U.S. Ice Dance 2019-20 season news & updates

I❤️Marina&Sergai

Active Member
Messages
71
Being in the UK I wasn’t able to catch the performances (Eurosport aren’t even showing the Euro champs) but I would be delighted if H & B could get the bronze and go to worlds. I really enjoyed the RD through the first part of the season but they had some quite difficult material to carry off in the FD, which I think effected their confidence. They are very talented and it would be great to see them enjoy their FD and qualify for worlds.
 

Lara111

Well-Known Member
Messages
565
Well if anything, I learned from watching tonight's broadcast of the RD at US nationals is that the US is just as ridiculous and political with their judging and calling as any other country, and Tanith Belbin isn't so much an impartial commentator as she's a paid spokesperson for US ice dance just reading off talking points.

I knew M&C were done when she opened with a criticism of their closeness, followed by her ignoring Ponoramenko fumbling the end of the Finstep. I thought she was going to start hyperventilating trying to pe-justify C&P getting a bronze (Yes Tanith, all the grabbing onto each other is super innovative choreography :rolleyes: ). She even had to throw in a bit of a snipe at H&B about their transitions (???) to undermine them after getting such a great response to their performance.

Congrats to Chock and Bates, becuase this thing is a done deal.
But M/C were not close enough. I noticed it even before Tanith mentioned it.
 

Yuri

Well-Known Member
Messages
813
I was wondering why there are only nine couples in championship ice dancing, whether it was the minimum scores or simply that's all the teams that exist in the USA. Just seems incredible to me after the international successes of Tanith & Ben, Meryl & Charlie, the Shibutanis, plus having three top 10 in in the World couples here that US ice dancing depth is so thin at the senior level beyond the top six. I would have thought there would have been more of a grass roots boom. Does the USA have a deeper developing team in juvenile, intermediates, and novices? I miss not seeing novice dance.
 

AYS

🌻
Messages
24,660
Her husband Charlie was very even-handed over on NBC Sports Gold Stream. It was a good choice to subscribe and avoid the hype over on regular NBC Sports.
I was just going to say this; Charlie's commentary was nothing like what casken describes. He's really developed well.

Even my husband, who doesn't give a feck about skating anymore but was casually watching/listening asked "who's that commentating, he's doing a great job, informative, interesting.."
 

Jammers

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,558
I was wondering why there are only nine couples in championship ice dancing, whether it was the minimum scores or simply that's all the teams that exist in the USA. Just seems incredible to me after the international successes of Tanith & Ben, Meryl & Charlie, the Shibutanis, plus having three top 10 in in the World couples here that US ice dancing depth is so thin at the senior level beyond the top six. I would have thought there would have been more of a grass roots boom. Does the USA have a deeper developing team in juvenile, intermediates, and novices? I miss not seeing novice dance.
Yeah at Canadian Nats there were as many teams there competing as here at US Nats and Canada hasn't had the depth that the US has had especially in the last 6-7 years.
 

Lara111

Well-Known Member
Messages
565
I was wondering why there are only nine couples in championship ice dancing, whether it was the minimum scores or simply that's all the teams that exist in the USA. Just seems incredible to me after the international successes of Tanith & Ben, Meryl & Charlie, the Shibutanis, plus having three top 10 in in the World couples here that US ice dancing depth is so thin at the senior level beyond the top six. I would have thought there would have been more of a grass roots boom. Does the USA have a deeper developing team in juvenile, intermediates, and novices? I miss not seeing novice dance.
This sport is extremely expensive, hard logistically with just a few training centers, very political (it kills the motivation). Coaches often focus on one -two couples and not supporting others which drives athletes to quit, thus not many athletes continue in their late teens.
 

her grace

Team Guignard/Fabbri
Messages
6,493
I was wondering why there are only nine couples in championship ice dancing, whether it was the minimum scores or simply that's all the teams that exist in the USA. Just seems incredible to me after the international successes of Tanith & Ben, Meryl & Charlie, the Shibutanis, plus having three top 10 in in the World couples here that US ice dancing depth is so thin at the senior level beyond the top six. I would have thought there would have been more of a grass roots boom. Does the USA have a deeper developing team in juvenile, intermediates, and novices? I miss not seeing novice dance.

The technical minimums got rid of the teams that had no business being there anyway.

Additionally, none of the junior teams that aged out after 2018-2019 made the leap to seniors together. Haines/Zozuta: she retired, he was looking for a new partner, but I don't think he found one. Efimova/Petrov: she retired, he is skating at nationals with new partner Shilling

I suspect it's because of the logjam at the top that teams are choosing to split/retire after finishing juniors. If I had a elite ice dancer daughter, I would tell her I'm paying for college once she's 18, not continuing to fund skating at the senior level where she can enjoy finishing 7th-tops and maybe get a Sr B per season. It may be different for the boys, who can expect the girls to at least partially fund their training.

