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- Sep 1, 2020
Ummm yeah sure, but honestly we could really have a conversation about this one (i.e., the whys and the wherefores)!!! But let's not do it here. There's a lot of levels and drama to this particular split, especially in hindsight.
2021-22 Retirements, Splits & Partner Changes
- Thread starter surimi
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- Feb 16, 2010
Agreed! I really missed watching Caitlin skate.Ummm yeah sure, but honestly we could really have a conversation about this one (i.e., the whys and the wherefores)!!! But let's not do it here. There's a lot of levels and drama to this particular split, especially in hindsight.
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- Aug 12, 2014
I had no intention of starting a conversation about Y/C. Just adding onto @moonvine 's comments about pairs she wouldn't have expected to split. A team who'd just placed 6th at Worlds? that was a surprising split.Ummm yeah sure, but honestly we could really have a conversation about this one (i.e., the whys and the wherefores)!!! But let's not do it here. There's a lot of levels and drama to this particular split, especially in hindsight.
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- Sep 1, 2020
I'm not saying that you intended to.
It's just that I personally feel there is an awful lot to say about that situation, especially in hindsight these many years later. Caitlin Yankowskas' career was so unnecessarily shortened. It was a sad situation for her, and for U.S. pairs figure skating, despite the fact that Caydee & John were good together and competed well (before injuries stymied their trajectory). One of the biggest problems was Sappenfield's erroneous decision to try and mold Caydee into Caitlin aesthetically. That was NEVER going to work. Caydee had her own strengths and her own skating personality, which should have been better taken into consideration.
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- Dec 21, 2011
Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with all you say, at the end of the day whatever people's reasons for the decisions they make may be, pairs skaters don't have to keep skating with someone else if they no longer want to skate with that person. That's true regardless of what kind of human being they are or what their reason is, so I am not really sure a conversation about this can be productive if that makes sense. There is a lot I would actually like to say about Coughlin but none of it would fly on this forumI'm not saying that you intended to.
and unfortunately it wouldn't change the basic fact that he did have the 'right' to change partners.In general I think the frequent splits of (relatively successful) North American pairs are a pity and rarely work out well (for exhibit B one need only look to Kirsten Moore Towers, a far more likable character
) but at the end of the day these people are people not just skaters and have to make their own choices about who they want to skate with and why.I do wish we had been able to see more of Caitlin, she was a truly lovely skater.
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- Oct 25, 2012
Erm, you guys do realise that getting dumped by John Coughlin wasn't the end of Caitlin Yankowskas' career. After a couple of years trying different partners in America, she came over here and did pretty well skating with Hamish Gaman (who was Vanessa James' first partner when she switched to Pairs).
Unfortunately, they then had to retire after a couple of seasons for the same reason that most of British skaters retire - lack of funding.
Hamish went on to become a regular fixture on ITV series "Dancing On Ice", until the current series. But, does anybody know what Caitlin has been doing in recent years?
Sorry for continuing the off-topic discussion. But I was another that really liked Caitlin, and seeing her name mentioned made me realise how long it is since I heard anything about her, and got me curious about whether she is in some way still involved in skating.
CaroLiza_fan
Unfortunately, they then had to retire after a couple of seasons for the same reason that most of British skaters retire - lack of funding.
Hamish went on to become a regular fixture on ITV series "Dancing On Ice", until the current series. But, does anybody know what Caitlin has been doing in recent years?
Sorry for continuing the off-topic discussion. But I was another that really liked Caitlin, and seeing her name mentioned made me realise how long it is since I heard anything about her, and got me curious about whether she is in some way still involved in skating.
CaroLiza_fan
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- Dec 21, 2011
I do take your point but basically after John dumped Caitlin in 2011, she was seen twice with Gaman in 2013-14 (and neither time by anyone but true diehard figure skating fans as once was British nationals and once was the Ice Challenge, hardly a important competition). They did have a real season in 2014-2015 but basically after worlds 2011 we only saw her one more season 3-4 years later and then never again.
