U.S. Men 2024-25 news & updates

[Sylvia]

2024-25 ISU Grand Prix assignments as of June 9, 2024 (10 spots/6 men):

Ilia Malinin: #1 Skate America & #2 Skate Canada International
Jason Brown: #2 Skate Canada International & #4 NHK Trophy
Camden Pulkinen: #3 France & #5 Helsinki
Maxim Naumov: Skate America
Andrew Torgashev: France
Tomoki Hiwatashi: NHK Trophy
1 TBA: Skate America


USFS' International Selection Pool (ISP) currently lists 40 men [2023-24 Sr./Jr. Grand Prix Finals//U.S. Sectionals qualifying/YOG/Nationals/ISU Championships placements included below].

Competed Senior at 2024 Nationals and/or Sectionals, competed senior internationally in 2023-24, have aged out of ISU Junior;
[* = U.S. senior level men still ISU Junior age-eligible in 2024-25]:

William Annis E-S1/S16
*Lucas Broussard S-wd
Jason Brown S2/W5
Goku Endo P-S1/S10
Tomoki Hiwatashi M-S1/S8/4CC11
Liam Kapeikis S13
Joseph Klein M-S2/S17
*Kai Kovar P-S3/S11
Alexander Liu M-J5
Jimmy Ma S6
Ilia Malinin GPF1/S1/W1
*Daniel Martynov S9/JW13
Antonio Monaco M-J3/J15
Daniil Murzin P-S6
Maxim Naumov S4/4CC12
Yaroslav Paniot P-S2/S7
Camden Pulkinen S3/W20
Beck Strommer M-J2/J4
Andrew Torgashev S5/4CC8
Michael Xie P-S4/S14
Maxim Zharkov M-S(wd after SP)

ISU Junior age-eligible in 2024-25:
Ryan Azadpour P-N2/J19
Patrick Blackwell E-J(wd)
Nicholas Brooks P-J1/J5
Lorenzo Elano M-J4/J6
Sergei Evseev P-J2/J8
Caleb Farrington E-N1/J11
Aleksandr Fegan E-J3/J3
Kirk Haugeto E-J2/J7
Lucius Kazanecki E-J1/J1
Zachary LoPinto E-J5
Alvin Luu M-N3/J18
Nhat-Viet Nguyen M-J(wd)
Marlo Rosen M-N1/J14
Ryedin Rudedenmen M-N2/J16
Jacob Sanchez YOG4/JW10
Jared Sedlis E-J4/J10
Taira Shinohara M-J1/J2
Alek Tankovic E-N2/J17
Vaclav Vasquez P-J3/J9


2024-25 Team Envelopes

Team A
Jason Brown
Ilia Malinin

Team B
Jimmy Ma
Maxim Naumov
Camden Pulkinen
Andrew Torgashev

Team C
Aleksandr Fegan
Tomoki Hiwatashi
Lucius Kazanecki
Daniel Martynov
Yaroslav Paniot
Jacob Sanchez
Taira Shinohara
Beck Strommer

Team D
Ryan Azadpour
Nicholas Brooks
Lorenzo Elano
Caleb Farrington
August Perthus*
Marlo Rosen
Ryedin Rudedenman
Alek Tankovic

*Perthus likely is still listed in D until his switch to Germany is finalized: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/u-s-men-2023-24-news-updates.110812/page-21#post-6604370

I'll copy over some relevant posts from the previous thread to this one when I get a chance.

 

[YukiNieve]

ISP skaters Joseph Klein (senior) and Marlo Rosen, Lorenzo Elano, and Taira Shinohara (junior) are scheduled to compete for 2024 Southport Summer Classic (June 13-15, 2024) in Pleasant Prairies, Wisconsin.

2024 Southport Summer Classic

Event Results for 2024 Southport Summer Classic

ijs.usfigureskating.org

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

I'm surprised that Shinohara is skating as a junior. He skated in April as a senior and stated in a recent interview that he hoped to make it to senior nationals.

