Soucisse & Firus Cheer Thread!

[Sylvia]

Clip of their FD in practice ("Earned It" by The Weeknd): https://www.instagram.com/p/BmVxmYHF5dh/?hl=en&taken-by=patinagemontrealinternational

First competition of the season for S/F today! I have no idea what time because I'm hopeless at time zones. But I'm cheering anyway!

7:15 pm Eastern event start time tonight for the Rhythm Dance -- see my post in the Quebec comp. thread in Kiss & Cry.

 

[Wyliefan]

Bless you, @Sylvia, you always come through.

 

[cgirl8]

Short article in the Journal de Montréal from the competition this past weekend: https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...rale-pour-carolane-soucisse-et-son-partenaire
English translation: http://chocktaw-salchow.tumblr.com/post/177013077833/translation-a-dress-rehearsal-for-carolane
Sounds like their FD is actually a medley of songs by The Weeknd not just Earned It.

Fan cam of the SD: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rwcol

 

[Wyliefan]

Hurray, video at last! Thank you! I love their tango. It did look very much like a dress rehearsal; I can't wait to see how it looks when they do it full out.

That interview sounded like they did originally plan to perform their FD. Hope both of them are okay and not dealing with injury.

 

[Wyliefan]

Congratulations to Carolane and Shane for their bronze medal at Autumn Classic today! They were seventh at their first one two years ago, and fifth at U.S. Int'l Classic last year. Slow but steady improvement.

Interview with Dylan Moscovitch: https://twitter.com/sarahlee8812/status/1043563312154386433
Podium photos (thanks to @kwanfan1818 for the tip): https://twitter.com/icedancecom/status/1043559678544945152

 

[Wyliefan]

So it seems the judges are not crazy about this FD. It dropped them to 4th at ACI and 5th at Finlandia. Do they need to rework it, or just work really hard on getting all their elements? It's probably too late now to scrap it and start over (though Lord knows I'm not attached to it myself!).

 

[Colonel Green]

So it seems the judges are not crazy about this FD. It dropped them to 4th at ACI and 5th at Finlandia. Do they need to rework it, or just work really hard on getting all their elements? It's probably too late now to scrap it and start over (though Lord knows I'm not attached to it myself!).

I don't think the judges have an issue with the program -- they were third in components, the more subjective part of the judging. They got hit with some serious level drops on a couple of the elements that caused a major TES loss. That's just something to fix by training the program more.

 

[Wyliefan]

Interview with Carolane and Shane about the history of their partnership and their hopes for the Grand Prix season: https://www.ifsmagazine.com/carolan...build-momentum/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Wyliefan]

PJ Kwong is a fellow fan! https://twitter.com/skatingpj/status/1055561711816568833?s=19

Best wishes to S/F this weekend!

 

[Wyliefan]

Skate Canada has a new Athlete Spotlight on Carolane and Shane. Some of it is in French, some in English.

https://skatecanada.ca/2019/01/athlete-spotlight-carolane-soucisse-shane-firus/

 

[Wyliefan]

S/F are going back to "I Won't Dance" for the rest of the season. Thanks to @danafan in the Canadian dance thread for the tip! I think this is really good news.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsd-GWtHkvb/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1kbemx7cc6yod

 

[Wyliefan]

New FD practice footage!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BslU_dlnwl6/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1fmt8oh4ezbj1

 

[Wyliefan]

Cross-posting this from another thread just because I felt like saying it again here :

I'm far more nervous about this dance competition than I am about U.S. nationals next week. I like Caro and Shane so much and I want good things for them, and it's been tough to watch them struggle this season. Stupid Tango Romantica and its stupid key points and rockers and all the rest of that mess! I feel like they could have done so much better this season with an easier pattern, but that's the way the game is played and skaters just have to deal.

