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- Feb 13, 2018
I don't want to say anything about Keegan because I don't want to jinx it lol. He did very well
2020–21 Canadian Figure Skating
- Thread starter Colonel Green
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- Joined
- Jan 6, 2021
Brilliant skate by Keegan. Just wonderful
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
MTM did very well in the LP... now, if they ever want to contend, they will need to find a way to optimize their levels on the twist and lifts... level 1 for the twist and 2-3 for the lifts are setting them back... they are not going to get more points on throws nor jumps... so that's the key to success for them... especially with the high scoring young russian teams
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2019
Did they have the same levels on their elements last season? I kind of remember their twist had improved (not a L4 of course but 3 on a good day?). I thought the lost levels here might be due to botched execution/lack of preparation. Marinaro especially looked a bit shakier on the lifts than usual, especially the one that they entered from a spread eagle.
Team Canada's doing well so far, keep it up!
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
He seems very polarizing. It seems people have a tendency to love him or hate him. I’ve decided he isn’t just one of my favorite male skaters. He is my favorite male skater. More than Chen, Brown, Hanyu. More than any of them.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2018
They did get a level 4 once at Nebelhorn at the start of last season, I believe, but yes, it was mostly level 3s. They had made major improvements to the twist over the summer of 2019, but unfortunately it seems like some combination of the lockdowns and KMT's injuries in the autumn (which happened on the twist, I believe) have wiped that out.
The pairs seem, so far, like the only discipline where our top contenders are really struggling to be back to where they were.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
I had never seen Michael stronger as a supportive partner, than the past couple of seasons. Yes, their nerves and a lack of competition hurt them this Worlds, but KMT can still land jumps like a Cat while always bringing out the bling, and their trust and chemistry as a couple is undeniable.
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- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
With her ability and confidence, why not Maddie?
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
i see two things
lack of preparation
new"ish" rules = new lifts to get new bullet points : more teams are struggling with those but it's way more obvious with MTM than some others
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
he stole the show today : he was by far, my favourite of the entire event
I think they're deliberately doing a very low level 1 twist because of Kirsten's rib injury. Not sure if the lower lift levels might also be because of her injury.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
quite possible...
Keegan was so awesome! Great skate for him and to be in Top 5 after the SP is amazing.
Good comeback for KMT and MM...the program was beautiful (minus her dress lol). And Evelyn Walsh and Trent Michaud did really well considering we haven't even seen them in competition in over a year.
Overall a good day for Canadian Skating.
Good comeback for KMT and MM...the program was beautiful (minus her dress lol). And Evelyn Walsh and Trent Michaud did really well considering we haven't even seen them in competition in over a year.
Overall a good day for Canadian Skating.
I’m a fan of the Canadian Pairs, maybe lack of competing but I think they have a lot to do in the next year.
Madeline looked confident and looking forward to her long. Same with Keegan, let’s hope for a solid long program, originally I thought they should’ve went with Roman, but Keegan done very well!
Madeline looked confident and looking forward to her long. Same with Keegan, let’s hope for a solid long program, originally I thought they should’ve went with Roman, but Keegan done very well!
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Marinaro has always looked shaky and somewhat awkward on the lifts. He even dropped Kirsten once at Canadian Nationals. KMT/ MM were fortunate not to be too far behind after the sp in Stockholm. There were quite a few teams in the second to last group and a couple in the third to last group whose scores were very tightly bunched. We saw Kirsten looking anxious in the kiss 'n cry, knowing that their total scores were not high enough to guarantee where they would land. So they had to rely on other teams not performing at their best, and that's what happened, which allowed KMT/MM to land in 5th place. They can breathe a huge sigh of relief, but several U.S. teams are still very strong rivals.
Only 4.41 points separates KMT/MM in 5th place (at 131.84) from K/F in 7th place (at 127.43) Had K/F performed the way they can they would have scored well over 8 to 10 pts higher which would have brought them above KMT/MM and possibly rivaling B/K for 4th place, based on how the scores ended up. That's just looking realistically at the points K/F left on the ice. Sure KMT/MM could have scored a bit better too, but with everyone performing at capacity, K/F have greater GOE potential than KMT/MM.
