James/Radford announce partnership

[icetug]

Except that D/R were originally booked for SOI Japan, until foreign skaters weren't permitted, and had a commitment to do shows later in the year in Canada. Meagan had reason to believe there were plans that involved her and Eric skating together. He didn't tell her otherwise until he sprung this on her.

Eric announced the partnership with Vanessa AFTER SOI Japan decided on not calling foreign skaters. And who can be sure that ANY shows will take place in Canada this year?

And he didn't tell Meagan as TSL spread the gossip and he didn't even have a chance. Bad timing, exactly like in Evgenia and Eteri case.

 

[solani]

Bunk. Absolute pure bunk.

He was training with Vanessa as early as January and didn't even have the courtesy to tell Meagan until two weeks ago when Vanessa got her release. He planned it.


Except that D/R were originally booked for SOI Japan, until foreign skaters weren't permitted, and had a commitment to do shows later in the year in Canada. Meagan had reason to believe there were plans that involved her and Eric skating together. He didn't tell her otherwise until he sprung this on her.

Let me clarify - I believe he didn't plan to skate with Vanessa competitivly when they first skated with each other for fun.
Honestly - Vanessa's release was very fast. Could he have expected that?
And there isn't anything wrong with doing shows with Vanessa if Meagan isn't available. Should he have told her in January that he planned to do shows with another partner to have more opportunities to earn money? Yes. But we don't know what he told her back then.

 

[solani]

Another thing - TSL wrote that Eric asked Aljona to skate with him in 2014. That's not true. In her book Aljona wrote that Eric asked her what she wanted to do after the Olympics. She interpreted it as if Eric had actually asked her.

 

[solani]

And Aljona and Eric did a couple of pair elements in 2019 when he was in Obersdorf. Aljona posted that on Instagram. I don't see that as a confirmation that he asked her to skate with him either.

 

[4everchan]

Not wanting to wade into the he said/she said aspect of this, but I have a question about a tangentially related topic.

I had assumed that even in the Before Times skaters did not get paid all that much for SOI tours, shows, and the like, and that retired competitive skaters could not really rely on those opportunities to make a living. I’m sure anything earned from these opportunities is a help, but in fact, just how lucrative are these tours and shows? For example, do they pay enough to enable a skater to live on their tour earnings, until the next tour comes around?

good luck getting this kind of answer here... it probably varies depending who the skater is and they might even have non-disclosure agreements about fees, because some are paid more than others... i am curious too, but i doubt it's the kind of answer one could get in a forum...

 

[Seven Sisters]

good luck getting this kind of answer here... it probably varies depending who the skater is and they might even have non-disclosure agreements about fees, because some are paid more than others... i am curious too, but i doubt it's the kind of answer one could get in a forum...

Not looking for actual numbers—just an idea of whether, say, a skater could support himself/herself by doing, say, one SOI tour a year, maybe with a bit of coaching or something like that on the side.

I had always assumed no. But maybe I’m wrong, and that would help explain why the possibility of doing future shows assumed such importance here.

 

[BearryBear]

I don’t understand how people are defending Eric who said a bunch of things about Meagan’s family and having another kid that Meagan literally denied this week. She tweeted that she had no intention of expanding her family at this time and she and her husband had not even discussed the topic, never mind discussing it with anyone else. Look at her Twitter feed for these comments.

Eric is the one who assumed (or claims) that Meagan was done with skating and would be pursuing other family obligations and more children in the immediate future. How you can claim Eric knows more about Meagan’s family plans than Meagan is beyond me.

also, she publicly said that she is not coaching at this time, so she literally had no other source of income right now except for the upcoming skating shows, which is no longer happening.

Like I said the information was from the article I posted, here is a quote in the article form Meagan, “If Radford had come to her and told her that he wanted to make a comeback, and asked her what she thought, Duhamel said she would have told him that she was not interested, that she wanted to have more babies.” The article also says, “She had done a Stars On Ice tour while pregnant, but skipped a Rock the Rink tour across Canada because of her pregnancy.” So he has lost income and show opportunities in the past because of her pregnancy. He’s not assuming, he knows her well and knows what she wants and knows what has happened in the past. If Meagan is saying different things on social media than the news article she’s quoted in, then that’s on her. It wouldn’t be the first time she changed her story.

