2025 Skate Canada Pairs Free Skate

[Blades of Passion]

Deanna and Max need more sensuality in the first half of the program, and she needs to bring her arms in and then fling them outward in the final lift to really sell the climax. Then this program can be special. Nothing can be done about the ugly side by side jumps, but if they sell the rest maybe we can pretend those moments don't exist.

 

[paulusfr]

Couldn't Minerva just not jump the axel and then they could add axel onto salchovs?

Pavlova/Sviatchenko, who have the same coach as Hase/Volodin, had similar mistake at the GP France, and this is what they said in an intervew:

We decided with our coaches that we would not work on a backup plan for such situations - what to do if we messed up the jump combination. If we had a plan B in our heads, it would interfere with executing plan A cleanly. So there's no turning back, we have to jump cleanly.

 

[Heather T]

There is a feed through (Jackie wong mentions it in todays recap) that is not geo blocked for anyone who needs

Ps I think Lia and Trent should go back to the long tango from last year. This mission music is weird and no emotion??

That is a good suggestion for Lia and Trennt.

 

[RatedPG]

Pavlova/Sviatchenko, who have the same coach as Hase/Volodin, had similar mistake at the GP France, and this is what they said in an intervew:

What a horrible approach. They have two jump passes. All they have to do is memorize a plan B when the first jump pass doesn’t go well, if they have time to save it. I think it was too late as Hase already attempted the axel here.

But, if they fall and Hase didn’t attempt the axel, plan B should be 2A 2A 1A to at least get more points than a solo 3S. Simple math.

If they can land 3S 2A 2A in practice (that would be the plan B instead)

 

[4everchan]

What a horrible approach. They have two jump passes. All they have to do is memorize a plan B when the first jump pass doesn’t go well, if they have time to save it. I think it was too late as Hase already attempted the axel here.

But, if they fall and Hase didn’t attempt the axel, plan B should be 2A 2A 1A to at least get more points than a solo 3S. Simple math.

If they can land 3S 2A 2A in practice (that would be the plan B instead)

well that works if while they are jumping they are able to spot what one another is doing... I don't think it's that easy to see that your partner has fallen, touched their foot on the ice, or will not be able to fire the axels....

I know pairs are connected but I don't think telepathy while turning three times above the ice is a thing

I agree that the best approach is to put the sequence on only one jumping pass.

Also, let's not forget that the sequence takes a lot more time than a single jump and that choreography could be sacrificed severely if a team went to tag on their sequence in a Plan B situation. It's not like they can pause the music, do their sequence, and resume with choreography.

I can understand that back in the days, when teams were just tagging a double toe to their jump, there were more options... but not with the current sequence of adding a couple axels

 

[Reah]

If this chart is anything to go by, the current free skate is turning into a career killer:

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One wonders how it can be that such a fabulous short program is followed by such a disastrous free skate virtually overnight? It's as if someone slipped something into their morning coffee!

Joking aside, the critics currently seem to be right in saying that it's not a question of form, but rather a lack of energy conveyed by the music, which is having an increasingly negative effect on the skaters: they looked okay at the Nebelhorn Trophy, poor in Georgia, and disastrous here. After the first training videos from the training camp in Courmayeur, when it became clear that they would be skating to Richter and choreographed by Richaud, the first voices were heard pointing out that this was a recycled program that had already failed to work properly for the Chinese. In addition, Richaud is considered by many to be an overambitious and overrated fashion coach who does one thing above all else: make a lot of money. Minerva's choreographies have been created by Pillay/Boll for many years, including last year's world championship free skate, which received a standing ovation in Boston.

This year, the Canadian/German choreographer duo is responsible for the short program, which is quickly turning into another masterpiece. Why was the free skate, which is so important in the Olympic season, “sacrificed” for an experiment? Aljona says she has some doubts about the program and describes H/V's free skate at last year's World Championships as a masterpiece. In a way, they are currently following the Savchenko/Massot approach: this music will not carry them – they have to carry it themselves, which obviously doesn't work. And there is only one regular appearance left in the Grand Prix series to correct what I would call a mistake.

At the time, a certain “star violinist” was in vogue, whose exclusive music did not work at all for Aljona/Robin, whereupon they pulled the plug on the program in the middle of the season. As we know, the brilliant team achieved a legendary triumph with a newly choreographed free skate.

H/V would only have to switch to their universally acclaimed “Vivaldi” free skate, and they would be in good company in terms of repetition. It's not too late yet!

 

[Reah]

Nothing is as smooth as ice?

Nikata's skate may have gotten caught in a groove -> fall after what should have been a safe landing. That's how it's being communicated here and there (not by him). For whatever reason, when things like this happen, Minerva starts to think, becomes uncertain, and causes the newly practiced 3FTh to fall (in the end, they were also significantly behind schedule). “It can happen,” she said afterwards.

What fills me with joy is to see that she is now a mature person with considerable experience on the ice, able to react much more calmly in such situations than in previous years (with Nikita, such questions arise less often, but behind his stoic facade, things occasionally boil over, as he himself admits). At the Finlandia Trophy, they need a secure second place to make it to the final, and top places help to better secure the pair's financial survival (as was the case with S/S and S/M). At the moment, I don't think anyone can predict how they will/can continue to cope with this free skate and what they will present to us.

“After falls at Skate Grand Prix Canada: Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin want to optimize free skate for Finlandia Trophy”

https://www.olympics.com/de/news/eiskunstlauf-skate-grand-prix-kanada-sturz-minerva-hase-nikita-volodin-silber

Four strong couples on equal footing, and it's going to be really exciting! But frankly, H/V are closest to my heart for many reasons, and I hope they can continue the tradition of S/M — if not now, then...

 

[lariko]

It looked like Volodin landed, then fell. Grove or landing too far back on the blade or something only he could tell. I didn't think Hase saw that he fell before she went for the second jump of the combo or had time to change the jump entry. I still feel that SD/D simply had a really strong performance and this being Canada, H/V wouldn't have won. I like their program though, it's really heartrending. I know that most people prefer SD/D's though