2019-20 Retirements, Splits & Partner Changes

[Ice Dance]

So, that was why I was thinking of looking within Australia. And for a girl that already had Pairs experience.

CaroLiza_fan

There was actually a girl added to IPS just this week who has Australian citizenship & wants to compete in pairs. (Novice level, I think). I don't think a rush decision is a good idea here, though. At least not for Harley. This is pairs. It can be a very long-lived discipline if you play your cards right. He is a high quality pair skater. If I were him, I'd take my time and think longterm. A high-quality partner that can be competitive by 2026 might be a better goal than one with less potential & an Olympics in 2022. Of course, that would depend on his own goals and dedication to the sport.

 

[anonymoose_au]

I was so bummed to hear that Katia and Harley have split.

I do hope he can find another partner, but there is a worry...after his success with Katia it's likely another country wouldn't want to release one of their ladies just so Australia can benefit. Will he have to be the one to switch countries then?

 

[Colonel Green]

I do hope he can find another partner, but there is a worry...after his success with Katia it's likely another country wouldn't want to release one of their ladies just so Australia can benefit.

While I think the big feds might be reluctant to release an established pair lady (someone like Alexa, not that I'm suggesting that was a real possibility in this case), I don't think that would be an issue for somebody lower down the totem.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Surprised no one has mentioned that Chris Knierem has retired. Alexa wants to find a new partner with goals to compete in the 2022 Olympics.

I'd missed that news as well. So, thank you for telling us.

I'm very curious to see how this unfolds and if this shakes up/breaks up any current top US pair.

I really hope not. Well, not unless the skaters involved want to break up anyway.

You know, it mightn't be easy for Alexa to find a new partner. I just had a look at Ice Partner Search, and there is a real shortage of male Pairs skaters located in America on there that are not teenagers. The only one that is in what I would consider to be Alexa's age range is Alexandr Zaboev, former partner to Alexandra Herbríková (now with Nicolas Roulet for Switzerland) and Natalja Zabijako (now available for Russia).

Hey, I just had a thought. Now that Natalja is competing for Sasha's home country (Russia) rather than her own (Estonia), could we see Zabijako and Zaboev reunited? After all, the whole reason they split is that, having qualified for the Sochi Olympics, his application for Estonian citizenship was turned down. But, now that she has Russian citizenship, red tape would no longer be a problem for going to the Olympics. The only problem they would now have is the comptition for the slots.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Harriet]

I was so bummed to hear that Katia and Harley have split.

I do hope he can find another partner, but there is a worry...after his success with Katia it's likely another country wouldn't want to release one of their ladies just so Australia can benefit. Will he have to be the one to switch countries then?

For obvious reasons, I think it's very, very unlikely that Harley would change his citizenship.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

There was actually a girl added to IPS just this week who has Australian citizenship & wants to compete in pairs. (Novice level, I think). I don't think a rush decision is a good idea here, though. At least not for Harley. This is pairs. It can be a very long-lived discipline if you play your cards right. He is a high quality pair skater. If I were him, I'd take my time and think longterm. A high-quality partner that can be competitive by 2026 might be a better goal than one with less potential & an Olympics in 2022. Of course, that would depend on his own goals and dedication to the sport.

I was so bummed to hear that Katia and Harley have split.

I do hope he can find another partner, but there is a worry...after his success with Katia it's likely another country wouldn't want to release one of their ladies just so Australia can benefit. Will he have to be the one to switch countries then?

For obvious reasons, I think it's very, very unlikely that Harley would change his citizenship.

I just looked up that girl that Ice Dance suggested and, although she is looking to compete at Novice or Junior level, she might actually be a good candidate.

Milara Okabe is 16, training in Canada, and has Australian and Japanese citizenship. Of course, given that Japan doesn't allow you to have dual citizenship after you reach 18, she will have to drop one of those in just over a year's time. But, it looks like it is the Japanese citizenship that she is planning to drop, because she says that she can get Canadian citizenship as well if needed.

And she is a tough cookie, because she recently competed in the Canadian Novice Championships with her arm in a cast, and finished 6[SUP]th[/SUP]!!!

True Aussie grit! :agree:

CaroLiza_fan

 

[anonymoose_au]

For obvious reasons, I think it's very, very unlikely that Harley would change his citizenship.

