I'll be very interested to see how this works out. For the most part I enjoyed, but did not rate this team. My favourite programme of theirs was the Dracula Free Dance which I think suited them down to the ground and was interpeted very well.
I was surprised to see that Maurizio has been working as a technical specialist. Given that technique was always his weak point, I hope he learned something along the way and improved his own skating in the process!
Ugh and double Ugh! I never liked this team, and thought "I Will Survive" the worst FD I ever saw.
AFAIK, they won't be doing any competitions until Torino (unless they try their programs out at Euros). It seems they expect to skate in at the last minute and grab the OGM.
They've never skated under CoP, and although Maurizio did a couple of stints as a caller, he was never as skilled as Barbara when it came to skating---remember his fall in the middle of the FD at SLC? Now Ice Dance is a lot harder and more difficult skills are commonplace. The other teams have had 3 years to gradually bring up the difficulty level. I think Barbara can handle it, but Maurizio---NOT.
Recognizing a technical move and being able to perform it well don't necessarily require the same talents.Originally Posted by diver chick
Margaglio could certainly perform all the basic moves needed for the international compulsories. The quality might not always have been top-notch.
I'm curious as to how both this team and the Lithuanians, assuming they do compete, will do with the new system. All the other teams have had a few years to work up to doing level 4 twizzles and level 3 step sequences, etc., and those two returning teams are going to have to develop those skills, which were never their strengths in the past, in a hurry to be competitive.
I love F-P & M, and I'm glad they're not gone. I was cheering them on when they were in Salt Lake City. I always hated how people would say that Barbara was stuck up. She may be a little dramatic compared to some, but it's ice dance, it's supposed to be dramatic. Other than jumps, spins, and throws: Being more dramatic, is one of the reasons it's differs from pairs.
Anyways, can't wait to see them. And thank you, Teresa Dawn, for letting us know.
Your Welcome Annie
They weren't my favorites. But i'll be happy to see them back. None of the current ice dance teams wow me.
She is a better ice dancer than he is. He would benefit from some ballroom dance instruction.
What I always found rather odd about the disparity of their individual dance abilities is this: Barbara does not strike me as being the type of woman who tolerates any kind of BS. ANY kind. Seems to me that at some point she would have FORCED Maurizio to pick up his skills to match hers. But, given the fact that I've always suspected that their elevation to the top of the podium was an extremely political maneuver, maybe she figured it didn't really matter.
I don't think you should all be so hard on Maurizio. The poor guy is trying his best to skate, but his feet and skates keep getting in the way!
I'm not sure it's as simple as this. FP&M always had a good speed. Perhaps had she compromised and gone for slower skating style, he would have been able to exhibit better technique. As it was, I don't think there was much he could do.
Regardless of todays' sexism, I am most comfortable watching a couple where the male partner has the lead. I can not imagine anyone taking the lead away from Barbara. Too bad, because she ruined her dance, made him look like a wimp, and made every man watching to know that this is someone they would never marry.
Something can be said for an excellent 'follow'.
Joe
I know several men who would have married her in an instant precisely because she takes the lead, and they'd be laughing all the way home at anyone's criticism that they were wimps.
I agree with you - that was a horrible long program! This team will have the home ice advantage, and hopefully, the judges won't be swayed by the many Italian fans who will be cheering like mad for their countrymen. If they skate great programs and win a medal - terrific! If they skate "cheesy" programs and/or sloppy programs and win a medal - give me a break.All well and good (and not especially surprising), but all I gotta say is, their free dance better be a heck of a lot better than that cheesy disco thing they had the nerve to show up and present at SLC. Having them around, though, is going to make the Dance competition even MORE interesting....
So would the men who don't like domination but do enjoy sharing.
Joe
I don't think this is an issue of "Barbara taking the lead" or of "sharing"; Barbara is a considerably better SKATER than Maurizio. Period.
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