Pairs - Short Program | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Pairs - Short Program

smia

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Well done I/M! Just don't fall apart in the free skate! I hope they make it to Worlds this season.
 

babayaga

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
I am very happy for I/M! I used to not like them but they improved their consistency a lot since last year. Great job so far!
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
:biggrin: I have to rush and walk my dogs ,etc. before the men , but i had to come and declare my love for I/M.:biggrin:..and I loved her interview almost as much as their skate.
 

Mirunna

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Colleen o'neill, could you please tell us what she said?:D I find them absolutely adorable
 

iriseyes

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
I agree with Colleen about the interview! Mirunna, for me it wasn't so much what she said, but how she said it. You could see her struggling to find the right words in English to express her thoughts, but she wasn't about to give up! Even after she had gotten a complete answer out and the interviewer was cutting away, she blurted out "it's my lovely program" just to make sure her point had been fully expressed. She struck me as feisty, brave, and centred-- a true pairs lady!
 

Mirunna

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Thank you!:) She is a lovely skater and I wish them all the best tomorrow. I always had a soft spot for them, even after nationals, when they failed to make the olympic team. Today they skated with contagious joy! I had a huge, stupid smile on my face during their performance :laugh:
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
I'll try to catch the interview again on the CBC repeat, but when asked how they felt going into the freeskate I think she said "Tomorrow we will make like we want."...which I think is a perfect attitude:biggrin::biggrin: When they first took the ice, they looked like they were buried in their costumes..then it was just gangbusters through to the end with a really zowie lift..they look about 4ft. high with a 20ft. tall presence. I found lots to appreciate in many couples, which I haven't fully sorted out in my brain yet..but these two have just won me , however the freeskate plays out.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Universal Sports has put up some youtube videos. Both of these performances were really good :clap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9qiXyguZww&feature=channel
Ilushkina and Maisuradze RUS into first in the SP
60.72, a well deserved score!! Great elements, skated with great polish and spirit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKXxTNvfIvs&feature=channel
Castelli and Shnapir USA into second in the SP
56.34, and their side by side 3S and throw 3S were absolutely fabulous, plus they did a clean 3twist! How can this be an American pair :laugh: (But I miss their crazy style from Juniors. They've been trying to get their senior tricks learned, and it looks like they've come a long, long way since US Nationals this last year! I guess they can go for the style points later :) ) You wouldn't know that Simon has been suffering from back problems this month.
 
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blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
Does anyone think the young Russian girl looks kind of sickly? Underweight? Her hands are so huge compared to her body (I only noticed this on the cbc interview, but thought she looked sickly beforehand).
 

Tigger

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Is it just me or did anyone else get a G&G vibe w/that young Russian team? They've obviously got things to work on, not a lot and mainly little things, but they are *very* impressive!!

It was after trying to figure out who they were *strongly* reminding me of for the first half, it hit me who!! Then in that interview, it really struck me the simliarities. Everyone said Katia was the boss of that team, even she has said it, and that comes across w/this young Russian pair too.

She is adorable and I loved just how much she wanted to make sure she got her point across in English. Also gained my respect as well for that. :) They are w/out a doubt a team to keep an eye on for the future and it's going to be fun too to see how they develop.

Not a bad first outing for Megan and Eric. Can't get over just how tall he is compared to her. I mean...He literally *towers* over her. However, that's a good thing for certain things. Such as lifts. That was another thing I couldn't get over this afternoon. Just how secure Megan looked up in the air for the lifts. I knew their lifts would be better than Megan's was w/Craig, just due to how literally Craig's shoulder was hanging together by a thread. I wasn't prepared for *how* much better they would be though and...Wow!! Can't wait to see what they have in store for us tomorrow in the LP.

Same w/the twist. It's so much better w/Eric and that's all due to the fact he has the power w/both shoulders being in great shape to give Megan that launch into the air she needs. I really think that once they get this first year and getting to "know one another" period over and done w/, then look out!! I see the potential everyone's gushing about and very much am looking forward to the ride they're going to be taking us on the next few years.

One major nitpick though...There is someone who is *very* Geographically Challenged at the CBC, as Scott Russell told all Megan's from Lively, which is close to North Bay. *snort* Not only is it *not* close to North Bay, but it's a suburb of Sudbury!!

Talk about your screw ups...Sheesh!!

