U.S. Ice Dance 2021-22 season news & updates

[aka_gerbil]

Whether HubDon or ChoBat is #1, I'm not buying into the notion, based on the social media shares from early in the week before HubDon left, that they (H/D) are the only dance team in the TE. Chock got her nails done by Hubbell and they were hugging each other pretty warmly in the IAM videos - and Chock shared those send-off vids on her own IG story IIRC. That isn't the frosty behavior of a team that's been burned out of a potential TE medal.

Or, the two teams wanted to split, USFS had different ideas and called the shots, and C/B are acting like grown ups because neither team can control USFS decisions.

 

[Karen-W]

Or, the two teams wanted to split, USFS had different ideas and called the shots, and C/B are acting like grown ups because neither team can control USFS decisions.

True... I mean, given the USFS' questionable decision about the Men's team members, it's possible they're foolish enough to force one dance team to do both segments so they can split the Women. But, again, I'm just gonna point to the NBC commercials... I don't THINK they are that damn dumb to not put ChoBat in the TE.

 

[aka_gerbil]

I’m personally a big fan of “split where you’re depth is,” but USFS and NBC are ladies-obsessed and sometimes (often times) skating feds like to make decisions that make little to no sense.

 

[Debbie S]

I’m personally a big fan of “split where you’re depth is,” but USFS and NBC are ladies-obsessed and sometimes (often times) skating feds like to make decisions that make little to no sense.

USFS and NBC are medals-obsessed. And NBC is rivalry/drama-obsessed. I would think promoting skaters with potential to medal and being able to play up the 'rivalry' between H/D and C/B would be more attractive to NBC. It's not like either Karen or Mariah are household names and have a distinctive resume. Alysa is the one who has gotten the hype in the past (and if USFS felt like they owed NBC in that regard, they'd have had Alysa in the TE) but even the promotion for her has dropped off. Nathan really seems to be the only skater front and center right now in the NBC/Team USA promos.

I do remember seeing some IG posts a couple months ago about an NBC crew in Montreal to film a commercial for the Olys with H/D and C/B. So NBC is aware that there are 2 top U.S. dance teams.

 

[yeslek]

Agree, but my guess is the committee may have done something like using Worlds, GPF and Nats, and then when the GPF got canceled, substituted SA, and used the rationale that H/D beat C/B at 2 out of 3. But yes, if they actually followed the document...looked at trending scores over the fall and used Nats as the tiebreaker (for skaters/teams with similar BOW), then C/B should have been Team 1.

I think CB probably chose the FP.

 

[RoseRed]

Agree, but my guess is the committee may have done something like using Worlds, GPF and Nats, and then when the GPF got canceled, substituted SA, and used the rationale that H/D beat C/B at 2 out of 3. But yes, if they actually followed the document...looked at trending scores over the fall and used Nats as the tiebreaker (for skaters/teams with similar BOW), then C/B should have been Team 1.

I think both skaters should be in, but to be clear the USFS never said that the selection document would be used to rank skaters for team event priority.

But yeah, hopefully they're both doing it.

 

[Dobre]

Hubbell & Donohue had the higher finish at Worlds and the higher finish head-to-head at Skate America. They defeated Chock & Bates in all 4 dances at those events, then scored higher in the FD at Nationals. H&D had clear mistakes in the RD there, which cost them. There's no reason they couldn't be ranked above C&B, who have only defeated H&D in one half of one competition over the past two seasons. The real issue is that there was no GPF and there have been so few competitions over the last two seasons. And comparing scores in different events is never a good idea, though it cannot be ignored because USFS made it a significant part of their criteria. Comparing results with different programs, i.e. last year's Worlds vs. this year's Nationals, is never a good idea either. Which brings me, once again, to say that the real problem is that there was no GPF.

OTOH, that's also the beauty of this Olympics, in that we really don't know how the top teams--particularly the Canadian & U.S. teams--are likely to score against one another.

