Barbora Kucianova & Martin Bidar

[CaroLiza_fan]

Now it's corrected the translation to Untargeted Ads . However, it still says I have to turn off the ad blocker to watch for free, and that's something I don't do. I'll just have to imagine two unknown skaters in the K&C ignoring each other (unknown to me, anyway) .

Oh, no. That link was to an article about them splitting.

Here are the videos from their last competition:

Barbora Kucianová / Martin Bidař - 2024 Warsaw Cup SP
Barbora Kucianová / Martin Bidař - 2024 Warsaw Cup FS

Martin was the 2016 Junior World Champion, and twice runner up in the Junior GP Final, with his original partner, Anna Dušková. I really liked them, and adopted them on here. Since Anna retired to concentrate on her education, Martin has had a few partners, and I continued to run threads for these partnerships. But he hasn't hit the same heights as he did with Anna.

His last partnership with Russian skater Liza Zhuk looked like it was heading places, but then COVID and the war made things very difficult for them. And when they split, a promising young partnership in the same coaching group, Barbora Kucianová / Lukáš Vochozka, was split to provide him with a partner. But the logistics of this partnership was a lot easier, as they were from the same town (Martin, Barbora and Lukáš are all Budweisers).

The irony is that Lukáš and his new partner, Debora Anna Cohen (who is from Prague), are the ones that will now get a clear run at everything next season. They are currently in Juniors because of Debora's age, but she will be old enough for Seniors next season.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[FlossieH]

The irony is that Lukáš and his new partner, Debora Anna Cohen (who is from Prague), are the ones that will now get a clear run at everything next season. They are currently in Juniors because of Debora's age, but she will be old enough for Seniors next season.

CaroLiza_fan

If Martin gets a new partner in time then he+partner will be given priority because of his father.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Oh, no. That link was to an article about them splitting.

Here are the videos from their last competition:

Barbora Kucianová / Martin Bidař - 2024 Warsaw Cup SP
Barbora Kucianová / Martin Bidař - 2024 Warsaw Cup FS

Martin was the 2016 Junior World Champion, and twice runner up in the Junior GP Final, with his original partner, Anna Dušková. I really liked them, and adopted them on here. Since Anna retired to concentrate on her education, Martin has had a few partners, and I continued to run threads for these partnerships. But he hasn't hit the same heights as he did with Anna.

His last partnership with Russian skater Liza Zhuk looked like it was heading places, but then COVID and the war made things very difficult for them. And when they split, a promising young partnership in the same coaching group, Barbora Kucianová / Lukáš Vochozka, was split to provide him with a partner. But the logistics of this partnership was a lot easier, as they were from the same town (Martin, Barbora and Lukáš are all Budweisers).

The irony is that Lukáš and his new partner, Debora Anna Cohen (who is from Prague), are the ones that will now get a clear run at everything next season. They are currently in Juniors because of Debora's age, but she will be old enough for Seniors next season.

CaroLiza_fan

Finally found the time to look at those two performances. It's a challenge to rack up an entire line of red squares (and one grey) without anyone actually falling down, but they managed. Viewing them as a pairs girl, it was obvious she was not at all happy in any of the lifts in either program. I don't know if the problem was that he's just not a good lifter or that there wasn't enough size difference between them, but he certainly needs a smaller partner and she needs someone bigger and stronger. (Sorry for my giggles, but to me "Budweisers" is a colloquial term for a team of Clydesdale horses, as in the beer commercials. She needs a partner with that heft of muscle to give her more stability in lifts. I hope their new pairings work out better.)

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I wonder who he's going to pair up with next. He needs someone who hasn't competed internationally for a year if he wants to get the Worlds mins this year to try to qualify an olympic spot there.

I can immediately think of somebody who fits that bill - Liza!

Yes, people will say re-uniting with a former partner is going backwards. But, honestly, it would be the ideal solution. There is no need to get to know each other and gel - they could just hit the ground running.

They did seem to work well together. And it was outside forces beyond their control that led to them splitting. Not their own choice.

If Martin gets a new partner in time then he+partner will be given priority because of his father.

All the more reason to get somebody with a proven record. And who better than somebody that he already knows and has worked with before?

Former partners re-uniting may not happen often, but it has worked out very nicely for some in the past. Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier, for example.

So, I would not be adverse to the idea of a reunion between Liza and Martin. In fact, I'd love to see it!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Finally found the time to look at those two performances. It's a challenge to rack up an entire line of red squares (and one grey) without anyone actually falling down, but they managed. Viewing them as a pairs girl, it was obvious she was not at all happy in any of the lifts in either program. I don't know if the problem was that he's just not a good lifter or that there wasn't enough size difference between them, but he certainly needs a smaller partner and she needs someone bigger and stronger.

