2025-26 USFS International Assignments

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Coats is confirmed for UAE for women.

USFS is really spreading out the assignments. Von Felton is only skater so far who has received two, which seems shortsighted to me. Only one assignment left to assign.

Annika

 

[her grace]

While I'm grousing, wish they would have waited to assign the last JGP spot at UAE in ice dance until after Calhoun/Zheltyshev competed here in AZE. They are knocking on the podium after the RD and clearly look like a two-spot team to me.

 

[Karen-W]

Coats is confirmed for UAE for women.

USFS is really spreading out the assignments. Von Felton is only skater so far who has received two, which seems shortsighted to me. Only one assignment left to assign.

The USFS made it clear last season that they were not going to give 2nd assignments to anyone who did not medal at their 1st JGP. Sophie Joline is the only US woman to have medaled so far & they're being very consistent in not handing out 2nd assignments until you've demonstrated you can deliver results.

IMO, it's paying off for them. The men have 1 TBD spot still and they're now in a position to give it to Farrington, who has posted the 2nd highest score for the US men on the JGP so far & earned a bronze medal, despite not having a Jr Cup or NQS score that would have suggested he was capable of delivering so well in his first major international assignment.

I actually question the USFS' decision to give Fugate/Fugate the 2nd JGP Abu Dhabi dance spot before Calhoun/Zheltyshev had a chance to compete, and wonder if they'll regret it should CalZhel pull up for a medal tomorrow.

My expectation is that the USFS will wait to confirm the last Abu Dhabi women's spot until after Kaya Tiernan competes next week. Coats was next on my list of potential JGP assignment recipients since the USFS didn't include Madison Chong as an alternate for any of the JGPs. If Tiernan doesn't medal (not likely) then I think it may go to Rachel Samiri.

 

[her grace]

I think the last women's spot should go to Chao. And I would have been fine with Shao and Bezkorovainaya getting a second as well. It's not like the US only had 7-9 spots this year. Reward your best performers with a second assignment and each of the skaters performed extremely well in their first event even if they didn't medal.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I think the last women's spot should go to Chao

You and I have always been the ones people look to in this forum.

 

[Karen-W]

I think the last women's spot should go to Chao. And I would have been fine with Shao and Bezkorovainaya getting a second as well. It's not like the US only had 7-9 spots this year. Reward your best performers with a second assignment and each of the skaters performed extremely well in their first event even if they didn't medal.

Eh. I could see an argument for giving both Chao and Bezkorovainaya a 2nd assignment, and I think I probably would have over sending Coats, but I don't think it's very likely given how firm the USFS has been in NOT giving skaters who fail to medal at their 1st JGP a 2nd assignment.

 

[TheOGSkateGuard]

The USFS made it clear last season that they were not going to give 2nd assignments to anyone who did not medal at their 1st JGP.

…

I actually question the USFS' decision to give Fugate/Fugate the 2nd JGP Abu Dhabi dance spot before Calhoun/Zheltyshev had a chance to compete, and wonder if they'll regret it should CalZhel pull up for a medal tomorrow.

I do appreciate that USFS sets their criteria for these assignments, then honors them when skaters meet the criteria, whether it’s the best decision or not.

That being said, C/Z were much stronger in the RD in LP so we’ll see how much they’ve improved in two months. I’m just impressed that in such a deep dance field, they found an assignment for a new team who
hasn’t made it to Nationals.

 

[her grace]

…


I do appreciate that USFS sets their criteria for these assignments, then honors them when skaters meet the criteria, whether it’s the best decision or not.

If they set a medal as the requirement for ladies, it doesn’t make much sense when you have a full complement of spots. Other strong countries like Japan let their 4th-placers get a second assignment. Even countries with fewer spots prioritize their best skaters getting two, e.g, Switzerland. So the other countries’ juniors are gaining experience, name recognition, a second chance to medal, and world standing points, and the U.S. would rather dig deeper into its ranks and send its 11th or 12th best skaters?

That being said, C/Z were much stronger in the RD in LP so we’ll see how much they’ve improved in two months. I’m just impressed that in such a deep dance field, they found an assignment for a new team who
hasn’t made it to Nationals.

There’s only 2 American ice dance teams returning to the JGP this season. Five of the assigned teams haven’t made it to nationals at the junior level: Two new pairings and three teams up from novice.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

There’s only 2 American ice dance teams returning to the JGP this season.

Which reminds me, are the Mullens and the Peals senior now? Because I haven’t seen them on the entry list for squat.

Oh dear, Karen may say that I’m not looking well enough on the assignment page.

 

[her grace]

Which reminds me, are the Mullens and the Peals senior now? Because I haven’t seen them on the entry list for squat.

Yes, they are seniors. They both competed at Lake Placid International with Peals finishing higher. But no room at the inn for Challenger assignments. They’ll need to beat teams like Cui/Rogers and Koncius/Shchepetov if they want to go anywhere and higher ranked teams than those to get on GP.

ETA: if USFS is still doing the self-funded internationals, that would be another way to get out there in international competition.

