U.S. Men 2026-27 Discussion - Of Ice and Men

I saw Jacob's SP (with modified jumps for a smaller ice surface) tonight at The Gardens Ice House (MD) summer show, Jacob was the guest star. Lots of potential, although I'm a bit more intrigued by his FS. But if he can skate the SP at his peak, it should score well. It shows off his skating skills. Tonight, he did a 3Lz, 2A and 3F. I hope by the end of the season, he could turn the 3F into 4T.
 
Jacob Sanchez 2026-27 SP Moon (show version) - 2026 End of Summer Show

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Jacob said the 1st jump will be 4S.
Due to the show configurations, one-fifth of the rink on the left side was covered, which made the rink surface much smaller. So I don't think he was able to include all of his planned moves.

ETA
Jacob will attend Champs Camp from Sunday to Friday (8/23-28), and then head to Japan for CS Konoshita Group Cup. He is planning to skate Moon SP for Sizzler.

He is very excited about visiting Japan and plans to stay a few days after the competition to explore Tokyo, and hopefully Osaka and Kyoto, and to take videos.
 
Last edited:
Jacob Sanchez - Your Idol - 2026 End of Summer Show

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Some of the parts are blurry due to the net.
 
Last edited:
Patrick Blackwell article by Golden Skate's Paula Slater (Aug. 16) - he confirms he's moving up to Senior domestically:
www.goldenskate.com

Patrick Blackwell looks beyond the jumps

Patrick Blackwell Looks Beyond the Jumps Patrick Blackwell spent much of last season changing the way he thought about figure skating. By the time he
www.goldenskate.com
Excerpts:
Although Blackwell remains eligible for international junior competition, he will also compete domestically at the senior level this season. Rather than changing his overall philosophy, he sees the transition as another opportunity to develop.
“I’ll have mainly the same mindset going into training,” he said. “The senior program gives me different things that I can work on every day. In the short program, I don’t always have to do the junior jump layout—I can switch to the senior layout, and it’s going to build my stamina the same way, if not better. The free skate is the same way with the extra step sequence and additional time. It’ll be interesting to see how that impacts my training and how I’m able to switch between junior and senior during the season.”
His training has also become more structured. Working with strength and conditioning coach Brandon Siakel, Blackwell has replaced an approach built largely on repetition with one that balances workload and recovery.
“The last couple of years were kind of just, ‘Get through the week—power, power, power,'” he said. “This season, the main change is having more of a set plan for what I’m doing every day. That means a moderate day on Monday, a high day on Tuesday and building a schedule that hopefully preserves my energy over weeks and weeks of training. I think that’s going to help me compete better.”
Click to expand...
“There’s always the hope,” he said. “But especially at the beginning of the season, I just want to make my quad toe and my quad Sal more consistent, as well as my other triples.”
Although he has landed both a quad loop and a quad Lutz in practice, he believes neither jump is ready for competition.
“I have landed quad loop and I have landed quad Lutz, but they’re not quite ready to put into a program. I might land two out of ten, and that’s just not worth the risk compared to the other quads I can do pretty consistently.”
“The quad toe is the most consistent right now,” he added. [...]
“There is one less jump, which I’m not a fan of,” he said with a laugh. “I like my jumps, and I’d like to keep my jumps. But I completely understand why they changed it. You can really see what the ISU wants out of the program.”
Click to expand...
This season, choreographer Adam Blake created both of his programs after scheduling made it difficult to reunite with Ivan Righini. [...]
His new short program explores a different side of his skating.
“I wanted something unique,” he said. “I wanted something different.”
Created with music by two composers, the short program blends Spanish influences with rock. The opening section features music by Émile Dallaire before transitioning into “Puertas de la Libertad“ by Karl Hugo.
“The image I’m trying to portray is strong and powerful,” he said. “It’s more of a flamenco-style character—a different side of me.”
The inspiration came from one of his earliest programs.
“When I was younger, I watched myself skate to more of a flamenco-style program,” he explained. “I thought I portrayed that style pretty well for my age, so I wanted to revisit something similar and see how much I’ve grown.”
Click to expand...
One of the most meaningful decisions Blackwell made this season, however, had nothing to do with technical content or choreography.
While his short program is entirely new, Blackwell chose to retain much of his free skate, adding a new opening section while preserving its emotional core as a tribute to his late friend Spencer Lane, who died in the January 2025 plane crash near Washington, D.C.
The program now opens with “The Day We Choose to Die” by Trailer Rebel before transitioning into “Autumn Moon” by Eternal Eclipse and Neal Acree, “Polaris” by Judah Earl & Boda, and “Warriors” by League of Legends Music and Alex da Kid.
“So, technically I’m keeping my free skate,” Blackwell explained. “The ending music is completely the same because I was skating to Spencer Lane’s piece of music. I wanted to keep him in our thoughts for another year. Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean he’s not with us anymore.”
“I wanted a little more of a powerful beginning and something a little more mature,” he said. “Most of the choreography is also new. I wanted the same program, but I wanted a change as well, so I don’t burn out on it.”
Their friendship extended well beyond the rink.
“It was obviously a very tragic moment to find out that one of my friends from the rink had passed,” Blackwell said. “We were always pushing each other. It was amazing to see him not only as a friend, but also to watch how much he progressed.”
Click to expand...
Blackwell also graduated from high school this year and plans to take a gap year before deciding where to continue his education.
“I definitely plan on taking a gap year to focus on skating and figure out which career path interests me,” he said. “I don’t want to rush into something I might not enjoy later. It’s also important to find a college that’s going to balance well with skating because that won’t be easy.”
For now, though, his focus remains firmly on the season ahead.
“Progress as much as I can and be smart with my decisions,” Blackwell said.
His goals are straightforward: earn two JGP assignments, qualify for nationals at the senior level and return to the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. He has already partially met one of these goals after being assigned to the first JGP event in China which takes place this week.
Click to expand...
Blackwell's updated (finally!) ISU profile: https://isu-skating.com/figure-skating/skaters/patrick-blackwell/
SP: "Elegance and Brutality" by Émilio Dallaire/"Puertas de la libertad" by Karl Hugo
FS: "The Day We Choose to Die" by Trailer Rebel [new addition to FS this season]/"Autumn Moon" by Eternal Eclipse/"Polaris" by Judah Earl and Boda/"Warriors" by League of Legends Music, 2Wei, and Edda Hayes [Spencer Lane's music that he kept from last season]
Choreographer: Adam Blake
Coaches: Annette Blackwell, Olga Ganicheva, Alexei Letov
 
