@Debbie S posted this article by Morgan Matthews Pennington in the US dance thread; commenting here since I think it applies to the partner search process beyond the US.
How To Find an Ice Dance Partner: Then and Now
I don't think she says anything that's particularly surprising to those of us who have been following ice dance for a while, but it's both refreshing and dispiriting to see the power dynamics of the gender imbalance - and the financial consequences - set out so directly.
Also, IPS opened the possibility for prospective partners to contact one another directly, without having a coach act as broker. Though most skaters still seem to list their coaches as a primary contact on the website, I wish more skaters would opt for direct contact, since this allows for a more free, unbiased flow of communication.
As an outsider, I think this sounds right for adult skaters, but young skaters particularly need support through the process. I can imagine some ice dance girls are so desperate to find a partner they can put pressure on themselves to say yes, even if something doesn't feel right. And sometimes it takes an outside perspective to say "this isn't right for you". I guess the problem is there are no disinterested parties to advocate for the young skaters - coaches advance their careers off the success of their students, parents have invested a lot of money or may be living vicariously through their children, federations prioritise competitive results....
When I arrived at the ice dance partner audition at the 2000 U.S. Championships, I was given a number to wear on my back. As I recall, when it was time to take the ice, the event organizers played compulsory dance music and the girls skated around and performed for the boys, who stood at the boards either alone or with their coaches. When one of the boys decided that they liked one of the girls, they went over to the organizer, who announced the girls’ numbers over the speaker. The selected girl would go over to the organizer who would point her to the boy who wanted to try skating with her. She would smile, perhaps curtsy at the boys’ coaches, and listen as either the boy or his coaches told her what to do.
I know young ice dancers are accustomed to being judged in public, but
And also
that her mom thought that 13-year-old Morgan had blown her chance with Zavozin by not flirting with him during their first tryout.
According to Anton [Spiridonov], after his split from Lorraine McNamara prior to the 2023-24 season.
“This time around, it was exceptionally simple and fast. Having took part in the Grand Prix circuit and competing/medaling at other international events, you’re quite a bit more in the spotlight. I’ve received an overwhelming amount of offers, many of them were very interesting.”
As the apparent dumpee Spiridonov has an incentive to make his own narrative, but it seems emblematic that the less-talented male partner had his pick of proposals, while it appears Lorraine was still searching as of a few weeks ago.
Nevertheless, when it comes down to creating a successful partnership, both partners have to match in skill, style, personality, and work ethic.
The makings of a successful partnership aren’t always clear on paper. Just as many have tried and failed to boil down the elements that add up to a successful marriage, there is no exact formula for a successful ice dance partnership. Searching IcePartnerSearch for a prospective partner is a good start, and listening to coaches’ feedback after an audition is important, but ultimately ice dancers have to listen to their gut when selecting a partner. After all, if you’re going to spend 6-8 hours a day holding hands with another person, that person better be someone that you like.
The question of what makes a successful partnership is an interesting one. After all, we can all think of very successful partners who didn't always get along on a personal level. But it seems that ultimately agreement on goals and how a team is going to work together towards them can often be the make-or-break factor, more so than being a great physical or skills match. But the top competitive teams are usually well-matched on most of the dimensions.
Again as an outsider, I'd guess it also depends a bit on the stage in a skater's career, since most skaters won't make it to senior international competition, much less compete for championship medals. For younger skaters, up to most JGP competitors, skating is still kind of a hobby - albeit an intense, expensive and time-consuming one - so getting along and enjoying skating together should be at the top; you'd hope that young teams are at least friends. But at a some point skating becomes more of a job than a hobby and the 'business partner' type relationship can work well for some senior teams. Even looking through the gender dynamics, there's a very limited set of potential partners, so if they can agree on goals, training, finances, programmes, have respect for what they each bring to the partnership and look out for one another's well-being, they're doing pretty well - you don't have to be besties with your work colleagues.
(An aside, did Matthews marry her last ice dance partner, or is the Pennington just a coincidence?)
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