2022 Grand Prix de France Pairs Free Skate

[CaroLiza_fan]

I'm learning here for the first time that the Kovalevs are married, and not a sibling team. (Their SP makes a lot more sense now.)

It's been great seeing the French skaters really show up and challenge for/win medals!

Yeah, they skated as Camille Mendoza / Pavel Kovalev for 6 seasons, until the end of the 2019-20 Season.

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Just back from watching Eurosport's coverage of Camille and Pavel, and was delighted to hear Louise was with Chris.

Congratulations on the Silver Medal!!!



CaroLiza_fan

 

[Sackie]

Not the best skate form Deanna and Max but given they have never been close to skating at this level and pressure before they did quite well.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

They won a medal though—-I’m pretty sure their first on Grand Prix. Solid milestone for them!

Sure did and it's a great achievement for them, especially with Robert having had Covid just 2 weeks ago, but there's still a significant difference in prize money (and potential GPF qualification, though that might be my delusions making themselves known ) between 2nd and 3rd, and the difference in what they scored is so little.

 

[slider11]

I never liked the fwd outside death spiral, I think it’s not worth the extra points, the position is not elegant for the girl.
Good enough skate to stay in first, maybe?

Agreed! There's a lot to like about S-D and D but, at times, moves do not appear to be organic to the performance but purely point-getters. I get that is the system but I would like to see a different spiral and some of the fevre that they showed at Skate Am.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

bravo kovalevs but you killed my prediction game LOL

Same here. I was going to put them in one of the podium positions, but then this voice said to me "I know their your kids, but this is a contest. If you want a medal, you have to be realistic. They were out of the Top 5 on the absolute PB list. You'll be showing your support sufficiently if you put them in 5th".



I shouldn't listen to the voices that are telling me to do things!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[snowflake]

Sure did and it's a great achievement for them, especially with Robert having had Covid just 2 weeks ago, but there's still a significant difference in prize money (and potential GPF qualification, though that might be my delusions making themselves known ) between 2nd and 3rd, and the difference in what they scored is so little.

0.12 ! ...but way to go Annika and Robert!

 

[el henry]

Well, not clean, but what a year so far for Deanna and her consort Maxime. I find them to be a quite organic pair, and as has been said, both of them just hold your attention.

The unusual spiral was born of the fact that Deanna and Maxime had to practice outdoors during COVID times (She was not released and thus not eligible for the "high level athlete" exception.)

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps find their rhythm - Figure Skaters Online

By Claire Cloutier, Team FSO contributing writer Photos by Robin Ritoss, Jordan Cowan (On Ice Perspectives) and Deanna Stellato-Dudek In 2016, Deanna Stellato-Dudek came back to competitive figure skating because she had unfinished business with the sport. Her singles career ended prematurely in...

figureskatersonline.com

When Max and I were off the ice for the second COVID shutdown [early 2021], we thought, What can we do, on these small frozen ponds in Quebec, that can up our points? And it was the forward outside death spiral. That’s how that was born–out of what could we do, with what we were being given–which was not a lot. When I first learned, it took a while. The first day I did one and didn’t fall, I threw my arms up like I landed a jump or something. I was so excited.

 

[rain]

So thrilled for Deanna and Max that they won! Deanna is such a fierce competitor — you could see in the kiss and cry how much she had wanted to get that win by skating a clean program. Hope she can let go of that disappointment enough to revel for a bit in winning their first Grand Prix — then figure out how to make it clean.

I wondered if the mistakes here, which were uncharacteristic given how they've been skating all season, were due to maybe getting a bit tired. They've competed a lot so far and have been pulling out clean or nearly clean skates to do it, thus solidifying in the judges' minds their status as one of the season's frontrunners — no small feat considering where they were just a year ago. I think with some downtown now before the final they'll be able to regroup for the rest of the season. I imagine they'll be wanting to turn the double salchows into triples for worlds, if not the GPF. Since Peng/Jin were so successful with this strategy (doing deliberate doubles most of the season) it seems to have caught on with more teams. I was sure Deanna had that throw — it seemed like she just slipped of the landing edge unexpectedly. And the time violation was a weird deduction.

Hocke and Kunkel deservedly making the big climb of the day onto the podium.

 

[Jammers]

Man i just hope with the Russians banned for who knows how long that the skating as a whole in most of the disciplines gets better as this Olympic cycle moves forward. In a normal post Olympic year there is a falloff of quality depth with retirements but without the Russians it's almost painful at times to watch.

 

[el henry]

Man i just hope with the Russians banned for who knows how long that the skating as a whole in most of the disciplines gets better as this Olympic cycle moves forward. In a normal post Olympic year there is a falloff of quality depth with retirements but without the Russians it's almost painful at times to watch.

In pairs, I have not found it painful at all and I love that teams like Deanna and Maxime and the Kovalevs now have room to thrive.

In ice dance and men, it has made absolutely no difference. The disciplines have had a post Olympic fall off, but that fall off had Jackson B. Squat to do with the absence of any one country.

I don't follow the women, wouldn't know, doesn't affect what little I watch there.

 

[skylark]

In pairs, I have not found it painful at all and I love that teams like Deanna and Maxime and the Kovalevs now have room to thrive.

In ice dance and men, it has made absolutely no difference. The disciplines have had a post Olympic fall off, but that fall off had Jackson B. Squat to do with the absence of any one country.

I don't follow the women, wouldn't know, doesn't affect what little I watch there.

I do follow the women. The women's comps, as well as my favorite the pairs' comps, have been beautiful and occasionally thrilling. I have exulted at the rise of a new American star, Ava Marie Ziegler. I have otherwise enjoyed the women's competitions so far, although I can't recall any other examples ... I have brain-freeze from a bad cold and a totally engrossing week-end with my granddaughter

My favorite discipline, pairs, has been equally thrilling with the rise of Deanna and Max. I've been Deanna's fan since 2016. To me, the way she and Max have advanced step by step has been wonderful to watch, culminating in this season. It seems to me that this IdF week-end is also a valuable experience in the difficulty of being the front-runner or favored pair. So it's all great to watch and inspiring.

@Jammers said:

Man i just hope with the Russians banned for who knows how long that the skating as a whole in most of the disciplines gets better as this Olympic cycle moves forward. In a normal post Olympic year there is a falloff of quality depth with retirements but without the Russians it's almost painful at times to watch.

It just goes to show that we all have our own taste, our own happiness, our own definition of great skating. Mine has less to do with results, placements, scores. And more to do with great skating, attention to beauty, carriage, precision of elements, music, and expression. And also watching as skaters find their own path of excellence and their unique voice.

 

[moonvine]

Man i just hope with the Russians banned for who knows how long that the skating as a whole in most of the disciplines gets better as this Olympic cycle moves forward. In a normal post Olympic year there is a falloff of quality depth with retirements but without the Russians it's almost painful at times to watch.

I loved this comp. Queen Deanna! Surprise French silver! (Just got done watching it).