U.S. Men 2023-24 news & updates

[Spiralgraph]

David Shapiro reminds me of Jonathan Cessar (spelling?); he of the fabulous spread eagles, another American skater whose triple jumps were iffy but the rest of his skating is stellar. Just proves even more that jumps are not the end all and be all. Best of everything to David, Jonathan and all"artistic" skaters that they grow and thrive in their own marvelous skating.

 

[mtnskater]

Just checked post #1 of this thread and the 4 men listed in this past season's ISP but not listed this year are:

Joonsoo Kim - started Johns Hopkins medical school last fall
Samuel Mindra P-S5/S15 - had a tough year with injuries & hopefully he will come back stronger & more consistent next season
Jonathan Hildebrandt - did not compete after Aug. 2023 Cranberry Cup International in Junior, presumably due to injury?
Robert Yampolsky - did not compete to focus on college?

A very belated thanks for posting this article @Vagabond in this thread back on Jan. 22, 2024!

axisoniceofficial posted another fun highlights video after Columbus Nationals: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C284JcBLBRS/

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Samuel Mindra??

 

[Sylvia]

USFS’ ISP list is fluid - Samuel Mindra hopefully will be able to make it back into the ISP if he has a good summer competition season. Ditto for any other U.S. skater who is ISU Senior or Junior age-eligible.

 

[mtnskater]

USFS’ ISP list is fluid - Samuel Mindra hopefully will be able to make it back into the ISP if he has a good summer competition season. Ditto for any other U.S. skater who is ISU Senior or Junior age-eligible.

I’m relieved. I thought being off the ISP meant Samuel would not be competing next season. Glad there is still a possibility and sure hope he can be injury free and make it to Nationals.

 

[Karen-W]

Look who's wearing his cap and gown!

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I really hope this means we'll see Camden back in Irvine with Raf full-time soon. Going there produced the best results for him in his senior career.

 

[Sylvia]

Camden's 5th place at 2022 Worlds (small bronze medal in FS) was when he was coached by Tammy Gambill and Damon Allen in Colorado Springs.

 

[Debbie S]

Look who's wearing his cap and gown!

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I really hope this means we'll see Camden back in Irvine with Raf full-time soon. Going there produced the best results for him in his senior career.

Graduation is May 15 (per academic calendar) so it will be a few more weeks before Camden makes his next move. He's been training part-time at SC Boston this year and has said he likes the environment, so he might end up there.

 

[nylynnr]

I really hope this means we'll see Camden back in Irvine with Raf full-time soon. Going there produced the best results for him in his senior career.

IDK -- perhaps, but Raf is not known for his enthusiasm for coaching "older" skaters who need to develop additional jump elements.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Is he happy when he doesn’t have something to kvetch about?

 

[sheetz]

Camden may have still officially been with Tammy at 2022 Worlds but I know from Livebarn videos that he was already spending time with Raf's group by early March.

 

[Karen-W]

Camden may have still officially been with Tammy at 2022 Worlds but I know from Livebarn videos that he was already spending time with Raf's group by early March.

Yeah, I was pretty sure I wasn't misremembering that Camden had finished up his college classes in Colorado during the late fall and was in SoCal by December 2021/January 2022.

 

[skatfan]

Apparently nobody can lose Tammy as an official coach even if they train thousands of miles away.

 

[YukiNieve]

A nice article about the sister coaches (Mari Malama and Nani Tanaka) who work with Ryan William Azadpour, Samuel Mindra and Michael Xie.

Sisters Bring Family Mindset to Coaching | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

“At the end of the day, we’re family,” said Tanaka. “I’m never going to get rid of you and you’re never going to get rid of me. There are times we disagree, but at the end of the day, we keep going. I think that’s the difference. We have to get over it. The bottom line is, we’re in it together.”


The mentality of sticking together no matter what has served them well as the pair coach their athletes as a team.

 

[YukiNieve]

Jason did a short Q and A in Montreal for his fans.

