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

[Sylvia]

@Skittl1321, someone posted in the Skate Canada Pairs SP pbp thread: "... jinxed that bad skate by Haven as we said before they started how well she's been practicing"

 

[Mad for Skating]

What TED talk?



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.

“Thanks for coming to my TED talk” is just a phrase young people use on Twitter when they’re getting on their soapbox about something haha

Well, I can take a wild guess and say you’re not a T/M fan lol...they haven’t always been my cup of tea either, but hey, the important thing is that they are working on things. They have an amazing technical arsenal and that’s their strength; presentation is not their natural thing and the fact that they are even working on it is a step in the right direction. Some skaters will never be artistic but can still be very successful, and some are just a work in progress that will take time to grow into an artist (think Bradie Tennell for example). And if you really don’t like T/M, that’s fine, but you don’t need to complain about it in every other post. Go watch some skating you DO like - it’s better for your heart!

 

[chachacha]

@Skittl1321, someone posted in the Skate Canada Pairs SP pbp thread: "... jinxed that bad skate by Haven as we said before they started how well she's been practicing"

I watched practices and Denney was hitting her SBS jumps and throws. If she was injured you would think in practices it would show or why skate a Grand Prix while injured? Usually when you see skaters having great practices but can’t deliver in competition, it make one wonder if it’s the athletes mind that needs work to deliver in competition. If she had an injury practices would have reflected her being inconsistent. It’s a shame since I can see improvement in there overall skating. Haven hopefully can work on the delivering part in competition when it counts. It must be frustrating.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting from the OES News thread re. Switzerland's senior pair (he was born in Ukraine and they had split their training time between Moscow and Switzerland): http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00103791.htm

Swiss pair skater Ioulia Chtchetinina announced on Instagram that her partnership with Mikhail Akulov has come to an end. Too bad, to stop in the middle of the season. :-(

 

[Skittl1321]

@Skittl1321, someone posted in the Skate Canada Pairs SP pbp thread: "... jinxed that bad skate by Haven as we said before they started how well she's been practicing"

Better to have a bad skate than an injury...

I hope their season gets better!

 

[Ka3sha]

Sbs 3Lz from Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovsky
https://www.instagram.com/p/BperF-cgMXW/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1ntfxqs628qs1

 

[Mad for Skating]

Sbs 3Lz from Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovsky
https://www.instagram.com/p/BperF-cgMXW/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1ntfxqs628qs1

Ah look, it’s a Russian Meagan and Eric!!!

 

[Ka3sha]

Ah look, it’s a Russian Meagan and Eric!!!

With better twist

They were training in Mishin’s group before moving to pairs, so no wonder they have great triple jumps

 

[Sylvia]

Sbs 3Lz from Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovsky
https://www.instagram.com/p/BperF-cgMXW/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1ntfxqs628qs1

A fan/cheer thread for them has been started after their impressive 4th place finish (2nd in FS) at Skate Canada International (thanks for re-posting the IG link there, @Ka3sha): https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/boikova-kozlovski-cheer-thread.104631/

 

[aftershocks]

“Thanks for coming to my TED talk” is just a phrase young people use on Twitter when they’re getting on their soapbox about something haha

I figured the terminology was beyond my ken!

Actually, T/M are sweet young people. I met them in person at SA 2016. They are clearly well-matched with great lines, and they are amazingly talented technically, but they have weaknesses that are going unaddressed. Plus, I don't think it's exactly fair for them to be knee-jerk continually over-rewarded on PCS, or held to be the ones who should win all the time, when they don't perform well and other teams perform better (as in the case of J/C at TDF last season)! The judges need to score T/M down fairly where they are lacking so that they can work harder to shore up their weaknesses. I don't understand the disconnect we see in their skating.

I believe there is a way to work with T/M to figure out how to bring out more of who they are. It requires finding better music and attempting to bring out their personalities. Julie Marcotte is great at that, but she works for rival skaters, so she would likely never work with them and their team would never ask either. I suppose if Peter T can't help them, it's a mystery what's going on. Two terrible sp music choices! I guess they can get away with keeping 'I Feel Good,' but they def need to help make the audience feel something good when they skate to it.

