2024-25 US Pairs Discussion - Triple-Twisting Through Tornado Alley

[Spiralgraph]

I'd expect that C/H's elements would be stronger right now seeing as Audrey Shin has been a pair skater for less than 1 year. I'm noting S/N are making progress and I think Audrey is a little bit better landing sbs triples than Emily.

All in all, pairs is usually the least predictable (last year's nationals was a fall-a-thon if I remember right.) I'm hoping they all improve, and although Ellie and Danny are my faves, dang it I'll applaud them all as I dream of another medal at the world championships in the near future.

 

[Karen-W]

I'd expect that C/H's elements would be stronger right now seeing as Audrey Shin has been a pair skater for less than 1 year. I'm noting S/N are making progress and I think Audrey is a little bit better landing sbs triples than Emily.

All in all, pairs is usually the least predictable (last year's nationals was a fall-a-thon if I remember right.) I'm hoping they all improve, and although Ellie and Danny are my faves, dang it I'll applaud them all as I dream of another medal at the world championships in the near future.

I mean... She was a Tammy Gambill skater, so she can probably stand those triples up better, but the tech panel's going to go to town on them just like they usually do with Emily's whenever she stands up on them.

 

[Rukia]

I mean... She was a Tammy Gambill skater, so she can probably stand those triples up better, but the tech panel's going to go to town on them just like they usually do with Emily's whenever she stands up on them.

i mean the jumps she has to do in pairs are not the ones she had issues with most of the time as a singles skater so she might be ok 50% of the time

 

[Sylvia]

Mark Sadusky’s end of 2024 post : https://www.instagram.com/p/DEOvP0CRZ0U/

Growing up as a child all I ever wanted to do was compete as a Team USA Figure skater. For years, I was discouraged not only by myself but by comments of others telling me I would never make it. I was not good enough, not fit enough, not talented enough. I even had at one point someone message me and tell me I would never make it. This year that dream finally came true. I competed in two international competitions and medaled in one of them! I wish I could go back in time and tell that little boy not to worry and everything would be okay but everything happens for a reason! This year I had so many unexpcted obstacles that stood in my way and made life hard but these people never failed to pick me back up put me back together. To the bottom of my heart thank you for helping me throughout one of the most exciting, stressful , and challenging years of my life. To my partner Nica thank you for always standing by my side and dealing with me. You inspire me to be a better person each day and I’m so excited to continue our journey together. 2025 I’m ready for you and all the challenges that you may bring but please be a little nicer at least. From me to you Happy New Year

Mark Sadusky on Instagram: "What an incredible journey to Graz, Austria 🇦🇹 this past week. I’m so thrilled to say we brought back the silver medal! Thank you to U.S Figure skating that made this trip possible. My coaching team for pushing us to be be

mark.sadusky on November 11, 2024: "What an incredible journey to Graz, Austria 🇦🇹 this past week. I’m so thrilled to say we brought back the silver medal! Thank you to U.S Figure skating that made this trip possible. My coaching team for pushing us to be better and better each day. Thank you to...

www.instagram.com

August 4:

I volunteered at the Scott Hamilton Invitational this weekend. It is NQS this year. Cayla Smith won Novice Women. I have known her coach, Alena Lunin, for several years. I asked them if Cayla was still looking for a Pairs partner. They both smiled and said that she now has a partner. No name was given but he came from singles and is new to Pairs. Cayla will continue to compete Novice Women while her partner learns Pair moves. They are training in Fort Wayne with Lunin.

Cayla did not mention continuing in pairs in her 2024 post but did write that she "Came home [from the Youth Olympic Games in Korea] with two silver medals and a stress fracture." She had to take 4 months off from skating but ended her singles season successfully, qualifying again for USFS' National Development Team & Camp by placing 4th in Novice Women at Midwesterns for the second straight year : https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEP8cGYx7H7 /

 

[Sylvia]

Dec. 7, 2024:

Golden Spin update - Chan/Howe won the silver with a 177.70 score; Shin/Nagy won the bronze with 170.17 - CTES was 87.40 - just MISSED the Worlds min of 88, but they are eligible for 4CCs.

@jennysk8oboe asked in the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb competition thread in Kiss & Cry:

Can anyone share the LP of Shin/Nagy?

