Whose split or demise surprised you the most? Pick three.

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Im in the mood for a poll. What can I say?

Now that we have confirmation that Stolbova & Klimov have split. Whose recent (ly) split surprised you the most?

Disclaimers-

1. Yes, I know Im probably forgetting someone
2. Pick three for this poll
3. Being that S&K are the most recent I hope people dont go only with the most fresh in their memory.
4. USA teams split on the monthly (lol) so Im not going with all USA possibilities
5. Only 10 slots available so I tried to go with most notable. No retirements considered. Also refer back to disclaimer #1.
6. I think Min & Gamelin are back together. hmmm.
7. Happy Birthday to ANL

 

[Flip Jump]

The split of Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates.

 

[aliceanne]

Yankowska/Coughlin was the biggest disappointment because they had just placed 6th at Worlds, which was a way better than anyone had dared to hope for from a U.S. pair in a long time.

Illynich/Katsalopov was even more inexplicable as they had just won an Olympic medal.

Seguin/Bilodeau was just sad as 2 years before they looked like the future Canadian champions.

 

[theredpepper]

McLaughlin/Brubaker

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^^ If I had room they (like others) woulda been added but they split longer ago than the 10 in this poll

 

[caseyedwards]

I just knew when I/k didn’t medal at nhk 2013 they were going to break up. I’m shocked it took as long as it did- That they actually completed the season. It showed they had no future regardless of the Olympic bronze they would win. Because it was only bronze. It meant nothing because they should have won gold easily. They couldn’t even medal at a gp event because of their horrible and extreme hatred for each other when they were partners.

 

[mattiecat13]

I will never get over Yankowskas and Coughlin breaking up.

 

[Vagabond]

Davankova/Morozov. I thought they'd grow middle-aged/old together.

 

[Emerald66]

Elena and Nikita obviously. I would've loved to have seen an epic rivalry between them and the French. Too bad.
They aren't in the poll but what about Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran? I remember reading that they had split and my mouth dropped. They had just won the bronze medal at World's too.

 

[mirage]

Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier

 

[barbarafan]

Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier

I so agree....They were marvelous. Their last year was extremely hard as Vanessa was very ill and was not able to train often. A split was announced. I believe (from insiders on this forum) that Vanessa had expressed desire to leave coaching situation to Paul. Paul reported to Carole Lane and next thing Paul split with her. Vanessa seemed to float over the ice and they rose quickly to prominence with good marks so this leads me to believe what others have said about her good skating skills. It is said that at the time there were no free Cdn dance men free at the time. At one pt apparently she tried out with someone from the States which worked well but Skate Canada would not go for it.

 

[mjb52]

I was devastated by I/K (even though it happened at the time when I was probably following skating the absolute least I have done ever); nonetheless, I feel like somehow by the time it happened the writing was really on the wall so it didn't feel surprising particularly, Olympic medals or no.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier

I had the privilege of seeing this team skate live and in person at the 2009 Four Continents Championships in Vancouver. I thought their free skate together was sublime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAoaheeAWPo

 

[Cachoo]

No Michelle Kwan and Frank Carroll? Well then Elena and Nikita for sure....

 

[dramagrrl]

I still think Paul would have fared better if he had stayed with Vanessa. They had extremely good basics and some of the most interesting choreography in the world when they were together. I had the privilege of seeing them skate live at the 2010 Olympics and other competitions and I think their skating came across bigger and better live than on TV. In this many seasons with Piper, Paul hasn't done much more than match the results he had with Vanessa.

(To add to @barbarafan's post above, it was Keiffer Hubbell, Madison's brother, that Vanessa tried to pair up with, but apparently neither USFS or SC would release them.)

 

[genevieve]

Yankowska/Coughlin was the biggest disappointment because they had just placed 6th at Worlds, which was a way better than anyone had dared to hope for from a U.S. pair in a long time.

Yeah, that was like, the US just does NOT want to have competitive pairs, ever.

I also voted for Peng/Zhang/Yu/Jin for the and sheer fcukery of federation meddling.

 

[tony]

For me, Yankowskas and Coughlin for the reasons already mentioned, the way the whole Ilynikh and Katsalapov split went down and how she found out from an article/online during the start of Worlds that season, and most recently Seguin and Bilodeau because I think their LP in particular last season was fantastic and they had clean skates at both Nationals and the Olympics.

 

[barbarafan]

I still think Paul would have fared better if he had stayed with Vanessa. They had extremely good basics and some of the most interesting choreography in the world when they were together. I had the privilege of seeing them skate live at the 2010 Olympics and other competitions and I think their skating came across bigger and better live than on TV. In this many seasons with Piper, Paul hasn't done much more than match the results he had with Vanessa.

(To add to @barbarafan's post above, it was Keiffer Hubbell, Madison's brother, that Vanessa tried to pair up with, but apparently neither USFS or SC would release them.)

Thank-you...I thought that was who it was but wasn't sure so did not put it. My memory is not the greatest. I think in the posting I saw it just was CDN fed. against it but I could have missed it.

 

[Bellanca]

Seguin & Bilodeau, Muramoto & Reed, Ilinykh & Katsalapov, but I can’t say that many (if any) pair’s team split or demise raise an eyebrow anymore.

I believe that pairs have evolved into business partnerships with the understanding and desire that might include but not necessarily be limited to the possibility of future financial success, among other things… thus bypassing partnership loyalty, etc., and especially when one partner might be aging or injury-prone.