T/M just don't seem to be very motivated by any of their music. Maybe the answer is to stay more closely with classical, or even to work with updated techno-classical music pieces. I bet music savvy fans could help T/M choose better selections!

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting from the Skate Canada International subforum in Kiss & Cry and @clairecloutier's A Divine Sport blog thread in GSD:

Here's my pairs FS recap for Two for the Ice (lots of quotes):

http://www.twofortheice.com/pairs-free-2018-skate-canada-international-signals-changing-guard/

For fans of Alexandrovskaya/Windsor: They talk a little bit about their coaching change, why it happened, and what it's like training with Gauthier/Marcotte.

My article on the pairs SP at Skate Canada for Two for the Ice:

http://www.twofortheice.com/pairs-short-at-2018-skate-canada-international-shows-depth/

 

[hoptoad]

From @clairecloutier's free skate article:

Kirsten Moore-Towers commented, “Our choreographer, Julie Marcotte, has been doing pairs programs at the same length [for a while].”

For the veteran senior pairs, I'm sure it's a big adjustment, but hasn't the junior pairs free skate been 4 minutes for a long time? For pairs like Alexandrovskaya & Windsor who are recently up from juniors and for choreographers who do any junior programs, it shouldn't feel quite so strange.

 

[wickedwitch]

From @clairecloutier's free skate article:

For the veteran senior pairs, I'm sure it's a big adjustment, but hasn't the junior pairs free skate been 4 minutes for a long time? For pairs like Alexandrovskaya & Windsor who are recently up from juniors and for choreographers who do any junior programs, it shouldn't feel quite so strange.

It's a different set of elements. The seniors have a lift; juniors at 4:00 had both spins.

 

[nimi]

I was like, "Who is she?!?" but I guess that's Zabijako with a new Stolbova-inspired haircut?
https://twitter.com/SkatingFinland/status/1058022123732635648

I haven't watched their new programs yet because frankly I have very little interest in Z/E, but I hope this new hairstyle is a sign that their programs this season are more interesting to look at as well. We'll see...

 

[Amy L]

I don't know about more interesting, but both programs use rather bombastic music. They're not gonna let us fall asleep this season.

 

[oleada]

I was like, "Who is she?!?" but I guess that's Zabijako with a new Stolbova-inspired haircut?
https://twitter.com/SkatingFinland/status/1058022123732635648

I haven't watched their new programs yet because frankly I have very little interest in Z/E, but I hope this new hairstyle is a sign that their programs this season are more interesting to look at as well. We'll see...

Spoiler alert: they aren't

 

[casken]

Spoiler alert: they aren't

IMO the sp has potential to be pretty great, they just need to sell the footwork.

The LP on the other hand...

 

[Mad for Skating]

With better twist

They were training in Mishin’s group before moving to pairs, so no wonder they have great triple jumps

Hooray!!!

I figured the terminology was beyond my ken!

Actually, T/M are sweet young people. I met them in person at SA 2016. They are clearly well-matched with great lines, and they are amazingly talented technically, but they have weaknesses that are going unaddressed. Plus, I don't think it's exactly fair for them to be knee-jerk continually over-rewarded on PCS, or held to be the ones who should win all the time, when they don't perform well and other teams perform better (as in the case of J/C at TDF last season)! The judges need to score T/M down fairly where they are lacking so that they can work harder to shore up their weaknesses. I don't understand the disconnect we see in their skating.

I believe there is a way to work with T/M to figure out how to bring out more of who they are. It requires finding better music and attempting to bring out their personalities. Julie Marcotte is great at that, but she works for rival skaters, so she would likely never work with them and their team would never ask either. I suppose if Peter T can't help them, it's a mystery what's going on. Two terrible sp music choices! I guess they can get away with keeping 'I Feel Good,' but they def need to help make the audience feel something good when they skate to it.

T/M just don't seem to be very motivated by any of their music. Maybe the answer is to stay more closely with classical, or even to work with updated techno-classical music pieces. I bet music savvy fans could help T/M choose better selections!

I think T/M were kind of "The Chosen Ones" for Russian pairs after Stolbova/Klimov started hitting injuries, so their PCS skyrocketed (and now they're crazy high even when they shouldn't be). For me the SP is ok but I know they can do better. I agree fun and jazzy isn't their style; I think even a beautiful romantic program would be awesome for them ("All of Me" by John Legend or something like that!!!). The FS really has potential though - it's very Savchenko/Massot in style IMO.

