U.S. Men 2020-21 season news & updates

[Rukia]

Tomoki Hiwatashi debuted his SP to "Standards" by Leslie Odom Jr. and scored 84.23 - 4T, 3A, 3Lz+3T (no credit for his flying camel spin): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7MpmWoORu4

I'm a Tomoki Hiwatashi uber. He just keeps being amazing. Apologies if I cursed him in the future.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting from the Peggy Fleming Trophy thread:

Episode 32 of the Ice Tea podcast focuses on the Peggy Fleming Trophy and Andrew Torgashev joined the hosts after the 28-minute mark (and talked about creatively collaborating with Josh Farris on his program after the 31-min. mark & again at 43:48):

Episode 32: The 2020 Peggy Fleming Trophy! With Andrew Torgashev

Meghan and Neda emerge from their off season cocoons to cover a skating event at long last--the innovative 2020 Peggy Fleming Trophy, which took place in the coolest rink of them all: cyberspace!! Silver medalist Andrew Torgashev joins us for a very exciting peek behind the cu...

audioboom.com

Near the end (56:30) of the podcast, Torgashev reveals his (partly self-choreographed) programs for the season:
SP: Flamenco piece
FS: Imagine Dragons medley of "Dream" / "Battle Cry" / "Radioactive"

Andrew worked with Sam Chouinard on off-ice choreography for the FS during quarantine and, at the time of the podcast, was in the process of transitioning to the ice and adding the jumps.
Choreographer Scott Brown is helping (in Andrew's words) "to finesse and clean up and make everything pristine in both programs."

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Woke up to this text message from my mom. The woman is definitely in the know....

“Johnny Weir is on Dancing with the Stars!!!!!!!! Picked my winner!!!! I predict Carol Baskin will be first off”

Lol

 

[Sylvia]

Fun for Johnny! I've started a DWTS Season 29 thread in the OTBT forum: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/dancing-with-the-stars-season-29.107543/

New additions to USFS' International Selection Pool (refer to post #1 for the initial envelopes/ISP list):
Senior: Jimmy Ma, Sean Rabbitt
ISU Junior age-eligible: Lucas Broussard, Kai Kovar, Lake Liao, Taira Shinohara (first time for the latter 2)

ETA that it appears Jimmy Ma officially is with the Aleksey Letov/Olga Ganicheva coaching team now based on the caption of this post/clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEmRhr7gq88/

 

[Sylvia]

[At Cup of Colorado last month] Tomoki Hiwatashi debuted his SP to "Standards" by Leslie Odom Jr. and scored 84.23 - 4T, 3A, 3Lz+3T (no credit for his flying camel spin): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7MpmWoORu4

Tomoki debuted his free skate earlier today at the Colorado Springs Invitational to "Take 5"/jazzy medley (male vocal in the middle) and attempted 4Lz for the first time in competition (he fell and it was called <).

Camden Pulkinen debuted his FS today as well and, according his official website, the song is "Close Your Eyes" by RHODES, choreographed by Mark Pillay: https://camdenpulkinen.com/programs/

 

[Sylvia]

Article on 2020 U.S. Junior champ Maxim Naumov who is preparing to make his senior debut:

Maxim Naumov Breaks in the Ice at New Skating Club of Boston Facility - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Everyone in the skating world knows how iconic The Skating Club of Boston is. Dating back to 1912, the rink has produced champions such as Olympic gold medalists

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Excerpt:

Preparing for the 2020-21 season has been anything but ordinary for Naumov and his fellow athletes. During a two-month lockdown, he was unable to skate. Lucky to live with his coaches, a.k.a. his parents, he had the advantage of social distancing and training with them in-person off-ice. He consulted with his choreographer, Adam Blake, to work on dance steps and keep his "body in the rhythm."
Naumov and his coaching and creative team are still putting the finishing touches on his short and free programs. He loves to tell a story through his musicality, but is keeping the storylines for his senior debut season under wraps until he debuts his routines later this month in the International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge.

