I disagree I thought their sp was very well done and very artistic by both skaters. They were skating to an extremely difficult piece of music and they brought it to life and told a story. I don't find Andrew a "dud" at all, he has better positions than almost all of the other pair guys with beautiful line and stretch that most of the pair men lack. He is very good at presenting Donlan. He also landed a clean 3 toe in the short program and DA in the long program. I think as a "team" they need to work on their jumps, but solo I think Andrew is a pretty good jumper. I also think they still need to increase their speed and power, however it is much better than what I remember from Nationals 2011 so they seem to be improving. I also think they that in addition to world class throws they have exceptional lifts and a very good 3twiest.
I agree with everything you state, Mystic, my thoughts exactly.
And to add to Andrew, his "turnout" on the spreadeagles is exceptional, better than the ladies I saw at Nationals; he has hyperextended knees (same as Sarah Hughes btw) that are the opposite of knockknees, and which you will see in the greatest of ballerinas. His lines & Gretchen complement each other exquisitely. My only real concern is (& has been) the jumps, not so much for Andrew, as my stats show he hits his jumps at least 80% of the time, whereas Gretchen has always had problems with the jumps, and even admits this in a newspaper article when she was a novice; she excelled in spins, artistry, presentation, et al, it's just the jumps that have been her nemesis. The good thing is the throw jumps, assisted by Andrew, seem to come pretty easy for her (& are HUGE). It's just the sbs jumps that are difficult, and unfortunately that's pretty important in pairs, and all important in singles, which is a good thing she's in pairs. I note the 2A is her most difficult jump; she has had more success with the sbs 3T. In fact she's only hit the 2A once since she's been in Seniors (it was a beauty though last year at Nationals). Even at this year's Eastern Sectionals they both decided to go for just sbs 2Ts in the SP and for the LP only sbs 2Ts & 1A/2T (except Andrew, he landed 2A/2T). The same exact layout for this year's Nationals only 2 months later, hmmm, makes me think that they had already decided on this. :think: They know their limitations and decided to go *clean* rather than risk a messy fall. However, in order to go to the next level and truly challenge the top pairs in the USA they MUST do the harder sbs jumps. *crossings my fingers & sending them prayers that they manage this*
I totally agree with this statement. Dick Button also said this many times in his skating commentary.
Why is pairs so difficult? To me, it's because great pairs skating requires the total maximization of skating skills from both partners. All-out speed, power, stroking, while still reaching for the sky in artistry and impact. Of course all skaters try to maximize their skills, but somehow it's different in pairs. In singles, a skater can make individualized decisions during every performance--e.g., I'm going to double the loop, not triple it, I need a rest so I'll to skate this section more slowly, etc. In pairs, this isn't possible in the same way. Every major element is planned as a team effort, and there's less latitude for individual decision and adjustment. And, compared to dance, the level of risk is so much higher, and there is less structure in terms of defined rhythms and steps.
Yes, I think pairs is the most difficult discipline to excel at. That's why it's so thrilling when true greatness is achieved. The glories of Gordeeva/Grinkov, Mishkutienok/Dmitriev, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze, Sale/Pelletier, Shen/Zhao are difficult for singles skaters to equal. "Magical" is a term often applied to these pairs, but not so often heard in regard to singles skaters, even the best ones.
I continue to hope for our American pairs. I just can't give up on them, despite all the breakups and disappointments. I do think all it will really take is for one great pair to finally emerge--if that happens, it will energize the whole discipline, like Tanith & Ben did for our ice dance program. I think our biggest obstacle is cultural. We desperately need more big, strong, tall men in our pairs program, but as long as cultural attitudes persist in America that it's unmanly and uncool to do figure skating, it will be hard for that to happen.
Also, it's been brought up before that financial rewards for pairs are currently less than for singles skaters. That certainly is a factor in America, possibly more so than in other countries.
Again, I totally agree with what you wrote eyria! Another maxim Mr. Button was known for was his emphatic saying
"pair girls are tough".
Also, Peter Carruthers says this quite often as well.
^) Seriously though one has be tough in order to be lifted into their air 12 feet overhead with only one hand keeping them aloft, as well as two teeny tiny blades, which can catch an edge any time. (8^O Total trust in one's partner, another maxim both have stated quite often. And to be thrown into the air over & over every day in practice has to be tough. I recall Katia saying in her book that some of the guys were not as nice as Sergei, and in frustration would *deliberately* throw the girl to make her fall (e.g. Elena Berezhnyia's old partner). Besides all that the pair girls have to maintain their weight moreso than the single skaters in order to be light enough to carry & throw whilst at the same time not overdoing at the expense of strength & energy; very fine balance indeed. This brings to mind the rumour mill that was going on when McLaughlin split with Brubaker, I heard that Rockne was starting to have trouble lifting her, it was hard on his back, even a couple of extra lbs. can make all the difference in the world.
Shen & Zhao though blow all the stereotypes to smithereens; they were only 7" apart in height and Shen was built like a full-grown woman with all the attributes of such, yet Zhao never had trouble lifting her nor throwing her UP & OUT! Which just goes to show one that the male partner needs to be extremely S-T-R-O-N-G more than anything else, and have a strong back, arms, legs, et al.
I thought that too when they first paired and I was very nervous, but she actually HASN'T grown at all in the past year- she's still 4' 9". That isn't to say she is for sure done growing (and of course there are ways to grow other than just in height, unfortunately) but I think she very well may be done height wise. I guess we will have to see.
She's actually grown 1-inch since they've been together, from 4'8" to 4'9", and she's grown a little outwards as well. They shouldn't have any problem as long as she maintains her weight, which I heard was another reason his old partner left him b/c the weight regime was too much for her; she only grew to 5'0" after all, with Rockne being 5'9" (two-inches more than Shen & Zhao were). It seems Rockne isn't built as strong as Zhao was, and therefore his partner(s) need to be tinier in order for him to lift them. Jmho.
There are those that do, and those that *do not*, easy to see which category Gretchen falls into. 
Seriously, he looks like a grown man (btw what is the age criteria for novice?) and she a baby, totally awkward. I'm not surprised they won, he gets a leg up on everyone else by being built like a grown man, whereas she couldn't weigh more than 45 lbs., looks like a little bitty itty child on ice. 
Yes, it started with Irina Rodnina that's for sure, that extreme "flea & gorilla" look. But they're not the only ones, I found the same thing with Peter & Kitty Carruthers, as well as Underhill & Martini, amongst others. Even at this year's Nationals, I have to be honest I found it totally embarrassing when Castelli & Schapir took to the ice; he towers over her at 6'4", whereas she's only 5'0". 
