You left out a couple of US medals, added above.
In the list in my second post, I left out some medal mentions. But that's largely because I had already provided a brief rundown of U.S. pairs medalists in my first post in this thread (which covered the Meno/Sand and Kuchiki/Sand medal milestones I inadvertently left out in the second post). I was going to go back and add those mentions to the list, but I didn't get around to it before the editing window closed.
The list in my second post in this thread intentionally concentrated more on the number of U.S. pairs spots at Worlds from year-to-year in order to provide historical perspective. I did include additional references to what happened in particular years regarding medals, etc., but I did it at random, because the number of U.S. pairs spots was my main focus. As I said earlier, I was initially only planning to do a quick check and then a brief run-through from the 1970s forward, but I got completely hooked and began checking every year from the very beginning that pairs competition began, in 1908. Therefore, compiling the list took me hours.
There are many, many fascinating avenues to go down in every direction with the stats and the various historical tidbits and biographies of skaters, etc., including what was also happening in the larger culture during these various competitive periods in pairs history. For example, Meno/Sand were a very popular and well-respected team during their era. They were dedicated to focusing on the aesthetics of their skating, as well as being grounded in the solid technique they'd learned from their coach, John Nicks. Their desire was to explore and to highlight the significant connection between traditional dance/ballet aesthetic and movement qualities between two partners on the ice.
Meno/Sand were featured on the cover of
Dance Magazine (March 1996), with a nice interview inside. I may or may not still have a copy of that issue. I have been unable to find the cover photo online, surprisingly, since it's only about 23 years old. Fortunately, I was able to find the full article, so I'll link it below. It's fascinating to take a look back and recall how they met (they trained together under John Nicks with different partners: Scott Wendland and Natasha Kuchiki, respectively). Based on their description, Jenni & Todd got to know each other better during the Albertville Olympics in 1992. They talked a lot and discovered how similar their ideas and goals in skating were. As a result, they developed a passion to skate with each other. They were apparently very sensitive to and respectful in the way they broke the news to their respective partners, and to their coach, John Nicks. The rest is pairs skating history:
Free Online Library: Jenni Meno and Todd Sand: giving double pleasure in pairs skating.(Interview) by "Dance Magazine"; Arts, visual and performing Skaters Interviews
www.thefreelibrary.com
"... during the 1992 Winter Olympics. 'We became a lot closer, and talked about a lot of things,' Meno recalls. 'We realized we really wanted to skate together.' 'That was a magical couple of weeks,' adds Sand. 'Our lives really changed. It was a turning point in our lives, professionally and personally, although we didn't realize, it at the time.'"
Nicks said he had no clue about the connection that grew between Meno and Sand, so he was surprised when both pairs teams broke the news after 1992 Worlds, that Jenni and Todd would be skating together:
"'We took a big risk at the time, but we really believed in what we were doing,' Meno states. 'We had the same ideas about music, choreography, and what we wanted our skating to look like.' Notes Sand, 'We both wanted to skate to classical music, develop our line, do all the technically difficult things you must do to become a top pairs skater but make it look beautiful at the same time.' Nicks echoes the couple: 'Jenni and Todd went into the partnership with very similar goals and agreement about how to get there.' ... 'They care about how a throw double axel should be entered, performed, and exited, with great attention to the music. We spend hours listening to the music, to find out what the music is telling us about where to put these various elements.'"
The article also reminds us that Jenni and Todd both had a background in ballet training, and both (not unusually) were formerly singles skaters. As partners, they continued to take regular ballet barre classes with a teacher who was attuned to their needs. Reading this article again for the first time in so many years, I am struck by the fact that I'd actually forgotten how involved and pioneering Meno & Sand were in changing the way music was used and constructed for competitive pairs performances:
"[In 1995], they broke with the usual skaters' choice of music that is [edited], sometimes jarringly, into brief segments of different pieces (usually in order to create a fast-slow-fast structure) and went with one continuous piece, an orchestral version of the aria Nessun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot. 'They wanted to do something that was different from most competitive programs,' explains [their choreographer, Lea Ann] Miller ... 'They're both so musical, and they don't just go from trick to trick as some skaters do. They really crave steps. They have a musical sense you can't teach, and their bodies are so well matched. They push themselves, and have that desire to be different, and we got very exciting results. It's very unusual for a pair to have this kind of success in such a short time.'"
Re-reading this article after so many years, brings home to me in a very poignant way how revealing and important information that abounds in expansive connections, can be lost over time. As well, I'm reminded of how much we take the current moment for granted, without fully understanding or remembering how we got to here from there.
Sending a debt of gratitude to Jenni & Todd for their invaluable coaching expertise, and many joyful thanks to them for the lasting and unforgettable memories they created together on the ice.
A special thanks to John Nicks too, for his immeasurable contributions to the sport, and to the legacy of U.S. pairs skating!
I do remember it quite well, but I'm seeing this performance with new eyes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x14mYVPj3VY Meno/Sand fp 1995 Worlds to
Nessun Dorma
This performance is very special throughout with an amazing climax. Look at their variation moves in the death spiral, and the deathdrop dismount matching the music crescendo on their final lift.
It might be nice if some pairs today would try more variations like this in their death spirals. In addition, as we hear from the commentators, the counter direction moves on the lifts were apparently a developing innovation at that time.
