Takahashi and Tran Split | Page 7 | Golden Skate

Takahashi and Tran Split

Joined
Aug 16, 2009
He's holding her full-length up over his head with one arm, and she's secure enough to be waving to someone while resting on his fingers? Yipes; Narumi is never going to find the likes of this guy again to partner her. Unfortunately there's no place where these two can meet and skate for one country. If Takahashi joins Tran in Canada, she has to renounce her Japanese citizenship. And we already know that his efforts to join her haven't panned out. This is one of those situations that has "fat chance" written all over it.
 

starryxskies

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Oh god it's just so easy for him like no big deal. I'm curious to see how it'll pan out with his new partner (crossing fingers), Narumi is TINY and it'll be a miracle if he can find a girl out West that is as tiny as her. Lifts won't be as much of a piece of cake anymore for him either.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Starryxskies, you've just put your finger on something that shows why international teams have such potential. Asians from Japan and parts of China tend to be smaller. Westerners tend to be bigger. (I know that Tran is Southeast Asian, so I'm not using him as an example here, but he seems pretty tall--Western diet?) So a Western male pairs skater and an Asian female pairs skater would have a better height differential without the girl having to be, say, thirteen years old. Unfortunately, though such a pairing is eligible for worlds, they wouldn't be allowed at the Olympics. So, alas, one must hope for other ways for the ideal partners to find each other.
 

Dragonlady

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Mervyn Tran was raised in Canada and he may have been born here, although I'm not entirely sure of that. He really isn't that tall but his lift technique is excellent. I think Richard Gaultier is the best coach in the world when it comes to lifts. Sale & Pelletier were also known for their lifts. All of his male partners have strong stable lifting technique.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Mervyn Tran was raised in Canada and he may have been born here, although I'm not entirely sure of that. He really isn't that tall but his lift technique is excellent. I think Richard Gaultier is the best coach in the world when it comes to lifts. Sale & Pelletier were also known for their lifts. All of his male partners have strong stable lifting technique.

Interesting to know. Thanks. I remember being wowed by Sale and Pelletier's lifts, even more so when they did pro routines and branched out a bit. I hope Tran finds a partner worthy of his skill soon, and that he can afford to continue training.
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
I usually reply to a thread after scanning through before posting - but I'm gonna post first this time: I'm so sad! Their chemistry was SOOOO cute together!

I'm worried now with the Korean ice dance pair with their nationality issues - although this time, the Korean fed is trying to convince the government and ISU, who knows what will happen?

What's their situation? I know nothing about it since I don't usually follow ice dance.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I think they are quite a promising very young pair. Rebecka Kim skates with Kirill Minov.
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00054325.htm
They train in Russia with Svinin & Zhuk. However, she is Korean & he is Russian.

I am sure they are aiming to compete in 2018 for sure at Olympics in Korea. (She is too young for 2014, I believe)

I don't know whether there are difficulties getting him Korean citizenship, or whether he wants Korean citizenship.
 

Ravensque

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
I would still like him to find a Canadian partner. It would certainly eliminate the complications of citizenry. I'm sure there are plenty of "pair sized", talented girls/women here, so here's hoping he has some tryouts lined up. :)
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Natasha Purich would be perfect for Tran. She's a talented spunky skater, and her current partner (Sebastien Arcieri) just isn't good enough for her. She's also quite tiny--about 4'11".
 

Joubabe

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Country
United-States
Has anyone mentioned Andrea Poapst as a possible partner for Tran? I was impressed with her at Nationals last year. She's Canadian and I don't think she has a partner now.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
He should just skate pairs with his girlfriend. Amelie is tiny, 5'1" I think, and she's going nowhere in singles now that Osmond is competing in seniors, and she does have a good 2a and edge jumps.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
He should just skate pairs with his girlfriend. Amelie is tiny, 5'1" I think, and she's going nowhere in singles now that Osmond is competing in seniors, and she does have a good 2a and edge jumps.

This is an interesting suggestion, I wonder if they have seriously considered it. It might be worth a try. But I don't think Amelie would be an ideal partner for Mervin. Amelie is a good skater, but her style is quite a bit different than Mervin & Narumi's. She's stronger athletically than artistically. This is something most of the Canadian ladies skaters seem to have in common. So many of them are cut from a very similar mold--good athletes, lots of energy, but rather stocky and artistically unrefined. Also, although Amelie is only 5'1", that still makes her 5 inches taller than Narumi. And she doesn't have that slim, small-boned build that works best for pairs skaters.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
All fair points, but physically, Amelie is actually built a lot like Meghan Duhamel, a couple inches taller, but that same compact, muscular build. Her legs may be a bit sturdy, but I would imagine in person she is likely very petite, much like everyone mentions Joannie Rochette is in person. Amelie even on screen appears to have minimal body fat and quite a small frame, especially through the chest and shoulders. I know Narumi is still quite a bit smaller, but she was what, 4'9" or 4'10" and probably 80 pounds, it's going to be very hard to find another woman that small, and Mervin while not a big guy at 5'9" could probably handle someone a little taller/heavier than Narumi. You're right in that it might not be a good fit, but you do wonder. In a lot of ways, I think Amelie could maybe be good at pairs, she appears to have good balance and her presentation is quite nice, as are the jumps she can do consistently (3s, 3lo, 2a), it's really the harder triples that let her down, and in pairs she wouldn't need them to be competitive.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
There was a fair chance Narumi would have grown and gained weight anyways whereas Lacoste has finished her growth spurt. HOwever switching to singles isn't easy - you need timing, finesse, matching lines. It won't be easy to find a pair skater for th enext Olympics
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
There was a fair chance Narumi would have grown and gained weight anyways whereas Lacoste has finished her growth spurt. HOwever switching to singles isn't easy - you need timing, finesse, matching lines. It won't be easy to find a pair skater for th enext Olympics

Narumi is already 20, so further growth is unlikely.

I think Mervin is looking more at 2018 than next year. If he found a new Canadian partner this season, making 2014 would perhaps not be out of the realm of possibility, but difficult.
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
All fair points, but physically, Amelie is actually built a lot like Meghan Duhamel, a couple inches taller, but that same compact, muscular build. Her legs may be a bit sturdy, but I would imagine in person she is likely very petite, much like everyone mentions Joannie Rochette is in person. Amelie even on screen appears to have minimal body fat and quite a small frame, especially through the chest and shoulders. I know Narumi is still quite a bit smaller, but she was what, 4'9" or 4'10" and probably 80 pounds, it's going to be very hard to find another woman that small, and Mervin while not a big guy at 5'9" could probably handle someone a little taller/heavier than Narumi. You're right in that it might not be a good fit, but you do wonder. In a lot of ways, I think Amelie could maybe be good at pairs, she appears to have good balance and her presentation is quite nice, as are the jumps she can do consistently (3s, 3lo, 2a), it's really the harder triples that let her down, and in pairs she wouldn't need them to be competitive.

Yeah, Lacoste is smaller than Myriane Samson, and I've seen Samson in person. She's VERY TINY, much more so than you would think. Heck, even Elizabeth Manley is small in person and she's looked borderline CHUNKY on tv! The only female skater I've seen who looks of a "regular person" size is Cynthia Phaneuf, maybe Jenna McCorkell but McCorkell is still pretty thin.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
It's terrible how TV adds weight and makes people look fatter. I'm sure virtually all the skaters we see on TV would look quite thin in person.
 
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