by Jacquelyn Thayer After a strong short program event for the Skate Canada International pairs field, the long brought a few more woes — though the top finishers managed to hang on for podium success. With their “Non, je ne regrette rien” free, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford completed their third victory at Skate Canada…
by Jacquelyn Thayer A small field of seven, thanks to a late withdrawal, also makes the 2016 Skate Canada International pairs event a prime opportunity for teams seeking to establish or build their international reputation. Back on home turf – and looking to defend their previous two Skate Canada International titles – Meagan Duhamel and…
There will be no extended analysis of deeper PCS meaning this go-round, but a quick overview of just how tight the race in U.S. and Canadian pairs — for those 3-4-5 spots at home, for international opportunities or top 10 Worlds finishes — looks after the work of last season. Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel…
EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview was conducted on June 27 and published July 24, to approving response from both partners. On August 10, Aaron and Settlage announced the conclusion of their partnership. This feature stands to capture their comments and perspective as they initially stood in this off-season. by Jacquelyn Thayer For two-time U.S. pewter medalist…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Last season offered one particularly key lesson for 2016 U.S. national pair champions Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea: choose the music with which you connect and which, then, can connect with the audience. It led them to a successful free in skating warhorse “Music of the Night”; it led them further off…
As the partnered disciplines go, pairs lends itself most readily to analysis by technical improvement — a fall or aborted element are explicit, easily marked errors and likewise, GOE typically does fairly well in grading an element’s obvious level of execution. TES is also democratic; Olympic champions can fall short if the technique fails them…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Even quick on-ice successes for a new U.S. pair can come with a struggle increasingly common — and increasingly public — for athletes in Olympic sport. Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan, based at the rising pairs camp in Ellenton, Florida, have seen limited funds make an impact at the most fundamental level…
by Jacquelyn Thayer After competing at the 2014 Olympics and World Championships, four-time Canadian pairs bronze medalist Rudi Swiegers parted ways with Paige Lawrence, his partner of nine years, and took a step back from the realm of competitive skating, making some time for daily life. “I really took my year off for myself,” he…
by Jacquelyn Thayer NOTE: Due to the costs and time involved in maintaining and further growing Two for the Ice as an outlet, we’ve recently launched a funding option through Patreon, with small suggested donation fees per article. We appreciate any support! After a world junior silver medal, Canadian senior bronze and a top eight…
by Jacquelyn Thayer When Canadian pair Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro made the call to relocate from the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club to Bruno Marcotte and Richard Gauthier’s Montreal camp in March, the first step upon arrival was one of demolition. “Basically when we got here, all of our elements were ripped apart,” said Moore-Towers. “So…
