Nikolaj Memola 'open' to pairs or ice dance

[gsk8]

On his future in skating:“If I’m going for another four years? maybe eight, maybe twelve, who knows? — 100% for four years, and then maybe we have a little change and I can find a girl that’s gonna tolerate me. You know, I love skating. But yeah, for at least four more years, I’m gonna be a quad jumper. And after that, who knows? I’m not planning to stop. I love this sport in every kind of situation, so I will be on the ice for a very long time.”

Which do you think he would best in? I pick ice dance!

 

[4everchan]

Considering his skating skills, he has a long road ahead of him if he wants to become and ice dancer.... However, he doesn't have much upper body strength so it's hard to see him as a pairs partner... So I don't know... I guess, I'd go with dance. It's probably more reasonable to develop his skating skills then completely change his morphology.

Maybe he should pick up dance with his "twin" who was an ice dancer, Corey Circelli.

 

[FlossieH]

I don't think he has enough upper body strength for pairs, and I'm not sure he has the precision needed for either discipline.

 

[lileychristie]

Upper body strength can be gradually built and improved significantly, no? I think pairs will suit him better than dance.....

I would kill to see him pair up with Corey though

 

[ladyjane]

Considering his to die for landings (when he hits them), I would go for pairs. He's also a rather tall guy, so slightly taller women to partner with would also work out. Guess the upper body strength can be learnt?

I wouldn't mind ID either. He already knows how to put forward great leg extension, which can be important in ID. He would need some better speed though in the extensions. But he has the feel for music....

ID with Corey would be superb. Maybe no competitions ISU-wise, but it would look great.

 

[Seven Sisters]

He could be awesome in a same-sex pair in either discipline, given his height.

I don’t really see him as one who would enjoy sharing the spotlight with a partner, however

 

[Mathman]

I vote for Ice Dance. He is not just tall, he's VERY tall. There must be a bunch of tall lady ice dancers who would love to find a partner to suit them.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Neither. He would have to pump himself up to be in pairs. And he doesn't have the skating skills to switch to dance.

So I mean, pumping yourself up is easier, so if I have to choose one-pairs.

 

[rabidline]

Neither, but I was just thinking if they ever do Opera on Ice again in Italy he would be a great addition.

 

[4everchan]

For pairs, assuming he's able to pump himself up which I'm not so sure about it... Some people are just made to be svelte.., lifts would still require smooth turns...

 

[lileychristie]

For pairs, assuming he's able to pump himself up which I'm not so sure about it... Some people are just made to be svelte..

Slender doesn't always mean weak though - I've seen many athletes, ballet dancers etc looking slim but having incredible strength.

Strong muscle doesn't necessarily mean big, obvious muscle. And vice versa - the amount of jacked up guys I've seen who turned out to be much weaker than slim pilates ladies is

 

[4everchan]

Slender doesn't always mean weak though - I've seen many athletes, ballet dancers etc looking slim but having incredible strength.

Strong muscle doesn't necessarily mean big, obvious muscle. And vice versa - the amount of jacked up guys I've seen who turned out to be much weaker than slim pilates ladies is

Of course. I'm just very doubtful that there's a transition available for him. He can prove me wrong

 

[Dreamer57]

I can picture him as a pairs skater, especially with his height.

Sumitada has made a decent transition to pairs in the space of a few years and I wouldn’t say he was obviously muscular.

 

[pesto]

He's 22, some young men naturally broaden out well past that age. It depends what he looks like in a few years, and how his skills have refined.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Slender doesn't always mean weak though - I've seen many athletes, ballet dancers etc looking slim but having incredible strength.

Strong muscle doesn't necessarily mean big, obvious muscle. And vice versa - the amount of jacked up guys I've seen who turned out to be much weaker than slim pilates ladies is

I never said he was weak. I said he would have to lift weights in order to be able to safely lift and throw a lady in pairs. I know well enough the strength many of us smaller skaters have that you would never guess.

 

[Arriba627]

Maybe he and Shoma could do pairs?

 

[discodisco]

Considering his to die for landings (when he hits them), I would go for pairs. He's also a rather tall guy, so slightly taller women to partner with would also work out. Guess the upper body strength can be learnt?

I wouldn't mind ID either. He already knows how to put forward great leg extension, which can be important in ID. He would need some better speed though in the extensions. But he has the feel for music....

ID with Corey would be superb. Maybe no competitions ISU-wise, but it would look great.

The problem is that it would take for sure 2 to 3 years for him to develop the requisite upper body strength, and given that he is so tall, that opens up all sorts of potential for back injuries, etc. I mean the girl would be practically in the rafters LOL because he's so tall.

And the conflict would be that if he wanted to start getting ready for pairs, he'd have to start lifting a couple years before he retired from singles if he didn't want a major delay, and of course that would throw off his jumps significantly. So I don't see it happening.

You look at someone like Nick Nadeau, and he was already quite heavily built when skating singles, and already did a lot of weight training before he switched to pairs, so he had to do was bulk up a little bit.

As a fellow ectomorph, if I could lift like crazy for several years and still only be half the size and strength of the average guy who had been weightlifting for 6 months or less lol. You can't just fill out a frame with a body doesn't have the proper musculature and, honestly, genetics unfortunately ...

 

[4everchan]

Maybe he and Shoma could do pairs?

TOO bad they don't have matching quads haha. Shoma flips while Nik lutzes

 

[Mathman]

You know, I'm all for him if he wants to ry something new.

But what I REALLY can't wrap my mind around is that it is possible for a lady to switch from singles to pairs in adulthood.

You learn as a baby, don't fall on your head. Your body automatically protects itself. Now all of a sudden you have to unlearn everything that you learned from age 2 on up and allow yourself to be tossed through the air on the slim hope that someone will catch you, or least that you will land on your feet.

 

[4everchan]

You know, I'm all for him if he wants to ry something new.

But what I REALLY can't wrap my mind around is that it is possible for a lady to switch from singles to pairs in adulthood.

You learn as a baby, don't fall on your head. Your body automatically protects itself. Now all of a sudden you have to unlearn everything that you learned from age 2 on up and allow yourself to be tossed through the air on the slim hope that someone will catch you, or least that you will land on your feet.

Figure skating is a sport requiring a very diverse list of skills. In that sense, I think it's logical figure skaters can acquire new skills. Of course, a twist may look like a completely different skill but there are similarities.. it's all about body spinning. Spins, jumps, throws and twists all require that basic skill. Of course, there are things unique to pairs like the death spiral or these very difficult lifts.