Love both Kirsten and Dylan and Paige and Rudi"s programs. Both are brilliantly choreographed to not only make the skaters shine, but to also light up the crowd too. That last lift of Paige and Rudi is something else and if that's a taste to come tomorrow in the LP, I might need to watch it through my fingers as my hands cover my eyes. :wink:

Was also very much impressed by the young US team w/the huuuuuuuge throw and twist. Kurt said she gets so much hang time in the throw, she needs a parachute to help her land. :biggrin: Tracy mentioned also the potential for a quad throw was there and for once, I can buy that. We've heard so much hype about the quad throw over the years, but I think we finally have a pair who, like Shen and Zhao in their prime, has the height needed to get that fourth rev in there. JMO, of course. :) They also talked about the possiblity of them doing a throw triple axel tomorrow and hope they do go for it.

I miss throw axels and think it a shame that just because the majority of teams can only do doubles is the reason why it's not seen anymore. It's still a tough throw and I wish more would do them. Once again, JMO.

Can't wait for tomorrow!! For a Pairs event where so many teams were a mystery going in, it's certainly proven to be very entertaining. :biggrin:
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
blue_..umm..I think they just didn't have much makeup on her, and she just has a sort of sallow complexion...She is tiny..hard to say if she's really underweight. I had a friend all through high school, who was about the same build , and just stayed that way for years..( we cursed her because it didn't matter what she ate.. or how much of it..:biggrin: )
 

oleada

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
I/M were great. I think this short is a great vehicle for them. I hope they can skate clean in the LP - it would be great for them. They are so inconsistent, but when they are on, they are truly the whole package. For their - and Bazarova/Larionov's - sake, I hope they make the GPF. Making Europeans and Worlds will be very, very hard. Given the scores their competitors got, I almost think they were underscored ;)

Off-topic, but Russian Nationals might just be the best pairs competition this season. Kavaguti/Smirnov, Mukhortova/Blanchard, Volosozhar/Trankov, Bazarova/Larionov, Iliushechkina/Maisuradze, Gerboldt/Enbert, and possibly Stolbova/Klimov....lots of great teams. Shame only 3 will compete internationally. Russia really should have more spots in pairs, just like Japan in singles! ;)

I really like Marissa Castelli. Unfortunately, I don't like her partner, Simon Shnapir. He seems very stiff and has a bad case of airplane arms. I almost wish she could skate with Rockne.

Lawrence and Swiegers were cute, but so cheesy. It's just not my style. A good skate, even if the 3Ts were a mess.

Not very impressed by Moore-Towers/Moscovitch or Duhamel/Radford...yet. I could change my opinion on the latter, because they are so new.
 

mycelticblessing

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Is it just me or did anyone else get a G&G vibe w/that young Russian team? They've obviously got things to work on, not a lot and mainly little things, but they are *very* impressive!!

I got it too! The moment the music started and the started skating, the first thing that came to my mind was, "that is so G &G", with the music, the position of their hands as well as the speed. They looked so fast from the video I was watching!

They look really good and so confident! I hope they continue to do well in the long program. I enjoyed watching them last season.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Peter Carruthers on Universal Sports thought Lubov reminded him a lot of Katia, too. He was really fangirling it up about I&M :)

I really like Marissa Castelli. Unfortunately, I don't like her partner, Simon Shnapir. He seems very stiff and has a bad case of airplane arms. I almost wish she could skate with Rockne. .

Simon's fighting a bad back, so the stiffness is not usual for him, I think. An interview with C&S just prior to Skate Canada from IN said:

"About two weeks ago, we found out Simon had a bulging disk," Castelli said. "He was off the ice for a little while. He had a cortisone shot on Monday, and he recovered fast and is feeling better. The doctor gave us the go ahead."

Shnapir waved off the injury, saying, "I'm past that. At this level, any athlete is going to have an injury of some sort. You have to manage them."

The arms is another thing, though.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I've not really looked carefully at Pairs. I think the discipline's name should be changed to Ice Acrobatics, although Pang and Tong really don't make an issue of acrobatic tricks as most teams do. P&T are more in line with Pas de Deux. Unfortunately, these tricks get big points.
 

oleada

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
So, of all pairs, Pang and Tong are balletic and don't really rely on the big tricks? Seriously?
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Is it just me or did anyone else get a G&G vibe w/that young Russian team? They've obviously got things to work on, not a lot and mainly little things, but they are *very* impressive!!

Peter Carruthers said the same thing - especially about her. Said she looked like her and skated like her.
 
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