SOI Montreal - Show review

[Caro]

After receiving pressure from my sister to post this on skatingforums, here it is (hehehe):

Overall impression:
Not impressed. Stars on Ice was boring and there were too many "hand" props. My two other skating friends liked it though, although they admitted there were too many long boring group numbers with props. The mother of one of my friends was actually falling asleep (Actually, she fell asleep somewhere between Metronome and Robinson's "Put a Spell" number, woke up for S&P, fell asleep during "Hands of Time" [group # with bowling pins hehe], woke up for B&E, etc...] Too bad, she paid ~86$ to fall asleep, oops!)

BRING BACK THE SKATING. In my opinion, it gets worse and worse every year. But my other friend thought it was better than last year (choreography more specifically). There was definately more fluidity between numbers (like 0 blackouts which is good), but all the group numbers with those stupid props were long and boring. (Yeah I can't get over it). If I want to see people do tricks with brooms and bowling pins, I can go to the circus or watch a street performer. SHOW ME THE SKATING. The group numbers should have had MORE skating tricks = jumps, cool footwork, back flips, hydroblading, illusion spins, anything that is WOwowowWOWOow... Even I don't mind props, if you can use them in an original way. Like one year they had chairs and they were spinning and gliding around with them, that was cooooll... Anybody remember that?

Should I do a play by play? If yes, just say you would like one... I think I will post it after my finals (this Thursday). Right now I'm going to post the things I would like to especially mention.

-Brasseur and Eisler: farewell performances, still getting the standing ovations no matter what... (Got three actually, 1 for each performance plus 1 more. There was this little segment about them and how they were retiring, and the president of Danone came to offer them some flowers and thank them for what they have done for the sport in Canada and then of course everyone stood up for like hours hehehe)

-Timely Advice (Sunscreen). The only group number that I liked. Actually, I loved this one, I could watch it again and again...

-SHAE-LYNN BOURNE. Got a STANDING OVATION. It was a very sad program (she was alone and she was skating with so much passion, I almost wanted to cry--but don't tell anybody)... it was beautiful and entertaining to watch. She was the most expressive, and definately entertaining beyond anything. She didn't have to do anything funny or with huge jumps. What was so entertaining to watch was just her skating.

-Biggest highlight and surprise?

SHIZUKA ARAKAWA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Yes she did a guest appearance number. OH MY GOD, I have fallen in love.............................................. .....HIEAHeiAheiaheaoiheaioheaio
Beautiful absolutely beautiful.

Note: Lots of falls and tumbles. Browning and Brasseur & Eisler fell but hid it well or chained it well together. I think Berezhnaya tumbled on a throw jump. In the opening number, Jamie Sale had a shaky landing on a throw jump (might have tumbled, can't remember)... Cousins and Robinson fell, and I think Eldredge had a tumble. Arakawa tumbled on a triple lutz (we'll forgive her, it's a triple lutz!!! When was the last time you saw that on Stars on Ice?!!!).........................

Ok gotta go back and study for finals!!!! AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAh!!!

[WildRose]

Note: Lots of falls and tumbles. Browning and Brasseur & Eisler fell but hid it well or chained it well together. I think Berezhnaya tumbled on a throw jump. In the opening number, Jamie Sale had a shaky landing on a throw jump (might have tumbled, can't remember)... Cousins and Robinson fell, and I think Eldredge had a tumble. Arakawa tumbled on a triple lutz (we'll forgive her, it's a triple lutz!!! When was the last time you saw that on Stars on Ice?!!!).........................


There was a Canadiens/Bruins NHL playoff hockey game at the same arena the night before. Given the number of falls, the problem could very well have been bad ice. With a hockey game the night before, and then the show the next afternoon, they didn't have a lot of time to get it ready for figure skating. (Figure skaters need a different kind of ice from hockey players - it needs to be softer - and it takes even the best arena icemakers time to do that properly.)

[Martine]

Caro, I was there as well and I have to agree with most of your comments. I came away feeling disappointed with the show. Most of the individual programs were top notch. Though the skaters seemed tired (probably due to the fact that they skated in Ottawa the night before and Montreal was an afternoon show, not leaving a lot of time to rest in between) and did not deliver 100% on every performance, I still enjoyed most of their skating. But the group numbers were a let down. All those in-between numbers with time as the theme were cute and all, but there were too many and often lasted too long.