 

[ice coverage]

... also, she publicly said that she is not coaching at this time, so she literally had no other source of income right now except for the upcoming skating shows, which is no longer happening. ...

I am not so sure that Meagan "literally" has no other source of income right now except show skating?

Traditional in-person teaching is not the only way for coaches to earn income.
One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that it has become much more common for elite skaters/coaches to share their expertise online. (And in some cases, with international audiences.)
As a general comment (without claiming to have specific knowledge one way or the other re Meagan), I think that many online offerings from coaches have not been pro bono, although I think some of them have been. I suspect that depending on particular circumstances, it would not be unusual for the same coach sometimes to receive compensation and at other times to provide services pro bono.

(That said, I have no idea how much income from online teaching would be realistic even in a best-case scenario.)

I do get that in normal times, show skating would be a desirable source of income (both for Meagan and for Eric), whatever the magnitude.

Not wanting to wade into the he said/she said aspect of this, but I have a question about a tangentially related topic.

I had assumed that even in the Before Times skaters did not get paid all that much for SOI tours, shows, and the like, and that retired competitive skaters could not really rely on those opportunities to make a living. I’m sure anything earned from these opportunities is a help, but in fact, just how lucrative are these tours and shows? For example, do they pay enough to enable a skater to live on their tour earnings, until the next tour comes around?

Not looking for actual numbers—just an idea of whether, say, a skater could support himself/herself by doing, say, one SOI tour a year, maybe with a bit of coaching or something like that on the side. ...

Good questions.

 

[skylark]

It wasn’t an assumption though. According to Eric, Meagan had talk about growing her family and wanting more kids. Like it or not, kids change things. This isn’t a hire a babysitter while you’re at the office situation. She apparently expressed concerns about not wanting to do internationals shows, which severely limits their prospects. Not to mention the time off needed for pregnancy and having to retrain and get back into shape. In the article I posted a few comments back, Meagan confirmed that she’s not interested in competitive skating because she wants to have more kids instead. Those are her goals, Eric has different goals. Eric knows Meagan better than anyone here does, he has personal knowledge of their situation, it’s not like he was making assumptions based on a Twitter post or something.

^^^This. Also, I want to point out that in the article you linked, Bev Smith does a masterful job of giving every party involved their due, and putting the events and reactions into an order that clears things up a bit. It's a good read, and it's balanced. For one very important thing, it makes clear the timeline of it all. Eric did tell Meagan two weeks ago and according to his report of the conversation, she voiced support for him and Vanessa. Whereas Meagan's initial twitter reaction 2 days ago made it sound like she'd just heard ... and then the internet ball rolled on and on.

Here's the link again. https://bevsmithwrites.com/the-muddy-waters-of-a-comeback/

 

[4everchan]

with all the respect i have for bev smith, she is just pretty much stating things the way many posters here have done... the only ones who really know how it happened are Meagan and Eric. Meagan has always talked about Eric in the most positive manner. He was more than a pairs partner to her but a very close and dear friend. If she feels betrayed here, no matter what happened, and how anyone else would feel in similar circumstances, it's because she does sincerely hurt. She certainly wouldn't be petty or making a scene to draw attention to her, and ipso facto ruining her friendship with Eric for something not worth it. In life, we are often displeased with people but we let it go to preserve healthy relationships... until it's too much to handle... So my point here is that Meagan would have no advantage to make such statements at all... so to me, it means that she feels she was wronged and betrayed, and I believe her. We will never know the full details of this story, but it doesn't matter. To me, Meagan's reaction says it all. She would not risk to lose a close friend and partner, unless something really hurtful happened. I hope she can heal from that and move on. As far as Eric is concerned, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't expect Meagan would be so hurt... but I would be pleased if he did work extra hard to try to patch things up with her. If he doesn't, then Meagan actually won't have lost much of a true friend.

 

[chasingneverland]

As far as Eric is concerned, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't expect Meagan would be so hurt... but I would be pleased if he did work extra hard to try to patch things up with her. If he doesn't, then Meagan actually won't have lost much of a true friend.

There are rumours, not granted they are just rumours but this was too at one point, that Eric has tried to call Meagan twice since the news "officially" broke. However, she keeps posting things on social media.

They also don't follow each other on social media anymore.

 

[Tavi...]

