2023-24 US Pairs Discussion - Chan you count Howe many teams we have?

[BrightSkates]

There was no official confirmation but this instagram post about H/N seems to confirm the rumor of them switching from WASA to IIAC (Dalilah)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1Q7kztOOEt/?igsh=MWRqbzB6aHQ4cDFuZQ==

 

[Rukia]

There was no official confirmation but this instagram post about H/N seems to confirm the rumor of them switching from WASA to IIAC (Dalilah)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1Q7kztOOEt/?igsh=MWRqbzB6aHQ4cDFuZQ==

sigh what a terrible choice

 

[Amy L]

There was no official confirmation but this instagram post about H/N seems to confirm the rumor of them switching from WASA to IIAC (Dalilah)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1Q7kztOOEt/?igsh=MWRqbzB6aHQ4cDFuZQ==

sigh what a terrible choice

Grace Hanns seems to be dealing with anxiety and/or panic attacks during competitions. I don't think Sappenfield has ever improved anyone's mental health, especially that of a pair girl, I'm really worried about Grace now.

 

[Karen-W]

Looking good for Chan/Howe to make their season debut next week!

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram: "Chan & Howe take the ice at the 2024 #PrevagenUSChamps in just over a week! ⁠ ⁠ Get your tickets and event info at the link in our bio! 🎟️🔗⁠ ⁠ #figureskating"

1,511 likes, 4 comments - usfigureskating on January 17, 2024: "Chan & Howe take the ice at the 2024 #PrevagenUSChamps in just over a week! ⁠ ⁠ Get your tickets and event info at the link in our bio! 🎟️🔗⁠ ⁠ #figureskating".

www.instagram.com

 

[Frau Muller]

Looking good for Chan/Howe to make their season debut next week!

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram: "Chan & Howe take the ice at the 2024 #PrevagenUSChamps in just over a week! ⁠ ⁠ Get your tickets and event info at the link in our bio! 🎟️🔗⁠ ⁠ #figureskating"

1,511 likes, 4 comments - usfigureskating on January 17, 2024: "Chan & Howe take the ice at the 2024 #PrevagenUSChamps in just over a week! ⁠ ⁠ Get your tickets and event info at the link in our bio! 🎟️🔗⁠ ⁠ #figureskating".

www.instagram.com

Season debut! Amazing.

 

[mtnskater]

Really looking forward to Chan & Howe next week. For me they had the most memorable pairs performance at 4CC’s last year and were really on the rise. Hope they can get that momentum back!

 

[Frau Muller]

Really looking forward to Chan & Howe next week. For me they had the most memorable pairs performance at 4CC’s last year and were really on the rise. Hope they can get that momentum back!

Howe was my King of Romance on Ice last year!

 

[Katesk8sgr8s]

Season debut! Amazing.

Chan/Howe are amazing!

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I don’t want to start a new thread for this, but does anybody have their predictions for Pairs US nationals? Here are mine.

1 McBeath and Parkman
2. Liu and Nagy
3. Martins and Bedard
4. Chan and Howe
5. Kam and OShea
6. Plazas and Fernandez
7. Efimova and Mitrofanov
8. Mokhova and Mokhov

 

[Karen-W]

I don’t want to start a new thread for this, but does anybody have their predictions for Pairs US nationals? Here are mine.

1 McBeath and Parkman
2. Liu and Nagy
3. Martins and Bedard
4. Chan and Howe
5. Kam and OShea
6. Plazas and Fernandez
7. Efimova and Mitrofanov
8. Mokhova and Mokhov

Oh, I think Chan/Howe are going to be no worse than 2nd, probably 1st though. And, I think the Mokhovs are going to be behind at least a couple of the 4 teams you didn't include on your prediction list.

1 - Chan/Howe
2 - McBeath/Parkman
3 - Efimova/Mitrofanov
4 - Liu/Nagy
5 - Plazas/Fernandez
6 - Martins/Bedard
7 - Kam/O'Shea
8 - Korytek/Chapman
9 - Digerness/Sadusky
10 - Mokhova/Mokhov
11 - Wessenberg/Caputo
12 - Fitzpatrick/Bearinger

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I think Martins and Bedard go clean even with the triples, but low GOE, but good enough to rank them higher

I don’t have much confidence in Chan and Efimovas jumps

for that matter, neither do I have it in Chelsea‘s, but I think their twist and lifts and speed will rank them higher

 

[Karen-W]

I think Martins and Bedard go clean even with the triples, but low GOE, but good enough to rank them higher

I don’t have much confidence in Chan and Efimovas jumps

for that matter, neither do I have it in Chelsea‘s, but I think their twist and lifts and speed will rank them higher

Mmmmhmmm... I don't think Liu/Nagy's twist or lifts are better than Chan/Howe. Emily & Spencer had some decent success with a slightly less difficult SBS jump sequence in the 2nd half of the season. I do worry about Emily's throws. And you're right about Efimova but they have a lot of other great qualities, so I think they're going to wind up ahead of Liu/Nagy. Martins/Bedard might surprise but I cannot see them cracking the top 4. They might beat PlaFern and KamOShea though - hard to say, but the USFS has a lot of love for Ellie & Danny.