Last edited:
Azadpour and Haugeto are not yet confirmed on USFS' International Assignments page for JGP #4 in Ankara but their names did appear in the ISU entries today.

Choreographer Tommy Steenberg shared a clip of Lorenzo Elano's "Adagio" FS at the Skate the Lake NQS competition: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcHgYy5lBWD/?img_index=5

Elano is listed #3 (202.02) in USFS' NQS Senior Men's standings behind Shinohara 229.69 and Kapeikis 227.02.
 
Sylvia said:
Azadpour and Haugeto are not yet confirmed on USFS' International Assignments page for JGP #4 in Ankara but their names did appear in the ISU entries today.

Choreographer Tommy Steenberg shared a clip of Lorenzo Elano's "Adagio" FS at the Skate the Lake NQS competition: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcHgYy5lBWD/?img_index=5

Elano is listed #3 (202.02) in USFS' NQS Senior Men's standings behind Shinohara 229.69 and Kapeikis 227.02.
Click to expand...

Lighting ALL the candles for Lorenzo to be at Nats so I can see this program live 😍😍
 
Blackwell Revamps Training As New Season Gets Underway by Kama Stigall (Aug. 19):
usfigureskating.org

Blackwell Revamps Training As New Season Gets Underway - U.S. Figure Skating

Patrick Blackwell has long carried the reputation of a daredevil — an athlete whose boldness, speed and competitive fire make him impossible to ignore. After all,
usfigureskating.org usfigureskating.org
More about his programs:
This season also brought a fresh artistic perspective. Collaborating with choreographer Adam Blake, Blackwell took an unconventional route for his short program.
"The short program has been an exciting project, because we took a completely different approach," Blackwell said. "Instead of choosing existing music, we created it ourselves. It was a new experience working with composers and having input into the style, mood and direction of the music before we even started choreographing."
Click to expand...
His free skate continues the tribute he began last season. Blackwell's close friend and fellow Skating Club of Boston member, Spencer Lane, had chosen "Autumn Moon" by Eternal Eclipse for his own program before he passed away in the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash on Jan. 29, 2025. With the blessing of Spencer's father, Doug Lane, Blackwell incorporated the music into his 2025–2026 free skate.
This year, he deepens that tribute.
"We changed the opening section of the music but kept the slower section that features Spencer's music — and expanded it for the senior version," Blackwell said. "It allows me to honor Spencer's vision and legacy while challenging myself artistically. I think it's a program that lets me connect emotionally with both the music and the audience."
Click to expand...
Goals:
Blackwell will open his 2026-27 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) season at the first event in the series in Xi'an, China, in late August. This will be his third JGP season. He will also make his senior Challenger Series debut. His goals are clear: land three quad jumps and a triple Axel in his free skate, earn strong JGP results and secure a spot on the 2027 U.S. World Junior Team.
"Going into the first JGP in China, my mindset is to skate the way I've been training, stay focused on my own performance and enjoy competing," he said. "Competing against the best pushes me to become a better athlete. My goal is to put out two clean programs and continue building throughout the season."
Long‑term, Blackwell's philosophy remains grounded.
"If I continue to train hard, stay healthy, keep improving every season and enjoy the journey, I'll give myself the best chance to achieve my long‑term goals," he said. "The results will take care of themselves if I keep doing the work every day."