I don't exactly think it's fair to wholly blame Coughlin for the end of her career- funding played a part as you say, as well as injuries/issues with other partners (interestingly she skated with Matteo Guarise for about 2 months but they split because they couldn't agree what country to skate for of all things). And as I said above he had every 'right' to split from her if he felt it was best for him, he was a skater not a prisoner. But it is a pity we didn't see more of her. She was still only 24 when she retired and when Coughlin dumped her only 20. She could have skated much longer if she had had a suitable partner and, indeed, funding.
I saw a tweet yesterday about Annabelle Morozov (+ dad) seeking to switch country and dance partner. It looks like she might now be skating with Devid Naryzhnyy. He is now following Annabelle instead of Liza...
There is also a rumour that Shevchenko/Eremenko could be splitting. This is at least ~3 Russian ice dance teams in one swoop
There is also a rumour that Shevchenko/Eremenko could be splitting. This is at least ~3 Russian ice dance teams in one swoop
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- Jun 6, 2018
I'm so annoyed about this BUT I'm not sure if part of it is because Devid is from Ukraine (Kharkiv) and he no longer wants to represent/train in Russia? That would make perfect sense, and with Annabelle having like 3 passports she is a good choice. If I were them I'd go for France, since there isn't going to be the depth there like in the US.I saw a tweet yesterday about Annabelle Morozov (+ dad) seeking to switch country and dance partner. It looks like she might now be skating with Devid Naryzhnyy. He is now following Annabelle instead of Liza...
There is also a rumour that Shevchenko/Eremenko could be splitting. This is at least ~3 Russian ice dance teams in one swoop
As far as Shevchenko/Eremenko, I'm gutted if the rumours are true but since she's had covid I don't think she's looked as strong unfortunately. That might be me just projecting expectations though. However, I love them together. Maybe it will be in true Chinese pairs swap style? Morozov/Naryzhnyy and Shevchenko/Bagin?
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- Nov 30, 2016
I went and listened to the bit on TSL where they talked about this. What he said was:I saw a tweet yesterday about Annabelle Morozov (+ dad) seeking to switch country and dance partner. It looks like she might now be skating with Devid Naryzhnyy. He is now following Annabelle instead of Liza...
There is also a rumour that Shevchenko/Eremenko could be splitting. This is at least ~3 Russian ice dance teams in one swoop
- Nikolai Morozov has been in Montclair (New Jersey) as a guest coach
- He (Nikolai) has told Dave several times that Annabelle has a new partner
- It's still in the transfer period so it hasn't been officially announced, but Dave saw the video and her new partner is Devid Naryzhnyy
- "They actually looked really nice together and he's considering the citizenship options"
- Dave only talked about the potential of Annabelle skating for the US for them, didn't mention the possibility of France, but I don't know that Morozov said that specifically
Our family thought that Devid and Liza were a team with a lot of potential. They seemed to have technique, dance skills and performance charisma - three very separate but important dance skill sets. It seemed to us like they were scored harshly this past season. We thought that their music was an issue - different and interesting, but not best suited for ice dancing due to complex rhythm changes that didn't sound great in an arena. Instead of the number building up to a crescendo, the music felt more like fits and starts. (I think it would have sounded better in a theatre for a modern dance troupe, but that's just me.) They also appeared to skate fast and had fairly complex choreography.
Personally, they were my "wow!" Russian team of the season. So it's a huge partner change for sure, if this ends up being true. Hopefully Liza finds another partner. They just had such great lines together.
Personally, skating for the US would be interesting, as USFSA has teams that they appear to be stanning for the next quad. France would be a strong possibility.
Personally, they were my "wow!" Russian team of the season. So it's a huge partner change for sure, if this ends up being true. Hopefully Liza finds another partner. They just had such great lines together.
