U.S. Pairs 2019-20 season - News & Updates, Part X

[olympic]

As Sylvia points out, both teams chose Einaudi's Experience, but incorporated with different music (for Knierims, original music composed by Maxime Rodriguez in the middle, and for C-G/LD, selections from the movie, Moonlight). This has been known since the off-season, if you follow the new Programs thread and/or keep abreast of the skating programs/choreographers chart generously compiled by Sylvia and Claire.

There are some other international pairs who are using Einaudi's Experience this season, and it has often recently been used in figure skating (by ice dancers, e.g.).

Ash/Timothy use music from Moonlight for the first half of their program to set the mood, and then Experience for the second half:

Ashley CAIN GRIBBLE / Timothy LEDUC USA Free Skate 2019 US Int Figure Skating Classic

Ashley CAIN GRIBBLE / Timothy LEDUC USA Free Skate 2019 US Int Figure Skating Classic

www.youtube.com

The Knierims have a lovely program that expresses a different more lyrical mood and feel, with the special music by Rodriquez enhancing other aspects of Einaudi's Experience:

YouTube

www.youtube.com

I would reference Ash/Timothy's approach as more modern and edgy (tone is set by the opening Moonlight techno-inspired violin music and the gorgeous, complimentary dark costumes). The Knierim's, Richaud's and Rodriguez's take is romantic and lyrical, with a bit of a contemporary balletic aesthetic. I like the way Richaud (the Knierims' same choreographer from last season) has taken them in a softer, romantic direction, but still with some edge and innovation.

I also appreciate how Alexa wears beautifully-designed skating dresses for both programs which works quite well (when the trend has been catsuits for ladies). In fact, Alexa wore a catsuit (or jumpsuit) in her sp last season. It's cool to switch things up from the general trend. Not that well-designed catsuits don't also work with the right approach and concept.

It does amaze me though that these 2 pairs skate to the same music in a much different way: CG/L showcase choreography and theater, and SK/K showcase power and amplitude, both to great effect.

Watching them, I recall during Lillehamer in 94 the commentators talked about how different M/D and G/G were in how they presented, but were equally effective. Not that the American pairs have achieved what these Russian pairs have, but the idea of it.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Yes. All-in-all, this 'Battle of Experience,' as you've tagged it, is definitely a wonderfully welcome battle for the ongoing next level growth of the U.S. pairs discipline!


I will add that I enjoyed Denney/Frazier's newly revamped fp to the Lion King, as reprised by Renee Roca. I hope Renee might get to share in happy celebration with them in the kiss 'n cry at 2020 U.S. Nationals.

Again, as has been said, it's the sbs jumps that have to be repaired. I believe D/F would have had the chance for third place, or at least 4th at Nebelhorn if their jumps were more solid. Even placing third in the fp, D/F were very closely scored with Tang/Yang, Hase/Seegert, and Ryom/Kim, largely as a result of mishaps by D/F on their jumping passes. Clearly, D/F have the stronger, more dramatic and engaging fp in comparison with those teams, as well as more years of experience as partners. Their forward momentum was obviously hampered by Haven's injury. I'm glad they have been steadily rebounding the past few seasons. In addition, D/F have world-champion-level lifts, great triple twist, and good height and distance on throws, though they need to be cleaner on their throw landings.

And the Knierims should have been in first with solid jumping passes. Even as is, I think the Knierims were still slightly underscored on composition and interpretation versus M-T/M. I'll discuss more about my thoughts on this in the general pairs thread.

 

[Dobre]

Just making my way through the Nebelhorn videos.

Kudos to Scimeca-Knierem & Knerim and their team for the packaging this season. Two very nice programs this season.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Just making my way through the Nebelhorn videos.

Kudos to Scimeca-Knierem & Knerim and their team for the packaging this season. Two very nice programs this season.

If only they could jump. Sigh

 

[Sylvia]

The Knierims are listing Rafael Arutunian as their secondary coach this season (with Sand and Meno) so they are trying to improve their jumping. They both can land the 3T and 3S separately, but doing it in competition and at the same time is the big challenge, obviously. Alexa landed the 3T in the SP (Chris fell) and 3T+1T and 3S hand down (he did 2T+1T and landed the 3S) in the FS. In their competition in NYC a few weeks ago, Chris landed the 3T in the SP while Alexa fell.

