U.S. Men 2025-26 Discussion - Quad God and the Mere Mortals

[her grace]

Jackie Wong's throwing Kazanecki's name into the Olympic mix after today's bronze at the JGPF.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1996853466992627801

Not sure I think there's much chance of that happening. Even if he did wind up on the podium at Nats, the USFS would have to send him out to get the Sr CTES mins in January and we know they passed right on over Ilia in 2022 for the Olympic team, which is what I would expect to happen to Lucius this year.

Agreed. If USFS wanted him to be in consideration, they would have sent him to a Challenger or Senior B to get the CTES minimums. That they did not shows that he's not in the Olympic mix.

Comparing to the Malinin 2022 situation, Malinin was more dominant at the junior level and USFS did send him to a 2021 Challenger pre-nationals where he got his tech minimums for 4CC/Olympics, but didn't reach the TES needed for Worlds. Also, the domestic field that Malinin faced was more difficult with 3 U.S. men making the GP Final in the 2021-2022 season. You'd think that with the weaker U.S. field this year, USFS would have been interested in sending their age-eligible JGPF qualifier to a senior event, but they didn't.

Jackie Wong seems to get a bit optimistic whenever there's something that it would make logical sense to do, but that USFS has shown no evidence of wanting to do. For example, he also claimed that Shin/Nagy would be replaced at the OQE after almost every American team beat them at John Nicks. It sounds like wishful thinking to me.

 

[Jonas]

Lucius Kazanecki very likely secured himself a ticket to Jr. Worlds! I would not be surprised neither if he manages to jump his way onto the podium in St. Louis and I'd wonder if the USFSA would then send him to get his minima for Worlds. USFSA did it for Torgy in 2023, so it should do it for Lucius if this comes to fruition.

I'd say that the 2nd ticket to Jr. Worlds goes to whoever between Patrick Blackwell and Caleb Farrington finishes higher (presumably wins) at Nationals. Personally, I enjoy Nicholas Brooks a lot, so if he manages to pull an upset in St. Louis, I'd have no objections to him being sent!

Your thoughts...

 

[Karen-W]

Lucius Kazanecki very likely secured himself a ticket to Jr. Worlds! I would not be surprised neither if he manages to jump his way onto the podium in St. Louis and I'd wonder if the USFSA would then send him to get his minima for Worlds. USFSA did it for Torgy in 2023, so it should do it for Lucius if this comes to fruition.

I'd say that the 2nd ticket to Jr. Worlds goes to whoever between Patrick Blackwell and Caleb Farrington finishes higher (presumably wins) at Nationals. Personally, I enjoy Nicholas Brooks a lot, so if he manages to pull an upset in St. Louis, I'd have no objections to him being sent!

Your thoughts...

I can't see Brooks being sent to Jr Worlds over either Blackwell or Farrington.

It's possible they could send Kazanecki out to get his Sr CTES mins if he winds up on the podium at Nats (they also sent Ilia out for the Worlds TES mins in Feb 2022 after he wound up on the podium at Nats), but it feels to me like his coaching team is taking a slightly slower approach with him than they did with Ilia in 2021. I have a hard time thinking the USFS wouldn't have gladly sent him to a Sr B last month if he wanted one, especially since he did compete at Easterns just to run his senior programs again even with the bye to Nats already secured. That makes me think he is going to remain strictly junior internationally this season and Worlds isn't on his radar.

 

[Stephanie]

Sanchez is also an option for junior worlds.

 

[skatfan]

Sanchez is also an option for junior worlds.

Except he hasn't got Jr programs this year. I kinda doubt he'll want to go again.

 

[Sylvia]

CS Golden Spin of Zagreb results:

5 Jacob SANCHEZ USA 216.59 10 [75.31] 3 [141.28] - 198 ISU WS points
6 Daniel MARTYNOV USA 216.34 2 [84.06] 9 [132.28] - 178 ISU WS points

Copying out Jacob's quotes to Golden Skate after his FS: https://x.com/goldenskate/status/1997026062492950577

Jacob: I’m good. I’m really happy with how this season is going. I made it to a lot of cool places, so I’m really excited and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year. I’m just trying to keep progressing my skating and be the best that I can.

On which cool places he got to see

I mean, I went to China for my Grand Prix, that was the most memorable. I also went to Austria and Bratislava for the first time. Now I’m here in Zagreb and I didn’t know I was going to be here until like three weeks before. So I’m kind of a short notice, but I’m happy to be able to compete in my third Challenger this year.

On today’s skate:

I mean, today was not my best this season, but I’m really happy that even with the initial mistake, I was able to keep myself together for the rest of the program. I can feel it’s difficult now with a different pacing than in juniors. It’s weird now having all these competitions so close together in the later part of the season, so I’m kind of adjusting to it.

