U.S. Pairs 2018 - News & Updates, Part VIII

[oleada]

I think Pfund/Santillan have fairly poor skating skills that will always hold back their scores.

I found Mitrofanov quite impressive - he is the star of the team, IMO. They skated well at JW. That said, I think Lu needs work on skating skills, posture and just carriage in general - the lift positions are not very good; and she seems to be stiff kneed. And most of all, I hope they are rid of that POTO/Cats abomination of an LP.

 

[Dobre]

I actually like Feng/Nyman better, but I think they are staying junior.

I like Feng & Nyman because they are both very musical.

 

[StitchMonkey]

I think Meagan Duhamel implied on TSL that Feng and Nyman were moving up... she tossed them out for SA I think.

 

[Cleo1782]

I think Meagan Duhamel implied on TSL that Feng and Nyman were moving up... she tossed them out for SA I think.

Domestically probably. But since they are still JGP eligible and we have a ton of spots on the jgp and very few pairs to fill them I think it would be smarter to maybe stay junior internationally 1 more year and do well. They'd be fighting a lot of teams for B's and the host spot. That's why I heard Chelsea Liu is going back on the jgp because her and her 'unconfirmed' new partner are age eligible still...

 

[DFO]

That's what Trent/Michaud did last year in Canada. Doing seniors locally but still in ISU JGP. That is making a lot of sense

 

[Cleo1782]

Isn't Finland reserving a tbd spot in pairs? Correct me if i'm wrong, of course. but I thought i saw that on the list.

Yes, but Finland can only use the TBD for their own pair team and as far as anyone knows they don't have one at all...so they would have to give it back if they don't have a team. Thus another team from another country could get that spot.

 

[Lizziebeth]

If Finland does not use their host spot, does it go unfilled? Another country cannot use that spot?

 

[Cleo1782]

If Finland does not use their host spot, does it go unfilled? Another country cannot use that spot?

It could go unfulfilled but that really hasn't happened often. The Finnish fed will probably give it back to have a full field. The only time I have seen unfilled fields is when a team withdraws and they aren't required/can't fill the spot due to time restraints.

 

[clairecloutier]

It could go unfulfilled but that really hasn't happened often. The Finnish fed will probably give it back to have a full field. The only time I have seen unfilled fields is when a team withdraws and they aren't required/can't fill the spot due to time restraints.

Pairs host spots have several times gone unfilled at the French GP. Because of Didier Gailhaguet. But yeah, I don’t think it’s happened anywhere else recently, that I can remember.

 

[Cleo1782]

Pairs host spots have several times gone unfilled at the French GP. Because of Didier Gailhaguet. But yeah, I don’t think it’s happened anywhere else recently, that I can remember.

But didn't those TDA's and French 'teams' always pull out in the time frame where they didn't have to replace them? I can't recall. I think the Finnish fed will be more willing to be helpful and make it a strong event. Not just because I hope Deanna and Nate will get a spot, but because it would be unfair for someone to sit at home because Finland has no team.

 

[breathesgelatin]

To my memory, what's happened at the France GP generally is that there is a team or skater assigned by the deadline to fill the TBDs - around late August/early September. But then right before the event, Gailhaguet decides the skaters aren't "good enough" for the GP and pulls them. Sometimes this practice has allowed a last minute substitution, other times it's resulted in a spot going unfilled.

 

[her grace]

I think Meagan Duhamel implied on TSL that Feng and Nyman were moving up... she tossed them out for SA I think.

Feng/Nyman are registered for Junior Pairs at Skate Detroit, so we can safely take them out of the running for the SA spot.

Those registered for Senior Pairs events at Skate Detroit include: Pfund/Santillan, Digerness/Neudecker, Deardoff/Settlage, Lu/Mitrofanov, Wang/Howe, and Cain/LeDuc.

See Skate Detroit Event Groups.

 

[pairskatingfan]

Feng/Nyman are registered for Junior Pairs at Skate Detroit, so we can safely take them out of the running for the SA spot.

Those registered for Senior Pairs events at Skate Detroit include: Pfund/Santillan, Digerness/Neudecker, Deardoff/Settlage, Lu/Mitrofanov, Wang/Howe, and Cain/LeDuc.

