Pairs FS Worldwide: The Divine Discipline

[labgoat]

By the way there were 56 pairs (both Junior & Senior) competing on the Grand Prix and Challenger circuits. I see this as good news. Many are developing pairs, but we have 4 years for them to grow.

A complete list can be found here: https://results.isu.org/isujsstat/sb2022-23/sbtspto.htm

 

[ladyjane]

And from so many countries too! Thanks for the list @labgoat!

 

[Ziotic]

By the way there were 56 pairs (both Junior & Senior) competing on the Grand Prix and Challenger circuits. I see this as good news. Many are developing pairs, but we have 4 years for them to grow.

A complete list can be found here: https://results.isu.org/isujsstat/sb2022-23/sbtspto.htm

And more to come with some debuting in the later challenger comps!

 

[TontoK]

Dropping this here... just because I am that nice

Proft-Nadeau's debut

Some great qualities, room for the doubles to turn into triples soon.

I missed this when you first posted. I'm a fan of Nic, and this is my first time seeing him as part of a pair. I'm rooting for this team.

How did they do in their first long program?

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I see this as good news. Many are developing pairs, but we have 4 years for them to grow.

Yes, exactly. Everything goes in cycles. This is largely a time for new up-and-coming teams to develop, and for some of the older veterans who are in relatively new partnerships, to further explore what they can achieve together.

We get to see just how difficult pairs skating is, and we will witness which of the promising young developing teams will eventually break through. Sometimes it's important to embrace what is, and make the most of it. The one thing I don't accept with equanimity is the awful way U.S. fans are being treated by Peacock, NBC, and U.S. fed regarding coverage.

Some of the bellyaching and claims that "Pairs is dead," is coming from short-sighted people whose fave discipline is NOT pairs, and/ or from unhappy exclusive Russian pairs enthusiasts, or from those who are fair weather fans who don't seem to understand the complicated process skaters have to endure in order to build successful careers.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I'm bummed that no livestream was made available for Golden Spin! Figure skating is so frustrating this season!

I'm happy for Smirnova/ Siianytsia. This is a nice win for them, after some recent struggles. I hope this win propels them toward a great showing at US Nats in January.

I'm glad we at least got to see Ellie/ Danny at Ice Challenge in Graz. Kudos to all the medalists at Golden Spin! It's pretty cool that all four gold medals at this event went to U.S. skaters who are members of the Skating Club of NY! Wow!

Congrats also to Lia/ Trennt. I have been meaning to post about their pairing ever since I got to see their debut events in Canada. They look great together. Finally, Trennt found a good match in size and skill. While his partnership with Evelyn was rewarding and entertaining, and they were gritty competitors, it had been obvious for a few seasons that Trennt needed to find a better matched partner physically and skill-wise if he truly wished to level up and go farther.

I was looking forward to seeing Lia/ Trennt together. It's so clear right away how well-matched they are, and the potential they have to be competitive at the highest level. With Nic Nadeau/ Emma Proft also looking promising, Canadian pairs is on a great track with their rebuilding efforts.

It's very commendable how loyal Trennt was to Evelyn, and wonderful how well they got along with each other. I believe Evelyn might have gone farther competitively too had she been matched with a taller partner. I suppose all's well that ends well. And everything comes together in time.

 

[Weathergal]

I'm bummed that no livestream was made available for Golden Spin! Figure skating is so frustrating this season!

I'm happy for Smirnova/ Siianytsia. This is a nice win for them, after some recent struggles. I hope this win propels them toward a great showing at US Nats in January.

I'm glad we at least got to see Ellie/ Danny at Ice Challenge in Graz. Kudos to all the medalists at Golden Spin! It's pretty cool that all four gold medals at this event went to U.S. skaters who are members of the Skating Club of NY! Wow!

Congrats also to Lia/ Trennt. I have been meaning to post about their pairing ever since I got to see their debut events in Canada. They look great together. Finally, Trennt found a good match in size and skill. While his partnership with Evelyn was rewarding and entertaining, and they were gritty competitors, it had been obvious for a few seasons that Trennt needed to find a better matched partner physically and skill-wise if he truly wished to level up and go farther.