And the big group numbers were nothing to brag about either. I long for the big numbers like the Queen or Rolling Stones ones, or the spaghetti western. You had drama, comedy, sexiness and plenty more in those numbers, but most of all there was lots of actual skating, not just in groups, but also solos within the group number.

And the props annoyed me as well. That is most likely Chris Dean's influence. I didn't like the red hat group number he choreographed a few years ago for SOI (though when he and Torvill did it as a dance number it was fab). All you could think of when watching it was "who'll drop the hat". Same thing here, too many props, they took away from the skating.

But thank god for Kurt's second number, and Shae's elegance, and Alexei's energy level, and Todd's class, and Sale&Pelletier and Berezhnaya&Sikharulidze totally blowing me away with both their numbers respectively. They somewhat made up for the rest of the evening. I knew Shizuka would be a guest, what a lovely skate by her as well. I was also most impressed by Kyoko Ina&John Zimmerman. They were in a lot of numbers and seemed to be having fun all the way. I'm glad they chose to take part in the Canadian part of the tour, they're fun to watch.

Of course this was Brasseur&Eisler's night. So sad to see them go. They're still trying all the crazy stuff and wowing audiences. But did I ever gasp when he let go of her during the head-banger! Thank god he lost his grip during the downward motion, one can only imagine what would've happened to Isabelle had she been way up there! But they sure entertained and kept their cool and it was nice that they were given the opportunity to say a few words to the crowd. They'll sorely be missed.

Let's hope for a better show next year. And a better-looking souvenir program as well...(oh and bring back the group photo, I've always bought those for the 10 or so years I've been going, I was miffed they weren't available this year).
Martine :)

[Blade1]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. I'm going to see the show in Hamilton this coming weekend and I am infact looking forward to the show. I've seen the US Tour from what has been shown on the coverage and it does look like an interesting show this year.

Everyone has their own opinions and not everyone is going to like what they see. However SOI have been together for how a few years now, and I am sure each and everytime the season is over, and its time for them to "create" another show for the following year it gets harder.

The cast changes year after year, so the style of the show will oviously change. And with this year's show theme to "Time" its something different and the whole outlook on the show makes sense. "Timing" is everything. Time to go to work, time to have fun, time for romance, etc... etc... etc.. And I think that is what they were trying to bring out with this years SOI show. (I am judging on what I have seen telecasted during the US Tour)

Anyways thanks again for taking the time to post your thoughts.

[Isk8NYC]

When I saw SOI in Baltimore a few weekends ago, I believe EVERY main skater fell, slipped, hit the wall, or just played human zamboni. That arena doesn't have a hockey team, and the ice was wet. Maybe you're right: the ice was too soft for the skaters. A friend pointed out that they travel to a new arena every night, unlike the old Ice Capades where the show stayed in the same place for a few days. Exhaustion can also take its toll.

However, I will say that I loved the "prop" routines between the skaters. I love Joe Jackson music (Pretty Women Out Walking with Gorillas down my street...) To each his own, I say.

[cygnus]

I saw SOI in Ottawa on Saturday, and thought it was a great show. There were actually very few stumbles, and no falls that I remember- so maybe the cast was just tired in Montreal.

I liked the group numbers- the props don't really bother me- there seemed to be fewer than in previous years, but that could be selective memory. Mr Cygnus thought the broom number reminded him of Stomp- he really liked it, and he's not really a skating fan.

I'm sorry we didn't get Shizuka- that must have been awesome. I liked B & E's numbers (especially Skater Boi!), the sunscreen one, Shae-Lynn, Alexei's second number, Kurt's Time in A Bottle number, both S&P and B&S- actually I liked most of the numbers this year.

The general consensus in the Cygnus family-(not all of whom are rabid skating fans, but all watch skating occasionally) ,and this is our fourth year going, was that it was better than the last couple of years. YMMV of course. (But it sounds like the Ottawa show was better skated, so that may have made the difference).

