2022-23 Retirements, Splits and New Partnerships

[4everchan]

This is awful... it sends this message " do not get injured or else we will not wait for you to get healthy again and just dump you "
Disgusting. At the same time, I noticed (and posted about it) how Luka wasn't being caring in his skating with her (the way he pushed her out after a lift, etc) She is better out of there and far far away.

 

[Weathergal]

This is awful... it sends this message " do not get injured or else we will not wait for you to get healthy again and just dump you "
Disgusting. At the same time, I noticed (and posted about it) how Luka wasn't being caring in his skating with her (the way he pushed her out after a lift, etc) She is better out of there and far far away.

Yeah, I keep coming back to how scared she looked during their World's FS in particular. Things were just so "off." It was so painful to watch.

You always hope someone who's looking for a skating partner can find one -- and in her case, I really hope she finds one.

 

[hanca]

This was really excepted. Hopefully she can recover and finds new partner. Is she continuing to represent Georgia is the question? her IG bio has nothing about what country she is representing.

I wonder if Nastya and Luka might get announced soon.

Which Nastya do you have in mind? It is not very helpful to be using first names with some common name as Anastasia. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is roughly twenty Anastasia on their national team (if we count junior and seniors) and many extra well know Anastasia who didn’t make the national team!

 

[Mariiiiskate]

Which Nastya do you have in mind? It is not very helpful to be using first names with some common name as Anastasia. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is roughly twenty Anastasia on their national team (if we count junior and seniors) and many extra well know Anastasia who didn’t make the national team!

Anastasia Metelkina, the other pairs girl in the Georgian national team.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Which Nastya do you have in mind? It is not very helpful to be using first names with some common name as Anastasia. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is roughly twenty Anastasia on their national team (if we count junior and seniors) and many extra well know Anastasia who didn’t make the national team!

Vaipan-Law!

Nah, seriously, I'm pretty sure that @Mariiiiskate is referring to Anastasia Metelkina, from the other Georgian Pairs partnership that split in January.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[hanca]

This is awful... it sends this message " do not get injured or else we will not wait for you to get healthy again and just dump you "
Disgusting. At the same time, I noticed (and posted about it) how Luka wasn't being caring in his skating with her (the way he pushed her out after a lift, etc) She is better out of there and far far away.

I guess it depends on the relationship between the skaters. Berulava could have refused to split up with her. For example, in the past Moser wanted to split up Mukhortova/Evgeneev and they refused it. But sometimes, some male partners are very orientated on their own results and are not willing to be delayed by a partner who got injured. As Russia has so many promising females, male pair skaters have the advantage that they can easily replace the female for another and within a year they can be on pretty decent level. In the past, Spiridonov replaced Atakhanova, now Berulava replaced Safina. Sometimes replacing a partner doesn’t pay off, for example Mironov has much worse results with Sobinina this season than he had with Geinish the previous season. But more often it does pay off, or the skater swaps again.

 

[hanca]

Anastasia Metelkina, the other pairs girl in the Georgian national team.

I thought Metelkina/Parkman always looked so tall. I am not sure if Metelkina looked tall because of Parkman, or if she is really so tall. Berulava did not seem to me so tall, but that can be just having a different body proportion.

My guess was that both Safina and Berulava will pick each a new partner from Russia and Georgie may end up again with two pairs. It is much easier to be choosing from Russia rather than going for the only available Georgia pair skater (Metelkina). Then again, depends how happy Russian federation will be to release skaters. Considering the ban, the skaters would not need to sit out a season anymore, as long as they are released.

 

[hanca]

Czech Bidar must be searching for a new partner, considering that Zhuk retired. I wonder if his next partner will be again from Russia. He doesn’t have that much of a choice because he is not a particularly tall guy.

 

[hanca]

Just checked wikipedia - Metelkina is only 4 cm taller than Safina. I thought it was much more! Metelkina has 1.62, Safina 1.58 and Berulava 1.86. 24 cm difference between Metelkina and Berulava - that could work. Although he could also choose Vasilieva from Russia and have a partner who definitely can jump. I am sure Vasilieva would be willing to upgrade from Zaporozhets.

 

[surimi]

Czech Bidar must be searching for a new partner, considering that Zhuk retired. I wonder if his next partner will be again from Russia. He doesn’t have that much of a choice because he is not a particularly tall guy.

Sounds like you weren't watching World Championships on CT? He gave an interview there, says he's had tryouts and he's already made his pick, to be announced publicly soon.

 

[hanca]

Sounds like you weren't watching World Championships on CT? He gave an interview there, says he's had tryouts and he's already made his pick, to be announced publicly soon.

I watched some but not all. Any guesses who is the chosen one?

 

[surimi]

^ none at all. I can only hope for no more release issue setbacks.

