2020-21 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating | Page 8 | Golden Skate

2020-21 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

skylark

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So I know everyone is over the moon with Alexa and Brandon.
Not everyone, although at moments it seems so. Here's my reaction, which is a bit atypical I admit and probably a minority opinion. I'm very very happy to see Alexa and Brandon both so happy to skate with each other and to have this second chance. I'm happy because they're happy that they skated well. But that isn't enough for me to really engage emotionally with their skating. I want to experience a range of emotions when I watch figure skating programs in competion. I like emotional depth and communication, and musical connection. But I'm willing to watch them with new eyes every time they skate in the future, and see what and how they develop.
 

oly2018

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Not everyone, although at moments it seems so. Here's my reaction, which is a bit atypical I admit and probably a minority opinion. I'm very very happy to see Alexa and Brandon both so happy to skate with each other and to have this second chance. I'm happy because they're happy that they skated well. But that isn't enough for me to really engage emotionally with their skating. I want to experience a range of emotions when I watch figure skating programs in competion. I like emotional depth and communication, and musical connection. But I'm willing to watch them with new eyes every time they skate in the future, and see what and how they develop.
I 100% agree with you. Their PCS was pretty boosted for what they put out on the ice. I felt nothing while watching them skate. Obviously, building an on-ice connection will take time, but Brandon was never strong at that in his last partnership. Idk if they need to pick music that better masks that weakness (kind of like Brandon and Haven's Lion King), but I think that lack of connection and depth will cost them internationally.
 

readernick

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I 100% agree with you. Their PCS was pretty boosted for what they put out on the ice. I felt nothing while watching them skate. Obviously, building an on-ice connection will take time, but Brandon was never strong at that in his last partnership. Idk if they need to pick music that better masks that weakness (kind of like Brandon and Haven's Lion King), but I think that lack of connection and depth will cost them internationally.
They have been skating together for less than a year. In the FS, I agree that they didn't perform very much but it too much to expect from a very new team to show connection and execute difficult elements. I agree their PCS was too high, but this was essentially a domestic competition so it is expected. If they don't improve in this regard by next year, I think criticism will be warranted but it isn't yet warranted.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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Not everyone, although at moments it seems so. Here's my reaction, which is a bit atypical I admit and probably a minority opinion. I'm very very happy to see Alexa and Brandon both so happy to skate with each other and to have this second chance. I'm happy because they're happy that they skated well. But that isn't enough for me to really engage emotionally with their skating. I want to experience a range of emotions when I watch figure skating programs in competion. I like emotional depth and communication, and musical connection. But I'm willing to watch them with new eyes every time they skate in the future, and see what and how they develop.

I think U.S. fans are generally excited about K/F's strong potential on their elements. If they are this good now they can be even better if they consistently progress. I hope they find more interesting music, and unusual themes to express who they are and to make more of an emotional impact. I'm already there with an emotional connection for C/J. With K/F right now I have a sentimental connection, and I'm excited about their top-level skills, including jump competence. If K/F can continue to make improvements and be consistent with their skills, they can go far. The only drawback right now is the tendency by international judges to make new teams 'pay their dues.' Still, neither Alexa nor Brandon are unknown to international judges, so if they perform consistently well, they should be scored highly on merit.

My deepest wish is that C/J and K/F both make strides to a level where U.S. can get 3 spots. It will take some doing, but is not out of the realm of possibility. I would love Ashley and Tim to be part of that triumvirate. Lu/Mitrofanov have time to improve and don't need to be rushed.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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By the way, Joshica (Josh & Jessica) who currently train in Florida have made a momentous decision, which they have revealed on their blog in advance of Skate America, so it wasn't noticed immediately. I am just mentioning it here. But I've posted the link with details in partner changes thread. They aren't splitting, but they are planning to switch countries.
 

skylark

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They have been skating together for less than a year. In the FS, I agree that they didn't perform very much but it too much to expect from a very new team to show connection and execute difficult elements. I agree their PCS was too high, but this was essentially a domestic competition so it is expected. If they don't improve in this regard by next year, I think criticism will be warranted but it isn't yet warranted.
I don't think "criticism" is the right word for what I posted or what @oly2018 posted. We both said what we felt about their performances and both expressed willingness to see what will develop in the future.

