Who is/was the stronger skater of the partnership?

[mrrice]

From the skaters I've actually seen in person. David Pelletier was IMO a better skater than Jamie but She was clearly the better performer. Shen and Zhao were both great skater's and very fast. They were probably the most evenly matched skater's I can remember.

 

[LiamForeman]

From the skaters I've actually seen in person. David Pelletier was IMO a better skater than Jamie but She was clearly the better performer. Shen and Zhao were both great skater's and very fast. They were probably the most evenly matched skater's I can remember.

I think David was a good performer, but there seems to be some unspoken commandment that the man must present his partner to let her shine and he stays in the background. I think Gordeeva and Grinkov are the GOAT, but it makes me sad that the pair was ALL Katia. Here he was this very attractive and talented dancer and he just disappeared on the ice. Of course, it's hard to compete with the phenomenon of Ekaterina Gordeeva, but imagine how much better the pair could have been if he showed some personality and possibly brought out some sex in his skating?

 

[LiamForeman]

Yeah I saw that. Nothing special but I don't see where is the tacky and tasteless part? Are you speaking about the Enigma program? Anyway, that was when they were already pro. They skated 1 year only (I think?) and a split with their partners occurred. Also, do not underestimate the pro Usova and Oksana the *****, especially in the USA, who stole her man sentiment.



I liked both their skating, as a performance. As a skater, which I think was the main question of this topic, there is no comparison. Oksana was a top skater. Yes, she could be frantic sometimes but it suited her. It gave her a certain character. At least IMO, degustibus.

I think the poster was referring to the "Smooth Operator" program. It was cringe inducing but extremely watchable given the backstory. Pasha seemed to revel in her notoriety, and gladly wore the role of the awful girl you can't help but hate. lol. For what it's worth I thought Maia was a solid dancer and loved the two of them when they skated (well except their awful Oly programs in 1994)

ETA: Here is a rather humorous rundown on the whole Pasha/Sasha/Maia/Evgeny soap opera: https://youtu.be/w227JiWLImM

 

[Sugarpova]

ETA: Here is a rather humorous rundown on the whole Pasha/Sasha/Maia/Evgeny soap opera: https://youtu.be/w227JiWLImM

lmao I JUST watched it yesterday b/c it came up in the utube recommendations bar
Cant stop laughing til now:rofl2:

 

[Violet Bliss]

ETA: Here is a rather humorous rundown on the whole Pasha/Sasha/Maia/Evgeny soap opera: https://youtu.be/w227JiWLImM

Humorous? Sex and scandals sell video tabloids too.

Maybe more sex scandals and soap opera on ice, real or dramatized, is what it will take to sell and popularize Figure Skating today.

 

[TangoTraumatica]

I love both Tessa and Scott and I agree with prior posters who say that they've each shone in different programs. Scott is a phenomenal partner, and one of the better performers we've seen among the ice dancing men in recent years. Can't thing of many other boys who've drawn my attention the way he does.

Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles are so unevenly matched it's painful. Paul is a far better partner and is leagues ahead of Piper in skating technique. Sometimes I feel like their partnership is based in friendship rather than compatibility as skating partners.

I think the fact that Kirsten is a stronger skater than Marinaro is blatantly obvious...especially after their bombed lifts at recent GP events. No one is going to pin those mishaps on an Olympian and former Canadian champion.

 

[mrrice]

I love both Tessa and Scott and I agree with prior posters who say that they've each shone in different programs. Scott is a phenomenal partner, and one of the better performers we've seen among the ice dancing men in recent years. Can't thing of many other boys who've drawn my attention the way he does.

Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles are so unevenly matched it's painful. Paul is a far better partner and is leagues ahead of Piper in skating technique. Sometimes I feel like their partnership is based in friendship rather than compatibility as skating partners.

I think the fact that Kirsten is a stronger skater than Marinaro is blatantly obvious...especially after their bombed lifts at recent GP events. No one is going to pin those mishaps on an Olympian and former Canadian champion.

I agree about Scott......He's Fantastic and with Tessa as a partner he had to be great or he would have faded into the background as we've seen before in Ice Dance. I'm not a fan of the teams where one partner basically drags the other around the ice.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

What are some examples of the weaker partner in one partnership being stronger than the stronger partner in another. I think one would be whoever one thought was the weaker skater in Virtue/Moir as I think the "weaker" partner would still be top-notch compared to most competitors. I don't doubt that whoever was the weaker partner there was still stronger than some of the stronger skaters listed in this thread. Meryl Davis may not have the best leg-line or Charlie may have been the better skater in terms of blade work, but she was very athletic and able to keep her own in the dance and able to execute some physically-demanding elements with gusto and extra moves and flourishes many of her non Tessa competitors could not do.

I think we can fall into the trap of focusing on who the weaker partner of a partnership is that we don't really compare them to their competitors.

 

[WeakAnkles]

So for Chock/Bates, I really think Madison is the obvious face of the team--she really, really knows how to perform. But I've heard/read that she's a pretty weak partner in regards to her skating skills, and that Evan Bates has very strong skating skills. Can someone explain or point to specific video moments that show this? I'm not doubting what people who know more than I have said, but I'm still new to paying much attention to ice dance and I'd like to learn what to look for. I've heard similar things re: Papadakis/Cizeron (although personality-wise I find them much more balanced than Chock/Bates, but I've heard that Papadakis doesn't have great skating skills whereas Cizeron's are great).

Watch her edges--although she has improved quite a bit since the days when she skated primarily on the flat of the blade, they're nowhere near as deep or on the curve as Evan's. Twizzles are another issue--you will never see Chock and Bates do twizzles with the same speed or distance as other top teams. They're always--at least "in my opinion"--very carefully done. Papadakis has similar issues to Madison--the edges aren't as deep or on the curve and her twizzles are far less assured than her partner's.

I actually think Evan's performance ability is underrated. He certainly is a better actor than Charlie White ever was. "In my opinion."

 

[Globetrotter]

Not meaning to be exist but in general I notice that the male partner in dance or pairs tend to have stronger basic SS, especially in blade work and stroking. Chock and Papadakis are obviously poorer in SS relative to Bates and Cizeron. Even in singles, a male skater with relatively weaker SS like Javi is better than the single lady skater with somewhat stronger SS e.g. Tuks, Lenok. Not sure if this has anything to do with males having stronger leg muscles?

Of course there are exceptions. Barbara Fusar-Poli having to drag Margaglio around the ice, Elena Ilinyk when she was with Nikita was clearly a better skater and performer. Ksenia Stolbova somehow through sheer force could out skate Klimov. Meryl Davis, Tessa Virtue, Shen Xue and Pang Qing are some of the ladies whom I feel could clearly hold their own SS paired against their male partners.

 

[blue_idealist]

Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles are so unevenly matched it's painful. Paul is a far better partner and is leagues ahead of Piper in skating technique. Sometimes I feel like their partnership is based in friendship rather than compatibility as skating partners.

I think the fact that Kirsten is a stronger skater than Marinaro is blatantly obvious...especially after their bombed lifts at recent GP events. No one is going to pin those mishaps on an Olympian and former Canadian champion.

Yeah, both of these partnerships seem to be friendship-based, although both partners in each have of course achieved a certain level of skill, being senior international competitors.