2018-2019 US Ice Dance

ice coverage said:

Per Eliana Gropman's new Instagram post yesterday, she will be attending University of Michigan for the next four years. Congratulations to her.

Non-judgmental comment:

It strikes me that her application to U Mich (as well as applications to any other schools on her wish list) would have been submitted months ago. Giving me a slightly different perspective on the end of the Gropman/Somerville partnership. Now it is more "thinkable" to me that perhaps(?????) both partners already had been giving thought (reasonably so) as to how/whether the partnership would/could/should continue indefinitely​

Click to expand...

ice coverage said:

… Now it is more "thinkable" to me that perhaps(?????) both partners already had been giving thought (reasonably so) as to how/whether the partnership would/could/should continue indefinitely at WISA.

Click to expand...

lurkz2 said:

Originally Posted by ice coverage
Per Eliana Gropman's new Instagram post yesterday, she will be attending University of Michigan for the next four years. Congratulations to her.

Non-judgmental comment:

It strikes me that her application to U Mich (as well as applications to any other schools on her wish list) would have been submitted months ago. Giving me a slightly different perspective on the end of the Gropman/Somerville partnership. Now it is more "thinkable" to me that perhaps(?????) both partners already had been giving thought (reasonably so) as to how/whether the partnership would/could/should continue indefinitely​

Click to expand...

Isn't U Mich where Charlie and Meryl were/are enrolled? That school has been proven to be compatible with a career in ice dancing.​

Click to expand...

LOL, you have misrepresented my thought by omitting two key words of my sentence.

What I actually wrote (emphasis added): " … how/whether the partnership would/could/should continue indefinitely at WISA."

(I did not suggest that U Mich would be incompatible with a career in ice dancing. I do not think that it is incompatible.)

---

larat said:

… She may have applied to otehr schools closer to home as well.

Click to expand...

Which is why I wrote (emphasis added):

ice coverage said:

… It strikes me that her application to U Mich (as well as applications to any other schools on her wish list) would have been submitted months ago. …

Click to expand...

The point is that if(??) Eliana envisioned even the possibility of continuing the partnership while studying several states away from WISA, then continuing the partnership would have required her partner also to leave WISA and relocate. And who knows how he would have felt about doing so???

For me, it has become less clear as to whether the end of the partnership was the abrupt result of a unilateral decision by only one partner. For me, the end of the partnership no longer seems as simple as that.

(And yes, I do think that U Mich is a great school. Hope Eliana has a great four years there.)​

Sai Bon said:

It's a bit like real life, isn't it? People love to speculate...

Click to expand...

WeakAnkles said:

:agree:

Spot on. Just because they're training at the same facilities doesn't necessarily mean they'd have the right kind of chemistry. Chemistry is just so unpredictable.

But I bet Mr Parsons is probably feeling quite popular at the moment, given the lack of quality male skaters in ID.

Click to expand...

oly2018 said:

Michael seems to be taking a break for now, so who knows if he intends to even come back on the scene with a new partner this year. He may wait it out and weigh his options. If he waits and uses the comeback clause in a year or so, him and his new partner would be guaranteed a gp spot (that's if I understand that rules).

BUT, I also wonder if some of these younger teams who recently split look at the current US field and wonder if it is worth the time and expense to continue at an elite level. I would imagine it is really difficult to mesh with a new partner after skating with someone else for most of your career.

Click to expand...

WeakAnkles said:

Well it does take time to gel as a partnership. At least 4 years or so, from what I've seen. On the other hand, ice dancers tend to have the longest careers of all skaters, particularly now since there really aren't the plethora of professional opportunities for American ice dancers as there were, say, a generation ago. A long-term view would be very helpful, I imagine. And patience. Results generally don't come quickly in ID.

Click to expand...

Ice Dance said:

There were never a plethora of professional opportunities for American ice dancers. There are far more U.S. dance teams on tour right now than ever were before.

Click to expand...

larat said:

I heard that Chen is with Katarina.

Click to expand...

Lulu39 said:

I am just praying for Michael to find someone really great. Great skater. Nice kid too. ...

Click to expand...

ice coverage said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwzHbOUFuvI/ (posted Apr 28)​

The seminar was held primarily for skaters/coaches/officials from U.S. and Canada; "also open to other ISU Members in the “Four Continents” Region."

Click to expand...

Ice Dance said:

That's a great photo. Thanks!

(Zhao just updated his ice partner search profile on April 19th so I would guess he's still looking and/or in the tryout stage of finding a partner).

Click to expand...

ice coverage said:

---

Meanwhile, could it be that Livvy Shilling has switched to ice dance??? And has formed a partnership with Alexander Petrov???

Click to expand...

Lulu39 said:

I heard Maxwell Gart is now with Anya Lovrova.
Delcamp is with Somerville.
I will be very interested to see what these teams can do this year. Good luck!

Click to expand...