U.S. Men 2021-22 season news & updates

[alexikeguchi]

JW Team:
Lucas Broussard
Liam Kapeikis
Ilia Malinin

Alternate 1: Kai Kovar
Alternate 2: Matthew Nielsen
Alternate 3: Robert Yampolsky

Has any skater/pair ever won Junior and Senior Worlds in the same season? Ilia might have a decent shot at it if there are lots of post Olympics withdrawals.

 

[A.H.Black]

Disappointed for Kai Kovar. I get it, but I'm still disappointed. I hope he is celebrating his win at National and still feeling great about it.

 

[Sylvia]

Disappointed for Kai Kovar. I get it, but I'm still disappointed. I hope he is celebrating his win at National and still feeling great about it.

I hope so, too.

For those who don't have access to the Kiss & Cry section, I tweeted a photo of the final results sheet (saw it shared in an Instagram story) for the 7 junior men who competed at the Junior Worlds selection camp this past Monday & Tuesday (Broussard 1st, Kapeikis 2nd, Kovar 3rd): https://twitter.com/SylviaUnseen/status/1488919656295546880/photo/2

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting from Vincent Zhou's fan thread ... NBC Asian America article by Kimmy Yam (Feb. 3):

Olympian Vincent Zhou on masculinity, skating, mental health and ‘strict’ parents

“There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging your deepest thoughts or your deepest emotions,” he said in an interview before a positive Covid test forced him to drop out of the men’s competition at the Beijing Olympics.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[bladesofgorey]

That was a very nice, refreshingly honest interview from Zhou.

 

[Tavi]

Article about Jason in Dance magazine:

Jason Brown Is the Ultimate Dancers’ Skater at the Winter Olympics

At the Winter Olympics, technical content will be key to determining podium placement. Yet Jason Brown, the American wonder, treats the ice like a dance stage and will no doubt go down as one of the sport’s greatest performers.

www.dancemagazine.com

 

[clairecloutier]

Did Lucas Broussard miss Nationals due to injury??

P.S. And do we know why Will Annis didn't participate in the JW camp?

 

[her grace]

Re-posting from Vincent Zhou's fan thread ... NBC Asian America article by Kimmy Yam (Feb. 3):

Olympian Vincent Zhou on masculinity, skating, mental health and ‘strict’ parents

“There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging your deepest thoughts or your deepest emotions,” he said in an interview before a positive Covid test forced him to drop out of the men’s competition at the Beijing Olympics.

www.nbcnews.com

Thanks for posting this article. I especially liked Zhou addressing the Asian parent stereotype.

However, Zhou also wants to dispel the myth that strict Asian parents are the sole fuel to his success, rather than his own love of the sport. The trope, he explained, removes agency from the athlete themselves. And at the end of the day, if “we truly don’t want to do it, we’re not going to do it.”

 

[Trillian]

That was a very nice, refreshingly honest interview from Zhou.

I agree. In general I think he’s one of the best interviews of any of the skaters on the U.S. team right now because he tends to be both honest and very thoughtful.

I know I’ve said this before, but the U.S. is lucky to have such a great group of men competing at the top level right now - even beyond the three on the Olympic team. I have to imagine that younger skaters have learned a lot from watching these guys figure out their individual styles and strengths, and hearing them talk so openly about the ups and downs along the way. I’ve really enjoyed watching all these guys grow up.

 

[livetoskate]

I agree. In general I think he’s one of the best interviews of any of the skaters on the U.S. team right now because he tends to be both honest and very thoughtful.

I know I’ve said this before, but the U.S. is lucky to have such a great group of men competing at the top level right now - even beyond the three on the Olympic team. I have to imagine that younger skaters have learned a lot from watching these guys figure out their individual styles and strengths, and hearing them talk so openly about the ups and downs along the way. I’ve really enjoyed watching all these guys grow up.

It was refreshing to hear more about the psychological toll of being a competitive athlete-- more than just the typical soundbites of news articles where the person only says a few cheery lines about working hard and going for it. I hope Vincent as well as all the skaters have a fulfilling and enjoyable time at the Olympics no matter how they place.

 

[shuilee]

Poor Vincent! He tested positive for c0vid-19 and won't be able to attend the medal ceremony. At least he still gets silver medal. But may not be able to compete in the SP tomorrow. So sad!!

 

[olympic]

Poor Vincent! He tested positive for c0vid-19 and won't be able to attend the medal ceremony. At least he still gets silver medal. But may not be able to compete in the SP tomorrow. So sad!!

OMG. NO! That sucks.

 

[skatingguy]

Poor Vincent! He tested positive for c0vid-19 and won't be able to attend the medal ceremony. At least he still gets silver medal. But may not be able to compete in the SP tomorrow. So sad!!

He hasn't missed the medal ceremony yet - not sure whether it will Monday night, or Tuesday night in Beijing, so probably if he's competing in the men's short program he'll be able to attend the medal ceremony.

 

[feraina]

Wow. Weren’t a bunch of American skaters exposed then? Aren’t quite a few of them at risk?

