U.S. Men 2022-23 news & updates

[Karen-W]

SENIOR MEN - summer and early intl scores

Ilia Malinin 257.28 (intl)
Camden Pulkinen 219.49 (intl)
Maxim Naumov 217.47
Jimmy Ma 216.76 (intl)
Tomoki Hiwatashi 215.96
Liam Kapeikis 209.56
Andrew Torgashev 202.17
Eric Sjoberg 200.40
Dinh Tran 198.65
Nathan Chapple 194.07
Maxim Zharkov 193.48 (intl)
Kai Kovar 191.65 (intl)
Joseph Klein 190.78
Goku Endo 188.67
Joonsoo Kim 187.24
Samuel Mindra 186.33
Max Lake 183.94
Daniel Martynov 183.74
Mitchell Friess 183.32
Philip Baker 183.03
Matthew Nielsen 178.22
Ian Kang 173.67

Hmmmm... I'm a little surprised that Andrew Torgashev hasn't been added back to the ISP yet. Seems like he should be in the mix for one of the late fall Challengers so that he can get his TES mins.

 

[Karen-W]

Lucas Broussard won gold earlier this morning at JGP Gdansk 1 - Solidarity Cup! Even though he didn't attempt the 3A or a quad in the FS, his PCS was off the charts and that's what got him the win!

Lucas BROUSSARD (USA) | Men Free Skating | Gdansk 2022 | #JGPFigure

Visit https://isu.org/JuniorGrandPrix for more information on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating.Courchevel, France - August 24 to 27Ostrava, Czech ...

youtube.com

Hopefully he will be assigned to the last TBD slot the USFS has at JGP Egna in two weeks, so that he can take a shot at qualifying for the JGPF!

 

[Sylvia]

U.S. Men's results in the Solidarity Cup JGP in Gdansk, Poland (link to the better of their 2 programs included):

GOLD! Lucas BROUSSARD USA 209.39 5 2 (140.27 in FS) - three ISU personal bests here & the final TBD spot in Egna should be his now
FS (took out his 3A & landed 7 clean triples through Lutz with no negative GOEs in his protocol & highest PCS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wecGC_49_Jo

7th Michael XIE USA 193.48 10 4 (131.97 in FS) - two ISU personal bests (FS & total) here; glad he got this 2nd opportunity
FS (1st time, AFAIK, credited with rotating both 3A; 2nd highest TES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxMcYA-iuA

9th Joseph KLEIN USA 187.50 2 (70.13 in SP) 11 - three ISU personal bests here in only his 2nd JGP since his 2019 debut in Lake Placid
SP (highest PCS the day before he turned 18): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5knmpuj5xw

(prepared before I saw Karen had posted above ) ETA:

Lucas Broussard won gold earlier this morning at JGP Gdansk 1 - Solidarity Cup! Even though he didn't attempt the 3A or a quad in the FS

Broussard has yet to try a quad in competition (his opening 3T could indicate he's working to make it a quad in the future) and though he has landed 3A cleanly in competition before, he's still in the process of getting it consistent (like Xie, who has shown improvement on his 3A so far this season).

I've already posted a few times about Lucas in this thread - link to what I wrote in late August: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/u-s-men-2022-23-news-updates.109796/page-3#post-6288990

Also:

Broussard's programs were choreographed by Corrie Martin who has worked with him since the beginning of his career, IIRC.
Two judges gave him +5 for the choreographic step sequence in his FS.

The international panel today awarded Broussard and Italy's Zich the highest GOE (+1.5 with two +4s apiece) for their respective choreographic step sequences, which I agree with.

 

[Trillian]

Lucas Broussard won gold earlier this morning at JGP Gdansk 1 - Solidarity Cup! Even though he didn't attempt the 3A or a quad in the FS, his PCS was off the charts and that's what got him the win!

I can’t be the only old-school Jason Brown fan having mega flashbacks to 2011ish, and buckling in for another roller coaster ride.

But all jokes aside, I’m so impressed with Lucas’s skating (and competitive ability) and happy to see the way the judges rewarded it. Excited to see how he develops from here!

 

[Wyliefan]

I can’t be the only old-school Jason Brown fan having mega flashbacks to 2011ish, and buckling in for another roller coaster ride.

One of the commentators actually made the comparison.

 

[Trillian]

One of the commentators actually made the comparison.

Not surprised! I saw the performance but missed the commentary afterwards because my dogs were not interested in relaxing to watch figure skating this morning. It does seem like the most obvious comparison in the world.

 

[sheetz]

Stylistically, Broussard actually reminds me more of a young Josh Farris.

2012 Jr Worlds Men FS - Joshua FARRIS

Joshua Farris FS @ 2012 Jr Worlds, CBC version

youtu.be

 

[layman]

I can see the Jason Brown and Josh Farris comparisons.

I was struck by how low in the knee that Lucas skates, by his straight back and great posture, and his attention to line and extension. I also noticed the speed and flow that he maintained into and out of his jumps. Watching Lucas skate I was reminded of Johnny Weir and Todd Eldredge.

