U.S. Ice Dance 2017/18 season news & updates

[breathesgelatin]

They actually don't, the rule is that ladies can't be 19 before July 1st and men can't be 21 by the same date. Carreira/Ponomarenko are in the uncommon position where she's older than him so she will age them out, much like with Davis/White. She will be 19 in April of 2019 and they will have to go senior for the 2019-20 season.

I just hope Christina's citizenship is in order. *grumbles*

 

[VGThuy]

Is Christina getting permanent residency status? She needs to have it for five years before she can apply for citizenship.

 

[Dobre]

Lewis & Bye are currently written in for the Italy JGP.

Yes, people, we are all brilliant sleuths. I am happy.

 

[Lara111]

Lewis & Bye are currently written in for the Italy JGP.

Yes, people, we are all brilliant sleuths. I am happy.

Not on USFSA website.

 

[thvu]

Not on USFSA website.

And?

http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat03108217.htm

 

[Debbie S]

And?

http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat03108217.htm

With the later JGPs, the U.S. frequently submits names as placeholders and then waits to see how skaters do at their first JGP before making final decisions. The deadline to submit names to the ISU is at least a month before the event, so USFS doesn't always have full info by then. Anyone on the ISU lists, whether named or a substitute, could be the skater(s) competing. Until their name(s) appear on the list of assignments on the USFS website, the assignments should be considered unofficial.

I am pretty sure Lewis/Bye will get a 2nd event, but right now, we don't know.

 

[Sylvia]

Looks like there are a couple of competitions happening in the next week: Novice/Jr Challenge Skate in Salt Lake City, Challenge Cup in Philadelphia, and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs

Pike Peak Classic (Colorado Springs) club comp. dance result photos from this past weekend for the Novice, Intermediate & Juvenile teams: https://www.facebook.com/pg/icedancecom/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154984311332939

U.S. Challenge Skate initial entries as of 9/11 (to be confirmed when starting orders are published; dance comp. is Sept. 16-17 in SLC):

Junior Dance (4):
Isabella Amoia / Luca Becker (new)
Molly Cesanek / Nikolay Usanov N7
Katarina DelCamp / Maxwell Gart N2
Alina Efimova / Alexander Petrov J7

Novice Dance (9)
Oona Brown / Gage Brown Int12
Gianna Buckley / Jeffrey Chen (new)
Jordan Lin / Morgan Sletten E-N5
Caroline Liu / Kenan Slevira (new)
Anna Nicklas / Max Ryan Int7
Anna Pettersson / TJ Carey Int10
Susan Talbot / Ryan O’Donnell N12
Elizabeth Tkachenko / Alexei Kiliakov N4
Katarina Wolfkostin / Howard Zhao Int1

Philadelphia Challenge Cup club competition in Ardmore, PA - schedule: http://pschs.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-Challenge-Cup-Schedule.pdf
http://comp.entryeeze.com/Home.aspx?cid=234

Senior FD: Sat, Sep 16, 2017 2:45 PM
Klopstock, Cassidy / Schedl, Jacob M/E
Reynolds, Elicia / Reynolds, Stephen E
Ipolito, Aurelija / Jones, Malcolm Latvia (FD only)

Junior FD: Fri, Sep 15, 2017 7:05 P/M
Haines, Jocelyn / Koszuta, James E/P
Elder, Sophia / Elder, Christopher M
Chen, Cherri / Jin, Yuanshi E/P
Purnell, Claire / Purnell, Luke M
Rose, Allie / Michel, J.T. E/M (new)
Miller, Amanda / Tsarik, Daniel P/E (new)
Popova, Daria / Colucci, Cameron E/P (new)
Davis, Joy / Westwood, Eron Great Britain

Novice FD: Sat, Sep 16, 2017 11:40 AM
Sebastiani, Olivia / Berry, Dillon E
Blahunka, Isabel / Shawver, William M
Pride, Cordelia / Lawless, Benjamin P/E
Weatherby, Maxine / Bogomol, Dmitry P/E (new)
Cordova, Mary-Evelina / Walter, Evan Ruze P/M (new)
Simpson, Anna, Arctic FSC M / (partner?)

