Pairs FS Worldwide: The Divine Discipline

[BlissfulSynergy]

I wonder why Bruno isn't traveling with them anymore. Allison Purkiss (Michael's former coach) has been with them in the kiss 'n cry this season.

Meagan was on TSL talking about Golden Spin. She indicated that Bruno is still coaching KM-T/MM, and that he was with them in the kiss 'n cry at some earlier events this season. Because Miura/Kihara were going to attend GPF, Bruno had booked flights to Japan prior to GPF being cancelled. So it looks like Bruno has been occupied with getting M/K ready for GPF, only for it to be cancelled. But they have Olympics and Worlds to look forward to. Meagan also revealed that M/K will not attend Japan Nationals due to traveling back and forth issues. Since they are the only viable Japanese pair team, they have the luxury of skipping their Nationals event.

Clearly, M/K are the money team whose star is rising this season. Part of their huge jump in scores is political, but they do have a lot of talent. It's surely a burst of confidence for them knowing how much support they have behind them. And bringing back the same programs from last season helps their consistency.

Meagan said that initially Allison Purkiss came to the Oakville rink to collaborate on coaching Kirsten/Michael. I think that was a huge benefit for Michael, since Purkiss is his former pairs coach. But at some point, rink restrictions made it impossible for Purkiss to come to Oakville, so Kirsten/Michael tend to go to her rink for coaching input. It seems to be a mistake to have tried to retool their 3-twist at this point. In any case, Meagan's comments cleared up my question about whether Bruno was still coaching Kirsten/Michael. It looks like Purkiss is taking on more of the training, while Bruno is still helping as he can. Bruno's priority is seemingly focused on preparing Miura/Kihara to help Japan win a team medal at the Olympics, and to also do well for themselves in the individual pairs event.

 

[skylark]

^^ When I see it laid out that way, it's possible to think that those changes in coaching and training environments may have contributed to some of the inconsistencies we've seen from Kirsten and Michael this season. Just going from one rink to another can require shifts in the routines of training that might cause one to feel some uncertainty, even if those feelings are only subconscious.

Note that I'm not saying that the changes were in fact the problem. In fact, with some skaters, a change may act as a boost in confidence and the ability to show in competition what their actual abilities and talents are and have been.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

When I see it laid out that way, it's possible to think that those changes in coaching and training environments may have contributed to some of the inconsistencies we've seen from Kirsten and Michael this season.

Right. I think it's a combination of many factors. Bruno is more focused on helping Miura/Kihara. The Canadians were devastated by not at least having their Nationals go forward this year. So, the top Canadians only competed at a virtual domestic event, and at Worlds 2021. It probably takes awhile to become completely comfortable in a competitive environment again. I think this has been especially true for Canadian pairs teams, and for Roman Sadovsky and Nam Nguyen. Keegan Messing had the chance to compete more during 2020-21 season, than the other Canadian men. The Canadian ice dancers seem somewhat less impacted competitively. The Canadian ladies are in a transitional period, and trying to make a respectable dent in the standings, and just gaining experience, and in Gabby's case, just trying to come back from whatever has been ailing her mentally.

So, lack of the usual competitive seasoning in 2020-21, and pulling out of early comps at the start of this season, has not helped either KM-T/MM or Walsh/Michaud. And these two teams are now largely training together. If they are both having confidence issues, that can be a poor training vibe. Also, fiddling with a decent, but not great twist, isn't working for Kirsten/Michael. Add to that the sense it seems that Kirsten hasn't let go of her unhappy feelings surrounding Eric partnering with Vanessa. Both Kirsten/Michael and Evelyn/Trennt, after taking a beat to feel sorry for themselves, should have bucked up and been more positive about welcoming Eric & Vanessa back to the competitive fray, plus understand and accept how J/R's pairing might benefit Canadian pairs overall this season. That's certainly what Skate Canada was thinking in backing J/R's comeback together.

Instead, it seems that Kirsten is going through a lot of bad feelings, or injured feelings. Perhaps she feels abandoned by Skate Canada, and by two of her former choreographers. I think Kirsten/Michael had experienced a strong bond with Julie Marcotte, and they probably felt like Eric was also a mentor. And then for Kirsten, her current training environment has changed, right after they had been adjusting to Oakville. I think it may have helped Michael conversely, to be back with his former pairs coach. Kirsten also seems to be thinking about moving on with her life beyond skating. So she seems somewhat conflicted and doubting herself competitively, which is very uncharacteristic for her.

 

[Colonel Green]

I think Kirsten/Michael had experienced a strong bond with Julie Marcotte, and they probably felt like Eric was also a mentor.

Eric was not a mentor, he was KMT's rival in her early career.

 

[skylark]

Interview of Meagan Duhamel on FS Gossips. What do you all think of her comments about Sui/Han and other top pairs internationally?