See Skate Detroit Event Groups.

I also noticed that Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud will be there. Should be a good group! No Tarah and Danny, no Deanna and Nate, and no teams from Todd and Jenni this year.. I wonder why?

 

[Sylvia]

I noticed Sasha Lunin, who has competed as a junior man at Nationals, is listed for Intermediate pairs at Skate Detroit (his mom is a pairs coach so perhaps it was expected he would try pairs at some point?).

I also noticed that Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud will be there.

They're listed for Senior SP only. The California pairs may be starting their season at Glacier Falls in Anaheim near the end of July? We'll have to wait and see. New pairs need time to gel, as we know.

I've started my Pairs scores compilation page for the new season: https://unseenskaters.wordpress.com/scoretracker/current-pairs-scores/

 

[kwanfan1818]

But didn't those TDA's and French 'teams' always pull out in the time frame where they didn't have to replace them? I

Yes, TBD's have to be replaced by 10-15 days after the summer confirmation deadline. If FIN doesn't assign a Pair by then, then they pick off the alternates list, and they can't take that spot away. If the assigned Pair withdraws close to the event, then it's up to the host to decide whether to replace that Pair.

Gailhaguet would assign a French team/skater, and then pull that team/skater and not replace them with French skaters or off the alternates list.

 

[Cleo1782]

I also noticed that Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud will be there. Should be a good group! No Tarah and Danny, no Deanna and Nate, and no teams from Todd and Jenni this year.. I wonder why?

Well Jenni and Todd's teams are pretty new and for skaters like T/D and D/N I think it just makes their season really long. Like last year Deanna and Nate were competing in July all the way through Worlds.........I don't think they see it as necessary this year since most top US pair teams concur last year was a really long and tough year. I think, and someone correct me if I am wrong, pairs just have to do one competition to be considered for international assignments and it doesn't have to be the same event like the old Indy Challenge where literally all the teams showed up.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Pairs host spots have several times gone unfilled at the French GP. Because of Didier Gailhaguet. But yeah, I don’t think it’s happened anywhere else recently, that I can remember.

IMPEACH DIDIER!

 

[HeatherC]

I also noticed that Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud will be there. Should be a good group! No Tarah and Danny, no Deanna and Nate, and no teams from Todd and Jenni this year.. I wonder why?

Tarah & Danny haven't done Skate Detroit for a while. I think their last trip there was in 2013. They usually do some comps in Florida later in the summer (when they're not rehabbing or working through injuries). IIRC, they've talked about adding that second triple back to their LP (they've done two in the past but have had so many injury issues in the last few years that it's prevented them from adding it again) so it wouldn't shock me to see them working on that this coming season.

 

[wickedwitch]

So I know that there's been a lot of complaining about the performance of US pairs last quad, and some of it is deserved. However, there are three performances that I rewatch regularly that I believe measure up performance-wise to all but the very best of the international pairs performances.

So I'm linking to them so everyone else can rewatch:
D/F's 2014 SA LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpzKp8gm8
C/L's 2017 Nats SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNlkN7bhk6k
K/O's 2018 4CC LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B170aWOasyI

 

[aftershocks]

So I know that there's been a lot of complaining about the performance of US pairs last quad, and some of it is deserved. However, there are three performances that I rewatch regularly that I believe measure up performance-wise to all but the very best of the international pairs performances.

So I'm linking to them so everyone else can rewatch:
D/F's 2014 SA LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpzKp8gm8
C/L's 2017 Nats SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNlkN7bhk6k
K/O's 2018 4CC LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B170aWOasyI

Your above Lion King D/F link doesn't work for me. This link does work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpzKp8gm8_A