 

[Trillian]

Stylistically, Broussard actually reminds me more of a young Josh Farris.

Definitely. I’d compare him to Jason in terms of how well he seems to be able to leverage the GOEs and PCS with lesser jump content, but I totally see the similarity to Josh as a performer. Given that Josh was also from the Seattle area (although I think he moved to CO Springs pretty early), it actually occurred to me to wonder if they had any coaching influences in common.

 

[Wyliefan]

I would like to see him use his hands a little better -- when I watched his free again, I noticed that his arm movements are good but his hands sometimes end up at odd angles. Other than that, he has wonderful style!

 

[On My Own]

Broussard doesn't remind me of Brown (but that's a good thing for me), but he also doesn't remind me of Joshua Farris... Not sure he reminds me of anyone, I think he needs more development before he ends up with a personal style I can recognize (even a new one). Which is fine because he's a junior. Good skating skills though.

 

[Sylvia]

Ted Barton's interview with Lucas Broussard after the medal ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ6lWqktncI

Lucas said he was off the ice for "almost 4 months" and that "missing Junior Worlds was really hard but I was able to get through it [by] thinking about it like kind of like a vacation... but (LOL at his facial expression here) it wasn't a vacation."

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Broussard doesn't remind me of Brown (but that's a good thing for me), but he also doesn't remind me of Joshua Farris... Not sure he reminds me of anyone,

Yes After I watched both of his programs yesterday I was going to say the exact same thing. Word for Word. He does not remind me of Jason or Joshua. They all have their own style and he has his own. Lucas reminds me of Lucas. He has his own fluidity, his own speed and his own interpretation. The only Jason comparison I can see is that they both do well with PCS and that’s it

 

[Sylvia]

He does not remind me of Jason or Joshua. They all have their own style and he has his own. Lucas reminds me of Lucas. He has his own fluidity, his own speed and his own interpretation.

I agree.

I was very happy to see all 3 men have their moments in Gdansk because they each have their own special qualities for expressing music, IMO. I wasn't expecting too much from Klein, based on some of his recent competitions this summer, and was very glad to see how the judges rewarded him on PCS in his SP:

Joseph KLEIN ... (70.13 in SP) 11 - three ISU personal bests here in only his 2nd JGP since his 2019 debut in Lake Placid
SP (highest PCS the day before he turned 18): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5knmpuj5xw

 

[Frau Muller]

Ted Barton's interview with Lucas Broussard after the medal ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ6lWqktncI

…

Great interview. Lucas seems to have quite the sense of humor, in his own shy and totally-honest way. I chuckled throughout.
By the way, isn’t it great that Ted can now hold the microphone right up to the interviewees…unlike last year’s COVID ways? I sure hope that NBC’s Andrea Joyce will also ditch her long pole, LOL!

 

[clairecloutier]

Here's a short interview I did with Alex Johnson about his new role as Camden Pulkinen's coach:

Coach Spotlight: Alex Johnson

When Alex Johnson stepped away from competitive skating in spring 2019, his goal was to pursue a career in business, while staying involved with figure skating. Two years later, Johnson is thriving…

adivinesport.com

 

[Wyliefan]

He sounds crazy busy. Ah, youth. Good job with your interview!

 

[zebobes]

U.S. Men's results in the Solidarity Cup JGP in Gdansk, Poland

GOLD! Lucas BROUSSARD USA 209.39 5 2 (140.27 in FS) - three ISU personal bests here & the final TBD spot in Egna should be his now

I wonder why USFS hasn't announced his assignment to Egna yet? Are they just waiting to see if someone outskates him this weekend?

I suppose USFS would be in a pickle if William Annis somehow managed to get Gold this weekend... but with the current SP standings, it doesn't look very likely, so Lucas should be the only logical choice, and the only chance USFS has of getting a skater to the JGPF. Would this lack of confirmation give Lucas additional stress, or would he just be focused in preparation, knowing he has it practically in the bag?

 

[YukiNieve]

During an official practice for Japan Open on Friday, Ilia Malinin skated his free skate including 4A, 4F, 4Lz, 4Lo, (2nd half) 4lz-Eu-3S, 4T-3A, 4S-3T --- 7 quads (6 types).

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/8b6a4336363ca78fdf7cb3dda3d914e1b498478b (in Japanese)

 

[Karen-W]

I wonder why USFS hasn't announced his assignment to Egna yet? Are they just waiting to see if someone outskates him this weekend?

I suppose USFS would be in a pickle if William Annis somehow managed to get Gold this weekend... but with the current SP standings, it doesn't look very likely, so Lucas should be the only logical choice, and the only chance USFS has of getting a skater to the JGPF. Would this lack of confirmation give Lucas additional stress, or would he just be focused in preparation, knowing he has it practically in the bag?

I presume he is treating practices (and life) this week as if he will be going to Egna, even if it's not guaranteed quite yet.

