"In Partner Search" skaters

[vadrouille]

The problem with Kihara-Narumi or any pair forming of Kihari-anyone is Kihara himself. In my opinion it sounds mean but I dare say that he is not good enough as single skater, what was his standing in Japan and in world standings before he skates pairs with Narumi? And he is frankly inadequate as a male pairs skater, he is less than basic pairs skater. Physically, he is too short for pairs male skater, not strong enough compared to other male pairs skaters. Not related to pairs skating, but for me he is the least attractive of male skaters, be it japanese or from others countries. I hope the JSF will not take Ami away from her current Canadian parner Jean Francois Beaudet ? I don't like it either if they take a nice promising single skater/japanese girl and put her in pairs with him, this is not good for her, unless she is willing. Too bad for Narumi when she left her previous parner Melvin Tran with him she has skated for many years and attained good results in world with a bronze medal in 2012. She left him because he could not obtain Japanese citizenship, to skate with Kihara who never skate pairs. What a waste!

 

[cruzceleste]

The problem with Kihara-Narumi or any pair forming of Kihari-anyone is Kihara himself. In my opinion it sounds mean but I dare say that he is not good enough as single skater, what was his standing in Japan and in world standings before he skates pairs with Narumi? And he is frankly inadequate as a male pairs skater, he is less than basic pairs skater. Physically, he is too short for pairs male skater, not strong enough compared to other male pairs skaters. Not related to pairs skating, but for me he is the least attractive of male skaters, be it japanese or from others countries. I hope the JSF will not take Ami away from her current Canadian parner Jean Francois Beaudet ? I don't like it either if they take a nice promising single skater/japanese girl and put her in pairs with him, this is not good for her, unless she is willing. Too bad for Narumi when she left her previous parner Melvin Tran with him she has skated for many years and attained good results in world with a bronze medal in 2012. She left him because he could not obtain Japanese citizenship, to skate with Kihara who never skate pairs. What a waste!

While I can't argue about Kihara little experience in pairs, your comment about his looks was a mean uncalled shot that have nothing to do with skating.

 

[vadrouille]

Sorry for my mean comment. Sorry I have offended you. As I said, it is not related to pairs skating. It was just my opinion, what I saw them on YouTube or TV, not related to pairs skating.

 

[mikeko666]

Sorry for my mean comment. Sorry I have offended you. As I said, it is not related to pairs skating. It was just my opinion, what I saw them on YouTube or TV, not related to pairs skating.

I'm glad to know that you realize your comment was mean.

 

[cruzceleste]

I don't think I ever saw Takahashi landing jumps with Kihara. Kihara was landing his jumps but Takahashi on the other hand, was always falling on the jumps when I saw them.

Honestly, thank God. Watching them was painful. As someone said above they were just NOT compatable on the pairs elements at all. That she can no longer land a SBS jump to save her life doesn't help.

Honestly I think both their careers are essentially over even if they manage to find new partners. Japan has no one better to offer her and it is clearly very super important to her that her partner be Japanese. Honestly if she goes and finds a non Japanese partner now, good tor her but what a slap in the face. Plus there is the real question of whether she will ever land or even rotate a SBS jump again. He is simply not a good pairs skater.

Obviously Narumi's horrible jumps are what held back this pair. I hope Kihara continues with a new partner. Anyone who can skate at junior national level is better than Narumi.

Narumi's jumps was the weakness in Takahashi/Tran pairing but just about every element is weak in Takahashi/Kihara pairing. Japan does not have any strong male Pairs skater to offer its female Pairs skaters who found their partners from other countries. Since Japan needs at least one Pair for the Team Event, they need and retain Takahashi with any Japanese partner, even if it makes a weak team. Poor Narumi. It's like giving up your true love for a marriage of convenience and other considerations. I seriously doubt she will have any decent Pairs career now that her partner choice is limited to the male Japanese skaters who can't make it as singles.

There's no point of a comparison with Bazarova. I believe any girl (small enough) who can compete at junior nationals will make a better pair team with Kihara. It's very hard for any man to handle a partner who is technically a drag but very proud like Narumi. If press reports are true, Kihara is the one who made the decision to split and he has the intention to continue pairs skating. There won't be any problem to find a partner better than Narumi. I hope his two year's experiences won't be wasted. Narumi ... she can go abroad or just quit. I don't care.

Interesting. Thank you.

Just so we remember that about 2 months ago it was Narumi the one getting called as the part failing in this team.

What I mean is that there is no point in blaming any of them, hopefully both will find partners that suit them and can improeve.

 

[Sandpiper]

Just so we remember that about 2 months ago it was Narumi the one getting called as the part failing in this team.