[Caro]

I definately think that most individual performances were good, although there are some people who performed during SOI that I believe are better competitions skaters than show skaters because they just don't project very well...

But definately, all the pairs were good, Kurt was good (although he could have done better, it looked like a bad skating day for him), Alexei's second #, Shae-Lynn, and Arakawa (her edges are like but-taaaaah).

I think in the end, more individual numbers and less prop numbers. I guess props aren't for everybody... I could see how the brooms were like Stomp, but they made no cool percussions with them, or cool dance moves, i.e nothing original. I think that they are skaters and thus shouldn't try to be anything else but that (because we go to these shows to see skating, not their attempts at showing us they can spin bowling pins back and forth). But hey, I guess props aren't for everybody... heheh

I thought the theme of the show was definately interesting, but I'm still very picky about how they represented the theme onto the ice. Ok everybody, I went to an arts school, I'm really picky about shows hehehehe!!!

But all in all, I've seen SOI for almost the last 8 years (less the year they decided not to come to Mtl, SNIF) and I long for the days when it was Scott Hamilton, Kurt, Brian Orser, Kristi Yamaguchi, Josee Chouinard, Gordeeva/Grinkov, Bourne/Kraatz...........Now THAT was skating.

[Schmeck]

I was at the Portland, ME show, and there were so many doubled jumps, a couple of falls (Katia and Todd, but at least Todd was going for triples!) that I figured that everyone was just exhausted, being that it was the last show for the US tour. Sounds like this was just a bad trend for the year now though!

But I loved the broom ensemble! Actually I loved all of the ensembles, because they just flowed. The solo performances were so shaky/waterdown that they were rather pathetic to watch. The two exceptions were Yuka Sato (who did double a couple of jumps, but didn't wobble or splat) and Todd, who made me nervous by how close he was to the on ice seats when he jumped. But at least he attacked his program! Alexei was sloppy (and he looked pudgy 8O ) and just seemed on remote control, no audience connection at all. Paul Wylie looked like he had to struggle to get through the programs :cry: Not how I wanted to remember him at all! B&S were cold, cold, cold. Only David and Jamie seemed to want to be out on the ice that night, and they just glowed with each performance!

[b2tfuture]

I went to SOI on Saturdy in Ottawa and I have to agree, too many props, I found the baton one boring.

As for the skaters the majority of them skated very well. Kurt, always amazing, Jennifer one of her better performances including a triple lutz, Brasseur and Eisler great, but very sad to know it was the last time I would see them, Todd, never gets the applause he deserves he did the most technically difficult program he was the best skater on this night, Shae Lynn was so beautiful she has such amazing edges and flow even by herself. Sale and Pelletier were also great as usual, I enjoy them doing the comedy.Disappointments, Alexei, we know he is capable of doing the difficult jumps but all we saw was triple toe after triple toe, Stephen Cousins though a great performer only landed a double toe and a single axel.

ON a scale of one to 10 I would give it a 7.

And yes ice can affect their performance. I heard of a Disney on Ice performance a couple of weeks ago in South Carolina where there had been a power failure but Disney made them skate anyway on less then an eighth of an inch of ice (of course this would be considered drastic ice problems) and by the end of the performance they were "skating" on wood. That should never have happened the show should have been cancelled.

Cheers!

[Bailey]

Thanks for the reviews. I'm going to the show next week and we're all looking forward to the night!! Been to every SOI show for - has it been 12 years now - and your comments do not bode well because I really dislike group numbers with props. I agree - bring on the Rolling Stones and Queen and take me back to the days where the skaters are able to show us their great skating skills!! Come to think of it, bring back Josee Chouinard!!

Anyway, the one thing that I don't understand is why they don't have more Canadian talent. We have some skaters that are doing very well on the world scene - very entertaining skaters - and they have yet to skate with SOI. I'm wondering about Langlois and Archetto, Joannie Rochette, Buttle and Sandhu, and even Dubriel and Lauzon. IMO, SOI needs to be introducing these skaters to promote the longevity of the tour (Josee and B/E are gone and Kurt's not going to tour forever). When B/E and Josee started with the tour, they were top five in the world like these other skaters - bring some new, local talent to the tour to give it some life in Canada (in addition to the wonderful skaters we're already enjoying)!!