Further to what I said in my post earlier this morning, according to the ISU Bios for their partnerships with Martin, Liza Zhuk is smaller than Barbora Kucianová.

Here are the videos from Liza and Martin's last competition together:

Elizaveta Zhuk / Martin Bidař - 2022 Skate Canada SP
Elizaveta Zhuk / Martin Bidař - 2022 Skate Canada FS

Conversely, Lukáš Vochozka is smaller than Martin. So, that was probably a factor too in moving Barbora over to Martin.

I can't find videos of Barbora and Lukáš at 2023 Junior Worlds, so here are the videos from their penultimate competition together:

Barbora Kucianová / Lukáš Vochozka- 2023 Bavarian Open SP
Barbora Kucianová / Lukáš Vochozka- 2023 Bavarian Open FS

(Sorry for my giggles, but to me "Budweisers" is a colloquial term for a team of Clydesdale horses, as in the beer commercials. She needs a partner with that heft of muscle to give her more stability in lifts. I hope their new pairings work out better.)

Martin, Barbora and Lukáš are actually from the same town as the original Budweiser beer. Budweis being the German name for České Budějovice. And I too find it amusing to think of the skaters as Budweisers. Which is why I do refer to them as such on here!

But I am jealous that you had beautiful horses in your Budweiser adverts. We had burping frogs, and idiots saying "whassup".

CaroLiza_fan

 

[throw_triple_flip]

I can immediately think of somebody who fits that bill - Liza!

Yes, people will say re-uniting with a former partner is going backwards. But, honestly, it would be the ideal solution. There is no need to get to know each other and gel - they could just hit the ground running.

They did seem to work well together. And it was outside forces beyond their control that led to them splitting. Not their own choice.



All the more reason to get somebody with a proven record. And who better than somebody that he already knows and has worked with before?

Former partners re-uniting may not happen often, but it has worked out very nicely for some in the past. Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier, for example.

So, I would not be adverse to the idea of a reunion between Liza and Martin. In fact, I'd love to see it!

You're forgetting the major thing- would she want to do that? Is there any indication she wants to come out of retirement?

And when they split, a promising young partnership in the same coaching group, Barbora Kucianová / Lukáš Vochozka, was split to provide him with a partner.

Is this actually what happened or an assumption? It looked more like trying to put together two teams who were physically better suited to each other. Vochozka is shorter than Bidar. That turn of phrase implies it was against their will or something, which seems unlikely.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Is this actually what happened or just your assumption?

It looked more like trying to put together two teams who were better physically suited to each other. Vochoczka is shorter than Bidar.

That turn of phrase implies it was against their will or something, which doesn't sound likely.

That was what I remembered being said on here at the time. (There were a lot of people not happy that Barbora and Lukáš were breaking up). But, after reading @Diana Delafield's assessment of Barbora and Martin at the Warsaw Cup and looking up the heights of the various skaters for my reply, I do think you are right. Barbora's height would have been a major factor.

Barbora has grown very tall for a Pairs skater. She wasn't that much smaller than Lukáš when they split, and she has grown taller since then.

Now that she and Martin have split, I have started to wonder if Barbora will continue with Pairs, or maybe go back to Singles.

That said, she has been out of Singles for a long time - her last Singles competition was at Intermediate Novice level in 2018, and she started competing in Pairs at Advanced Novice level in 2019. That is a lifetime ago for an elite level athlete. And it would take a long time for her to get the elements needed to be competitive at Senior level.

So, maybe looking for a bigger Pairs partner would be her best course from here.

CaroLiza_fan

(Perhaps I should re-word my previous posts. But, other people have quoted them since then, so the original versions will still be able to be read).

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Martin should have an easier time finding a partner than Barbora, even if they might not be as strong jumpers. There are a lot of 16/17 to mid-20s female skaters around 160 cm even just on Icepartnersearch including one with Czech citizenship - Nikola Sitkova (who represented Slovakia with her former partner), though many of the younger ones are looking for a Jr-level partnership or aren't willing to move.

Barbora will have a much harder time, there are already fewer male pairs skaters out there, and even fewer strong, tall ones. She would ideally want someone like Nikita Volodin or Benjamin Mimar (or Marco Zandron before his break & injury). This doesn't mean she won't find a partner, or even one who is a very good match, just that it's harder for her.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Martin should have an easier time finding a partner than Barbora, even if they might not be as strong jumpers. There are a lot of 16/17 to mid-20s female skaters around 160 cm even just on Icepartnersearch including one with Czech citizenship - Nikola Sitkova (who represented Slovakia with her former partner), though many of the younger ones are looking for a Jr-level partnership or aren't willing to move.