A few notes:

• He intends to have new SP, FS, and EX for the next season.
• He has been working to develop his own JB brand including T-shirts and jackets (He eventually wants to donate the proceeds to the charities)
• He plans to show the new programs at Friends on Ice in Japan

x.com

twitter.com

YouTube Link:

2024World Jason Q&A

www.youtube.com

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] American Junior Taira Shinohara Details Successful Season and Ambitions Moving Forward | SportsLook

At the 2024 US Junior Championships, runner-up Taira Shinohara showed his skating skills, including the thrill of landing two triple axels in the free skate.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[YukiNieve]

[ICE TIME] American Junior Taira Shinohara Details Successful Season and Ambitions Moving Forward | SportsLook

At the 2024 US Junior Championships, runner-up Taira Shinohara showed his skating skills, including the thrill of landing two triple axels in the free skate.

featured.japan-forward.com

"Looking ahead to next season, I'm excited about the changes and challenges it will bring," Shinohara declared. "With choreography from Jason Brown and Scott Brown, I'm eager to elevate my performances at the senior level domestically and aim for further success on the international junior circuit. Incorporating quads into my routines marks a significant progression in my skating journey, and I'm setting my sights on competing in JGPs and senior nationals."

So Jason got involved in choreographing Taira's program(s) for the next season?
Did that happen when they were watching the total eclipse together?

 

[cholla]

Xposting from the TC : French website Skate Info Glace talked with Jason Brown and Tracy Wilson in Montreal. Here you go. (English version)

 

[kre56]

Yeah, I was pretty sure I wasn't misremembering that Camden had finished up his college classes in Colorado during the late fall and was in SoCal by December 2021/January 2022.

Pretty sure that is not true…..

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks to @cholla's post yesterday about Jason, I remembered I was going to post about Daniel Martynov’s trip to Vaujany to work with Florent Amodio after Junior Worlds - 2 clips shared by Amodio last month: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4Qdm0eosGM/ (audio is “Stars” by Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign) & https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4dESFIojlN/ (Daniel’s FS music was “Iron” by Woodkid this past season; this clip’s audio is set to Woodkid’s “I Love You”) - not sure if the music used in the videos is his new program music?

I did a quick check and didn't see this informative Olympics.com article by Nick McCarvel posted here before Martynov competed in the Junior Grand Prix Final last December (Dec. 6, 2023): https://olympics.com/en/news/son-in...rting-own-path-yevgeny-nikolai-morozov-junior
Excerpts:

Yevgeny Martynov competed in the mid- and late-1990s for Ukraine, placing fifth at World Juniors in 1995 and winning medals at a pair of mid-level (now ISU Challenger Series) events, Nebelhorn Trophy (silver) and Golden Spin (gold) in 1998.
After settling the family in Naperville, Illinois, (the hometown of 2010 Olympic champion, Evan Lysacek), Yevgeny had Daniel on the ice at a young age: “My dad taught me how to skate,” the 17-year old Martynov says, then adding: “I like to think I’m a little better than him now... just have to throw that out there.”
His mother, Marina Gromova, has some 30 years of experience as a choreographer, crafting programs for a host of skaters, including – at one point – 1994 Olympic champion Oksana Baiul.

As Martynov’s success grew as a junior, the double duty of parents-as-coaches created hurdles for the family, who turned to renowned coach and choreographer Nikolai Morozov for help.
Daniel made the move to Florida in August of 2022 to train with Morozov full time.
“We needed just to change something up,” Martynov said of his move away from home. “Now it's a little bit easier because we have an understanding where it's like, When I'm in Chicago, I'm visiting. So it's just a little different.” [...]
“[The move] has forced me to mature faster,” Martynov admits. “I love having my schedule to myself; I can really focus on skating.”

The Grand Prix Final arrives as a sort of reward to Martynov after an especially challenging couple of years, which has seen him suffer through a myriad of injuries, including tendonitis in his knee, a stress fracture in his back and a growth spurt that saw him grow nine inches over a matter of months in 2021.
“I had to learn to overcome”, says Martynov, who missed the entire 2021-22 season.
“For a time I would skate one week, take the next off,” he said. In late 2021, "it got to a point where it hurt to walk,” Martynov added. “I couldn't go up the stairs."