Thanks, I appreciate your sharing! I would add:
C/L 2016 Golden Spin sp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUxrvHzfaLw first 3-twist in competition, first season
C/L 2016 Golden Spin fp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkTP8h2Uw4U won their first intl bronze medal
C/L 2018 Nats fp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Peb85Orb70 pulled up to 4th & pewter from 8th place
C/L 2018 4CCs sp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4GOA7oDnhc 1st place in sp
same C/L 4CC program with Charlie White's commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMkxwH5wtQM
K/O 2016 Nats sp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i9iiabVkbQ
K/O 2016 Nats fp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63wVLFfPmvM (2 perfect performances & 1st sr National title)
the Knierims sp in the Team event at the Olympics (but I don't know where to find the link)
Knierims 2015 SA sp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMiXgYDOHXo Nothing Else Matters
Knierims 2015 Worlds fp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfb0BYtVImQ (slight bobbles, but 7th place finish -- their highest to date at Worlds on the strength of boffo quad twist and some other explosive elements)
S/B 2017 Nats sp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj86HA-RiNE first 3-twist in competition; inspiring skate
D/F 2013 Jr Worlds fp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eihOf2ZoyQ8 gold-medal winning performance
D/F 2016 SA fp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA5VgMzw7Mo (first season back after H's knee injury; they won silver -- it was a good effort with a couple of problems from Haven on jump elements, but nothing that took too much away from this outing; lifts are their best elements -- a spectacular carry lift at the end)

And this team did not start out badly:
C/T 2015 Skate Canada sp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gb1e1htJSE
They had other comps that were good, but it was just an inexorable loss of confidence on sbs jumps and sometimes throws that deep-sixed them. Mostly everything else, especially their speed, edges, chemistry and smooth style was top-notch. I love this C/T exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVAqIyTNpCU

 

[aftershocks]

I think Pfund/Santillan have fairly poor skating skills that will always hold back their scores.

I appreciate very much Brooke Castile's commentary on IN at Nationals in January. It would be fantastic if Brooke and John Coughlin were hired to alternate doing pairs commentary for NBC. They both know how to commentate pairs beautifully. Tara and Johnny are best at singles events.

So getting back to Brooke's pairs commentary in January, she had excellent insights to provide on all the pairs. It was instructive hearing her comments on Jessica and Josh. They could benefit from more work on their skating skills. In particular, Brooke mentioned that Jessica could bend in her knees more, and work on connection and projection. I do feel that P/S can improve if they had the benefit of resources that would allow them to gain sufficient training time.

Brooke suggested that Haven & Brandon (D/F) might improve by working on smoothing out their stroking and gaining consistent speed. She says they have a slightly jerky pushing quality to their skating that doesn't always flow consistently. Once Brooke said that, I realized it's true. It goes to show what educated eyes can pick out and articulate. Thanks @wickedwitch for sharing that memorable SA Lion King performance by Haven & Brandon. It set off a buzz and excitement for them possibly winning U.S. Nationals in 2015. It was a great program for them. Unfortunately, they were slightly inconsistent on a couple of elements at 2015 Nats. Meanwhile, Alexa & Chris and their coach Sappenfield quickly perfected the throw quad-twist they had been working on in order to counteract their poor showing on the GP that season. With the quad-twist in their arsenal, A&C returned to being U.S. fed's faves to win. And A&C did win their first National title that year, but with some mistakes.

Haven & Brandon won silver at Nationals in 2015, but they'd ended up losing the momentum they had built in the first part of that season. After 2015 Nationals, H&B decided to train solely with Ingo Steuer, and then that off-season Haven suffered her terrible knee injury working off-ice, and it was an uphill battle for them thereafter. It's amazing H&B came back looking pretty good in 2016-17, but Haven's knee was not at full strength for jumping consistency their first season back. They have made some aesthetic improvements, particularly Brandon, but they essentially had to start over from scratch and they are still rebuilding. I wish them lots of luck coming out of the box next season. Hopefully it bodes well that they have returned to train in Florida with JZimmerman and crew.

 

[Spiralgraph]

^^^ That's the story of most of our current top pairs. Losing ground and valuable training time because of injury and health problems. It has been disheartening, but I see hope for improvement with the decisions by the Knierims and Denney/Frazier to change their coaching.

What many of our teams were doing until now just wasn't enough to propel them forward (or even inch their way forward) so I applaud the teams who've decided to change and leave their comfort zones and really challenge themselves. Not necessarily with new coaches, but perhaps with new choreographers and deeper resolve to get better.

As you said, Aftershocks, about skating skills, even Kurt Browning remarked during the Olympics that the Knierims' skating skills were not as good as their technical elements. I hope and think Alexa and Chris's new coach will address that weakness. Here's hoping all our pairs can find the resources to improve in the upcoming seasons.