I was looking forward to seeing Lia/ Trennt together. It's so clear right away how well-matched they are, and the potential they have to be competitive at the highest level. With Nic Nadeau/ Emma Proft also looking promising, Canadian pairs is on a great track with their rebuilding efforts.

It's very commendable how loyal Trennt was to Evelyn, and wonderful how well they got along with each other. I believe Evelyn might have gone farther competitively too had she been matched with a taller partner. I suppose all's well that ends well. And everything comes together in time.

I thought it was really cool that all gold medalists were from the US but didn't realize they were all from the same skating club!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I was checking out some of the junior comps at Canadian Nationals. Skate Canada is so cool in providing uncomplicated streaming. US fed OTOH, are such jerks! They make it so difficult for fans to view everything.

Anyway, SC only had five Jr pair teams. They had more last season, but some moved up to seniors. Maybe there are more teams out with injury or not ready yet.

There are 10 teams in Canadian senior pairs. The senior teams are coming together. In juniors, there are two new pairings that look promising, but they need more advanced elements and experience. I like Panetta/ Thrasher -- they look good together, but they need to start turning a corner with greater tech consistency and aesthetic growth. Of course, I get it that pairs is hard, and fan expectations are demanding.

 

[ladyjane]

I must admit to being very pleasantly surprised by the depth in the senior pairs field in Canada. Wow! To quote a well known poster over there: who whould have thought that last season? So, who knows, juniors will pick up in time as well, starting with Panetta/Thrasher this year already!

 

[Jumping_Bean]

I must admit to being very pleasantly surprised by the depth in the senior pairs field in Canada. Wow! To quote a well known poster over there: who whould have thought that last season? So, who knows, juniors will pick up in time as well, starting with Panetta/Thrasher this year already!

I'm amazed by Panetta/Trasher upgrading to a 3LzTh, I was not expecting that. Might explain why they've had some issues with the 2LzTh too.

Honestly, it's a shame they are aging out of juniors after this season as Chloe is already 19. I feel like they would have benefitted immensely from another junior season.

 

[mrrice]

I was checking out some of the junior comps at Canadian Nationals. Skate Canada is so cool in providing uncomplicated streaming. US fed OTOH, are such jerks! They make it so difficult for fans to view everything.

Anyway, SC only had five Jr pair teams. They had more last season, but some moved up to seniors. Maybe there are more teams out with injury or not ready yet.

There are 10 teams in Canadian senior pairs. The senior teams are coming together. In juniors, there are two new pairings that look promising, but they need more advanced elements and experience. I like Panetta/ Thrasher -- they look good together, but they need to start turning a corner with greater tech consistency and aesthetic growth. Of course, I get it that pairs is hard, and fan expectations are demanding.

This is completely true!!!! I can't imagine they'd ever put a link to the event on the page like Skate Canada did. They complain about ratings and then they make it so difficult for the casual fan to find. I don't know how they draw young skaters into the sport when they don't broadcast the Junior and Novice events. Even it's just a "Readily Available" Stream, that would be great!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I'm amazed by Panetta/Trasher upgrading to a 3LzTh, I was not expecting that. Might explain why they've had some issues with the 2LzTh too.

Honestly, it's a shame they are aging out of juniors after this season as Chloe is already 19. I feel like they would have benefitted immensely from another junior season.

^^ Yes, working on improving technical firepower is always a work-in-progress for pairs teams. Now that I have heard Ted explain what Bruno told him about P/T working on mastering a throw 3-lutz, I get that there are nerves and learning curves. After seeing the junior fp, it seemed P/T skated with more confidence and presence, paying attention to aesthetic details. They were very deliberate going into elements, but it paid off. They skated relatively well with no major errors. Their throw 3-salchow was beautiful and smoothly landed.

Things to work on include, cleaning up the small glitches on spins and jump elements that are giving them some minus GOEs they don't need. Also, cleaning up contact on the dismount of their twist. Of course, twists are constantly in need of improving and fine-tuning. The biggest thing I believe P/T need is to maintain confidence and self-belief. Mental strength is a huge factor.

The new young teams look promising. But there's a long road ahead. It may help to think of past champions and the challenges they faced on the road to being their best.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I must admit to being very pleasantly surprised by the depth in the senior pairs field in Canada. Wow! To quote a well known poster over there: who whould have thought that last season? So, who knows, juniors will pick up in time as well, starting with Panetta/Thrasher this year already!