 

[VGThuy]

Wow. Weren’t a bunch of American skaters exposed then? Aren’t quite a few of them at risk?

Sounds like Nashville US Nationals all over again.

 

[bcash]

Oh no. Doesn't this mean there's an undetected transmission line in the Village? What are the rules defining close-contacts? I hope no other Team USA member would need to go into quarantine.

 

[Allskate]

They are doing another test to make sure it's not a false positive. Fingers crossed. And if it's really positive, I really hope that they caught it before he was too contagious and that the other team members were being very careful:

U.S. figure skater Vincent Zhou tests positive for COVID-19 at Beijing Winter Olympics

Vincent Zhou, who was part of the silver medal-winning American figure skating team, has tested positive for COVID-19 in Beijing.

www.usatoday.com

ETA: Does anyone know if Vincent had a roommate and who it was?

Information on close contacts:

What Happens If an Athlete Tests Positive at the Beijing Olympics

Rules for athletes who test positive for COVID-19 once they arrive in Beijing are strict; the Games haven’t begun and several athletes are already unable to compete

time.com

Given that Nathan was at the team event today, that is a pretty good indication that he - and the others who were there - are not close contacts. Nathan and Jason both seem to be very careful about masking, at least from what we see in public. I hope to see all three of them competing tomorrow.

 

[Karen-W]

ETA: Does anyone know if Vincent had a roommate and who it was?

Information on close contacts:

What Happens If an Athlete Tests Positive at the Beijing Olympics

Rules for athletes who test positive for COVID-19 once they arrive in Beijing are strict; the Games haven’t begun and several athletes are already unable to compete

time.com

All of the athletes have their own bedrooms in the Village but share a common space with 2-3 other skaters on their team. I'm not sure who else was in Vincent's shared apartment. I think they're segregated by gender though, based on Rebecca Ghilardi's response to the same question on her IG story (she's sharing an apt with Nicole Della Monica, Charlene Guignard, and Lara Naki Gutmann). So, it is probably 3 other men on the US figure skating team.

The close contacts would be able to continue participating but have to go through a PCR test every 12 hours and would not be able to interact with anyone else - Tim Dieck was showing pics of the private car that transported him btwn the Village and the rink while he was undergoing the close contact protocol as one of Nolan Seegert's apartment and travel companions.

 

[Allskate]

Geez. The odds of testing positive once inside the closed bubble are so slim. I really hope that this is a false positive. Poor Vincent.

On Sunday, 11 of 142 people arriving in Beijing tested positive, including seven athletes and team officials, according to the New York Times, which also reported that 13 people tested positive for COVID, including five athletes and team officials, out of the 74,603 tests taken in Beijing's "closed loop" on that day.

Figure Skater Vincent Zhou Tests Positive for COVID Ahead of Men's Event at Beijing Winter Olympics

Vincent Zhou needs two consecutive negative COVID tests to participate in the men's short program, scheduled for Tuesday in Beijing

people.com

 

[Skaterbob]

If Vincent can't skate is Ilia ready to go or is USA just stuck at this point?

 

[Karen-W]

If Vincent can't skate is Ilia ready to go or is USA just stuck at this point?

No, he can't be replaced. 1) Vincent already skated in the TE, 2) the Men's SP draw has already occurred, 3) even if those two things prevented a replacement, Ilia is not in Beijing (none of the alternates are - for any country).

 

[olympic]

Nathan's own behavior and comments suggest that he is super-careful. I am not worried about him. Does anyone know his living arrangements in Beijing?

Jason also kept away from the team during the team event, as far as I could tell

 

[Spiralgraph]

Oh that was the last thing I wanted to hear. My fingers are crossed that it is a false positive. And I'm really glad he does have the teamsilver to take home.

 

[skatingguy]

Nathan's own behavior and comments suggest that he is super-careful. I am not worried about him. Does anyone know his living arrangements in Beijing?

Jason also kept away from the team during the team event, as far as I could tell

Jason was in the box with the rest of the team at times, but many of the team event competition times conflicted with men's practice times.

 

[AYS]

Nathan and Jason were at the last men's practice, according to Jackie Wong's tweets from a few hours ago, so for now anyway (assuming they've both been tested sometime in proximity to Vincent's test), all clear.

(Not US men but so nice to hear that Keegan was able to practice).

 

[livetoskate]

Such awful news about Vincent. I guess there's still a sliver of a chance it was a false positive. Keeping fingers crossed. (& such great news that Keegan not only made it but had a good practice).

 

[DreamSkates]

Nathan's own behavior and comments suggest that he is super-careful. I am not worried about him. Does anyone know his living arrangements in Beijing?

Jason also kept away from the team during the team event, as far as I could tell

Jason was sitting with the team during at least one of the segments.

 

[DreamSkates]

Hopefully the team will get together with Vincent at some point for photos!

 

[skipaway]

Vincent officially out of the Olympics according to Jackie Wong on the show Olympic Ice ?

 

[Sylvia]

Vincent has just shared a video message about having to withdraw from the Men's event: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZrh0jbgDYU/