[Caro]

Anyway, the one thing that I don't understand is why they don't have more Canadian talent. We have some skaters that are doing very well on the world scene - very entertaining skaters - and they have yet to skate with SOI. I'm wondering about Langlois and Archetto, Joannie Rochette, Buttle and Sandhu, and even Dubriel and Lauzon. IMO, SOI needs to be introducing these skaters to promote the longevity of the tour (Josee and B/E are gone and Kurt's not going to tour forever). When B/E and Josee started with the tour, they were top five in the world like these other skaters - bring some new, local talent to the tour to give it some life in Canada (in addition to the wonderful skaters we're already enjoying)!!

I agree!! Come to think of it, this year's SOI has zero eligible skaters (unless we count Arakawa heheh). Doesn't Champions on Ice have a lot more eligible skaters? Actually, aren't most of them eligible skaters?

Actually, in the end, doesn't it come down to who your agent is? If you're with IMG, you'll skate with SOI, if you're with Tom Collins, you'll skate with COI?

Definately, to promote skating in Canada, it would be a good idea to add Canadian talent to the roster, like in the old days. The best would be to have a balanced mix of "oldies" and "newbies". I guess we'll have to tell Mr. Hamilton. You think he reads his mail?

[OH I would LOOOOVE to see Buttle. Wowowowow................. Sasha Cohen--oh wait she's not Canadian, well I'd love to see her anyway!.... and Joannie yup yup I agree, I agree!!! Imagine what Stars on Ice would be like! Wow!]

[Sydney]

I agree, bring back the skating!

Although there are some great skaters on the tour, for some reason, I find the overall skating quality has taken a big step down. I too have very fond memories of the years where they used Queen and the Rolling Stones.

There should probably be more Canadian content, but I don't think it should be at the expense of quality of skating and performance. I suspect that Jennifer Robinson was put in there for "Canadian content", but to be honest, she has got to be one of the weakest skaters (if not, the weakest....) I've ever seen on CSOI and is an example of how the tour has shifted the focus away from skating quality and more towards promoting the IMG client list. Otherwise, I don't really see how someone like Jennifer Robinson would get the nod on the tour over some of the other ladies out there. I could see Joannie's style fitting in nicely in the future. Buttle and Sandhu would be good additions too.

Shizuka is not someone I would have thought at first would be part of SOI, but she has great edges that I usually associated with SOI. Good call on including her.

[dmr65]

Anyway, the one thing that I don't understand is why they don't have more Canadian talent.



Why should they promote more Canadian talent? It's a tour of skaters entertaining fans of figure skating It's an American who owns the tour where most of the shows are performed in the USA, and is sponsored by a company based in the USA(?) :) But they hired diverse skaters for enjoyment. I enjoy the fact, as an American, that SOI has skaters from all over..

Maybe I'm in the minority.. As an American who attends SOI and loves COI as well, or watches competitions on tv. I'm not going to see or always rooting or thinking to just see Americans skaters... I'm enjoying the fact that these skaters don't look a like, don't skate the same style and are from different Countries.. I find that exciting and fincinating.. I don't want to just limit myself to American skaters or the American style... I think it's obvious Scott likes the diversity as well, and didn't set out to just put only English speaking or American and Canadian skaters in his show.. I'm sure not all his friends in his skating cirlcle are not all American. I would like to see more skaters of color on the SOI tour as well..


I'm an American, proud to be an American... But I love love love the diversity of skaters style, faces, colors and languages.. So I loved that Tom Collins and Scott Hamilton have not just limited the diversity of skaters.



Denise..

[Bailey]

Don't misunderstand my comments. I love the diversity too - love B/S, Yagudin, Eldridge, and all the other skaters. Because I'm not from a 'hot spot' meaning Hamilton, Edmonton, Vancouver, etc., we get very few national/international events in my community and this is my only chance of seeing these skaters without travelling to events.

