Muramoto and Reed end partnership | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Muramoto and Reed end partnership

Lamente Ariane

Skating Skills -5, Fashion +3, Camp +4
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Crushed by this announcement, even though I feared its likelihood after they didn't seem to have Challenger assignments. I loved them together, especially last season.
 

La Rhumba

Supporting All British Skaters!
Medalist
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Country
United-Kingdom
I was responding to the post above, which implied that this split was in some way a good thing for the parties involved. My logic is that this split is in no way a good thing for Kana, Chris, and the development of Japanese ice dance.

Of course, it will be a good thing for Spain. (And if I didn't appreciate the quality of H&K, I wouldn't have named them. I think their odds are very good this season. Though why recycled Pink Floyd and Libertango? Why?).

Ah, I see. :agree:

I think Smart & Diaz will still be neck and neck with Sara & Kirill at Spanish Nationals. We'll see who the Fed sends to World's. No doubt they'll make it a convuluted decision again though! ;)

I hear it's Harry Styles aswell as Pink Floyd for H&K's FD, apparently it's "modern and not just a Pink Floyd tribute" according to Sara. Yet to hear what S&D are skating to. With such close matching couples, it depends on the quality of their programs this season.

As for the Japanese icedancers, I confess I was more upset when the Advanced Novice couple, Utana YOSHIDA / Takumi SUGIYAMA, who won Torun Cup split up last year. :( They had alot of style and were exciting to watch.
Chris Reed had had dodgy knees for a long while, and his free leg positions can look really ungainly IMO. I'm surprised he's carrying on having already skated at 2 Olympics.
 

Ice Dance

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
I think Smart & Diaz will still be neck and neck with Sara & Kirill at Spanish Nationals. We'll see who the Fed sends to World's. No doubt they'll make it a convuluted decision again though! ;)

Hurtado & Khaliavin finished high enough at Europeans last season to earn Spain two spots for Euros this season. My guess is that Spain will go with whoever finishes highest there.
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Please someone, please tell me it's not true;;;;; :sad4:

I am so much looking forward to seeing them place top 10 finally at the upcoming Worlds in Japan, then will see two teams at the Worlds; Kana/Chris AND Komatsubara/Koleto, next season which is something none of Japanese pairs/ice dance have done before... It really IS within the reach this season, I thought.
 

Ice Dance

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
I am so much looking forward to seeing them place top 10 finally at the upcoming Worlds in Japan, then will see two teams at the Worlds; Kana/Chris AND Komatsubara/Koleto, next season which is something none of Japanese pairs/ice dance have done before... It really IS within the reach this season, I thought.

Yes, I really thought it was a possibility too. Far from guaranteed, but a realistic possibility.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
You are thinking of Allison Reed. Both Cathy and Chris skated for Japan their entire senior career and Cathy is coaching in Japan now. I really wish people would stop throwing shade at the Reeds for country hopping when Chris and Cathy have only done so once and they did it early on as teenagers, presumably before the US Fed spent much on developing them. Not to mention that Cathy's post competitive career also shows her dedication to Japanese skating. As for Allison, as another poster has mentioned, male skating partners don't exactly grow on trees.

They definitely love skating; kind of remind me of the Baldwins in some respect. They obviously have money; it just seems he has been around. But regardless the point is i thought this team was moving up - okay not top tier but top ten.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Of course it is Chris' choice. And he seems to have the means. I really do envy these skaters who go for their dreams and can do it. I don't have the means or risk taking heart. It worked for Aliona but it hasn't worked for so many too often ending in heartbreak. But to win you have to be willing to lose. This might open the door for a Canadian team to sneak into the top ten .
 

cathlen

Team Gorgeous Cacti!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 2, 2015
Country
Poland
They were so good together! Japan once again is left without good ID couple...
 

SamuraiKike

Medalist
Joined
Jan 26, 2008
Its really puzzling that both are intending to continue and the reason was difference in their goals.. its not like there is an abundance of suitable dance partners waiting on line in JPN. Honestly I think they both were very lucky to have found the right partner and were already the best japanese dance team ever (not that bar was high but still..)

I would suggest Kana to convince Ryuju Hino to switch disciplines. He's tall enough and has reached his ceiling on singles.
 

Lota

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Noooooooooooo :hpull: What is going on with all my faves splitting up this off-season, what the heck?!?!?! :tantrum: This is really sad, I truly thought they'd found the perfect partners in each other, and that now was the time for them to really get on it and improve and become a part of the very elite, so this news truly does make me want to bang my head against the wall. What. The. Heck. :bang:
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Country
United-States
Oh dear. I am heartbroken. They had that magical something together.

What a shame. And for me, it seems like a setback for Japanese ID.
Maybe I'll be proven wrong. ... there's gotta be a glimmer of hope somewhere.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
I would suggest Kana to convince Ryuju Hino to switch disciplines. He's tall enough and has reached his ceiling on singles.

