Meryl Davis & Charlie White | Page 9 | Golden Skate

Meryl Davis & Charlie White

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Yes, thank you KKonas. The arena owners were in an awkward position because they lied and said that "the skaters" wanted Igor gone, when in fact the skaters (at least D&W and V&M) knew nothing about it. On the other hand, it is not clear what the legal contract is between a coach and the rink.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Just got back home. Case never went to court. Igor said he didn't want to have to go to court because then the skaters would have been called to testify, and he didn't want to have to put them through that ordeal, so he settled for an undisclosed amount. I am not crass enough to ask for how much, but he said it wasn't about the $$$$ but about how he was poorly treated.

KKonas, thanks again for all your reporting from SLC, including on this subject.

I am glad that Shpilband feels vindicated. Although we don't have the complete picture of the who/what/when/where/why/how, I always found Zoueva's self-righteousness in the matter hard to swallow.
And I am reeeeeally glad that the skaters were spared from testifying. I do believe that Shpilband has every bit as much respect and affection for the skaters as Zoueva does.
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Igor (nor Marina) will probably never talk about what actually caused the rift and the subsequent actions the rink management took. However, you have to admire how Igor has rebounded under such difficult circumstances especially before an important Olympic season. Marina is now trying to add more students. The Italian and Mexican ice dancers who competed in SLC are trained (at least temporarily) by Marina.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Igor (nor Marina) will probably never talk about what actually caused the rift and the subsequent actions the rink management took. However, you have to admire how Igor has rebounded under such difficult circumstances especially before an important Olympic season. Marina is now trying to add more students. The Italian and Mexican ice dancers who competed in SLC are trained (at least temporarily) by Marina.

:agree: Agree on all points.

Re the Italians and Mexicans, do they happen to appear in this photo that Davis tweeted from SLC?
Gracie Gold is in the group too, LOL.
On the other hand, I do not think the photo is limited to Team Canton anyway. Kriengkrairut/Giuletti-Schmitt are on the other side of Davis, right? But no sign of Shpilband. ;)
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
:agree: Agree on all points.

Re the Italians and Mexicans, do they happen to appear in this photo that Davis tweeted from SLC?
Gracie Gold is in the group too, LOL.
On the other hand, I do not think the photo is limited to Team Canton anyway. Kriengkrairut/Giuletti-Schmitt are on the other side of Davis, right? But no sign of Shpilband. ;)

I think the Mexican couple are the two close to Marina and the Italian team is next to Charlie. But it is difficult to tell for sure since both teams look different wearing street clothes instead of costumes.
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Sorry I did not get a chance to speak to Judy Blumberg. She was on headphones on the TV table throughout the FD and by the time I came back from the final press conf., she was gone. Spoke briefly to Tonia Kwiatkowski who is commentating for Icenetwork. She showed me a photo of her 8 year old daughter now in 3rd grade. A real blonde cutie.
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
The Italian couple would be Bernardi & Mior?
The Mexican couple the Maekawa-Moreno's?

Yes. I rode in from the airport with both teams but I sat in front w/the shuttle driver and they were all in back. Though we spoke briefly I didn't really get a close look at them. They all had dark brown hair and spoke good English. One of the guys said he was Canadian born - not sure which one. I would have to look up their bios.
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Quote from Sandra Stevenson’s report on SLC FD
This correspondent does not remember being so awestruck by a season’s debut performance since Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean unveiled their Bolero routine for the 1984 season at the British championship, but that was possibly influenced partly by the shock of seeing them lie on the ice for so long at the beginning and breaking so many rules!
The only male twice Olympic ice dance gold medalist, Evgeni Platov (1994 & 1998 with Oksana Gritschuk), who was in Salt Lake coaching the British champions, said he thinks that Davis & White’s choice of music is a stroke of genius. He explained, “This music, written by a Russian, is extremely popular in Russia. In Sochi the audience will undoubtedly go wild as soon as it starts playing.”

