What's happening with Pairs skating - looking forward

[Elizabeth]

Anything GOEs has posted a series of articles about Pairs skating, specifically addressing "The Future of Pairs" that you might find interesting in this little break before the next competition

• https://anythinggoe.com/the-future-of-pairs-part-one/
• https://anythinggoe.com/the-future-of-pairs-part-2/
• https://anythinggoe.com/the-future-of-p ... ess-story/

[kittykins]

There is nothing wrong with the "gender roles" in the sport imho and any changes are likely to ruin it entirely. The risks are probably the biggest reason why there are fewer pairs competing. I am of the opinion that they should address those issues, but leave the rest alone. I suppose there would be less risk if the women were to throw the men...sarcasm intended. I enjoyed the double-pairs at the Stars of Ice show. Perhaps that could be something to add to competition to add more variety. I suppose though that would lead to more risks. Well, I don't know the answer, but would like it to stay pretty well the same. I think we don't want to change it to much or there wouldn't be much difference between the Pairs and Dance events. It's an exciting discipline that I've always enjoyed...THE WAY IT IS (lol).

[happyheini]

Very interesting read. I always love it when "famous names form the past" show up in the narrative. Like Annabel and Cody Hay!

[Elizabeth]

Very interesting read. I always love it when "famous names form the past" show up in the narrative. Like Annabel and Cody Hay!

Indeed

[happyheini]

From one veteran fan to another

[fred]

It's difficult to decide how.if things should change. I'm not up on the frequencies of accidents compared to other disciplines. I've always been a champion of Safe skating and worried about younger skaters being pushed to do higher level jumps. I believe there are many training accidents that can do damage that we never hear about, long before the skaters become known to the public.
I think it would be good to have pairs become less technical and more artistic. Leave the dramatic stuff for the Extreme Skaters, and we can always talk about whether that should exist. (Does it still exist? I haven't heard about it for ages).
I rather like the idea of a pair being two skaters of either gender. Can the rules and scoring be changed to accommodate such pairings and retain equality of opportunity... a balancing to strength & opportunity.
I wonder what Barb & Paul think about it. Maybe there could be 2 new events Women's pairs & Men's pairs, in addition to the existing mixed pairs. Let the TV industry change their schedules of events to accommodate a longer competition. We don't owe them anything.
It could all be quite revolutionary, and I'm all for revolutions,... as long as there's not too many of them in a jump.

[Elizabeth]

In a quick look backward - thanks to SkateGuard blog's Ryan Stevens on X (formerly Twitter).

The only official European Figure Skating Championships title given out in 1924 in Davos, Switzerland was to Fritz Kachler of Austria

The competition was of course held outdoors & Austrian men swept the podium that year. The men's event was the only "official" ISU Championship title awarded at #EuroFigure until 1930, but women's, pairs & same-sex pairs competitions at Euros dated back to the Victorian era.

Thus proving that the concept of same-sex pairs is yet another example of "everything old is new again"