Portmanteau for pairs and dance duos? | Golden Skate

Portmanteau for pairs and dance duos?

Anna K.

Medalist
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
I'll try to explain what I mean.
In the fan fiction universe, pairings are the biggest items and each pairing has a code name that you can even search by Google. So, if you remember Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the pairing Angel + Buffy has a code name Bangel and the pairing Buffy + Spike is coded Spuffy. It makes the life of fan fiction lovers much easier because they instantly know what it is all about.
So, how about figure skating? Would it make our life easier if instead of Stellato-Dudek/DesChamps or S-D/D we used a code i.e. Stuchamps? Are such code names already being used in figure skating fan communities?
 
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rabidline

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 16, 2018
So, how about figure skating? Would it make our life easier if instead of Stellato-Dudek/DesChamps or S-D/D we used a code i.e. Stuchamps? Are such code names already being used in figure skating fan communities?
The Japanese field have several nicknames already both for split and active teams and the Japanese sports media use them for coverage, especially their top teams Rikuryu and Kanadai:

- Rikuryu (Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara)
- Kanadai (Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi)
- Koko (Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto- or now, Takeru Komatsubara)
- Utashin (Utana Yoshida/Shingo Nishiyama- has now split)
- Ayushin (Ayumi Takanami/Shingo Nishiyama-has now split)
- Utamasa (Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita)
- Azushin (Azusa Tanaka/Shingo Nishiyama)
- Harusumi (Haruna Murakami/Sumitada Moriguchi- split due to age difference)
- Yunasumi (Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi)
- Saeluca (Sae Shimizu/Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda)

In fact, one of the first things the newly paired teams like Yunasumi and Saeluca did this season was looking for a nickname, I think one or both of them asked fans through X/Twitter :LOL:

There's also Bock (Evan Bates/Madison Chock) but I've read that used as a non-flattering nickname. LaLa (Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha), P2/ Psquared for Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier. I remember Vikita and Stepbuk for the Russian ice dancers.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I think it might be even better just to use the pairings' full names. They could be called Stellato-Dudek and DesChamps rather than Stella-Doodie-Amp That way, people would know who you were talikg about. (Although StellaDoodieAmp does roll off the tongue -- Buffy would be proud of me.) :)
 

4everchan

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Country
Martinique
I created a few...

LaLa is used a lot now (Lajoie-Lagha)
Canes (for FBS) is not used because people prefer the much longer Canadanes
Marly which is brand new for juniors Martina Ariano-Kent and Charly Laliberté-Laurent (they really need a portmanteau name!!!!)
MiMac (for Mimar and MacIntosh) I think i am the only one using this one... LOL I guess M&Ms might work better if you have this candy in your country you will know why I didn't use it...

I used to call Emmy Bronsard and Aïssa Bouaraguia BBs but he retired... back then, Bashynska Beaumont were BaBes... but now... since the former is no longer.. BBs is Bashinska Beaumont.

We use LaLe for Lauriault-Le Gac not fancy but efficient

So there... this is my contribution... (if someone else created any of them before me or at the same time, I am anyway contributing to spread them LOL


And yes... I agree with the sentiment that it's already hard to follow with the initials and that we should use full names etc... but at the same time, as I said in another thread, if you are writing in the competition thread, the start order is there and it goes so fast that Initials and portmanteau are easier to use for those who type comments... maybe not those who read them but yeah..
 

4everchan

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Country
Martinique
I think it might be even better just to use the pairings' full names. They could be called Stellato-Dudek and DesChamps rather than Stella-Doodie-Amp That way, people would know who you were talikg about. (Although StellaDoodieAmp does roll off the tongue -- Buffy would be proud of me.) :)
the C is not capitalized it's Deschamps. and the Amp wouldn't work because in French the amps doesn't sound at all like what you are implying with your creative nickmame (the am is an an sound with a very short n and the P and the S are silent) ;)

 

rabidline

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 16, 2018
Its hard enough for me to figure out who posters are talking about when the only use first names or nicknames. This would be totally challenging.
I remember when I first learning about the ice dance teams and it's all written in initials. VM, DW, PC, HD, CB, SK, SB... and so on. I had trouble remembering which one is which between GF and FG (Guignard/Fabbri and Fear/Gibson) 😅
 

CaroLiza_fan

MINIOL ALATMI REKRIS · EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
Canes (for FBS) is not used because people prefer the much longer Canadanes

And meanwhile, I preferred the other one that was being used, "Danadians"! :drama:

(Can I just add, I didn't know who you were talking about until I reached the end of the sentence. The letters FBS didn't mean anything to me).

