Paul & Islam retire

[algonquin]

Just posted on Facebook.

https://skatecanada.ca/2016/12/olym...tchell-islam-retire-from-competitive-skating/

 

[skatfan]

I guess given the unlikelihood of getting to Worlds or the Olympics in the next 2 years made this decision clearer.

 

[blue_idealist]

At least they got to go to one Olympics.

 

[kwanette]

I always liked them. Wishing them well.

 

[Bellanca]

I always liked them. Wishing them well.

Me too.

 

[kwanfan1818]

My favorite performance from them, the FD at 2014 Canadian Nationals. Live, the speed and flow was exquisite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgHpanAqkBc

Best wishes to them in school and everything else they choose.

 

[Wyliefan]

Did not expect that! Best wishes to them.

 

[skatesindreams]

The very best to them.

 

[aftershocks]

I'm very sad to hear this, although some observers in the general dance thread in Trash say it was expected. P/I had such potential and a beautiful, light quality to their skating which I found appealing and delightful. It has been unfortunate to see them unable to surmount hurdles in their career in recent years.

The upbeat press release states that P/I will go back to school and also apparently coach at a local rink. Wow, this brings up a lot of emotions, especially re the fact that such a talented team could not make it in this sport. It also reminds me of Canada losing the so lovely Nicole Orford/Asher Hill because they had few hopes of making it to Worlds (especially post V/M's return), and few resources, and no political support.

I realize that P/I's situation was more complicated for a number of reasons having to do with hurdles they weren't able to surmount in their direction as a team. However, it's simply too sad that the sport runs through talented young people so cruelly. I'm not blaming any one person or entity for the lack of opportunities so many skaters face, but the sport really needs to examine it's direction and it's problems.

In U.S. ice dance with the glut of talent, there may also eventually be problems for a number of teams being unable to progress what with lack of opportunities for further development at the top. The sport is doing nothing to address this antiquated competition structure problem.

I suppose most people involved feel, "That's the way it is. Deal with it." Of course, there will always be personal issues and challenges that affect whether or not talented young people continue in figure skating. However, there are many more obstacles to building a successful career in figure skating than in other sports.

ETA:
Okay, it's been pointed out in the general dance thread that P/I are also a couple off the ice. So it makes sense that they weren't interested in pursuing other partners when their progress together hit a wall.

There is more to life than figure skating. They are beautiful together and they have inspired many with their skating. Best of luck to them!

 

[Jeschke]

so their last competition was really this last-minute-wd-gp?

 

[peibeck]

I'm surprised they decided to retire before Nationals, but I guess if they wish to begin school in the spring semester this was the best timing.

Good luck in whatever they choose to do next in their young lives.

 

[Erin]

I wouldn't be surprised if the number of injuries they've had played a role in their decision and the timing around it too. I'm not sure what the injury was that kept them out of their last GP, but if it meant that it was going to be a struggle to be prepared for Canadians, it was probably best to make the decision now.

I'm also glad that at least they had their moment in the sun at 2014 Canadians and got to go to one Olympics and a couple of Worlds. And it's good that they have plans for the future. I wish them well.

 

[Lara]

https://www.facebook.com/mitch.islam/posts/10154788067764350

Beautifully written. They'll be missed but I understand given current struggles. Their career might not have ended as hoped, but nothing can take away them being Olympians. Wishing them the best in their future!

 

[Jeschke]

https://www.facebook.com/mitch.islam/posts/10154788067764350

everyone knows, i was not their biggest fan, but hell, that was a wonderful farewell-message.
good job guys!

 

[kittyjake5]

Best wishes to them both.

 

[Lanie]

Aw, man, I loved their skating so much. I wish them all the best.

 

[vesperholly]

Awe. I really liked them at Skate Canada.

They probably saw the writing on the wall with V/M's return. It was already crowded at the top of Canadian ice dance, and even more so once they returned.

 

[allegro]

Oh, I wish this was not true. They are beautiful skaters, who just made a stupid mistake at the nationals, and they almost lost the momentum. I am sure that the return of V/M and the rise of G/P might have counted. W/P are also a team difficult to beat, when they are on. Still I didn't want them to retire.

 

[overedge]

That's really too bad. But if they don't have the resources or the patience to wait it out until the logjam at the top of Canadian ice dance breaks up, they made a very sensible decision.

 

[casken]

so their last competition was really this last-minute-wd-gp?

Suddenly feeling a little about that joke I made at the time about them finally deciding to give up and retire right in the middle of that event.

 

[Jeschke]

Suddenly feeling a little about that joke I made at the time about them finally deciding to give up and retire right in the middle of that event.

Would have loved that goodbye almost more as it would haben been finally something outta their comfort zone

Either way, hope they have both made their peace with this decision and can move on!

 

[pat c]

Good luck to them and I hope they do well in their future endeavors. They were a lovely team to watch, and I loved their WE program.

 

[paskatefan]

Aw, sorry that they will no longer be competing as a team. I always enjoyed them. Wishing them both all the best in their future endeavors!

