Path forward for Canadian figure skating

[Dobre]

Doesn't it seem likely that he didn't do anything differently with them, and that they were able to step up as a team because of who they are as competitors & athletes? (They seem very even-keeled). They also would benefit from having a strong choreographer work with them, IMO. They have plenty of natural expression. At this point it's just straightforward smiling, rather than interpreting the music; but it seems like they should be able to make the leap.

 

[crazy2skate]

Bruno arguably had one of the best Olympics of all the Canadians - a bronze (for now) medal and a top 7 finish - incredible stuff for such a new team. (If we ignore M-F and Patrice, of course).

I wonder what he could do for Evelyn and Trennt? I could be wrong, but as I understand it, MT/M work with Alison Purkiss but Bruno doesn't work with W/M?

KMT/M should have stayed training with Bruno exclusively. Their decline in performance appears to coincide when they split their training … maybe W/M need to make a change if they have any hope

 

[litenkyckling]

What I find interesting about Bruno is that he's been involved for a very long time with top Canadian pairs teams. In the last decade, Canadian pairs have decidedly not been known for their great twists. So what clicked with M/K from Japan? Did they learn the basics of the triple twist elsewhere? Or was that element taught for the ground up with Bruno? I'd say the same to some degree about the distance on their throws. They are doing elements comparable in size to the top Russian teams and that's always been an area that Canada has really lagged behind in. I'd be really curious to know more about the development of the Japanese and how or what Bruno did differently with them to produce such exceptional quality elements.

I think M-T/M's improved and then declined after the pandemic - was he injured? They could always squeak out a pretty clean one beforehand (not always pretty, but not like this season).

 

[Colonel Green]

KMT/M should have stayed training with Bruno exclusively. Their decline in performance appears to coincide when they split their training … maybe W/M need to make a change if they have any hope

Ongoing injury problems were the issue for them, not Alison Purkiss.

 

[puglover]

I recall being thrilled with the debut of KMT/DM back in 2009. She had something special and they could land their jumps. She has been at this a long time. Maybe more experienced coaching back then for her and her partners would have helped with the pairs elements. It is interesting that Meghan is asking for outside expertise. Ted Barton has been all over for years and it would be interesting to hear his thoughts. Canada will never resemble Russia but Ted is responsible for the BC section and they appear to be doing some things right.

 

[Seerek]

FWIW, Maddie made CBC’s list of athletes to watch in 2026: Young Canadian Olympians poised to lead the way at Milan-Cortina in 2026

For all the discussion about wanting the ISU to increase age limits, almost all of the other athletes other than Maddie mentioned in the article started competing in senior competition at 16, and sometimes even younger (in the cases of snowboard or Freestyle ski park/pipe).

I would be surprised if it goes to zero. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it declines. AFAIK Own the Podium looks at medal performance and also medal potential for the future, and I guess SC could point to Schizas....

Zero is drastic, but if

Biathlon (5th)
Skeleton (5th, and Mirela Rahneva was vocal of lack of funding)
Luge (7th, though those 2 athletes are likely retiring)
Cross Country Ski (5th for 2 person Sprint)

can get similar top individual results with far less money, it's doesn't look good in comparison.

We have to go back to 1968 to a time when Canada's best individual result was 7th (Jay Humphry men's, Karen Magnussen ladies).

Overall, 2022"s results to mirror 1980's results (dance best, women's worst)

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[overedge]

Ted is responsible for the BC section and they appear to be doing some things right.

Other sections are doing much better in retaining skaters (I mean all skaters, not just elite or competitive ones) and in supporting their clubs.

And one other thing re where this discussion is going: the problem with Canadian skating is not just "why can't elite skater X do this thing Y". All elite skaters come from the grassroots, and if the grassroots aren't strong, then the elite program isn't going to be strong either. Putting more resources into supporting clubs, CanSkate, and non-competitive programs isn't going to fix Roman Sadovsky's confidence problems, but it's equally important IMO.

 

[Colonel Green]

As far as funding goes, figure skating is one of the marquee events at the Winter Olympics (and one that Canada has typically been good at), so I wouldn't be too worried about funding, though I imagine they will get less.

 

[puglover]

I watched the Olympic wrap-up on CBC this morning and 2 hours or more was devoted to women's hockey. Every goal scored was reviewed and marveled at several times. These young women are heros to young Canadian girls. My daughters. who are 40 now, were excellent skaters and looked at by US college hockey teams but they had no hockey skills. There just were not enough hockey girls but I doubt that is the case now.