It's going to be really interesting to see how things play out with the top 7.

 

[Frau Muller]

My hope: Chan/Howe and Efimova/Mitrofanov top two.

 

[Wyliefan]

I was just thinking about how Martins/Bedard will likely blow their lifts and Plazas/Fernandez will likely blow everything BUT their lifts. It's a pity they can't all be smooshed together somehow to make one team that could handle everything. Both teams are so likable but so mistake-prone.

 

[Karen-W]

I was just thinking about how Martins/Bedard will likely blow their lifts and Plazas/Fernandez will likely blow everything BUT their lifts. It's a pity they can't all be smooshed together somehow to make one team that could handle everything. Both teams are so likable but so mistake-prone.

LOL - the US Nats version of the Ukrainian teams!

 

[SidelineSkater]

Asking for a friend - is there a current US pairs team with two consistent triples?

How about one consistent triple?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Asking for a friend - is there a current US pairs team with two consistent triples?

How about one consistent triple?

totally. Martins and Bedard. Say hi to your friend for me.

 

[SidelineSkater]

totally. Martins and Bedard. Say hi to your friend for me.

Sure Jan.

Hi friend - I already showed you receipts where they don’t have even one.

 

[Trillian]

I was just thinking about how Martins/Bedard will likely blow their lifts and Plazas/Fernandez will likely blow everything BUT their lifts. It's a pity they can't all be smooshed together somehow to make one team that could handle everything.

Time to bring back Fours. Admittedly it would not actually solve this problem, but let’s do it anyway.

 

[Karen-W]

Asking for a friend - is there a current US pairs team with two consistent triples?

How about one consistent triple?

We haven't seen McBeath/Parkman compete much but they'd be the team on my radar who might have two consistent triples.

 

[Jammers]

Sad how in less then 2 years the US went from being deeper in Pairs then they had been in the last 20 years to having less depth then ever.

 

[Karen-W]

Sad how in less then 2 years the US went from being deeper in Pairs then they had been in the last 20 years to having less depth then ever.

I don't think it's quite fair to characterize the current teams as "less depth than ever" - especially since two of the best teams (McBeath/Parkman and Efimova/Mitrofanov) can't compete internationally until next season and Chan/Howe have been out all fall as Spencer recovers from his shoulder surgery. Liu/Nagy did manage a bronze at SkAm and Kam/O'Shea did win Finlandia with a pretty respectable early fall score.

I'm not sure how one defines "reliable" with regard to SBS triples - there isn't a single team competing internationally that has a 100% completion record on that element this season. There are a handful that have a very high success rate - we could probably include McBeath/Parkman in that category based on how they have performed at the handful of domestic competitions so far.

But honestly, if there was any season to have a low point for the US Pairs program in any Olympic cycle, I'd be fine with it being the 2nd one. I don't think we'll feel like they're in a bad place or lower than ever by the time Milano-Cortina comes around.

 

[kalamalka]

Time to bring back Fours. Admittedly it would not actually solve this problem, but let’s do it anyway.

I would love to see fours again. They had them at the first 2 or 3 Canadians I went to (in the 90s), and they were a lot of fun to watch.

 

[Katesk8sgr8s]

I would love to see fours again. They had them at the first 2 or 3 Canadians I went to (in the 90s), and they were a lot of fun to watch.

I'd love to see fours again. Exciting stuff. I'd also like to see it in ice dance.

 

[peibeck]

Nick McCarvel's recent interview with Knierim/Frazier.

https://twitter.com/NickMcCarvel/status/1750157905192747101?t=IbpSN-aPQGh6NrBhe3oSSw&s=19

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Nick McCarvel's recent interview with Knierim/Frazier.

https://twitter.com/NickMcCarvel/status/1750157905192747101?t=IbpSN-aPQGh6NrBhe3oSSw&s=19

I really could see them on the Olympic podium.

 

[skatingguy]

I really could see them on the Olympic podium.

Here they are.

 

[Jonas]

Asking for a friend - is there a current US pairs team with two consistent triples?

How about one consistent triple?

Carpenter & Maravilla, 5th in junior pairs, landed sbs 3Sal and sbs 3toe in their FS. Maybe not perfectly clean, but no worse than a lot of our pairs' attempts at sbs triples at the moment! Can you tell I'm fan-boying this pair?!?!

Your thoughts...

 

[Jonas]

My predictions:

Gold: McBeath & Parkman -- Being bold here, but I remember watching them at a summer comp and was like, ..."oooh..."

Silver: Chan & Howe -- I think their relative experience will help, but they can't go too messy. I'm surprised that Chan struggles w/her sbs 3toe so much since her 3toe-3toe combo was so money during her junior singles days.

Bronze: Liu & Nagy -- If her sbs jumps were more reliable, I'd actually bet on them winning. Their lifts are pretty awesome!

Pewter: Kam & O'Shea

Not having watched them compete at all, but imagining how well matched they could be, I would put Efimova & Mitrofanov as my wildcard.

For the record I do like Martins & Bedard, but I'm not as confident in their ability to deliver.

Your thoughts...

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Your thoughts...

my thoughts are that Isabelle and Ryan are on the podium. And then Ryan will enter my harem.