Personally, skating for the US would be interesting, as USFSA has teams that they appear to be stanning for the next quad. France would be a strong possibility.
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- Jan 9, 2017
I'm not surprised Morozov is back in NJ, he tends to switch back and forth based on whatever reason he has each time. Remember he coached there in the past, and used to do choreography in CT back in the day. Fingers crossed his daughter goes to skate for France, because they're not going to cut it in the USA the way they might think they will due to many factors.
And Shanaeva/Eremenko!
Yeah I would understand if he didn't want to represent Russia. In terms of career progression, if they were released to France they could make it to Worlds as early as 2023. But citizenship is a big change, I think you have to live there for 5 years and pass a language exam. If he has ukr/Rus passports he might have to renounce one (although I don't know how Annabelle has three).
It makes sense now about Morozov working with Zhuk/Svinin - he's been looking for a new partner for about a year. I really liked S/N together, wish their senior debut hadn't been impacted so badly by covid.
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- Oct 25, 2012
Born in America to a French mother and Russian father.
Therefore, she is automatically eligible for those 3 passports without having to do anything.
CaroLiza_fan
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- Sep 1, 2020
LOL -- I actually said initially that it's not a conversation to get into here, but yeah, as it happens, I am responding to subsequent comments addressed to me.Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with all you say, at the end of the day whatever people's reasons for the decisions they make may be, pairs skaters don't have to keep skating with someone else if they no longer want to skate with that person. That's true regardless of what kind of human being they are or what their reason is, so I am not really sure a conversation about this can be productive if that makes sense. There is a lot I would actually like to say about Coughlin but none of it would fly on this forum
In general I think the frequent splits of (relatively successful) North American pairs are a pity and rarely work out well (for exhibit B one need only look to Kirsten Moore Towers, a far more likable character
I do wish we had been able to see more of Caitlin, she was a truly lovely skater.
People change partners all the time for different reasons. In this instance, I do not think it didn't work out for Denney/Coughlin. They were actually good together, especially technically. But aesthetically and in terms of finding the right overall packaging for their strengths and personalities, I don't think they quite achieved that. But they were very competitive internationally, as they built their fairly short-lived career. Injuries hampered their progress in the end.
What I wonder, is whether or not the Caitlin/Coughlin split was great overall for the trajectory of U.S. pairs at the time. I know that's not realistically a consideration, since U.S. fed can't force partners to stay together, if they want to make a change. Still, couldn't there have been more conversation to find out about why they were splitting, in light of the fact they had just broken through at Worlds, which was a promising development for U.S. pairs? I don't know if any conversations were had with all the principals involved, but I doubt it. Probably U.S. fed and Sappenfield didn't persuade Coughlin against the split, since Caydee Denney was highly regarded, especially for her jumping ability and her lively personality. Yet, it's not easy (as we know) to simply partner with someone else and expect immediate results, similar results, or better results.
At the very least, why didn't U.S. fed take a larger role in trying to assist Caitlin? As it turned out, Caitlin partnered with Josh Reagan, but seemingly they were more romantically attracted than anything else, and their skating partnership never got off the ground. The promise that we saw and loved in Caitlin was wasted. By the time, she paired with Hamish Gaman in the U.K. (they looked quite good together aesthetically), she had lost some technical abilities, and needed monetary resources and good coaches to help get back to a high competitive level. It was not to be, which is sad.
But, nothing is promised or guaranteed in life or sport.
Thank you.
I thought there might be a rule where you would have to give up one of them in adulthood, I must have got mixed up thinking about Japan.
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- Dec 7, 2018
Nicole Calderari and Marco Cilli (Italian junior ice dancers and current Jr. National champions) have split. I really enjoyed watching these guys, and liked their battle with Tali/Frasca for the Italian Jr. title and Jr. Worlds spot.
Her Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca7brSyIzoB/?utm_medium=copy_link
She is looking for a new partner. Best of luck to both of them in the future!