P. S. I liked all the links you and wicked witch provided.

 

[aftershocks]

Here's K/O's sp music, mentioned in Progr/Choreo thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtNIAHNv16g

Yes @Spiralgraph, hopefully Alexa & Chris will be showing off improved skating skills, consistency, and a bit more oomph in their on-ice connection to go along with their explosive elements. They suffered from injury and health problems, but also from lack of consistency even when injury and illness were not the culprits. They definitely still have untapped potential, so it will be interesting to see their progress over the course of next season. I'm keeping my anticipation and expectations within reason for all of this new season's skater developments.

Pfund/Santillan have suffered injury, but they also could use more financial resources to gain sufficient training time. Smith/Reiss I believe paired about three seasons ago, although they knew each other and were dating for awhile before they decided to partner on the ice. I think Erika had left the sport for a short period prior to teaming with A.J. -- they are a speedy, entertaiing and a very watchable team. Having gone from California, to Boston, to Colorado, they just need to stabilize their training base and work on improving competitive consistency. They have all the goods. I suppose the problems for many pairs are easy to point out, but not as simple to fix.

Max Settlage and Winter Deardorff look to be a promising new team for the future. They still have a lot of work ahead of them. It remains to be seen how the partnership of Calalang/Johnson will take off. Fingers crossed for them to do well in their first season together. There's also the young Sappenfield team Digerness/Neudecker who performed very well in their senior debut at recent U.S. Nats. It was sad that Fields/Stevens were never able to take off and overcome some of their hurdles, which included injuries. Are Lu/Mitrofanov competing as seniors this season? They are certainly a team to watch, but still young and ripe for more experience.

It's true that injuries and/or illness are the main misfortune that's impacted top U.S. teams including the Knierims, Tarah/Danny, Haven/Brandon, Pfund/Santillan, and Calalang/Sidhu. In addition to the competitive misfortunes suffered by the well-matched Castelli/Tran who have recently split. Still waiting to hear official announcement of Tran's pairing with Olivia Serafini, if it's a go. The other fact is that some top pairs are recently formed and it takes time for teams to make an impact. That said, Cain/LeDuc and Stellato/Bartholomay have made important strides forward in both of their two seasons together!

 

[Mad for Skating]

Here's K/O's sp music, mentioned in Progr/Choreo thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtNIAHNv16g

Yes @Spiralgraph, hopefully Alexa & Chris will be showing off improved skating skills, consistency, and a bit more oomph in their on-ice connection to go along with their explosive elements. They suffered from injury and health problems, but also from lack of consistency even when injury and illness were not the culprits. They definitely still have untapped potential, so it will be interesting to see their progress over the course of next season. I'm keeping my anticipation and expectations within reason for all of this new season's skater developments.

Pfund/Santillan have suffered injury, but they also could use more financial resources to gain sufficient training time. Smith/Reiss I believe paired about three seasons ago, although they knew each other and were dating for awhile before they decided to partner on the ice. I think Erika had left the sport for a short period prior to teaming with A.J. -- they are a speedy, entertaiing and a very watchable team. Having gone from California, to Boston, to Colorado, they just need to stabilize their training base and work on improving competitive consistency. They have all the goods. I suppose the problems for many pairs are easy to point out, but not as simple to fix.

Max Settlage and Winter Deardorff look to be a promising new team for the future. They still have a lot of work ahead of them. It remains to be seen how the partnership of Calalang/Johnson will take off. Fingers crossed for them to do well in their first season together. There's also the young Sappenfield team Digerness/Neudecker who performed very well in their senior debut at recent U.S. Nats. It was sad that Fields/Stevens were never able to take off and overcome some of their hurdles, which included injuries. Are Lu/Mitrofanov competing as seniors this season? They are certainly a team to watch, but still young and ripe for more experience.

It's true that injuries and/or illness are the main misfortune that's impacted top U.S. teams including the Knierims, Tarah/Danny, Haven/Brandon, Pfund/Santillan, and Calalang/Sidhu. In addition to the competitive misfortunes suffered by the well-matched Castelli/Tran who have recently split. Still waiting to hear official announcement of Tran's pairing with Olivia Serafini, if it's a go. The other fact is that some top pairs are recently formed and it takes time for teams to make an impact. That said, Cain/LeDuc and Stellato/Bartholomay have made important strides forward in both of their two seasons together!