For example, in their respective Nebelhorn free skates, Moore-Towers/Marinaro scored 7.42 for their 3S+2T+2T (base value of 6.9) and 4.79 (4.2 bv) for 3T = 12.21 combined points for their sbs jumps with a total TES of 69.71 (138.59 total). The Knierims scored 4.95 for their 2 jump passes (out of a combined base value of 9.8) and had a TES of 66.06 (131.58 total). Denney/Frazier finished 3rd in the FS (120.47) with a TES of 60.39; their sbs 2S was worth 1.04 and their 2A+1Eu+2S 4.51 (out of 5.1 bv) for a total of 5.55.

At the U.S. Classic in SLC, Cain-Gribble/LeDuc scored 129.35 in their 1st place FS (64.15 TES) and they received 8.5 points for their successful 3S+2T+2Lo (7.3 bv) and 2.45 for their 3Lo (4.9 bv; she fell) = 10.95 points for their sbs jumps.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Thanks for the math comparison Sylvia. It further reinforces what we already know, and what's clearly apparent. Top U.S. pairs teams who have so much going for them have to make it a priority to land their sbs jumps, and also be clean on their throw landings. The U.S. team who have the most jump difficulty with some fair landing consistency is C-G/LD (nicknamed Gribbles by oleada in the general pairs thread ).

I'm glad Raf is working with Alexa & Chris to strengthen their tech elements. I'd love to know what the process entails. Raf tends to revamp, but maybe he's only refining in the Knierims' case, and getting them to drill, drill, drill. I hope they are also receiving tips from a sports psychologist. As you mention, of course doing the jumps successfully in practices and warm-ups can't take the place of aceing them in competition. But hopefully, there are some corners being turned. The Knierims have what it takes. They don't need to add more difficult jumps -- they just need to land what they are clearly capable of landing, gain confidence and then relax and project more in these excellent programs they have.

Whenever there are complaints about Haven Denney, there should be acknowledgement that she's come a long way back from what was supposed to be a career-ending knee injury. Kudos to D/F for pushing steadily and making it back this far. They appear to need some mental tips and strategic drills as well. Just land what's in your wheelhouse and believe you can! D/F's fp has so much potential to be a showstopper, it's very exciting. Steady as U.S. teams go, go, go!

Kudos to Scimeca-Knierem & Knerim and their team for the packaging this season. Two very nice programs this season.

^^ Not only the Knierims have been well-packaged this season in the Meno/Sand camp. Calalang/Johnson are also wonderfully packaged this season. Benoit Richaud worked with the Knierims and apparently while there he agreed to choreograph C/J's sp, which is next level. The program enhances and shows off their best qualities. And their costumes so well-designed too! They debuted both sp and fp to great impact. Their fp was choreographed by Cindy Stuart. I hope Jessica relaxes, breathes, believes and works it through with Brian, because they've got some boss talent and chemistry together. They trained together for years under Meno/Sand with other partners. While the previous partnerships were okay, the momentum for Jessica and Zach Sidhu was slowed practically to a standstill as he tried to recover from back pain. And frankly, Brian with Chelsea Liu was not a great physical match-up, despite them performing well in juniors and fairly decent when they first came up to seniors. It's nice that Chelsea rebounded with a great looking partner for her in Ian Meyh, but then Chinese fed made her an offer she couldn't refuse and she's now partnered with Xie Zhong of Chiina.

Right from the beginning, seeing Brian and Jessica perform together at 2019 U.S. Nationals to programs choreographed by Rohene Ward, it was obvious they are a team with next level potential. Perhaps they have a bit of time to work things out and build progress step-by-step. But it's important for them to start developing some good habits in landing those jumps!

 

[Doggygirl]

I am thrilled to hear that S-K/K are apparently seeking some specialized coaching for jumps. Everything else about their skating is SO world class - hope to see them rise to their true potential! I love their programs this year - even the lovey dovey theme!

 

[AxelAnnie]

What the heck took them so long?

 

[aftershocks]

^^ We actually do not know what all the Knierims and their former coaches did to try and assist them in improving their jumps. When they were in Colorado, I'm sure they were working with tech coaches there. Before Alexa's illness, she seemed a bit more steady with her jumps. In fact, some of Chris' jumps were improving before they made the decision to continue after the Olympics and took the risk of moving to Germany to train with Aljona. And there are aspects of the Knierims' skating skills that were bettered after the time they spent with Aljona. Working with Benoit has also obviously been of great benefit.

Now that the Knierims are in California where Raf coaches, it makes sense to work with him. I doubt that he is the first tech coach they have taken instruction from. But maybe it's new to see him listed as part of their coaching team.



