A Surprise Ice Dance Split for the US: (IMO)

[MissJ]

This was just posted:

http://www.usfsa.org/news/2002-03/nusseargates.htm

[Trillian]

No surprise to me, since there have been rumors of a split surrounding this team for some time. It will be interesting to see what Nussear does next--I'm going to assume Gates will go back to coaching.

[DancerFan]

I'm not sure this is a surprise at all. It is nice that it gets official USFSA notice, though.

[IgglesII]

Interesting...kinda makes your mind start wandering about "possibilities," now doesn't it?

[Aaron W]

Originally posted by IgglesII
Interesting...kinda makes your mind start wandering about "possibilities," now doesn't it?

Yes, it certainly does. :)

[quark]

Originally posted by IgglesII
Interesting...kinda makes your mind start wandering about "possibilities," now doesn't it? Wonder if "what's old is new again."

[haribobo]

Ah, OK. Hmm. Well I guess I should feel lucky I got to see them in person while it lasted...

So now the only teams of the 12 from Nationals that are still together are:

1Lang/Tchernyshev
2Belbin/Agosto
3Gregory/Petukhov
4Galler-Rabinowitz/Mitchell
6Moxley/Kirsanov
9Gibbons/Pekarek

Pretty sad...

Splits/Retirements: 5N/G, 7N/S, 8G/O, 10M/Shalin, 11Z/Hart, 12L/R-F

So now we must see if Kendra Goodwin, Emilie Nussear, and Lydia Manon will continue. What partners are available (besides Forysth)? :??

[IgglesII]

Anybody checked to see if Michael Klus is bored in retirement yet?

[roogu]

Didn't someone say that Nussear was getting back together with Forsyth?

[what?meworry?]

Originally posted by Trillian
No surprise to me, since there have been rumors of a split surrounding this team for some time. It will be interesting to see what Nussear does next--I'm going to assume Gates will go back to coaching.

true. interestingly, there's been some debate if brandon would skate with manon this time since he tried out with her the same time as with jamie.

however, brandon is not one to pass up an opportunity to partner his way to the top (ie, olympics) by going back to nussear who placed well as a senior. they had enjoyed significant success before she left the team.

i was disappointed that lydia didn't seem to have imporved much. and since she was "only" junior national champion, she doesn't have the same competitive status as emily. on the other hand, lydia is taller and slimmer and might be a better match with brandon. she is also a dsc member.

i thought there was enough of a mismatch in the leglines to think brandon and emily might not be able to stay together when they first teamed up. but lifts do work wonders and enough skaters are using them successfully (along with heel elevation) to improve the line enough to make height difference problems disappear.

so i'd bet on brandon and emilie although i think brandon and lydia would be a better physical match.

[what?meworry?]

Originally posted by IgglesII
Anybody checked to see if Michael Klus is bored in retirement yet?

i believe klus is also very short and the girls are rather tall.

[Terri]

Manon is taller but not necessarily thinner than Nussear. I don't know if Forsyth will get back with Nussear, their partnership didn't end too amicably IIRC. Kendra Goodwin has so much expression, I really liked her.

[what?meworry?]

that's a thought!

i hope obzansky can postpone his service, but if not why not goodwin/forsythe. she and chris looked great at nationals and i thought they should have placed higher.

conversely, i didn't care much for the nussear/gates skating and would not have been surprised to see them 6th or lower.

but if g/o must split, i'd love to see kendra skate with brandon!

[Louis]

It's a shame, at least from a competitive standpoint, that Justin Pekarek is tied to Hilary Gibbons. Ever since I first saw Goodwin and Obzansky skate in the fall of 2000, I have wanted to pair Kendra with Justin.

Have Manon/Shalin definitely broken up? I thought they were a nice match and had potential. It's just that most of the teams ahead of them had 2-3 years of experience under their belts.

[what?meworry?]

no. there has been no confirmation. but there was a lot of "chatter" and a discounting of them for some reason before nationals. there were some people who though lydia was a candidate for brandon but the emilie and brandon rumor was the strongest.

at nationals, i was surprised to see lydia had not improved much from the last time i saw her---skating with klus---in fact i thought she had slipped a bit.

justin, to his credit, matched hillary and held back, i thought. even though a number of folks on the board were touting them as the team to watch, i don't think they had that in mind. in fact a number of people said justin and hillary entered competition for the experience and fun of it. and they did look as though they were enjoying it,even though they were not a very expressive team, and seemed not at all concerned (or in justin's case, disappointed), in their placement. after all, justin had intended to retire after his partnership with jamie dissolved. justin presented himself as a gentleman and good friend to hillary, and that speaks volumns.

but your idea is also interesting to contemplate. justin is a better skater than brandon, i think.

