I.AM's Continued Dominance in Ice Dance

[GoneWithTheWind]

With the Browns transferring to I.AM, I've seen a lot of posts across social media about the dominance of I.AM in ice dance and decided to do a bit of research.

For next season, there will be 20 senior ice dance teams at I.AM (representing 13 different countries), assuming no retirements from the current teams:
Bronsard/Richmond, Brown/Brown, Chock/Bates, Fabbri/Ayer, Fear/Gibson, Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen, Gauthier/Thierin, Harris/Chan, Hawayek/Baker, Holbutsova/Bielobrov, Komatsubara/Koleto, Lafond-Fournier/Kam, Lajoie/Lagha, Lauriault/Le Gac, Lim/Quan, Lopareva/Brissaud, Mazingue/Gaidajenko, Reed/Ambrulevicius, Smart/Dieck and Wang/Liu (listed compiled with help from Twitter).

Plus, those teams training at I.AM Ontario which include Carreira/Ponomarenko, Dozzi/Papetti and Hensen/Lickers.

This season, I.AM teams won 12/18 available medals on the GP, swept the podium at 4CC and had the World champions. Half the teams in the top-10 at Worlds and 4/6 teams at the GPF were from I.AM. Only 3 teams not from I.AM won senior championship medals (Guignard/Fabbri, Gilles/Poirier and Turkkila/Versluis).

Last season, 2/3 teams on the Olympic podium were from I.AM (with 6 teams in the top-10). They swept the podium at Worlds and had 8 teams in the top-10 (and 14 teams in the top-20). 10/18 available medals on the GP were won by I.AM.

Most interviews and experiences from skaters at the school seem to positive with no talk of favouritism or unfair allotments of coaching/ice time. Also, the teams seem to be friendly with each other and enjoy training with their competitors. I.AM has also, in general, been really successful at creating programs that suit their skaters and play to their strengths (or hide their flaws).
On the flip side, I have seen some worry on social media about the of the number of concussions that occur at I.AM plus concern about the comments Gabriella Papadakis made in 'Le couple de feu' around their support/lack of for her mental health.

All of this made me wonder a few things:
Will they continue to be a dominant force until 2026 and beyond?
Is there any other coaching camp that can mount a legitimate challenge?
Will some teams start to feel that they are not the top priority and seek another training camp?

Personally, I'm never a big fan of one school becoming dominant in any sport, and would like to see other teams build a legitimate rivalry with I.AM. I also worry that, if they keep taking on more teams, they might start to struggle to find a separate identity/unique programs for every team. However, it is nice to see that the dominant camp in the sport is one which generally appears to focus on healthy training methods and fostering supportive relationships between coaches and teams, as well as been the different teams.

Really interested to hear other people's thoughts and insights on this!

 

[4everchan]

I think IAM is doing very good work... so I am fine with it...and I would be fine if another school created some momentum for themselves too.

Some interesting points : IAM, located in Montreal is in a favourable location : very close for most Americans, not so bad for European teams, especially France and UK... which have been well represented at IAM (past and present). Also, Montreal is indeed a bilingual city, which is good for many teams. I can see why the French teams wanting to train elsewhere would go to IAM.. not just for Romain or even for Patrice and Marie-France (who trained in Lyons) but because they can live, study and work in French in Montreal. English speakers are also quite comfortable in Montreal. On top of that, the coaching team is extremely competent, has managed to deal with that many teams and keep them happy. Retention speaks volume.... if teams didn't like it there, they would not stay.

Regarding concussions : are there really more there ? Or is it that many more teams train there??? Or is it that they are more open about it than elsewhere?

BTW IAM does refuse teams once in a while. If I recall correctly, Weaver-Poje wanted to train in Montreal and it didn't work out.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

Some interesting points : IAM, located in Montreal is in a favourable location : very close for most Americans, not so bad for European teams, especially France and UK... which have been well represented at IAM (past and present). Also, Montreal is indeed a bilingual city, which is good for many teams. I can see why the French teams wanting to train elsewhere would go to IAM.. not just for Romain or even for Patrice and Marie-France (who trained in Lyons) but because they can live, study and work in French in Montreal. English speakers are also quite comfortable in Montreal.