Maybe I misinterpreted your post. But there's so much negativity and pretty strong criticism of other US Pairs in this thread. It just makes me weary - some pairs are freely given all the benefit of the doubt, while others aren't given an inch. I don't think it's unwarranted for us to be honest about our impressions, and about what we saw and felt from Alexa and Brandon's performances.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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Yeah I understand your thoughts and impressions @skylark, which were fairly and thoughtfully stated. As I said I have a sentimental connection in my feelings for Brandon & Alexa. Plus, I'm excited about their talent and how well they look together already and for the progress they've made in such a short time, even during lockdown.

At the same time, I'm truly captivated by C/J's talent and I want to see them conquer their sbs jump weakness. They need to gain more confidence and belief in what they are capable of achieving. It's so nice that Jess & Alexa are friends. I hope the balance of their friendship remains on an even keel as they both improve and continue to push each other.

I'm afraid about the skating politics that will ensue in the scoring internationally though with two very good U.S. pairs teams. The judges would be making room for other teams with rep from countries with clout, rather than always judging fairly across-the-board on talent and performance. Both the scoring and the competitive structure need to change. But there's no serious or intelligent efforts being made for beneficial reform and for bringing the sport into the 21st-century.
 

readernick

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I don't think "criticism" is the right word for what I posted or what @oly2018 posted. We both said what we felt about their performances and both expressed willingness to see what will develop in the future.

Maybe I misinterpreted your post. But there's so much negativity and pretty strong criticism of other US Pairs in this thread. It just makes me weary - some pairs are freely given all the benefit of the doubt, while others aren't given an inch. I don't think it's unwarranted for us to be honest about our impressions, and about what we saw and felt from Alexa and Brandon's performances.
Fair enough. I would just say that we should be reasonable in our expectations for all pairs. I know you are a fan of CG/L and I enjoy them too (and frankly thought thet deserved third at Skate America on the strength of PCS), but noting the obvious technical challenges of a pair who have been together for several years is just being realistic. I don't really see it as unnecessary negatively, it is just reality. On the other hand, expecting both artistic and technical perfection from a brand new team, is not realistic. However, I agree we should aim for positivity not discount anyone.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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Individual skater/ team videos have been posted on YouTube of the ISP Challenge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4fNucbCKMo C/J #1 sp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImdCVaxPBV4 C/J #1 fp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40VGvbiTI1E C/J #2 ISP sp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OwKeCe7EKU C/J #2 ISP fp

It's interesting how C/J seem very comfortable with their Game of Thrones sp kept from last season with some changes to add more transitions and up points for difficulty. They landed their jumping pass easily in both sp efforts. But they had problems with both their jumping passes placed at the beginning of their fp. I wonder if they need to rethink layout of their jumping passes in the fp. Last season, they seemed to work out a change with jump selection and placement in their fp that seemed to slightly improve their consistency. Plus they had the chance to compete a lot which allowed them to build to a perfect free skate performance at 2020 U.S. Nationals.

Another thing is how Brian seems shaky when Jessica is steady on the jumps. Then Jessica loses confidence, and Brian starts to be more solid. In the first fp, Jessica landed the first pass and Brian fell. They moved immediately into their second jumping pass and Jessica had nerves, didn't complete the rotations and landed two-footed. Brian appeared to complete the first jump in the second jumping pass, but then noticed Jessica's problem and landed the second jump as a single, which didn't matter, since they only got credit for Jessica's one underrotated, two-footed jump. In the #2 fp video, they both stumbled out of their first jump landing, and for the second combo jumping pass, Jessica was crooked in the air and fell, while Brian completed his first jump with a reaching forward hand on the landing, and then a single rotation on the second jump. By Skate America, they both ended up making mistakes on their single jumping pass in the sp (if I'm recalling correctly), whereas they hadn't made any mistakes in their ISP short program performances.

On the throws, as someone mentioned, Brian needs to adjust his throwing motion outward instead of upward. Maybe he got used to throwing his former partner Chelsea Liu upward more since she was taller and had long legs. Jessica is smaller in height with shorter legs. I'm not certain though if different physicality of the female affects the throwing technique of the male partner. I checked out Brandon's throwing motion, and there is a noticeable difference. There is an upward motion, but it seems less of a throw upward and more outward by Brandon. And Alexa achieves great distance. It's a combined effort, since the lady has to be able to manage the throw in the air in order to finesse the landing. Jessica has been great at managing to catch the landing and maintain a strong back, even when she looks slanted in the air. But for better consistency, C/J need to figure out the throw technique. Jessica gets great height, but the air position is slanted and she doesn't achieve distance, so there's less flow-out. The landings sometimes seem just eked out rather than smooth and assured.