I don't know if anybody noticed, but we had a discussion in the British & Irish season thread about what nickname we could use for Soucisse / Firus now that they have switched to Ireland (it starts here).

Because I had liked "Danadians" (blending "Danish" and "Canadians"), and because I am a "Star Trek" fan, I suggested "Iridians" (blending "Irish" and "Canadians"). The problem was that was that the Yridians weren't the prettiest of species, and I didn't think that was fair on Carolane and Shane. But, after initially suggesting "Canadish" (which I didn't like because there are loads of country adjectives that end "-ish"), @Weetos came up with a brilliant alternative - "Eiradians" (blending the Gaelic word for "Irish person", "Eireannach", and "Canadians").

So, that is what I have started using for them.

I should add, there should be an accent on the "E", but we are not bothering with it because the accent differs depending on which form of Gaelic you are speaking. In Irish Gaelic, it is an acute accent ("Éireannach"). But in Scottish Gaelic, it is a grave accent ("Èireannach").

Since "Eiradians" is a made-up word, and since I don't know the ins and outs of the Gaelic languages, it's probably wiser to do it without an accent. That way nobody will feel left out.

Plus it's easier to type! ;)

CaroLiza_fan
 

4everchan

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Country
Martinique
And meanwhile, I preferred the other one that was being used, "Danadians"! :drama:

(Can I just add, I didn't know who you were talking about until I reached the end of the sentence. The letters FBS didn't mean anything to me).

I don't know if anybody noticed, but we had a discussion in the British & Irish season thread about what nickname we could use for Soucisse / Firus now that they have switched to Ireland (it starts here).

Because I had liked "Danadians" (blending "Danish" and "Canadians"), and because I am a "Star Trek" fan, I suggested "Iridians" (blending "Irish" and "Canadians"). The problem was that was that the Yridians weren't the prettiest of species, and I didn't think that was fair on Carolane and Shane. But, after initially suggesting "Canadish" (which I didn't like because there are loads of country adjectives that end "-ish"), @Weetos came up with a brilliant alternative - "Eiradians" (blending the Gaelic word for "Irish person", "Eireannach", and "Canadians").

So, that is what I have started using for them.

I should add, there should be an accent on the "E", but we are not bothering with it because the accent differs depending on which form of Gaelic you are speaking. In Irish Gaelic, it is an acute accent ("Éireannach"). But in Scottish Gaelic, it is a grave accent ("Èireannach").

Since "Eiradians" is a made-up word, and since I don't know the ins and outs of the Gaelic languages, it's probably wiser to do it without an accent. That way nobody will feel left out.

Plus it's easier to type! ;)

CaroLiza_fan
and when they were representing Canada, they were simply SF :) They will have gained so much skating for Ireland ;)
 

Anna K.

Medalist
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
It's actually called a portmanteau. a blending of two words. Shipping refers to putting people or characters together, rather than putting their names together in an abbreviated form.
Thanks, I did some editing :) I understand that it doesn't necessarily have to be a portmanteau. In most occasions it is a blending of two words but it is more important to find a nickname which sticks.
I removed the shipping reference though since it can be confusing.

In fact, one of the first things the newly paired teams like Yunasumi and Saeluca did this season was looking for a nickname, I think one or both of them asked fans through X/Twitter :LOL:
I'm guessing that in a country where figure skating is very popular it is a must.
In a country where figure skating is little known though, most people would not recognize even full names of athletes. In such case, a nickname would definitely be even more confusing.
 

throw_triple_flip

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 7, 2023
Country
United-Kingdom
I have to admit i think the 'LaLa' nickname is a bit childish. A small but vocal minority of very rabid Lajoie and Lagha fans on the internet seem to enjoy infantilising them though, so perhaps it's appropriate in a weird way.

