I am very surprised that Ian and Katarina are no longer ice dance partners. They seemed so joined at the hip. Of course, this doesn't have to mean they are no longer close friends. I'm wondering if it means that Ian is now interested in pursuing other endeavors? After seeing that Kat/Ian were no longer on the ISP and that Kat had stopped posting to her Instagram, I found her long post thanking U.S. figure skating, their coaches, families, sponsors, etc., after 2021 U.S. championships, particularly interesting in retrospect. At the end she said: "I can't wait to get started on our next adventure." That could have meant an adventure not associated with figure skating. But who knows? Kat/Ian dropped from second in 2020 to third in 2021 at U.S. nationals in junior ice dance. There are several young ice dance teams who were improving and providing them with stiff competition, including the recently formed team, Flores/Tsarevski.
Kat forming a new partnership and skating for Great Britain, is an interesting development. I wonder whether one of her parents has British ties? I wish Kat much success with her new partner, and I hope things are still happy between her and Ian. I always thought Ian was focused on one day making the Olympics, but desires can change. Best of luck to Ian as well in whatever his plans are currently. Is Ian also looking to find a new partner and switch countries to improve his chances of competing on the senior level at major championships?
A possible factor in the Kat/Ian split is that Ian turned 21 on September 1st this year, thus aging out of juniors. Meanwhile, Katarina turned 17 this past June, so she has at least two more years of junior eligibility in ice dance. She appears to need more junior experience. IMO, she doesn't seem currently ready for seniors. So, that could also explain the Kat/Ian split. Wilson French turned 18 this summer (July 7), so he is close in age to Kat, and competing for Great Britain offers Kat better competitive opportunities.
ETA:
I've never heard of Billy Wilson French, so I checked YouTube. He's apparently a dancer on and off the ice:
The above competitive performance took place two years ago, but it's an interesting watch. Wilson French exudes drama and flair. My eyes are certainly drawn mostly to him. His former partner, Hancock, displays some good skills, and they were pleasant together. However, it's pretty obvious that Hancock is relatively tall with long limbs, so they weren't an ideal physical match, especially if she continued to grow in height.
I can see Wilson French matching well with Kat DelCamp. Similar to Ian, Wilson French exhibits flair and a strong presence on the ice, combined with excellent partnering skills. When I watched Kat/Ian, my eyes were always drawn to them both, but mainly to Ian, due to how good an ice dancer he is. Still, Kat matched him well in presence and charisma, despite Ian being the stronger, more experienced ice dancer. Even when Ian skated with his former ice dance partner of many years (Eliana Gropman), he was the stand-out, though they were both equally skilled ice dancers, having grown up competing together.
Kat forming a new partnership and skating for Great Britain, is an interesting development. I wonder whether one of her parents has British ties? I wish Kat much success with her new partner, and I hope things are still happy between her and Ian. I always thought Ian was focused on one day making the Olympics, but desires can change. Best of luck to Ian as well in whatever his plans are currently. Is Ian also looking to find a new partner and switch countries to improve his chances of competing on the senior level at major championships?
A possible factor in the Kat/Ian split is that Ian turned 21 on September 1st this year, thus aging out of juniors. Meanwhile, Katarina turned 17 this past June, so she has at least two more years of junior eligibility in ice dance. She appears to need more junior experience. IMO, she doesn't seem currently ready for seniors. So, that could also explain the Kat/Ian split. Wilson French turned 18 this summer (July 7), so he is close in age to Kat, and competing for Great Britain offers Kat better competitive opportunities.
ETA:
I've never heard of Billy Wilson French, so I checked YouTube. He's apparently a dancer on and off the ice:
Rise Up, Billy Wilson French
Billy Wilson French CAPA College End of Year Graduation ShowRise Up, This work explores the ever-going cycle of breaking down & rising up we all go through i...
www.youtube.com
The above competitive performance took place two years ago, but it's an interesting watch. Wilson French exudes drama and flair. My eyes are certainly drawn mostly to him. His former partner, Hancock, displays some good skills, and they were pleasant together. However, it's pretty obvious that Hancock is relatively tall with long limbs, so they weren't an ideal physical match, especially if she continued to grow in height.
I can see Wilson French matching well with Kat DelCamp. Similar to Ian, Wilson French exhibits flair and a strong presence on the ice, combined with excellent partnering skills. When I watched Kat/Ian, my eyes were always drawn to them both, but mainly to Ian, due to how good an ice dancer he is. Still, Kat matched him well in presence and charisma, despite Ian being the stronger, more experienced ice dancer. Even when Ian skated with his former ice dance partner of many years (Eliana Gropman), he was the stand-out, though they were both equally skilled ice dancers, having grown up competing together.
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