Just noticed that Audrey uploaded her and Balazs' Golden Spin FS (scored 111.99) to Yiruma's "River Flows in You (Orchestra Version)" to her YT channel on Dec. 10 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYg6TFZEIrg

"It’s a new year" (throw 3Lo by Chan/Howe):

Emily Chan on Instagram: "It’s a new year 🌟 • • • #figureskating #figureskater #iceskating #skatingclubofboston #skatingclub #usfigureskating #teamusa #pairskating #edeafamily #edeaskates #edeaicefly #edea #johnwilsonblades #skatesus"

610 likes, 10 comments - chopstickspin on January 2, 2025: "It’s a new year 🌟 • • • #figureskating #figureskater #iceskating #skatingclubofboston #skatingclub #usfigureskating #teamusa #pairskating #edeafamily #edeaskates #edeaicefly #edea #johnwilsonblades #skatesus".

www.instagram.com

ETA - reposting here from the Ice Shows thread (New Year's Eve show at the Frog Pond on Boston Common) - Efimova/Mitrofanov skated and Alisa wore her "Money Money Money" (ABBA) EX jacket:

Alisa Efimova on Instagram: "Entering the New Year with joy, friends, skating and fireworks 🥳✨ Thank you @skatingclubbos and @frogpondboston for having us for the show!"

498 likes, 17 comments - alisaefim on January 1, 2025: "Entering the New Year with joy, friends, skating and fireworks 🥳✨ Thank you @skatingclubbos and @frogpondboston for having us for the show!".

www.instagram.com

Also, McBeath/Parkman, Martins/Bedard & Korytek/Chapman were the 3 Senior pairs that skated at Great Park Ice's Nationals Send-Off show yesterday - link to photos: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ows-benefits-tours.112107/page-3#post-6709240

 

[Karen-W]

USFS Rulebook:
2720 Draws for Initial Starting Orders – Singles, Pairs and Ice Dance
2721 At the U.S. Figure Skating Championships only, the starting order for the junior and championship (senior) women’s, men’s and pairs short program and junior and championship (senior) rhythm dance events will be established as follows:
A. The competitors who hold an ISU World Standing in their discipline will skate in reverse order of their ISU World Standings, as of the date of the draw, with the highest ranked competitor skating last.
B. Any competitors who don't hold an ISU World Standing in their discipline will skate first in their event. The starting order for these remaining competitors will be by closed, random draw conducted by the chief referee and chief accountant.

Senior Pairs -
8 Ellie Kam/Danny O'Shea
11 Emily Chan/Spencer Akira Howe
30 Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov
35 Naomi Williams/Lachlan Lewer //
47 Katie McBeath/Daniil Parkman
51 Isabelle Martins/Ryan Bedard
70 Audrey Shin/Balasz Nagy
72 Nica Digerness/Mark Sadusky //
77 Linzy Fitzpatrick/Keyton Bearinger
81 Evelyn Grace Hanns/Danny Neudecker
unranked - Sydney Cooke/Matthew Kennedy, Ellie Korytek/Timmy Chapman

Junior Pairs -
22 Olivia Flores/Luke Wang
63 Saya Carpenter/Jon Maravilla
65 Elizabeth Hansen/William Church
66 Reagan Moss/Jakub Galbavy //

73 Addyson McDanold/Aaron Felberbaum
2nd group will include two of the unranked teams, the third group will consist of the other three unranked teams

unranked - Graceann Gottschalk/Sam Herbert, Sofia Jarmoc/Luke Witkowski, Milada Kovar/Jared McPike, Mazie McFarland/Samir Andjorin, Taisiya Shapovalova/Carter Griffin

 

[Sylvia]

Maybe you could delete the first sentence of my original post you quoted above since @ice coverage has answered in the Wichita Nationals planning thread that this draw rule went into effect at 2024 Nationals:

Does anyone recall if this Nationals SP/RD draw rule was in effect for Columbus 2024 last year (or earlier?) or is this new for this year?

 

[Sylvia]

"Devin and Juliet Meek are sibling figure skaters, champions from Jacksonville [Florida] and currently the top novice [pair] team in the United States." Video (Dec. 28, 2024):

Youth sibling figure skaters join GMJ to talk recent tournament win

Devin and Juliet Meek are figure skaters who joined Good Morning Jacksonville to talk about their next tournament on the national stage.

www.firstcoastnews.com

For a fun moment watch until the end of the video segment!

TV anchor/reporter at First Coast News Rich Donnelly after watching the sibling Novice pair team of Devin & Juliet Meek demonstrate a lasso lift [to one arm, including set down] on the studio floor: "Holy smokes! Juliet, you're like 10 feet in the air! And you guys do this on skates too... that's very impressive!" (Donnelly sounded surprised/taken aback and his reaction made me )

Yes, figure skating is a REAL SPORT.