This is very interesting to me, I had no idea Montreal was in such a good location for travel to US etc. (I mean, I've seen where it is on a map, of course, but that doesn't always give a good idea of travel times). Also, a good point about bilingualism, that wasn't something I've considered.

Regarding concussions : are there really more there ? Or is it that many more teams train there??? Or is it that they are more open about it than elsewhere?

This I'm not sure on and have seen little evidence either way, which is why I tried to word it carefully. I've seen people get het up on Twitter/Reddit about it, but whether the number of concussions there is more than average, rather than just a larger number due to the size of the school, I'm not sure how we'd find out.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

I think MIDA could be in a position to challenge I.AM’s dominance in a few seasons, and would not be surprised to see some teams jump ship from Montreal to Michigan (I think the London training center is less crowded, so some may simply move there) if I.AM continues to take on more new teams and MIDA teams do well on the circuit.

Also for European ice dancers (and teams willing to train in Europe) Zanni’s camp in Italy has been developing some very exciting teams lately with out-of-the-box choreography and concepts.

It may be wishful thinking, of course (I remember when everyone thought Wheaton was going to be the next new ice dance hotbed…) but I definitely would like to see ice dancers have a variety of high level options rather than everyone gravitating to one school and many getting lost in the shuffle.

 

[ladyjane]

I see the campus at Ontario as a seperate place to be coached (well it is literally), although relations with Montreal seem to be really friendly and skaters get chances to skate in either place and mix coaches and choreographers to a certain extent. That said, I agree to not being a fan of the the dominance of one school. It is not a centralised governmental funded skating center (which also exist), so in a way the market for coaches and choreographers seems to work. But I would like to see more variation in coaching teams.

 

[4everchan]

One thing that could happen with IAM and would be good for the world of ice dance : the influx of international teams. When all these teams from so many different countries are done competing, many could settle and coach in various parts of the world. I can see the benefits it could bring in so many places where ice dance is not strong... for instance, teams from China could start ice dance schools in China and would have experience of dealing with a big school, and of course competence acquired through their own training... it could be the same in other parts of the world. In the end, it will help developing the sport all over.
I think it's a bit similar to the arrival of so many Russian coaches in the early 90s, mostly in the USA. It really helped to develop the sport in North America.

 

[peepsquick]

Re: concussions, I heard Marie-France say that she was adamant on wanting skaters off the ice long enough to have them recover safely from the trauma. She was drawing from her own experience/mistake of coming back too soon to training. Gabriella's experience may or may not have played a role (she suffered a major concussion in 2015 and she and Guillaume skipped 3/4 of the season).

Re: mental illness. I think that this is not meant for I.AM specifically but for all competing athletes everywhere. The philosophy in sports is to strive and push your limits but sometimes, the body will just strike because of your mental state. Depression is still very often misunderstood and trainers and others still think that it is just a matter of will. If you want it enough, you can push yourself and train and it will help you get out of your depressive state. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. In Gabi's case, the problem was compounded by the fact that it was an Olympic year.

 

[4everchan]

I don't know anything about Gabi's health (physical nor mental) but
1) concussions : it's documented that many people who have suffered from concussions are often prone to depression later on. It is a brain injury after all.

2) "post-partum effect" after the end of a cycle, 4 long years to reach the ultimate goal, whether it is an olympic medal or even finishing a degree or a major endeavour, the body often collapses... sometimes the immune system goes down, sometimes it is depression. This can happen to anyone in any field. Many athletes from various sports have referred to it. Just on top of my head, Ivanie Blondin.

I share an article here on how bad results impacted her... but then, it also happens with good results. It depends on the individual too.

Canadian speed skater Ivanie Blondin has a 'fresh mindset’ after Olympic disappointment

With the help of some four-legged friends, the devastation the speed skater felt after 2018 Winter Olympics is shrinking in her rear-view mirror

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

[apgold]

I feel like Ice Dance goes through cycles of which coaching teams are the "it" places to train. A decade ago it was probably Marina and/or Igor in Michigan, now it's I.AM who have been dominating the sport since 2018 or so with 2 of the top teams vying for the OGM. MIDA could be the next hot place in a few years as Charlie and Tanith get their academy going.