But, maybe because you are not from Canada, I don't think you appreciate what a draw it is for Canadians to see their own skaters. Canadians love skating and we love our skaters!! That said - my comment was not necessarily to include Canadian skaters just because they are Canadian. The skaters I listed are all very hot on the world scene right now and each woud bring something very interesting and appealing to Canadian fans. I totally agree about Jennifer Robinson - not my favorite skater and not a draw for me to go to the tour. But, I personally would love to see how L/A, Joannie Rochette, Emanuel Sandhu, or Jeff Buttle would fit into the tour. And, SOI in Canada is going to be in trouble in the next few years if they don't sign more skaters - and we do need Canadian headliners to get the 'average skating fan' out to the events. With the exception of the skaters now, in the past many of the SOI headlines have not or have inconsistently come for the Canadian tour. They have not been the draw to the general public that Kurt, Brasseur and Eisler, and Brian Orser have been over the years.

[cygnus]

Well, out of the 14 cast members on this Canadian leg of the tour, 7 of them are Canadian (B&E, S&P, Kurt, Jennifer, and Shae-Lynn). That's a good percentage- I don't think we need more than half, with all the talented international skaters out there who are popular here too (Yagudin, Eldridge etc.) There are only so many spots after all- with B&E retiring, that opens a couple new spots for next year, and it will be interesting to see who comes in- maybe a dance team? (D/L?) or L/A or a couple of singles.

I think that there ARE big name draws on this tour- S&P, Kurt, and Shae. Joannie may be a wonderful skater, but she's hardly a household name outside those who follow skating (yet). Same with L/A. Emmanuel and Jeff may be bigger names, and maybe we WILL see them in the future.

[shopper]

well i wasn't going to go this year.... but.
i have just now bought a ticket for hamilton.....
decided i have to see brasseur and eisler's last shows...

[Silver Lining]

I would love to see Sandhu and Buttle and other Canadian skaters in CSOI. I think Canadians are more familiar with them because we see them in more competitions. Also, it would be more convenient for them to do the Canadian leg because it starts after the amateur season ends.

[ildah]

I don't want to see more Canadian content in SOI and I'm Canadian!! Why would the cast and choreographers spend all that time and money creating a show, rehearsing and then perfecting it in dozens of shows in the US, only to take it apart and rehearse for 3-4 days with a lot of new additions before a (relatively) short Canadian run? Everybody who saw the show stateside said it was amazing to see the confidence and improvement at the end of the run. And it IS owned by Scott Hamilton. I think we already have a LOT of Canadian talent in SOI relative to the size of the cast: along with the Russian and Japanese content - including guest skaters - there actually aren't as many US skaters as there could/should be. I'm glad I'm going to be the beneficiary of all these 4 months of cummulative skating by seeing the show in Canada.

I too don't like Jennifer Robinson at all. I'm really happy to see B & E for the final time, but I would have loved to see Yuka Sato. I also think Meno and Sand are sweet and would have liked to see them.

Caro, I was wondering about your comment about missing the days of B & K. Did they take a competitive season off to be in SOI? I can't remember them being in it. (I thought Shae-Lynn was devastated by their break up partly because it put an end to what could have been the start of their Pro career with SOI or something similar.)

Re: Props - I don't mind the odd prop, but I have to say I hated "chairs on ice" - the one 3 years ago with Tara and Kristi and all the chairs (though I love Kristi).

Hope I haven't been too mouthy. This is a great board......

[friendly skater]

It is Brasseur and Eisler last Tour but it is not their last show.
They are trying to put together a couple farewell shows in the Fall.
One will be held in Montreal and the other was suppose to be in London.
I guess they are trying to cash in. (Double dipping). IMG promoting it as a Farewell Tour and them doing some in the fall....Here we go again.... over flooding the market......I will not cry over this one.

[Caro]

Caro, I was wondering about your comment about missing the days of B & K. Did they take a competitive season off to be in SOI? I can't remember them being in it.

Oh yes most definately! I've seen them do Riverdance in person! Very memorable!!! They definately have come to Montreal everytime... They would only join the show after the amateur competitive season was over though. Come to think of it, I think there is one year that they missed because of her knee, but I think that that the year CSOI didn't come to Montreal... Hm? Can't remember...