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Patrick Blackwell is such an interesting character. The athletic talent is clearly there. Love the back flip and the raspberry twist in his free skate. I’m always excited to watch him skate, even though he has mental meltdowns at times. His free skate in China was a much better effort than the short, but still a bit sloppy and shaky. I liked his short program choreography better than the free. His spins seemed not as good in the free either. Hope he really keeps working hard on the mental and the refinement because he could be so much fun to have in the mix in the coming years. He reminds me of an early Keegan Messing.

Zachary Lopinto very nice effort in his first JGP. His free program concept and music was pretty wild, but I kinda liked it for him because he was very into it. Another excellent back flip. He was clearly nervous and getting gassed from it. But props for his solid debut.

I’m anxiously waiting for the season debut of Caleb Farrington. And where is the ballet prince Alexander Fegan or his brother?
 
Last edited:
Thanks Sylvia! Do we even know if Alexander is still skating? And wasn’t there another brother beside Filip that was skating? I need to see more Fegans 😄
 
Last edited:
Sylvia said:
I think competing with a 3A is something USFS also considers when making selections for the JGP men - Haugeto (3rd at U.S. Junior Cup) usually stands up on his 3A (though often << or <); Azadpour and Evan Neuhaus have started landing 3A cleanly in competition this season while Ryedin R. has just started competing with 3A this year and Vasquez recently has begun landing the jump in practice.
Click to expand...
Capt. DeSoto said:
I was about to say "exclusively << or <" but he [Haugeto] does have two "q" as well. I've got a bottle of champaigne ready to raise in honor of that kid when he finally lands one clean. I do agree with you that 3A capability might override small scoring differences in the candidates.
Click to expand...
Sylvia said:
Azadpour and Haugeto are not yet confirmed on USFS' International Assignments page for JGP #4 in Ankara but their names did appear in the ISU entries today.
Click to expand...
(CC: @Private Citizen)
spin2win said:
nice clip from SCOB camp today-- I think this is Henry Gao landing 3A for first time

www.instagram.com

𝐎𝐥𝐠𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐯𝐚 & 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐯 on Instagram: "New trick 3 axel Congratulations!!!! @definitely.that.henry #"

795 likes, 25 comments - olgalexcoaching on August 19, 2026: "New trick 3 axel Congratulations!!!! @definitely.that.henry #".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Click to expand...
Yes, congrats to Henry - fun to see his reaction and the enthusiastic support from his fellow rinkmates! :)
 
Henry Gao has been assigned to his 2nd JGP in 2 years - #5 in Batumi, Georgia with his rinkmate, Patrick! :)

Patrick's Xi'an post competition post with photos:
www.instagram.com

Patrick Blackwell on Instagram: "JGP XI’AN 🇨🇳. Easily one of the best arenas I’ve been to for a jgp. Felt more like a world championship than a jgp. An unforgettable event to say the least and a competition that I will take many lessons from. Thank

509 likes, 14 comments - patrickblackwell_ on August 26, 2026: "JGP XI’AN 🇨🇳. Easily one of the best arenas I’ve been to for a jgp. Felt more like a world championship than a jgp. An unforgettable event to say the least and a competition that I will take many lessons from. Thank you to the...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

Zachary LoPinto's SP highlights from his JGP debut:
www.instagram.com

Figure skating - Men's Discipline on Instagram: "Scintillating JGP debut by Zachary LoPinto 🇺🇸👏🏻 Watch till the end to catch the backflip! I’ve always described Zachary as one of the most effervescent junior skaters right now, and this program onl

541 likes, 12 comments - men_of_fs on August 21, 2026: "Scintillating JGP debut by Zachary LoPinto 🇺🇸👏🏻 Watch till the end to catch the backflip! I’ve always described Zachary as one of the most effervescent junior skaters right now, and this program only strengthens that argument 😆🙌🏻 Music...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

Best wishes to Caleb and Daniel Koppel this week in Riga!!
 
