I think the reason people are so intrigued about the (far-fetched) possibility that Jenny might try pairs is something like this. Jenny is so pretty, so sweet, so nice, so talented, such a breath of fresh air on the ice, that everybody likes her and hopes for her to succeed. But in the U.S. ladies' pecking order she is stuck behind Michelle and Sasha. It is unlikely (though not impossible) that she will ever win a U.S. championship. There is no guarentee that she will make the 2005 world team or the 2006 Olympic team (I hope she will) -- she is on the bubble along with worthy challengers Amber Corwin, Angela Nikodinov, Yebin Mok, AP MacDonough, Beatrisa Liang, plus the next generation.
On the other hand, the U.S. pairs situation needs help. None of our current pairs is perceived (I hope this will be proved wrong) of being podium contenders in international competition. It seems like there is a vacuum there waiting for someone to step in and take advantage of it.
But my question is this. To me, I don't see how it is possible for someone to take up competitive pairs skating as adults, having trained only in singles all their lives. It seems like it requires a certain "muscle-trust," or something. When your partner throws you up in the air, your body has to truly believe that he is going to catch you! It would seem to me that this kind of muscle memory would take a long time to train.
But then Yuka Sato
was in her late twenties when she started skating pairs with Jason, so evidently it is possible.
Mathman
I can't wait!