Meagan Duhamel: “I would like the judging system to reflect the real performance”

Interview with Meagan Duhamel for Russian media. In the interview Meagan shared who she is rooting for in pair and women's single skating, how to stay healthy, working on ultra-c elements. She also talked about working with a progressive Japanese pair and the difficulties skaters face in Canada.

fs-gossips.com

Excerpt:

At one time, we worked very hard to get level four for all our elements, and we got it pretty consistently. Sui / Han have been losing levels for many years: third level for a lift, second level for spin, and this is half a point there, half a point here. When you do not have a triple salchow, there is only one jump left to complete in the free program, so you need all of these levels. It seems that for many years they haven’t been focusing on this, and I would like them to pay attention to this, or maybe they have already focused on this, I don’t know. But for many years they have been losing their levels.

When I competed, I always knew that if we do everything on the level four, and also do all our jumps and throws, we will beat them, because they will lose points on the elements. And that’s a shame, because I think it’s easy to fix. If they had worked on it, the battle for the gold medal could have been more interesting.

 

[withwings]

I think it was not necessary for Meagan to talk about Eric. Enough is enough. Otherwise, a truly great interview. She has a very sharp mind and really outstanding ability to convey her ideas/opinions convincingly and precisely. And Meagan has a very athletic vision. Great interview.

 

[Weathergal]

I think it was not necessary for Meagan to talk about Eric. Enough is enough. Otherwise, a truly great interview. She has a very sharp mind and really outstanding ability to convey her ideas/opinions convincingly and precisely. And Meagan has a very athletic vision. Great interview.

For what it's worth, the interviewer asked her about Eric and Vanessa directly. The question was "A new pair has appeared in the Canadian national team this season. Your former partner Eric Radford and Vanessa James. What do you think about this situation in general and about the new pair?" So it doesn't appear she brought it up on her own. I guess she could have said "no comment" or "I don't wish to answer," but that's not really her way.

 

[cathlen]

Interview of Meagan Duhamel on FS Gossips. What do you all think of her comments about Sui/Han and other top pairs internationally?

Meagan Duhamel: “I would like the judging system to reflect the real performance”

Interview with Meagan Duhamel for Russian media. In the interview Meagan shared who she is rooting for in pair and women's single skating, how to stay healthy, working on ultra-c elements. She also talked about working with a progressive Japanese pair and the difficulties skaters face in Canada.

fs-gossips.com

Excerpt:

She is definitly right regarding spin levels. S/H had consistently lose levels on Pair spin. On the lifts it wasn't that noticeable for me, but I guess Meagan did her research

 

[coldblueeyes]

They especially lose levels in the reverse lift from group five, spins, and back outside death spiral. The other elements are not as problematic, but these three definitely appear once or twice in every competition.

But let's also be kind of real here too: there are very, VERY few pairs hitting all of their levels every time in competition. If you take this GP season for comparison, only one pair hit 4/4 in level 4s. T/M did it twice, S/H and B/K only once, and the rest never hit all level 4s in one single program during the GP.

 

[el henry]

I think it was not necessary for Meagan to talk about Eric. Enough is enough. Otherwise, a truly great interview. She has a very sharp mind and really outstanding ability to convey her ideas/opinions convincingly and precisely. And Meagan has a very athletic vision. Great interview.

I think it's a great interview all around. Meagan was directly asked about Eric, and Meagan answered politely and honestly.

I never rooted for (meaning I was not a dedicated fan, not any dislike) or followed Eric and Meagan as skaters, so I have no vested interest in them as competitors, but I have always been very impressed by Meagan's ability to analyze and to explain the details even to folks like me who are less knowledgeable about pairs. She has my respect.

 

[skylark]

They especially lose levels in the reverse lift from group five, spins, and back outside death spiral. The other elements are not as problematic, but these three definitely appear once or twice in every competition.

But let's also be kind of real here too: there are very, VERY few pairs hitting all of their levels every time in competition. If you take this GP season for comparison, only one pair hit 4/4 in level 4s. T/M did it twice, S/H and B/K only once, and the rest never hit all level 4s in one single program during the GP.

I suppose it was Mishina/Galliamov who hit 4/4 in level 4s? ... to give credit where it's due. '

It's interesting that Meagan said that she knew if they hit their level 4s and did all their jumps and throws, she and Eric would beat S/H. She may have been talking about program by program, I don't know. As we know from Worlds 2021, the lead Sui/Han have had in quality of pairs elements, connection and music wasn't then insurmountable and still isn't. Meagan always kept track of every point, in her and Eric's programs and seemingly everyone else's. She thought strategically and still does.

FWIW, I love S/H so much in large part because of their devotion to their music and feeling, and their connection.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Eric was not a mentor, he was KMT's rival in her early career.

Hi @Colonel Green. How are you? Eric was a choreographer/ mentor to KM-T/MM once he retired. Maybe you wouldn't describe it as being a mentor/ friend, when a champion competitor choreographs for a former rival compatriot. I do.

By all accounts, Eric is a really nice guy, very creative and artistic. He has composed music for a number of skaters, including some of his compatriots, in addition to providing choreography. I believe both Vanessa & Eric have done pairs choreography for younger Canadian pairs teams, if I'm not mistaken.