Like I said the information was from the article I posted, here is a quote in the article form Meagan, “If Radford had come to her and told her that he wanted to make a comeback, and asked her what she thought, Duhamel said she would have told him that she was not interested, that she wanted to have more babies.” The article also says, “She had done a Stars On Ice tour while pregnant, but skipped a Rock the Rink tour across Canada because of her pregnancy.” So he has lost income and show opportunities in the past because of her pregnancy. He’s not assuming, he knows her well and knows what she wants and knows what has happened in the past. If Meagan is saying different things on social media than the news article she’s quoted in, then that’s on her. It wouldn’t be the first time she changed her story.

Actually, Meagan told Bev Smith in a tweet that she had misquoted her:

https://twitter.com/mhjd_85/status/1385608119036829701?s=21

I’m glad Meagan clarified this because the Bev Smith article essentially contradicted what I understood Meagan to have said.

 

[el henry]

Actually, Meagan told Bev Smith in a tweet that she had misquoted her:

https://twitter.com/mhjd_85/status/1385608119036829701?s=21

I’m glad Meagan clarified this because the Bev Smith article essentially contradicted what I understood Meagan to have said.

Thank you for posting this. I normally like Bev, but I did not necessarily find the tenor of this article to be balanced.

 

[4everchan]

There are rumours, not granted they are just rumours but this was too at one point, that Eric has tried to call Meagan twice since the news "officially" broke. However, she keeps posting things on social media.

They also don't follow each other on social media anymore.

Two calls. I said work extra hard. Not enough yet

 

[TontoK]

Actually, Meagan told Bev Smith in a tweet that she had misquoted her:

https://twitter.com/mhjd_85/status/1385608119036829701?s=21

I’m glad Meagan clarified this because the Bev Smith article essentially contradicted what I understood Meagan to have said.

Interestingly, Bev Smith is not quite on board with Meagan's "misquote" interpretation, although she gives her an out. Her reply:

"Since you've put this out there, I'll say that you mentioned that in a quote, but I'm seeing now that you meant it hypothetically."

 

[el henry]

Interestingly, Bev Smith is not quite on board with Meagan's "misquote" interpretation, although she gives her an out. Her reply:

"Since you've put this out there, I'll say that you mentioned that in a quote, but I'm seeing now that you meant it hypothetically."

I don't know what Bev gains by just not saying, OK, that quote was wrong. Supports my feeling that her article is not as balanced as it could be.

Meagan herself was gracious in response to that quote from Bev:

"These things happen, esp when chatting by phone. I understand. Just wanted to be clear as it led to some misinterpretations. I’d love another child one day but it simply wasn’t in the works at this time."

As if Meagan should ever need to defend her family planning as a result of Eric's waffling, and frankly sexist, excuses. ETA: and of course that is relying on the CBC having accurately reported what Eric said.

 

[TontoK]

Two calls. I said work extra hard. Not enough yet

More than enough. She's foregoing the opportunity to talk directly with him, opting instead for the "woman scorned" persona in via her social media accounts. That doesn't qualify as a good faith effort to resolve things on her end.

 

[BearryBear]

Interestingly, Bev Smith is not quite on board with Meagan's "misquote" interpretation, although she gives her an out. Her reply:

"Since you've put this out there, I'll say that you mentioned that in a quote, but I'm seeing now that you meant it hypothetically."

This seems to happen to Meagan quite a bit. She’ll say that people didn’t understand what she was saying or “misinterpreted” her. I think Meagan should maybe take a few courses in writing and PR to help her on the business side of things. You can’t really be taking hypothetically to the media unless you explicitly say it. Things can so easily get twisted in text too if you’re not direct about your intentions and word choices. Maybe she just needs a personal assistant.

 

[TontoK]

I don't know what Bev gains by just not saying, OK, that quote was wrong. Supports my feeling that her article is not as balanced as it could be.

What she gains is setting record straight, as a journalist is supposed to.

I don't think she's saying the quote was wrong. I think she's saying that the quote was accurate... Meagan said the words... but is allowing that there may have been nuance that wasn't apparent at the time.

 

[chasingneverland]

Two calls. I said work extra hard. Not enough yet

In less than a week? That IS hard.

Also, the fact that they're not following each other on social media suggests a breakdown of communication and desire for distance.