Pechalat and Bourzat find their groove

[ImaginaryPogue]

I was thinking more along the lines of, if they peaked they did so despite facing some challenging circumstances - hopefully they'll have fewer difficulties from here on out.

That's fair, but I'm gonna point out that they're the oldest team. No, being entirely unsure of the relative injury status of all the skater, I think they'll be MORE likely to have injuries than anyone else (we're not gonna know the full truth re: Virtue until after they retire, but based on public reports...). Heck, they had two health scares this past season.

Dance PCS are generally too high across the board... people like Dai, Patrick Chan, S/S and Carolina Kostner can only watch and weep. And anyway the judges owed P/B, they were underrated for years and didn't really get much love until they were the official French number 1s.

Also probably true, though even within that stanine, I still say they were massively overscored.

So W/P will become an overscored team with ugly-but-difficult lifts and boring FD music?

Yep. They plan on doing a mash-up of Requiem for a Dream and The Passion Begins for the Olympic season.

Less cavalierly, I actually think they're being quite daring with their choice of music/program next season. They had boring FD music in the past, though, with Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge (and while I love the music, "Blues for Klook").

Well, I love C/L and everyone knows it by now..but while there may be 2 Carmens at Finlandia..there is no real head to head competition between the two couples..and I have to say, I've had a bit of a sinking feeling about the number of program "coincidences" C/L have had in the last few years...If it's a tactic ( and I don't know if it is )..but if it is , I think they can only lose in the comparison.

How so? They chose "Love Story" (boring, but not a real copy), La Traviata, Requiem for a Dream (the year EVERYONE did - and they had the best one). They did do Umbrellas of Cherbourg, but recall they CHANGED to it after NHK and bombing that competition (she had a knee injury, apparently, but they called that program they're least favourite that they've skated). And yeah, La Strada, but I think the comparison works for them their, not against. Carmen has a lot of baggage, not least of which we're having competing coaches now. I don't think it's a tactic.

I'm really nervous about the SDs now that Doris has pointed out that the judges have no sound playback.. yet they're going to make more of an issue of timing than previously ?..not a promising scenario..

It'll be interesting, but timing should be the key component to a successful compulsory sequence that I don't mind too much.

[dorispulaski]

If you need voids, Buttercup, have you checked out Baturintseva's and Neskiy's SD
I've got to say, I haven't ever seen someone skate to Weird Al Yankovic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnHm_ajSHcY

And there is an issue with health & age, always. Whatever befalls you, it heals a bit slower as you get older. It's why my husband quit playing recreational hockey. He was a goalie, and was always get bruises & various other minor injuries. A bruise that would have healed in a day or two in his 20's was still sore in 5 days in his 30's. It just gets harder.

[Tonichelle]

If you need voids, Buttercup, have you checked out Baturintseva's and Neskiy's SD
I've got to say, I haven't ever seen someone skate to Weird Al Yankovic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnHm_ajSHcY

And there is an issue with health & age, always. Whatever befalls you, it heals a bit slower as you get older. It's why my husband quit playing recreational hockey. He was a goalie, and was always get bruises & various other minor injuries. A bruise that would have healed in a day or two in his 20's was still sore in 5 days in his 30's. It just gets harder.

I thought "Voidy" was supposed to be for "weird in a good way" type programs (I don't speak FSU very well, I admit)????

[dorispulaski]

Given that both colleen and Buttercup thought the topic of strategy in picking music in dance deserved its own thread, I have moved the posts on that topic to a new thread in The Edge.

Hopefully this thread will mostly discuss P&B's interview and their new programs..but it's OK if you want to do something different..

[Binthere]

Pretty impressive how strongly they are still going amidst a field of competitors considerably younger. Natalie will be 29 and Fabian 32 in December. Ice dance as a discipline seemed to traditionally have competitors at their age and still be reliably at the top. I think once the Kerr's retired, that left no other teams competing into their 30s.

Most of the girls at the top now are 22 to 26 years old, and guys 23 to 27.

Looking at ages, was surprised to see that Weaver and Poje are both older than Virtue and Moir. Both teams have been competing at the senior level for the same number of years.

The babies in the field are obviously Elena/Nikita and Maia/Alex. Both girls 18, boys 21 with Maia the youngest. Will be the 2024 season should those teams keep going as long as Natalie and Fabian.

[Buttercup]

Pretty impressive how strongly they are still going amidst a field of competitors considerably younger. Natalie will be 29 and Fabian 32 in December. Ice dance as a discipline seemed to traditionally have competitors at their age and still be reliably at the top. I think once the Kerr's retired, that left no other teams competing into their 30s.

Most of the girls at the top now are 22 to 26 years old, and guys 23 to 27.

Looking at ages, was surprised to see that Weaver and Poje are both older than Virtue and Moir. Both teams have been competing at the senior level for the same number of years.

The babies in the field are obviously Elena/Nikita and Maia/Alex. Both girls 18, boys 21 with Maia the youngest. Will be the 2024 season should those teams keep going as long as Natalie and Fabian.

Sometimes this is the result of when teams get together. V/M and D/W have been together since they were practically babies, and the Shibs teamed up young, too. When P/B were 18/21, they were still in juniors, having only teamed up two years earlier. The Kerrs started skating together at ages 22/20, I think, and John only switched to ice dance when he was 17 - with that in mind, it's impressive that they got as far as they did, especially with such a small height difference. How long have W/P been together, is it six years?