 

[Xela M]

Didn’t she get fired from coaching at the rink where her husband coaches?

Ohhh why? What happened?

 

[Sylvia]

Ohhh why? What happened?

Maybe you can read through the loooong thread you felt you had to bump up (inactive since May 2021) & look for the rumors/speculation? My post re. Duhamel and coaching: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...gether-for-canada.108254/page-17#post-5995045

 

[Karen-W]

My Mom's contribution:

Find a pairs choreographer other than Marcotte.

I mean both top teams had snoozy choreography this season that didn't bring out the athletes' strengths. It's the Olympic season! Let those ladies bring the perk & the sex/edge, for gosh sake.

Your mom isn't wrong. Funnily enough, during the IG Live that Meagan did with Adam Rippon's mom yesterday, to wrap up the pairs competition, she mentioned, specifically, the poor music choices of almost all of the pairs teams competing in the Olympics and I chuckled to myself because how many of us have complained, vociferously, about the Canadian teams' awful music choices and programs perhaps more than any other teams?

But, yes, burning Julie Marcotte's CD collection should be as imperative as burning Team Todd & Jenni's here in the US, lol.

 

[Sylvia]

Your mom isn't wrong. Funnily enough, during the IG Live that Meagan did with Adam Rippon's mom yesterday, to wrap up the pairs competition, she mentioned, specifically, the poor music choices of almost all of the pairs teams competing in the Olympics

Link: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaLjp8vFs-e/

 

[kwanfan1818]

If Vancouver is putting together another Olympics bid for 2030 or 2034, this would be the right time to increase funding rather than take money away and to try to scout out and support athletes in developmental stages.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

But, yes, burning Julie Marcotte's CD collection should be as imperative as burning Team Todd & Jenni's here in the US, lol.

From your lips to the Skategods' ears?

 

[manhn]

I always thought the issue with Canada and curling is that there is such depth that making their Nationals has them peaking then instead of the Olympics. I always wonder if the other top countries, say Edin, could sweep through Canadian Nationals every year with relative ease? Is Jennifer Jones really the best in Canada right now or did she just have a good week?

I also wonder if Curling Canada could do a better job of structuring teams. It seems it’s based on people living in the same province. Is our mixed team really the best that Curling has to offer? Can the second place male and female skips just be the mixed team or is that complete nonsense?

I watch curling but don’t follow it with any detail. I figure curling still has plenty of depth, unlike figure skating.

 

[kwanfan1818]

It was interesting to hear how OGM Eve Muirhead's team was put together relatively recently after all the prospects had been watched. I assume that meant at least some played on different teams before then, like US women's soccer teams. They were really happy that they had chemistry and good communication among them.

I thought Canada was trying to avoid the early peak issue by making the Olympic trials the previous year's Scottie's and Tim Horton's, so that they could train until the Olympics without the pressure of qualifying. That still wouldn't mean that this team at the time of the Olympics was the best team, and it doesn't mean the best team is an existing team, rather than one that's selected. But I could imagine the political powder keg a central selection process would ignite.

 

[shutterbug]

I always thought the issue with Canada and curling is that there is such depth that making their Nationals has them peaking then instead of the Olympics. I always wonder if the other top countries, say Edin, could sweep through Canadian Nationals every year with relative ease? Is Jennifer Jones really the best in Canada right now or did she just have a good week?

I also wonder if Curling Canada could do a better job of structuring teams. It seems it’s based on people living in the same province. Is our mixed team really the best that Curling has to offer? Can the second place male and female skips just be the mixed team or is that complete nonsense?

I watch curling but don’t follow it with any detail. I figure curling still has plenty of depth, unlike figure skating.

There have been issues in curling for the last few years: https://www.tsn.ca/curling-clubs-cl...lp-that-is-here-says-curling-canada-1.1204962 The curling club in my neighbourhood closed a few years back, and has recently been converted to a roller skating rink of all things. But no, the situation isn’t as dire as what we’re seeing in figure skating. A friend’s daughter played with Jones as a junior, so I’m mostly familiar with the women’s side. Team Jones played very well in the Trials, beating Team Fleury who had been having a great season up to that point. Team Einarson (reigning Team Canada) went into a bit of a slump after leaving the Calgary bubble last spring and were eliminated from the Trials in the semi-finals, but rebounded at the Scotties to defend their title and are headed back to the World Championship in Prince George next month.

