Rachael has problems with posture, speed, power, flexibility, and body line... Pretty much the exact opposite of Rockne. Why would she want to give up singles anyway? She gave up pairs so many years ago to focus on singles.Originally Posted by PolymerBob
Caroline and Mirai aren't much taller than Rachael, I know some random sites have Mirai listed as 5'5" but she's really only about 5'3.5", she was visibly shorter than Mao and Laura (who are 5'4.5") at the small medal ceremony at worlds, and as for Caroline, I think she is shorter than Mirai, her isu bio says 158 cm (5'2") and in those pictures from 4CC she looked about the same height if not shorter than 5'3" Akiko, and much shorter than Mao, I think the 5'4" on icenetwork is a stretch. I don't think Rachael would be good for pairs, but I think Caroline could probably do better in it than she is doing in singles now, plus her bendyness would come in handy.
Caroline's jumps are way too small for pairs, it would look like a man skating with a little girl. Besides she can't land her salchow either. Racheal is a singles skater, I can't imagine her in pairs.. why waste that 3/3?
As for Mirai's height, no way is she 5"5. I am 5"6 and she is much shorter than me. maybe 5"5 with her blades on.
Some good points. Rachael has all her triples and a 3f-3t, it wouldn't be tactical for her to switch to pairs. I don't know if the icenetwork or even isu stats are accurate, I mean icenetwork says Alena Leonova is 5'5" but she's like 5'2", and it says Elene G is 5'3" and I don't think she's even 5 feet. Caroline and Mirai are a lot taller than they used to be, but they are both still petite.
I would say Alissa but she's lefty and is probably retiring soon anyways, and she actually is about 5'5
Can't see Czisny as a pairs skater. Same with Rachel.
Czisny wouldn't make a good pairs skater. She doesn't do salchow at all, and her 3T is one of her most inconsistent jumps. There would be even more pressure on her to complete jumps in pairs, so her subpar nerves would sabotage her as much in pairs as in singles.
OTOH, Rachael has all of the jumps, and she's a consistent performer, but there's no reason for her to give up a successful singles career for pairs.
Not to mention Alissa is WAY to tall for a pair skater, especially with the relatively short Rockne Brubaker.
Some girls in pairs are in the 5'4"-5'6" range, it may be harder for them but it doesn't mean they can't be successful in pairs. Ashley Cain just won the novice title in pairs and she's tall, and Amanda Dobbs is also doing well in pairs despite her height. I'm not sure it's as big a deal as some people think...
But aren't most people commenting on how short Brubaker is as well? Given that he split up with Miller because the height difference was getting too small, I can see that being a huge factor here.
Of course, none of the singles ladies will do pairs for various reasons anyway.
its a big deal because rockne is relatively short.
Their partners are over 6 feet tall. Rockne is of course quite a bit shorter than that, so it is a big deal. The girls who are taller tend to struggle with some of the pair elements anyway.
MOST figure skaters are shorter than average - I'm sure someone more versed in physics could explain better, but it's harder for the taller guys to jump and rotate steadily - slightly off center puts the effort more off kilter than it does for shorter people. There's also the gorilla- flea model for pairs since it's much easier for a big guy to throw and lift a tiny girl. Since the USSR started that model with success, there aren't as many pairs teams where the 2 are more evenly sized (like ice dancers). Babilonia and Gardner are examples of pairs of like height.
Bradley and Verner have some of the best quads out there, and both are about 6' tall. Sure, they might not be very consistent skaters but the fact that they can do such incredible quads sort of makes your argument hard to believe
Alissa is definitely too tall for Rockne, and although Rachael isn't fat, I think she's too heavy for pairs.
UGH...here we go again...
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