U.S. Pairs 2017 - News & Updates, Part VII

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aftershocks said:
^^ So it was the spin mistake which kept D/F down in the standings I suppose. Oh boy, re IN. I mean too bad that the building had technical problems with wireless and hard lines (as reported by Hersh). But if it's not that, it's always some other excuse with IN.

Why pay for a livestream service that you can never get live without poor reception, no reception, and endless technical glitches?! I was going to purchase a new subscription, now I have to rethink.

ETA:
Found this video of U.S. skater reactions to their SPs: :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROfr4xpWjrI

SPs
Alexa & Chris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5PhofI290 (enjoyable choreo)

Haven & Brandon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5PhofI290
(fall on sbs salchow by Haven & trouble on combo spin, but lovely choreo and music)

Too bad that Ash and Timothy struggled on their jumping passes in the FS at Lombardia. It's a nice program, and it's their competition debut with it, so they need to grow into it and get some mileage on it. They will probably land in 5th overall. Nope, maybe they will remain in fourth overall. :) Here's hoping C/L can settle down, sink their teeth into the challenges and continue to steadily improve. They have good programs to work with.



I can't find Liu/Johnson's sp video at SLC, but I recall they had a well-choreographed program at Skate Detroit with nice edgy music choice.
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I finally got to see Alexa & Chris's SP. I loved it! If that's slow, I can't wait to see it in February. I agree the step sequence and ending were slow, but otherwise I thought it was very powerful for such a new program. And as many times as I've seen that twist, it still blows me away. I just hope Alexa gets a sexier, hotter costume later in the season like the leather jumpsuit from their Metallica short. It's troubling that the jumps are still an issue, but the levels on the spin and step sequence are probably just early season glitches.
 
HI @clairecloutier hmmmmm I feel like they are channeling Mirai Nagasu and not enough Cain & LeDuc. But thats just me feeling. Her skating skills this time around are :rolleyes:

Program has potential I guess but needs more mileage of course.

@Joubabe I agree Regarding Alexa and Chris, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5PhofI290

Cant believe anyone thinks this program is slow. Slow? Not by any stretch of the imagination. Slow is not a valid critique for them. Chris' jumping abilities, sure. But skating slow is not something I see here. Fast? Yes.
 
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I do like Cain/Leduc's FP. It looked messy here and some of the music cuts are awkward, but I think the choreography is good. I love the timing of the twist lift in particular. I don't know if it's an Olympic year program, but it's certainly going to be entertaining to watch.

Are Kayne/O'Shea injured? I don't know if I think that Cain/Leduc looked good enough to replace them based on performance here... (Also, is Ashley Cain injured? It seemed she was being really conservative and careful on the jumps on the FP)
 
Willin said:
I do like Cain/Leduc's FP. It looked messy here and some of the music cuts are awkward, but I think the choreography is good. I love the timing of the twist lift in particular. I don't know if it's an Olympic year program, but it's certainly going to be entertaining to watch.

Are Kayne/O'Shea injured? I don't know if I think that Cain/Leduc looked good enough to replace them based on performance here... (Also, is Ashley Cain injured? It seemed she was being really conservative and careful on the jumps on the FP)
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The US fed doesn't decide who replaces them if they withdraw though, the Chinese fed does since it's Cup of China. And Cain/Leduc would have been high up on the sub list
 
Well, Damn..

Maybe Liu & Johnson should get that TBD spot at SkAm.

I NEVER saw that coming.. To me they seemed on a very downhill path the past few seasons.. I mean they have made a case for themselves.... Wow....
 
So Liu/Johnson for Skate America? I mean since the USFSA is taking their time to decide and Cain/LeDuc got CoC....
 
Scimerim's protocols look RATHER good except those jumps... I guess Chris???????? Alexa usually gets hers.

Such a shame.. that score could be in solid 130s or high 130s if they werent getting credit for single and double jumping.
 
I'm not convinced that the SA spot is TBD, but rather TBA. If it really still is TBD, then Liu/Johnson made a great case for themselves, outscoring Denney/Frazier, Stellato/Bartholomay and across the ocean Cain/LeDuc.

The Knierims body of work continues to outshine everyone else's. No one's even making up ground.
 
AngieNikodinovLove said:
Scimerim's protocols look RATHER good except those jumps... I guess Chris???????? Alexa usually gets hers.

Such a shame.. that score could be in solid 130s or high 130s if they werent getting credit for single and double jumping.
Click to expand...

She popped the salchow into a single; he messed up the landing. He popped the 3T (I can't remember hers).
 
Willin said:
I do like Cain/Leduc's FP. It looked messy here and some of the music cuts are awkward, but I think the choreography is good. I love the timing of the twist lift in particular. I don't know if it's an Olympic year program, but it's certainly going to be entertaining to watch.
Click to expand...

