Creating the program: series re Castelli/Tran creative process 2015

[ice coverage]

Fourth installment in this series was published today:

Creating the program: Skating full run-throughs
Castelli, Tran battle physically demanding free ahead of Skate Detroit

Posted 7/20/15 by Sarah. S Brannen
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/07/20/137532910​

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The oddest thing is that Mervin has trained in Montreal with Marcotte for all 3 countries/partners.

And thanks to the new TSL interview, we now know that for Mervin, sticking with his Montreal coaches is something that he takes very seriously :yes:.
It was the one item that was non-negotiable (my words, not his) for Mervin when forming his partnership with Marissa.

 

[Hyena]

Fourth installment in this series was published today:

Creating the program: Skating full run-throughs
Castelli, Tran battle physically demanding free ahead of Skate Detroit

Posted 7/20/15 by Sarah. S Brannen,
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/07/20/137532910​

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And thanks to the new TSL interview, we now know that for Mervin, sticking with his Montreal coaches is something that he takes very seriously :yes:.
It was the one item that was non-negotiable (my words, not his) for Mervin when forming his partnership with Marissa.

Yeah, Mervin said he "put his foot down" on staying in Montreal. I think it's one of the reasons they ended up representing the US: he had already put his foot down on one very big decision, so Marissa had a right to put hers down on another one.

The TSL interview is great, by the way. It's one of my favorites they've ever done because Marissa and Mervin are both so honest (without putting down anyone else) and fun. Mervin especially is really funny.

 

[dorispulaski]

I always liked them both, but I am quickly becoming a huge fan of the team! They are so much fun!

 

[ice coverage]

Yeah, Mervin said he "put his foot down" on staying in Montreal. I think it's one of the reasons they ended up representing the US: he had already put his foot down on one very big decision, so Marissa had a right to put hers down on another one.

The TSL interview is great, by the way. It's one of my favorites they've ever done because Marissa and Mervin are both so honest (without putting down anyone else) and fun. Mervin especially is really funny.

Yes, I found the TSL interview very interesting.

For those who have not seen it, I want to emphasize that choosing which country they would skate for was not a matter that Mervin took lightly.
I point that out b/c in previous threads, some people have incorrectly assumed that Mervin simply does not care whether he skates for Canada or not, so that it would have been easy for him to choose to skate for the U.S. with Marissa.
But it did give Mervin pause to find himself forming a partnership with a non-Canadian.
As Hyena said, he also recognized that it was a fair compromise for him to keep his Montreal coaches, and for her to continue skating for the U.S.

Also notable during the interview:
Dave tried to make a sarcastic joke to the effect that a factor in choosing the U.S. must have been that competing against Canadian pairs obviously would have been much tougher than competing against U.S. pairs. (Not a direct quote from Dave. I'm "translating" what he meant.)
But Mervin completely missed the sarcasm and the joke. He gave a straightforward answer about focusing on their own skates and results, and not worrying about what competitors are doing.
After Mervin's earnest reply, Dave actually had to explain that he had been trying to make a joke.
Bottom line: Comparing the competitive landscapes in the Canada vs. the U.S. apparently was not part of C/T's decision process.

 

[Jammers]

Besides D/R Canadian Pairs are not unbeatable at all and in the past few years they have had very little depth beyond a couple good teams.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Mervin's choice of a Canadian partner after his success with Narumi suggests to me that representing his home country was a profound desire of his.

The fact that two of his three partners aren't Canadian and he dumped his Canadian partner after only a year argues the opposite.

Just sayin'...

 

[ice coverage]

The fact that two of his three partners aren't Canadian and he dumped his Canadian partner after only a year argues the opposite.

Just sayin'...

LOL, it's not as if he split from his Canadian partner because she was Canadian.

As I said in my more recent post -- after hearing what Mervin said to TSL -- he made a trade-off in order to skate with Marissa.

It's not that he did not care about skating for Canada. Remaining with his coaches was/is his #1 priority, so he was/is willing to live with a trade-off.
[In the TSL interview, he rationalized that it could be considered as a "cost of doing business" kind of thing (not a direct quote). It is a trade-off. A trade-off that he is willing to make, but it is a trade-off.]

Agree to disagree.

 

[WeakAnkles]

LOL, it's not as if he split from his Canadian partner because she was Canadian.

As I said in my more recent post -- after hearing what Mervin said to TSL -- he made a trade-off in order to skate with Marissa.

It's not that he did not care about skating for Canada. Remaining with his coaches was/is his #1 priority, so he was/is willing to live with a trade-off.
[In the TSL interview, he rationalized that it could be considered as a "cost of doing business" kind of thing (not a direct quote). It is a trade-off. A trade-off that he is willing to make, but it is a trade-off.]

Agree to disagree.

I never said he didn't care about skating for Canada. I said his skating history argued the opposite of it being a "profound" desire. Given his interview with TSL and his previous history, I'd say his "profound desire" is to win.

Agree to disagree.

 

[ice coverage]

Creating the program: Completing the 'Journey'
Castelli, Tran debut free skate at competitions, tinker with layout

Posted 10/15/15
by Sarah S. Brannen
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/10/15/152844188​

It's the fifth and last part of the series.

https://twitter.com/icenetwork/status/654650377724301313​