 

[Sylvia]

Sydney Cooke and Matthew Kennedy prepare for senior [pairs] Nationals debut in Wichita - FSO article by Scott Mammoser (Jan. 8, 2025): https://figureskatersonline.com/new...repare-for-senior-nationals-debut-in-wichita/
Excerpt:

“I do like the amount of time we have in our program as seniors,” the 22-year-old Cooke said. “In juniors, I always felt like we were rushed. The quality of skating in general – everybody skates as a team. In juniors, sometimes you really had two singles skaters skating at once. We really had to work to skate as one.”
The team is in the midst of a comeback. Cooke sprained her ankle on one of her attempts on a triple twist, and they lost the entire summer. Although they continued to skate during the injury, Cooke could not put weight on her landing foot. In the fall, they competed in two national qualifying series events — Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships and Boston Open, where they finished first and second respectively. They won the silver medal at the Pairs Final in November.
“I feel as prepared as possible for how much time we have had,” the 23-year-old Kennedy said. “We’ve definitely grown as skaters. Neither of us are where we want to be right now, and we are excited to show fans what we have when we have a full year as seniors.”

 

[Sylvia]

Maura Sullivan Hill's article on Kam/O'Shea for FSO (Jan. 15): https://figureskatersonline.com/new...kam-and-oshea-look-ahead-to-nationals-worlds/

Phil Hersh's article on Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy's first year partnership (Jan. 16): https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/audrey-shin-balazs-nagy-figure-skating-pairs
Excerpt:

First, Shin had to not only learn to skate next to (and in synch with) someone else but also learn pairs’ elements — twists, throw jumps, lifts, death spirals.
Her advanced jumping skills — particularly compared to those of Nagy, who says, “I was an awful singles skater” — would no longer be needed. Her triple Lutzes, flips and loops would be set aside, as Nagy never had done them, even in a brief singles career than ended in 2014.
“Audrey looked up one of my old singles programs on YouTube, and so she decided not to push the subject,” Nagy said, laughing.
Shin, on the other hand, admitted to being “terrified” the first times she tried throw jumps. But she persisted.
“She caught onto the lifts and the twist pretty easy, but the throws and death spirals took more time,” said Meagan Duhamel, the two-time pairs’ world champion and Olympic bronze medalist who helps coach Shin and Nagy with Marcotte, her husband. “Overall, I find her transition (to pairs) to be quite impressive.”

 

[farahfan]

Maura Sullivan Hill's article on Kam/O'Shea for FSO (Jan. 15): https://figureskatersonline.com/new...kam-and-oshea-look-ahead-to-nationals-worlds/

Phil Hersh's article on Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy's first year partnership (Jan. 16): https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/audrey-shin-balazs-nagy-figure-skating-pairs
Excerpt:

I thought they might try to be the number three pair but it looks like they're going for that second spot after Kam O'Shea. Good luck!

 

[Karen-W]

I thought they might try to be the number three pair but it looks like they're going for that second spot after Kam O'Shea. Good luck!

Everyone is going for it. I have my doubts that ShiNagy can get it based on what they put on the competition ice at Golden Spin.

 

[Private Citizen]

Everyone is going for it. I have my doubts that ShiNagy can get it based on what they put on the competition ice at Golden Spin.

Do they have a triple twist? Their throws look decent, and they'll rack up a bunch of points on the side-by-sides (even if I hate x + 2A + 2A sequences).

It's an uphill battle for sure, because Chan and Howe's pair elements and basic skating are still far superior. That said, if Chan and Howe don't land any of their jumping elements cleanly (which is sadly in the realm of possibility) and/or have a big miss on the first element of the jump sequence, I do think Shin and Nagy have an outside chance.

 

[Sylvia]

I thought they might try to be the number three pair but it looks like they're going for that second spot after Kam O'Shea.

By next year’s Nationals, according to Bruno Marcotte:

“The first year, you’ve got to learn to skate together and become a pair,” said Marcotte … “It’s about giving the glue time to solidify.
“If you rush, the pair can get out of the gate pretty fast, pretty good. But year two, three, four, they look the same.
“Because the Olympics is the goal, everything is geared to them being their best at nationals next year. It’s a lot easier to press the gas in year two if you create a strong foundation in year one.”

Do they have a triple twist?

From the article: re. Shin/Nagy’s goal for Nationals: “… they plan to increase the difficulty of their twist (double to triple) and the short program throw (triple Salchow to triple loop).”

 

[Karen-W]

From the article: re. Shin/Nagy’s goal for Nationals: “… they plan to increase the difficulty of their twist (double to triple) and the short program throw (triple Salchow to triple loop).”

Well, it's a triple twist taught by Bruno. Though maybe it won't be as bad as some of his past teams. MiuKih have improved theirs this season, and the WASA teams usually have good twists.

We'll have to see how things go. ChanHowe had issues all fall - and some stupid lapse in concentration errors - but they've had a good 6 works of uninterrupted training time and I do think their pairs elements are better than ShiNagy right now.

 

[Sylvia]

We'll have to see how things go. ChanHowe had issues all fall - and some stupid lapse in concentration errors - but they've had a good 6 works of uninterrupted training time and I do think their pairs elements are better than ShiNagy right now.

No argument from me there.