 

[ice coverage]

Taira Shinohara also is aiming for JGP assignments in the upcoming season -- so he needs strong results at U.S. Junior Team Cup, which will take place in a few weeks.
Makes sense to me that competing his junior programs at Southport would be good preparation for U.S. Junior Team Cup.

(Then for NQS, he should compete as a senior in order to get to Nats as a senior.)

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

Taira Shinohara also is aiming for JGP assignments in the upcoming season -- so he needs strong results at U.S. Junior Team Cup, which will take place in a few weeks.
Makes sense to me that competing his junior programs at Southport would be good preparation for U.S. Junior Team Cup.

(Then for NQS, he should compete as a senior in order to get to Nats as a senior.)

Of course, that makes total sense. It must be hard to keep so many variations of a program in your head. Is there a difference between USFS Junior and ISU Junior program requirements, or are they in sync? I've only recently started paying attention to international competitions.

 

[gkelly]

Of course, that makes total sense. It must be hard to keep so many variations of a program in your head. Is there a difference between USFS Junior and ISU Junior program requirements, or are they in sync? I've only recently started paying attention to international competitions.

USFS follows ISU rules for standard junior and senior competitions domestically. For novice events there can be some differences.

Oh, except USFS does offer some bonuses on difficult jumps at Juvenile through Junior levels. For juniors, the current bonuses available are 1.0 for each different triple-triple combination and 1.0 for each triple axel or quad.

 

[layman]

2024-25 ISU Grand Prix assignments as of June 9, 2024 (10 spots/6 men):

Ilia Malinin: #1 Skate America & #2 Skate Canada International
Jason Brown: #2 Skate Canada International & #4 NHK Trophy
Camden Pulkinen: #3 France & #5 Helsinki
Maxim Naumov: Skate America
Andrew Torgashev: France
Tomoki Hiwatashi: NHK Trophy
1 TBA: Skate America


USFS' International Selection Pool (ISP) currently lists 40 men [2023-24 Sr./Jr. Grand Prix Finals//U.S. Sectionals qualifying/YOG/Nationals/ISU Championships placements included below].

Competed Senior at 2024 Nationals and/or Sectionals, competed senior internationally in 2023-24, have aged out of ISU Junior;
[* = U.S. senior level men still ISU Junior age-eligible in 2024-25]:

William Annis E-S1/S16
*Lucas Broussard S-wd
Jason Brown S2/W5
Goku Endo P-S1/S10
Tomoki Hiwatashi M-S1/S8/4CC11
Liam Kapeikis S13
Joseph Klein M-S2/S17
*Kai Kovar P-S3/S11
Alexander Liu M-J5
Jimmy Ma S6
Ilia Malinin GPF1/S1/W1
*Daniel Martynov S9/JW13
Antonio Monaco M-J3/J15
Daniil Murzin P-S6
Maxim Naumov S4/4CC12
Yaroslav Paniot P-S2/S7
Camden Pulkinen S3/W20
Beck Strommer M-J2/J4
Andrew Torgashev S5/4CC8
Michael Xie P-S4/S14
Maxim Zharkov M-S(wd after SP)

ISU Junior age-eligible in 2024-25:
Ryan Azadpour P-N2/J19
Patrick Blackwell E-J(wd)
Nicholas Brooks P-J1/J5
Lorenzo Elano M-J4/J6
Sergei Evseev P-J2/J8
Caleb Farrington E-N1/J11
Aleksandr Fegan E-J3/J3
Kirk Haugeto E-J2/J7
Lucius Kazanecki E-J1/J1
Zachary LoPinto E-J5
Alvin Luu M-N3/J18
Nhat-Viet Nguyen M-J(wd)
Marlo Rosen M-N1/J14
Ryedin Rudedenmen M-N2/J16
Jacob Sanchez YOG4/JW10
Jared Sedlis E-J4/J10
Taira Shinohara M-J1/J2
Alek Tankovic E-N2/J17
Vaclav Vasquez P-J3/J9


