by Jacquelyn Thayer. Cover photo by Danielle Earl. For many ice dance fans, the Lake Placid Ice Dance competitions in July mark the new season’s start. But with livestreaming unavailable for 2022’s event, those at home resorted to the decade-old days of awaiting written reports, photos, and rogue video of programs of interest—particularly, this year,…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue have hit a sort of “Hallelujah” trifecta. Certainly they’re the first team to marry skating’s favorite versions of the Leonard Cohen composition—those of Jeff Buckley and k.d. lang—in a single program, and the first to present two separate programs to the song. And more than this, they…
by Jacquelyn Thayer During a 1920s jazz club-themed group number at the Laval, Quebec, stop of Rock the Rink, the skating show set to wrap its tour of Canada this Saturday, my attention was caught by something out of the spotlight. While world champion Carolina Kostner ably vamps through “Why Don’t You Do Right,” the…
by Jacquelyn Thayer After an undefeated comeback season in 2016-17, silver at December’s Grand Prix Final has only further stoked the Olympic goals for Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir ahead of next week’s Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, where they’ll aim to win their eighth title as senior competitors. “We don’t plan…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Ottawa is no stranger to a Canadian championships; chosen this year in part to recognize 2017’s Canada 150 celebration, it’s also hosted the national skating championships 14 previous times—including, most recently, 2014’s Olympic qualifying event, where several of this year’s top skaters then contended for a spot to Sochi. Chief among those…
by Jacquelyn Thayer This Grand Prix ice dance team-by-team analysis has been expanded from recent Snapshot Stats features on Two for the Ice on Tumblr. CHOCK & BATES vs. WEAVER & POJE A pair of world medalist teams in an oft-unsteady position: Madison Chock and Evan Bates ceded the U.S. national title to Maia and…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Victory at Autumn Classic International served as a successful first step of a two-year comeback plan for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. And shortly after, the team were back to work with free dance choreographer David Wilson. “It was always part of the plan — you kind of create, try to make…
As 2015 approaches, a last look back at 14 of our favorite dance and pairs elements offered up in 2014, presented in (rough) order of debut. (Note: In interest of inclusiveness, no team or specific element was repeated.) Ice Dance Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir: 2013-14 short dance, no-touch midline step sequence A virtuoso display…
Finlandia Trophy featured return visits from two teams who last began their season there in 2011 — World silver medalists Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir and U.S. silver medalists Madison Chock & Evan Bates, who took gold and bronze at that year’s event and here caught gold and silver. The stakes for an early beginning…
Continuing the path down memory lane for recent Senior B events, a quick look back at some early Finlandia outings for two teams repeating at the event this season, then training mates: Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, unveiling Funny Face and taking gold on their first stop on the way to a second World title,…