Ted Barton mentioned during the junior pairs fp that Skate Canada is having about 20 to 21 new, young, lower level pairs teams attend a development event at the end of January. It may in part be a competitive event. SC is serious about rebuilding and advancing depth in their pairs discipline. Even though there were only five pairs competing in juniors, SC is obviously doing all they can to advance that number by next year.

In Canadian senior pairs, for sure, this season Deanna/Max are doing some heavy lifting. SC probably always saw them as back-up insurance going into this season. The U.S. had such an embarrassment of riches among pairs teams in recent seasons, they couldn't provide needed opportunities for all of them. Thus, Deanna Stellato sought out greener pastures, and it has been working out for her and for SC. Additionally, It's not surprising that Emma/ Nic look promising, as well as Lia/ Trennt.

I saw someone mention in the Canadian thread after first seeing Emma/ Nic and Lia/ Trennt compete, that 'there was nothing to worry about after all.' Well, 'worrying' is more what fans do anyway. While SC surely had concerns, they were also proactive in knowing they had to rebuild and they knew how to go about doing just that. I don't think SC is perfect, but they are savvy politically, and they may be listening to a variety of voices, because they seem to be approaching the need for development with also keeping an eye on progressive change.

I have said before, and it bears repeating that SC fully supported and advocated for the Vanessa/ Eric partnership. They were both champions, who together it was felt, could help give Canada the needed 3 spots for Worlds in 2023. It was a difficult struggle because only having one season to be great together is a big ask. But V&E never gave up. In the end, their mission was accomplished for Canadian pairs, and for their own final competitive journey. Their contribution should not be forgotten or dismissed.

SC is clearly serious about doing what's necessary to rebuild in pairs, women's, and men's singles. Their ice dance discipline continues to be strong. The Canadian junior ice dance event this week was amazing. The depth and talent is eye-popping. If all these young teams stay together, Canada is going to need six spots at Worlds in ice dance. This is the dilemma the sport faces as a whole. Feds build depth and end up with more talented skaters than they can provide enough opportunities for! The sport's competitive structure has to be adjusted and brought into 21st-century realities.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

I saw someone mention in the Canadian thread after first seeing Emma/ Nic and Lia/ Trennt compete, that 'there was nothing to worry about after all.' Well, 'worrying' is more what fans do anyway.

I think I was the person who wrote this, and honestly "worrying" was a too mild word for the amount of extremely pessimistic and downright catastrophic outlook some people had for Canadian pairs I was seeing going into this season, especially after Trennt and Evelyn split, and even as recently as a few weeks back leading up to Nationals. So me saying that there was nothing to worry about after all is definitely poking a bit of good-natured fun at the absolute hysterics some people were in while trying to not offend anyone.

Sure, Skate Canada themselves were probably not as worried, but I'm sure there were some concerns, especially after Trennt and Evelyn split so abruptly. I'm sure both Skate Canada and Trennt are very happy with how quickly he managed to pair up with Lia and reach a high level. And if we compare the performances of the other Canadian pairs this and last season, it seems that the absence of the established top pairs has actually allowed them to improve a lot, which was maybe something even Skate Canada was not expecting.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

^^ Thanks for explaining the context of what you were talking about. Yes, it does seem dire when things are at a low ebb in the rebuilding process. But for those who were pulling their hair out, there was no need. SC was always going to do what's necessary.

Once again, this is why SC fully backed James/ Radford, and requested Vanessa's release from France. It wasn't a vanity project for J/R. Help was needed to obtain 3 spots at Worlds to further rebuilding efforts. J/R were important in achieving that mission. They could have returned for another season, but they had obtained closure competitively and decided to move forward.

I disagree with the last part of your comment, because veteran teams are helpful in the rebuilding process. This is why Alexa/ Brandon were encouraged to come back for another season. The U.S. lost too many top teams, so Alexa/ Brandon are very much needed, along with the veteran, Danny O'Shea, and his new partner, Ellie Kam.

In Canada, the veteran team is Stellato/ Deschamps. I believe this is their third season together, plus they have a great deal of combined competitive experience. I disagree that veteran teams not returning makes new teams improve a lot. There may be more competitive opportunities available, but the lack of opportunities when confronted with depth, is a serious problem that the sport needs to solve. Improving as a team is a matter unto itself, and it takes time.