While early success at the junior/senior level is good, there is something to be said for taking a longer path to the top, as happened with P/B - it allows teams more time to experiment artistically without the same degree of pressure that top teams face. I wouldn't advocate a return to the "wait your turn" days, but I think it's good to still have a mix of younger and older teams at the elite level. And the more recent mature teams have generally been ones that I enjoyed - e.g. DelSchoes, F/S, the Kerrs, Savchenko/Szolkowy in pairs.

[Skater Boy]

Forget W and P and the Russians; P and B could be overtaken by the Italians who seem to have the edge on the Russians but barely. In a way I feel these teams - Pand B , W and P, the Italians, Russians and heck even the up and coming Americans should take turn winning bronze for now.I do feel that P and B have had their moment in the sun - they had two chances and literally let 2011 slip from their fingers. W and P are not a lock nor are P and B for bronze at world. I still think Canada and US will be 1 and 2. The short dance will be interesting as it is possible the first two teams might not get all the nuances and rules and could slip up enough for the other teams to take the lead or move up on them though i anticipate the freedance will favour D and W and V and M.

[golden411]

Nathalie & Fabian ‏@PechalatBourzat

Changement de club : 1.000 merci au club de Castres ( le CSG Castres): à tous ces dirigeants et licenciés :... http://fb.me/1hyjIeL7A
3:53 PM - 14 Sep 12

The link they tweeted says:

Nathalie PECHALAT & Fabian BOURZAT aux FRANÇAIS VOLANTS !!!

Double champion d'Europe (2011 et 2012), médaillé de bronze au championnat du Monde 2012, Nathalie et Fabian ont choisi de se licencier dans notre club.
Basés au ETATS-UNIS ils seront régulièrement présents à la patinoire Sonja HENIE.
Leur premier passage aura lieu le mercredi 3 octobre et jeudi 4 octobre.
Nathalie et Fabian participeront ensuite aux Master's à ORLEANS ou ils représenteront les Français Volants pour la 1ere fois.
Bienvenue à eux et bonne chance pour cette saison.

I don't speak French, but "Changement de club" sounds noteworthy. Are they announcing anything of significance?

[gmyers]

Forget W and P and the Russians; P and B could be overtaken by the Italians who seem to have the edge on the Russians but barely. In a way I feel these teams - Pand B , W and P, the Italians, Russians and heck even the up and coming Americans should take turn winning bronze for now.I do feel that P and B have had their moment in the sun - they had two chances and literally let 2011 slip from their fingers. W and P are not a lock nor are P and B for bronze at world. I still think Canada and US will be 1 and 2. The short dance will be interesting as it is possible the first two teams might not get all the nuances and rules and could slip up enough for the other teams to take the lead or move up on them though i anticipate the freedance will favour D and W and V and M.

I think everything will work out like it has the past 2 years with the main teams of DW and VM getting it all right and there being some struggle between teams who becomes the main challenger to PB for third. Like in 2011 it was the Shibutanis and in 2012 it was WP and in 2013 it might be WP again or C/L or maybe even Shibutanis again. Maybe the worlds ranking will go Davis/White, Virutue/Moir, Weaver/Poje, Pechalt /Bourzat, Capellini/Lanotte/ shibutani/Shibutani, etc etc

Nathalie & Fabian ‏@PechalatBourzat

Changement de club : 1.000 merci au club de Castres ( le CSG Castres): à tous ces dirigeants et licenciés :... http://fb.me/1hyjIeL7A
3:53 PM - 14 Sep 12

The link they tweeted says:

Nathalie PECHALAT & Fabian BOURZAT aux FRANÇAIS VOLANTS !!!

Double champion d'Europe (2011 et 2012), médaillé de bronze au championnat du Monde 2012, Nathalie et Fabian ont choisi de se licencier dans notre club.
Basés au ETATS-UNIS ils seront régulièrement présents à la patinoire Sonja HENIE.
Leur premier passage aura lieu le mercredi 3 octobre et jeudi 4 octobre.
Nathalie et Fabian participeront ensuite aux Master's à ORLEANS ou ils représenteront les Français Volants pour la 1ere fois.
Bienvenue à eux et bonne chance pour cette saison.

I don't speak French, but "Changement de club" sounds noteworthy. Are they announcing anything of significance?

They are changing what club they belong to in France? It says they are based in the US and this is all France related.

[herios]

They are changing what club they belong to in France? It says they are based in the US and this is all France related.

Correct. They just change their club in France, they represent when skating in France.
From Castres SG to Les Français Volants. Internationally, this has no impact.

[Victura]

Correct. They just change their club in France, they represent when skating in France.
From Castres SG to Les Français Volants. Internationally, this has no impact.

Français Volants is a pretty big club based out of the Bercy rink, which is next to the arena where they hold Trophée Eric Bompard and the only full-size indoor rink within Paris itself (rather than a suburb of the city). I'm guessing since they're based in the US these days, they probably only go back to France for national team training camps and the like and go to Paris more often than Castres, so it'd be easier for them to have more training time at a rink in Paris. Is there any particular impact for them on a national level?

[golden411]

Cute new photo of Pechalat/Bourzat (at Detroit Skating Club).
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...d=181962471187

[herios]

Cute new photo of Pechalat/Bourzat (at Detroit Skating Club).
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...d=181962471187

Thanks

Now that you brought me to their walll, I browsed through and came acoss their photo from the Worlds...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...d03&permPage=1
3 good looking peopple, is Anjelika Krylova looking stunning or hat?

[deedee1]

Now that you brought me to their walll, I browsed through and came acoss their photo from the Worlds...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...d03&permPage=1
3 good looking peopple, is Anjelika Krylova looking stunning or hat?

Anjelika is forever young and beautiful!