I just looked at Nikola Sitková's profile. She is another Budweiser, and she is part of the same coaching group as Martin. So, for all we know, they may already be trying her out with him.

But, the problem is that she was competing for Slovakia less than 2 months ago. So, if she wanted to switch back to the Czech Republic, she would not be able to compete until next October. Which is far too late if Martin has notions of going to the Olympics again next season.

Also, her Ice Partner Search profile hasn't been updated since January. So, it may be the case that she has decided to stay with Oliver, but has just forgotten to take it down.

Barbora will have a much harder time, there are already fewer male pairs skaters out there, and even fewer strong, tall ones. She would ideally want someone like Nikita Volodin or Benjamin Mimar (or Marco Zandron before his break & injury). This doesn't mean she won't find a partner, or even one who is a very good match, just that it's harder for her.

It may not be easy, but I hope she does find somebody suitable.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[FlossieH]

Is this actually what happened or an assumption? It looked more like trying to put together two teams who were physically better suited to each other. Vochozka is shorter than Bidar. That turn of phrase implies it was against their will or something, which seems unlikely.

It is what was reported at the time. I was very unhappy about it. I felt that is was very unethical for a coach to force another pair to split to provide his son with a partner, and I still feel the same way.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Martin Bidar is a talented pairs skater. I enjoyed him in juniors with Anna Duskova. Hopefully, he will be able to find a good match before it's too late. I don't remember him that well with Liza Zhuk, but I suppose they had somewhat better success than he's experienced with Kuchianova, who happens to be quite a bit younger. I am not concerned about age gaps, if a team matches physically and mentally, but it is often a topic of discussion held against some teams. Skating is such a difficult sport on many levels.

Good luck to Martin and Barbora as they pursue separate paths in their pairs skating aspirations.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Martin Bidar is a talented pairs skater. I enjoyed him in juniors with Anna Duskova. Hopefully, he will be able to find a good match before it's too late. I don't remember him that well with Liza Zhuk, but I suppose they had somewhat better success than he's experienced with Kuchianova, who happens to be quite a bit younger. I am not concerned about age gaps, if a team matches physically and mentally, but it is often a topic of discussion held against some teams. Skating is such a difficult sport on many levels.

Good luck to Martin and Barbora as they pursue separate paths in their pairs skating aspirations.

I really miss Anna. She really was something special. Not only was she a great Pairs skater, but she was a great Singles skater too. And she continued competing in both for as long as she could get away with it. I remember one season when, as the season went on, Anna was becoming the favourite to get the Czech slot in Ladies at Junior Worlds. But in the end somebody else was sent in Ladies, and Anna just went in Pairs.

Since Anna retired, Liza has definitely been Martin’s best partner. I’ll be honest, I don’t even remember what Hanna Abrazhevich, the Belorussian skater that was his partner between Anna and Liza, was like. And I have a feeling that when I look back in years to come, it will be pretty much the same with Barbora. Those girls just weren’t with him long enough to make a lasting impression the way that Anna and Liza did.

You mentioning ages got me curious, so I calculated the age differences between Martin and all his partners, and also included the skater that was suggested in the thread as a potential new partner, Nikola Sitková. Here are the results:

Age Difference​	Martin Bidař (CZE)​	Anna Dušková (CZE)​	Hanna Abrazhevich (BLR)​	Elizaveta Zhuk (RUS)​	Barbora Kucianová (CZE)​	Nikola Sitková (CZE / SVK)​
Martin Bidař (CZE)​	N/A​	10 months​	3 years 5 months​	4 years 8 months​	8 years 1 month​	8 years 7 months​
Anna Dušková (CZE)​	10 months​	N/A​	2 years 7 months​	3 years 10 months​	7 years 3 months​	7 years 9 months​
Hanna Abrazhevich (BLR)​	3 years 5 months​	2 years 7 months​	N/A​	1 year 3 months​	4 years 8 months​	5 years 2 months​
Elizaveta Zhuk (RUS)​	4 years 8 months​	3 years 10 months​	1 year 3 months​	N/A​	3 years 5 months​	3 years 11 months​
Barbora Kucianová (CZE)​	8 years 1 month​	7 years 3 months​	4 years 8 months​	3 years 5 months​	N/A​	6 months​
Nikola Sitková (CZE / SVK)​	8 years 7 months​	7 years 9 months​	5 years 2 months​	3 years 11 months​	6 months​	N/A​

It’s actually interesting to see how they all compare. So interesting that I decided to do it again, but this time with the other factor that people talk a lot about, heights:

