I'm happy for Lia & Trennt doing so well at Olympics and Worlds. The thing to remember, though, is that they went to Olympics and Worlds as newly crowned Canadian champs. That gave them a boost in confidence and a boost in the scoring. The judges viewed them differently, especially after they skated well in the team event. Placing third in the sp at the Olympics was huge for them, even despite ending up 8th overall after the fp. The entire final pairs warm-up group at the Olympics knew they were only fighting for silver and bronze, as Miura/Kihara had already been given beaucoup points to secure the gold medal. Seeing the sb scores juxtaposed with the 152+ to 156+ score most in the final group would have needed to be first was so laughable!
Of course, had Deanna & Max been in good form, they would have been given preference over Lia/ Trennt. But that did not happen. Good luck to Deanna & Max in the future, as their paths apparently will diverge.
It was exciting to see Lia/Trennt repeat their 3rd place in the sp at Worlds, which they managed to sustain after the fp. Of course, they should have placed 2nd over Metelkina/ Berulava.
Lia/Trennt's brilliant sp material combined with how well they skated is what has also elevated their stature. I enjoyed both of their fps this season. But they repeatedly had issues skating clean to
The Mission, so it was smart to go back to a former fp. I'm glad it worked out for them. They must be thrilled, even despite Canada losing their third spot.
Laurin/Ethier, despite the mistakes that dropped them in the standings, have made significant improvements that will hold them in good stead next season. Of course, having only two spots might make it more of a challenge to get back to Worlds. Skate Canada will likely prefer to send L/E for the second spot over other contending teams, in the hopes of regaining a third spot. It is the fact that Canada mostly had three spots for pairs this past quad, which allowed L/E to go to Worlds consistently and improve. Worlds experience is invaluable, but so limited with the way the ISU continues to cruelly cut competitors off for the fp.
The great work of former ice dancers turned choreographers continues to make an important impact on the pairs discipline. In the case of Lia/Trennt, working with Madi Hubbell & Jean-Luc Baker has been so beneficial. So much better than being choreographed by their coach.
I hope Bombardier/ Mimar can come back healthy and strong. I look forward to seeing more from them.
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. Afterwards, Aaron skated over to his mother in the stands and whispered: "I never held a girl's hand before! She's so soft!" He was about 11, and the adults sitting nearby were all trying so hard not to laugh.
