Best/worst matched pairs and dance teams

dutchherder · Feb 22, 2007

Okay, so who do you think are the pairs teams who are best/worst matched and what dance teams do you think are best/worst matched? You may use any criteria you like: skating skill, how well they connect with each other/the audience, even which teams are the most visually appealing as a pair.

dancindiva03 · Feb 22, 2007

I know a lot of people are wild about Naomi and Themi, but they seem sort of mismatched to me. Maybe mismatched is not quite the right word, but they seem not to relate to each other at all on the ice. I know that this is only their second Nationals together but still, they look like two singles skaters that just happen to be on the ice together. I&B, technically she is far better than he is but at least they relate well to each other. Sometimes a little too well, I could do without seeing him make out with her after every performance.

In dance, in terms of a physical mismatch Davis and White come to mind. Its not just the height difference, but the proportions. He is fairly long-limbed while she has very short limbs and a long torso. However, their unison and the closeness and precision with which they skate helps them to overcome a lot of the physical differences. Conversely, Gregory & Petukhov are physically a perfect match, both tall and slim and long limbed, but not equally matched in terms of skill. Or at least they didn't used to be. She has narrowed the gap a lot in the last few years. I still think that he is technically the better one, but she balances it out by being the more expressive one. A lot like the pair if Ina & Zimmerman. She was very technical but sometimes cold and remote in competitions, while he was very expressive and outgoing but not always as neat and precise as she was.

blue_idealist · Feb 22, 2007

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I agree about Davis and White.

I think also Denkova and Staviyski.. she is almost the same height as him.

I know they are retired, but Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz come to mind. She was too heavy for a small guy like him.

blue dog · Feb 23, 2007

Mismatched in terms of ability-- Fusar-Poli and Margaglio
I guess some might see this as a good match, but to me, he almost always took a backseat to her in their skating, so to me it's not a good match -- Grischuk and Platov

Another team where the man seemed to take a back seat to me are Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze. After they broke up they seemed not to relate well to one another. They are good enough actors that they can fake it, but it always seemed like Yelena had this glossy-eyed look; like she was somewhere else and just going through the motions.

With the current crop, sometimes I find Zhang and Zhang to be...mismatched. I don't know what it is--I just don't feel moved by them.

Spun Silver · Feb 23, 2007

I love Davis and White as a couple. They skate so well together that it doesn't even occur to me they might be considered a mismatch. More like a pair of perfectly matched opposites - salt and pepper, red and white wine, black & white chesspieces...

fml99 · Feb 23, 2007

Shen & Zhao

Amazing match. Well suited in terms of height and abilities AND they relate beautfully to each other and the audience. Absolutely phenomenal.

Spun Silver · Feb 23, 2007

Yes, and it can never be said too often! (And I'm not being sarcastic!) :love:

Tonichelle · Feb 23, 2007

best matches for pairs
Gordeeva and Grinkov, Sale and Pelletier...

nuge · Feb 23, 2007

Hoffman/Elek really don't seem matched to me .They've skated together since they were youngsters and she has overtaken him.Nora is a beautiful dancer and a better skater than him IMO .Atilla is too short and they have never looked quite right to me especially when they do low spins it looks a little weird .It's a shame .There were rumours they were splitting last year .Such a shame for them this year with the injury .

swizzletwizzle · Feb 23, 2007

Spun Silver said:
I love Davis and White as a couple. They skate so well together that it doesn't even occur to me they might be considered a mismatch. More like a pair of perfectly matched opposites - salt and pepper, red and white wine, black & white chesspieces...

ITA! Davis and White are so good together, even with the mismatch, I couldn't picture them skating with anyone else!

TtonyV7 · Feb 23, 2007

Strong Matches;:
Abitbol and Bernadis: Style wise and technical wise, very well suited.
Dubriel and Lauzon

No-So Strong Matches:

Lang and Tchernyshev: He was always stronger and they never really gel perfectly; nevertheless they did put out some nice programs and she did improve a great deal.

Langlois and Archetto: Individually they were strong which help them create some success, but just not the right pairing.

CzarinaAnya · Feb 23, 2007

Worst Pairing

Pairs
Themi & NNN ( he needs more upper body strength)
Obertas & Slavnov (ditto)

Dance
Matthews & Zavozin

Fredegunda · Feb 23, 2007

I only saw Weaver and Poje skate their FD and exhibition at Canadians but I really thought that they were very well matched physically.

Although I love Dube and Davison, they strike me as being an odd match physically speaking. Jessica seems much more compact while Bryce seems a bit gangly and thin. Maybe if he fills out more I will have a different impression.

