Why do Skaters love to skate in pairs?

[Adam2Smith]

I just don't know but it seems the skater are always seeking some partner to make a good vibration with each other and that's why skater like to skate in pair.
What do you think?

 

[dorispulaski]

I moved this to the Edge, which is where general skating threads go at Golden Skate. The Fan Fest forum is for Fan threads for favorite skaters.

It is an interesting question! Some skaters move to pairs when their singles career is not going anywhere, but they still love skating, and want to compete.

Some skaters have said they really like having a partner to share the experiences of training and competing, not to mention the expenses. It is less lonely.

 

[skylark]

Jenni Meno switched to pairs after she saw Gordeeva and Grinkov. She aspired to create something with another person on the ice, to have that powerful connection, or good vibration, as you said.

 

[rollerblade]

One of the girls said she like pairs because it felt like she was flying. Forgot who it was. They must be talking about a certain lift position, or the split twist?

Although if they love flying with a kick of risk, might as well do ski jumping.

 

[lyndichee]

The right partner can make all the difference on ice. Julianne Seguin competed in both singles and pairs up until 2 years ago because she couldn't decide but her singles programs looked very average and she didn't look like she was having as much fun as pairs. I really started to pay attention to Seguin after seeing her skate with Charlie Bilodeau to a mash of up of Peter Gabriel songs to honour Bilodeau's late father and it seems like the program went beyond skating and was very meaningful. I am really glad she committed fully to pairs and I am so excited to see what this young has to offer.

Valentina Marchei, former singles skater for many years switched to pairs in 2014. Here an interview about it. They don't specifically mention it but I think she likes the challenge and new possibilities.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014/08/11/89059110/two-disciplines-one-skater-marcheis-bold-move

 

[TGee]

I'd like to make the point that these days very few successful skaters in pairs or dance start to learn to skate with a partner (whether for pairs or dance) at an advanced age.

Skating with someone is a different challenge and it is a rare singles skater who can join a pairs or dance team in their teens and reach the elite level without some early competition experience with a partnered discipline. As a parent of young skaters, we are told that partnering experience at a young age is important.....Doing pattern dance tests with the support of a coach or advanced ice dancer doesn't cut it.

I'll throw into the mix some considerations that I hear from my kids' coaches, officials, my kids and other parents. Keeping the options open for later is a recurrent theme.

1). Since it's rare to be able to tell if a child in the early training stages at 7-10 years will be have the physical ability to reach the highest elite levels in singles, it's best to keep all the options open. That means training two disciplines from early on.

2). Temperament is a key factor. Figure skating is generally an individual rather than a team sport. Putting a kid in a team sport who doesn't love being in a team, or an individual sport who doesn't like training and competing on his/her own isn't going to reach the highest level of success. While skating kids generally have the individual sport temperament, they may realize as they go on that a close partnership is the best of both worlds for them.....Or maybe they realize that they love skating but really do have the team temperament and switch to Synchro.

3). 3 out of 4 main disciplines require males. But boys are very rare to relatively uncommon in skating clubs. Even at the entry level competitions just out of basic skating I see ratios of around 1 boy to 25 girls. Since boys are scarce, federations encourage the clubs to ensure that the boys in the system have the partnering experience to be able to switch to pairs or dance later.

4). The benefits of ice dance training and competitive experience for Freeskate are increasingly appreciated. Getting ice dance experience can help with all the program components and spins. And as pairs requires a certain level of upper body development for the boys that means that they can't do the overhead lifts and throws until their teens, ice dance can be a good place to start.

5). Size/height....really big and tall men are not likely to get the quads but they can be successful in pairs (Eric Radford 188 cm or just over 6'2), or dance (Andrew Poje 190 cm or 6'3), taller girls are also tracked to dance, while tiny ones are encouraged to consider pairs.

6). Temperament in terms of love of danger. Seriously, the federations know that pairs is a dangerous sport and that pairs girls do best if they enjoy the risk and excitement of being up high and being thrown in the air. Coaches take this into account. And there have been, in the past, successful teams that have switched to ice dance from pairs after a bad fall. e.g. Isabelle and Paul Duschenay were originally a sibling pairs team for Canada until a bad fall. They switched to dance, but their innovative style was not appreciated by Skate Canada so they switched to skating for France...

 

[Crossover]

I don't remember who said this, but a female skater felt bored with singles even though she can jump very well and still was young, so switched to pairs. Some skaters do feel comfortable with and belonged to mixed disciplines.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Up until the last few years, pairs was easier - namely having to only do basic triples or even double axels (and SBS jumps for the longest time were the determinant element in pairs skating).

While it takes a long time to develop chemistry and unison, and obviously learn lifts and twists, being an elite pairs skater is a more attainable goal for many singles skaters. Eric Radford for example switched to pairs because he couldn't master the triple axel, and rather than spend his career as a Shawn Sawyer or Jeremy Ten (both lovely talented skaters but always held back by the 3A hurdle), he decided to switch gears. Same goes for Dylan Moscovitch, Julianne Seguin, Kyoko Ina, Rena Inoue, Meagan Duhamel, Valentina Marchei, Vanessa James, etc. -- all singles skaters who found way more success in pairs.

I think some of it also has to do with the federations -- USA, Europe (non-Russia), and Canada seem to be more encouraging (or "forgiving" lol) of multi-disciplined skaters instead of making them commit to one, whereas in Japan/China/Russia, skaters are more set in their disciplines and don't tend to switch (some exceptions). I would have to imagine though that more Russian girls will shift into pairs, given its way harder in singles these days. And in Japan the glory/popularity is in singles, hence a lack of pairs/ID teams. Similarly in China, the historical success of the sport has been centred around pairs, until skaters like Jin/Yan (so you see the opposite of a lack of strong singles skaters).