I’m actually happy that I made it out here. The last two weeks were hard. I got the flu, I was off for six days and I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t get a lot of run-throughs in before this competition. So I’m honestly happy that I was able to make it here because I was thinking about withdrawing last week.

On the Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix going on right now:

I mean, it was awesome to watch them. I woke up this morning, I was watching the free skate of the junior men and all six guys, they’re so strong and I would kill to be there right now. I kept getting all my photo memories from last year and then now that the final is happening, I’m like, oh, I wish I was there.

But I’m really happy for Rio, Minkyu and happy for Lucius. Also Denis, he made so much progress. It’s really cool to see him competing at the final representing a smaller federation. And also tomorrow, my best friend, Ilia, is competing. So I’m really excited for that. I really believe in him and his strong mind.

Next week he is having a show in Philadelphia with Ilia, Alysa and Isabeau. He’s very excited and he’s very excited for that.

 

[Stephanie]

Except he hasn't got Jr programs this year. I kinda doubt he'll want to go again.

He did say in an interview several months back that he’d be happy to go again. I’m sure his team has a plan to adjust his LP as needed just like Elyce Lin-Gracey did last year.

 

[skatfan]

He did say in an interview several months back that he’d be happy to go again. I’m sure his team has a plan to adjust his LP as needed just like Elyce Lin-Gracey did last year.

Ah, thanks for the info, given the post that Sylvia included, it does seem like he has some serious FOMO regarding the JrGPF!

 

[YukiNieve]

This is an interesting article about Ilia's vision for quints, his training for the program with multiple quads, his view of the FS scores for the GPF, and the value of quads. (The emphases were included in the original article.)

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/figure-skating-usa-ilia-malinin-making-history-seven-quad-skate-going-your-own-way-can-feel-lonely-interview

About practicing quads:

If last year he only landed his free with seven quads cleanly “a few times in three months”, going into the 2025 edition of the event, he had at least one clean skate each week.

Repetition is one of the keys to Malinin’s incredible jumping ability and stamina: The skater revealed he does a run-through of a seven-quad free program every day in training.

“I do skate a full free skate every day. Some days I can skip a few quads or go for all of them, so it really depends how I'm feeling but, overall, I've been doing them for a few years now, so I understand where my sweet spot for all the quad jumps is.”

About FS scores for the GPF:

“I was impressed with the score that I got. I honestly thought that I was going to get lower,” the skater said. “From how I felt, the second score was lacking in my opinion. There's a lot more that I can do and that was like a jump competition for me.”

About the value of the quads:

While these elements are costing Malinin points, oddly enough, he is advocating for them to be given a higher value in the figure skating rule book.

“That's just a better way to push people to try to improve,” Malinin said. “Right now, the jumps are the most valuable elements, so everyone's going to try to master their jumps and they might not necessarily work on everything else just because they might be able to sacrifice it with adding another quad, for example.

“But if we increase everything to be a similar level, then everyone will try to work on the spins and the steps and the footwork so that everything is worth taking the risk to work on it.”

 

[mtnskater]

I was very happy to see Lucius earn the bronze at the JGPF! He seems to be a pretty consistent competitor. And he did two quads, plus triple axel. The rest of his skating needs major work, which I know he is doing. He is a threat for the Nationals podium given how inconsistent so many top U.S. men are at the moment. Guys like Torgy and Max should be able to easily defeat him, but they are both quite inconsistent with the jump content.

 

[cailuj365]

This is an interesting article about Ilia's vision for quints, his training for the program with multiple quads, his view of the FS scores for the GPF, and the value of quads. (The emphases were included in the original article.)

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/figure-skating-usa-ilia-malinin-making-history-seven-quad-skate-going-your-own-way-can-feel-lonely-interview

About practicing quads:




About FS scores for the GPF:


About the value of the quads:

I thought this was an incredible perspective for Ilia to have and also very valuable for the FS community. Ilia just made history for completing 7 quads successfully, putting the cherry on top of the quad revolution, and he rightfully has a lot of attention because of it. It would be very easy for Ilia to use the spotlight and continue to push for jumps given how it helps secure his position at the top. He could have complained about the base value for the 4A and quints being too low (and it's true for the 4A) and the loss of a jump combination starting from next year, because these things will eat into his technical dominance. Instead, he is supporting the increased BV of spins and steps and acknowledges that his PCS was too high.

He's skating's superstar, and he's taking that status to make statements about how jumps shouldn't be everything and there is need for a more well-rounded sport and judging system, even though that will not necessarily help him and would probably favor some of his main rivals. This really impresses me.

 

[AYS]

The last photo in Ilia's GPF post is him doing 2 quad axels in sequence in practice.

