Why doesn't anyone like pairs skating any more? | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Why doesn't anyone like pairs skating any more?

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Oh, you found it! Isn't it an astonishing performance?

Starbuck and Shelley aren't as well remembered these days, but they have a tremendous style and did very well for the U.S., winning one World bronze. This was at a time when only Russian or East German pairs got any respect from judges.


TontoK, don't you think that Savchenko/Szolkowy will be remembered? They're very elegant and innovative.

To be sure, I doubt that any of the current American pairs will be remembered.
They don't have any standout characteristics. Though I was very fond of Evora/Ladwig, they probably didn't make enough of an impact internationally to make it onto the list of immortals.

No. I don't think we'll look back on them in 30 years. They're certainly podium worthy in today's world, but shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as G/G, Protopopov's, or Rodnina. Of course, all of this is subjective and depends on one's point of view.

I don't recall a truly superb American pair since B/G. Yes, I know there have been a couple of Olympic medals won since then... but still. I will say that I thought Yamaguchi/Galindo were on the right track before she ended the partnership.

Including response to CSG in this post as well:

On further review, I might grant S/Z entry to my list of "Considered Great 30 Years from Now" for the reasons you mention.

Regarding your comment, "Pairs would look like it did in the 90's"... we should be so lucky.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
To each their own, I guess... they were certainly cleaner and more elegant in the 90s, and things got sportier and difficult after that. I'm in the school of thought that figure skating needs to have risk and challenge skaters -- I'm pretty sure most pairs teams today could easily execute the programs that were done in the 90s... maybe not with the same level of performance, but the difficulty is nothing to shake a stick at. I think the real issue is that some of the "difficulty" looks sloppy. Today's skaters should perform really hard elements, but only if they can perform them reasonably well. It's kind of like the quad... men make errors on their quad all the time, but if they don't include one in their program these days, the program really is second-tier compared to what everyone else is doing.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
To me, it seems like some sort of compromise ought to be available. The ISU and the skating establishment become more and more smug about how the sport should progress, while audiences find less and less to admire, enjoy, and take an interest in.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
To each their own, I guess... they were certainly cleaner and more elegant in the 90s, and things got sportier and difficult after that. I'm in the school of thought that figure skating needs to have risk and challenge skaters -- I'm pretty sure most pairs teams today could easily execute the programs that were done in the 90s... maybe not with the same level of performance, but the difficulty is nothing to shake a stick at. I think the real issue is that some of the "difficulty" looks sloppy. Today's skaters should perform really hard elements, but only if they can perform them reasonably well. It's kind of like the quad... men make errors on their quad all the time, but if they don't include one in their program these days, the program really is second-tier compared to what everyone else is doing.

Agreed. To each his own. I don't agree with your POV, but I can respect it.

At any rate, your viewpoint is carrying the day. I'll catch wind of the occasional good performance from GS and then youtube it, but I won't go out of my way to watch competitions, even on TV. I'm just one cranky old man, but I'm afraid there are many like me... a decades long fan of pairs skating who is too disinterested now to follow the discipline seriously. It's a shame.
 

Dragonlady

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Surely with pair it is fun. I go with my Gf and it is nice activity to enjoy.

Hardly. You have two skaters and two sets of parents who are splitting the bills. Decisions about who to train with and where, and who pays what, can lead to all sorts of disagreements, especially if one set of parents has more money. It's not just the two people on the ice who make these decisions.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Surely with pair it is fun. I go with my Gf and it is nice activity to enjoy.

I take it that you mean that you two actually go to skate together for recreation? That's cool! I can see how that would be much more enjoyable than skating as an individual, and if you two are skating for fun, issues of money and training decisions don't apply. Thanks for introducing a new angle from which to examine the issue of pairs skating. And welcome to GoldenSkate!
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Hi, Owen!

I bet skating with your girl is great fun. I was young once, back in the Dark Ages, and I know I would have enjoyed it, too.

Unfortunately, we didn't have ice rinks where I lived. I did go roller skating on a group date once; it was awesome.

Welcome!
 
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