U.S. Pairs 2019-20 season - News & Updates, Part X

Adding to speculation, throwing out another long shot name, Danny Neudecker and Alexa.
He’s tall, powerful, can jump and has pair experience.

While I do think he and Nica are well matched, she’s had a few injuries that have kept them out of competition. He might be easily persuaded with the idea of a shot at the Olympics.

The sad thing for Alexa is that I don’t think the perfect partner for her exists at the moment.
 
AliasJohnDoe said:
Bummed. I was really looking forward to seeing Calalang/Johnson and Cain-Gribble/Leduc. Wanted to see if they both went relatively clean if they could have made 6/7 and gotten 3 spots for USA. I know, doubtful. But I had hopes.
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Me too! And it was possible. But it would have been great if they just both made top 10. Ashley's tweet was generous and loving, thinking of all the competitors' disappointment, not just hers and Tim's. I was looking forward to A&T skating free, skating great and getting some redemption for a difficult season. I was also looking forward to J&B for their first Worlds.
 
Michalle said:
Not only that but I too enjoy desserts with cinnamon!
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Cinnamon has many excellent health properties. Throw some Ginger and Turmeric in for kicks, and then you'll really be rockin' and rollin'!

See what happens when the World Championships get cancelled. :saint:
 
Weve3 said:
Cinnamon has many excellent health properties. Throw some Ginger and Turmeric in for kicks, and then you'll really be rockin' and rollin'!

See what happens when the World Championships get cancelled. :saint:
Click to expand...

Who knows what other valuable info and helpful tips is secreted in these ISU bios - it looks like now we will have a lot of time to find out!
 
Meanwhile, checking out more Instagram posts, I came across these interesting workout videos by Jessica Calalang, one from August 2019, and the other from October 2018. It's fascinating seeing the kinds of stretching and strengthening exercises that are necessary for a pairs diva to master routinely in order to stay fit.

The first exercise on the apparatus looks like it's for core-strength building and practice for moving up into lifts and striking a strong, unwavering position. It's also about developing the split-second ability to vary positions while maintaining balance in the air and trusting a partner. Wow. Such fearlessness is required of pairs ladies! The second video with two different workouts seems to be for general stretching and maintaining strength and flexibility. :watch:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1KeAgwHE7R/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BovQFYEnarI/

Skate Detroit: the kickoff to a great season
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0g1ua7H2BG/

www.youtube.com

Calalang Johnson 2019 Skate Detroit SP

Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson's senior pairs short program at Skate Detroit, July 26, 2019. They earned 65.27 and were 1st in the segment.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
Ashley is practicing social distancing and staying in shape at home by taking her dog Mylo for hikes, and teaching her husband, Dalton, how to lift her. LOL!

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It looks like Ashley is going back to her natural shade of hair color. Plus, she and hubby are also staying in shape by rockin' some dance moves. 👍 :D

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I really liked this post and photo from Ashley too, talking about the week before Worlds was cancelled, when everyone in the training group worked so hard to bring their best to the event. It's fun to see them pictured and notice the array of countries represented.

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Brandon Frazier announced on his Facebook the end of his partnership with Haven .... not sure if it's publicly readable but here's the link:

www.facebook.com

Brandon Frazier

Brandon Frazier is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Brandon Frazier and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

I'll miss seeing Haven/Brandon together, but wish them the best.
 
I thought the same. But man, that would suck for Haven. This was the very last U.S. pair I expected to split up.
 
I hate to see Haven and Brandon split, but perhaps the injuries are just too much for Haven. Sorry to see them split but good luck in their next chapter.
 
Wyliefan said:
I thought the same. But man, that would suck for Haven. This was the very last U.S. pair I expected to split up.
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This is the pair I expected most likely to call it quits. I don’t think she’s going to be able to get all the way back from her knee Injury. she’s done a great job but it’s just probably not going to happen for them. I think the writing was on the wall this year that if they were in it to go to the games in a couple years it’s not going to happen


now will he go to Alexa? Who knows
 
dancelion21 said:
Alexa must be skating with Brandon, right? Otherwise this is too much of a coincidence. He’s probably the most similar to Chris of the US pair guys, he’s big and can do the pair elements, so it would be a good math.
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I heard from my adult skater friend who is coached by Brandon that Haven wanted to retire from competitive skating and do shows with her sister. she also told me that Brandon was going to explore other options and loop for a partner. This was after Nationals so perhaps we May hear if he will skate with Alexa. I called my friend to see if she knew anything but she said rink has been closed and has not had a lesson with Brandon in a few weeks. I guess we will wait and see
 
clairecloutier said:
Brandon Frazier announced on his Facebook the end of his partnership with Haven .... not sure if it's publicly readable but here's the link:

www.facebook.com

Brandon Frazier

Brandon Frazier is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Brandon Frazier and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