As I mentioned earlier, I think some of the negativity surrounding Eric/Vanessa coming back was a bit over-the-top. And I don't think such negativity has been helpful for any of the top Canadian pairs teams. I mean, experience your feelings once you hear the news. Get through it, and then gain perspective. Eric & Vanessa said they wanted to make a go at the competitive arena for this Olympic season, and then move on to shows. Skate Canada has been solidly behind them, for a reason. With J/R in the mix, on paper there was a distinct opportunity to have two teams scoring high enough at Olympics and Worlds (should both KM-T/MM and J/R continue on to Worlds 2022) to maybe gain three spots for 2023 for Canadian pairs. Although at this point, U.S. pairs have more senior pairs depth and could better benefit from gaining three spots.

IMO, had all the teams checked their egos at the door, and recognized the importance of the buzz the J/R pairing brought to Canadian pairs at the beginning of the season, and simply made J/R feel welcome, things might have progressed better competitively for the Canadian pairs discipline.

ETA:
At this point, I don't think Kirsten/Michael will want to go to Worlds if they have the opportunity. If they get to go to the Olympics, they'll probably call it a career afterward. So hopefully, it will be J/R and Stellato/Deschamps going to Worlds for Canada.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Ted Barton interviewed Stellato/Deschamps at Skate Canada Challenge. It's nice to hear Max and Deanna speaking about their partnership. I wish they didn't have to be wearing masks so we could see their full expressions. But I understand why they have to wear them. Ted, as usual, is an upbeat, positive interviewer, but he must not realize that Deanna is not eligible for the Olympics, even should she qualify at Cdn Nationals:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Ted also interviewed the junior pairs champions at Skate Canada Challenge -- McIntosh/Mimar
I didn't realize Brooke had been injured; interesting discussion of the benefits of what they learned during the
challenges presented by COVID, in terms of understanding the importance of off-ice training time, which they now devote more time to. That's probably the case for a lot of skaters:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Kirsten's IG post after Golden Spin:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWBL-ROVDC/

She received a lot of support from friends in the skating community.

Various IG posts by Vanessa & Eric:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWhSPrGocnl/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWt8ojFN-iF/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVq4LO4P2we/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVojBVip6c8/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWvcoOJdlf/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVoaJUOvAcW/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWeR7LHFy2f/

This is a striking photo:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXJtuY2pojz/

 

[Seven Sisters]

Wonderfully frank interview with Tamara Moskvina on the eve of Russian Nationals, of interest to all pairs fans:

Tamara Moskvina: “At the Olympics our skaters will have to show the highest level, because the Chinese pair is strong and will have the support of the fans and judges on their side”

Tamara Moskvina told about what she expects from her pairs' performances at the Russian Nationals, which will become a qualifier for the Beijing Olympics.

fs-gossips.com

Among other things, Madame Moskvina discusses the impact of competing in St Petersburg for her teams, M/G’s LP music, and Sui/Han’s prospects at the Beijing Olympics.

 

[rollerblade]

Tamara Moskvina: Athletes perform their programs throughout the season and polish them from competitions to competitions, bring them to perfection. Therefore, viewers will see the programs that have already been performed at the Grand Prix. But in each case, the skaters slightly change their performance. And the fans cannot remember in such detail, up to the element of the program, so it will be very interesting for them.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Wonderfully frank interview with Tamara Moskvina on the eve of Russian Nationals,

Thanks for sharing. Moskvina is a character, but "frank" is not necessarily a descriptor that comes immediately to mind for me of her personality. She's often quite revealing, unique and unexpected in her responses. Plus, she doesn't suffer foolishness. She can tell it like it is of course, but not necessarily in a completely open and clear way. It seems frank and clear on the surface, no doubt. IOW, while she's always herself in a no-holds-barred way, I don't think everyone gets the underlying levels of meaning in her humor and cheekiness.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Interesting way of putting it re Moskvina's quote about programs being perfected and slightly changed over the course of a season, with fans not being able to detect the changes. I think more discerning fans do note slight changes. Average fans who aren't closely following performances throughout the season wouldn't detect changes.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

BTW, there are some new articles re U.S. pairs in the lead-up to U.S. Nationals and the Olympics, posted in the U.S. pairs thread under "Skate of Nations," section in the Main Arena. Noting this in case some fans didn't realize that the forum has moved all the 'national-related' threads for country disciplines under a unique heading -- no longer in The Edge.

 

[skylark]

I love, love, love and support my US pairs to the end. Still, if anyone wonders why "skating while Russian" seems to give even pairs who are new to the scene a few extra points, all you need to do is watch yesterday's Pairs SPs in the Russian Nationals thread.

The quality, the sheer beauty and precision of not just the elements, but the skating, is something wonderful to see. I recommend watching the whole competition beginning to end ... it's only 12 pairs, and you can skip the in-betweens if you like.

Oh, yes, and it happens to be a nail-biter too! Watch straight through, even if you choose to skip some. The main 4 or 5 competitors that we've seen in the GP events will not disappoint, as far as providing plenty of suspense.