Friction and incompatibility can be set aside until it can’t. However, it probably doesn’t matter too much if the pair’s team gets along or not, so long as mutual goals and agreements are not forgotten.

 

[mirage]

I still think Paul would have fared better if he had stayed with Vanessa. They had extremely good basics and some of the most interesting choreography in the world when they were together. I had the privilege of seeing them skate live at the 2010 Olympics and other competitions and I think their skating came across bigger and better live than on TV. In this many seasons with Piper, Paul hasn't done much more than match the results he had with Vanessa.

(To add to @barbarafan's post above, it was Keiffer Hubbell, Madison's brother, that Vanessa tried to pair up with, but apparently neither USFS or SC would release them.)

And Paul & Vanessa were still very young at 19 & 20. Paul & Piper are soon to be 27 and have had the benefit of adult maturity and development to call on and they are still only barely close to what Paul & Vanessa achieved.

I had heard Vanessa & Keiffer in the very short time they skated together were really good and their style and lines complimented and matched one another from the get go.

 

[blue_idealist]

And Paul & Vanessa were still very young at 19 & 20. Paul & Piper are soon to be 27 and have had the benefit of adult maturity and development to call on and they are still only barely close to what Paul & Vanessa achieved.

I had heard Vanessa & Keiffer in the very short time they skated together were really good and their style and lines complimented and matched one another from the get go.

I think Crone & Poirier might have been world medallists (probably not champions, but medallists) if they'd stayed together. After all, they were beating W/P regularly and W/P have been world medallists. Whereas Gilles/Poirier have only beaten W/P once, I believe (last year's Canadian Nationals).

 

[dramagrrl]

I agree that Crone and Poirier may have been world medallists by now, whereas I think that if Gilles and Poirier ever manage a world medal, it will be in a weak season where many of the top teams are taking a break or are out with injuries, etc.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I never saw Paul compete with Vanessa. Were they that good? Because I think him and Gilles really rock it. They're one of three teams Im most excited to watch.

They are just so different from other teams that they make you watch them. Also he is one of my husbands so there's that…

 

[Areski]

Ilinykh / Katsalapov (albeit to be fair I did not follow Figure Skating super closely in that particular time).

 

[barbarafan]

I never saw Paul compete with Vanessa. Were they that good? Because I think him and Gilles really rock it. They're one of three teams Im most excited to watch.

They are just so different from other teams that they make you watch them. Also he is one of my husbands so there's that…

Yes they were that good.....Also the quirk was natural with them.....not contrived.

 

[mag]

(To add to @barbarafan's post above, it was Keiffer Hubbell, Madison's brother, that Vanessa tried to pair up with, but apparently neither USFS or SC would release them.)

This should simply not be allowed. I understand when the Fed involved has actually put a lot of money into a skater (Russia, China) but neither the USFSA nor Skate Canada put any significant amount of money into their skaters so skaters should be free to go where there is a partner. I think it would get great if feds had to prove they have spent say $100000 on a skater if they wish to hold them. Anything less and skaters are free to go where they please.

 

[barbarafan]

This should simply not be allowed. I understand when the Fed involved has actually put a lot of money into a skater (Russia, China) but neither the USFSA nor Skate Canada put any significant amount of money into their skaters so skaters should be free to go where there is a partner. I think it would get great if feds had to prove they have spent say $100000 on a skater if they wish to hold them. Anything less and skaters are free to go where they please.

I do not think that it was the money that made the Cdn Fed refuse. The swamp of the CDN Fed has been partially drained and some of the good ole boys are gone ...but this is new. So the Fed has favoured skaters and coaches. They are in charge of who gets to skate anywhere and to a certain extent how they place. If a skater made waves about their decisions they could punish them. ie Fine.....enjoy skating in Arthabaska...forever. So they do their hush hush thing. I am Canadian and for the most part I think Canadians are great,fair kind etc. but there are bad apples everywhere and SH**IT always rises to the top. I only found out a long time later the reasons for the original split and I found out about the tryout a month or 2 ago prob. on this forum so I really am not in the know about details of what went down when the kids wanted to skate together but I do think it was really shi**tty of someone or someones.

 

[Mad for Skating]

I have to go with Stolbova/Klimov not because they’re fresh in my mind, but because they were one of my favorite teams ever and there’s no one like them in the whole world and I just love them so much and now I’m crying because Fedor is retiring and UGH LET’S NOT TALK ABOUT IT

Seguin/Bilodeau were also hard for me. And Savchenko/Szolkowy were just unexpected.

I never saw Paul compete with Vanessa. Were they that good? Because I think him and Gilles really rock it. They're one of three teams Im most excited to watch.

They are just so different from other teams that they make you watch them. Also he is one of my husbands so there's that…

I loved Crone/Poirier together, you really should check them out!!!

 

[shutterbug]

I never saw Paul compete with Vanessa. Were they that good? Because I think him and Gilles really rock it. They're one of three teams Im most excited to watch.

I am not much of an ice dance fan, but always enjoyed Crone and Poirier and looked forward to their innovative programs every year. This was my favorite of their free dances: 2010 Worlds FD. The complexity of the program still blows me away. The variation in dance holds is amazing.

 

[dramagrrl]

I am not much of an ice dance fan, but always enjoyed Crone and Poirier and looked forward to their innovative programs every year. This was my favorite of their free dances: 2010 Worlds FD. The complexity of the program still blows me away. The variation in dance holds is amazing.

I also completely loved this program. Re-watching their old programs is making me sad because they were so good and had so much potential as a team.