This is not to say pairs skaters exist because they can't "cut it" in singles, but it is a contributing factor. As mentioned, it is still exceedingly difficult to develop the chemistry/trust/consistency/unison to be a strong pairs team.

 

[NanaPat]

I'd like to make the point that these days very few successful skaters in pairs or dance start to learn to skate with a partner (whether for pairs or dance) at an advanced age.

I agree, and that makes Valentina Marchei's switch all the more remarkable. I don't think it would have happened if she and Hotarek hadn't both been planning to retire, so they had nothing to lose by taking a chance on Valentine's 'conversion".

 

[mrrice]

This is an interesting question. I was never a pair skater but, I was dancer for a number of years and there's NOTHING worse than having a partner you don't get along with. I've seen Men drop their partners on purpose. I've seen Ladies kick men "Where it hurts" on several occasions.

My partner used to think it was funny to pull my armpit hair How gross is that. :whack: Thank god I could sing.

 

[Crossover]

This is an interesting question. I was never a pair skater but, I was dancer for a number of years and there's NOTHING worse than having a partner you don't get along with. I've seen Men drop their partners on purpose. I've seen Ladies kick men "Where it hurts" on several occasions.

My partner used to think it was funny to pull my armpit hairHow gross is that. :whack: Thank god I could sing.

That's very low and dangerous behaviors possibly to lead physical injuries and end their partnership or even their dancing career.

 

[mrrice]

That's very low and dangerous behaviors possibly to lead physical injuries and end their partnership or even their dancing career.

Exactly!! I didn't think it was funny at all and unfortunately, we weren't allowed to change partners. Our director used to tell us to "Deal with it" or you're both fired! I was very serious about my career and some dancers weren't. There are some people who are naturally talented and are able to learn things at a much faster pace than others. This becomes a problem when you are ready to move on, and your partner is not. Remember Eman and his dance partner on the Canadian SYTYCD. She was complaining about him always being late. That would have driven me crazy. I think Eman sometimes gets a pass because he's so talented and good looking. Most high level athlete's have a temperament that allows them to deal with pressure in a way that most others can't. If you can find 2 people who can deal with it equally, it's a rare find and something to be appreciated by both partners.

Here's an interview and dance number with Eman and his partner Kim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0YPWj0Cti0

 

[musicfan80]

I think some skaters prefer to skate in pairs/ice dance because they think it's more fun to skate & compete with a partner than just by themselves. It's probably the same as dancing: It can be fun to go out and dance by yourself, but it can also be MORE fun to dance with someone else - especially if there's great chemistry.

Plus, there are some programs that really can't be pulled off as well as a singles skater and you really need a partner to make it excel. Like tangos, for example. I feel like even if Gracie hits her SP this year (which I hope she does), it will still look way better if she was performing it with a dark, tall, and handsome man.

I felt the same way about Joshua Farris' SP in 2013-2014. At 2014 Nationals, I kept thinking: Is he too shy to try this with a lovely looking young woman? His persona also made it look worse when he tripped on his footwork.

 

[karne]

I felt the same way about Joshua Farris' SP in 2013-2014. At 2014 Nationals, I kept thinking: Is he too shy to try this with a lovely looking young woman? His persona also made it look worse when he tripped on his footwork.

I too thought this program was probably a year or two too early for him.

 

[mrrice]

Jenni Meno switched to pairs after she saw Gordeeva and Grinkov. She aspired to create something with another person on the ice, to have that powerful connection, or good vibration, as you said.

I think Jenny switched to pairs when she took one look at Todd. I can't believe he still looks as good as he does. A truly attractive couple.

 

[musicfan80]

I too thought this program was probably a year or two too early for him.

But even if he had waited and gotten the life experience/personality to perform "his side" well - it still would have looked like something was missing: another person. A tango is a dance that you really need two people to show what it is all about. The same is also the case with ballroom dances in general - most were created as partner dances.

I understand that many think that Gracie may do her best with a "fiery" program, but I'm not feeling her puling off a tango - especially if she is doing it by herself.

You know who could do a great tango program? Alexa and Chris Knierim. It's a better fit for their personalities than the Elizabeth/Ever After/American in Paris programs that they have done.

 

[hippomoomin]

Some are inspired by role model pair skaters, like Sui/Han decided to skate in pairs when they watched Shen/Zhao on TV;
Some wants to skate with somebody else, to have a companion, like Yan Jin as in Peng/Jin;
Some didn't see a future in singles.
And some love the thrill to be thrown by a male partner. I think Ashley Cain said something like this.

 

[skylark]

You know who could do a great tango program? Alexa and Chris Knierim. It's a better fit for their personalities than the Elizabeth/Ever After/American in Paris programs that they have done.

Brilliant idea. :agree2: It would SO fit their personalities and show a different side of both.

 

[skylark]

I think Jenny switched to pairs when she took one look at Todd. I can't believe he still looks as good as he does. A truly attractive couple.

You really have a thing for Todd, mrrice. But no. Jenny competed with Scott Wendland for two years, and they were 11th at the 1992 Olympics already. Todd and his then-partner, Natasha Kuchiki, came in 6th! They'd been skating for 3 years together, and before that Todd had another partner.

But it is a quasi-romantic story, although not at all a happy one for Scott and Natasha. Jenny and Todd fell in love at the '92 Olympics and immediately decided to ditch their partners and team up together. J/T had to be pretty hard-headed to do it, IMO.

 

[mrrice]

Fron Skylark,

You really have a thing for Todd, mrrice. KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I do and I freely admit it.