So, in addition to improving technique on their throws, Brian & Jessica should spend time doing jump drills and see a good sports psychologist about strategies for maintaining calm and positive visualization on their jumps. They said adjusting to different timing and technique on their throws was the hardest adjustment for them. But they are still not there on that element. For some reason, they showed shakiness and less consistency on the throws in the ISP competition, and especially at Skate America where Jessica fell on one of the throws, which hasn't happened in awhile. On the wonderful side, they've got such amazing top-notch 3-twist, lifts, death spiral, transitions, grace, speed, soft edges, connection, and great programs and costumes.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsVAN3BDIi8 K/F #1 ISP sp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvLE5T_ckxg K/F #1 ISP fp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOIYfg4t-qc K/F #2 ISP sp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0ieAApKBAA K/F #2 ISP fp

Alexa & Brandon had some slight problems in both ISP opportunities, but were strong generally. There were issues on the throw landings and Alexa had problems on the sbs 3-salchow, plus they can work on consistent unison on their opening sbs triple jumps, which they land consistently well, but not always perfectly in sync. Still landing is the important thing. If you're consistent on landing, confidence builds and then you can work on unison.

By Skate America, K/F seem to have worked out the issues on the throw landings which didn't have the hiccoughs we saw in the ISP short programs. Plus, Alexa saved the landing on her triple salchow in the fp, probably with lowered or minus on GOE, but not bad. As with C/J, K/F also have excellent 3-twist which seems to have become even better than it was in terms of height for them (understandable as new partners). As well great lifts, death spiral, transitions, speed, good connection (although some fans aren't feeling it), and lovely costumes by Lisa McKinnon. Some fans may not like the music choices, but I think the programs work well for a new team getting used to each other in their first season.

For being new partners, K/F are looking good, and the prospects for the future seem bright. If they are this good now after only about 6 months as a team, the sky's the limit. The key factor too is having such a great training camp and excellent training partners. Rooting for C/J and K/F to continue pushing each other to the top! Especially looking toward future international competitions, which hopefully will return soon.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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As I mentioned in the sticky thread about partner splits, I heard that Finster/Nagy have called it quits as partners. They did not perform well at the recent ISP virtual competition #2, so I'm not surprised. They had a decent run as juniors, but they apparently reached their peak together.

To my eyes, Finster seems to need a taller partner, like she had when she was younger in the lower level divisions. Nagy is a very good pairs guy, so hopefully he will soon find a better match. What about the young Russian skater who didn't work out with Nyman?
 

BlissfulSynergy

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Below is a portion of my recent post in the Russian pairs thread that pertains to U.S. pairs (and to the general outlook in pairs trends and innovation):

Occasionally, I will tune into TSL, but I always have to fast-forward to find something interesting about skating. I'm not into their random, OTT chit-chat shtick. And some of their opinions are grating and snarky, but in the mix, there is sometimes interesting news and insights. In their recent broadcast, I disagree with Jonathan's knee-jerk notion that somehow the Russian pairs are showing us something so exquisite. From what I've seen so far this season, the Russian teams are simply trying to 'keep up' with the new trends, while adapting and building on creative moves and difficult lift positions, entries and exits, just as we've been seeing over the past several years from a number of pairs teams across-the-board. This is an overall evolution that has been happening for awhile and it's not unusual. Of course, Moskvina brings her unique vision, creativity, and wealth of experience, but even she is building upon a number of exciting trends in pairs that have been percolating for awhile.

A lot of innovation and excitement in pairs stems from the superb programs of James/Cipres that they crafted with their coaches and with ice dance choreographers (John Kerr, Charlie White & Guillaume Cizeron) over their final three seasons. Every one of their programs from 2016-2019 are memorable, with innovative moves, difficult transitions, and interesting music. * In addition, the technical strengths of Duhamel/Radford, the choreography of Julie Marcotte (also, Lori Nichol, Benoit Richaud, Chris Dean, et al) and as well, the collaborations of Savchenko/Szolkowy (and later Sav/Massot) with their choreographers and coaches, have pushed the pairs discipline forward, just as the exciting twists and throws of the Chinese pairs impacted the discipline in the 90s and 2000s. *It's a shame we won't get to see the program that Shae Lynn Bourne was working on with James/Cipres prior to their decision to retire.