Height Difference​	Martin Bidař (179cm / 182cm)​	Anna Dušková (158cm)​	Hanna Abrazhevich (164cm)​	Elizaveta Zhuk (160cm)​	Barbora Kucianová (166cm)​	Nikola Sitková (154cm)​
Martin Bidař (179cm / 182cm)​	N/A​	(MB 179cm) 21cm​	(MB 179cm) 15cm​	(MB 182cm) 22cm​	(MB 182cm) 16cm​	(MB 182cm) 28cm​
Anna Dušková (158cm)​	(MB 179cm) 21cm​	N/A​	6cm​	2cm​	8cm​	4cm​
Hanna Abrazhevich (164cm)​	(MB 179cm) 15cm​	6cm​	N/A​	4cm​	2cm​	10cm​
Elizaveta Zhuk (160cm)​	(MB 182cm) 22cm​	2cm​	4cm​	N/A​	6cm​	6cm​
Barbora Kucianová (166cm)​	(MB 182cm) 16cm​	8cm​	2cm​	6cm​	N/A​	12cm​
Nikola Sitková (154cm)​	(MB 182cm) 28cm​	4cm​	10cm​	6cm​	12cm​	N/A​

For the girls, I have used the heights given in their most recent ISU Bio (which, in the case of all of Martin’s former partners, is their most recent ISU Bio with him).

For Martin, I have used 179cm for comparing with Anna and Hanna, as that was his height in his most recent ISU Bios with them; and 182cm for comparing with Liza, Barbora and Nikola, as that is his current height.​

It really is fascinating comparing the differences in height.

The difference in height between Liza and Martin was pretty much the same as the difference between Anna and Martin when they were together. Which may explain why these are the two partnerships that seemed to work so well, and which lasted the longest.

Similarly, the difference in height between Barbora and Martin was pretty much the same as the difference between Hanna and Martin when they were together. And this may be a clue as to why these partnerships were not as successful, and were relatively short-lived.

Nikola is by far the smallest of the girls included in the comparison. And now that I have done this analysis, I am getting more and more curious about how Martin would get on with a much smaller partner like her. But, as Nikola is only 6 months younger than Barbora, she is also probably in the phase where she is still growing. So, we don’t know what height she will end up at. She could still have a growth spurt and end up as tall as Barbora or Hanna. And we would be back to square one.

Plus, as I said when Nikola was first suggested, although she is from the same town as Martin, she has been representing Slovakia with her most recent partner. So she will be under embargo until next October. Which is far too late if Martin wants to go to the Olympics again next season.

At this stage of the Olympic cycle, his best chance of being able to go is to partner up with a girl that already has a Czech passport and already has a lot of experience in Pairs skating. And one that it will not take long to gel with. And Liza Zhuk is the only skater that I can think of that ticks all those boxes.

But, we will just have to wait and see what happens in the weeks and months ahead.

I hope things work out for Martin. And for Barbora as well.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Wow, what a great comparison analysis re ages and heights of Martin and his former partners! You could maybe do a height age comparison in general among current pairs and ice dance teams. Amaze balls!

Of course, that would be a lot more work, but interesting. Again, I do not think age gaps among specific teams is something to get over-excited and up-in-arms about, although some fans seem to get triggered unnecessarily regarding age gaps. For me, the most important factors are physical and mental compatibility, mutual goals, and respect and support for each other!

The over-focus on age gaps has seemed to be largely targeted against U.S. teams. The most current over-focus has been against Kam/ O'Shea. Meanwhile, I have heard nothing mentioned by most age-gap complaining fans against Barbora/ Martin; Beccari/ Guarise; or Miura/ Kihara, et al. Nary a peep against these teams, yet some fans were beside themselves when Michael Parsons first partnered with Caroline Green. Horrors! LOL!

It was quite ridiculous and OTT how some fans were so riled up over the lovely, winning U.S. junior partnership between Sonia Baram/ Daniel Tioutmentsev due to their age-gap and the wrong notion that the interim ISU age rule was put in place solely for them. Meanwhile, Daniel had firmly set his sights on pursuing other career goals after he and Sonia won 2023 Junior Worlds pairs championship. IMO, it's a huge loss for pairs that Sonia & Daniel did not continue to a senior career. At the same time, I admire Daniel for moving on to his passion for aerospace engineering. I have been hoping that Sonia would find a new partner and return to pairs. She is not currently having great success in singles.

Sorry for the slightly off-topic rant. Your comparison analysis for Martin and his former partners is amazing. Had Anna not decided to retire, I think Martin & Anna would have had huge success in senior pairs. But, this sport is so difficult and fleeting for many skaters. It takes a ton of singular grit and determination to achieve dreams. Luck and timing are the most important factors of all.