2025-26 US Pairs Discussion - Milano-Bound By Way of Beijing & St. Louis

[Karen-W]

Little late chiming into this discussion, but I just got caught up watching the John Nicks performances. I didn't read the protocols too closely; I just watched. Inexplicably and intangibly, I felt most at ease and was most drawn in watching Shin & Nagy.

Totally understand how Chan & Howe should've been sent to Beijing based on their higher scores, but I don't believe they would've fared better. Fourth year into this Olympiad and I've yet to see Chan land a clean sbs 3toe in competition. (If she has I certainly don't remember.)

So, right now my money is on Shin & Nagy over Chan & Howe as the 2nd pair sent to Cortina.

I will definitely agree that McBeath & Parkman should've been assigned to Skate America based on their medal showing. I'm still waiting for them to really put it all together though.

Your thoughts...

They screwed their own pooch with the way they skated in Beijing. If they'd been a close 4th at Skate to Milano, then I could see a case being made for them, but they have struggled every time they've been given a major international assignment.

Also, the first year of this Olympic cycle, Emily was having some degree of success with her 3T, and she did manage one clean one the following season.

2022 SCI SP - 3T clean
2023 US Nats SP - 3T clean
2023 4CCs FS - 3T clean
2024 Worlds SP - 3T clean

We'll see how the rest of the season plays out, but I don't see ShiNagy beating any of the teams they lost to at Nats last year, and they may not even beat PlaFern or LiuBed either.

 

[Karen-W]

uh oh you just used the unique set of keywords that will get you an essay paper in disagreement rip

It was a short essay, backed up by facts, thankyouverymuch.

 

[Rukia]

It was a short essay, backed up by facts, thankyouverymuch.

i admire your restraint

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Interestingly Liu & Bedard are using the same music in their FS, but I find Shin & Nagy's more impactful. Sorry, not sorry, AngelaNikodinovLove!

Lol hahahhahahahah

I’m not worried. I think Chelsea and Ryan are going to rock this season. Hopefully they get some assignments somewhere soon though.

Ryans lifts have really improved over the last year

 

[Joubabe]

To say I was surprised by how good Chelsea and Ryan were at John Nicks is an understatement. Besides the fact that they are a brand new team, I always thought that Ryan was pretty much dead weight in his prior partnership. He looked to me like a different skater with Chelsea. Really looking forward to seeing more of them this season.

 

[Karen-W]

Credit to @TanithandBenFan for pointing out in the Nebelhorn pbp thread that McBark's 183.81 would have been more than enough to secure the 3rd spot had they been sent to Beijing.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Credit to @TanithandBenFan for pointing out in the Nebelhorn pbp thread that McBark's 183.81 would have been more than enough to secure the 3rd spot had they been sent to Beijing.

I did not want to say it…

 

[her grace]

Well look at that - 183 for McBeath/Parkman. More than enough to have gotten that third spot!

The US never wanted a third spot, anyway. #sourgrapes

 

[jägerbomb]

My biggest concern regarding USA pairs is getting McBeath to Worlds this season.

USFS screwed them royally this year: first with no 4CC berth and then again by not selecting them for Beijing. Classic USFS incompetence, really.

 

[carriecmu0503]

My biggest concern regarding USA pairs is getting McBeath to Worlds this season.

USFS screwed them royally this year: first with no 4CC berth and then again by not selecting them for Beijing. Classic USFS incompetence, really.

They also only have one Grand Prix and were passed over for Skate America in favor of Shin and Nagy.

 

[tony]

They also only have one Grand Prix and were passed over for Skate America in favor of Shin and Nagy.

To be fair there, they should be next(?) on the Grand Prix alternates list and they have a high shot of getting one that way. Better to give the host event to another team.

 

[Karen-W]

To be fair there, they should be next(?) on the Grand Prix alternates list and they have a high shot of getting one that way. Better to give the host event to another team.

They are 1st on the GP Alternates List, so I think they stand a reasonably good chance of picking up a 2nd assignment. ChanHowe are currently 4th on the GP Alternates List and may not get a 2nd. They also resoundingly outscored ShiNagy at John Nicks.

Honestly, I'd probably give McBark the SkAm host spot, if only because then they won't have the travel challenge with back-to-back GPs since their first GP is CoC. That would move ChanHowe up to 3rd and quite likely to pick up a 2nd GP - there are 4 teams with GP assignments (2 with 2 each) whom I've got my eye on as potential withdrawal - SuiHan, GoluGM, KamO & FlorWang. There are any # of permutations possible depending on who is on the GP List if & when any of fthose teams withdraws.

It does seem as though ShiNagy are merely listed as a placeholder right now. Kapeikis was interviewed by Golden Skate at Nebelhorn and he said his goal is to get the SkAm host spot. Someone in the pbp thread posited a theory that the ISU has a deadline for the GP hosts to name their TBD spots - we saw Canada, Finland, the JSF & the USFS all confirm their TBD spots on the same day, but the USFS only announced the Browns as having secured the TBD spot. The USFS still has TBD listed for both the Men's & Pairs spots & haven't made any announcements about those two spots.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

My biggest concern regarding USA pairs is getting McBeath to Worlds this season.

USFS screwed them royally this year: first with no 4CC berth and then again by not selecting them for Beijing. Classic USFS incompetence, really.

I mean, you’re not wrong.