Ilia Malinin on Instagram: "Grand Prix Final 🇯🇵 This was such an amazing competition. From the environment, to the production while breaking records again and enjoy the beauty of figure skating. Thank you everyone for your support. Stay tuned for m

7,837 likes, 148 comments - ilia_quadg0d_malinin on December 8, 2025: "Grand Prix Final 🇯🇵 This was such an amazing competition. From the environment, to the production while breaking records again and enjoy the beauty of figure skating. Thank you everyone for your support. Stay tuned for more...

www.instagram.com

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

The last photo in Ilia's GPF post is him doing 2 quad axels in sequence in practice.

Ilia Malinin on Instagram: "Grand Prix Final 🇯🇵 This was such an amazing competition. From the environment, to the production while breaking records again and enjoy the beauty of figure skating. Thank you everyone for your support. Stay tuned for m

7,837 likes, 148 comments - ilia_quadg0d_malinin on December 8, 2025: "Grand Prix Final 🇯🇵 This was such an amazing competition. From the environment, to the production while breaking records again and enjoy the beauty of figure skating. Thank you everyone for your support. Stay tuned for more...

www.instagram.com

Stop teasing Ilia...

 

[Sylvia]

From Joe Klein in August:

"... Thank you to everyone for the support, and I hope to start my season this Fall!"​

It's the closing thought of his update on overcoming some injury issues.​

https://www.instagram.com/joeskates_/p/DND46RxxSBN/​

Nov. 17:

Joseph Klein is recovered enough to be competing with his Northwestern University figure skating team now while studying for an environmental policy & political science double major - very good article published on October 16:

Balancing act: Joseph Klein juggles figure skating, school and real estate Joseph Klein balances figure skating, school and real estate

Every day after class, Weinberg sophomore Joseph Klein rushes from Evanston to the Northbrook Sports Center, his hometown ice rink. He trades his textbooks for a pair of skates and trains with his childhood figure skating coach, Agata Czyzewski. It’s a tight schedule, but skating is an...

dailynorthwestern.com

Unfortunately he will not be competing at Mids this week (not listed in the Senior Men SP starting order).

Joe's detailed injury update today (Dec. 13, 2025): https://www.instagram.com/p/DSOBgsdkq3x/
Excerpt:

... So as of last week, I had my second of three surgeries (this one to repair my right hip), and am looking towards my third and final at the end of January. The new road to recovery will leave me ready to compete next season if all goes as planned, but in the meantime I’m still keeping my head & heart in skating by managing and contributing choreography + coaching to the Northwestern University team.

 

[Sylvia]

Not long after Jared Sedlis, 20, made his ISU Challenger Series debut at Cranberry Cup in August (his then home rink in Norwood, MA), he moved to Claremont, California to begin his freshman year at Pomona College:

Figure Skater Jared Sedlis ’29 Jumps into Life at Pomona | Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College

Figure skater Jared Sedlis ’29 balances campus life and rigorous academics at Pomona with on-ice training for what he hopes someday will be a trip to compete at the U.S. national championships.

www.pomona.edu

Excerpts:

Sedlis split his gap year between his home club in Boston and the Washington Figure Skating Club. His coaches in the D.C. area included Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina, whose son, Ilia, is the reigning U.S. and world men’s figure skating champion.
“Getting to skate with Ilia was a really cool opportunity, to watch the way he trains,” Sedlis says. “He’s very nice as well.”
Sedlis found training around top skaters very motivating. “It keeps your spirits high,” he says. “These are people who really understand you and understand your experiences.”

As his gap year came to a close, Sedlis enrolled at Pomona, alma mater of his father, James Sedlis ’88. He hasn’t chosen a major yet but is leaning toward philosophy, politics and economics, international relations or psychological science.
“I really value the interdisciplinary aspects of a liberal arts college,” he says, adding that he was drawn to Pomona because it is part of a larger consortium. He’s also excited to be near Los Angeles, which has a long and storied figure skating tradition.

“One of my biggest goals is to push myself as far as I can with skating,” he says. “And as long as I’m still passionate about it and have opportunities available to me, I want to continue.”

 

[skatfan]

Not long after Jared Sedlis, 20, made his ISU Challenger Series debut at Cranberry Cup in August (his then home rink in Norwood, MA), he moved to Claremont, California to begin his freshman year at Pomona College:

Figure Skater Jared Sedlis ’29 Jumps into Life at Pomona | Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College

Figure skater Jared Sedlis ’29 balances campus life and rigorous academics at Pomona with on-ice training for what he hopes someday will be a trip to compete at the U.S. national championships.

www.pomona.edu

Excerpts:

I'm a Sagehen too! I was a mathematical economics major...

 

[tony]

His self-awareness with his skating is so

“I was impressed with the score that I got. I honestly thought that I was going to get lower,” the skater said. “From how I felt, the second score was lacking in my opinion. There's a lot more that I can do and that was like a jump competition for me.”

After this great quad and/or quint race I have no doubt (and I keep saying it) that he will become a more complete competitive skater.