What I mean is that there is no point in blaming any of them, hopefully both will find partners that suit them and can improeve.

Umm, except for that one poster who seems to have a grudge against Narumi (and other people on the thread called him/her out for it), every one of those posts also said that Kihara was part of the problem: Their pairs elements were weak, and one of those posts even said "he's simply not a good pairs skater."

I guess the best case scenario for them would be: Kihara finds a girl who can do SBS 3Lz and is a really good performer. Then they might be able to, in the best case scenario, get to where Marchei/Hotarek currently are? (But I think Marchei/Hotarek have far more potential to improve than any Kihara pair--their pairs elements could get better, while Kihara couldn't triple-twist 4'6 Narumi after two full seasons).

As for Narumi, she would be ideal for a smaller pairs guy. Provided their pairs elements are good, they could still be moderately successful even if her jumps don't work. I mean, there's a reason Peng/Zhang with 100% failed SBS jumps and a choreography stumble at 2014 Skate America still posted a score that Takahashi/Kihara could only dream of. (However, to climb to, say, 4th at Worlds, Narumi's jumps have to hit off, like Peng's did in the second half of the season).

Anyway, I don't agree with the other poster disparaging Kihara's looks (needless, and I certainly don't agree. He's far from a bad-looking guy) or even height (Han Cong ). But a Kihara-anyone pair is indeed going to suffer from Kihara's own deficiencies (the same goes for a Narumi-anyone pair, of course).

 

[aromaticchicken]

[quote name="cruzceleste" post=1163891]

I guess the best case scenario for them would be: Kihara finds a girl who can do SBS 3Lz and is a really good performer. Then they might be able to, in the best case scenario, get to where Marchei/Hotarek currently are? (But I think Marchei/Hotarek have far more potential to improve than any Kihara pair--their pairs elements could get better, while Kihara couldn't triple-twist 4'6 Narumi after two full seasons).

I actually doubt they have the potential to go as far as valentina and ondrej. Ondrej is *strong* and has the power to do the pairs elements. If kihara can't muster it with tiny narumi I don't know what sort of pixie they're gonna conjure up in Japan.

 

[Sandpiper]

I actually doubt they have the potential to go as far as valentina and ondrej. Ondrej is *strong* and has the power to do the pairs elements. If kihara can't muster it with tiny narumi I don't know what sort of pixie they're gonna conjure up in Japan.

...and that's exactly what I said? Marchei/Hotarek have far more long-term potential, since he can actually do pairs elements. The best any Kihara pairing could muster is where Marchei/Hotarek currently are--11th at Worlds.

 

[PairSk8r123]

I hope the JSF will not take Ami away from her current Canadian parner Jean Francois Beaudet ? I don't like it either if they take a nice promising single skater/japanese girl and put her in pairs with him, this is not good for her, unless she is willing. Too bad for Narumi when she left her previous parner Melvin Tran with him she has skated for many years and attained good results in world with a bronze medal in 2012. She left him because he could not obtain Japanese citizenship, to skate with Kihara who never skate pairs. What a waste!

I would agree that I would not want to break up the team of Koga/Boudreau-Audet, but unfortunately, they have broken up and I believe she is skating with former singles skater (American with Japanese citizenship), Spencer Howe. Howe competed at JGP Estonia this year.

 

[noidont]

17 year old GP skater? Riona Kato? She is not that tiny I remember?

 

[daphenaxa]

I would agree that I would not want to break up the team of Koga/Boudreau-Audet, but unfortunately, they have broken up and I believe she is skating with former singles skater (American with Japanese citizenship), Spencer Howe. Howe competed at JGP Estonia this year.

quite sad to here. But I guess it is better they split now than in 2,3 years.

 

[TheGrandSophy]

I hope Francis gets a good partner.

 

[cruzceleste]

I would agree that I would not want to break up the team of Koga/Boudreau-Audet, but unfortunately, they have broken up and I believe she is skating with former singles skater (American with Japanese citizenship), Spencer Howe. Howe competed at JGP Estonia this year.

This is confirme?

 

[Sandpiper]

I would agree that I would not want to break up the team of Koga/Boudreau-Audet, but unfortunately, they have broken up and I believe she is skating with former singles skater (American with Japanese citizenship), Spencer Howe. Howe competed at JGP Estonia this year.

*sigh*

Well, I hope said singles skater has some ability to do pairs elements, or at least the capacity to learn them. Two people landing jumps side-by-side is not pairs--there's a whole lot more to it.