2024-25 Team Envelopes

Team A
Jason Brown
Ilia Malinin

Team B
Jimmy Ma
Maxim Naumov
Camden Pulkinen
Andrew Torgashev

Team C
Aleksandr Fegan
Tomoki Hiwatashi
Lucius Kazanecki
Daniel Martynov
Yaroslav Paniot
Jacob Sanchez
Taira Shinohara
Beck Strommer

Team D
Ryan Azadpour
Nicholas Brooks
Lorenzo Elano
Caleb Farrington
August Perthus*
Marlo Rosen
Ryedin Rudedenman
Alek Tankovic

*Perthus likely is still listed in D until his switch to Germany is finalized: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/u-s-men-2023-24-news-updates.110812/page-21#post-6604370

I'll copy over some relevant posts from the previous thread to this one when I get a chance.

Why does Yaroslav Paniot never get any assignments?

 

[Karen-W]

Why does Yaroslav Paniot never get any assignments?

The short answer is that his injuries in 2022-23 meant he had a pretty low result at 2023 Nats and wound up not getting much opportunities last season as he continued his comeback. He's not even on the ISU SB Top 75 so he wasn't eligible for a GP selection except as a SkAm host pick. He may very well wind up with the TBD spot but he'll have to prove he deserves it more than Torgashev, Hiwatashi, Ma, Broussard, Kapeikis, Martynov, Murzin, and Xie. There are a lot of guys gunning for that spot who have the talent to nab it.

 

[Stephanie]

The short answer is that his injuries in 2022-23 meant he had a pretty low result at 2023 Nats and wound up not getting much opportunities last season as he continued his comeback. He's not even on the ISU SB Top 75 so he wasn't eligible for a GP selection except as a SkAm host pick. He may very well wind up with the TBD spot but he'll have to prove he deserves it more than Torgashev, Hiwatashi, Ma, Broussard, Kapeikis, Martynov, Murzin, and Xie. There are a lot of guys gunning for that spot who have the talent to nab it.

Martynov will probably be back on the JGP. He has one more junior season.

 

[her grace]

There’s only 6 spots total on the JGP for US men so it will be very competitive for those, too.

Martynov should be a favorite, but he can’t afford to have the slow start to the season that he had last year.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Phil Hersh comments on the ISU delaying jumping pass limitations for two more years, thereby making it likely that Ilia Malinin will continue his monster technical scores.

x.com

twitter.com

 

[marshallpond]

Taira Shinohara also is aiming for JGP assignments in the upcoming season -- so he needs strong results at U.S. Junior Team Cup, which will take place in a few weeks.

Elano beat Taira by a hefty 22.5 points at the 2024 Southport Summer Classic. When Taira is on, he's on, but he's not consistent. Elano may not have the hard jumps, but he's pretty consistent with the jumps he has

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

Elano beat Taira by a hefty 22.5 points at the 2024 Southport Summer Classic. When Taira is on, he's on, but he's not consistent. Elano may not have the hard jumps, but he's pretty consistent with the jumps he has

It's always so hard to judge skaters holistically in these preseason events. Some are trying out brand new programs and jumps, others are coming in strong with last season's program. I don't mean to take away from Elano's victory or anything -- I'm just speaking very generally. I wouldn't hold anyone's preseason scores against their overall trend for consistency.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

There’s only 6 spots total on the JGP for US men so it will be very competitive for those, too.

It looks like we had 6 earned spots last year, but ended up with 10 placements. How common is that? And what is the reason for that? Does a result above a certain spot guarantee a skater another assignment above what a federation already received? Or is it other countries not being able to field competitors? Sorry, I'm a little new to following international events.