Sandra has full reports on this event at http://www.iceskatingintnl.com
 

wordsworthgirl

Medalist
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Quote from Sandra Stevenson’s report on SLC FD
This correspondent does not remember being so awestruck by a season’s debut performance since Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean unveiled their Bolero routine for the 1984 season at the British championship, but that was possibly influenced partly by the shock of seeing them lie on the ice for so long at the beginning and breaking so many rules!
The only male twice Olympic ice dance gold medalist, Evgeni Platov (1994 & 1998 with Oksana Gritschuk), who was in Salt Lake coaching the British champions, said he thinks that Davis & White’s choice of music is a stroke of genius. He explained, “This music, written by a Russian, is extremely popular in Russia. In Sochi the audience will undoubtedly go wild as soon as it starts playing.”

Sandra has full reports on this event at http://www.iceskatingintnl.com

I just watched the short and long from Salt Lake City and think that both programs are EXTRAORDINARY! Wow. I was in tears during the short and gasping during the long. For anyone who has not yet seen them, do so immediately. Zoueva did two gorgeous programs for them and they are skating with incredible confidence, smoothness, and passion, espec for so early in the season.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Quote from Sandra Stevenson’s report on SLC FD
This correspondent does not remember being so awestruck by a season’s debut performance since Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean unveiled their Bolero routine for the 1984 season at the British championship, but that was possibly influenced partly by the shock of seeing them lie on the ice for so long at the beginning and breaking so many rules!
The only male twice Olympic ice dance gold medalist, Evgeni Platov (1994 & 1998 with Oksana Gritschuk), who was in Salt Lake coaching the British champions, said he thinks that Davis & White’s choice of music is a stroke of genius. He explained, “This music, written by a Russian, is extremely popular in Russia. In Sochi the audience will undoubtedly go wild as soon as it starts playing.”

Sandra has full reports on this event at http://www.iceskatingintnl.com

Thanks for all the details you've been sharing with us throughout this thread. How splendid D/W look!
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
FYI - Sandra is also going to Nebelhorn, Finlandia, Skate America, Skate Canada, British Champs., Euros, US Nationals, Sochi OWG & Worlds and will write reports.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
More questions for KKonas [:bow: if you do not mind]:

(1) When you were in SLC for the Classic, did you happen to hear anything from Zoueva or anyone else about Alex Shibutani's recovery status? Is he on track to be healthy for Skate America?

(2) Will you be returning to SLC for the USOC media summit coming up in ten days? I remember that a while back you mentioned the possibility of attending.

Thanks again for all your reporting.​

Sorry that the Shibs question is off topic for the Davis/White thread, but I thought you'd be more likely to see it here.
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
More questions for KKonas [:bow: if you do not mind]:

(1) When you were in SLC for the Classic, did you happen to hear anything from Zoueva or anyone else about Alex Shibutani's recovery status? Is he on track to be healthy for Skate America?

(2) Will you be returning to SLC for the USOC media summit coming up in ten days? I remember that a while back you mentioned the possibility of attending.

Thanks again for all your reporting.​

Sorry that the Shibs question is off topic for the Davis/White thread, but I thought you'd be more likely to see it here.

Unfortunately any press conferences were quite brief. We did get a little more time at the mix zone after the SD, but Marina was not there as she was busy with her other dance couples. We really only got to speak to her at the final press conf. and only for a few minutes about the FD, so there was no time to ask about the Shibs.

Re USOC media conf. I would love to go but decided on the Classic instead as I could actually see the debut of some programs. However, most of the major media will be there - Hersh, Brennan, etc. so I am sure we will get some additional information from these major news sources. Some of the press conferences will be videotaped but last time they didn't videotape the dancers or pair skaters. No idea what NBC will do this year.
 

GGoldberg

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
So to be clear, did Derek actually do the choreography? Did he simply work with them for a few days? I would love to understand what sections or what his actual imprint on the program is.
 
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