2022-23 US Pairs Discussion - Second to None!

[shan]

I still can't find videos of Smirnova/Siianytsia's programs from Zagreb, but here's an interview with a local news station about their win.

Two Minnesotans win gold at international figure skating competition

Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia, of Shakopee, captured their first senior international gold medal Saturday at the Golden Spin of Zagreb.https://www...

youtu.be

 

[Sylvia]

I still can't find videos of Smirnova/Siianytsia's programs from Zagreb, but here's an interview with a local news station about their win.

Two Minnesotans win gold at international figure skating competition

Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia, of Shakopee, captured their first senior international gold medal Saturday at the Golden Spin of Zagreb.https://www...

youtu.be

Thanks - video is also embedded here in KARE 11's article:

Two Minnesotans win gold at international figure skating competition

Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia, of Shakopee, captured their first senior international gold medal Saturday at the Golden Spin of Zagreb.

www.kare11.com

 

[ice coverage]

Olivia Flores/Luke Wang have been added to ISP list.

I noticed today for the first time.

 

[Wyliefan]

Smirnova and Siianytsia discuss the ups and downs of this year: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...ampionships-with-confidence-and-momentum.aspx

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ Excerpt from the end of Darci Miller's Fan Zone article:

They [S/S] will have had six weeks to train for the U.S. Championships, which is – almost unbelievably – the longest stretch of training they've had all year.
But they've continued moving forward, continued following the steps set out by their coaching team and managed to have some success while fighting through more obstacles than they care to count.
Once they get some real training under their belts, the sky might just well be the limit.
"We had a really late start, which wasn't ideal," Siianytsia said. "And then the mistakes that we made in our first few competitions really were kind of not what we wanted. But don't think it's a reason to get down on yourself, right? We still had a pretty good skate. We had a medal at our second or third international this season. And this is our first senior year. So I guess it's really motivating to have it right now, looking forward to nationals. And so far, I think it's going great."

 

[Sylvia]

Article on Nica Digerness & Mark Sadusky who will debut at their first Nationals as a team (Dec. 29):

New pairs team prepares for U.S. Championships debut - New York Amsterdam News

In the autumn, it appeared that the pairs team of Mark Sadusky and Nica Digerness had run out of steam.

amsterdamnews.com

Excerpts:

As Digerness, 22, tended to her injury [a fractured pinky finger that required surgery], Sadusky, 24, temporarily stopped skating. “For how hard we worked, it was devastating,” said Sadusky. Thankfully, things took a positive turn when Digerness was able to resume training.
Unable to do the required pairs competition in November, Sadusky and Digerness applied for a waiver (advancement petition) to get a spot at the U.S. Championships. With that approved, they’re now working to be in optimal shape.

The U.S. Championships will take place Jan. 23-29 in San Jose, California. Sadusky grew up in Oakland, so he knows family and friends will be in attendance. In a predominantly white sport, Sadusky is proud to be one of several Black skaters competing.
“For me, it’s incredible,” he said. “To go to Nationals and have that representation, it really means a lot, especially to people wanting to try our sport.”

 

[Sylvia]

Brandon Frazier's 2022 video retrospective starts with when he announced he had tested positive for covid before the Pairs SP at 2022 Nationals in Nashville before moving to many happier images ("2022 was a year "): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmrDbkoqgyv/

 

[aml78]

Alexa and Chris posted on IG a pic of them buying a new home in what looks like the Chicago area. Knierim/Frazier retirement announcement coming post Worlds? I think this year was an “earn some money” year for them so it won’t be surprising. Help transition the US pairs into a new, not very deep, era.

 

[Sylvia]

Alexa and Chris posted on IG a pic of them buying a new home in what looks like the Chicago area. Knierim/Frazier retirement announcement coming post Worlds?

More likely post-World Team Trophy in April 2023. Chris already has accepted a job back in the Chicago area that starts sometime in 2023 - source is his podcast interview back in October: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ion-second-to-none.109779/page-5#post-6308680

 

[Karen-W]

Alexa and Chris posted on IG a pic of them buying a new home in what looks like the Chicago area. Knierim/Frazier retirement announcement coming post Worlds? I think this year was an “earn some money” year for them so it won’t be surprising. Help transition the US pairs into a new, not very deep, era.

Or they continue to train together but relocate to Chicago.