I do fear with I.AM that there are so many teams there that some younger teams may feel lost in the shuffle but I don't think that is an issue now. They do seem to attract the top tier talent of recently retired skaters like Adrian and Madison, and of course Scott Moir so they can afford to take on new teams that aren't just under Patch, MF, Romain, etc.

I have high hopes that moving to I.AM for the Browns will help them clean up their levels, package them better and give them standout programs where they can break out of the middle pack of Ice Dance in the US. They are super popular in the NY area (where I live), every time they perform at Bryant Park or elsewhere - the crowds love them.

 

[skylark]

In my opinion, I-AM's current dominance in ice dance is well-deserved and has a lot of factors. From interviews I've listened to with the skaters, I believe the main coaches are super-adept at bringing out the nuances of talent and abilities in their teams; it's really noticeable when a team first moves there. Someone's also said Marie is particularly good at bringing out the blossoming of the female partners (i.e. Madison Hubbell), and/or bringing the female partners' skill levels up to their partners' (i.e. Papadakis). I think this idea has some merit, just from watching the results of, particularly, the first season a team switches to Dubreiul & company. Watching Brown/Brown with this idea in mind, is going to be really interesting to me.

Also, it looks to me like working with Madison Hubbell this year has done Christina Carriera a world of good. It's subtle ... but that's good; self-confidence and accepting one's own beauty and talents are an on-going journey. So I think Madison Hubbell is paying it forward.

It's the idea of looking at the skaters with a fresh eye, and finding the unique thing or the best thing to bring out in them. Marie is a genius at this. Which I think is a good attitude to have in all of life, with all our various endeavours and all our relationships. I'm not sure what I think she did with Madison Chock, but it really worked; maybe just acceptance and reinforcement of what she was already fabulous at, and tiny steps toward the rest.

 

[labgoat]

I'm not sure what I think she did with Madison Chock, but it really worked

Madi's twizzles became much more stable at IAM. Their choreography got much needed focus and streamlining - this year is prime evidence in how a vague concept was molded into a cohesive idea by the end of the season.

 

[dorispulaski]

Maddy got to work with the Mathieu Caron costume enterprise, which she clearly enjoys doing!

HOME - Feeling Mathieu Caron

www.feelingmathieucaron.com

 

[cheerknithanson]

I'm hoping that some other ice dance schools can come to the level one day of IAM.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

For a school to be successful, they have to attract top ice dancers. To attract top ice dancers, they need to produce top ice dancers. The issue is, as soon as they produce top ice dancers, there's a chance that those ice dancers go to IAM.

That being said M.I.D.A is going to be in the fight if they get stronger jn choreography, and Matteo Zanni is picking up steam in Europe. Carol Lane is available in Canada for non-I.AM students. Its no longer I.AM or bust, there are options.

 

[labgoat]

For a school to be successful, they have to attract top ice dancers. To attract top ice dancers, they need to produce top ice dancers. The issue is, as soon as they produce top ice dancers, there's a chance that those ice dancers go to IAM.

That being said M.I.D.A is going to be in the fight if they get stronger jn choreography, and Matteo Zanni is picking up steam in Europe. Carol Lane is available in Canada for non-I.AM students. Its no longer I.AM or bust, there are options.

I love the healthy approach that Tanith, Charlie & Greg are establishing for their teams to excel at skating, while becoming well rounded individuals during and after skating.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

I love the healthy approach that Tanith, Charlie & Greg are establishing for their teams to excel at skating, while becoming well rounded individuals during and after skating.

It is a really good approach - certainly one many of the IAM coaches also adopt. Its also important to develop a partnership, and ensure that they gel together personality wise and communicate which will yield best results - in and out of training.

I'm very glad to see emergence of European options though, as I'm worried that with the extremely high cost of training in US/Canada (estimated $10K/month depending on which rink and which coach) that many talented athletes would be priced out (and unable to get necessary political backing to succeed with otherwise good coaches).

 

[labgoat]

I'm very glad to see emergence of European options

I am happy to see them as well; it is a healthy development. I love seeing what the different nations do. I am a fan of many schools. I am also very excited to see how ice dance develops in Japan and Korea as well.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

It is a really good approach - certainly one many of the IAM coaches also adopt. Its also important to develop a partnership, and ensure that they gel together personality wise and communicate which will yield best results - in and out of training.