I like him lots, but he's barely 11 cm taller than Kana (he's 173 whereas Chris' bio says 186; that's a big difference), so he'd have to work superhard to build his physique. And he's slender. Also, although he has very nice carriage, he'd need to do heaps of work on his arms/hands and expression. It's not out of the realm of impossibility - Guignard/Fabbri make it work with minimum height difference, he doesn't have any Challengers yet which is odd, plus this offseason is full of shockers - but I cannot imagine him as a dancer. But hey, if switching to dance would mean he'd stick around for several more years, I definitely wouldn't whine. :)
 

Sai Bon

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Country
New-Zealand
Gutted. Totally gutted. They looked great together and Japan has lost its star ice dance team. :hopelessness:
The only possible good outcomes from this fiasco are:

a) Chris and Kana find talented partners and compete furiously with each other, raising the overall standard. Both teams do so well that they earn two spots for Japan at Worlds.
b) It gives Japan's other teams a chance to up their game and excel.
c) It forces JSF to establish a solid system for training ice dancers from a young age.

But somehow, I think it's going to be a long journey.

As for Ryuju... I'm sure he's not interested in ice dance, and the exuberant Kana is not a great match for his dark, Heathcliff-like presence. :cool:
 

cohkaix

FS data keeper
Medalist
Joined
Mar 9, 2013
There were only 5 teams at Japanese Nationals last year.

#2 Komatsubara & Koleto are married and just did the Asian Open.

#3 Has anyone heard whether Fukase & Tateno are still together? They weren't assigned to NHK, which I thought they might be as they met the World minimum scores at the end of last season. And on the list I just checked, they didn't appear to be listed for any Challengers, which one would think would be much more likely. They did Lombardia last year. They also aren't listed for the upcoming Quebec dance event, which I think they competed at last year and/or the year before.

#4 Orihara & Mori have split. She is now skating with Lee Royer. So Mori may be looking for a partner.

I don't know anything about the fifth team.

Again, to add to above summary via re-posting what I've summarized for the current Japanese ice dance teams from Fan fest discussions-
- Senior teams from National last year:
#Komatsubara&Koleto
#Fukase&Tateno: Tateno has surgery to his left shoulder earlier in Feburary. He just got back to Montreal at the beginning of Aug. to start training with the new season
#Iida&Ishibashi: competed together at domestic competition (Mikasa Cup) in Jun [but they have been skated together for only about 2 years and both are over 20]

*Orihara&Lee Royer: new team paired up this year (not for certain they'll represent Japan and may also represent Canada)

- Also from last year's junior couples, there were at least 5 team from Jr. Nationals, among these:
#Yajima&Shimazaki: Jr. National champions last year. They were at JWC (didn't make it to FD). This year they skated also at Mikasa Cup and reportedly have moved up to senior level at least domestically (One of them is a college student and may be aged out for Jr competitions).

As for the rest of the Jr couples, there's at least one team (Kashino siblings) who had been skated together for a while. It's not for sure why none of them are sent to JGP this season.

Finally, although it's sad about Kana and Chris's split, I think they should also be acknowledged for their dedications and contributions to push ice dance in Japan. Also there's Chris' sister, Cathy Reed, who is not only working as a coach and choreographer in Japan right now, I believe Cathy is also much involved in developing local ice dance team from younger generation. She's supporting at least a pair of younger age (as shown recently in her blog entry).
 

SnowWhite

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 30, 2016
Country
Canada
Again, to add to above summary via re-posting what I've summarized for the current Japanese ice dance teams from Fan fest discussions-
- Senior teams from National last year:
#Komatsubara&Koleto
#Fukase&Tateno: Tateno has surgery to his left shoulder earlier in Feburary. He just got back to Montreal at the beginning of Aug. to start training with the new season
#Iida&Ishibashi: competed together at domestic competition (Mikasa Cup) in Jun [but they have been skated together for only about 2 years and both are over 20]

*Orihara&Lee Royer: new team paired up this year

- Also from last year's junior couples, there were at least 5 team from Jr. Nationals, among these:
#Yajima&Shimazaki: Jr. National champions last year. They were at JWC (didn't make it to FD). This year they skated also at Mikasa Cup and reportedly have moved up to senior level at least domestically (One of them is a college student and may be aged out for Jr competitions).

As for the rest of the Jr couples, there's at least one team (Kashino siblings) who had been skated together for a while. It's not for sure why none of them are sent to JGP this season.

Finally, although it's sad about Kana and Chris's split, I think they should also be acknowledged for their dedications and contributions to push ice dance in Japan. Also there's Chris' sister, Cathy Reed, who is not only working as a coach and choreographer in Japan right now, I believe Cathy is also much involved in developing local ice dance team from younger generation. She's supporting at least a pair of younger age (as shown recently in her blog entry).

We don't know that they're competing for Japan though. He's Canadian and they may be planning to skate for Canada. FWIW in their summer comps, they're listed as representing their club in Vancouver, whereas the Japanese competitors I noticed (like Shingo Nishiyama) listed Japan, rather than the club they skate for. Doesn't necessarily tell us anything, but listing Japan would have. Sylvia from Unseen Skaters said she's heard they'll be skating for Canada.
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
So surprising, especially after they won a medal at Four Continents last season. I wonder why Chris has never tried to skate with Allison, but I guess she's always been partnered up when he was looking.
 
Top