2021-22 Retirements, Splits & Partner Changes

[IceDancingQueen]

Ushakova/Nekrasov, Pasechnik/Blinov split

New couple - Pasechnik/Nekrasov

Arina Ushakova 'more likely' retired

Алексей Горшков: «Наша совместная работа исключает рутину» - Федерация фигурного катания на коньках России

Официальный сайт Федерации фигурного катания на коньках России. Новости, интервью, календарь и результаты соревнований, состав сборной команды.

fsrussia.ru

Shame about Ushakova retiring! I really liked her spirit on the ice

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Gorshkov (and most likely Svinin and Zhuk)

Zhulin

NOOOOO!!!! I really didn’t want Shanaeva to end up with Zhulin. His programmes are SO boring! She has too much spunk to be given his old school non imaginative programmes. Am intrigued to see Drodz and Shanaeva together though. Hopefully he manages to stick with this partner this time.

EDIT Drodz is 8 years older than Shanaeva - that’s a bit excessive isn’t it?! If Drodz retired at 32 Liza would only be 24!

 

[IceDancingQueen]

New couple - Shanaeva/Drozd

Матч! Фигурное катание

⚡️ Александр Жулин о новой паре Шанаева\Дрозд👇 🗣 «У меня образовалась совершенно замечательная пара – Шанаева/Дрозд. Лиза перешла ко мне, катается уже три недели, отлично смотрятся вместе. Она не каталась недели две по какой-то причине, так что пришла не в очень хорошей форме. Но сейчас нам...

t.me

Thank you for this update!

 

[AlexBreeze]

EDIT Drodz is 8 years older than Shanaeva - that’s a bit excessive isn’t it?! If Drodz retired at 32 Liza would only be 24!

Bazin is 7 years older than Khudaiberdieva. Not sure that age is the main problem.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Bazin is 7 years older than Khudaiberdieva. Not sure that age is the main problem.

Haha I like how said age isn’t the “main” problem.

I see what you mean but I thought the same thing when I heard of K/B pairing. It just seems a shame these young skaters might have to retire so young. Although I suppose it’s better than no skating at all. I just really loved Liza and Devid together, so probably just having a hard time getting over it, lol.

 

[Weathergal]

Nope. Nate & Katie are a couple off the ice and well-suited. Nate has issues with old injuries, and he's slowing down. Plus, he was not ever a very fast skater. Jess is super fast and skilled with blade technique. Plus, I don't see Nate and Jess as physically suited either. Moot point anyway because it's not realistic.

Where did Katie and/or Nate state that they're a couple off the ice? If they are, that's great - very happy for them. But just curious where this was noted. Thanks

 

[el henry]

Where did Katie and/or Nate state that they're a couple off the ice? If they are, that's great - very happy for them. But just curious where this was noted. Thanks

They have not overtly stated it. You were never know it from Nate's IG. In recent months, Katie's IG does imply a more personal relationship:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX7xOsSLgb4/

She also seems to be referring to Nate's dog Sochi, as her dog as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CalYUXMA1nv/

So it requires reading between the lines. And of course, pairs skaters can be couples and skate with other people. It does seem that they are committed to skating together.

More importantly for me, Nate has already had five partners as a senior (Erika Choi Smith, Felicia Zhang, Deanna Stellato, Gretchen Donlan and now Katie). We don't want him entering Evgeni Krasnopolski territory.

 

[Weathergal]

Ha true!

Thanks for the info. I like to exercise caution when it comes to skaters' private lives and speculation vs. what has been confirmed to at least some degree.

Hoping their pairing continues its success!

 

[CoyoteChris]

This is a great post, and a wonderful way of looking at this. Thanks, because I always thought Emily had been unhappy about the break and struggled with adjusting. If she felt closure after working with another ice dance partner, then cool. In recent years, I had heard she's doing well, and that she's happy in her current career.

Still, I think it's also fair to say that some skaters might feel they have a lot left, and they are determined to try and fulfill a deeply held dream. It's different for everyone. Of course, finding another magical partnership that takes you to the top, is not easy. Time learning with and adjusting to a new partner along with career luck and timing, are other factors, so we'll see what happens.