Anyway, I so want a medal for them here -- after they were so close last year! -- but it is going to be a very hard fight. Just trying to remember that they're young and newish and have a lot of time to advance in the future, if they're hungry enough and farsighted enough to stick with it -- and I think they are. Even with talented juniors coming up, all is not lost if they work hard enough and start to benefit from more experience and maturity. Best of luck to them this weekend.

 

[Wyliefan]

This came up in the competition thread: Should S/F look into a new coaching situation? Gadbois was going great for them at first, but this season they seem to have suffered from sharing their coaches with 1983642846657 other teams. If so, with whom? (Please not Morozov please not Morozov PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY NOT MOROZOV.)

 

[dramagrrl]

This came up in the competition thread: Should S/F look into a new coaching situation? Gadbois was going great for them at first, but this season they seem to have suffered from sharing their coaches with 1983642846657 other teams. If so, with whom? (Please not Morozov please not Morozov PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY NOT MOROZOV.)

I think they should stay at Gadbois and consider this season just a bad season that needs to be filed and moved on from, but if they were going to move, my first thought would be Zueva's new dance school in Florida. Moving to any coaches in the U.S. would be expensive, though, with the Canadian dollar quite low vs. the U.S. dollar right now.

 

[marbri]

This came up in the competition thread: Should S/F look into a new coaching situation? Gadbois was going great for them at first, but this season they seem to have suffered from sharing their coaches with 1983642846657 other teams. If so, with whom? (Please not Morozov please not Morozov PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY NOT MOROZOV.)

I personally think the problem for them will be limitations in themes/styles. I may be one of the few who liked their FD this season and saw they were trying something different. But they are pocket sized and he looks adorable and cuddly and her expression falls a bit flat when not doing something perky like last years FD. So they will have to really work hard to overcome that. I do think Broadway theme can work for them so we could see a rise again next year.

All that to say is I don't think Gadbois is the problem.

 

[Wyliefan]

Perhaps not. It just seemed (from outside, at least) like their programs weren't tailored to their strengths this season, and that they weren't always getting the best guidance.

Then again, the season of the Tango Romantica was hard on a lot of people.

 

[Dobre]

I would stay. They need to expand their performance abilities, develop their skating skills, and gain experience. That happens over time. Usually it happens by skating to programs that aren't tailored to your strengths but force you to develop new strengths. In hindsight, going back to the old FD probably wasn't the right choice. But the nerves would have been there regardless, and if S&F had struggled from those nerves with the new FD, people would have second-guessed & said that they should have used last season's program. S&F wouldn't have defeated this particular set of performances by Fournier-Beaudry & Sorenson anyway.

Ultimately, this was your classic sophomore slump type season (though technically it is S&F's third senior season together). They outperformed expectations last year so this year there were expectations, and that very often takes time and experience to adjust to. Anyway, it's part of the process. Hawayek & Baker, Zagorski & Guerreiro, Popova & Mozgov all experienced or are experiencing the same thing. Teams usually go through this either the year after they leave juniors/win Junior Worlds. Or--if they come on gangbusters that first season--the season after it. I find that the best thing for teams to do in this scenario is 1. stay together and 2. take advantage of the off season and get to work. On the positive side for Soucisse & Firus, they really looked like they dealt with the disappointment well. Had real perspective in their reaction. I think that's usually a good sign.

 

[Andora]

Agreed with everything re: them staying in Gadbois. I don't hear alarm bells yet, though it's a fair question.

I really liked their programs this year. If anything, maybe they weren't ready for this year's programs in terms of performance execution + increased technical content. I thought their FD had potential and was disappointed they went back to last year's program. I'm also assuming so much goes in to getting ready to compete in such a fight for position at Nationals, and I can't blame them for it, regardless of how it turned out.

I still think they are so talented, and will be battling L&L going forward while both teams improve, which is exciting.

 

[muffinplus]

I'm a fan of their RD. I quite like the music choice....