Intermediate FD: Sat, Sep 16, 2017 10:55 AM
Cain, Claire / Davydov, Andrei E
Schaub, Kelsey / Haddad, Anthony E/P
Alexis, Bella / Alday, Ethan M/P
Hagan, Isabella / Hagan Jr, Shawn E

Juvenile FD: Sat, Sep 16, 2017 8:10 AM
Ilin, Olivia / Cain, Dylan E
Sensenbrenner, Zoe / Sperry, Matthew E
Carcione, Kaile / Naudzuns, Dima E
Mullen, Caroline / Mullen, Brendan E
Shackett, Meryl / Eckert, Kenny E
Epps, Julia / Gilman, Blake E/P
Flanagan, Ashley / Polcz, Robert E

 

[Jun Y]

Random thought. I hope Rachel and Michael Parsons do a classical waltz free dance next season. Their Cinderella short dance 2 seasons ago left a very strong impression with me. Rachel can work on softer knees, but overall I still think this is their best work ever.

 

[Dobre]

Not on USFSA website.

No, it's not an official assignment. But Lewis & Bye skated their first event quite some time ago and were already removed from their original placeholder spot. If their score was too low for them to earn a second one, I don't think they would have been moved to a new list. My guess is that their names would just have been removed completely.

Technically, a team yet to skate could outscore them and replace them. So it's not official & could change. But it's a good sign.

Nguyen & Kolesnik, on the other hand, haven't skated yet at all. They will only stay on the list for a second event if they skate well enough to earn a second spot.

 

[gkelly]

Local Junior World Champion Ice Dancers Use Special Training Method to Gain Success

 

[aftershocks]

IceTalk interviews Hawayek/Baker and Ted Flett (Blade Boys) for latest episode:
http://web.icenetwork.com/fans/icetalk

 

[jlai]

Does anyone feel that H/B has been in practice champion mode for quote some time, and every time they are doing well, they make a major mistake?

 

[aftershocks]

Hub/Don sd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RyOyohYykc

 

[chapis]

Does anyone feel that H/B has been in practice champion mode for quote some time, and every time they are doing well, they make a major mistake?

they were not doing very well , and the program and their dance . I think when we are watching major mistakes often, small mistakes or mistakes difficult to notice are being overlooked.

 

[Bellanca]

Does anyone feel that H/B has been in practice champion mode for quote some time, and every time they are doing well, they make a major mistake?

They'll be alright. Senior B rust...

 

[danafan]

I saw this on twitter - Aldridge and Eaton have teamed up again.

https://www.ice-dance.com/site/the-return-of-aldridge-eaton/

 

[VGThuy]

Wow. How about Samuelson/Bates?

 

[her grace]

A while back, we discussed whether Hawayek/Baker would be challenging Hubbell/Donohue for the top 3.

[W]e know that Hawayek/Baker and Hubbell/Donohue will both compete at [U.S. Classic] in September. Which, the more I think about, could be an interesting matchup. As someone pointed out elsewhere, their international season's-best scores in the FD last year weren't as far apart as people might think (based on what happened at Nationals). . .

I think we can put to rest the idea that Hawayek/Baker are going to challenge Hubbell/Donohue after U.S. Classic. Moreover, with body of work as the standard for Olympic selection, I don't see how the team could be anyone but the Shibutanis, Hubbell/Donohue, and Chock/Bates.

I saw this on twitter - Aldridge and Eaton have teamed up again.

https://www.ice-dance.com/site/the-return-of-aldridge-eaton/

Wow! Aldridge is a way bigger person than I because I would be seething with rage that my partner dumped me for someone who was clearly technically inferior and wasted an entire quad where they could have been establishing themselves as the next generation. Now they have try to reestablish themselves with the likes of Hawayek/Baker, Pogrebinsky/Benoit, Parsons/Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter in the way. This may be a case of too little, too late.

 

[mollymgr]

I don't find Hawayek/Baker to be as exciting as everyone makes them out to be. They get lost in the shuffle for me, especially when the US ice dance field is so deep. This is their 4th season as seniors and they choose to reuse a program instead of doing something that would make them stand out (well, not in the reusing program way). To add to this, there is a new batch of seniors who are hungry to make their mark. IMO, if they want to make an impact in the next quad, they need a makeover.

 

[Spiralgraph]

^^^

I mostly agree with her grace.
But in Aldridge/Eaton's last year together they had that very forgettable "Gone With The Wind" FD that did them absolutely no favors.
And Thomas/Eaton finished 6th at USA nationals in their one year competing, probably the same result that Aldridge/Eaton would've had if they hadn't split. But I do agree they're going to have a rough time going against all these new younger senior teams. Maybe going back to their previous coaching team will work out.

As for Hawayek/Baker they are a favorite team of mine and I still have good hopes for them, but I'm not entirely convinced that keeping Liebestraum was the best idea. But they have a lyrical romantic quality that I don't see in McNamara/Carpenter or the Parsons siblings, so they could stand out even against that competition. We'll see, won't we, but for the Olympic season, barring illness or injury that top three are set.