Her Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca7brSyIzoB/?utm_medium=copy_link
She is looking for a new partner. Best of luck to both of them in the future!
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2018
Bryce Chudak (Canadian pairs skater) has announced his retirement (and, presumably, the end of his competitive partnership with Natasha Purich?).
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-iFiZvg9E/
He is going on to develop and lead a pairs skating program in Calgary, as part of Golden Edge Skating Academy. Nice to see another pairs program coming to Canada!
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-iFiZvg9E/
He is going on to develop and lead a pairs skating program in Calgary, as part of Golden Edge Skating Academy. Nice to see another pairs program coming to Canada!
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- Aug 12, 2014
I haven't seen this split announced anywhere except on Matej Silecky's IG account. He wrote:
"Shortly after the US Championships, Kate Finster called to tell me that she and her team had decided to go in a different direction moving forward." There's a link below, but the skater in the video isn't Matej, but a surprise to be revealed.
Personally, I'm really sorry to hear this. I enjoyed their programs together and thought they did well at US Nationals considering they'd only been skating together for a matter of months. Especially on their SP, where they came in 5th, ahead of McBeath/Bartholomay. I'd earlier vowed to mute "Carry You" in any figure skating program if I heard it again. But before the music even began, something about Matej's posture and expression convinced me that their interpretation was going to be significantly different -- Portraying a stronger kind of love, rather than the idea of "plaintive" that I'd gotten before.
I thought, and still think, that any skater who can convey something so strongly before the skating begins has something special. And their elements had a ways to go but were coming along. Additionally, Kate is still only 17 I think, and had time to see if this partnership could develop. On the other hand, maybe she and 'her team' felt that her youth was a good reason to go a different direction early rather than later.
Matej is creative in several directions, and he's apparently making a documentary about his grandparents' and other people's experiences as Ukrainians.
ETA: I found a pretty good fancam of Finster/Silecky's SP at nationals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCtgRjBNjXU
"Shortly after the US Championships, Kate Finster called to tell me that she and her team had decided to go in a different direction moving forward." There's a link below, but the skater in the video isn't Matej, but a surprise to be revealed.
Personally, I'm really sorry to hear this. I enjoyed their programs together and thought they did well at US Nationals considering they'd only been skating together for a matter of months. Especially on their SP, where they came in 5th, ahead of McBeath/Bartholomay. I'd earlier vowed to mute "Carry You" in any figure skating program if I heard it again. But before the music even began, something about Matej's posture and expression convinced me that their interpretation was going to be significantly different -- Portraying a stronger kind of love, rather than the idea of "plaintive" that I'd gotten before.
I thought, and still think, that any skater who can convey something so strongly before the skating begins has something special. And their elements had a ways to go but were coming along. Additionally, Kate is still only 17 I think, and had time to see if this partnership could develop. On the other hand, maybe she and 'her team' felt that her youth was a good reason to go a different direction early rather than later.
Matej is creative in several directions, and he's apparently making a documentary about his grandparents' and other people's experiences as Ukrainians.
ETA: I found a pretty good fancam of Finster/Silecky's SP at nationals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCtgRjBNjXU
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- Dec 21, 2011
Finster is a lot younger than he is so I understand where she is coming from especially if she actually has another partnership in mind. With that said I am also disappointed... he is 'only' 27 which in pairs is no longer really on the older side but kind of average 
, he definitely could have competed for another quad.
It's not 100% clear from Matej's post whether he will seek another partner but it looks like probably not, so I wish him well in his other endeavours. He indeed does seem to be a very busy person with a lot of different interest and success in a variety of areas so I am sure that he will be able to make a difference whatever he pursues.
, he definitely could have competed for another quad.It's not 100% clear from Matej's post whether he will seek another partner but it looks like probably not, so I wish him well in his other endeavours. He indeed does seem to be a very busy person with a lot of different interest and success in a variety of areas so I am sure that he will be able to make a difference whatever he pursues.
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