It’s Fernandez, Martynov says, who has long inspired him. He can remember screaming cheers at the TV when Javi took to the ice at PyeongChang 2018, where Martynov’s father also served as a technical specialist among officials (in the women’s event).
“Javi was my favourite through his whole career; I just love him,” Martynov said. “And then as I started getting older, I just had so much respect for Nathan [Chen] because he was doing all those crazy jumps when I was just starting to do, like... a triple Axel. [As a skater], you know how hard an element is for you, and when you see someone on TV doing six quads in a free skate, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”

Martynov has never met the aforementioned Lysacek, but he has spent time with another Chicago-area native, two-time Olympian Jason Brown. The two actually went to a senior international event together in the last several weeks [CS Warsaw Cup], some 11 years between them.
“He gave me some great advice,” Martynov said of Brown. “He told me, ‘I’m still figuring out adulting at 28.’ I got to ask him a lot of questions; pull information out of him. The time we had together was great.”

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting this exchange here from the Collegiate Skating thread (thanks @marshallpond - I didn't mean to forget about Luke! ):

I just find it very interesting that these boys were all single skaters before. Nick Hseih was on Team USA and a JGP Junior Men competitor before. As a junior men's competitor, Lucas Altieri won the Golden Spin of Zagreb. While focusing on college, they are discovering new avenues to continue skating. Love collegiate skating!
And I have to say it again: I've always loved, loved, loved David Shapiro. Been his fan since he was part of Viktor Pfeiffer's boy's squad.

Viktor Pfeifer's original "boys squad" in Wilmington, DE included: Joseph Kang and Peter Liu in Senior and Nick Hsieh in Junior at 2021 U.S. Nationals, plus David Shapiro (10th in Junior at 2020 Nationals) and Tony Lu (2019 Senior National competitor)... fun trivia - Pfeifer also worked a bit with Ilia Malinin when he (Pfeifer) was based in Wilmington.

Even during the pandemic, Ilia went to Viktor to train every weekend. They'd drive from Reston to Wilmington on Saturdays.
Luke Wang around the time shortly before the pandemic trained with Viktor in Wilmington, driving from his place in MD. He was the one who convinced Luke to try pairs.
Viktor is one of the nicest coaches in skating. Had a long chat with him at the Mid-Atlantic NQS last year about why he moved back from Colorado to Aston PA, and he said that the thing he wants to do the most is to develop and nurture young skaters, which he can't really do much in Broadmoor. So now at Iceworks, he has a burgeoning stable of kids again (with a good number of boys) with Caleb [Farrington], Coco [Zhang], Beck [Strommer], etc.

ETA - speaking of Strommer, Beck shared in his Instagram stories today that he performed his new SP at the SC of Wilmington's club show this past weekend and asked for guesses re. his FS music based on his costume (he hinted it may be violin music).

Beck’s 2023-24 season recap (Jan. 28): https://www.instagram.com/p/C2qGwQnRiYe/
Excerpt:

While these weren’t the performances I was hoping to show at the end of my season I am still very proud of coming away from this event with a medal [4th place pewter].
I’ve had a season that I’ll never forget. Medaling at all three internationals that I competed in was so exciting and something I’m so proud of. I’ve learned a lot about myself this season and as a competitor, skater, and artist and I’m glad that I could show my growth.
As I move on from this season and into seniors I’m excited to continue to develop my artistic sense. I am also ready to work more on difficult jumps to expand my technical ability.

 

[ice coverage]

Cross-posting from U.S. Pairs thread:

Announcer… What is so freaking hard about ma-ra-vee-ya?

And now, the hardest working guy this week. Jon Ma-ra-vee-ya. Not Maraviliar!

Belated FYI/follow-up re pronunciation of Jon Maravilla's last name:

I don't belong to Kiss and Cry, so only now have come across the quoted comments in Nats threads.

I spoke directly to Jon in Columbus. He politely requested that announcers use the pronunciation of: "mah-rah-vill-ee-ah."