As for the Canadian/no Canadian debate: I agree with everyone that diversity is best. I really enjoy seeing American and European and Japanese and etc skaters. I hadn't counted the number of Canadians on the cast to realize that most of the cast WAS Canadian. I guess in the end, it's just that I'm not seeing the skaters I would want to. I would LOVE for Yuka Sato to be in the Canadian version. Well, honestly, I think I would just rather Robinson wasn't in it and that it was another woman. And they should add another single woman, they were 4 males single skaters (Eldredge, Browning, Yagudin, Cousins) and one single woman (oh ok 2, counting Shae-Lynn)...
If I could be REALLY picky, my dream cast include Browning, Shae-Lynn Bourne, S&P, Yagudin, Sato, B&S, I&Z, Ekaterina Gordeeva (! Miss her!!!), Kristi Yamaguchi, Buttle, oh and Scott Hamilton! OH WELL, dream away Caro.................


Oh I have a question for anyone who has seen CSOI. At the Montreal show, they did not announce Shae-Lynn or Steven Cousins as part of the cast in the opening ceremony. I thought this was bizarre. Was it the same for the other cities?

[dmr65]

The skaters I listed are all very hot on the world scene right now and each woud bring something very interesting and appealing to Canadian fans.


I hope you wont mind or take my asking as nit picking nor insulting, because I'm not. I was jumped on by a fan here once for a huge misunderstanding, when actually being thoughtful about a bashing issue and agreeing with her. But she misunderstood, it got blown out of proportion, chewed me up on forum and PM.. :?? I'll digress from that one, but just ask you not take offense with what I'm about to ask.. :bow: I just like to chat and don't mean for my chatting to be offensive. :o I just need to ask in order to understand which group of skaters you're talking about who are hot on the WW level? :) The ones on the SOI tour? Or Canadian amateurs? I'll use the fans at FSU and MK forum in the general chat forum and other areas and I find the fans differ in what country of skaters are hot or coming up on the WW amateur level. I noticed each forum of fans chat are different.. What may be or who may be hot or up and coming on one board/forum may not be even a mention on another forum. I guess that's saying. Depending on what country or how one may look at it.. Maybe.. :??

I know we Americans can be bias folks.. :lol: But I think most Americans may be more open embracing of more than just our own.. I really should not speak for all Americans, but we are the melting pot or salad bowl of many different people. That could be why or how Scott may see it to. That could be why l enjoy, B&S, Yuka, Surya, S&Z, M&S, Kurt, the Ukraine acrobats,(some say that's not skating.. ) LOL and others from other places.. B&S, S&Z and M&S are so so opposite of each other, but I can sit back and enjoy the difference and respect their abilities.. I like seeing that human diversity.




Denise... ;)

[LTM]

Well, I don't see anything wrong with Canadian fans maybe wanting to see Jeffrey Buttle (for example) live in a SOI cast over a male skater from somewhere else.
Providing of course touring is something they would want to do.
But at the end of the day SOI is a business and they are going to hire skaters they figure will pull in the fans.
I think that more than anything is why the cast list changes so little from year to year.

[Bailey]

You quoted my post, so I will reply. Eveyone has their own opinion and there's no offense taken to any posts (I hope no one took offense when I responded in my eariler post). Over the years, reading this and other forums, it always amazes me how different people see the same things in different ways. Everyone has their favorite skaters and while I many not agree, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I was talking about some of the skaters on the national team. Personally, I'm very excited by skating in Canada right now. We've had some great stars over the last few years but right now, we have people in the top 5/top10 in every event and that hasn't happened since the early 90's. They are not neccessarily known to the average skating fan in Canada, but they are starting to see success on the world stage. Let's give these young skaters a chance to develop their performance ability on tour and become known to the Canadian public. Personally (and this will be unpopular), I'm tired of B/E and would have loved to have seen L/A. The fact that there is only one woman on tour (excluding Shae) is very disappointing and really causes the tour to be 'unbalanced' IMO. Personally, I would love to see Yuka or even Arakawa (the world champion). I would also love to see Joannie Rochette.