Naumov did reveal that he'll be skating to music by artist Joji for one of his numbers. "We decided to look at something super, super different this season and it's totally out of my style, but I've really, really enjoyed working with my choreographer to make this piece and it's going to be very mature for me," he said. "I can't wait to get people's reactions to it."

 

[haribobo]

2020 Virtual Challenge Skate- Sep 18 2020

JUNIOR MEN SP
Joseph Klein 60.61
Goku Endo 59.41
Samuel Mindra 52.94
Robert Yampolsky 48.25
Kai Kovar 47.03

TOTAL
Joseph Klein 172.89 (FS 112.28)
Samuel Mindra 157.27 (FS 104.33)
Goku Endo 153.16 (FS 93.75)
Kai Kovar 150.53 (FS 103.50)
Robert Yampolsky 133.41 (FS 85.16)

NOVICE MEN SP
Lucas Broussard 61.11
Jacob Sanchez 50.70
Lake Liao 47.81
Jonathan Hildebrandt 46.82
Taira Shinohara 46.07
Beck Strommer 44.10
Daniel Borisov 41.94
Allan Fisher 35.49

TOTAL
Lucas Broussard 185.55 (FS 124.44)
Taira Shinohara 141.11 (FS 95.04)
Lake Liao 141.09 (FS 93.28)
Jacob Sanchez 138.76 (FS 88.06)
Jonathan Hildebrandt 136.92 (FS 90.10)
Beck Strommer 133.35 (FS 89.25)
Daniel Borisov 125.28 (FS 83.34)
Allan Fisher 106.50 (FS 71.01)

 

[Sylvia]

Link to watch the U.S. Novice & Junior Challenge Skate (recorded) videos can be found in post #20 of the ISP Points Challenge thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...allenge-sep-and-oct-2020.107555/#post-5862315

Novice Men entries (last season's National and/or Sectional levels & placements included)
Daniel Borisov M-N3
*Lucas Broussard P-Int1
Allan Fisher M-Int1
Jonathan Hildebrandt E-Int2
*Lake Liao M-Int3
Jacob Sanchez E-N2/J17
*Taira Shinohara M-Juv1
Beck Strommer M-Int4

Junior Men entries (last season's National and/or Sectional levels & placements included)
*Goku Endo J15
*Joseph Klein M-N1/J13
*Kai Kovar P-N2/J11
*Samuel Mindra P-N1/J10
*Robert Yampolsky E-N1/J14

* = currently in USFS' International Selection Pool (ISP)
I assume the other skaters currently are in USFS' Athlete High Performance Development Pool (AHPDP), which is not published online.

JGP experience: Endo (2017), Klein (2019)
Junior 'B' international experience: Kovar, Mindra
Adv. Novice international experience: Broussard, Yampolsky
2019 North American Cup experience (as novices): Klein, Kovar, Mindra, Yampolsky, Borisov

ETA:

Link to watch the ISP Points Challenge Junior Men's videos and scores are posted starting here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...allenge-sep-and-oct-2020.107555/#post-5857152

 

[Sylvia]

Camden Pulkinen answered #FanFriday questions in U.S. Figure Skating's Instagram stories and replied re. working with Josh Farris: "I always love working with Josh - since he's been choreographing with me for about 2 years now, I always feel like there's this connection we have, and I would describe him as a modern day artistical genius" (laughs).

 

[Sylvia]

New article today on Vincent Zhou by Lynn Rutherford (includes quotes from Christy Krall and Misha Ge, who choreographed his FS): https://www.teamusa.org/News/2020/S...u-Reimagined-Reinvigorated-And-Ready-To-Fight
Excerpt re. his SP:

His short program, set to Josh Groban’s rendition of “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” was created via two weeks of FaceTime sessions with Nichol, with former U.S. competitor Josh Farris skating alongside Zhou, holding the iPad.
“Josh would also set the camera down and figure out some of the movements with me,” he said. “It was a lot of listening to ideas and putting it into motion on my side through our own imaginations. It was definitely harder than regular in-person choreographing.”
The song, written by Don McLean in 1971 and inspired by the life of painter Vincent van Gogh, isn’t all too cheerful, but Zhou emphasizes that he’s not portraying van Gogh.
“It’s more an artistic interpretation,” he said. “(Van Gogh) spent time in a mental asylum, and some of the confusion and frustration he must have experienced is present in some parts of the choreography. We did our best to express it’s not just a pretty program, it has a deeper meaning.”

