Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig end their 10-year pair partnership (she will retire)

[Sylvia]

Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig end their 10-year pair partnership (she will retire)

Amanda Evora announced her retirement from competitive skating today; Mark Ladwig plans to continue skating -- link to the USFS press release: http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=47969&type=media

 

[sktrmom]

I'm not surprised but disappointed none the less!

 

[demarinis5]

That is to bad. I always enjoyed their skating and they had beautiful lifts. Mark is planning to continue, I wonder if he has a partner in mind.
Good luck Amanda and Mark!

 

[Tonichelle]

Such a bummer, but it makes sense in a way...

 

[Mrs. P]

I'm sad too. But happy for Amanda that she can finish her college degree and settle down with Jeremy Barrett. Haven't they've been engaged for a while now?

 

[icebeauty]

I'm sad, but I guess this day was going to come...although I always assumed they would both retire.
I'm going to miss their lifts soooo much, so difficult, yet looked so deceivingly easy. There was so much beauty and grace in their movement...it never looked hard. They loved to skate and you could tell.
I'm happy that Amanda is finishing up her degree and settling down. I hope Mark finds a good partner who matches him on the ice and is a good jumper since we all know it was their SBS jumps that held them back...

 

[Serious Business]

They were great people by all accounts, and magnificent skaters that never got their full due IMO. But I can't be too sad about this. Mark is a proven and healthy male pairs skater who is now available, there are legions of desperate unpartnered female pairs skaters who are overjoyed at the news, and one of them will make a great team with him, I bet. This way, Mark gets to spread his wealth around.

 

[Mathman]

Thanks for joining us, sktrmom. Post often, post long.

This was a beutiful couple who had a great career. They will have a lot of memories to look back on, especially the 2010 Olympics, where they skated marvelously at the biggest show of all!

 

[Jammers]

Isn't Mark almost 32 though? I would think some of these unpartnered ladies might be leery of someone who might not be in the sport very much longer.

 

[chuckm]

Amanda and Jeremy Barrett broke off their engagement before Nationals.

"Unpartnered Ladies" who want to make a run at Sochi might be interested in a shortterm partnership with Ladwig. He is a polished, very experienced pairs skater. Amanda Dobbs or Lindsay Davis, maybe?

 

[claphappy]

I'm sad too. But happy for Amanda that she can finish her college degree and settle down with Jeremy Barrett. Haven't they've been engaged for a while now?

Actually, I believe their engagement is off. I think it was announced some time after Nationals. I wouldn't be surprised if that played a part in her decision to retire.

 

[Serious Business]

Isn't Mark almost 32 though? I would think some of these unpartnered ladies might be leery of someone who might not be in the sport very much longer.

Beggars can't be choosers!

 

[Olympia]

Oh, rats, I loved watching them. Well, at least we can still enjoy Mark for awhile. In a pairs guy, 32 still has some promise. Isn't Robin Szolkowy about 32?

i agree that their lifts are amazing. I'll continue to savor them on YouTube.

 

[ice coverage]

Oh, rats, I loved watching them. Well, at least we can still enjoy Mark for awhile. In a pairs guy, 32 still has some promise. Isn't Robin Szolkowy about 32?
...

Yes, Szolkowy will be 33 in July 2012. And I hope that S/S have many great skates ahead of them.
That said, I recall hearing or reading something about a comment from Szolkowy this season that younger competitors have more freedom to practice demanding moves over and over - whereas S/S now limit the number of repetitions to avoid wear and tear on their older bodies.

 

[tulosai]

I'm sad, but I guess this day was going to come...although I always assumed they would both retire.
I'm going to miss their lifts soooo much, so difficult, yet looked so deceivingly easy. There was so much beauty and grace in their movement...it never looked hard. They loved to skate and you could tell.
I'm happy that Amanda is finishing up her degree and settling down. I hope Mark finds a good partner who matches him on the ice and is a good jumper since we all know it was their SBS jumps that held them back...

Yes. I actually am shocked, not at the retirement but at the fact that he plans to continue. Either way I wish them the very best. I have always really enjoyed their skating.

 

[iluvtodd]

Amanda & Mark have been my favorite US pairs team since we first saw them live @ 2005 Skate America in Atlantic City, NJ. I'm sad that they will no longer skate together, but I wish them both all the best. They are lovely people.

BTW, back in 2009, it was a travesty that NBC did not show their free skate from Cleveland Nationals. They finished 4th with the pewter medal and they were superb, followed by a well deserved standing ovation.

 

[conga]

I, too, will miss them and wish them both the best. They had an authenticity about them and their love of the sport always shone through. I will never forget Amanda, with tears streaming down her face, declaring that "dreams do come true" when they made the Olympic team.

BTW, back in 2009, it was a travesty that NBC did not show their free skate from Cleveland Nationals. They finished 4th with the pewter medal and they were superb, followed by a well deserved standing ovation.

ITA with this!

 

[russell30]

Shame they were a nice couple.

 

[sktrmom]

I wonder if Tracy Tanovich would be an option for him. She and Michael Chau won Nationals as juniors and then skated 1 year as seniors before breaking up. They skated at the same rink as Mark and Amanda and with the same coaches. I'm not sure why they broke up but I suspect it was because Tracey was growing and Michael is pretty short. Tracey isn't at that rink anymore but still lives in the area. If she's willing to come back it might be an easy fit.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Watching them and speaking with them very briefly at Four Conts, I had to wonder if this wasnt the end for them. She looked tired. They are wonderful people and I wish them the best. Mark has excellent people skills in his quiver and I think he would like some sort of position in the skating world in some capacity. He will excell at whatever comes along for him. Perhaps he will continue to skate till that position opens itself up to him so he can keep his hand in. Good luck guys and thanks for the memories.
(Its kinda ironic that its their picture on the Official USFSA calender page for this month.....sigh)