Agreed that D/R are not in any trouble, as they still are one of the favorites. Just like But I do believe that all these teams have demonstrated they great scoring potential , so if someone makes mistakes in their short program, then they will definitely find themselves in trouble.
Regarding T/M, although their music is dated, the program is well constructed and will continue to score internationally well when successfully executed. Why would the judging at worlds any be different than at the GPF or Europeans? I mean, it's not like the judging panel at worlds will all be under 40 years old with a taste for contemporary music, are they?
Well, back to the points made by D/R, and the conversation around what needs to be rewarded to save pairs from dreariness....
I find it beyond sad that one of the few sports where women and men team together to do something extremely challenging athletically and even dangerous (what else is there mixed bobsled teams?), is at risk of being ossified by a norm that defines as 'artistry' lyrical programs set to drippy 'soft hits' which I only otherwise hear in dentists offices.
I love Ilyushechkina / Moscovitch, and I think they are really improving as a pair, but it says too much that is not good about current pairs norms that their PCS suddenly went up, and people started to say nice things about their "artistry" when the chose Josh Grabin for their FS this year. ( OK the tango choreographed by M-F Dubrueil is a good part of it too....but it's a concern..)
Around the time of Sochi, I noted that ISU and commentators were perhaps going overboard in emphasizing that pairs is the "extreme" discipline of FS in order to make it more appealing to a younger audience. Now, as I see it, we either have a pendulum swing the other way to
- make pairs less "scary", the risk less evident
- accommodate "it's a male-female team so artistic expression has to be around a romantic, syrupy narrative" school of thought
- have female pairs skaters convince us that they are "fragile and feminine" because the reality that they are actually some of the bravest, fiercest most highly trained athletes in any sport makes some of the older audience uncomfortable....