Edwards and Pang emerge with new confidence

[gsk8]

Canada’s Madeline Edwards and ZhaoKai Pang ended their successful season earlier this year with bronze medals at the 2014 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. More...

 

[bronwynsings]

Awesome! I don't really follow juniors skating, but I adore Maddie and ZhaoKai

 

[chuckm]

They will be skating in the first JGP event in Courchevel France starting August 20, and are the gold medal favorites in that event. They are sure to make the JGPF, where they will face Yanovskaya/Mosgov, who won the 2013-2014 JGPF and were the silver JW medalists.

 

[ice coverage]

Canada’s Madeline Edwards and ZhaoKai Pang ended their successful season earlier this year with bronze medals at the 2014 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. More...

Thanks to gsk8 for the GS Edwards/Pang article.

And today Skate Canada also has posted one about them.

Madeline Edwards & ZhaoKai Pang ready for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Circuit

By: Beverley Smith
http://www.skatecanada.ca/AboutUs/NewsDetails/tabid/2157/sni[2797]/3599/language/en-US/Default.aspx (Aug 8)​

ETA:

@maddieedwards_

A little sneak peek of the SD dress... Let's samba pic.twitter.com/OHLfTCSW1z
5:42 PM - 6 Aug 2014
https://twitter.com/maddieedwards_/status/497180955660939266​

 

[chuckm]

Just one question: if they are so confident, then why didn't they skate at the Lake Placid Ice Dance competition last weekend? You'd think it would have been a good warmup for Courchevel on the 20th of this month.

 

[ice coverage]

Just one question: if they are so confident, then why didn't they skate at the Lake Placid Ice Dance competition last weekend? You'd think it would have been a good warmup for Courchevel on the 20th of this month.

A possible explanation is that Lake Placid would have required marathon travel (transcontinental flights from/to British Columbia + long hours of driving) -- merely two weeks before Edwards/Pang head to Courchevel.

When they registered for Lake Placid, they probably did not know (or at least could not be sure) that they would be assigned to Courchevel.

Jun 24 was the entry deadline for the Lake Placid event (Jul 30 to Aug 2).

http://www.lakeplacidskating.com/events/icedance.php​

Courchevel assignments were available to the public on Jul 22.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...ourchevel-2014&p=962287&viewfull=1#post962287​

Even if Edwards/Pang were informed re Courchevel somewhat before the public was, my hunch is that E/P still had been in limbo before the Lake Placid deadline.

(BTW, I wonder whether they are hoping for a Challenger assignment. :think

 

[chuckm]

I am quite sure that as Canada's #1 Junior ice dance team, they would have been given their choice of the JGP assignments. They skated in the second event last year and were second to eventual JW winner Hawayek/Baker in Mexico. So they likely were ready to skate first and would have wanted Courchevel when they signed up for Lake Placid, even knowing about the travel ahead of time.

It isn't as if it's a 3-day trip from BC to NY state.....

 

[ice coverage]

I am quite sure that as Canada's #1 Junior ice dance team, they would have been given their choice of the JGP assignments. They skated in the second event last year and were second to eventual JW winner Hawayek/Baker in Mexico. So they likely were ready to skate first and would have wanted Courchevel when they signed up for Lake Placid, even knowing about the travel ahead of time.

It isn't as if it's a 3-day trip from BC to NY state.....

Yes, I agree that Edwards/Pang would have wanted Courchevel. But it doesn't bother me that they registered for Lake Placid in case the Courchevel assignment did not come through for some reason.

Have you ever been to Lake Placid? I have not, but my understanding is that it is hours away by car from any major airport where a nonstop flight from Vancouver could land.
So the hassle of travel to/from LP would not have been insignificant, IMO. It basically would have eaten up a full day each way ... not to mention causing some physical wear and tear, incl. changing time zones.

I wish all the best to E/P in Courchevel ... and all season long. YMMV.

ETA, sounds as if their training already is exhausting enough without throwing in a coast-to-coast roundtrip:

@maddieedwards_

Hopped out of the cold tub, knowingly threw a dry shirt over my wet sports bra & napped as soon as I got home. #tiredfridays
6:48 PM - 8 Aug 2014
https://twitter.com/maddieedwards_/status/497922293998174208​

 

[bellafurr]

Why do you think they didn,t go whats so important about Lake Placid. As Canadian ice dancers they can do as they please.

 

[chuckm]

I have been to Lake Placid. The drive from the Albany airport is about 1.5 hours, and it is an easy, pleasant drive. It's not much longer from Montreal either.

The Lake Placid competition is THE major international summer ice dance competition in North America. This year, 29 Junior couples competed, including 9 from Canada, two from Great Britain, two from Russia, one from Denmark and one from Kazakhstan.

One other thing: Lake Placid is slightly at altitude, as is Courchevel. It isn't such a bad idea to test performance at altitude ahead of time....

 

[ice coverage]

I have been to Lake Placid. The drive from the Albany airport is about 1.5 hours, and it is an easy, pleasant drive. It's not much longer from Montreal either.

The Lake Placid competition is THE major international summer ice dance competition in North America. This year, 29 Junior couples competed, including 9 from Canada, two from Great Britain, two from Russia, one from Denmark and one from Kazakhstan.

One other thing: Lake Placid is slightly at altitude, as is Courchevel. It isn't such a bad idea to test performance at altitude ahead of time....

No nonstop flights from Vancouver to Albany, AFAIK.

A flight of five or six hours to/from Montreal + a drive (easy or not) of two hours to/from LP adds up to a long travel day, if you ask me. YMMV.

Bottom line:
I agree to disagree with your assumption that lack of confidence is the reason that Edwards/Pang did not compete at Lake Placid.

 

[chuckm]

They knew that one of their chief rivals, McNAMARA/CARPENTER, were going to compete there. Perhaps they didn't want to risk placing behind them....

It's interesting that their only scheduled summer comp is in BC where they are guaranteed to get a huge score.

 

[ice coverage]

... It's interesting that their only scheduled summer comp is in BC where they are guaranteed to get a huge score.

And LOL, which not coincidentally is right in their backyard.

 

[chuckm]

Of course. Zero risk. Guaranteed humoungous score.

 

[ice coverage]

It will be a painless commute to BC SummerSkate -- in marked contrast to Lake Placid. :yes:

 

[chuckm]

It will be a painless commute to BC SummerSkate -- in marked contrast to Lake Placid. :yes:

And no competition whatsoever. That's what makes me question their confidence.

 

[2018ALLTHEWAY]

I would agree with not wanting to place behind other USA JGP teams as every Canadian team at Lake Placid placed behind every USA JGP team

 

[chuckm]

I would agree with not wanting to place behind other USA JGP teams as every Canadian team at Lake Placid placed behind every USA JGP team

Not true. Croteau-Villeneuve / Hough placed ahead of Day/ Leahy, and Wu / Soo, Garabedian / LaLiberte and Taillefer / Chan placed ahead of Thomas / Martin, who are one of the designated US JGP teams. I am sure if Edwards / Pang had gone, they might have been #1, or no worse than top two.

Last year, they were a close #3 behind Hawayek / Baker (senior this year) and McNamara / Carpenter.

 

[2018ALLTHEWAY]

Weren't they in different groups though? Or are you going by scores?

 

[chuckm]

Scores. The groups don't mean anything.