I seriously doubt that SC was worried when Evelyn and Trennt split. Putting sentimentality aside, SC was surely ready to facilitate Trennt being paired with a better match. And it happened fairly quickly.

E&T had peaked as a team. They did not have enough pop and power to move beyond mid-tier. Trennt had been needing to make a change for a couple of seasons at least. But he was loyal to Evelyn and to his coach who put them together. I'm sure Trennt knows he's better off with Lia. I'm sure SC had important input in their pairing. They are not at a high level yet, but the potential is obvious. They need to gain experience with each other, fine-tune their execution, and define themselves as a team.

 

[Anna K.]

Now, I'm puzzled. There are 13 pairs competing in EC. For how many it is an absolute EC debut and how many debut with a new partner?

 

[Zora]

I just read that Aljona Savchenko is going to return to Chemnitz in Germany to work together with Robin Szolkowy as a coach.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

^^ Aljona & Robin have started a new Instagram page together. They mentioned working on a project involving assisting young skaters. I got the impression they may skate again together professionally too.

Meanwhile, since there's no weddings and engagements thread, I'll post here about Vanessa James announcing today on her Instagram that she's engaged to her longtime boyfriend! That's lovely news. They look so happy together. Vanessa's skin is simply gorgeous in the pictures she posted. Sunkissed!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

And check out Brandon Frazier's Instagram. He posted a sweet film clip of himself and the amazing JB executing a cool pairs move during SOI downtime.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Pairs will be interesting this season worldwide. There's a lot to discuss in the aftermath of the upcoming season's GP assignments. I'm still reflecting on that, as things will begin to heat up later this month with summer comps.

Meanwhile, there's lots of news floating around for U.S. pairs with all the new partnerships and some junior teams becoming seniors, some of whom will not be able to compete internationally due to age restrictions/ waiting for releases, etc.

On TeamToddandJenni Instagram account, there's a story under the profile pic showing four teams in action:
Martins/ Bedard executing an easy, gorgeous throw 3-salchow; Korytek/ Chapman executing a pretty lift (I can't identify tech name for this lift -- maybe someone else here can) -- I love that K/C's dismount variation includes the famous pairs move first executed by Liu/ O'Shea, as likely inspired by ice dance moves from the Kerrs, L/O's former choreographers. Ellie has long legs like Chelsea, so this move works really well for pairs girls with long legs, tho' it's already been emulated with slight modifications by other pairs teams with different body builds, including Sui/ Han et al.

Also, Daniil Parkman/ Katie McBeath execute what looks like a throw triple flip or triple lutz? Who can identify? It's probably a throw triple flip based on the entry/ turn into the takeoff? BTW, Parkman's Instagram acount name is not included at the bottom of this post with the other skaters. That's probably because his release is still being negotiated.

Lastly, the fab-looking Liu/ Nagy execute a very easy looking triple twist. Balasz jumps clear in the air when he launches Chels! But it just looks so smooth and easy. I mean all of the pairs teams in these clips look amazing. I do realize that training clips are one thing and full competitive performances are something else entirely. But this glimpse of Irvine pairs is getting me more excited for the new season, and for this transitional 'passing the baton' time for U.S. pairs, and for pairs worldwide. Especially with the music overlaying the clips: Danger Twins, Thing of beauty!

Obviously, there's a time limit to viewing stories on Instagram.

Two things I also noted:

1. Martins/ Bedard already look more crisp, clean and confident, with improved form and polish. Of course, they are more mature too. I look forward to seeing them and the direction their programs will take.

2. I've enjoyed watching Parkman since I first saw him with his former partner, Metelkina. He has great flair and personality, which is very much on display during this throw triple! LOL! I mean our eyes follow Katie's gorgeous landing and then Parkman does his usual styling. ️ This is gonna be a partnership to watch. Katie is very athletic, and she also has a lot of wonderful aesthetics. So I think they can be an exciting match with choreo and music that enhances their strengths. It's too bad they aren't allowed to compete at least on the senior B circuit. Teams need to compete in order to develop together. So, since domestic events are the only game in town at the moment, hopefully Katie/ Daniil will get assigned to as many local and regional comps as possible prior to the U.S. qualifier event, and U.S. Nationals.