I noticed that the 'Bock' nickname only seemed to be used in a petty manner by people who dislike Chock and Bates.

I guess I associate a lot of the nicknames with disrespectful (or sometimes plain nuts) attitudes.


I did like KanaDai though.
 
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BlissfulSynergy

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Country
Olympics
I'll try to explain what I mean.
In the fan fiction universe, pairings are the biggest items and each pairing has a code name that you can even search by Google. So, if you remember Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the pairing Angel + Buffy has a code name Bangel and the pairing Buffy + Spike is coded Spuffy. It makes the life of fan fiction lovers much easier because they instantly know what it is all about.
So, how about figure skating? Would it make our life easier if instead of Stellato-Dudek/DesChamps or S-D/D we used a code i.e. Stuchamps? Are such code names already being used in figure skating fan communities?
As others have pointed out, this syllabi joining of parts of pairs and ice dance duos names is something that has already been widely done. For e.g., SinKats; PapCiz, etc. I also tend to use first syllables of long last names after first spelling out names for clarity, e.g., the (Russian) Hungarian team: Pav/Svia.
 

icewhite

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 7, 2022
Using syllables or other nicknames that make them immediately recognizable is fine for me. Although some combinations and names sound better or more mature/natural than others. I absolutely dislike nicknames though that are for insiders, referencing a certain trait or history or even anecdote. For me, who only follows partnerships more casually, especially in pairs, texts become so difficult to understand. I honestly don't want to put that energy in a hobby. So, unless you want to shut out people who are not in the topic already, please use something that's recognizable.
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
I remember when I first learning about the ice dance teams and it's all written in initials. VM, DW, PC, HD, CB, SK, SB... and so on. I had trouble remembering which one is which between GF and FG (Guignard/Fabbri and Fear/Gibson) 😅
I see a lot of people now using "Charmar and LiLew" for that reason I think.
 

4everchan

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Country
Martinique
I have to admit i think the 'LaLa' nickname is a bit childish. A small but vocal minority of very rabid Lajoie and Lagha fans on the internet seem to enjoy infantilising them though, so perhaps it's appropriate in a weird way.
infantilizing ? really ? Never heard of that or seen that. The nickname came when they were in their very early junior stages... but it never meant anything other than using the common particles of their names.

You should read LaLa's own perception of their nicknames...


I really love that name said Lajoie
 
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el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
I hate initials. Ugh. So many teams have the same initials, and way too confusing for me.

Even in a comp thread, I won't use them. I love the portmanteaux for teams like my beloved Utashin, but failing that, first names. Not because I am chummy with the skaters, but because they are usually faster to type (I know I know not always) and not initials.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
I have to admit i think the 'LaLa' nickname is a bit childish. A small but vocal minority of very rabid Lajoie and Lagha fans on the internet seem to enjoy infantilising them though, so perhaps it's appropriate in a weird way.
I have always write it La/La. It is a simple expansion of L/L because that can apply to two different ice dance teams. It is easy and natural to just add one more letter for each skater. You have to add it to both because the other team is La/Le.

Team Ko/Ko's nickname came before La/La, and is formed the same way (first two letters of each skater's name instead of just the first letter. I thought that the skaters themselves started calling themselves KoKo, though I could be wrong about that.

I certainly remember the time when Canada had two junior dance teams with initials B/B. I believe we distinguished between them by calling them B/B Quebec and B/B Ontario.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
I hate initials. Ugh. So many teams have the same initials, and way too confusing for me.

Even in a comp thread, I won't use them. I love the portmanteaux for teams like my beloved Utashin, but failing that, first names. Not because I am chummy with the skaters, but because they are usually faster to type (I know I know not always) and not initials.
I think it is wise to use full names (or two last names or two first names) the first time you are referring to a team (for instance, in a discussion of Guignard/Fabbri, Chock/Bates and Gilles/Poirier use those names). After that first time, you can use G/F, C/B, and G/P or first names or nicknames. But for god's sake, never, ever use first initials only. It leads to a totally confusing discussion in which the great Virtue/Moir become a French pair!

Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres
 
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