Meanwhile, Jonathan is so wrong in trying to look down on U.S. pairs teams. He and Dave both need to stop with their nose-in-the-air condescension toward U.S. teams. Jonathan was marveling over how beautiful the lift positions are of the Russian pairs. IMO, the Russian pairs as usual have great desire and superb technical abilities. But they do not have a monopoly on creative innovation on lifts or lift positions. They are obviously attempting to incorporate the innovation that has been coming from other directions, while relying on their own rich balletic traditions and great technical strengths. U.S. teams in fact have been contributing to some of the pairs lift and movement innovations in recent years. Brandon & Haven always excelled on lifts. They were one of the first teams to show the circus-type lift during their 2013 Junior Worlds win. A few seasons ago, it was Brandon & Haven who beautifully debuted** the exciting one-hand carry lift, where the lady looks like she's flying freely. Last season, with John Zimmerman and Renee Roca, B&H had an energetic revamp of their Lion King program in which they built to an exciting climax with three unique lifts all coming at the end of their program. It was a great program which helped them win two bronze medals on the GP.

As well, the now split partnership of Luba & Charlie developed an exciting upside down vertical lift, that I believe may have been inspired by the upside down carry lift move James/Cipres displayed in one of their programs. J/C's Sound of Silence program also debuted an exciting horizontal lift in a unique sideways position, which spurred a lot of adaptations and inspiration to explore further creative positions on overhead lifts. In addition, Calalang/Johnson had wonderful costumes, superb lifts and lovely death spirals last season, with Jessica displaying graceful, gorgeous positions. She also had a death spiral move that has been copied by other teams. This season the top U.S. pairs teams in the ISP virtual challenge displayed difficult transitions, and a number of newly inventive entrances and exits to a variety of lifts. So what the Russian teams are doing is not new or necessarily original with them.

Figure skating evolves from athletes, coaches and choreographers gaining inspiration from what they see others doing. A lot of adapting, building and thinking outside-the-box is what pushes the discipline forward. Still, I don't think a whole bunch of difficult entrances and exits and busy transitions and cramming lifts at the end of programs just for effect makes for good programs. There has to be good music selection, and thoughtful pacing of choreographic moves to the music. Plus, there should be an overall concept and goal, or a theme that involves weaving a story. Character-driven choreography is rare these days but when it fits just right for a team, that kind of approach can be groundbreaking. Pairs is such a unique and difficult enterprise, and developing a successful partnership is a long haul. I'm excited to continue witnessing further creative explorations and breakthroughs from all quarters.

** In looking back at former pairs programs of the past, I notice that a number of moves, like the vertical lift and the one-hand carry lift are not new, just revamped and reintroduced in different ways.
 
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skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
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Below is a portion of my recent post in the Russian pairs thread that pertains to U.S. pairs (and to the general outlook in pairs trends and innovation):

Occasionally, I will tune into TSL, but I always have to fast-forward to find something interesting about skating. I'm not into their random, OTT chit-chat shtick. And some of their opinions are grating and snarky, but in the mix, there is sometimes interesting news and insights. In their recent broadcast, I disagree with Jonathan's knee-jerk notion that somehow the Russian pairs are showing us something so exquisite. From what I've seen so far this season, the Russian teams are simply trying to 'keep up' with the new trends, while adapting and building on creative moves and difficult lift positions, entries and exits, just as we've been seeing over the past several years from a number of pairs teams across-the-board. This is an overall evolution that has been happening for awhile and it's not unusual. Of course, Moskvina brings her unique vision, creativity, and wealth of experience, but even she is building upon a number of exciting trends in pairs that have been percolating for awhile.

A lot of innovation and excitement in pairs stems from the superb programs of James/Cipres that they crafted with ice dance choreographers over their final three seasons. Every one of their programs from 2016-2019 are memorable, with innovative moves, difficult transitions, and interesting music. In addition, the technical strengths of Duhamel/Radford, the choreo of Julie Marcotte, and as well, the collaborations of Savchenko/Szolkowy with their choreographers have pushed the pairs discipline forward, just as the exciting twists and throws of the Chinese pairs impacted the discipline in the 90s and 2000s.