I see I commented on the appearance of a pairs/dance match rather than skills. Does anyone know if skateres' appearance together can affect judging? Have judges ever told a pair or dance couple that they should change their appearance to better match each other or even find new partners?

persimmon · Feb 23, 2007

Fredegunda said:
I see I commented on the appearance of a pairs/dance match rather than skills. Does anyone know if skateres' appearance together can affect judging? Have judges ever told a pair or dance couple that they should change their appearance to better match each other or even find new partners?

I have heard of teams being told by judges that they "prefer" when the girl looks like x and the boy looks like y. For example, I know of one incident with judges telling a pairs team that they like the look of a short, blonde girl matched with a tall, dark haired boy. And that a girl looks good on the ice when she looks tanned. The (brunette) girl then proceeded to dye her hair blonde and go to a tanning salon. I think that subconsciously every judge has a preconception of what the "perfect" team should look like, and they judge accordingly.

I do think that the look of a team has an impact on how they are perceived, and that's just the way it is. There isn't a "gorgeousness" category listed on the PCs, but skaters are being judged on how they present themselves, and looks are part of it. If a dance team competed with sloppy makeup, messy hair, and tattered, dirty costumes, it wouldn't matter if they skated like T&D, other teams would beat them.

Skaters know this too, I'm sure that more than one team has been told by someone (coach, judge, whoever) that some change in appearance wouldn't be a bad thing. I mean, someone must have been told Anissina to dye her hair. Did it affect their marks? You decide.

iloveaxel · Feb 23, 2007

Naomi and Themi:

I was originally quite wild about this pair. But after watching a couple of their competitions, I do feel Naomi's physique may not well equipped for pairs skating. She's compact, and has relatively big hips and butt. It really looks awkward when they do pairs elements such as death spirals, throws etc.

bestskate8 · Feb 23, 2007

Best: Gordeeva/Grinkov
Worst: Sale/Pelletier

dutchherder · Feb 24, 2007

I think Naomi and Themi look too much like singles skaters still. They look very different both physically and in style. It doesn't help that their LP costumes don't go together very well. I think they have potential, though, if only they would work on gelling as a team.

Dubreuil and Lauzon look fantastic together, and their costumes always complement each other. I've always liked the look of Belbin and Agosto. They look like night and day-- in a good way.

It's funny that so many people have mentioned Gordeeva and Grinkov and being perfectly matched, because I remember their receiving criticism when they first emerged on the world scene for being so physically mismatched-- his being so big and her small. Now that seems to be a desirable quality (the Zhangs, anyone?)

roller girl · Feb 24, 2007

Best:

Anissina & Peizerat

Gordeeva & Grinkov, Petrova & Tikhonov, Siudeks

Worst:

Obertas & Slavnov (I still like em, but they seems not match, specially her)

Domnina & Shabalin

iloveaxel · Feb 24, 2007

roller girl said:
Best:

Petrova & Tikhonov, Siudeks

Worst:

Obertas & Slavnov (I still like em, but they seems not match, specially her)

I'm sort of surprised by your choices, I will flip them around. :love:

To me, Pet & Tik, Siudeks are close-to-the-worst match in terms of their physique. Both men are big and overweight; the female partners are tiny. This makes their lifts great, but in terms of overall asthetic impression, it's not very appealing.

O&S are great although O's technical ability is a question mark these days.

roller girl · Feb 24, 2007

iloveaxel said:
I'm sort of surprised by your choices, I will flip them around.

To me, Pet & Tik, Siudeks are close-to-the-worst match in terms of their physique. Both men are big and overweight; the female partners are tiny. This makes their lifts great, but in terms of overall asthetic impression, it's not very appealing.

O&S are great although O's technical ability is a question mark these days.

If you think that way you are right, but I've think that speaking of connection to the partner, i mean, the chemistry between them, I like when I see that the men is caring abouth women, i don't know how to explain right :scratch: cos of my :disagree: english.

Talking about the tecnical I also like Savchenko & Szolkovy, the best actually :rock:

Best/worst matched pairs and dance teams

dutchherder

dancindiva03

Match Penalty

blue_idealist

blue dog

Trixie Schuba's biggest fan!

Spun Silver

fml99

Spun Silver

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll

nuge

swizzletwizzle

TtonyV7

CzarinaAnya

Fredegunda

persimmon

iloveaxel

Match Penalty

bestskate8

dutchherder

roller girl

iloveaxel

Match Penalty

roller girl

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