 

[happycamper2554]

It looks like we had 6 earned spots last year, but ended up with 10 placements. How common is that?

depends if the countries above us can fill the sports. Slovakia won't be able too. We'll see about Estonia and GB. We might pick up a couple.

 

[her grace]

The U.S. isn’t eligible for reallotment this year. The 4th-6th best countries (who originally got 1 spot in 7 events) are the ones who can potentially gain additional spots, and unfortunately, the U.S. isn’t in that tier based on last season’s jr. Worlds results.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

The U.S. isn’t eligible for reallotment this year.

Oh no, that stinks. So many little rules to learn.

 

[Lutzes&Loops]

It's always so hard to judge skaters holistically in these preseason events. Some are trying out brand new programs and jumps, others are coming in strong with last season's program. I don't mean to take away from Elano's victory or anything -- I'm just speaking very generally. I wouldn't hold anyone's preseason scores against their overall trend for consistency.

Also, looks like Taira skated his free choreographed to the "new" rules that got postponed, so his base value was down by a jump and the spin score difference.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

Also, looks like Taira skated his free choreographed to the "new" rules that got postponed, so his base value was down by a jump and the spin score difference.

Yeah, I've heard of skaters practicing two different versions of their programs so they're ready for either outcome. I guess Taira was only practicing the new rules and just went with that.

 

[Lutzes&Loops]

Yeah, I've heard of skaters practicing two different versions of their programs depending on which way the rules go. Maybe Taira was only practicing the new rules and just went with it anyway.

It's tough to practice both versions. Most favored one way or other. Overall, the introduction of the proposal in April threw everyone off and whichever way the ISU vote was going to go, there were bound to be some that guessed wrong. Hopefully, those skating in junior events can quickly adapt to the "new old" rules.

 

[YukiNieve]

Well, Taira was in Japan just a week ago.
He was skating with Yuma in Yuma's rink.

(Taira memorized Yuma's step sequence for last season's FS and skated together with him)

鍵山優真 / Yuma Kagiyama on Instagram: ". 泰良くんが僕の昨年のFSのステップを覚えてくれていたので一緒にやってみました⛸️ 自分も久しぶりにやったのできつかったです笑 @taira.shinohara ありがとう！ また来てねっ 楽しかった〜"

7,090 likes, 62 comments - yuma_kagiyama15 on June 14, 2024: ". 泰良くんが僕の昨年のFSのステップを覚えてくれていたので一緒にやってみました⛸️ 自分も久しぶりにやったのできつかったです笑 @taira.shinohara ありがとう！ また来てねっ 楽しかった〜".

www.instagram.com

It is also on Taira's YouTube channel:

Yuma Kagiyamaâs step sequence side by side with himself!

ð Aurora Rink at Chukyo Universityð¶ Rain, In Your Black Eyesð¯ðµæ¥æ¬èªéµå±±åªçé¸æã®ã¹ãããã·ã¼ã¯ã¨ã³ã¹ãå½¼èªèº«ã¨ä¸ç·ã«ããã¾ããð ãªã¼ãã©ãªã³ã¯ãä¸äº¬å¤§å¦ð¶ Rain, In Your Black Eyes

www.youtube.com

I do not know why he scheduled a competition right after he came back, but from my experience, it is always much harder to overcome jet lag when you come back from west to east as you go against the clock. For me, it can take 5-7 days to adjust.

 

[YukiNieve]

ISP junior skater Aleksandr Fegan is competing for Garden State Games held in Wayne, NJ, during June 14-15, 2024.

2024 Garden State Games

Event Results for 2024 Garden State Games

ijs.usfigureskating.org

 

[Frau Muller]

Phil Hersh comments on the ISU delaying jumping pass limitations for two more years, thereby making it likely that Ilia Malinin will continue his monster technical scores.

x.com

twitter.com

Oh yeah, baby…Ilia all the way!

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

ISP junior skater Aleksandr Fegan is competing for Garden State Games held in Wayne, NJ, during June 14-15, 2024.