 

[tony]

I think both skaters should be in, but to be clear the USFS never said that the selection document would be used to rank skaters for team event priority.

But yeah, hopefully they're both doing it.

Actually, it does. Pulled from an earlier post:

F. Team Event Nominees Once the nominations of each discipline are approved in a ranked order by the International Committee (IC) Discipline Subcommittees, the IC Discipline Subcommittees will consider the athletes/teams to compete in the Team Event.

The strategy for selecting athletes to compete in the Team Event will be based on maximizing the potential for peak performances and placements in the Team Event as well as the athlete’s/team’s individual event.
...
One week prior to the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, five members of the International Committee (the IC Chair, U.S. Figure Skating USOPC AAC Representative and the three International Committee Discipline Vice Chairs), along with three non-voting attendees (Senior Director of Athlete High Performance, International Committee Past Chair and the ISU Representative) will meet by conference call to discuss strategy and to rank the disciplines using the international events listed in 1.2.1. for the purpose of determining which athletes/teams will have the first or second option of substitution if the first-ranked athlete/team chooses to compete in one segment only.

The ranking of the disciplines will be based solely on maximizing the total medal potential for Team USA in the individual events as well as the Team Event.
...
The ranking order of the disciplines will be based on which disciplines have the best opportunity to medal and/or provide the strongest field in the individual events and the ranking order of the athletes/teams will be used to determine which athletes will have priority in competing in the Team Event. The highest-ranked disciplines will have the first option of substitution in the Team Event if the U.S. qualifies for the free skate.
...
• If the top-ranked athlete/team elects to compete in both segments, the second- and third-ranked athlete will not compete in the Team Event.
• If the top-ranked athlete/team elects to compete in only one segment, the second-ranked athlete will have the option to participate in the other segment (if the U.S. qualifies for both segments) despite the preference provided in the Team Event Preference Form. However, the athlete has the option to decline participation in the Team Event.
o If the second-ranked athlete/team opts out of competing in the Team Event, the third-ranked athlete/team will be nominated to compete in the other segment despite the preference provided in the Team Event Preference Form. However, the athlete/team has the option to decline participation in the Team Event.
• If the top-ranked athlete/team opts out of competing in the Team Event, the second-ranked athlete/team will have the option of competing in no segments, both segments or only one segment of the Team Event.
o If the second-ranked athlete/team elects to compete in both segments, the third-ranked athlete/team will not compete in the Team Event. o If the second-ranked athlete/team elects to compete in only one segment, the third-ranked athlete will participate in the other segment (if the U.S. qualifies for both segments) despite the preference provided in the Team Event Preference Form. However, the athlete has the option to decline participation in the Team Event.
• If the first- and second-ranked athlete/teams opt out of competing in the Team Event, the third-ranked athlete/team will compete in both segments of the Team Event which may be contrary to their Team Event Preference Form. However, the athlete has the option to decline participation in the Team Event.

So even though the USFS may have the final say, no one can say that subbing any of the women would result in a better chance for a medal than the dancers. There's also no way that the women have a higher ranking as a discipline than the dancers do. Within those 'rankings', there's definitely going to be an internal #1 in dance that will get to decide, just as the Shibutanis did in 2018.

 

[Debbie S]

I think both skaters should be in, but to be clear the USFS never said that the selection document would be used to rank skaters for team event priority.

It actually does - in the section on team event, when it mentions ranking order of the skaters/teams, it refers back to the section in the doc that describes how skaters/teams will be ranked for Oly team selection.

They had clear mistakes in the RD there, which cost them.

And C/B had a mistake in the FD, which cost them. It works both ways. Results are results. It's a competition, things happen. There are 2 phases and it's about total points scored.