He specifically did not want announcers to say: "-vee-ya" or "-vill-ah."​

 

[Sylvia]

2024 U.S. Junior national bronze medalist Aleksandr (Sasha) Fegan: On Ice and En Pointe by Paula Slater (April 28):

Aleksandr Fegan: On Ice and En Pointe

Aleksandr Fegan At just four years old, USA's Aleksandr Fegan discovered his passion for figure skating after meeting 2014 Olympic champions, Maxim

www.goldenskate.com

 

[Sylvia]

This opinion was posted by @skateboy in Naumov's fan thread and I thought this one would be a more appropriate place to rehash IF anyone feels like it?

Max absolutely should have won silver and US Nats and placed on the Worlds team.

Jumping higher, spinning faster: Max [Naumov]’s figure skating story (April 29, 2024) by Joanne Barker:

Jumping higher, spinning faster: Max’s figure skating story - Boston Children's Answers

Max first came to Boston Children’s with an ankle injury in 2017. Since then, his team here has helped him skate at the highest level.

answers.childrenshospital.org

Excerpts:

But when he was 15, he came home from a training camp with severe ankle pain. After visiting a number of doctors, Max and his parents made an appointment with Dr. Ellen Geminiani (Dr. Gem) of the Sports Medicine Division. As a physician for U.S. Figure Skating, she understood the nuances of skating injuries, such as those caused by landing on the same ankle thousands of times. And as a former competitive figure skater, she respected Max’s ambitions.
Together, she, Max, and his coaches found ways to balance his athletic goals with his health and well-being. “Coaches and doctors don’t always have the best relationships,” says Max. One typically focuses on the next competition while the other insists on rest. Unlike some of his figure skating friends, this wasn’t the case for Max. “Dr. Gem understands the sport and what goes into it,” he says. “It’s a lot easier to come up with a plan with someone who’s willing to work with you.”

Like any professional skater, Max approaches his time on the ice with focus and determination. “This is my occupation,” he says. As each season winds down, he and his choreographer get to work developing new programs for the coming year. “Those are some of the coolest moments I have on the ice, just being able to express yourself through the programs and music.”

ETA - re-posting (from the Club Shows & Benefits thread) a fan cam of one of Naumov's performances from the Simsbury, CT show on April 27 - “Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32S08Szpuj8

 

[Sylvia]

[ICE TIME] American Junior Taira Shinohara Details Successful Season and Ambitions Moving Forward | SportsLook

At the 2024 US Junior Championships, runner-up Taira Shinohara showed his skating skills, including the thrill of landing two triple axels in the free skate.

featured.japan-forward.com

Re. his experience at the Bavarian Open after Nationals:

The Bavarian Open was held in Oberstdorf, Germany, and Shinohara won his first international competition there with a tally of 193.87 on January 31. He was clearly thrilled with his win and the chance to visit another country.
Noting "the Bavarian Open was a whirlwind of experiences," Shinohara added, "The short program was a personal triumph, marked by a clean routine that earned me a personal best score (77.27). However, the free skate presented its challenges, particularly with an attempted quad toe that didn't go as planned."
Added Shinohara, "Nevertheless, maintaining my lead from the short program and clinching victory in the junior men's event amidst the international competition was incredibly rewarding. Beyond the competition itself, the time spent with fellow skaters from around the world and the opportunity to explore Oberstdorf and Munich made the event truly unforgettable."

Taira's lengthy vlog about his second international experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elEyB35VQXE
He has a lot of content on his YT channel, such as his new "You Will Be Found" EX performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjOD0ag2q0Y
He is landing 4T and, more recently, 4S, in practice on 4/26: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BkUEC7RepXo

 

[marshallpond]

One US junior man I am excited to see this coming season is Patrick Blackwell.

He's been landing two quads and triple axel consistently, and if he stays healthy, this will be his year.