 

[Lizziebeth]

I saw this on twitter - Aldridge and Eaton have teamed up again.

https://www.ice-dance.com/site/the-return-of-aldridge-eaton/

Wow, I did not see that happening.

 

[Dobre]

I think we can put to rest the idea that Hawayek/Baker are going to challenge Hubbell/Donohue after U.S. Classic. Moreover, with body of work as the standard for Olympic selection, I don't see how the team could be anyone but the Shibutanis, Hubbell/Donohue, and Chock/Bates.

I don't see any other team qualifying for the Olympics, short of injury, either. And Novak & Kiliakov, themselves, have said that their teams are likely competing for an alternate spot.

But--to be fair & avoid being blindsided--we have two other teams that have won everything there is to win at the junior level and have yet to compete against most of the senior field. If you were on a committee today and sat down to look at those results on paper, their body of work would hold up as well as any junior athlete in any other discipline. Honda, Zagitova, Aliev, Zhou. No one has a stronger junior record than these two dance teams.

Dance is its own beast. Much tougher to leapfrog the ranks in dance without the point-heavy technical elements. I have very practical expectations for these two young teams. Hawayek & Baker, Loboda & Drozd, and Pogrebinsky & Benoit are likely their main competition at this point. But on paper, there is a record every bit as dynamic as Polina Edmunds had four years ago and Nathan Chen had two years ago when they were selected for the Olympic/World teams.

And to be fair to Hawayek & Baker, these three other young U.S. dance teams (plus Carreira & Ponomarenko) are likely their main competition heading into this next quadrennium. H&B go up against Loboda & Drozd at SC and will go up against one of these teams at SA. The rivalry with Hubbell & Donohue was always more a fiction than a reality. This coming rivalry is a very real one.

 

[VGThuy]

I think the closest H/B and H/D had been to being a real rivalry was in 2014-2015 when Hawayek/Baker were fresh from their Junior Worlds win and had a great, fresh FD (better than any of the top three FDs in terms of choreography) and seemed to have a bright, exciting future ahead. This was before H/D moved to Montreal and seemed to have stagnated artistically and technically with Camerlengo/Krylova who failed to tap into their technical potential the way Dubrieul/Lauzon have. In fact, I remember reading that some people thought H/B would also over take the Shibs by the Olympic season. But I'm used to reading people's thoughts on the Shibs' demise throughout their career.

 

[DimaToe]

IMO the battle for the pewter/4CC team will be more exciting than the fight for the Olympic team. Hawayek/Baker, The Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter, and Pogrebinsky/Benoit are all very good teams, my instinct is that P/B are destined for 7th place, but as history shows, don't underestimate the power of Shpilband at U.S. nationals.

 

[Lara111]

IMO the battle for the pewter/4CC team will be more exciting than the fight for the Olympic team. Hawayek/Baker, The Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter, and Pogrebinsky/Benoit are all very good teams, my instinct is that P/B are destined for 7th place, but as history shows, don't underestimate the power of Shpilband at U.S. nationals.

USFSA politics kill the joy of ice dance. So sad.

 

[her grace]

After finishing 2nd at Challenge, I wonder if Efimova/Petrov have done enough to get a JGP spot at #6 or #7.

 

[Debbie S]

In fact, I remember reading that some people thought H/B would also over take the Shibs by the Olympic season.

Yes, those people also thought that H/B would overtake H/D and C/B and be USA #1 by Pyeongchang. I think the lack of size difference has hindered their progress, plus they lack the power and ice coverage of the top 3 teams. Maybe they will be a top contender in U.S. dance in the next quad, who knows.

 

[Lara111]

After finishing 2nd at Challenge, I wonder if Efimova/Petrov have done enough to get a JGP spot at #6 or #7.

Probably not, unfortunately. In my opinion they are stronger and have more potential then some of the Juniors who were given chance to compete at JGP this year. They skated a good FD.

 

[Lara111]

Probably not, unfortunately. In my opinion they are stronger and have more potential then some of the Juniors who were given chance to compete at JGP this year. They skated a good FD.

I am wondering if USFSA now sends Haines/Koszuta after their win at Philadelphia challenge cup. They deserve it over Elders/Elders for sure. I am not sure how their score would compare to Challenge Cup which usually has a notoriously low scores comparing to other competitions.

 

[her grace]

Haines/Koszuta are not listed subs for any of the remaining JGPs; they can't be selected.