Posted in mid-August:

Vincent Zhou debuted his "Vincent" SP last night at Cup of Colorado - here's a video captured from the livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DTTpnsVAKs
I believe Lori Nichol choreographed. He scored 103.95 [60.12 TES/43.83 PCS]; jumps were 4Lz+3T, 4S & 3A (bracket entry).

 

[Sylvia]

Looks like we'll see Jason's new programs for the ISP Points Challenge posted tomorrow in USFS' Fan Zone! He just shared snippets on his social media:

SP: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFaejc3nrI7/
: Sinnerman
: Nina Simone
Choreo: Rohene Ward

FS: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFae2hJH7kL/
: Slaughter on 10th Avenue
: Richard Rodgers & New York Philharmonic
Choreo: David Wilson

 

[Sylvia]

New additions to USFS' International Selection Pool (refer to post #1 for the initial envelopes/ISP list):
Senior: Jimmy Ma, Sean Rabbitt
ISU Junior age-eligible: Lucas Broussard, Kai Kovar, Lake Liao, Taira Shinohara (first time for the latter 2)

Jordan Moeller is now listed in the ISP.

I've been impressed by the progress of Taira Shinohara since last season when his hardest jump attempts in Juvenile were 2A and 3S - here's what I posted about him at the Madison Open club competition in Wisconsin this past weekend in the Kiss & Cry section (he also competed recently both in the ISP Points Challenge in Junior and the virtual Challenge Skate in Novice, referenced above):

2020 Midwestern Juvenile Boys champ Taira Shinohara (in ISP) was fun to watch in his Novice Men's SP to "The Sorceror's Apprentice" - jumps were 3F+2T (wobbly landing), 2A & 3Lz! (eta) he scored 50.69 & 2T in combo was called q.

Taira Shinohara skated a pretty good Novice FS (92.80) yesterday [Saturday] to "Jupiter" from The Planets by Gustav Holst. I was told that former national & international competitor Tommy Steenberg (now based in the Chicago area) choreographed his programs. He landed 4 triples - two 3Lz, 3F & 3T+1T - and two 2A (second was in combo with half loop+2F).

Ilia Malinin, who placed 16th in his Junior Worlds debut this past March, shared a clip of his first 4T back in July and followed up with a 4S+3T clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCeZBOlJcud/
He posted his latest practice clip in early September: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEpUmERDuBN/
Maybe we'll see him competing Senior programs in the ISP Points Challenge tomorrow?

 

[Sylvia]

Here were the Senior Men's final standings and segment scores that I posted last week in the ISP Points Challenge thread (some comments about the men's programs are posted in there):

*=senior debut

10 Senior men in the ISP submitted videos to be judged in this first opportunity:

Nathan Chen 105.53 (1) 209.79 (1) 315.32
Jason Brown 94.51 (2) 173.80 (2) 268.31
Aleksei Krasnozhon 60.44 (10) 150.65 (3) 211.09
Jimmy Ma 79.69 (5) 130.48 (4) 210.17
Tomoki Hiwatashi 82.80 (3) 121.87 (5) 204.67
*Ilia Malinin 80.87 (4) 119.47 (7) 200.34
*Maxim Naumov 66.24 (6) 119.77 (6) 186.01
Dinh Tran 60.70 (9) 119.29 (8) 179.99
Sean Rabbitt 62.91 (8) 116.43 (9) 179.34
*Joseph Kang 64.67 (7) 112.27 (10) 176.94