Without a doubt, things are changing with respect to the people who established the tour (we've seen Scott, Kristi, Katya, B/E, Josee all leave the tour and unfortunately Kurt will not be far behind). IMO, the tour needs to add some young stars to the cast to promote their longevity. Whether this is world medalists like Arakawa or Canadian team members, IMO it's time to balance the cast and bring some new skaters into the show. And, without a doubt there is going to be a big void when Kurt leaves the show because he is the headliner in Canada. They will need to have another star to fill the void. Maybe that's S/P? Maybe Alexei?? I know that with my friends from work (who are not big skating fans but have gone for the past few years and will go again this year), they don't necessarily know who Eldrgidge or even Yagudin are but they sure go to see Browning, S/P, and B/E because they are very popular among the general public in Canada.

Finally, I think what I was trying to say is that Canadians love skating. We would be happy to see Yagudin, Yuka, Arakawa, etc. because they are great skaters!! We are a multi-cultural society so I personally think we are just discussing personal preference. But to clarify my original post, for me personally, I would love to see our young Canadian skaters given the opportunity to participate in SOI and I think this needs to happen to keep the tour healthy in Canada in the long term.

[dmr65]

Phew.. Thank, Bailey.. :D

[Sydney]

Yes, I agree Bailey, it would probably be a wise business decision to invest in the "new" generation. I don't want people to think either that I don't want to be seeing skaters from other countries - in fact, I loooove having the opportunity to see skaters like B&S and Yagudin. And I didn't realize until someone posted it that 7 out of 14 of the skaters were Canadian! But the choice of Jennifer Robinson over some better show performers on the national team has me perplexed. Canada's lucky to have Buttle and Sandhu on the national team and they wow the crowd in their show numbers. People have mentioned Rochette, but in a few years, I think Phaneuf will be a great show performer, and who knows, even Bellemare (I'm very excited about where the ladies are going in Canada :D) I'm not saying SOI should invest in anybody, but it seems like in the early 1990s, they knew how to pick the people with the right potential to be on their tour (eg: Josee) Not that I think they should only look to the "new" generation. I know this is never going to happen, but I saw Elizabeth Manley on Josee's tour a few years back and oh my.... If she ever wants to do the short Canadian tour, invite her! This is a person who knows how to perform on the ice!

Other skaters I'd like to see that I think would fit in amazingly well are Shen and Zhao. Yeah, I know, in my dreams, because right now, the tour has hit their maximum capacity with regards to pairs team right now. But maybe after the next Olympic games?

[jcspkbfan]

Hmm, interesting discussion so far. Here's my (more than) $0.02:

Caro, I was wondering about your comment about missing the days of B & K. Did they take a competitive season off to be in SOI? I can't remember them being in it. (I thought Shae-Lynn was devastated by their break up partly because it put an end to what could have been the start of their Pro career with SOI or something similar.)

B&K first joined the CSOI tour in 1998 (the year they performed Riverdance during the show) when they were still eligible. Kurt, Josée, B&E and even Elvis (for one year back in 1993) all began performing in CSOI back when they were still eligible, too. Since SOI doesn't come to Canada until spring, eligible skaters can do the entire tour without having to miss an entire competitive season (something that wouldn't be possible on the US SOI tour, which takes place during the regular skating season).

ITA it would be wonderful if more up-and-coming eligible skaters (Canadian or otherwise) were able to tour in Canada, but at least there have been more opportunities out there this season. The 2003 Holiday Festival On Ice show had a good mix of established pros (Kurt, Brian O., S&P) and up-and-coming Canadian (Shawn Sawyer, Langlois/Archetto) and non-Canadian (Jenny Kirk) eligibles, as did all of Elvis' tours. Even Joannie Rochette got to skate in one of the COI shows in the States a few weeks ago, which was a big accomplishment in itself--I can't remember the last Canadian woman who had the opportunity to do that while still eligible. :D

This winter's Celebration on Ice tour (which travelled to smaller cities not big enough to get the CSOI tour) was also a great mix of Canadian pro (Kurt, Elvis, Josée, Brian O., B&E) and eligible skaters (Jeff Buttle, Joannie Rochette, etc.) I always wanted to see another all-Canadian tour along the lines of Skate The Nation or Champions On Ice (which was an 1980s/early '90s tour of all-Canadian all-eligible skaters--not the Tom Collins tour) and this tour sounds like it'll fit that bill quite nicely. :D

Oh I have a question for anyone who has seen CSOI. At the Montreal show, they did not announce Shae-Lynn or Steven Cousins as part of the cast in the opening ceremony. I thought this was bizarre. Was it the same for the other cities?

