So I'm 99.9% sure that I'm going to regret that I didn't stick with my notes app, but here are my two (basically worthless) cents re: Zingas/Kolesnik.
First things first, I don't think and has not said that Vadym should find a new partner. I didn't know they were a couple off-ice but that doesn't necessarily factor in my viewpoint, I'm focusing on what they show on the ice more here. And I am happy for him that he loves and enjoys skating with her, my feelings are not of importance while his happiness and enjoyment while skating is. Also, I feel for her that she, as a newcomer to ice dance, was thrust into the spotlight with high expectations. It would've been much better if she hadn't had to go through that.
With all that said... It does not change the fact that a)at this point in time she is less experienced and thus less skilled in ice dance than him and b)to my eyes they do not have that strong a chemistry on-ice. I applaud her effort and coming up to this level through that effort, but because she is new while Vadym is phenomenally talented there is a gap between them in technical prowess. It can change of course, look at Viktoria Sinitsina and her glow-up, but *at this point in time* she is yet to go through that glow-up. Improvement is to be applauded, but improvement does not necessarily mean greatness is achieved. I'm not just saying this because she messed up her twizzles, I say this because ever since they debuted on the ice as a team in competition I've always been transfixed on him and him alone. This is of course mostly due to him being phenomenal and me knowing him better since I've watched him since his junior years, and she has her share of charisma, but when two skaters are on the ice yet only one is discussed for the most part it does not make their identity as a team strong, methinks.
Which brings me to point b, while they are not like two strangers on the ice (which would be impossible when they are in a relationship) I do not feel magic between them. This magic has literally nothing to do with romantic feelings/vibes, Virtue/Moir were not a couple yet nobody denies how they had magic. Piper and Paul are not a couple and they bring magic each time they take the ice. So many examples of this, and of course the other way around. I only see what the two skaters bring to the ice, and while the skaters' opinions and feelings should be prioritized that does not mean I will (or can) change my thoughts and feelings. And this is heightened because I've witnessed the magic Vadym can make, which brings me to Nguyen/Kolesnik.
Let me be honest, I loved Nguyen/Kolesnik and was heartbroken when they split. It wasn't because Avonley was the one true partner to Vadym or anything like that, my sentiments aside Avonley did have weaker edges, but because they had that magic. Avonley was a budding diva on the ice and when her aura met with Vadym's it created magic. I literally still think of N/K's Demons FD whenever I hear Demons playing, that program left a mark in me and I'm still amazed that it came out from Mr. Shpilband and team. And because that magic is ingrained in me now I cannot help but notice that Vadym does not show that magic with Emliea Zingas. Maybe they will in the future, who knows, but again, *at this point in time* they don't. At least not to my eyes.
Speaking of Mr. Shpilband and team, the fact that said team has not produced anything like Demons within the last four seasons including this one definitely does not help with how Z/K look and feel. If the program is well-constructed it can make up for the lacking magic, not the greatest example but Z/K's FD this season (not by Shpilband and team but Benoit) makes me think less about the things I've spouted in the above paragraphs than their Beauty and the Beast (by Shpilband and team, IIRC). I have basically no faith in Mr. Shpilband and team regarding good, immersive programs and since Novi is not WISA I'm not expecting a massive jump-up in tech either, and thus while not denying its possibility I'm not foreseeing myself changing my current opinions and sentiments in the near future. Vadym is never going to leave Mr. Shpilband, I've accepted that now, and that drastically diminishes the chance of me wanting to redact all that I've written above.
So in short, I'm not saying Z/K are bad nor that they should split. I'm saying that they are not as complete a package as they can be as a team, in both technique and chemistry. I'm not faulting her for this, she has done and is doing her absolute best, but it is what it is. At least *at this point in time*. I'll be happy to double down and apologize after she does a Sinitsina and they (somehow) get terrific programs that make up for the lack of magic (or hell, they somehow produce that magic between them on the ice), but for now I won't be fawning over them.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk (is this meme still used btw), if this wall of text irks you I'd be happy to be ignored via the Ignore button.
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