I think C/L have the potential to continue improving. It's a matter of having taken on a lot of challenges (all they learned this summer, adding difficulty to two new programs, and going into the pressures of an Olympic season, etc.) So maybe sometimes it can be overwhelming and kinks have to be worked out after competing programs. That's why it's so important to have opportunities to compete.

Look at Della Monica/Guarise and how many years it took them to improve. Plus DM/G were fortunate to be able to go to Worlds every year right after pairing up. Doing so enabled them to gain the experience and exposure of international competition, which is an asset to eventually breaking through.

C/L have still made great progress since their initial pairing, faster than some teams. And it's a matter of processing a lot of things, taking care of physical health, and managing expectations (both inner from self, and outward from others). C/L should take some time to assess what's needed to work on weak areas.

For example, how exactly do skaters improve their skating skills and refinement? Ballet barre work? Practicing figures? They need to shore up what they have been good at and continue training effectively while preparing for new competitions. Plus, as a new team they haven't fully worked out who they are on the ice together. But they are good performers. Finding the perfect music and choreo that can help enhance their best qualities and take them to another level is always the goal, but it's not easy. If they work these current programs to the best they can achieve with them, that's a good goal to have for this season, without placing too many expectations on themselves. Perhaps some of their jumping pass errors were partly due to trying to add difficult steps into jumps. They just need steady progress, and it takes time.

The same for Stellato/Bartholomay. They have good programs too, but again it takes time to improve together as a fairly new team trying to tackle a lot of difficult elements, while also needing to work on speed and skating skills.

With Liu/Johnson, a young team, coming on strong, I will be interested to see how they perform at their next competition. And, I'm eager to see Calalang/Sidhu, who were looking good at Skate Detroit. I think U.S. pairs fans have to simply enjoy the process of growth for all these teams without harboring too many great expectations for now.

Alexa & Chris have some great programs, so hopefully they can build over the course of the season, and find a way to become more solid on their jumps, which is the main thing holding them back.
 
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Well, who knew????

Apparently Knierims ditched Chaplin a couple weeks ago, went back to a revised Ghost and then last week went back to the original Ghost and they still scored decently. I compared their free score to Lombardia and they did well.

Chris says they also did nicely with components and that is where US teams lack.

They will put the 4twist in later in the season.

I have-not seen yet watched Chaplin but the photo of her dress is pretty. So they are back to Ghost then??

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/09/15/254500080

video - GORG!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9abxghuVSk
 
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I hope Kayne and O'Shea are being conservative and are aiming for 4C's, with a late CS before Nationals. CoC may just be too soon and not worth the risk for a single first-half GP.
 
Catherine M said:
Just a bit surprised that Deanna & Nate got the nod over Liu/Johnson. Not a complaint but just surprised since Liu/Johnson out skated them last week in Salt Lake City.
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I would guess that the decision was made mid-August, since Stellato/Bartholomay were at Champs Camp
 
chapis said:
D/F program is great :swoon:, those mistakes :wall: :wuzrobbed
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Yep, I have to agree with Dave & cohost on latest TSL broadcast that although Chris & Alexa are the frontrunners with the most backing, 'there's still a door that's open but no one else is rising to the occasion to walk through it.' Of course, there are many reasons for that state of affairs (a lot having to do with injury and/or bad luck), but yeah, it's an open question about when some of the top U.S. pairs teams are going to become more consistent and make a strong case for themselves. I think C/L and S-D/B are really game and trying, but right now they seem hampered as fairly new teams trying to marinate fast and incorporate tech difficulty while shoring up weaknesses in an Olympic season, which is a tall order.

It is just the beginning of the season still, so I'm hopeful but also concerned about the nagging lack of consistency, and also the assumption that Chris & Alexa have it in the bag as top pair who are going to the Olympics, no matter what. It's a spot that should be fought for tooth and nail, and I hope it will be. I'd hate to see a kind of concession, which to me means they are not battling each other to get better, but giving in to the notion and perception that U.S. pairs are lesser than. That's an unacceptable attitude for becoming better and improving our pairs discipline.
 
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Aftershocks,
you took the words right out of my...keyboard. The other USA pairs should and must train with the thinking they they too have a shot at that Olympics spot. I like Alexa's fighting spirit but she and Chris are not exactly consistent, even when they were healthy. And I like the connection they have in their Ghost program they have improved in that area

. But they are not the second coming of Tai and Randy. They rightfully are the favorite to win Nationals, but their winning is not a certainty. Every other pair team should skate with all their might for the Olympics and the very important second spot at Worlds which shouldn't be forgotten either.
 
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