Kat Cornetta reports on X that Torgashev's FS music is to David Bowie - photos of him & Sanchez arriving at USFS' Styling event: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...r-in-norwood-aug-27-2026.113962/#post-6948516

4T+Eu+4(corrected)3S+3A by Blackwell in practice at his home rink:
www.instagram.com

Patrick Blackwell on Instagram: "Post competition practice @annette.n.blackwell @olgalexcoaching @adam.a.blake @homeiceboston @skatingclubbos -@usfigureskating @skates_us @johnwilsonblades @aivingsports #usfigureskating #edeaskates #johnwilsonb

200 likes, 17 comments - patrickblackwell_ on August 26, 2026: "Post competition practice @annette.n.blackwell @olgalexcoaching @adam.a.blake @homeiceboston @skatingclubbos -@usfigureskating @skates_us @johnwilsonblades @aivingsports #usfigureskating #edeaskates #johnwilsonblades...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

Edited - @spin2win is right below - triple Salchow.
 
Last edited:
According to Satoko Miyahara's IGS, Jason is already in Yokohama, Japan, taking part in the final rehearsals for Friends on Ice. He has been moving like a rocket. When did he actually leave the family camp in California?😂
 
Well not the season debut short program performance I was anticipating for Caleb Farrington. But what gorgeous line and style he has that shines through even with a very nervy skate. Anyone know why he switched coaches? Hopefully the real Caleb will show up in the free skate 🤞
 
mtnskater said:
Anyone know why he switched coaches? Hopefully the real Caleb will show up in the free skate 🤞
Click to expand...
I haven't seen any reason(s) made public to date. He and his family live in Newark, DE - I assume the commute to Newburgh, NY for training was challenging. At U.S. Junior Team Cup in Milwaukee, Caleb skated a clean SP and had some issues in the FS (landed 3A+3T but popped his planned 4T into a double, negative GOE on a few other jumps & a spin didn't count). I, too, am hoping for the best on Saturday.
 
My friend (with whom I did Q & A several times) met Jason this time, who has been skating for Friends on Ice in Japan.
Here are some interesting things:

- Jason will do GPS. He told us "maybe" one month ago, but now he says "Sure!"
(Let me add — for now, at least, that's what he said! 😄)

- After helping at a summer camp for Japanese junior skaters in Osaka, he went back to Chicago to play with Nico, before returning to Osaka again and then to China for the workshop. That's two round trips across the Pacific Ocean, each taking 16–20 hours one way, in such a short period of time! :ROFLMAO: He also went to Toronto, but she did not ask when.

- He said starting in September he'll shift into higher gear and practice in competition mode.

- For Friends on Ice, he will skate to 'Spiegel im Spiegel' and 'You Raise Me Up'.
 
Last edited:
Short programs performed at Summer Sizzler (Jackie had posted earlier in the day that Torgashev would be skating his SP: https://x.com/rockerskating/status/2093059056671801530):

Andrew: https://x.com/InaBower26/status/2093149697040900443
ETA:
www.instagram.com

UMBS Go Blue on Instagram: "@andrewtorg at @usfigureskating’s #summersizzler at @skatingclubbos tonight"

7 likes, 1 comments - umbsgoblue on August 27, 2026: "@andrewtorg at @usfigureskating’s #summersizzler at @skatingclubbos tonight".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

Jacob: https://x.com/InaBower26/status/2093155622267113700

Liam: https://x.com/InaBower26/status/2093157068567953701

Jimmy Ma reprised his "It's Raining Men" EX:
www.instagram.com

UMBS Go Blue on Instagram: "Entertainer extraordinaire @jimmy_mf_ma at @usfigureskating’s #summersizzler at @skatingclubbos tonight"

24 likes, 1 comments - umbsgoblue on August 27, 2026: "Entertainer extraordinaire @jimmy_mf_ma at @usfigureskating’s #summersizzler at @skatingclubbos tonight".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
Last edited:
Someone on Reddit posted that Lucius Kazanecki may have changed coaches and training location according to his ISU bio...? (Former coaches are listed as N/A)

Coach: Oleg Makarov, Larisa Selezneva (They are Jacob Sanchez's coaches)
  • Practice low season Lake Placid, NY
  • Practice high season Newburgh, NY