Meanwhile, Jonathan is so wrong in trying to look down on U.S. pairs teams. He and Dave both need to stop with their nose-in-the-air condescension toward U.S. teams. Jonathan was marveling over how beautiful the lift positions are of the Russian pairs. IMO, the Russian pairs as usual have great desire and superb technical abilities. But they do not have a monopoly on creative innovation on lifts or lift positions. They are obviously attempting to incorporate the innovation that has been coming from other directions, while relying on their own rich balletic traditions and great technical strengths. U.S. teams in fact have been contributing to some of the pairs lift and movement innovations in recent years. Brandon & Haven always excelled on lifts. They were one of the first teams to show the circus-type lift during their 2013 Junior Worlds win. A few seasons ago, it was Brandon & Haven who beautifully debuted the exciting one-hand carry lift, where the lady looks like she's flying freely. Last season, with John Zimmerman and Renee Roca, B&H had an energetic revamp of their Lion King program in which they built to an exciting climax with three unique lifts all coming at the end of their program. It was a great program which helped them win two bronze medals on the GP.

As well, the now split partnership of Luba & Charlie developed an exciting upside down vertical lift, that I believe may have been inspired by the upside down carry lift move James/Cipres displayed in one of their programs. J/C's Sound of Silence program also debuted an exciting horizontal lift in a unique sideways position, which spurred a lot of adaptations and inspiration to explore further creative positions on overhead lifts. In addition, Calalang/Johnson had wonderful costumes, superb lifts and lovely death spirals last season, with Jessica displaying graceful, gorgeous positions. She also had a death spiral move that has been copied by other teams. This season the top U.S. pairs teams in the ISP virtual challenge displayed difficult transitions, and a number of newly inventive entrances and exits to a variety of lifts. So what the Russian teams are doing is not new or necessarily original with them.

Figure skating evolves from athletes, coaches and choreographers gaining inspiration from what they see others doing. A lot of adapting, building and thinking outside-the-box is what pushes the discipline forward. Still, I don't think a whole bunch of difficult entrances and exits and busy transitions and cramming lifts at the end of programs just for effect makes for good programs. There has to be good music selection, and thoughtful pacing of choreographic moves to the music. Plus, there should be an overall concept and goal, or a theme that involves weaving a story. Character-driven choreography is rare these days but when it fits just right for a team, that kind of approach can be groundbreaking. Pairs is such a unique and difficult enterprise, and developing a successful partnership is a long haul. I'm excited to continue witnessing further creative explorations and breakthroughs from all quarters.
I love your last paragraph! I don't think anything irks me more than seeing a lot of difficult entrances, exits, busy transitions etc. when often they don't seem to have any relationship to what is really going on in the program or in the minds and hearts of the skaters. As for Jonathan, he's almost worse than Dave when he dislikes a skater. From then on, he can't see anything new. I hardly listen to any of TSL any more, but I halfway regret it because sometimes, as you said, there are really interesting nuggets, even insights. I just can't sit through the rest.

To my surprise, I love Mishina/Galliamov's vertical lift. I didn't like Luba & Charlie's, and long before that, I was scared whenever I'd see Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman's. Maybe it's M/G's gorgeous entrance to the lift or the complexity of it overall, or maybe it just doesn't look as stiff, and therefore fragile, to me. But as far as I know, that's another kind of lift that an American pair pioneered ... under the coaching of Moskvina.

I'm sorry that Finster and Nagy have split, but I agree with everything you said about them.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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I love your last paragraph! I don't think anything irks me more than seeing a lot of difficult entrances, exits, busy transitions etc. when often they don't seem to have any relationship to what is really going on in the program or in the minds and hearts of the skaters. As for Jonathan, he's almost worse than Dave when he dislikes a skater. From then on, he can't see anything new. I hardly listen to any of TSL any more, but I halfway regret it because sometimes, as you said, there are really interesting nuggets, even insights. I just can't sit through the rest.