[scooter133]

What happened with Navarro & Shmalo? Why did they split?

EDIT: Never mind--I just saw why on the US Nationals board.

[Trillian]

Originally posted by what?meworry?
justin, to his credit, matched hillary and held back, i thought.

I also found that very obvious. He didn't seem to be overtly pushing her, showing off his superior skills, or frustrated with the level of skating or scores they received. Maybe I was interpreting incorrectly, but he seemed to me to be extremely patient and satisfied with how things were progressing based on his performance and reaction to the marks. That impressed me, in fact.

I guess it would be nice to see Justin paired with a dancer closer to his technical abilities (I've thought he and Lydia Manon might make a nice physical match, actually), but if this is what keeps him happy and willing to stay in the sport, I'll take it. We certainly need as many happy dancers out there as we can get; they seem to be scarce at the senior level.

[Mazurka Girl]

I agree. Justin should dance with whoever he wants & let them be judged on the ice rather than off. If he is motivated by his current team situation, it seems that is what counts. There's been too much 'shoulda, coulda, woulda' for some of these dancers & at some point people just need to accept their choices.

[hippiechick]

This is no surprise. And it will be no surprise whem Emilie shows up at DSC. Brandon & Emilie are Igor's newest team I'm sure.

[haribobo]

I don't want to see Kendra Goodwin with Brandon Forsyth...I think she is great but Brandon is of a different (and to me, less enjoyable) style. If Kendra and Chris are indeed splitting, well I don't have any suggestions now. I am just bummed. :(

[IgglesII]

Originally posted by Terri
I don't know if Forsyth will get back with Nussear, their partnership didn't end too amicably IIRC.

That had very little to do with them, and very much to do with third-party interference. A third party which has since been eliminated and no longer matters.

[Trillian]

Based on what I've heard, if the Kendra & Chris split does happen or already has, we won't be waiting long to hear about a new partner for her. I heard some time ago that she'd already talked to another guy about a potential partnership, but I guess we'll see. The skater in question is pretty talented, but I'm not sure what kind of physical match he'd be for Kendra.

[butterfly]

Justin must be a very mature person as well as an excellent skater if he shows this kind of patience. It is so hard to hold back when you have the ability. I wish the Hilary/Justin team well.

As far as Justin with Lydia M, I don't think she is or ever will be the skater he is and I can't see the match up at all. I always agree with Trillian but not on this one.

[what?meworry?]

Originally posted by Trillian
...(I've thought he and Lydia Manon might make a nice physical match, actually), but if this is what keeps him happy and willing to stay in the sport, I'll take it. We certainly need as many happy dancers out there as we can get; they seem to be scarce at the senior level.

yet another interesting thought! aren't justin and lydia training in the same location? but i can't imagine that justin would dismiss his girlfriend, he's too nice a guy and seems not that wild about getting back into the fast track.

i'll add to that that us-citizen dancers are rare at senior, at least those who have stayed and developed to potential international competitors.

both brandon and justin fit that category easily and usfsa would be well served to see that they (if justin cares to) match up well and compete again.

even in novice, igor's up and coming wingle/warren (who said in an interview they were going junior) he's a british citizen. of the other top 4 novices 2 of the guys are already over age for junior international (lichter turns 21 this march and dear turned 21 last sept). this has traditionally helped to gain exposure at that level.

Junior: 1st - zavozin is russian (all the rest are usa citizens and hopefully usfsa is paying attention to their development)

senior:
1st - tchern russian/naturalized;
2nd belbin canadian (will not have citizenship by 2006);
3rd pet russian;
4th both usa citizens;
5th - split (gates british);
6th kirsanov russian;
7th retiring (?) but both usa citizens;
8th both usa citizens but obzan 2 years morman service (?);
9th both usa citizens (pekark) but neither seems interested in the fast track
10th split(?) shalin russian
11th split ( but hart was allowed to tread water for years when he could have been really good. i wonder if it's not too late for usfsa intervention).

fortunately, the olympics occurs only every 4 years. heck, they keep threatening to throw ice dance out of the olympics anyway, so maybe us citizenship isn't all that important after all!

i just hope this infusion helps our coaches and citizen dancers, too.

[IgglesII]

At the rate people keep splitting, Loren & David are going to end up national champions - last team standing.