Top 2 finishers in the first Junior Men's ISP Points Challenge (videos are available to watch in USFS' Fan Zone):
Will Annis 60.77 (1) 106.29 (2) 167.06 (SP jumps were 3F+2T, 3Lz, 3A turned/spun out)
Joseph Klein 59.37 (2) 107.05 (1) 166.42 (SP jumps were 2A, 3F+3T foot down quickly, 3Lz)

Klein won the Junior Challenge Skate virtual competition -- videos also can be watched in the Fan Zone -- with a total score of 172.89 (60.61 in SP, 112.28 in FS). I was fortunate to be able to catch Klein's FS exhibition online in a local Chicago club competition last night where he scored 121.27 (he didn't try his 3A but landed very good opening combos of 3Lz+3T & 2A+3T) - his protocol: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/nonqual_results/2020/29636/SEGM013.html

9/23 Fan Zone article by Meg Sauer: Joseph Klein Lunges into 2020-21 Season Full of Positivity
Excerpts:

"I had to self-motivate differently, but other than that, it [virtual competition felt] really similar," Klein said. "I wore my costumes, skated my programs and my coaches were there — except, there were no judges, which was less scary."
This year, Klein is focused on skating clean programs and gaining confidence in his triple Axel — but he is also looking forward to performing the strong storylines that weave through both of his programs. His short program is to "Don't Speak," while his free skate is set to the soundtrack from the film 1917.
"I like to choose music that I feel can convey a story," Klein said, noting he admires Jason Brown's narrative skating style. "I like to have one program with lyrics and one without, and I make up a plot for each of them. When music is more fun to train with, it's a lot easier to get through a program because you're enjoying what you're doing."

To push his skating career to the next level, Klein is moving to Colorado [to] train at the World Arena.
"It's a big step toward where I want to be with my future in skating," Klein said. "There are a bunch of great skaters to train with, so I'm excited to have those experiences and opportunities."
Outside of the rink, Klein speaks Italian, is a talented baker and aspires to become a doctor — but his greatest asset as an athlete, chef or student is his commitment to his goals. His pursuit of excellence has yet to waver, as he keeps his chin up through the pandemic and toward his future.

 

[Sylvia]

Alex Krasnozhon received his green card last month:

Alex Krasnozhon One Stroke Closer to American Citizenship - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Alex Krasnozhon is chasing two dreams simultaneously – United States citizenship and Olympic glory. One must happen in order for the other to materialize. Just last

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Getting his green card has opened up a whole new set of possibilities for the skater. He will now follow his coaching team to the new Skating Club of Boston facility in Norwood, Massachusetts. Krasnozhon will keep his apartment in Dallas and maintain Texas residency, but will primarily train in Boston where he is splitting an apartment with fellow Team USA skaters Jimmy Ma and Misha Mitrofanov, who have also made the migration from the Lone Star State.
"This is probably one of the best, if not the best, skating facilities in the world because two ice rinks are completely dedicated to figure skating," he enthused. "It's a performance arena. It's like skating at the U.S. Championships every day."
... his experience going through immigration has inspired him to eventually pursue a law degree and practice immigration law to help people like himself who want to make the United States their home.

 

[Sylvia]

U.S. Men's Grand Prix assignments are:

Skate America: Nathan Chen, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Vincent Zhou, Alexei Krasnozhon, Camden Pulkinen, Jimmy Ma;
GP & senior international debuts for Maxim Naumov, Ilia Malinin and Joseph Kang (added today)

Skate Canada: Jason Brown

ETA: Unofficial hearsay is that Andrew Torgashev is recovering from injury (he has a bye to Nationals for placing 5th last year).

 

[Sylvia]

USFS has started updating their Team USA bios for the 2020-21 season - Andrew Torgashev's caught my eye: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/andrew-torgashev/419
TRAINING TOWN Irvine, CA
COACH(ES) Rafael Arutunian, Ilona Melnichenko

AFAIK, this is the first official/public confirmation of his coaching change.