 

[barbarafan]

I'm surprised they decided to retire before Nationals, but I guess if they wish to begin school in the spring semester this was the best timing.

Good luck in whatever they choose to do next in their young lives.

I do not think Nationals would have been good to them. G/P attended challenge and very (too) close to perfect marks. Their programs are strong and beautiful but I doubt the judges would look at that.

 

[Sylvia]

Bumping up this thread to post Jacquelyn Thayer's 2-part P/I feature in their own thread:

Part one of an in depth article on Paul and Islam

http://www.twofortheice.com/paul-islam-end-start/

Part 2 was published on April 12: http://www.twofortheice.com/in-end-beginning-for-paul-islam/
Excerpts:

During the Michigan days, the two are working to finish their final semester at Rochester’s Oakland University, set to graduate shortly in late April. Paul has classes Monday and Wednesday, Islam Monday only; he’s kept busiest as an intern with Special Olympics Michigan, doing 9-5 office work Monday through Wednesday and occasionally carrying out onsite work for weekend events. “I’ve been super busy and a bit of a working man now,” he said.

Meanwhile, at the time of our initial talk in late January, Paul was a few days away from taking the LSAT and deep in the law school application process. “It’s a little bit of a stressful time for me right now,” she said with a laugh.
The studies will be the fulfillment of a long-range goal. “I took a couple classes in high school that were based on law, and I always kind of excelled at them and just really enjoyed the information that I was learning,” she said. “So I kind of geared my university courses around applying to law school.”

Islam, who aspires to pursue an MBA, is less firm on the timing of his plans, aiming for now to coach through summer to earn enough to pay for that post-grad business education. “Whether that’s in September or whether it’s in 2018, I’m kind of playing that one by ear through the summer,” he said. “I know [an MBA] is an ambitious goal, but I think that moving into the next part of our lives, it’s important for us to continue to set ambitious goals. I think that’s just the type of people that we are, so I think when you do that, you can accomplish great things.”

 

[AxelAnnie]

That makes me so sad. I thought they could have been really great.

 

[Sylvia]

Congratulations to the two Oakland University graduates! https://twitter.com/davidsislam/status/858368055507914752

ETA:

They'll be special guest presenters at the Mariposa seminar in Barrie, June 26-30, 2017: https://twitter.com/SkateMariposa/status/842530603258052609

 

[kwanfan1818]

 

[aftershocks]

Oh, I wish this was not true. They are beautiful skaters, who just made a stupid mistake at the nationals, and they almost lost the momentum. I am sure that the return of V/M and the rise of G/P might have counted. W/P are also a team difficult to beat, when they are on. Still I didn't want them to retire.

Unfortunately, they also had to deal with a number of injury setbacks. From the Two For the Ice feature on Alex and Mitch, it's obvious that they have moved on with a great deal of grace and perspective. Congratulations to them on their recent graduations, and thanks for the fond skating memories! I'm happy for them that they fought hard and did their best to leave no stone unturned. Figure skating is a tough sport. But they seem focused on accepting the bad experiences with the good and turning it all into something golden by setting new goals and giving back in as many ways as they can.

 

[Sylvia]

Jacquelyn Thayer's follow-up on Alex and Mitch, one year later: https://www.uptheladdersideways.com/on-the-nature-of-work-alexandra-paul-and-mitch-islam/
Excerpts:

For Paul, the plan also meant time to move forward with phase 2 of her academic goals: the LSAT and law school applications. She promptly entered the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law in fall 2017, concluding her 1L year in April.
“Skating has a timeline,” said Paul, who battled a more than typical share of injuries over her six-year senior career. “You can’t go to school then hope to come back to skating, whereas you can skate until your body can’t handle it, and then school is always an option later in your life. There’s no timeline for school.”
Though the job outlook for law graduates in recent years[/URL] has led some JDs to seek alternate venues for their skill set, Paul’s sights are presently set on the legal profession.
“I know that a law degree is such a well-respected degree that it can open so many avenues for you, and so that will definitely be something that I look into in the future,” she said. “But as of right now, I’d like to use my law degree as a lawyer.”

Islam’s current career path — one established from an early point — has kept him closer to the rink. His father, David, was the couple’s first coach; Islam himself began coaching when still a teenager. After resuming the work in early 2017, he’s now on the full-time staff at Mariposa, working with young dancers and with the school’s hockey skating program, and envisioning a return to glory for a skating school that produced several past Canadian champions.
“I think what I’ve learned in this year is that I’m very passionate about coaching,” he said. “I love to teach, I love to help people.”
A second gig, as a technical representative for boot manufacturer Jackson Ultima, can be credited to fortuitous timing: in early 2017, Jackson vice president Raj Misir asked if he was looking for a job.
“I’ve learned a ton,” said Islam, whose primary previous off-the-ice work experience was an internship with Special Olympics Michigan. “I feel as though I’ve been exposed to business situations that I may not have this early on in my life, which is [due to] the lack of experience that I have in that realm. So I feel very fortunate. I’m involved in meetings, I’m involved in product development, I know the company direction, this kind of stuff.”