To my surprise, I love Mishina/Galliamov's vertical lift. I didn't like Luba & Charlie's, and long before that, I was scared whenever I'd see Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman's. Maybe it's M/G's gorgeous entrance to the lift or the complexity of it overall, or maybe it just doesn't look as stiff, and therefore fragile, to me. But as far as I know, that's another kind of lift that an American pair pioneered ... under the coaching of Moskvina.

I'm sorry that Finster and Nagy have split, but I agree with everything you said about them.

Thanks for your thoughts! I'd forgotten that Ina/Zimmerman also had a vertical lift back-in-the-day. Moskvina has so much creativity to pull out of the vault. She probably has forgotten some of her former inspirations, there have been so many unique ideas by her that have had an influence on the development of pairs skating over the years (most notably the signature pairs combo spin debuted by Dmitriev/Mishkuteniuk in the early 90s.

Indeed, everything old is new again with the Moskvina to Zimmerman to James/Cipres, and now full circle back to Moskvina mix of inspirations impacting the current excitement in pairs. The current innovation is also heavily influenced by advances in pairs brought by the Chinese teams, and the seminal influence of Savchenko/Szolkowy/Steuer, and later Savchenko/Massot. As well, the choreographic mastery of John Kerr, Julie Marcotte, Chris Dean, Lori Nichol, Benoit Richaud, Charlie White; the technical advances brought by Duhamel/Radford and mentors; the choreographic influences of Renee Roca and Cindy Stuart; and the enormous input from a number of pairs coaches including Gauthier/Marcotte, Sappenfield, Meno/Sand, Nicks, and Russian masters including Moskvina, et al. Of course, there are other unsung choreographers, coaches and athletes who have made important contributions to the discipline over the years.

Regarding M/G's vertical lift vs Luba/Charlie's, I think M/G's is more exciting in how it is executed re the entry and exit. It moves and flows more, and it seems more part of the overall program theme. As well, M/G's lift moves from entry to exit a bit more effortlessly and also unexpectedly as compared to Luba/Charlie's lift, even though both moves are surely difficult and dangerous.
 
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skylark

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Regarding M/G's vertical lift vs Luba/Charlie's, I think M/G's is more exciting in how it is executed re the entry and exit. It moves and flows more, and it seems more part of the overall program theme. As well, M/G's lift moves from entry to exit a bit more effortlessly and also unexpectedly as compared to Luba/Charlie's lift, even though both moves are surely difficult and dangerous.
Exactly. I just have more confidence in the way they perform it, like I sense that they've got a broader base of movements supporting the actual lift.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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^^ As it turns out Moskvina may be the original innovator of a variety of vertical lifts in pairs, though we are seeing a return of new look vertical lifts as a result of J/C's vertical stationary lift, and of Luba/Bilodeau's sky-high vertical overhead lift last season.

In looking at some past programs, I see Moskvina created some fascinating vertical lift moves for Ina/Zimmerman (along with all of the other unexpected angular and athletic moves and transitions they performed in their era, which worked beautifully with their height differential). So everything old is new again! Moskvina has probably forgotten or set aside many inventive moves amidst all of the fantastic ones she's created on different teams!

As we know, Zimmerman went on to coach Denney/Frazier (a team known for their amazing lifts), and of course he also coached with a great core unit of collaborators, James/Cipres, in their final three exciting and influential seasons.

By the way, there's still no indication of what Danny/Tarah's plans are re selecting a coaching team, or possibly announcing that Danny is retiring (which right now seems to be either unfounded, or ahead of the game gossip).

Danny is promoting Adam Rippon's holiday Zoom party celebrating Kelly Rippon's new book (on December 6):

In other Instagram news, this is a nice look at Ash/Timothy going at it beautifully in a training session clip:
Yay! More power to Cain-Gribble/LeDuc! :love:
 
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NanaPat

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^^ As it turns out Moskvina may be the original innovator of a variety of vertical lifts in pairs, though we are seeing a return of new look vertical lifts as a result of J/C's vertical stationary lift, and of Luba/Dylan's sky-high vertical overhead lift last season.
Actually it was Lubov and her new partner (now retired) Charlie Bilodeau, not Dylan.
 

BlissfulSynergy

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^^ Thank you, right! A complete slip of the mind and the keyboard on my part. LOL! I thought I was immune to making this obvious mistake, which I'm not alone in doing. ;)

I will correct my previous post.
 
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