As far as I know, the same thing happened in all the other cities so far. I wonder if one of the reasons why this year's CSOI tour hasn't gotten as many rave reviews as past years is because the Canadian (or British, in Steve's case) skaters who didn't appear in the US tour aren't as fully integrated into the group numbers as they have been in the past.

It sounds to me like Jennifer, Shae-Lynn and even Kurt are being treated the same way as the "special guest star skaters" on the US SOI tour. I understand why they switched to this format in the States (where, unfortunately, most of the regulars on the tour don't have as much box-office appeal as the special guest stars), but it doesn't make much sense to do this for the Canadian tour, which is much shorter and still includes lots of skaters who can sell plenty of tickets up here.

I think it would have been a great idea to invite more young eligible skaters to fill those "special guest star" spots in Canada, even if some of them only performed in one or two shows (similar to the up-and-coming US skaters who appear as guest stars in a few COI shows in the States). For instance, Jeff Buttle could appear in the Ontario shows, Anabelle and Patrice could skate in the Edmonton show, etc. It's wonderful Shizuka had the opportunity to skate in the Montreal show and I hope more skaters get the chance to do the same as the tour continues.

Personally, I have nothing against non-Canadian skaters. I just think young up-and-coming Canadian skaters deserve the same opportunities as their counterparts in the States, who get to skate in COI (if not the whole tour, at least a show or two in/near their hometown) and appear in all those USFSA cheesefest thingys. I'd say the same thing for skaters from Japan, Russia or anywhere else if I knew anything about the touring opportunities in those countries. ;)

After all, part of the reason why Kurt, Josée and B&E became such beloved pros is because of all the chances we got to see them skate (not only in competitions, but in lots of shows as well) while they were still eligible. I hope today's eligible skaters (regardless of nationality) will be able to have the same opportunity--and at least here in Canada, they're getting more chances than they did just a year or two ago. Let's hope the trend continues! :)

[Silver Lining]

I would like to see Sandhu and Buttle just because I like their skating, not because they are Canadian. I would want to see them regardless of where they are from.

[bleu]

As much as the idea of having "new and young skaters" in SOI sounds good, I think our skaters...Buttle, Eman, Joanne etc...are better off concentrating on the upcoming year rather than SOI. Otherwise, in the fall, we shall be complaining about how their skating was compromised by touring in the off season.

[backoutsideedge]

Why should they promote more Canadian talent? It's a tour of skaters entertaining fans of figure skating It's an American who owns the tour where most of the shows are performed in the USA, and is sponsored by a company based in the USA(?) :)

WRONG. IMG CANADA produces Canadian Stars on Ice, and Canadian Stars on Ice is sponsored by HSBC Bank CANADA. HSBC Bank Canada's head office is in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I agree there needs to be more Canadian content. I will not pay money to see Arakawa or Cousins. Give me Phaneuf, Rochette, Buttle, Sandhu over them any day.

[dmr65]

WRONG. IMG CANADA produces Canadian Stars on Ice, and Canadian Stars on Ice is sponsored by HSBC Bank CANADA. HSBC Bank Canada's head office is in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I agree there needs to be more Canadian content. I will not pay money to see Arakawa or Cousins. Give me Phaneuf, Rochette, Buttle, Sandhu over them any day.



Ok.. Well, I did place a question mark after USA. ;)


Well, again.. As American, I am inclusive.. I prefer to see racial and ethnic diversity.. To me, I don't look to nor do I think American only. :D There is so many wonderful skating from skaters of all backgrounds and cultures, not just my own.


Denise..

[schnood]

Let's hope for a better show next year. And a better-looking souvenir program as well...(oh and bring back the group photo, I've
always bought those for the 10 or so years I've been going, I was miffed they weren't available this year).
Martine :)

The cast photo was available in Vancouver....there should be either an e-mail or snail-mail address in your program along with an offer to order additional programs. They should be able to send you a copy of the cast photo. They did it for me a couple years ago.