Honestly, I wish Japan would have more dedicated pairs training like China or Russia. I know North American pairs are often singles skaters cobbled together, and it sorta works because there are a fair number of tall, strong guys who would not make it in singles. They don't really have that in Japan (not that they don't have tall men--the tall men just don't seem to become figure skaters). Perhaps they need to develop pairs and ice dance from the ground up, and not just as an off-shoot of singles.

 

[silverlake22]

I wonder if Narumi could pair up with someone like Hino or Tanaka who are actually pretty decent skaters and had success at the junior level internationally but are unlikely to break through in Japan in singles. For male Japanese skaters, they are both fairly tall/strong, and Narumi is so tiny that I don't think size differential would be an issue. Idk. Kihara's SS was just on a low level and I think that really held them back. Tanaka meanwhile is a pretty artistic skater.

 

[Sai Bon]

I think Japan needs to change its mindset so they can cultivate boys who *want* to do pairs, instead of failed single skaters trying pairs as a second best option. I'm sure those who've competed in singles until their late teens and done pretty well (like Hino and Tanaka) will not be thrilled at the thought of doing pairs (in Kihara's case, he was struggling with 3A and couldn't do quads, so he was having to make a decision between trying pairs and retiring). Maybe have talent scouts visit rinks, ice hockey and speed skating clubs to find bigger boys who also like music and dance? JSF must take a long-term view instead of trying to cobble something together for Pyeongchang.

 

[cruzceleste]

I think Japan needs to change its mindset so they can cultivate boys who *want* to do pairs, instead of failed single skaters trying pairs as a second best option. I'm sure those who've competed in singles until their late teens and done pretty well (like Hino and Tanaka) will not be thrilled at the thought of doing pairs (in Kihara's case, he was struggling with 3A and couldn't do quads, so he was having to make a decision between trying pairs and retiring). Maybe have talent scouts visit rinks, ice hockey and speed skating clubs to find bigger boys who also like music and dance? JSF must take a long-term view instead of trying to cobble something together for Pyeongchang.

Actually, if I remember correctly JSF does a scouting program, that´s how they found Yuzuru at early age. Kanako and Yuzuru were participating in camps together as young as 9yo.

I guess the problem is that they don´t have coaches and a system that support pairs/ dance couples, and also I´m guessing individual achievement is more valuable that bieng part of a team.

 

[ice coverage]

In case not mentioned elsewhere on GS: Clara Peters is looking for a partner for pairs.

http://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/32785-news-briefs-from-around-the-globe
http://icepartnersearch.com/showbio.php?i=5192​

The IFS article contradicts itself, but seems that she wants to continue singles skating while adding pairs.

 

[tulosai]

Just so we remember that about 2 months ago it was Narumi the one getting called as the part failing in this team.

What I mean is that there is no point in blaming any of them, hopefully both will find partners that suit them and can improeve.

You took my post out of context and ignored other posts I made in the same thread where i defended her.I don't retract what I said though- her SBS jumps are a problem, but I never said or implied in anything I ever said about them that they were the main problem. The main problem (and the thing I said first in the post you quoted) was that they could not make the pairs elements work, period. Either they were not compatible on them, or else he was the main problem, and as I also said in the bit you quoted, I don't think he is a good pairs skater. I am also the one who lead to some of the posts about Bazarova you did quote, as in a post of mine that you didn't quote I compared her to Bazarova and said that, like Bazarova, if she had a male pairs partner who was solid on the pairs elements, she could and would have better results.

At the time when I said their careers were both essentially over, I assumed that, if she looked for a partner, it would be for a Japanese one, since until then, she had been very gung ho to go to the Olympics and had dumped an excellent partner and partnership for that opportunity. Now that she is looking outside Japan, I certainly think she will find a partner and they will doubtless do better than her and Kihara and better than Kihara and whoever else.

However, with all that said, if she remains unable to consistently land a SBS jump (and I am sorry, but it has been a long time since she consistently landed a SBS jump, and even longer since she landed more than 1 in the same competition and at many competitions she didn't land even one) she will not be able to break into the top tier again, no, especially since she struggles to even rotate them now. I don't think this is something controversial or mean spirited to say, or picking on her. You need to be able to land multiple triple jumps to be competitive in the highest pairs tier now, and to be in the B tier and fighting to break into the A group if people in the A group make mistake, you need at least one and a double axel AND amazing other pairs elements. Right now she doesn't have either. I hope she will become a better jumper again though (though this was never her strength, there was a time when there was at least a 50% chance she might land a jump) and then we'll see where she can go with her new partner.

 

[burntBREAD]

Somebody on FSU noted that David Botero has removed his IPS profile, and I just searched for Narumi and she has removed her profile as well. Do any of our more well-connected posters know if this means that they paired up? Or just coincidence?