No the problem was there last season too, it's just getting more noticeable the longer they go on. Sorry I should have said she "outgrew" him, and not still "outgrowing" him. It happened to Hubbell and her brother as well. People didn't want to acknowledge that was the problem either, until they were forced to break up.
Well last season was their best season ever, so obviously they can deal with it. Sure, it's something they have to manage, but if she hasn't grown since last season, that's not the only thing going on. Probably not the main thing.
I think the lack of height difference is a factor, but it's not nearly as big a deal as in pairs, where it affects lifts, twists. It mainly just makes the lifts harder, right? Or does it affect a lot of the other elements. Because despite the rough start to the season, we know they have strong twizzles, skate super close and have great skating skills (=capable of good patterns, step sequences), their spins have been level 4 with +GOE this year. And even the lifts, every single lift this year has been level 4 with +GOE.
Breaking it down by competition (elements I don't mention were level 4, +GOE):
- Ondrej Nepela: SD had level 3 PSt and Rhumba, FD had CiSt3 and DiSt2 (overall came 2nd, 163.14 total score)
- Rostelecom Cup: SD had level 3 PSt, NtCiSt and Rhumba, level one twizzles (-GOE), FD had level one twizzles (-GOE), DiSt2 and CiSt3 (7th, 148.75 total score)
- Skate America: SD had level 2 PSt, NtCiSt and Rhumba, level 3 twizzles, FD had level 3 twizzles (-GOE), CiSt2, DiSt2 (9th, 145.54 total score)
- Overall: PSt (3,3,2), RH (3,3,2), NtCiSt (4,3,2), CiSt (3,3,2), DiSt (2,2,2)
Nepela was a good comp for them. They didn't get all their levels, but it was pretty early in the season, so that's normal. At Rostelecom, their main issue was majorly messing up the twizzles both times, though again they didn't get all their levels. At Skate America, the levels were low (though they were for everyone except the Shibs, super strict tech panel) and the twizzles were better, but still rough.
For the levels, having the FD CiSt at level 3 is typical for even the top teams (H/D were the only team in the top ten at Worlds to get level four on the CiSt/SeSt in the FD). The level 2 on that element at SA wasn't good, but almost all the teams there were really hammered in levels, so it's hard to say. The DiSt has consistently been level 2, which is a definite problem. Level 3 would be fine (only V/M and P/C got DiSt4 from the top 10 teams at Worlds), but 2 is low.
In the SD, you'd like to see level 4 on the rhumba, but 3 isn't terrible (two teams in the top 10 at Worlds got level 3 on the midnight blues pattern, and that was the end of the season). The same is true for the PSt, except that only V/M got level 4 on that at Worlds. And for the NtMiSt from last season, only V/M and H/D got the level 4 at Worlds. All those level 2s from SA were not good. As I mentioned, that was an unusually tough tech caller, but I also don't think they're skating with as much confidence, so again who knows.
For the SD, their PCs have gone from 30.76 at ONT, to 29.29 at CoR, to 28.56 at SA. For the FD, their PCs have gone from 47.58 at ONT, to 45.82 at CoR, to 43.98 at SA.
So unless we think it's the lack of height difference that's messing up their footwork levels, then the height is not the issue. And maybe the height does affect that. I wouldn't think so, but I'm no expert on that. I think their programs aren't as good this year, they're a little intimidated by the move to seniors and now that they've started to make some mistakes, they're probably struggling with confidence. And maybe there are tech issues with their footwork this season, whether it's an issue with them or with how the sequences were designed, or both.
Last season (2 JGPs, JGPF, JW), in the SD, they got all level 4s except on the NiMiSt, which was mostly level 3 (it was 4 at one of their JGPs). In the FD, they got CiSt (3,3,3,4), DiSt (2,3,3,3). So the biggest change is the levels they're getting on the DiSt, the PSt and the pattern.
*I know Worlds isn't the best comparison, but I was only going to spend so long on this, and the top teams were there.
I've been a big fan of the Wheaton program. However, they have really done this team a disservice. Their packaging is all wrong and the team's confidence is gone. A more experienced coaching staff would have helped them and M/C have better senior debuts. It reminds me of when Kiliakov and co. were starting out and pushing M/C up a level every year, even when they weren't in the top three at nationals. Or when they gave the Phams that ridiculous program where she portrayed a ghost woman and he a dying man when they were 11 and 12-year-olds. The coaches have corrected these sorts of errors, but M/C and the Parsons are (were?) too good to have their senior careers be an experiment. In other words, Wheaton better figure out the senior circuit quickly or I hope both teams move on to other coaches.
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