[what?meworry?]

ha! good phrase---the last ones left standing win!

actually, the top teams look relatively solid and are not likely to go away anytime soon unless injuries persist.

b/a are healthy, stable and should be around for a long time.

naomi's cyst on her achillies tendon (that's what was being talked about at nat'ls, is that correct?) is pretty serious 'cause that doesn't just go away without either an operation or total refrain from skating.

g/p are married and the briefly reported knee problem for pet. hasn't been mentioned since skate canada, so i'd guess it's no longer a problem.

but g-r/m are really solid and stable and train with solid, stable coaches so i fully expect to see them around for many years to come! i hope they do really well at jr worlds! we need to keep out full complement of positions to get exposure for our up-and-commers!

[rack]

Originally posted by what?meworry?
yet another interesting thought! aren't justin and lydia training in the same location? but i can't imagine that justin would dismiss his girlfriend, he's too nice a guy and seems not that wild about getting back into the fast track.

i'll add to that that us-citizen dancers are rare at senior, at least those who have stayed and developed to potential international competitors.

both brandon and justin fit that category easily and usfsa would be well served to see that they (if justin cares to) match up well and compete again.

even in novice, igor's up and coming wingle/warren (who said in an interview they were going junior) he's a british citizen. of the other top 4 novices 2 of the guys are already over age for junior international (lichter turns 21 this march and dear turned 21 last sept). this has traditionally helped to gain exposure at that level.

Junior: 1st - zavozin is russian (all the rest are usa citizens and hopefully usfsa is paying attention to their development)

senior:
1st - tchern russian/naturalized;
2nd belbin canadian (will not have citizenship by 2006);
3rd pet russian;
4th both usa citizens;
5th - split (gates british);
6th kirsanov russian;
7th retiring (?) but both usa citizens;
8th both usa citizens but obzan 2 years morman service (?);
9th both usa citizens (pekark) but neither seems interested in the fast track
10th split(?) shalin russian
11th split ( but hart was allowed to tread water for years when he could have been really good. i wonder if it's not too late for usfsa intervention).

fortunately, the olympics occurs only every 4 years. heck, they keep threatening to throw ice dance out of the olympics anyway, so maybe us citizenship isn't all that important after all!

i just hope this infusion helps our coaches and citizen dancers, too.

I honestly thought you meant "pet russian" in the same sense as "pet poodle!":lol:

[what?meworry?]

very funny!

no, i just can't remember how to spell his name.

[butterfly]

I have heard that Chris Obzansky has decided for sure to do his missionary work and he is finished with skating. Why do the nice ones go away?

[SkaterBrett]

Originally posted by scooter133
What happened with Navarro & Shmalo? Why did they split?

EDIT: Never mind--I just saw why on the US Nationals board.

Kimberly Navarro & Robert Shmalo have released an official statement on their web site.

http://www.navarro-shmalo.com

Take Care,
Brett Barden

[Icesk8dance]

Originally posted by Trillian
Based on what I've heard, if the Kendra & Chris split does happen or already has, we won't be waiting long to hear about a new partner for her. I heard some time ago that she'd already talked to another guy about a potential partnership, but I guess we'll see. The skater in question is pretty talented, but I'm not sure what kind of physical match he'd be for Kendra.

Could it be Ryan O'Meara?

[PlatniumAngel]

I was just at The University of Delaware today... and I saw both Kendra and Chris in skating clothes stretching together. Are you sure they broke up? I think he probably post poned his service...

[PlatniumAngel]

Oh yeah.... also still looking for partners is Melissa Ralph and Ryan O'Meara. I wonder who they will team up with? Maybe they will end up getting back together. I heard they practice with eachother every once in a while.

[what?meworry?]

Originally posted by PlatniumAngel
I was just at The University of Delaware today... and I saw both Kendra and Chris in skating clothes stretching together. Are you sure they broke up? I think he probably post poned his service...

someone specifically posted that chris had decided to do his service, but if he actually did postpone it, that would be great news!

(especially since i can't see her skating with o'meara as the rumor has it)

now that i think of it, a rumor that she had called around asking about partners surfaced last year. maybe this is a repeat of last year and they haven't split after all. why would she do that? just in case chris leaves for service she finds out who's available?

[IgglesII]

Anybody know if there's a specific age-range in which he has to get this done?

[icecat]

Phillip Lichtor will turn 20 this March not 21, so that gives the team one year with JGP eligability

[what?meworry?]

Originally posted by icecat
Phillip Lichtor will turn 20 this March not 21, so that gives the team one year with JGP eligability

i cought that and posted and edit on one of these threads!

they could get the junior nac component and they can vie for jgp internationals at lake placid for this season. how the jgps are distributed will depend on if we earn a second spot in each of the 8 by having one of our jr worlds teams place the usa as one of the top five countries (the rules are on the isu website).