And, yes, it does seem that the USFS was hedging their bets, though if they'd been truly interested in maximizing their men's chances at making the JGPF then they would have held off on assigning Martynov also. I honestly wonder what they will do if Will does pull up for silver or gold - doubtful, however he does have at least one quad in his arsenal, plus the 3A.

 

[sheetz]

I wonder why USFS hasn't announced his assignment to Egna yet? Are they just waiting to see if someone outskates him this weekend?

I suppose USFS would be in a pickle if William Annis somehow managed to get Gold this weekend... but with the current SP standings, it doesn't look very likely, so Lucas should be the only logical choice, and the only chance USFS has of getting a skater to the JGPF. Would this lack of confirmation give Lucas additional stress, or would he just be focused in preparation, knowing he has it practically in the bag?

Yampolsky, who's sitting in 2nd, is more likely to medal than Annis.

 

[zebobes]

Yampolsky, who's sitting in 2nd, is more likely to medal than Annis.

True, but this is Yampolsky's second assignment

 

[sheetz]

True, but this is Yampolsky's second assignment

Don't know how I missed that!

 

[thvu]

During an official practice for Japan Open on Friday, Ilia Malinin skated his free skate including 4A, 4F, 4Lz, 4Lo, (2nd half) 4lz-Eu-3S, 4T-3A, 4S-3T --- 7 quads (6 types).

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/8b6a4336363ca78fdf7cb3dda3d914e1b498478b (in Japanese)

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youtu.be

4A, 4F, 4Lz, 4Lo from a runthrough. Just absolutely insane.

 

[tony]

During an official practice for Japan Open on Friday, Ilia Malinin skated his free skate including 4A, 4F, 4Lz, 4Lo, (2nd half) 4lz-Eu-3S, 4T-3A, 4S-3T --- 7 quads (6 types).

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/8b6a4336363ca78fdf7cb3dda3d914e1b498478b (in Japanese)

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4A, 4F, 4Lz, 4Lo from a runthrough. Just absolutely insane.

A quad in every single jumping pass. He's so close to maxing out the base points on jumps, too. I don't expect a second 4A (especially having to be in combination) but everything else checks the boxes: opting to repeat the next-most difficult quad in the 4Lz, the three combos in the second half, etc. He could gain minimal points by doing the 3Lo on the end of the 4S but that's an unneeded rotation risk, and I suppose he could (and probably is practicing to one day) do 3F on the end of the 4Lz instead of the 3S. Wild.

 

[tony]

I did the math.

97.42 TES base value just on the jumps.

I believe by playing around with the elements just slightly, the max would be 99.52 if we assume the (one) quad Axel has to go in the non-bonus. Otherwise, a two-4A program with a second one occurring in combination in the second half is 100.62 base.

Yeah, he's basically at the max.

 

[orbitz]

I would like to see him use his hands a little better -- when I watched his free again, I noticed that his arm movements are good but his hands sometimes end up at odd angles. Other than that, he has wonderful style!

Agree regarding the hands. His hands positions have improved a bit this season though; I was very distracted by them last season.

 

[flyingsit]

4L and 4F are new for him, too.

 

[ChelleC]

During an official practice for Japan Open on Friday, Ilia Malinin skated his free skate including 4A, 4F, 4Lz, 4Lo, (2nd half) 4lz-Eu-3S, 4T-3A, 4S-3T --- 7 quads (6 types).

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/8b6a4336363ca78fdf7cb3dda3d914e1b498478b (in Japanese)

This layout is absolutely insane.

 

[Sylvia]

I wonder why USFS hasn't announced his assignment to Egna yet?

Broussard is listed for Egna as of today - relevant excerpt from my JGP Final qualification standings post in the JGP info thread in GSD: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...22-23-announcement.109766/page-8#post-6307631

...
3 Robert YAMPOLSKY USA 9 (196.67) + 13 (223.06) = 22 (419.73)
...
9 Lucas BROUSSARD USA 15 (209.39) + Egna (assigned in table)
...
Daniel MARTYNOV USA - int'l season debut at Egna (WD from his JGP last year)

Yampolsky didn't hold back in winning the SILVER (his first JGP medal ) at Baltic Cup in Gdansk, cleanly landing all three of his triple Axels with positive GOEs, including 3A+3T to open his FS today.
SP (77.39): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6QFmWFfh8Q
FS (145.67): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZg3s0i-f44

Beck Strommer finished 7th (181.92) in his JGP debut, making the FS final group with his 6th place SP (67.92): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0_HXJtrCo0

Will Annis placed 8th (180.23) in just his second competition of the season since he was 5th (160.48) at the U.S. Junior Team Cup in Milwaukee, July 8-9. From this thread back in September:

Ganicheva/Letov's Instagram post a few days ago is captioned "Baby steps! Will is coming back from two back fractures, way to go!" - clip of Will Annis landing a 3A (he didn't try this jump at the U.S. Junior Team Cup in Milwaukee back in July): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cife7gzgdlP/