I love Deardorff and Settlage! They still need to work on the speed and flow but their performance quality is A+ and I think they have everything it takes to move up very soon!

So when is Skate Detroit?

 

[Tavi]

I have a new interview with Deanna Stellato/Nate Bartholomay up on my web site:

https://adivinesport.com/2018/06/27/interview-with-stellato-bartholomay-june-2018/

Great article, Claire!

 

[ilovepaydays]

For those of you who like podcasts, the Committed podcast (from HowStuffWorks) posted a new episode today “Toepick” about Alexa and Chris Knierim’s skating and their love story. I’m so excited to listen!

Here’s a link to the podcast. I know it’s available on Stitcher and Apple.

 

[aftershocks]

Feng/Nyman are registered for Junior Pairs at Skate Detroit, so we can safely take them out of the running for the SA spot.

Right. I would not have been surprised if Feng/Nyman skated seniors domestically this season, but internationally? Even domestically, I should think they have an excellent opportunity to win Junior Nationals this season with Lu/Mitrofanov having moved up to seniors, partly out of necessity.

Here's some cool news from T.J. Nyman's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiU19ooAZWZ/?hl=en&taken-by=tj_nyman

Ha ha, it's cool seeing John Kerr posing with two of the skaters he's choreographing for this season! We usually don't get to see John K very often. Judging by the mini clip, maybe F/N are doing something for their free skate along the lines of Elvis, perhaps. And Jailhouse Rock? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk

Reminds me of a movie I've always remembered hearing about but never saw or knew anything about until recently: Bye, Bye Birdie

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ Thanks for posting the link to the IG post from early May that says John Kerr choreographed Feng/Nyman's free skate (info now added to spreadsheet).

Jessica Calalang/Brian Johnson recently skated their SP as an exhibition for judges at a local competition in San Diego -- link to their protocol sheet: http://www.skatelagrande.org/results2018/SEGM030.html

Jessica Pfund/Josh Santillan ("Joshica") posted a blog on July 1st about their preparations for the new season: http://www.joshica.net/blog/uncategorized/off-season-2018/
(Orange Blossom was the Tampa competition referenced; results have not yet shown up online.)

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

So I know that there's been a lot of complaining about the performance of US pairs last quad, and some of it is deserved. However, there are three performances that I rewatch regularly that I believe measure up performance-wise to all but the very best of the international pairs performances.

So I'm linking to them so everyone else can rewatch:
D/F's 2014 SA LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpzKp8gm8
C/L's 2017 Nats SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNlkN7bhk6k
K/O's 2018 4CC LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B170aWOasyI

Dont forget The Knierims SP at Skam 2015 (they ended up on podium and also going to FINAL!) and also their silver at 4CC in 2016. Free skate was amazeballs.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Yep I already linked the Knierims' 2015 SA sp in post #620 above, along with their Worlds 2015 fp in which they trailed off a bit at the end, but still landed in 7th place, their highest position at Worlds to date. They were unable to build from there due to misfortunes, including Alexa's rare gastrointestinal illness which doctors had difficulty diagnosing.

Actually Alexa & Chris are an amazing couple character-wise to have gone through that tough situation right at the time of their marriage too. That kind of test before you even have a chance to enjoy being married is something else. Chris placed Alexa's health and survival above everything else, and that really mattered in bringing them both through such a difficult ordeal. Once Alexa survived surgery and began to regain her strength, it was probably not as much a daunting, impossible struggle for them to decide to give it their all and continue pursuing their dream of going to the Olympics.

Thanks @ilovepaydays for that 'Toepick' episode interview with Alexa & Chris on the Committed podcast. It was a fun listen.

BTW, here's the A&C 2016 4CCs fp. I knew there was a performance somewhere of their Elizabeth fp that was well-skated. They open with a gorgeous quad twist and adequately land their sbs triples, which is no mean feat for them. See, how soon people forget that there have been some performances where their sbs jumps were successfully completed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn_u9RL4Mgk Unfortunately, they didn't skate as well at Worlds that season.