 

[dancing_on_ice]

Hubbell & Donohue had the higher finish at Worlds and the higher finish head-to-head at Skate America. They defeated Chock & Bates in all 4 dances at those events, then scored higher in the FD at Nationals. H&D had clear mistakes in the RD there, which cost them. There's no reason they couldn't be ranked above C&B, who have only defeated H&D in one half of one competition over the past two seasons. The real issue is that there was no GPF and there have been so few competitions over the last two seasons. And comparing scores in different events is never a good idea, though it cannot be ignored because USFS made it a significant part of their criteria. Comparing results with different programs, i.e. last year's Worlds vs. this year's Nationals, is never a good idea either. Which brings me, once again, to say that the real problem is that there was no GPF.

OTOH, that's also the beauty of this Olympics, in that we really don't know how the top teams--particularly the Canadian & U.S. teams--are likely to score against one another.

There are just so many ways to argue about which US team is the top team. If we just look at competitions that USFS counts towards BOW for the Olympics, C/B won Nationals, had higher international scores in the fall, and a higher world standing, but H/D are reigning world medalists and won at Skate America in the fall. Looking across the whole quad, H/D have won 5 of the head to heads (2019 US Nationals, 2019 Worlds, 2021 Nationals, 2021 Worlds, 2021 Skate America) while C/B have won 5 (2019 4CC, 2019 Grand Prix Final, 2020 Nationals, 2020 4CC, 2022 Nationals). I don't think there has ever been a rivalry this close.

 

[Dobre]

And C/B had a mistake in the FD, which cost them.

Oh, yes. I totally agree on this.

 

[Karen-W]

Looks like HawBak are leaving tomorrow?

Watch this story by Kaitlin Hawayek, OLY on Instagram before it disappears.

29.7k Followers, 804 Following, 735 Posts

instagram.com

Watch this story by Kirstin Jensen Hawayek on Instagram before it disappears.

364 Followers, 314 Following, 341 Posts

instagram.com

Given the near silence from ChoBat on IG, I am choosing to believe they're either already en route or leaving tomorrow.

 

[Sylvia]

Evan and Madison should have landed in Beijing by now? Awaiting word via social media...

My chuckle of the day - there are 2 video segments embedded in this local news piece featuring Green/Parsons -- the 3 TV folks are all clueless about ice dance but Caroline & Michael (and coach Elena Novak off camera) are very good sports in answering their questions and, of course, their skating is lovely to watch :

Local area figure skaters are alternates for the Beijing Olympics

Brian van de Graaff caught up with native Washington DC area ice dancers Caroline Green and Michael Parsons fresh off their gold medal win in Ice Dancing at ISU's Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Estonia. With their 4th place finish at the US Figure Skating Championships earlier...

wjla.com

 

[Karen-W]

Evan and Madison should have landed in Beijing by now? Awaiting word via social media...

They shared a couple of posts in which they'd been tagged on their IG stories last night after their plane would have landed, so I assume they're there. It's just 6:45am in Beijing and the dance practices today aren't until 3:25pm, so I think it'll be a few hours before we see anything from them in the Village. Now, just watch, they'll be early birding us and post something within the next hour or so, lol.

 

[Wyliefan]

Isabella Flores still hasn't heard from Dimitry Tsarevski, and has decided to "move on." It sounds like she'll search for a new partner. Best wishes to her (and to him, whatever's going on with him).

Isabella Flores on Instagram: "I promised that I would keep everyone updated: While I still have not heard from Dima since Dec 25th, and the last time we spoke we were dreaming about our future, I think it is time for me to move on. It isn't health

9,421 likes, 259 comments - isabellaflores_ on February 3, 2022: "I promised that I would keep everyone updated: While I still have not heard from Dima since Dec 25th, and the last time we spoke we wer..."

www.instagram.com

 

[aka_gerbil]

Fingers crossed that she finds the perfect next partner for herself.

 

[layman]

Fingers crossed that she finds the perfect next partner for herself.

Is Vadym Kolesnik available (still skating for the US)?

 

[RoseRed]

Is Vadym Kolesnik available (still skating for the US)?

Last we heard he had a new partner and they were going to skate for the US. But we haven't seem them compete yet.

 

[dancing_on_ice]

Last we heard he had a new partner and they were going to skate for the US. But we haven't seem them compete yet.

