#tribute posts

We watched these two grow up from their JGP debut in 2015, when they were too tiny to be believed. “How did these little sweepers get left out on the ice— oh this is going to be a team to watch in the future!” And for a given, somewhat limited definition of future, that was true, and you could see it all here. Eliana is giving it her all, and Ian's a tiny bean who can magically lift an entire person. They were so young but had already achieved such fluidity over the ice and ease of partnering with each other.

They charmed quite a few people with their incredibly entertaining blues/hip hop SD set to New Kids On The Block and The Backstreet Boys. It's still a joy to see them lip synching along, having the time of their lives. What really garnered approval from fandom was just how unabashedly fun it was without overtly trying to market them as older. Some found the use of a song whose lyrics predominantly feature talk of how hard it is to be faithful to be a little odd, but the sheer joy and energy with which they skate and sing completely overshadows that. (Plus, possibly incredibly appropriate foreshadowing? Jokes!)

They made great strides the next season with their flamenco FD, in which they finally looked old enough to have graduated off the kids menu. They displayed a fierce sort of elegance and a newly developed maturity that made a number of people look at them with fresh eyes. We're not normally ones to get the vapors over posture, but the precision and placement that they've always had in their movements got a chance to really shine here, in a way not shown in the past.

Going into this past season, we didn't know it would be the last hurrah for Gropman/Somerville, but they at least left us with some good memories. Ian finally hit that long awaited growth spurt, and their Argentine tango made great use of their somewhat lengthier lines and increased maturity. This was a program that really showed off their matching edge work and flow, although apparently not a matching outlook on their future career? JOKES. Ian has such a good frame in this dance, and shows off Eliana's detailed interpretation and dancing. Also her dress is pretty neat.

Their final free dance together is a quirky, offbeat delight, set to selections from Mozart l'Opera Rock. It begins with the soft, sweet, whimsical Bim Bam Boum as Eliana tenderly lifts Ian's face to look at her, the way he very much did not when he ended the partnership(JOKES!!!). The floaty, dreamlike atmosphere moves to something darker and more intense when the music changes to Le Bien Qui Fait Mal(French for "the good thing that hurts" which ALSO translates to "the loving junior ice dance experience"). The drama and tension builds quite well as they hurtle through the powerful second half without ever seeming frantic or having a limb out of place, ending climatically with them separated once more, with Eliana reaching out desperately across a gap only an email could bridge, amiright?

Jokes.