Sure, this is definitely a boost though for KMT/MM to be in this position, which I'm sure they will try to capitalize on going forward. I doubt though that KMT/MM will be able to improve their elements much beyond what they have already. They don't really have the time to extensively rework technique or rebuild. They have to focus more on incremental improvements and on trying to enhance their strengths, which is what got them to where they are at right now.
Overall, though KMT/MM have the 5th place bragging rights at 2021 Worlds, they still do not have the strong element weapons of K/F and C/J of the U.S. I think KMT/MM are somewhat on a similar level as Ash/Timothy re elements. A&T have stronger jumps, but they have to land them. KMT/MM have the advantage of an amazing choreographer who has helped them tremendously, along with a good coaching team. Plus Canadian pairs have a strong legacy and SC has political savvy, which helps their skaters.
Canadian athletes were at a slight disadvantage this season without a lot competitions under their belts. But I still expected the top Canadians to perform well at Worlds, so the placements so far aren't surprising. Keegan at least had the chance to perform at Skate America in the Fall, and he was able to largely continue training I believe, something that was not a given for a lot of athletes.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
I have followed Mike and Kirsten for a long time... and I have seen the dropped lifts and so on... but this year's issues are different. Michael was doing much better in that sense previously but Kirsten is injured (ribs) and that was a huge problem for the twist and lifts. They lost most of their points in the LP levels and GOE of twist and lifts... they used to get better levels and scores in that area...
We are not here to discuss extensively the USA pairs.
I will only say three brief things :
USA pairs tend to do much better on home soil than in international competitions.
We can have a bunch of whatifs...what matters is what happens the day of the competition
Finally, the USA pairs tend to part ways after 1 or 2 seasons... when it takes years to build a great partnership.... let's see first who is in there for the longer run... many of these pairs will retire after the games... in 12 months... will K/F have time to really gel and find their marks when it counts most, on olympic ice?
I tend to not underestimate what it takes to deliver at Olympics... and experience is a very big factor
We are not here to discuss extensively the USA pairs.
I will only say three brief things :
USA pairs tend to do much better on home soil than in international competitions.
We can have a bunch of whatifs...what matters is what happens the day of the competition
Finally, the USA pairs tend to part ways after 1 or 2 seasons... when it takes years to build a great partnership.... let's see first who is in there for the longer run... many of these pairs will retire after the games... in 12 months... will K/F have time to really gel and find their marks when it counts most, on olympic ice?
I tend to not underestimate what it takes to deliver at Olympics... and experience is a very big factor
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
^^ That isn't exactly true about U.S. senior pairs, but we can take that discussion to the worldwide pairs thread to discuss pairs splits in depth. You are over-generalizing regarding U.S. pairs' competitive results. U.S. Nationals is always exciting and a difficult competition that skaters focus on preparing hard for. It means a lot to get to U.S. Nationals, and then to be in a position to be selected for Worlds and Olympics. It's not a good idea to generalize about various countries' pairs teams, when every pair is different. Splits have been more prevalent in U.S. juniors with a lot of musical chair changes over the years, but that happens across the pairs field for a lot of reasons, including family situations at the junior level.
Recent partner changes at the senior level for U.S. pairs is just happenstance. I mean so what, if it's for the better. Chris Knierim retired and Alexa/Brandon are an exciting team, despite it being late in their careers. They could continue competing a year or two past 2022. That's possible, but we won't until we find out. And frankly, it's not a question of Alexa/Brandon having time to come together. They've already exceeded what many first year teams could ever hope to accomplish. They need more experience together under their belts, and they will get it. I wouldn't worry about them 'finding their marks.' Like every team, they have to believe in themselves when it matters. They aren't the only team who faltered a bit in their performance at Stockholm Worlds. The pressure of making those 3 spots happen was part of why they had nerves, IMO.
With the splits and new partnerships we've seen among Canadian juniors and seniors, it's not fair or reality-based to lodge partner changes as a sole drawback/ criticism against the U.S. pairs field. LOL!