A new retirement:

 

[Jumping_Bean]

This is both a new and at the same time not a new partnership at all:

The pairs skaters Isabelle Martins/Ryan Bedard (USA) have partnered up again. They previously split after Jr Nats in 2022 after winning two consecutive silver medals at Nationals. After almost a year without a partner for both of them, they have decided to give their partnership another try. As Ryan is too old for Juniors, they'll be competing in Seniors moving forwards.

 

[AlexBreeze]

I wonder if Nastya and Luka might get announced soon.

Lina Fedorova (former Russian pair skater, now commentator of international competitions) wrote on her TG that there's a strong possibility of Metelkina/Berulava.

 

[lariko]

Russian pair skaters Daria Pavliuchenko / Denis Khodykin, the 2020 European bronze medallists, have split. Denis says he intends to continue his career in one way or another, nothing has been heard from Dasha yet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqnriS3ILQz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

That's so sad. Darya always sounded so determined. Good luck to Khodykin to find a new partner. It looks like they have a unique situation there with more male partners to go around than female.

 

[hanca]

That's so sad. Darya always sounded so determined. Good luck to Khodykin to find a new partner. It looks like they have a unique situation there with more male partners to go around than female.

If you mean that there is more experienced male partners who proved themself at international competitions, then yes. But on the other hand, there is more very well jumping tiny female skaters who could be a great potential partners. If you look at Geinish/Mironov, within a few months since they paired up they were considered one of the top junior pairs in quite crowded junior field. Another year and they could have been quite decent even among seniors if they haven’t split up. Osokina/Griatsenko have been doing also pretty well in their first season together this year. So even though there is more experienced male partners, there is a big pool of prospective partners with whom within two years they could be among the top pairs in the world (if they find the right female partner). I am saying among the top pairs in the world but not among the top teams in Russia because Russia has far too many strong pairs, but they could be strong enough to be medalling at GP events when they are able to return to international competitions. Look at Pavlova/Sviatchenko- their first season together and they placed 5th at Europeans and 7th at worlds, while skating together less than a year. And Sviatchenko was a reasonable skater, but not one of the top ones - the last time he skated at Russian nationals was in December 2020 and he placed only 10th.

 

[lariko]

If you mean that there is more experienced male partners who proved themself at international competitions, then yes. But on the other hand, there is more very well jumping tiny female skaters who could be a great potential partners. If you look at Geinish/Mironov, within a few months since they paired up they were considered one of the top junior pairs in quite crowded junior field. Another year and they could have been quite decent even among seniors if they haven’t split up. Osokina/Griatsenko have been doing also pretty well in their first season together this year. So even though there is more experienced male partners, there is a big pool of prospective partners with whom within two years they could be among the top pairs in the world (if they find the right female partner). I am saying among the top pairs in the world but not among the top teams in Russia because Russia has far too many strong pairs, but they could be strong enough to be medalling at GP events when they are able to return to international competitions. Look at Pavlova/Sviatchenko- their first season together and they placed 5th at Europeans and 7th at worlds, while skating together less than a year. And Sviatchenko was a reasonable skater, but not one of the top ones - the last time he skated at Russian nationals was in December 2020 and he placed only 10th.

Well, I hope Safina finds a new partner. When Vasilieva and Osokina just moved to pairs, it took a couple of seasons for them to master pair elements, so, yes, i meant female partners with experience. I wouldn't look at the world atm, just at Russia, because until we hear anything official, it is only an internal competition.

 

[hanca]

Well, I hope Safina finds a new partner. When Vasilieva and Osokina just moved to pairs, it took a couple of seasons for them to master pair elements, so, yes, i meant female partners with experience. I wouldn't look at the world atm, just at Russia, because until we hear anything official, it is only an internal competition.

It is very individual how long it takes. If there is an experienced male partner, it doesn’t take that long. Antipova went from an average junior singles skater without any pair experience and no international competition experience to senior pair skater who placed 8th at worlds within two years of switching to pairs (and moving to seniors). Mary Beth Marley went also from an average junior singles skater to senior pairs 10th place at worlds in their second season.

 

[lariko]

It is very individual how long it takes. If there is an experienced male partner, it doesn’t take that long. Antipova went from an average junior singles skater without any pair experience and no international competition experience to senior pair skater who placed 8th at worlds within two years of switching to pairs (and moving to seniors). Mary Beth Marley went also from an average junior singles skater to senior pairs 10th place at worlds in their second season.

Boyarintseva-Pleshkov was a successful partnership, or at least it looks like it. Let's see which women will make the move and where. They all will have to do seniors right away, though, for the male partners available.

 

[Laid-Back Enthusiast]

Shira Ichilov which skated for Israel as an ice dancer until this season posted on facebook she'll be skating with someone named Dimitriy (no tag no mention of last name) , I don't really follow ice dance so I have no idea who this must be @surimi