 

[Ice_Breaker]

Yaroslav Paniot has a new Elvis Presley free skate (medley of "Heartbreak Hotel," "Can't Help Falling in Love" & "Hound Dog" according to his hashtags), choreographed by Misha Ge: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDLAfZSJ6Pw/

He must not have met any of the current ISP criteria (not published online), but perhaps he will have an opportunity to qualify at a later date?

Nothing to do with meeting criteria, Ukraine enforced its 3-yr ban on releasing Olympians ...he will be eligible for International competition again in 2021

 

[Firedancer]

USFS has started updating their Team USA bios for the 2020-21 season - Andrew Torgashev's caught my eye: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/andrew-torgashev/419
TRAINING TOWN Irvine, CA
COACH(ES) Rafael Arutunian, Ilona Melnichenko

AFAIK, this is the first official/public confirmation of his coaching change.

I am really excited about this change. Andrew is so talented but he needs to be a lot more consistent with the jumps. I wish Cam would switch to Raf as well.

The skating lesson has a statement from Raf:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGbEX5wnUFT/?igshid=12wwuqt2g09n4

 

[Ice_Breaker]

Seems like Paniot switched to Todd Eldrege.

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

Why isn't he in the ISP btw?

Ukraine enforced its 3-yr ban on releasing Olympians He will be eligible for International Comp again starting in 2021

 

[Sylvia]

Making Senior international debuts at Skate America:

Maxim Naumov: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/maxim-naumov/407
TRAINING TOWN Norwood, MA
COACH(ES) Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Adam Blake, Mathew Gates, Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova
SP Music: “Run” by Joji
FS Music: “Unstoppable” by E.S Posthumus and “Stabat Mater” by Woodkid

Ilia Malinin: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/ilia-malinin/402
TRAINING TOWN Reston, VA
COACH(ES) Tatyana Malinina, Roman Skorniakov
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Irina Romanova (main), Viktor Pfeifer
SP Music: “Billie Jean” by David Cook
FS Music: “Nobody Knows” by Autograf

Joseph Kang: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/joseph-kang/384
TRAINING TOWN Wilmington, DE
COACH(ES) Viktor Pfeifer, Anne Militano
HOMETOWN Chadds Ford, PA
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Colin McManus
SP Music: "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses
FS Music: "Danse Macabre" and "Organ Symphony" by Camille Saint-Saens (last season's Jr. program updated for senior)

Other 6 U.S. men competing at Skate America (in alphabetical order):

Nathan Chen: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/nathan-chen/359
TRAINING TOWN Irvine, CA
COACH(ES) Rafael Arutunian
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Shae-Lynn Bourne
SP Music: “Asturias” by Frida Lopez and “Cancion del Mariachi” by Los Lobos
FS Music: Various songs by Philip Glass

Tomoki Hiwatashi: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/tomoki-hiwatashi/374
TRAINING TOWN Colorado Springs, CO
COACH(ES) Christy Krall, Damon Allen
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Mark Pillay
SP Music: “Standards” by Leslie Odom Jr.
FS Music: “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck, “Blue Light, Red Light” by Harry Donnick Jr., and “Nutville” by Buddy Rich

Alex Krasnozhon: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/alex-krasnozhon/392
TRAINING TOWN Norwood, MA
COACH(ES) Alexey Letov, Olga Ganicheva
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Alexander Johnson
SP Music: “My Heart Upon My Sleeve” by Avicii and Imagine Dragons
FS Music: “Dracula” by various artists (last season's program)

Jimmy Ma: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/jimmy-ma/399
TRAINING TOWN Norwood, MA
COACH(ES) Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Nikolai Morozov (FS), Misha Ge (SP)
SP Music: "Come Together" by Gary Clark Jr.
FS Music: "The Catalyst" by Linkin Park

Camden Pulkinen: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/camden-pulkinen/411
TRAINING TOWN Colorado Springs, CO
COACH(ES) Tammy Gambill, Damon Allen
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Mark Pillay (FS), Joshua Farris (SP)
SP Music: "Caruso" by Josh Groban (went back to last season's program)
FS Music: “Close Your Eyes” by RHODES

Vincent Zhou: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/vincent-zhou/425
TRAINING TOWN Colorado Springs, CO
COACH(ES) Christy Krall, Mie Hamada
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Lori Nichol (SP), Misha Ge (FS)
SP Music: “Vincent (Starry Starry Night)” by Josh Groban
FS Music: “Algorithm” and “Algorithm (Alternate Reality Version)” by Muse

 

[Bellanca]

Nathan and Vincent - doesn't get any better than that. Well, actually, if Jason were in the mix. Good luck, everyone!