 

[aml78]

More likely post-World Team Trophy in April 2023. Chris already has accepted a job back in the Chicago area that starts sometime in 2023 - source is his podcast interview back in October: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ion-second-to-none.109779/page-5#post-6308680

You are probably right. I missed that piece of news. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sylvia]

From USFS' Fan Zone Jan. 1st article - these pair skaters shared their New Year's resolutions for 2023:

Katie McBeath and Nathan Bartholomay
Katie: My new year's resolution is to embrace challenges with more of an open mind to be able to move through them better. I learned this as I moved through the second half of this year with Nate's injury and our challenging first half to this 2022-23 season. I hope to take what I've learned into the new year and use it for whatever lies ahead. Also, to not hit snooze on my alarm in the morning so I give myself plenty of time to do all my morning activities before getting to the rink/work each day.
Nathan: My New Year's resolution is to drink less caffeine! Between early mornings and long days, I'm definitely a sucker for coffee and even the occasional energy drink. I'm going to try to cut it back to one cup of coffee a day!

Maria Mokhova and Ivan Mokhov
We are really excited and enthusiastically looking forward to the new season because we are going to have a new program, new costumes and new lifts that we are already working on. This season is going really well for us. This was our first international season because we have been waiting for many years for Maria to be age eligible for international competitions. We have had great experience and consistent skates on the international competitions that we have been assigned. We are working hard toward great preparation for the new and upcoming season.

Valentina Plazas
My New Year's resolutions on the ice are to improve our competition performances throughout each one next season and land a consistent triple flip and lutz! My resolutions off the ice are to learn how to speak a different language and begin to journal!

Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia
Our New Year's resolution is to try and put aside time and do what we can to give back to the people who have helped us in our career.

 

[chachacha]

Or they continue to train together but relocate to Chicago.

Agree, I believe Brandon previously trained in Chicago with Rockne Brubaker so perhaps they will relocate and train together in Chicago. I hope they continue

 

[aml78]

Agree, I believe Brandon previously trained in Chicago with Rockne Brubaker so perhaps they will relocate and train together in Chicago. I hope they continue

I think that seems very unlikely. They love Jenni and Todd. I think this was a move towards the next stage of their lives.

 

[Trillian]

I think that seems very unlikely. They love Jenni and Todd. I think this was a move towards the next stage of their lives.

In theory I’d say they could love Jenni and Todd, but still decide to train in the Chicago area because it’s the option that works best for them on a personal level.

That said, I agree with you that a near-future retirement is more likely.

 

[Karen-W]

I think that seems very unlikely. They love Jenni and Todd. I think this was a move towards the next stage of their lives.

Sure, that's true, but both Alexa and Brandon are very experienced competitors and Chris has developed quite a bit as a coach himself. I'm not sure it's necessary for KniFraz to be in Irvine every single day at the rink with Todd & Jenni, especially in this day and age of video-coaching.

While I do agree, it's more than likely they won't be competing next season, I don't think it's a done deal, and I think some of it is going to rely upon what the competitive landscape looks like over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised to see them taking the same approach as Sui/Han, with a long-term goal of Milano-Cortina.

 

[Stephanie]

The US is sending 3 junior pairs to the Bavarian Open: https://bev-eissport.de/v2/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EntriesBO2023-2.pdf

Naomi Williams/Lachlan Lewer (2nd at the pairs final)
Lilianna Murray/Jordan Gillette (3rd at the pairs final)
Olivia Flores/Luke Wang (4th at the pairs final)

I believe this will be the international debuts for all teams

 

[tony]

FWIW, I’ve heard that K/F never really had anything past 2022 on their radar, but then everything fell into place for them to rise to World gold. They decided to stick around for one more season (probably $$$), but I don’t expect anything past this year even if they win again.

 

[Sylvia]

The US is sending 3 junior pairs to the Bavarian Open: [...]
I believe this will be the international debuts for all teams

Yes - all 3 teams were recent additions to the ISP and are the remaining ISU Junior age-eligible pairs that need the minimum scores to be listed for 2023 Junior Worlds as entries or alternates.