I saw Emily sitting at a table at nats after the breakup and she looked gut shot...I did not know her well at all but I know what I liked....Yasa was always positive about her . Like her, my darkest day in life turned out to be a major blessing in disguise....and I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that she was going to be just fine...because of the person she was and is. You are right of course....look at Alissa Czisny's 2010-2011 comeback....I hope she has fully recovered after 3 hip surgeries and is having a wonderful life too.

 

[skaket023]

Elizaveta Osokina has been recently skating with Vladislav Antonyshev.

I wish she had remained solo. I liked her spunk! I think pairs with suffocate her.

 

[hanca]

Elizaveta Osokina has been recently skating with Vladislav Antonyshev.

I wish she had remained solo. I liked her spunk! I think pairs with suffocate her.

That’s not that recent. They have been together for a while, they have already done three competitions together, the first one in December 2021. They are together since roughly September 2021, when the coaches decided that Antonyshev is wasted for Mkhametzianova, so they split the pair and gave Antonyshev to Osokina.

 

[surimi]

Per today's Anything GOE's feed:
- Finland's Roman Galay has retired
- a new US pair: Catherine Rivers / Nathan Rensing

 

[AlexBreeze]

According to Averbukh, Igor Eremenko has retired and become a coach

Матч! Фигурное катание

⚡️ Илья Авербух: 🗣 «Игорь Ерёменко, на данный момент, к сожалению, завершил соревновательную карьеру».

t.me

 

[moonvine]

My initial post was not theorizing in any case. I brought up talking points (previously stated by others on this forum) regarding weaknesses in their skating. Audrey's growth spurt and subsequent lift difficulties were possible to overcome, but could also be factors attributable to rethinking their partnership.

Obviously, the chief reason is the one L/M stated, which does not preclude commenting on other possible factors. Just as in the conversation about the Calalang/Johnson split. The official reason given is Brian's desire to retire. Other reasons connected to their partnership experience are fair game to be discussed as factors.

I don't see any of these unfortunate partings as necessary to be debated or policed in terms of value judgements for how fans should collectively view their official statements vs underlying factors.

I read Jessica's IG post as these being reasons for the retirement/split:

"our Free Skate performance at the 2020 U.S. Championships, the Covid-19 season, the USADA nightmare & everything else"



In a later post she apologizes to Brian which makes me so sad.

 

[corinthia]

I read Jessica's IG post as these being reasons for the retirement/split:

"our Free Skate performance at the 2020 U.S. Championships, the Covid-19 season, the USADA nightmare & everything else"

i don’t read it that way, think she was just mentioning some highs and lows they went through…. in particular 2020 US Nats FS was not a frustration but one of their biggest triumphs

 

[LoisAGOEs]

I don’t remember the source for this but I remember a couple of years ago I saw a quote that implied Brian had to be pretty heavily convinced to keep going with pairs, I assume tracing back to when he and Chelsea split. I did wonder if the success he and Jessica had had made him love the discipline more but having that in the back of my mind meant his retirement announcement wasn’t at all shocking for me. It’s not that he wasn’t competitive of course, just that his natural skill for the discipline didn’t necessarily equate to a strong passion to keep going long-term.

 

[moonvine]

i don’t read it that way, think she was just mentioning some highs and lows they went through…. in particular 2020 US Nats FS was not a frustration but one of their biggest triumphs

Yes, I get my years mixed up. Was thinking 2022.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

According to Averbukh, Igor Eremenko has retired and become a coach

Матч! Фигурное катание

⚡️ Илья Авербух: 🗣 «Игорь Ерёменко, на данный момент, к сожалению, завершил соревновательную карьеру».

t.me

Gutted!! I really wanted an Eremenko/Shanaeva ice dance pairing

 

[tinlizzie]

Alysa Liu just announced her retirement on Instagram live.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

Alysa Liu just announced her retirement on Instagram live.

I'm not surprised, especially based on her reactions after her Worlds skates. It makes sense, this poor kid has been through online abuse, coaching changes, harassment from the Chinese government, and a massive growth spurt. I wish Alysa all the best. Have a fun time in college and beyond!