U.S. Pairs 2018 - News & Updates, Part VIII

[meggonzo]

Ernie Utah Stevens graduates from college in two weeks. He has committed to skating for four more years.

With who?

 

[jkl]

With who?

He will be having tryouts but nothing has been set up yet.

 

[DimaToe]

Would a partnership of Castelli/Stevens work?

 

[feraina]

Wow so many changes for the American pairs (if all confirmed). At this point, is Cain/Leduc the only top pair not to have a partner or coaching change?

 

[RoseRed]

Wow so many changes for the American pairs (if all confirmed). At this point, is Cain/Leduc the only top pair not to have a partner or coaching change?

Stellato/Bartholomay?

 

[happycamper2554]

no confirmation that either Scimeca Knierim/Knierim nor Kayne/O'Shea nor Denny/Frazier are making a switch, that i've seen.

 

[just tuned in]

What is Gabriella Marvaldi doing these days? She would have dual citizenship, non?

 

[fan]

What is Gabriella Marvaldi doing these days? She would have dual citizenship, non?

Skating for canada

 

[Yazmeen]

Skating for canada

She’s still with her Canadian partner, but they didn’t compete through the season due to him being injured.

 

[aftershocks]

Where has anything yet been officially confirmed, even the recently tweeted new pairing of Calalang/Johnson?

 

[Sylvia]

USFS has listed 9 senior pairs in their initial 2018-19 International Selection Pool:

Alexa Scimeca Knierim & Chris Knierim
Tarah Kayne & Danny O’Shea
Deanna Stellato & Nathan Bartholomay
Ashley Cain & Timothy LeDuc
Haven Denney & Brandon Frazier
Jessica Pfund & Joshua Santillan
Erika Smith & AJ Reiss
Nica Digerness & Danny Neudecker
Winter Deardorff & Max Settlage

Also in ISP are the top 4 Junior pairs at 2018 Nationals:
Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov (he has aged out of ISU Junior)
Sarah Feng & TJ Nyman (team is ISU Junior age-eligible through 2018-19)
Laiken Lockley & Keenan Prochnow (team is ISU Junior age-eligible through 2018-19)
Nadine Wang/Spencer Howe (both have aged out of ISU Junior)

Plus the Novice champs, Jade Hom/Franz-Peter Jerosch (she will be 15 in May and he turned 17 in Feb.).

 

[Sylvia]

Where has anything yet been officially confirmed, even the recently tweeted new pairing of Calalang/Johnson?

What do you mean by officially confirmed?

ETA:

Brian Johnson initially posted on his Instagram 6 days ago, subsequently removed this photo, and now it's back:

Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson announced their new partnership and said that Rohene Ward is choreographing their SP.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhhIFlVFnXE/

Posted in this thread on April 13 (source link tweeted was Johnson's IG post):

New pair of Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson announced on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/twofortheice/status/984872852129243137?s=19

 

[aftershocks]

I'm certainly not suggesting that the Calalang/Johnson pairing is in any doubt (as they've both made reference to it). AFAIK there hasn't yet been any 'official' announcement by U.S. fed (which of course does not mean the pairing itself is not official).

 

[happycamper2554]

What are the requirements for Calalang/Johnson to be added?

 

[Cleo1782]

What are the requirements for Calalang/Johnson to be added?

Usually teams/skaters get added after a good showing at a summer comp like Skate Detroit.

 

[happycamper2554]

Usually teams/skaters get added after a good showing at a summer comp like Skate Detroit.

Any chance they could get a grand prix?

 

[Cleo1782]

Any chance they could get a grand prix?

Only a host invite unless (if the rules haven't changed) they win a Challenger they are hypothetically sent to then they can be put on the GP alternate list and could conceivably get one if there are enough withdrawals on the GP. It's how Chris and Alexa got their assignment their first year (by winning Coupe de Nice), but that was a strange year with A LOT of withdrawals, but they would have to be really good right away and a lot of things would have to work in their favor, so not likely.

 

[RoseRed]

Kayne/O'Shea, Scimeca Knierim/Knierim and Cain/Leduc are all in the top 24 SB, and all of them + Denney/Frazier are top 24 WS. There will be a lot of competition for host spots. D/F may only get one GP, Stellato/Bartholomay are guaranteed anything, then there's any new partnerships from Castelli/Tran. And even Lu/Mitrofanov from juniors.

At the very least, S/B would for sure get a host spot ahead of them. Calalang/Johnson would need a really strong showing this summer

 

[Debbie S]

Per Alexa Knierim's latest Instagram post, it looks like the Knierims have moved to Team Florida?

 

[Sylvia]

Per Alexa Knierim's latest Instagram post, it looks like the Knierims have moved to Team Florida?

Nate's recent Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhkeZyWjTwl/?taken-by=natebartholomay

 

[Debbie S]

Nate's recent Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhkeZyWjTwl/?taken-by=natebartholomay

Ah, I didn't know he was in CO. Yikes, hope his knee is OK.

 

[aftershocks]

So I had to take a look at Alexa's post first to get the gist of the previous posts here. Alexa posted a pic of herself and Chris eating out at a restaurant with Deanna and Nate. Apparently, they were all at a restaurant in Colorado, as Nate is there with Deanna for rehab work on his knee.

Good luck to U.S. pairs! Continue to push each other!

Posting your pic with another U.S. team at an unidentified restaurant is not an indication of a coaching switch. But I get the anticipation and eagerness for new off-season info, and confirmation of rumors.

 

[Debbie S]

Posting your pic with another U.S. team at an unidentified restaurant is not an indication of a coaching switch. But I get the anticipation and eagerness for new off-season info, and confirmation of rumors.

As I said, I didn't know Nate was in CO, so I assumed the pic was taken in FL, and the caption about the new season and hashtags ("Milan to here" and "fresh") had me wondering. Alexa is good at creating anticipation.

 

[Sylvia]

According to her latest IG post, Alexandria Yao (who competed in one JGP last fall and Senior at Nationals with Jacob Simon) has committed to attending Columbia University in NYC this fall - congrats and best wishes to her!

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Per Alexa Knierim's latest Instagram post, it looks like the Knierims have moved to Team Florida?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You need too call me with news such as this........

I need @clairecloutier to be looped in too....

Is it snowing in Vegas?????

 

[Debbie S]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You need too call me with news such as this........

I assume you follow Alexa on Instagram? I think she is probably enjoying this.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I assume you follow Alexa on Instagram? I think she is probably enjoying this.

I only follow Miss Anglea Nikodinov. Although home girl only makes a post like once every 5 yrs

Now for reals? The Knierims are going to FL? For real though? For real?

Well, they did wonders for the French...

I just have always stated that them leaving Sap was at best -20% chance.

 

[kwanfan1818]

then there's any new partnerships from Castelli/Tran. A

Any new partnerships between them would be eligible for a host pick. In theory, Tran's split partnership eligibility would rely upon his results with Castelli, in which case he wouldn't be eligble, and not go back to Takahashi, in which case he would be eligible, but this is the ISU.

 

[pairskatingfan]

I only follow Miss Anglea Nikodinov. Although home girl only makes a post like once every 5 yrs

Now for reals? The Knierims are going to FL? For real though? For real?

Well, they did wonders for the French...

I just have always stated that them leaving Sap was at best -20% chance.

If you look more closely, they are pictured in Colorado, not Florida... They have not left Dalilah

 

[wickedwitch]

I'm over C/T's apparent split. I loved watching them together. They, more than any other US pairs team, had that "two shall skate as one" quality. They were the second most solid US pairs team this fall, but then they got absolutely screwed by the judges at Nats in PCS.