Historical Pairs Teams

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Watching on TV, I always thought that Urbanski and Marvel were very mismatched as a pair, and compared to the more balletic and classically-styled teams competing against them at the time (particularly from the former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Germany and Canada), their programs were often very campy and they had no real sense of line.

However, seeing them in person was a different story, because they skated a thousand miles an hour and omg, those lifts and throws were friggen' gigantic. Calla and Rocky were so exciting live and almost dangerous. You never really knew if they'd get through a performance without killing each other. They attacked every element like their lives depended on it.

I loved their "Salute to the Golden Age of Figure Skating" routine from 2010, and only then did I really appreciate how they brought such a unique point of view to pairs' skating. (If you want to talk about age, Calla would have been close to fifty in this performance, and was skating almost as well as she had twenty years prior.)

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[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

However, seeing them in person was a different story, because they skated a thousand miles an hour and omg, those lifts and throws were friggen' gigantic. Calla and Rocky were so exciting live and almost dangerous. You never really knew if they'd get through a performance without killing each other. They attacked every element like their lives depended on it.

OMG you nailed it. They skate so fast and their tricks are so explosive I really don’t understand back then why they’re getting 4.7 in some competitions for technical Mark. Their only competition for technical mark was Brasseur and Eisler if you ask me. You can do what you want I guess with their artistic mark although there is artistry in skating that’s not classical if you ask me as well.

and yes some of the elements if you ask me were dangerous like their Headbanger and Detroiter. How does she want to do that? There is no way you could ever get me to do that even once. Her head in the headbanger is literally skimming the ice.

 

[Andora]

OMG you nailed it. They skate so fast and their tricks are so explosive I really don’t understand back then why they’re getting 4.7 in some competitions for technical Mark. Their only competition for technical mark was Brasseur and Eisler if you ask me. You can do what you want I guess with their artistic mark although there is artistry in skating that’s not classical if you ask me as well.

and yes some of the elements if you ask me were dangerous like their Headbanger and Detroiter. How does she want to do that? There is no way you could ever get me to do that even once. Her head in the headbanger is literally skimming the ice.

I went hunting down this lift that I've never forgotten since 1997, just for you.

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Maybe it's not that hard to stand on your partner's shoulders and trust him to hold you up there, while Calla goes no-hands, but... it's always been impressive to me.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I went hunting down this lift that I've never forgotten since 1997, just for you.

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Maybe it's not that hard to stand on your partner's shoulders and trust him to hold you up there, while Calla goes no-hands, but... it's always been impressive to me.

thank you. Yes I’ve binged so much of their programs. They also did a phantom of the opera program where she stood in a spiral sequence position with one blade on his shoulder. Trying to find it.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

ent hunting down this lift that I've never forgotten since 1997, just for you.

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So much power and if you ask me they have such a good presence on the ice. I was loving this until the Detroiter. I can’t watch that

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

went hunting down this lift that I've never forgotten since 1997, just for you.

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And at the 2:34 Mark is another example of that throw double axle where she is on one knee for the entrance. Such a huge throw

Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval - 1997 Dreams On Ice EX2

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[overedge]

Tai Babilonia had unattractive air position in her 2axels, actually in all of her jumps.

I wouldn't call it "unattractive". Doubles were the most difficult jumps that a lot of women did in that era, so I wouldn't compare their technique to what women do today. And beautiful unison like Tai and Randy's is sadly missing from pairs skating today IMO.