By the looks of his SP PPC, he's got a 3A in practice that he's kept to himself (didn't post it on IG or anything, but it's no surprise that he's been working on it). He unfortunately popped it into a single of no value.

Lots of juniors are getting their 3A and some quads in this off-season. It should be an exciting year. It kind of makes you wish that the Junior World Team Cup event was televised.

 

[choreoseq]

By the looks of his SP PPC, he's got a 3A in practice that he's kept to himself (didn't post it on IG or anything, but it's no surprise that he's been working on it). He unfortunately popped it into a single of no value.

Lots of juniors are getting their 3A and some quads in this off-season. It should be an exciting year. It kind of makes you wish that the Junior World Team Cup event was televised.

it's usually on the fanzone? i definitely remember watching it last season, but i could be wrong

 

[cailuj365]

I was very impressed with Aleksandr Fegan's musicality and movement last year. I thought he exceeded many of the senior men in those aspects...

I also like that Taira is spending time practicing in the camps of some big champions. He spent some time with Ilia and his parents last year and now with Yuma and his team. What a way to be inspired and learn from the best!

 

[marshallpond]

It's always so hard to judge skaters holistically in these preseason events. Some are trying out brand new programs and jumps, others are coming in strong with last season's program. I don't mean to take away from Elano's victory or anything -- I'm just speaking very generally. I wouldn't hold anyone's preseason scores against their overall trend for consistency.

I hope Taira does better this year in the Junior Cup. He tends to start the season slow: he was 10th in 2022 at the Junior Cup and 7th in 2023. I want to see him get JGP assignments, but for the past couple of years, he hasn't been able to get any because he didn't have spectacular results out of the gate. However, having triple axel and quads makes him a strong contender.

Looking forward to Fegan this year. You can donate to Sasha's "2024 Victory Fund" here https://www.gofundme.com/f/sasha-fegan-2024-competition-and-training-fund

 

[Karen-W]

With a crowded field of Junior Men in the International Selection Pool (ISP) competing for the limited Junior Grand Prix (JGP) spots, every skater wants to stand out and get the attention of the powers that be. Recognizing the abundance of talent, a survey was conducted to gauge interest among the skaters in participating in an international competition, with the caveat that the expenses would be covered by the skaters, not the fed.

I'm glad the USFS is exploring this option for the junior men (hopefully also for the junior women). With the addition last season of WS points for junior Bs, it is extremely important to give these skaters opportunities to earn points outside of the JGPs. Even if the skaters have to foot the bill themselves, those competition opportunities could prove critical if they skate well enough to be named to the JWC team and the WS points earned would impact their starting order at that event.

 

[ice coverage]

... With a crowded field of Junior Men in the International Selection Pool (ISP) competing for the limited Junior Grand Prix (JGP) spots, every skater wants to stand out and get the attention of the powers that be. Recognizing the abundance of talent, a survey was conducted to gauge interest among the skaters in participating in an international competition, with the caveat that the expenses would be covered by the skaters, not the fed.
...

Well .. I have mixed feelings about extra opportunities at the international level being an option for U.S. juniors who are able to pay their own way. My concern is for those who would lose out on its benefits because they do not have the financial resources to "purchase" this international option (after budgeting for competition expenses of sectionals and nationals, among many other expenses).
Yes, I know a truly level playing field is not realistic for skating in general, or for life in general. But for me, I do not want to become oblivious to examples of inequity.

(marshallpond, are you talking about an option to pay their own expenses for an international outside the U.S.?
For Philadelphia International and Cranberry International, have skaters always needed to pay their own way? I think maybe so??)

 

[Rukia]

@ice coverage said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. In the US, success in this sport is already weighted towards people with more wealth. Something like this is just going to give more of an advantage to those with access to more money. It's nice to give them more opportunities, but you're also potentially unintentionally weeding out skaters with less money. Making it to competition in the US is already a huge burden for some.