-B5/?hl=en&taken-by=matteoguarise

 

[Sk8swan]

I would like to point out that I'm wrong about Matteo achieving everything possible as a roller skater. I don't know anything about the competitive structure of roller skating. I think Matteo at least was an Italian champion in roller skating. But oh, on Matteo's Instagram he indicates that he's a 2008 World champion in roller skating. Maybe he was a World professional roller skating champion perhaps? Can @Sk8swan help clarify? And probably the Italian skating federation recruited him to become a figure skater? Unless that was a personal goal Matteo had all on his own.

As I mentioned in the other thread Matteo and his roller partner Sara Venerucci competed in singles at European level when the were younger but never at Senior level. Since Italy is a super power in roller skating the federation usually sends the very best skaters to Worlds and the second best skaters to Europeans so to give chance to more skaters to compete at international level (there is nth like Grand Prix in roller skating). Matteo never made the World team in singles as he could only land 3sal and 3toe... while the best skaters were landing all triple jumps. It was also probably a choice, as they aged to compete as senior, to invest more time training as a pair cause they were the very best in the discipline!
He refers to himself as 2008 World Champion as he won the title for senior pair that year Switching to the ice was his own choice as he felt he achieved everything he could in roller skating. As he moved to Milan to work as a model, living close to the ice rink, he decided to give it a try. The transition wasn't as easy cause he had trouble finding a suitable partner... he was about to give up when he eventually had a try out with Nicole... and here they are
https://youtu.be/U2qFKEOS_VM in this interview (Italian only, I'm afraid) he tells it all! Btw, I just love this interview cause his funny personality comes out just the way he talks about how they managed to organize their daily life when they shared the same apartment

 

[Sk8swan]

As I can see from your avatar pic! What a bod! I hope his personality is as sublime and fetching ...

I'm 'afraid' to say Matteo is wonderful person too... funny, modest, super polite, caring... his gf is one lucky girl!!!

Oh, if figure skating had had Matteo back in his youth with Sara Venerucci as his diva on ice. Yum!

I have quite a few videos of Sara & Matteo's program as youngsters... and some are definitely out of the ordinary... definitely something you would never see on the ice I would need some time to upload them somewhere...

Ya know, that move at 3:33 to 3:37 in this clip with Matteo and Sara, is so boss, it'd be cool to see this done in pairs figure skating, but it's probably way too dangerous to consider with a skate blade on the man's foot as his leg in camel position whips around and around over his partner's body while she's hovering on her own in a backward death spiral entry position. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRf_rr2hp00

As I mentioned in the other thread I had talked about this with Matteo but iirc it's not allowed by the rules... Btw that spin position is called 'guillottine' I do not particularly like that spin variation while I do love the "lifted-sit" pair spin (when the man lifts the lady while in a sit position with free leg stretched sideway).

 

[aftershocks]

Lucky you @Sk8swan to have talked with Matteo in person. I'll have to check out the interview in his native Italian -- perhaps I can get a semblance of understanding via the closed caption English translation feature in Youtube.

Although it looks very cool as performed, I don't like the name of that move btw: Guillotine Pairs figure skating understandably would never touch that move, especially not with that name!

 

[Sk8swan]

Lucky you @Sk8swan to have talked with Matteo in person. I'll have to check out the interview in his native Italian -- perhaps I can get a semblance of understanding via the closed caption English translation feature in Youtube.

If you need help I might traslate some parts of it... though it's not what he's saying that's funny in itself but the way he talks about it... he just makes you smile and laugh (and you can see it also from the lady host reaction!)... you lose these naunces when you simply traslate what he's saying.

Although it looks very cool as performed, I don't like the name of that move btw: Guillotine Pairs figure skating understandably would never touch that move, especially not with that name!

Indeed I can tell I would never trust anyone to do that with... even with rollers and no sharp blades! As I mentioned in the other thread for the lady to be even slightly hit by the partner can be very dangerous... losing balance laying back that way can lead to very bad falls (like it happened to Rebecca Tarlazzi at World Games... she fell backwards and broke her finger!)

 

[aftershocks]

If you need help I might traslate some parts of it... though it's not what he's saying that's funny in itself but the way he talks about it... he just makes you smile and laugh (and you can see it also from the lady host reaction!)... you lose these naunces when you simply traslate what he's saying.

Ah! Maybe it will just be wonderful to bask in the rhythmic sound of his voice speaking in his native language.

 

[Sk8swan]

Ah! Maybe it will just be wonderful to bask in the rhythmic sound of his voice speaking in his native language.

I think so!

 

[Amy L]

Tarasova&Morozov, Trankov, and Mozer have been in Euless, Texas training with Cain & LeDuc to prepare for Skate America.