The depth at the lower levels looks fine to me.
 

Yuri

Well-Known Member
Messages
813
Thanks, everybody. I had a family member compete in Championship Dance back in the day under the old 6.0 system, and this was my first Nationals in over 20 years. For sure everything is way more competitive and expensive now, and of course there were no minimum technical scores. But even then 12-15 senior couples was about the maximum.
 

Frau Muller

From Puerto Rico…With Love! Not LatinX!
Messages
22,098
Even with the tech minimums...one team in particular seemed very weak this year...but no Sr dance team this year was as downright clutzy as were some last year. The minimums-requirement seems to be working.
 

Katesk8sgr8s

Member
Messages
82
Could someone please explain to me the idea of key points? I was hearing some talk about the different teams (so and so got their key points, so and so did not get their key points, etc.) Where are these listed?
 

nimi

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,682
Could someone please explain to me the idea of key points? I was hearing some talk about the different teams (so and so got their key points, so and so did not get their key points, etc.) Where are these listed?
The key points for Tea-Time Foxtrot (the RD pattern dance element for juniors) and Finnstep (the RD pattern dance element for seniors) are listed on p. 6 of this ISU document: https://isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/20804-isu-communication-2239/file

This thread has links to instructional videos and stuff: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ts-for-technical-rules-season-2019-20.105532/
 

Katesk8sgr8s

Member
Messages
82
The key points for Tea-Time Foxtrot (the RD pattern dance element for juniors) and Finnstep (the RD pattern dance element for seniors) are listed on p. 6 of this ISU document: https://isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/20804-isu-communication-2239/file

This thread has links to instructional videos and stuff: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ts-for-technical-rules-season-2019-20.105532/
Thank you. So if I wanted to see if a team got key points, I would look where?
 

VarBar

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,465
Caroline Green is incredibly mature for her young age, she looks confident and fearless on just about everything she does out there on the ice. She would need a little bit of 'remodelling' though for a bigger impact because she is not naturally glamorous but rather the girl next door. The team of Green/Parsons is showing a lot of promise in my opinion.
 

PRlady

Cowardly admin
Staff member
Messages
45,796
Thank you.

Some of us have been watching dance for 20 years and can’t identify whether a skater hit thekey points unless there’s a noticeable trip or problem. I think you had to be a skater at a certain level to see it. Me, I just read what Braulio says. :)

And Caroline is only 16. The glamour pusses will get ahold of her. I remember how natural Nazarova looked in her wood-nymph period, now long gone.
 

georgiana08

Active Member
Messages
96
I agree that Caroline seems very mature for age. If I didn't know better, I would never have guessed there were eight years between her and Michael. She also doesn't skate like someone just out of juniors.

However, I'm not sure what kind of glamour makeover she really needs right now. I thought her hair and makeup was very flattering throughout the season. Although maybe some help with her costumes is in order? I don't know who Wheaton uses, but I've never found their work particularly impressive.
 

Spun Silver

Well-Known Member
Messages
12,130
Caroline Green is incredibly mature for her young age, she looks confident and fearless on just about everything she does out there on the ice. She would need a little bit of 'remodelling' though for a bigger impact because she is not naturally glamorous but rather the girl next door. The team of Green/Parsons is showing a lot of promise in my opinion.
She looks much more glamorous than girl next door to me. Strong features, dark coloring, and fierce face. Perfect for ice dance! She is uncannily mature for her age, both in skating and appearance. They're already such a fascinating team!
 

Katesk8sgr8s

Member
Messages
82
Thank you for asking these questions! I learned something new today about the ice dance score tracker thanks to your line of questioning.
You’re welcome. Trying to learn. I noticed that two senior teams got yes for all 4 key points (Haw/Bake and Green/Parsons) and one junior team got yes for all 8 key points (Wolfkostin/Chen). I was trying to see how much the technical strength counts when all is said and done. Possibly I got too much time on my hands tonight.
 
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Katesk8sgr8s

Member
Messages
82
She looks much more glamorous than girl next door to me. Strong features, dark coloring, and fierce face. Perfect for ice dance! She is uncannily mature for her age, both in skating and appearance. They're already such a fascinating team!
Fierce, yes! And in a team that is both expressive and technically strong.
 
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aftershocks

Banned Member
Messages
17,317
That's too bad for Kaitlin and Jean-Luc. They had a good RD going. I think they lost about 6 points. They probably would be sitting in 4th at the moment, just ahead of Wang/Liu, if not for that freak double fall at the tail end of their program. :(

Neck 'n neck for Hubbell/Donahue and Chock/Bates... But I think internationally that's how it has played out previously in the RD, which is why it was interesting that Chock/Bates came solidly ahead in the RD at U.S. Nationals (albeit that both teams were very slightly off in the RD at U.S. Nats). But both skated great in the FD at U.S. Nats, with C/B's program being more interesting and captivating which gives them a slight advantage in that respect.
 

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