by Jacquelyn Thayer In spring 2024, two Canadian skaters were at a crossroads. Junior ice dancer Nicholas Buelow’s partnership with Dana Sabatini-Speciale, with whom he’d competed at three Junior Grand Prix events, had come to an end, while pair skater…
Part 4 of a series on young coaches. Read parts 1, 2, and 3 at the links. by Jacquelyn Thayer Colin McManus: I’ve learned to have a different appreciation for my coaches because coaching is horrible. I’m talking like coaching…
Part 3 of a series on young coaches. Read parts 1 and 2 at the links. by Jacquelyn Thayer I think one thing that coaching has taught me, and also being a freeskater—try to have an open communication with your…
Part 2 of a series on young coaches. Read part 1 at the link. by Jacquelyn Thayer Growing up a coach’s son, I definitely gained some insight into the job from my dad. I think my first memory is just…
by Jacquelyn Thayer How does the skater become the coach? It was the question that returned to mind with each summer competition circuit; one more retired competitor would take a new seat in the kiss & cry, trading in team…
Part 2 of a two-part feature; read part 1 here by Jacquelyn Thayer Athletes have spoken of the difficulty in moving from the concretely goal-focused regimen of the sporting life to the more mundane concerns of life after. But in…
Part 1 of a two-part feature by Jacquelyn Thayer Perseverance: few virtues are more celebrated in sport. For athletes grappling with injury and long odds, it becomes a mantra. But just as fundamental is the confidence to know when it’s…
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…
by Jacquelyn Thayer It was a classic quote of much-debated origin — “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts” — that concluded the ice dance team’s reflective Facebook post, a season…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Though also well-represented in junior dance (discussed later), the senior dance event at the 2015 Quebec Summer Championships (Championnats québécois d’été 2015) in Pierrefonds was overwhelmed with entries from the Gadbois Centre — five of seven couples…