 

[Rukia]

Well, it's a triple twist taught by Bruno. Though maybe it won't be as bad as some of his past teams. MiuKih have improved theirs this season, and the WASA teams usually have good twists.

We'll have to see how things go. ChanHowe had issues all fall - and some stupid lapse in concentration errors - but they've had a good 6 works of uninterrupted training time and I do think their pairs elements are better than ShiNagy right now.

Nagy had good triple twists with past partners, so idk why this is all on Bruno. Also I think it's very reasonable to think shin/nagy could end up 4th at us nats. Like of course I'd expect Chan/Howe to be above them right now lol. They've been skating together for like 5 minutes.

 

[Karen-W]

Nagy had good triple twists with past partners, so idk why this is all on Bruno. Also I think it's very reasonable to think shin/nagy could end up 4th at us nats. Like of course I'd expect Chan/Howe to be above them right now lol. They've been skating together for like 5 minutes.

Oh, I don't think 4th is an unreasonable expectation for ShiNagy. It'll be interesting to see how they stack up against McBeath/Parkman.

 

[Sylvia]

Clip posted by Emily today: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE7ipeBRHuH/

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Sylvia]

Natalia Mishkutenok posted this photo of the "M&M Pairs" headed to Wichita - L to R are Flores/Wang (looking to defend their Jr. title), Digerness/Sadusky, Kam/O'Shea, new Junior team Milada Kovar/Jared McPike, Williams/Lewer:

Natalia Mishkutenok on Instagram: "Good luck teams at US Nationals next week!!! #skating #figureskating"

128 likes, 6 comments - natalia.mishkutenok on January 16, 2025: "Good luck teams at US Nationals next week!!! #skating #figureskating".

www.instagram.com

They performed simulation skates on the campus rink of Colorado College in Colorado Springs yesterday.

 

[farahfan]

Oh, I don't think 4th is an unreasonable expectation for ShiNagy. It'll be interesting to see how they stack up against McBeath/Parkman.

we don't know yet if Parkman has citizenship, right?
what I find interesting is that S/N are betting on the US having two Olympic spots and that the second one is up for grabs due to Efimova's lack of citizenship.
I would agree than Chan-Howe have a better chance if they can show us a reset at Nationals.
but this is ice...anything can happen...

 

[Wyliefan]

New Efi/Mit interview. Apparently they're both into seafood and Formula 1 racing.
https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fi...a-mitrofanov-usa-partnership-racing-interview

 

[farahfan]

New Efi/Mit interview. Apparently they're both into seafood and Formula 1 racing.
https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fi...a-mitrofanov-usa-partnership-racing-interview

Looks like Efimova is confident she’ll have US citizenship by 2026. How is that possible if she arrived in 2023? I thought US naturalization takes at least 8 years.

 

[Amy L]

we don't know yet if Parkman has citizenship, right?

There's just about no way Parkman has citizenship. He hasn't been here that long and no one has ever mentioned any American parent or any other previous tie to the US.

 

[farahfan]

There's just about no way Parkman has citizenship. He hasn't been here that long and no one has ever mentioned any American parent or any other previous tie to the US.

He said he lived in the US as a child (not born in the US). But for a child to be naturalized, the parents have to be naturalized first. So it’s a big question mark.

 

[dancing_on_ice]

There's just about no way Parkman has citizenship. He hasn't been here that long and no one has ever mentioned any American parent or any other previous tie to the US.

Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman riding new partnership to U.S. Nationals - Figure Skaters Online

By Scott Mammoser, Team FSO contributing writer Photos courtesy of Katie McBeath It didn’t take long for Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman to embrace their new pairs partnership. The team officially matched in May and is one of the leading contenders going into January’s U.S. Championships...

figureskatersonline.com

This article from last year mentions that Daniil took his first steps on the ice as a toddler in Seattle. Really not sure what that means though in terms of if he has family in the US, or his parents were here temporarily

 

[Wyliefan]

Looks like Efimova is confident she’ll have US citizenship by 2026. How is that possible if she arrived in 2023? I thought US naturalization takes at least 8 years.

Yes, I was wondering that myself!

 

[Karen-W]

Looks like Efimova is confident she’ll have US citizenship by 2026. How is that possible if she arrived in 2023? I thought US naturalization takes at least 8 years.

I don't see how that is even possible - you're correct that it should take far longer than the time she's been in the US since they partnered up.

 

[farahfan]

I don't see how that is even possible - you're correct that it should take far longer than the time she's been in the US since they partnered up.

Well I guess we should assume every US pair is going for the Olympics unless they say they’re not

 

[marshallpond]

Looks like Efimova is confident she’ll have US citizenship by 2026. How is that possible if she arrived in 2023? I thought US naturalization takes at least 8 years.

You qualify to apply for citizenship 5 years after becoming a permanent resident, and getting permanent residency takes at least 2-3 years fastest