Short interviews with Max, Ashley & Timothy, nice shots of T&M training:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCTH5tYjeLw

Max explaining the difference between and coach and a specialist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNfw4EhlPs

 

[Jeschke]

So this document also says, pairs events at challengers will be reduced to a certain number (like junior grand prix).
Sucks for the events, which got cut, but might be better to avoid a mess like this year.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Sad that the pairs roster isn’t as full as it has been in previous years, but GO PAIRS ANYWAYS! I’m excited to see how it all shakes out!

 

[aftershocks]

Good grief! Seriously with the excuses Tanith White made for T/M in their SA fp. NO! T/M should not be happy with that performance and not with their sp performance either. If some other top teams who will remain nameless had skated like that, there would be piles of criticism, not excuses made. T/M get enough gifts for skating like shite, when they are supposed to be so good they can give a clinic every time out.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Although it looks very cool as performed, I don't like the name of that move btw: Guillotine Pairs figure skating understandably would never touch that move, especially not with that name!

Iron Lotus, anyone?

 

[Mad for Skating]

Hi, T/M’s free program is beautiful, thanks for coming to my TED talk!

 

[oleada]

Hi, T/M’s free program is beautiful, thanks for coming to my TED talk!

It’s a gorgeous program for them; I think it will be so good later this season. Nice to see them add the 3LzTh. I hope Vladimir will project more as I feel she’s doing most of the work.

 

[laviemn]

I hope Vladimir will project more as I feel she’s doing most of the work.

You could repost this every single time they skate. It's been years waiting for him to project more, and I really wonder if there is any music or choreographer that could do it.

 

[s_parks]

Sorry, but I don't think T/M will ever be interesting to me. Doesn't really give me the feel that they're one of the great Russian pairs or anything. :/ The free will do fine, not a masterpiece. feels like a S/M program lite and rather boring with their presentation.

Anyways, I kinda liked Digerness/Neudecker. She in particular has a nice energy and presence.

 

[Mad for Skating]

It’s a gorgeous program for them; I think it will be so good later this season. Nice to see them add the 3LzTh. I hope Vladimir will project more as I feel she’s doing most of the work.

Agree! I do think Vladimir can definitely work on expressing throughout the program, but this is a big improvement. They have three and a half years to work on the little details. Already, the transformation from Candyman is a miracle ?
https://mobile.twitter.com/mad4skating/status/1054945219936993281

 

[zebraswan]

I don't disagree with the criticisms of T/M, but when I watch them live for some reason I find them much more compelling than on video. Well, maybe it's because they were clearly the class of the field here even with the errors. E/K are very charming as well, though I find myself looking much more at him than her - with T/M it's just the opposite.

In the newbie coach competition of Trankov vs. Savchenko, I think he clearly wins so far...I mean, shouldn't she and the Knierems have figured out if they were on the same page with regard to training plans and goals before they started working together? Or let it be known that there was just going to be a trial period so they could have a backup plan?

 

[oleada]

don't disagree with the criticisms of T/M, but when I watch them live for some reason I find them much more compelling than on video. Well, maybe it's because they were clearly the class of the field here even with the errors. E/K are very charming as well, though I find myself looking much more at him than her - with T/M it's just the opposite.

I actually agree. I think T/M are much more enjoyable live. I didn’t get their scores prior to seeing them at Worlds but they were among a group skaters that I found so much more impressive live than on TV (Kolyada and Daleman were in that group, too). They skate with a lot of speed, have great basics and their elements are much more impressive live.

 

[manhn]

Being the best at Skate America doesn't take a lot. Of the winners, T&M were the worst for me, and seemed slower than other times I have seen them live. Satoko, Chen, and H&D were far more admirable.

That said, Morozov is becoming hot.

 

[aftershocks]

thanks for coming to my TED talk!

What TED talk?

They have three and a half years to work on the little details.

And how many years have T/M had already to find themselves and 'work on the little details'? The clock is ticking, and even with their problems, they are seemingly in no danger of not receiving PCS out-the-wazoo and winning every event even when they epically f' up with sloppy, uncharacteristic errors, snooze-worthy WTF choreo, atrocious music selection, say what? costumes, and go figure, not working program concepts.

 

[zebraswan]

Being the best at Skate America doesn't take a lot. Of the winners, T&M were the worst for me, and seemed slower than other times I have seen them live. Satoko, Chen, and H&D were far more admirable.

They were not competing against Satoko, Chen, or H&D, but it's all subjective anyway. I don't understand the Satoko love at all (have seen her 3x now and she still puts me to sleep). Chen gets laughably high PCS for his extremely sloppy skating. H&D were alright, but come on, why are 2 27-year-old seniors doing another cheesy Baz Luhrmann R&J program? That gets a pass?

Winning SA in pairs might not "take a lot," but nobody else came close to their score, so it obviously required some effort.

 

[Skittl1321]

Is Haven Denney injured? Was Denney/Fraiser performance today at SC expected? I haven't kept up...but it shocked me.