Grace Knoop (5th in Junior Pairs with Blake Eisenach at 2019 U.S. Nationals; she currently is a journalism student at Boston University and co-president of BU's Intercollegiate Team that won the national title in April) wrote the JGP Ostrava recap for USFS' Fan Zone:

Here's Knoop's Fan Zone article on Cayla Smith and Andy Deng (Jan. 2, 2023):

Smith and Deng, a Pair on the Rise - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

A pandemic-free 2022 has been long anticipated by many, especially by teenagers who spent the previous two years glued to a computer screen, becoming pros at creating

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Becoming [JGP Final] bronze medalists at such a major event brought on some new experiences for the pair, one being the press conference.
"It was definitely exciting to get the bronze and with that, there were a lot of things that I was not prepared for like the press conference," Deng explained. "So that was a cool experience."
The trip to Torino offered the opportunity to watch some of their favorite junior and senior skaters with the highest caliber of skating in all disciplines. Smith, in particular, loves to cheer on her fellow Team USA teammates, with her high-energy spirit and infectious enthusiasm becoming a popular topic of conversation on social media among Junior Grand Prix viewers.
"It just makes me more nervous watching other people skate than actually skating myself," Smith said. "It's fun to get away from the pressure of skating for a minute to go and stand and dance and have fun."

Speaking of having fun , Cayla Smith shared a video of the "Nutcracker Comedy on Ice" number she performed in her club's holiday show last month: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmXE7ikLZab/

 

[mtnskater]

Speaking of having fun , Cayla Smith shared a video of the "Nutcracker Comedy on Ice" number she performed in her club's holiday show last month: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmXE7ikLZab/

Cayla Smith is such a character! Love her and that program! Great sense of comedy. Excited to see her develop in pairs…a discipline she seems made for with her grit and enthusiasm.

Also love Isabeau Levito’s comment “This is art!”

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Alexa and Chris posted on IG a pic of them buying a new home in what looks like the Chicago area. Knierim/Frazier retirement announcement coming post Worlds? I think this year was an “earn some money” year for them so it won’t be surprising. Help transition the US pairs into a new, not very deep, era.

noooooo

please not

 

[olympic]

noooooo

please not

Sadly, this is all probably true.

 

[jkl]

William Church is now on Ice Partner Search. He was due to compete in Junior Pairs in San Jose with his sister Margaret.

 

[Joubabe]

Sadly, this is all probably true.

I’m giving it a 50/50 chance that they will continue. I saw a comment from Alexa’s mother (can’t remember where) that they should compete in Milan. I feel certain that Alexa would like to, but she also wants to start a family. Therein lies the dilemma.

 

[Sylvia]

The Junior team of Lachlan Lewer (with his Australian accent ) and Naomi Williams spoke briefly in this local Colorado Springs news segment filmed Saturday at Acacia Park’s ‘Skate in the Park’ event for National Skating month: https://www.kktv.com/video/2023/01/08/watch-local-residents-skate-with-team-usa/

 

[Karen-W]

So absolutely bummed to see this announcement from Cayla Smith that she and Andy Deng have ended their partnership!

Cayla Smith on Instagram: "After three years, three levels, four seasons, two national gold medals, three international medals, and so many great memories, Andy and I have decided to end our partnership. Three years ago, I moved to Indiana for my dad

650 likes, 34 comments - caylasquirrel on January 10, 2023: "After three years, three levels, four seasons, two national gold medals, three international medals, and so many great memories, Andy and...".

www.instagram.com

I'm glad she plans to look for a new partner - I hope she is successful because she's a star in the making.

 

[Amy L]

Didn't see that coming - wow, right before Nationals and everything. They were really rocketing towards the top of junior pairs internationally, maybe it was more than he expected and he realized his goals were different than hers ("Unfortunately, our paths are no longer aligned"). I quite liked them, it's too bad. I hope she can get a good partner because she's a natural performer.

 

[Sylvia]

I'm glad she plans to look for a new partner - I hope she is successful because she's a star in the making.

Fingers crossed for Cayla!

I haven't seen anything posted on social media by Andy yet - perhaps he wants to focus on college? His Team USA profile says he "wants to become a doctor" and he will turn 18 in March: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/-nbsp-cayla-smith-and-andy-deng/718

ETA: Since the decision to split came before the second half of the season obviously they were having issues that couldn't be resolved so at least they ended their partnership on the high of their JGPF bronze medal.

 

[Karen-W]

I will say, it's going to put some pressure on the 3 teams assigned to Bavarian Open to earn the Jr Worlds TES mins since we have 2 spots and only 1 team with the mins now. Good opportunity for Williams/Lewer, Murray/Gillette and Flores/Wang.

 

[Trillian]

So absolutely bummed to see this announcement from Cayla Smith that she and Andy Deng have ended their partnership!

Big loss for U.S. skating this season - these two certainly looked like junior world medal contenders. But at this point in the season and with as much momentum as they seemed to have, I have to assume they didn’t come to this decision lightly. Whatever the reasons are, best wishes to both of them on whatever they pursue next. They’ve been fun to watch this season.