 

[A.H.Black]

Has anyone heard much about Dinh Tran? Am I wrong to be a bit surprised that he wasn't included in Skate America?

 

[Dobre]

Has anyone heard much about Dinh Tran? Am I wrong to be a bit surprised that he wasn't included in Skate America?

He competed in the Points Challenge.

 

[jlai]

Has anyone heard much about Dinh Tran? Am I wrong to be a bit surprised that he wasn't included in Skate America?

Dinh Tran medalled as a jr at nationals and placed top 10 as a senior last nationals. He did some jgp - three times - 12th, 10th and 9th in 3 separate years.

Eta: From what I remember from the video posted, he is not consistent with his 3A. I can be wrong though

 

[Sylvia]

Dinh Tran placed 10th of 13 senior men in the ISU Points Challenge - overall results & video links are posted/can be accessed here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-sep-and-oct-2020.107555/page-10#post-5877588

ETA: Maxim Naumov placed below Tran (by 3 points) in the Points Challenge, but Naumov's U.S. Junior title and strong 5th place showing at Junior Worlds were likely factored into his Skate America assignment.

Eta: From what I remember from the video posted, he [Tran] is not consistent with his 3A. I can be wrong though

Tran landed his 3A cleanly in both program at Nationals (checking on Points Challenge - he landed both 3A in his 2nd opportunity programs but wasn't as successful in the 1st opp.).

 

[Sylvia]

Ages of the 9 U.S. men scheduled to compete at Skate America:
15: Malinin
17: Kang
19: Naumov
20 (youngest to oldest): Zhou, Krasnozhon, Pulkinen
21: Hiwatashi (born 2000), Chen (born 1999)
25: Ma

Camden Pulkinen article by Meg Sauer:

Camden Pulkinen Leans Into His Strengths Preparing for an Unprecedented Skate America - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

To senior competitor Camden Pulkinen, the 2020-21 season has felt eerily quiet.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

 

[Sylvia]

Vincent Zhou article by Nick Zaccardi:

Vincent Zhou, after a time of tumult, is on track for his Olympic end game

Figure skater Vincent Zhou competes at Skate America on a 16-month journey to a second and final Olympics in Beijing, which carries special meaning.

olympics.nbcsports.com

 

[Sylvia]

Here's Tomoki's official website, launched today:

Tomoki Hiwatashi | 2019 World Junior Champion

tomokihiwatashi.figureskatersonline.com

 

[Sylvia]

Yale Daily News article on Nathan:

Nathan Chen ’23 to skate at first Grand Prix event of the season

2018 Olympic medalist Nathan Chen ’23 is taking a break from his studies and preparing to compete in the Sin City this weekend. The reigning […]

yaledailynews.com

Excerpt:

Specifically with the free skate, this year’s slower, classically driven program is very different compared to the more contemporary “Rocket Man” program from last year, which featured a strong hip-hop section. Last year’s program set a world record for points in a men’s free skate at the 2019 Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy.
“Even since I was a little kid … I’ve really been trying to explore new styles, new genres of music per competition,” Chen said. “The [free skate is] more or less in my comfort zone since it’s a little slower, the music is a lot more emotional.”
A combination of flamenco and mariachi styles, this year’s short program is “character-driven” and specific to the feel of “Desperado,” Chen told the News.

 

[alexikeguchi]

I was watching Ilia Malinin at SKAM (sorry, don't have access to Kiss and Cry), and I was suddenly curious as to why he has his mother's last name and not his father's. Does anyone know? Or is it just a stage name because she is better known?