This year’s European Championship was easily one of the best pairs competitions we’ve seen since Sochi. The event was star-studded, with Savchenko/Massot, Stolbova/Klimov, and Tarasova/Morozov the top contenders coming in. However, other Euro pairs were determined to make their mark this year. And none more so than French couple James/Cipres, who unexpectedly took the bronze with two career-best performances. The level of competition among the top teams was incredible—we saw one personal-best score after another. As a pairs fan, it was a joy to watch! Let’s look back at what happened.  Continue reading “Europeans 2017: Pairs Review” →

The 2016-17 season has been a bit wild and unpredictable for U.S. pairs. There’s been some highlights and some exciting new talent; but also, a lot of injuries and problems. The roller-coaster season continued at U.S. Nationals in Kansas City, where we saw some surprises and unexpected results. Continue reading “2017 U.S. Nationals: Pairs Review” →

Sometimes, it seems like pairs skating begins and ends in Russia.

Factually, of course, this isn’t true. Obviously, lots of other countries have competed in pairs since 1908, when the discipline first became part of Worlds and the Olympics. In the early years, pairs skating was dominated by Austria, Hungary, and Germany. Then, from 1954-1962, Canadian pairs won 7 world titles. In recent years, China became a force. And now of course, it’s a Canadian pair, Duhamel/Radford, who reign as two-time World pairs champions. Continue reading “Russian Pairs: A New Generation” →