2024 Four Continents Pairs Short Program

[paulusfr]

Wow she is furious with him

 

[elektra blue]

i go to catch up with women short. see you tomorrow for the last two groups of women! love you all

 

[skylark]

Has anyone landed a throw triple?

Chelsea did!

ETA: And oh, almost forgot, Cheng Peng landed her usual gorgeous throw triple loop!

 

[slider11]

American teams seemed tight; understandable with the immediate turnover from Nationals. I am disappointed in the performance points awarded to Valentina and Max. Valentina has such a lovely presence on the ice and her positions in that final lift are spectacular. I think they really captured Paganini and deserved better PCS numbers. I also wonder if Danny is a bit too "instructive" with Ellie - at some point you have to look at your partner and just let her do it. Chelsea and Balazs were the strongest US pairs and Chelsea, particularly, seems to be exuding the most confidence of the US pair women.

M/K are on the come-back and had a decent showing. Other than Max's fall on the jump, Deanna and Max were the standout team. They really have the feel of that Oxygene music which will be a huge hit in Montreal. I was disappointed that Deanna looked so critical at Max at the end. I get fierce competitiveness but overall it was a good performance and he came back strong after the fall. Support your partner.

 

[skylark]

American teams seemed tight; understandable with the immediate turnover from Nationals. I am disappointed in the performance points awarded to Valentina and Max. Valentina has such a lovely presence on the ice and her positions in that final lift are spectacular. I think they really captured Paganini and deserved better PCS numbers. I also wonder if Danny is a bit too "instructive" with Ellie - at some point you have to look at your partner and just let her do it. Chelsea and Balazs were the strongest US pairs and Chelsea, particularly, seems to be exuding the most confidence of the US pair women.

M/K are on the come-back and had a decent showing. Other than Max's fall on the jump, Deanna and Max were the standout team. They really have the feel of that Oxygene music which will be a huge hit in Montreal. I was disappointed that Deanna looked so critical at Max at the end. I get fierce competitiveness but overall it was a good performance and he came back strong after the fall. Support your partner.

I've always loved Deanna and Max together, but less so now, I seldom feel she's enjoying skating or the music, but concentrating so hard on being perfect.

 

[skylark]

Ooh, she looks angry at Max. That doesn't seem like her.

She was like that with Nate Bartholomay. Until now, she's been able to control it with Max.

 

[slider11]

I've always loved Deanna and Max together, but less so now, I seldom feel she's enjoying skating or the music, but concentrating so hard on being perfect.

I agree. Love her fierce competitiveness but I miss the cohesive beauty that a connected pair team should bring. I guess their Vampire LP is well-suited.

 

[sworddance21]

She was like that with Nate Bartholomay. Until now, she's been able to control it with Max.

I guess I should have added an emoji. I was being ever so slightly facetious. LOL

 

[labgoat]

These pairs have interesting potential, but they are not fully baked yet. Am going to sleep now. Will join you fully for the next events. A bit too tired to comment - I almost fell asleep on my keyboard.

 

[4everchan]

MMM... just saw the protocols... sometimes, i sleep.

many mistakes. Seeing the comments, Deanna is not being supportive when Max makes a mistake ? Max is always supportive when she makes a mistake. They are a veteran team, so I won't really pay too much attention to this but if they were both much younger, I would think that they would split. At this point, they are on their last miles as competitive skaters so they probably have more mutual tolerance.

This being said, it's not a great example to set for the younger teams.

 

[amanda b]

Wow she is furious with him

You are not wrong, it's not a good look.

 

[NanaPat]

Did anyone else notice an eerie similarity between the Aussies and Periera/Michaud? They both started with a mediocre twist, followed by excellent SBS 3Ts, followed by a 3LoTh (F). They seem to have the same strengths and weaknesses, though P/Ms twist was better and the Aussies had better levels on the spin and steps.

 

[Skater Boy]

Deanna's intensity and disappointment with anything less than perfection will never fail to tickle me. She has zero poker face

Pairs skating is not like it used to be. MK looked so good and I know they are coming back from injury but I thought with such weak competition they would kill it. None of the teams were impressive. Deanna and Max always fall. The other teams fell too (China) but they just don't have the finish and speed of the Russians.

 

[gabriele]

You are not wrong, it's not a good look.

I like this pair a lot, but that's not something I can become a fan of. I hope she can see how unappealing this was. Same with Gamez/Korovin btw. The K&C vibe is very uncomfortable to watch.

 

[readernick]

I like this pair a lot, but that's not something I can become a fan of. I hope she can see how unappealing this was. Same with Gamez/Korovin btw. The K&C vibe is very uncomfortable to watch.

Yes, G/K always give off weird vibes. He's just not respectful of her. She's improved. If he didn't want to be patient, he should have found an experienced partner. If you team up with a newbie, you have to be patient. I appreciate how patient Danny is with Ellie. But, in that case, I think he's a bit too much of a patient teacher. He needs to let the coach be the teacher. Really, it's just not ideal for a partner with a lot of experience to pair up with someone with none. But, circumstances are rarely perfect. Hopefully, all these teams grow and learn. Pairs is a good discipline for learning effective communication skills.

 

[Sai Bon]

Barely managed to stay awake, not because of the competition, but I have hardly slept for 3 weeks for personal reasons. I was gutted for Riku - she was so upset that she doubled the side-by-side triple toe. I was more concerned about Ryuichi, because he was the one coming back from injury, but he seemed pretty solid. Maybe lacking some of their usual sparkle, but that's understandable. I hope they aren't too hard on themselves and focus on their longer-term goals.

 

[withwings]

death stare has entered the chat

it was more than death stare! psychological stubbing! ruining of partner's confidence

 

[4everchan]

Just finally watched it.

Deanna should be happy here... Everything but the toe was the best they did this season. The twist is CLASS. The throw was very well landed, she tends to land forward. The spins were so well synched. The lift was smooth and so was the death spiral. The steps could have been a bit more in rhythm but that's being very picky.

The toe. he had it. He just slipped. It's not like he has a problem with that jump (unlike both of them at times struggling with the salchow...) Better he misses here than in the LP when they are aiming to combo it.

However, the problem is that if she keeps having this attitude, it could create pressure and doubt in Max's mind and then.. who knows..

She is not as bad as I thought she was going to be though... from watching the KnC... She did smile.

I will give her that. She is as intense on the ice than off-ice. Very passionate... Just a bit of peace would be nice at time

Also, honestly, considering they are with Josée Picard, it must be hard to learn how to chill if Deanna never did that before. Josée is extremely demanding... too demanding.. so much that Bilodeau quit on that.

 

[withwings]

I had an impression ( and still have) that Josee Picard is one of the very best pair coaches in the world.

 

[4everchan]

I had an impression ( and still have) that Josee Picard is one of the very best pair coaches in the world.

She is one of the best coaches, she has made quite a lot of champions for sure.... but she is also very demanding and Charlie wouldn't have any of it anymore.

In the book "une médaille à tout prix" Julianne Séguin opens up about the toxic relationship she had with Josée Picard and her controversial training methods.

I haven't read it. I read a lot about it. Let google be your friend