Oh I know. Which made me wonder if he'd end up having to retire even if he doesn't want to because of it.

I mean do we even have a lady in Aussie skating who could do pairs? They'd have to be quite good (and brave!) to skate with Harley.

I guess the search is on!

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oh I know. Which made me wonder if he'd end up having to retire even if he doesn't want to because of it.

I mean do we even have a lady in Aussie skating who could do pairs? They'd have to be quite good (and brave!) to skate with Harley.

I guess the search is on!

Although I didn't make it clear in my post half an hour ago, it is Pairs that Milara Okabe is currently competing in at Novice level in Canada. Her partner this season was Josh Brauner.

Also, another skater from Australia with Pairs experience is Jessica Rotondo, whose status I asked about in a post on Wednesday.

Since then, I have done some digging, and Jessica has been competing in Junior Ladies in recent years. She was 11[SUP]th[/SUP] out of 24 in the Hollins Trophy at the end of last season, and 17[SUP]th[/SUP] out of 21 in Nationals earlier this season. So, she's not exactly setting the world alight in Singles. Maybe she would do better back in Pairs.

Granted, that's not many candidates. But, it's a start.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Dreamer57]

I was so bummed to hear that Katia and Harley have split.

I do hope he can find another partner, but there is a worry...after his success with Katia it's likely another country wouldn't want to release one of their ladies just so Australia can benefit. Will he have to be the one to switch countries then?

I would have thought a lady from Russia, such as Alisa Efimova, could pair up with Harley. Given the country's large depth in pair skating plus E/K came 9th I think at Nationals.

 

[Harriet]

Granted, that's not many candidates. But, it's a start.

Pauline Irman of Switzerland is also on IPS looking to move into Pairs, currently training under Bruno Massot and willing to move overseas, but she placed 18th of 18 at Senior Nationals in singles and only has a couple of inconsistent triple jumps at the moment, so while she's an option, she might not be a strong enough match for Harley at this point.

 

[peese]

Honestly, why doesn't Kailani give it a go. She's not progressing as I thought she would have and will have Victoria on her heels leading into Olympics. I think they could be great and she could still compete singles as well.

 

[Colonel Green]

I would have thought a lady from Russia, such as Alisa Efimova, could pair up with Harley. Given the country's large depth in pair skating plus E/K came 9th I think at Nationals.

If Efimova was looking to switch countries she would probably return to skate for her native Finland (which, honestly, is probably what Efimova/Korovin should have done from the beginning).

 

[Harriet]

Honestly, why doesn't Kailani give it a go.

Presumably because she doesn't want to skate pairs.

 

[Lana05]

For obvious reasons, I think it's very, very unlikely that Harley would change his citizenship.

I think it's pretty likely now

 

[Harriet]

I think it's pretty likely now

No. Harley is an Aboriginal Australian man of Weilwyn, Gamilaraay and Ngarrable descent. His relationships to Country and nationality are likely to be informed by more, and more significant, factors than where he can find a figure skating partner and that makes it much less likely that he would consider changing his nationality than it is for most skaters.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

Sofia Evdokimova and Egor Bazin announced that they have split.

Her Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MTOmRouSc/
His Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MY9ChImZ-/

It sounds as if Egor wants to continue, it's not clear whether Sofia will, or if she wishes to retire. I'm glad they achieved their goal of standing on the Russian Nationals podium last season and had the chance to perform at Europeans (also last season).

 

[Colonel Green]

I think it's pretty likely now

Why?

A big attraction to skating with Harley is that if you do and you're any good at all, you get to go to everything. Holly Harris didn't have to switch to Canada to find a dance partner.

 

[skylark]

Presumably because she doesn't want to skate pairs.

That's exactly the right answer of course, but .... it seems like I always have an OTOH ... with her personality on the ice and her performance talent, she'd be a spectacular pairs girl.

 

[blue_idealist]

Sofia Evdokimova and Egor Bazin announced that they have split.

Her Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MTOmRouSc/
His Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MY9ChImZ-/

It sounds as if Egor wants to continue, it's not clear whether Sofia will, or if she wishes to retire. I'm glad they achieved their goal of standing on the Russian Nationals podium last season and had the chance to perform at Europeans (also last season).

I'm disappointed. I liked them, they just didn't have the right material this season.

 

[Ice Dance]

Per FSU, Evdokimova had back surgery.