I could go into specifics. Even at this moment, at least two current up-and-coming Canadian seniors are the result of partner splits and new pairings. LOL! KMT split with Dylan to pair with Michael. And we know what happened to Charlie Bilodeau and Julianne, and to Luba after Dylan was injured and retired. Let's also not forget the way Natasha Purich has changed partners like a revolving door over the years. She was so good with Drew Wolfe, it's hard to understand why they didn't work. While Cami/Drew have been mesmerizing aesthetically, I think Natasha/Drew could have been dynamite.Also, let me correct my previous comment about the margin of points between KMT/MM and K/F. What I mentioned earlier was the fp results. The final overall results show there was only 3.19 points separating KMT/MM from K/F. Plus, KMT/MM were 5th in the fp, but in 6th place overall. So, once again, that's not bad for KMT/MM. But seriously, they will be fending off teams behind them as well as trying to get ahead of teams in front of them. It's not going to be easy. But it's a worthy effort.
I commend and admire KMT/MM for all the progress they've made, when they had so many problems melding as a partnership when they first joined. Michael had to come up to Kirsten's level, and he's done a fairly good job, but he's not the best pairs guy in the world. Trennt is a superb pairs guy, but in Trennt's case, Evelyn had to come up to his level. Both of these Canadian teams show a lot of grit and strong, compatible personalities with each other which has helped them go as far as they have. But frankly, KMT/MM have stated they are probably retiring after 2022. In the meantime, it's not going to be easy to get past the Chinese and the Russians. I think Peng/Jin are vulnerable, but the judges like them and they have a lot of potential that they haven't lived up to yet.
Awhile back, a Canadian fan mused that it would be cool to see Trennt and Kirsten pair up. I had to laugh at first, and then I was like, wow, yeah they would probably be a great team together. But there's an age gap with Trennt being in juniors at the time Kirsten split with Dylan to find a new, younger partner. I even think that Evelyn would be better physical match-up with Michael. And Kirsten with Trennt would meld two dynamic personalities who possess superb pairs skill, so their trajectory and skill level would probably be greater than what they have with their current partners. But obviously it's too late. Kirsten is committed to Michael, and Trennt is committed to Evelyn.
I really like Trennt & Evelyn's new fp. They have a nice chemistry and energy on the ice. Purkiss does a great job with them. Still, there appears to be a ceiling as to how far the quality of their skill level can go. They always make incremental improvements, but together I don't think they necessarily have the potential of Brooke/Ben. Of course, Brooke/Ben still have a lot to learn and much they can continue develop, so if KMT/MM retire, certainly Trennt/Evelyn will move up a bit and continue to be competitively strong. Still, I think Brooke/Ben and possibly Zach/Justine (if they gain more advanced elements) will have the ability to surpass Trennt/Evelyn in results potential.
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- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
I tend to look at facts when I make such comments. Kirsten and Michael are a result of a split... but they have been together since Sochi... that's close to 8 years....a sign of longevity and dedication to each other and their team.... and when looking at recent 4 continents events, where they medal and were playing in the same field as the Chinese in terms of points, it's not hard to understand why I still believe they are ahead than any of the American pairs. However, thank you for agreeing to keep this discourse in an international pairs thread. This is exactly why the national threads were started : so that we can freely talk about athletes of one country, without comparing them extensively constantly to athletes from other countries, which can lead to fan wars... this thread is to cheer on and discuss Canadian skaters for what they are doing...an evaluation of their own achievements, compared to their own potential... not a Canada VS USA VS Russia etc thread... there are many places where these discussions are happening.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2018
Halfway through the ice dance, and things are shaping up well for holding the third dance spot (which is mainly what I care about here; I really want Marjorie & Zach to be able to go to Beijing). Currently 4+7, Piper & Paul and Laurence & Nikolaj can each afford to lose one ordinal and still keep three -- which is also helpful, since there's a decent chance that they both do, with S/B and F/G so close behind them (the former definitely shouldn't be that close, but that's another matter).
My biggest fear going in was that G/P's weakness on the pattern would leave them outside the top five going in the free, which would have created problems, but that didn't happen.
My biggest fear going in was that G/P's weakness on the pattern would leave them outside the top five going in the free, which would have created problems, but that didn't happen.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Yep, but you broached the topic of U.S. pairs. And overlap does happen, because it's inevitable when discussing skaters and their results. Plus, nothing exists in a vacuum.
Regarding your over-generalized comments about U.S. pairs, I don't know what 'facts' you are speaking of. Most of what we are discussing is based on our individual perceptions and opinions of skaters and happenings in the skating world. I know of no survey or authoritative study regarding partner splits specifically being endemic to only one country. U.S. athletes often get targeted and blamed for everything under the sun, just because.
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