They were on the starting lists for some of the US Championship Series events, but they withdrew before competing. It's unclear if they're still paired together or not

 

[tuttifrutti78]

Is Vadym Kolesnik available (still skating for the US)?

He has a new partner, the third since his split with Nguyen.

 

[semogal]

US Ice Dancers are amazing! H/D and C/B won their segments in the team event and helped lead Team USA to the silver medal. Remember when dance was the forgotten step-child of skating? They carried the team this weekend.

 

[Karen-W]

US Ice Dancers are amazing! H/D and C/B won their segments in the team event and helped lead Team USA to the silver medal. Remember when dance was the forgotten step-child of skating? They carried the team this weekend.

And they are both getting so much love on social media! They really carried the torch for Team USA this weekend!

We need to start a campaign for both Madisons to be cast on DWTS during the same season! How sizzling would that be?!

 

[CantALoop]

And they are both getting so much love on social media! They really carried the torch for Team USA this weekend!

We need to start a campaign for both Madisons to be cast on DWTS during the same season! How sizzling would that be?!

Can you imagine if Chock gets on DWTS and they build on her alien or snake-themed dances?

 

[VGThuy]

Imagine if the American public cared as much about ice dance from 2006-on as they did about ladies. Nobody would be so depressed about our state of ladies because they’d be so busy celebrating our ice dance legacy thus far.

 

[Karen-W]

Imagine if the American public cared as much about ice dance from 2006-on as they did about ladies. Nobody would be so depressed about our state of ladies because they’d be so busy celebrating our ice dance legacy thus far.

Seriously, let's pretend, for just this evening, that isn't true and bask in the glory that is our ice dance program. I'm breathing a lot more comfortably after the TE event that our ice dancers will continue that medal streak for the 5th straight Olympics.

 

[olympic]

It was delicious watching both H/D and C/B beat S/K as it should be

 

[DreamSkates]

And they are both getting so much love on social media! They really carried the torch for Team USA this weekend!

We need to start a campaign for both Madisons to be cast on DWTS during the same season! How sizzling would that be?!

Ice dance plus Nathan Chen = medal contention!

 

[Sylvia]

NBC Sports’ video of Chock/Bates' Team Event winning FD : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOpTpruvSlQ

Their TODAY show interview this morning:

Figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates talk winning silver for Team USA

Olympic medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates join TODAY to talk about their stunning performances on the ice in the team figure skating competition. The real-life couple and co-captains talk about their pre-skate pep talks as well as their decision to skate to Billie Eilish and Daft Punk...

www.today.com

Hubbell/Donohue's Team Event 1st place RD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvydXPN-x_k

Alexa Knierim has shared an Instagram story pic of the two Madisons embracing that she captioned "Captured their genuine embrace that lasted for a few minutes. Two strong women displaying friendship and respect."

 

[BlueRidge]

Alexa Knierim has shared an Instagram story pic of the two Madisons embracing that she captioned "Captured their genuine embrace that lasted for a few minutes. Two strong women displaying friendship and respect."

 

[Trillian]

All the indie music sites I follow took notice of C&B’s free dance. Not sure I’ve ever seen these two worlds overlap before, but I’m not surprised.

Watch U.S. Ice Dancing Team Skate to Daft Punk at Winter Olympics 2022

Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ team free dance routine was soundtracked by a medley of songs from Random Access Memories

pitchfork.com

Watch US Olympic Figure Skaters Ice Dance To Daft Punk

The Winter Olympics are underway in Beijing: One more time, people from around the world have gathered to excel at their chosen sport or, barring that, get lucky. Yesterday the festivities included a Daft Punk medley. American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the ice dancing...

www.stereogum.com

Daft Punk ice dance about alien and astronaut helps Team USA win silver medal: Watch

Madison Chock played an alien and Evan Bates an astronaut in an Olympic ice dance routine set to Daft Punk songs. Watch the medal-worthy performance now.

consequence.net