I was like, "Who is she?!?" but I guess that's Zabijako with a new Stolbova-inspired haircut?
https://twitter.com/SkatingFinland/status/1058022123732635648

I haven't watched their new programs yet because frankly I have very little interest in Z/E, but I hope this new hairstyle is a sign that their programs this season are more interesting to look at as well. We'll see...

Yep, that's Zabijako, she cut her hair back around May or so. The programs are definitely more dynamic than last year's so you might like them. But there is only one Stolbova in this world, and always will be... *sniffles*

 

[umronnie]

I think T/M were kind of "The Chosen Ones" for Russian pairs after Stolbova/Klimov started hitting injuries, so their PCS skyrocketed (and now they're crazy high even when they shouldn't be). For me the SP is ok but I know they can do better. I agree fun and jazzy isn't their style; I think even a beautiful romantic program would be awesome for them ("All of Me" by John Legend or something like that!!!). The FS really has potential though - it's very Savchenko/Massot in style IMO.

W/o any of S/M's personality...

 

[Mad for Skating]

W/o any of S/M's personality...

I think they can work on that though. I see a lot of potential here.

 

[kittysk8ts]

Charlie Bilodeau has a new partner. No name released yet. https://twitter.com/fs_evolution/status/1063148636811522054?s=21

 

[Mad for Skating]

Charlie Bilodeau has a new partner. No name released yet. https://twitter.com/fs_evolution/status/1063148636811522054?s=21

If it’s not Valentina Marchei I will be sorely disappointed.

 

[kittysk8ts]

If it’s not Valentina Marchei I will be sorely disappointed.

Hahaha. I love Valentina I get the sense from some others that the new partner is Canadian. Although I truly have no idea myself

 

[Mad for Skating]

Hahaha. I love Valentina I get the sense from some others that the new partner is Canadian. Although I truly have no idea myself

It would be good if she is Canadian because then there wouldn’t be a citizenship battle. But I don’t know who it would be. I hope it’s not Evelyn Walsh because I really love her and Trennt together. Maybe Camille Ruest? Otherwise it’s someone I don’t know.

 

[kittysk8ts]

It would be good if she is Canadian because then there wouldn’t be a citizenship battle. But I don’t know who it would be. I hope it’s not Evelyn Walsh because I really love her and Trennt together. Maybe Camille Ruest? Otherwise it’s someone I don’t know.

Hmmmm. Do you think Camille and Drew would split?

And OMG Trent....seriously world, just look at his skating skills. His positions and body line. And partnering skills to die for.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Hmmmm. Do you think Camille and Drew would split?

And OMG Trent....seriously world, just look at his skating skills. His positions and body line. And partnering skills to die for.

I don’t know about Camille and Drew, I just started following them but they look nice together, we’ll wait and see.

Trennt is my new fave! He’s not huge like the other pair guys but he totally rocks the elements like no other! I really love how he looks with Evelyn too #girlcrushalert. They’re definitely a team I support!

 

[kittysk8ts]

I don’t know about Camille and Drew, I just started following them but they look nice together, we’ll wait and see.

Trennt is my new fave! He’s not huge like the other pair guys but he totally rocks the elements like no other! I really love how he looks with Evelyn too #girlcrushalert. They’re definitely a team I support!

Ive been following Camille and Drew for a few years. I would be shocked if they split.

I hope we find out the new partner for Charlie soon. One of the French headlines said “He may have found a rare pearl”.

 

[RoseRed]

It's not Camille. He said the girl has to move to Montreal - Cami and Drew already train there.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Well, I’m eager to find out who she is! Hopefully she’s good!

 

[barbarafan]

It's not Camille. He said the girl has to move to Montreal - Cami and Drew already train there.

Maybe it is a relatively unknown girl from outside MTL but in Quebec. There are loads of Quebec girls skaters who are good and many many who have beautiful lines and skating skills. Sometimes at summer skate there are 200 girls at prenovice level. What don't they have??? a triple triple. so many of them stop skating. There could be a lot of dabbling in pairs at the individual rinks. Who knows? It is an slim possibility. Anyone an hr outside of MTL would require a move.