Lucius KAZANECKI - International Skating Union

Lucius KAZANECKI - International Skating Union
isu-skating.com isu-skating.com
 
July 4 in this thread:
YukiNieve said:
Jacob, Lucius and Daniel (Koppel) are training in Lake Placid now.
www.instagram.com

Giulia Korzick on Instagram: "another day in lake placid 🤿 thanks to @jacob.skatess @lucius_kazanecki and Daniel Koppel for putting up with us!! #figureskating #scuba"

217 likes, 2 comments - gugu.on.ice on July 3, 2026: "another day in lake placid 🤿 thanks to @jacob.skatess @lucius_kazanecki and Daniel Koppel for putting up with us!! #figureskating #scuba".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Click to expand...
July 21:
Sylvia said:
Here's Jacob's "Summer Training Week Two!" video in Lake Placid (11 mins.) in which Lucius K. can been seen on the ice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f11eoU3z1q8
Click to expand...
So the signs were there re. Lucius.

JGP Riga U.S. Men's results:
8 Caleb FARRINGTON USA 185.27 8 8
13 Daniel KOPPEL USA 166.89 14 13 (JGP debut)

FS today:
8 Caleb FARRINGTON USA 120.20 58.49 64.71 6.50 6.36 6.57 3.00 #20 (3A< fall, 4T -0.95, 3Lz, 1A+3T, 3Lz+3T+Eu+3S- =15.59 pts, 3Fq)
13 Daniel KOPPEL USA 111.21 56.21 56.00 5.46 5.68 5.68 1.00 #14 (3Lz, 3T+3T, 3Lo-, 3F+Eu+3S+2A seq. = 14.64 pts, 3F, 2A, fluke fall/slipped off F spiral edge in his choreo. seq. & was good-humored about it afterwards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At7JnuGQd4A)

Daniel's National Team profile: https://usfigureskating.org/sports/figure-skating/roster/daniel-koppel/1625
SKATING NOTES Started skating at 2 years old on a public session and was very impressed with a bucket of snow since he spent his early years in hot Florida
PERSONAL NOTES Hobbies include piano, soccer, aviation, Lego and foreign languages .. He is an international competitor in piano.

Caleb's National Team profile: https://usfigureskating.org/sports/figure-skating/roster/caleb-farrington/1329
Katherine Hill & Johnny Weir are both listed as Caleb's FS choreographers - hope he grows into this program because I think it could be great! ETA - @tony enjoyed it too ;):
www.instagram.com

The Skating Session by Tony Wheeler on Instagram: "Caleb Farrington of the USA 🇺🇸Ethereal skating, such wonderful choreography. 😍"

13 likes, 0 comments - theskatingsession on August 29, 2026: "Caleb Farrington of the USA 🇺🇸Ethereal skating, such wonderful choreography. 😍".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Link to his full FS with Mark/Ted's commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzY-OYYMB3I

Caleb's 3A was missing in competition in Riga :( (his SP jumps were 3A< fall, 3Lz, 3Fq+2T) but I hope he will get another JGP opportunity to rebuild his confidence.
 
Last edited:
Very sad to see Caleb struggle so much in Riga. He is such a glorious skater at 17. But 120 FS is so low for him. I kept wondering if he has some confusion of technique with the new coaching situation. His triple axel was completely MIA here. Or is not yet feeling settled in the new environment. I think very highly of Selezneva & Makharov and the quality they have taught him. Loved the free program as well. I too am hopeful that he will get another opportunity in the JGP and will settle in with his new coaching team.

Also first time seeing Daniel Koppel. He has some very nice qualities at 15. I’ll be excited to see how he progresses. Love that he is also a classical pianist.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 13 (members: 1, guests: 12)

Similar threads

Karen-W
U.S. Ice Dance 2026-27 Discussion - Changing of the (Skate) Guard
3 4 5
Replies
132
Views
29K
Sylvia
Sylvia
Karen-W
2026-27 US Pairs Discussion - Howe Nagy to Twist Your Way to Starrdom
5 6 7
Replies
193
Views
43K
Sylvia
Sylvia
Karen-W
2026-27 Junior Grand Prix - General Discussion
4 5 6
Replies
168
Views
27K
Sylvia
Sylvia
Sylvia
Chinese skating news pt. 6 - 2026 & beyond
Replies
11
Views
2K
Sylvia
Sylvia
YukiNieve
Japanese figure skating 2026-27 season news & updates
2 3
Replies
67
Views
10K
Sylvia
Sylvia
Back
Top