- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Katherine Hepburn on Astair and Rogers:
She makes him look sexy and he gives her some class.
I can't argue with that.
Joe
She makes him look sexy and he gives her some class.
I can't argue with that.
Joe
Blades on Ice - All About Pairs
- Thread starter Joesitz (RIP)
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
CzarinaAnya said:
What are you trying to say, P.C.? :sheesh: jk...lol!
Idiots may think alike, but we're obviously on the other end of that spectrum!
Of course, that goes without saying!
Anyway, regarding the Blades on Ice article on pairs: I too enjoyed reading it, especially all the early pair information.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
Now that I've read the article carefully, some random points:
- Interesting that at 1908 Worlds 80% of judges were Russian. Despite this, Brits won wilver over Russians in a close decision.
- Interesting mention of early N. America vs. Europe difference in Owen's 1940 book: "Canadians [...] used specific dances as the theme and motif of their routines with jumps, lifts, and other moves subordinate to the rhythm.
- In 1935, Canadians Dafoe & Bowden did a reverse throw - has anyone else done it, if not then why, and why is it not used now?
- Interesting judging blocks: in 1964 Olympics Canada, Switzwerland, Czechoslovakia, and US put the Protopopovs first , while Germany, France, Italy, and Austria went for German Kilius & Baumler.
- Aren't the Protopopovs absolutely fantasitc for skating like that at 70 and 73?!!!
- I didn't like it that the article made it sound as if Rodnina and Zaitsev doing their short for the exhibitions was somehow cheating.
- "A fresh breeze came into pair skating when [...] Rodnina & Zaitsev [... took] the year off to have a baby". Hmmm... I can fully understand dislike of R&Z, but it seems absurd to blame sport stagnation on a strong skating team.
- In 1981, there were only 11 entries at Worlds in pairs. Nice to see the sport has been in this crisis before and clilmbed out of it.
- I don't like the suggestion that the stinginess of ISU caused the SLC scandal. Yes, it's true that with Abitbol & Bernadis out of the Games, LaGougne should not have been on this panel. However, the problems occured not because a judge was on the panel even though that country's skaters were not competing.
The reverse throw that Dafoe & Bowden did sounds very interesting.
Does the offical rules say anything about doing a reverse throw? Maybe that is why pairs today don't do it.
The throw also sounds difficult, so it is probably easier for pairs to practice & improve upon the traditional methods of throwing, rather than a new type of throw that the some of the judges may or may not like.
All the same, I'm all for stretching the creative boundries of the sport-and it would be nice to see a pair do that move.
Towards the end of the magazine, there is a lovely personal recollection of Irina Rodnina. I love the image of Rodnina rocking it out to an Elton John concert. It also gave me an appreciation for the obstacles that she overcame in her life.
In addition to an historical overview-I think it would have been an interesting idea to interview as many living pairs skaters as possible, to get their opinion of the sport, their own careers and how they see pairs skating evolving over the years.
Does the offical rules say anything about doing a reverse throw? Maybe that is why pairs today don't do it.
The throw also sounds difficult, so it is probably easier for pairs to practice & improve upon the traditional methods of throwing, rather than a new type of throw that the some of the judges may or may not like.
All the same, I'm all for stretching the creative boundries of the sport-and it would be nice to see a pair do that move.
Towards the end of the magazine, there is a lovely personal recollection of Irina Rodnina. I love the image of Rodnina rocking it out to an Elton John concert.
It also gave me an appreciation for the obstacles that she overcame in her life. In addition to an historical overview-I think it would have been an interesting idea to interview as many living pairs skaters as possible, to get their opinion of the sport, their own careers and how they see pairs skating evolving over the years.
Ptichka, the North American version of that phrase actually has a second part, which is seldom used. The entire phrase is: Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ.
I liked the fact that Blades did such an in depth article. However, that being said, you can tell it is a North American magazine. This is shown not only in the critiques of skaters from the east, but also in which skaters got the small "highlight" parts. For example, when trying to highlight great pairs over the years, Urbanski and Marvel do not come to my mind. They were nice skaters, but never accomplished much at the world level.
I have often thought that all of the skating magazines either need to hire copy editors, or to fire the ones they have. This article actually had fewer spelling and grammatical errors that most other articles I've read.
I liked the fact that Blades did such an in depth article. However, that being said, you can tell it is a North American magazine. This is shown not only in the critiques of skaters from the east, but also in which skaters got the small "highlight" parts. For example, when trying to highlight great pairs over the years, Urbanski and Marvel do not come to my mind. They were nice skaters, but never accomplished much at the world level.
I have often thought that all of the skating magazines either need to hire copy editors, or to fire the ones they have. This article actually had fewer spelling and grammatical errors that most other articles I've read.