Patrick Blackwell on Instagram: "Here’s 2 that took some time but pleased to land both my quads as 2nd/3rd jump Also thank you so much to @weisigeraudrey @tommysteenberg @jeremy.allen459 and any other coaches for running such a great camp and thank

2,194 likes, 44 comments - skater_patrick_v2 on April 14, 2024: "Here’s 2 that took some time but pleased to land both my quads as 2nd/3rd jump Also thank you so much to @weisigeraudrey @tommysteenb...".

www.instagram.com

He was at Detroit Skating Club training with Audrey Weisiger for part of this week

Last year, he could not compete at the sectionals due to a broken collarbone from doing BMX tricks. Hopefully, his mom could bubble-wrap him this year and keep him from injuring himself.

 

[Sylvia]

Sept. 11, 2023 flashback:

Jacob Sanchez now has the highest NQS total score (236.47) after decisively winning the Junior Men's event at the Middle Atlantics NQS in NYC this past weekend - his protocol sheets: https://twitter.com/SylviaUnseen/status/1700936322788049071
It was a very competitive event (Patrick Blackwell in 5th place landed 3A cleanly in both programs) -- Aleksandr "Sasha" Fegan, who will make his JGP debut at #7 in Armenia, shared this reel video of podium photos (""Proud to have taken home the Silver in a hard fought NQS Middle Atlantics this weekend. Scored my Personal Best of 196.34."): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxCUdcuO056/
Bronze went to "Happy Kirk" Haugeto (189.67) and 4th place to Lucius Kazanecki (181.88), both of whom debuted on the JGP last year.

Lucius went on to win the 2024 Junior national title with Sasha Fegan the bronze; Jacob won the SP at YOG and debuted at Junior Worlds; and I remember noticing Blackwell's 3A success here and later wondering why he WD from Eastern Sectionals.

 

[YukiNieve]

Lucas Broussard skated his new(?) SP for a non-qualifying competition, May Blades, in Tacoma, WA. If this was his new SP, I am wondering what music he was using.

2024 Mayblades

Event Results for 2024 Mayblades

ijs.usfigureskating.org

ETA
Daniel Martynov is at the Amodio Figure Skating Academy.

Amodio Academy on Instagram: "✨🇺🇸 Welcome, Daniel 🇺🇸✨ 🌟 Welcome @danielymartynov , the rising star of figure skating! We're so happy to have you here in @vaujanystation with us!! @amodioacademy @usfigureskating @vaujanystation"

amodioacademy on May 18, 2024: "✨🇺🇸 Welcome, Daniel 🇺🇸✨ 🌟 Welcome @danielymartynov , the rising star of figure skating! We're so happy to have you here in @vaujanystation with us!! @amodioacademy @usfigureskating @vaujanystation".

www.instagram.com

 

[Frau Muller]

Lucas Broussard skated his new(?) SP for a non-qualifying competition, May Blades, in Tacoma, WA. If this was his new SP, I am wondering what music he was using.

2024 Mayblades

Event Results for 2024 Mayblades

ijs.usfigureskating.org

Happy to read that Lucas B. is back…and that the “Senior Men” category points to traditional singles skating, rather than Singles Dance, although he would be great in that, too.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Lucas Broussard skated his new(?) SP for a non-qualifying competition, May Blades, in Tacoma, WA. If this was his new SP, I am wondering what music he was using.

2024 Mayblades

Event Results for 2024 Mayblades

ijs.usfigureskating.org

ETA
Daniel Martynov is at the Amodio Figure Skating Academy.

Amodio Academy on Instagram: "✨🇺🇸 Welcome, Daniel 🇺🇸✨ 🌟 Welcome @danielymartynov , the rising star of figure skating! We're so happy to have you here in @vaujanystation with us!! @amodioacademy @usfigureskating @vaujanystation"

amodioacademy on May 18, 2024: "✨🇺🇸 Welcome, Daniel 🇺🇸✨ 🌟 Welcome @danielymartynov , the rising star of figure skating! We're so happy to have you here in @vaujanystation with us!! @amodioacademy @usfigureskating @vaujanystation".

www.instagram.com

And he will absolutely have no Grand Prix assignments this season unless he gets a host spot, correct? And he’s an envelope D? Or no envelope at all?

 

[Karen-W]

And he will absolutely have no Grand Prix assignments this season unless he gets a host spot, correct?

Correct.

And he’s an envelope D? Or no envelope at all?

No funding.