 

[Mayra]

Any updated on Kaiya Ruiter? She was such a bright light on the JGP until injury/ whatever sidelined her.

Talk about charismatic:

Kaiya Ruiter CAN Women Free Skating | Courchevel 2 - 2021

Visit https://isu.org/JuniorGrandPrix for more information on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating.Courchevel, France - August 18 to 21Courchevel, Fra...

www.youtube.com

I hope she can make a comeback next season. Between Schizas and her, the ladies field has a lot of potential.

 

[overedge]

There was a story in the newspapers this weekend that the Olympic curlers want Curling Canada to dump the model of making curlers compete for individual provinces, and/or drop the rules about curlers having to have some affiliation with the province they represent. The Olympic curlers quoted in the story said that curling in the rest of the world is catching up to Canada, in terms of quality and skill, which is partly because Canadians are going to other countries and coaching curlers there. But in a lot of countries, curlers can compete on any team they want to. The Olympic curlers think the provincial model is holding Canada back from fielding Olympic and world teams that include the very best curlers in the country.

I can see what they're saying, but at least the provincial model ensures that teams from regions with small populations get the chance to compete at nationals. Unless all the best curlers in Canada want to move to Nunavut or PEI, provinces/regions like that would have no chance to develop competitive curlers in a less geographic structure.

 

[kwanfan1818]

They still can guarantee spots for smaller programs by using the ISU model, where every province can send one team, or all the smaller provinces play off amomg themselves for couple of spots, if there's a minimum standard, and then the stronger provinces can send more than one.

That's assuming that the Olympic team is self-selecting.

 

[skategal]

I don’t have a point except to say that Team Gushue from Newfoundland and Labrador won the bronze medal in Mens Curling and are previous Olympic Gold Medal winners.

 

[clairecloutier]

What I find interesting about Bruno is that he's been involved for a very long time with top Canadian pairs teams. In the last decade, Canadian pairs have decidedly not been known for their great twists. So what clicked with M/K from Japan? Did they learn the basics of the triple twist elsewhere? Or was that element taught for the ground up with Bruno? I'd say the same to some degree about the distance on their throws. They are doing elements comparable in size to the top Russian teams and that's always been an area that Canada has really lagged behind in. I'd be really curious to know more about the development of the Japanese and how or what Bruno did differently with them to produce such exceptional quality elements.

Kihara began his pairs career with Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen in Detroit. So that’s where Ryuichi learned the pairs elements. It took years before he was comfortable with lifts. I don’t think he ever got to performing triple twist with Narumi; he must have progressed to that with his second partner, Miu Suzaki. Ryuichi/Miu also trained in Detroit at first, although I think they may have moved to Bruno/Richard in Montreal later on.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Canadian pairs have way better twists (and crap side by side jumps) when now-banned Kerry Leitch was running his pairs factory? What happened to the Martini & Underhill, Brasseur & Eisler (also banned!) & Sale & Pelletier quality twists?

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Canadian pairs have way better twists (and crap side by side jumps) when now-banned Kerry Leitch was running his pairs factory? What happened to the Martini & Underhill, Brasseur & Eisler (also banned!) & Sale & Pelletier quality twists?

Speaking of banned coaches, I often wonder whether any of the pair skaters who were previously trained by Gauthier have been adversely affected mentally.?

 

[Rafter]

I guess Duhamel’s pregnancy means her partnership with Moskovitch is over?

 

[Rafter]

KMT/M should have stayed training with Bruno exclusively. Their decline in performance appears to coincide when they split their training … maybe W/M need to make a change if they have any hope

Were they splitting training between two rinks? I’ve never felt Alison Purkis was a good pairs coach. Most of her teams historically have had very mediocre elements, skating skills and choreo.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I guess Duhamel’s pregnancy means her partnership with Moskovitch is over?

Well, they are no longer part of the 2022 CSOI lineup.

 

[coppertop1]

Speaking of banned coaches, I often wonder whether any of the pair skaters who were previously trained by Gauthier have been adversely affected mentally.?

What happened with Gauthier?

I think it remains to be seen if quads remain a factor not that Russia and especially Tutberidze is under scrutiny. I can see the triple axel becoming more common.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

What happened with Gauthier?

I think it remains to be seen if quads remain a factor not that Russia and especially Tutberidze is under scrutiny. I can see the triple axel becoming more common.

See this thread.