 

[Karen-W]

If they set a medal as the requirement for ladies, it doesn’t make much sense when you have a full complement of spots. Other strong countries like Japan let their 4th-placers get a second assignment. Even countries with fewer spots prioritize their best skaters getting two, e.g, Switzerland. So the other countries’ juniors are gaining experience, name recognition, a second chance to medal, and world standing points, and the U.S. would rather dig deeper into its ranks and send its 11th or 12th best skaters?

There’s only 2 American ice dance teams returning to the JGP this season. Five of the assigned teams haven’t made it to nationals at the junior level: Two new pairings and three teams up from novice.

Well, the difference is that a Japanese or Korean woman who finishes 4th at their Nats/selection competition, can usually be expected to be competitive for the podium. Chao and Bezkorovainaya are the ONLY US women apart from Sophie Joline who have posted a 173+ score at their JGPs - Annika's 175.75 would have been good enough for bronze at JGP Riga, while Sofia would have missed out on the podium by .17 there with her 173.50; and Shao's the only other woman with a 170+ score (from Riga where she placed 5th). Maybe an argument could be made to give those three another JGP, but... Eh...

 

[jlai]

Yeah I don’t see a Gracie Gold like skater ending up with jgp aka 2012

 

[marshallpond]

ETA: if USFS is still doing the self-funded internationals, that would be another way to get out there in international competition.

John Nicks, Tayside, Mezzaluna Cup, Robin Cousins, Bolero Cup, Warsaw Cup, Tallinn Trophy, Santa Claus Cup etc. are all self funded internationals

 

[Karen-W]

John Nicks, Tayside, Mezzaluna Cup, Robin Cousins, Bolero Cup, Warsaw Cup, Tallinn Trophy, Santa Claus Cup etc. are all self funded internationals

Why would Warsaw Cup or Tallinn Trophy be self-funded for seniors? Those are Challenger Series events. Warsaw hasn't had juniors in years.

I can see John Nicks and Tallinn Trophy junior skaters/teams having to self-fund, but it would surprise me if the USFS expected the senior skaters assigned to those Challengers to self-fund.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Why would Warsaw Cup or Tallinn Trophy be self-funded for seniors? Those are Challenger Series events. Warsaw hasn't had juniors in years.

I can see John Nicks and Tallinn Trophy junior skaters/teams having to self-fund, but it would surprise me if the USFS expected the senior skaters assigned to those Challengers to self-fund.

The ANL Athletic Cup is funded by the harem I heard

 

[her grace]

Well, the difference is that a Japanese or Korean woman who finishes 4th at their Nats/selection competition, can usually be expected to be competitive for the podium.

I meant that if Japan's skater finishes 4th at the JGP, they still get a second assignment. It's odd if USFS is holding its skaters to a higher standard than the top jr-women-skating nation.

Chao and Bezkorovainaya are the ONLY US women apart from Sophie Joline who have posted a 173+ score at their JGPs - Annika's 175.75 would have been good enough for bronze at JGP Riga, while Sofia would have missed out on the podium by .17 there with her 173.50; and Shao's the only other woman with a 170+ score (from Riga where she placed 5th). Maybe an argument could be made to give those three another JGP, but... Eh...

I think an 170+ score is a good indicator of "deserving" a second assignment, particularly if that's what your 2nd-best American lady can score. Yeah, maybe it's off the podium in top 5, but USFS also needs to compare those results to what a lower-ranked American would achieve. Is sending 11th-best American Jr lady to finish 18th a better use of the spot? I think not.

 

[Karen-W]

I meant that if Japan's skater finishes 4th at the JGP, they still get a second assignment. It's odd if USFS is holding its skaters to a higher standard than the top jr-women-skating nation.


I think an 170+ score is a good indicator of "deserving" a second assignment, particularly if that's what your 2nd-best American lady can score. Yeah, maybe it's off the podium in top 5, but USFS also needs to compare those results to what a lower-ranked American would achieve. Is sending 11th-best American Jr lady to finish 18th a better use of the spot? I think not.

Gotcha. That makes more sense.

And I tend to agree, based on what we're seeing out of Kim & Johnson this week. I have my worries about Tiernan & Coats. Like I said, I could make a reasonably sound argument that Shao, Chao & Bezkorovainaya should have received the last 3 TBD assignments based on the 170+ scores they achieved in their first JGPs.

 

[Stephanie]

My concern is that someone needs to go to junior worlds and help fight for spots, especially with Sophie (as a front runner) is still inconsistent and susceptible to callers.

Maybe USFS is betting on sending Elyce or even Sarah back to juniors, but they should have other options with experience, which is why I agree that USFS should favor giving ladies who have a decent shot at the junior world team a second assignment over an 11th or 12th ranked skater.

 

[Stephanie]

Caleb Farrington is confirmed for the Gdansk JGP per USFS

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

Caleb Farrington is confirmed for the Gdansk JGP per USFS

I was keeping an eye on the page and missed it. I didn't bother scrolling all the way down to Gdansk because I didn't yet see scores posted for Baku. Silly me.