I'm very glad to see emergence of European options though, as I'm worried that with the extremely high cost of training in US/Canada (estimated $10K/month depending on which rink and which coach) that many talented athletes would be priced out (and unable to get necessary political backing to succeed with otherwise good coaches).

How are things in the UK? Bekker/Hernandez and Slatter/Ongay-Perez garnered quite a few fans this season I know it's early days yet, but might Britain in future become a viable option for top ice dance teams again?

 

[kolyadafan2002]

How are things in the UK? Bekker/Hernandez and Slatter/Ongay-Perez garnered quite a few fans this season I know it's early days yet, but might Britain in future become a viable option for top ice dance teams again?

Potentially, yes. Its hard to say to be honest, and for that Ill answer by looking at a nation that recently started their own ice dance boost - Finland. The finnish fed bought in Maurizio Margaglio and Neil Brown in order to kick start ice dance. Since then they made progress (more organised consistent training, more coach collaboration, more patch organisation etc). Maurizio shared his knowledge with a larger team, and build up his own academy from it. And it's paying off.

Britain actually has an advantage over Finland - The culture is strong in British ice dance thanks to the success of Torville and Dean (who are still worldwide famous), the top teams however located internationally for more success (Phebe/James with Nick & Penny in US, Lilah/Lewis with Montreal). With more and more skaters internationally with British citizenship, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more couples from big schools for next season (Or at least international coaches).

In terms of domestic couples, Ashlie and atl are of course extremely good skaters (even more impressive at their age!), and had a breakthrow season last year. It appears there are a few strong UK ice dance rinks appearing (probably as a result of Lee Valley closing).

If you look at IAM, and a lesser extent the successful Italian coaches, one of their big reasons for success is coach collaboration, which I would say is a weakness of many countries that don't have strong domestic ice dance environments (dont have complete information to generalise England as having this weakness all round, as think some of the successful coaches do collaberate more) . The other things the top couples benefit from is ice-dance only patch, less skaters on the ice, and being surrounded by other top couples. Not to mention the political benefit of international academies.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Potentially, yes. Its hard to say to be honest, and for that Ill answer by looking at a nation that recently started their own ice dance boost - Finland. The finnish fed bought in Maurizio Margaglio and Neil Brown in order to kick start ice dance. Since then they made progress (more organised consistent training, more coach collaboration, more patch organisation etc). Maurizio shared his knowledge with a larger team, and build up his own academy from it. And it's paying off.

Britain actually has an advantage over Finland - The culture is strong in British ice dance thanks to the success of Torville and Dean (who are still worldwide famous), the top teams however located internationally for more success (Phebe/James with Nick & Penny in US, Lilah/Lewis with Montreal). With more and more skaters internationally with British citizenship, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more couples from big schools for next season (Or at least international coaches).

In terms of domestic couples, Ashlie and atl are of course extremely good skaters (even more impressive at their age!), and had a breakthrow season last year. It appears there are a few strong UK ice dance rinks appearing (probably as a result of Lee Valley closing).

If you look at IAM, and a lesser extent the successful Italian coaches, one of their big reasons for success is coach collaboration, which I would say is a weakness of many countries that don't have strong domestic ice dance environments (dont have complete information to generalise England as having this weakness all round, as think some of the successful coaches do collaberate more) . The other things the top couples benefit from is ice-dance only patch, less skaters on the ice, and being surrounded by other top couples. Not to mention the political benefit of international academies.

Thanks for the perspective! Good point about Margaglio and coach collaboration in general. I remember Muriel Zazoui used to train a lot of top teams. Marie-France, Patrice and Romain Hagenauer are all her former students, plus Scott Moir brings his own experiences, so I guess IAM can trace their lineage to both sides of the ocean.

I forgot Nick and Penny are actually based in the US

I remember from the time I spent in the UK how difficult it was to even get regular patch ice since hockey took priority... None of the kids were interested in ice dance, it was only us adult skaters doing patterns, so there was no incentive for the club to organise dedicated ice dance time. Bit of a chicken and egg situation...