 

[Rafter]

Loved their RD but never liked the FD. Clearly the Danadians entering the scene took some wind out of their sails. And next year they’ll have L/L in the senior ranks. Agree with @marbri that they are pocket sized and that’s a disadvantage. It didn’t hurt Davis and White but they had the force of the USFSA behind them, plus Zoueva.

I do wonder if they should experiment with Soucisse’s look next year. Mix it up a bit.

 

[muffinplus]

Wonder if they would ever leave Gadbois?

 

[sharsk8s]

Wonder if they would ever leave Gadbois?

Not sure they should. I feel like leaving will be a hit or miss with them.

 

[Colonel Green]

Would they? I'd say no. There hasn't really been any indication they're dissatisfied with the coaching situation, and Carolane, especially, has been at Gadbois a long time -- they appear to have quite a cozy existence there, lots of friends among the other skaters, Shane's brother's girlfriend trains in the same city, etc.

Now, would they theoretically benefit from going somewhere else? I mean, maybe; you can imagine situations where they might pay off. But it could just as easily not. I'd be reluctant to do so just because of one disappointing season.

 

[Wyliefan]

Who's Shane's brother's girlfriend? I've forgotten, if I ever knew.

 

[Colonel Green]

Who's Shane's brother's girlfriend? I've forgotten, if I ever knew.

Kirsten Moore-Towers.

 

[Wyliefan]

Oh, I don't think I did know that. I can see them making a cute couple!

 

[clairecloutier]

Agree with @marbri that they are pocket sized and that’s a disadvantage. It didn’t hurt Davis and White but they had the force of the USFSA behind them, plus Zoueva.

I do wonder if they should experiment with Soucisse’s look next year. Mix it up a bit.

To add to this ... indeed, Davis/White were a short team, like Soucisse/Firus. But they were charismatic, and they fit into the traditional ice dance aesthetic in other ways, with Meryl's long flowing hair and Charlie's curls (which followed on Gwendal Peizerat's look), plus also their costumes.

I like Soucisse/Firus, but they're not really fitting into that traditional ice dance aesthetic right now. Their overall look is perky and cute. Which is fine for singles skaters, but not so much ice dancers. I just wonder if it would benefit them to sharpen their packaging in some way. For Carolane, she could either grow out her hair for a more traditional ice dance look, OR she could adopt a more severe, short, modern-type hairstyle, like Olivia Smart has, or Marie-France herself. I think either direction could work. Shane could also go either longer or more severely short with his hair, again, just to develop a distinctive look. I think S/F are great dancers and really talented, but in ice dance, it's also important to figure out the most effective way of presenting yourselves.

 

[mag]

@clairecloutier I believe Shane would be thrilled to be as “short” as Charlie White. I know what his bio says, 170cm, but they probably measured him in his skates, with lifts, and to the top of his hair! Shane grew up around here and he is probably closer to Keegan Messing, 163cm. I never thought being shorter would be a disadvantage in figure skating, but I agree, in this case (and probably in Keegan’s) it really is. Charlie, by the way is listed at 175cm or almost 5’9”.

I do agree they need to look at their packaging but I am not sure long hair would work on Shane. I also think they are team who needs to play to their strength which, IMHO, is their ability to extremely quick, complex, choreography. They also light up an arena with their energy.

Hopefully next season they will find something that really shows them off well. I liked last season’s FD and think it was good for them. Unfortunately it just didn’t have enough mileage on prior to Nationals this year. Tango Romantica also didn’t play to their strengths. A few years back wasn’t the compulsory dance a hoe down or something? That is something these two could knock out of the park!

 

[Wyliefan]

IIRC, someone around here once floated the idea of Dirty Dancing for them. I almost hate to bring that up, because I'm not the world's biggest Dirty Dancing fan. And yet, on reflection, it might be a really good fit for them. If they want to go sexy, I think they need to make it a light and playful kind of sexy. Some of the songs from DD would let them do that. And it could give Caro a bit of a character arc to work with and something to build to, rather than having her just be smoldering the whole time.