I'll miss seeing Haven/Brandon together, but wish them the best.
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Wow! How long do you think until we get the Alexa/Brandon announcement? I thought Haven and Brandon were a couple.
 
Also interesting, Haven indicates that she supports Brandon’s decision to skate with another partner. Seems like she’s retiring, but he’s not. I’m like 99% sure, like everyone else in this thread, that Brandon and Alexa have already agreed to pair up.
 
It would seem fairly obvious that Brandon and Alexa are going to partner up, especially since the decision to retire sounds like it was coming from Haven but that Brandon wants to continue. If we do see a Scimeca-Knierem/Frazier partnership, that could be very exciting for US Pairs. Lots of potential there.
 
dancelion21 said:
Also interesting, Haven indicates that she supports Brandon’s decision to skate with another partner. Seems like she’s retiring, but he’s not. I’m like 99% sure, like everyone else in this thread, that Brandon and Alexa have already agreed to pair up.
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Where did she say she was retiring? I read that she had not decided what she was going to do going forward.


NBC Sports Gold
“Even though our competitive chapter as a pair is over, these memories we created together will last a lifetime,” Frazier posted in part on Facebook. “It was a privilege to be able to have the opportunity to skate with you [Denney] and learn life’s most important lessons through sport.”

Frazier plans to continue skating, while Denney said through U.S. Figure Skating that she wants to keep all of her options open:
Click to expand...
 
dancelion21 said:
Alexa must be skating with Brandon, right? Otherwise this is too much of a coincidence.
Click to expand...

jkl said:
My money is on Brandon heading to California to pair with Alexa. Who is with me on this?
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See below a post by rfisher followed with one by myself from the 'Chris Knierim retires' thread -- posts #118 and #119, both dated February 27, 2020. My thoughts were triggered by rfisher's apt assessment that perhaps Alexa had already approached someone and something was already in the works. While there's no confirmation, and the timing of both teams' decision-making is unknown, it just doesn't seem like a coincidence to hear about Brandon making this choice now, especially when he's been so strongly committed to Haven. In any case, Brandon & Haven gave it their very best through tremendous odds, as have the Knierims. Both couples have so much to be proud of for all their accomplishments together. :respec:

https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...etire-alexa-to-seek-new-partner.106940/page-4

rfisher said:
Just my opinion but I'm betting Alexa already has someone they've approached in regard to her continuing and trying for 2020. Otherwise, they'd have just announced they are retiring. I would expect an announcement after Worlds especially if the guy is in a current partnership. We've seen this scenario many times before.
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aftershocks said:
^^ That sounds very probable. And so the speculation continues. :watch:

Your observation has made me do a turnabout in my thinking: Even though Brandon Frazier is exceedingly loyal to Haven, their season went kaput after a decent start. When drastic things happen, sometimes unexpected decisions result. It may be entirely possible that Haven might have decided to call it a day and is supporting Brandon in continuing, especially now that Alexa is available. Haven has had all kinds of troubles with getting back to full strength on her jumps. In addition, D/F are confronted with an awkward, uncertain situation at their Florida rink. If indeed, Haven has decided to retire and Brandon is available, I can see him pairing with Alexa and heading to California, which is a great place to train in a new state-of-the-art rink! Plus, Meno/Sand's coaching crew includes multiple World champion and multiple Olympic medalist, Robin Szolkowy. Not to mention having the opportunity to train with an on-the-rise team in Calalang/Johnson.

That said, we won't know until we find out...


And so, maybe we will soon find out if this speculation is accurate. Obviously, there hasn't yet been any confirmation one way or the other. Still, I won't be surprised if Alexa and Brandon do pair up. I wish them well regardless of whether they are pairing or not. And I hope everyone in the skating community is safe during this time of crisis throughout the world.
 
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