I checked out Jessica Calalang's Wiki and I was surprised to learn she skated novice during the 2009-2010 season with handsome, talented Danny O'Shea. I had to look for a picture, and I found one! Jessica still had baby fat, and Danny still had a full head of hair. They were def cute together.

http://www.cs.kent.edu/~walker/photos/10-01-14_USNationals/10-01-18b-NPF/group2/images/DSC_5654.JPG

 

[clairecloutier]

I'm not sure if this was posted here yet? ... An article about Denney/Frazier, in which they briefly discuss their programs for this season:

Denney and Frazier Hope for a Packed House In Las Vegas - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Little by little, sports are becoming more prominent in the Las Vegas scene. NHL's Vegas Golden Knights paved the way in 2017 and WNBA's Las Vegas Aces joined the

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

 

[Sylvia]

Brynne McIsaac (11th in Senior at 2019 Nationals & new to pairs) and Mark Sadusky (7th in Novice Pairs at Nationals/skated singles at the Junior level last season) announced in late August that they are a new Senior pair team, training in Ellenton, Florida: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1xI25GnxTh/

Nate Bartholomay posted an update on his Instagram on Sept. 21 (along with 8 photos/clips post-surgery/doing rehab.): https://www.instagram.com/p/B2r-XsdBK-g/
Excerpt:

On May 15th of this year I underwent a full patellar tendon repair where they removed some of the damaged tendon as well as some abnormalities from under my knee cap which was causing the issue.
This injury had me skating in pain through most of the 2017 and 2018 seasons and I was constantly in therapy and struggling to recover.
...
I am scheduled to make a 100% full recovery and then I plan to evaluate myself and decide next season for me as a #TeamUSA athlete!

 

[Sylvia]

Good to see Kyoko Ina and Robin Szolkowy in Aston, PA for this Juvenile Pairs podium photo (3 teams competed in the Eastern Sectional Pairs Challenge earlier today): https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Hf_Y-nVQ0/
The U.S. Pairs Final (new this year) will take place in Allen, Texas in mid-November.

 

[Rukia]

The U.S. Pairs Final (new this year) will take place in Allen, Texas in mid-November.

We are very excited about this!

As a tangentially related side note, the Allen Event Center is also going to be the new venue for Skate Dallas, which will be in June (a change from it's usual date of April).

 

[TanithandBenFan]

We are very excited about this!

As a tangentially related side note, the Allen Event Center is also going to be the new venue for Skate Dallas, which will be in June (a change from it's usual date of April).

I'm going to visit my sister in Dallas during the Finals week so we can check it out! Do you know when a detailed time schedule will be available?

 

[Rukia]

I'm going to visit my sister in Dallas during the Finals week so we can check it out! Do you know when a detailed time schedule will be available?

I don't, but I can ask around.

 

[aftershocks]

Brynne McIsaac (11th in Senior at 2019 Nationals & new to pairs) and Mark Sadusky (7th in Novice Pairs at Nationals/skated singles at the Junior level last season) announced in late August that they are a new Senior pair team, training in Ellenton, Florida:

Brynne McIsaac on Instagram: “I’ve been *dying* to show you all what I’ve been up to this summer!! I’m proud to say that Mark and I have passed our Senior pairs test,…”

390 Likes, 29 Comments - Brynne McIsaac (@brynnemcisaac) on Instagram: “I’ve been *dying* to show you all what I’ve been up to this summer!! I’m proud to say that Mark and…”

www.instagram.com

I recognize both of their names (McIsaac & Sadusky), but otherwise I'm not familiar with their skating. I wish we could see a live clip. It's cool that there's another promising young pair team for the U.S. coming up. And it's also nice to see some additional diversity in pairs skating...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeEtBV-Ysgs McIsaac 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dshkd-tTVtI Sadusky performing a 3-loop in a crowded practice rink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSftZmVWtxc Maybe this is McIsaac & Sadusky demonstrating a single twist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD9yeRmxQgI Yay, Hubbart & Sadusky performing same gender partnered pairs moves

There are a couple of recently formed Canadian pairs teams in which the young men also come from diverse backgrounds that aren't widely represented in figure skating: Shaquille Davis & Chloe Choinard on the senior level I believe, and Audrey Carle & Gabriel Farand on the junior level. Good luck to them, and kudos to J/C for surely making a difference and helping pave the way for such diverse teams to be formed (along with Aljona & Robin in their day, and Tai/Randy in their day; as well, there's Marci Hinzmann & Aaron Parchem of the U.S., who competed at the 2006 Olympics).

In a different era, this U.S. African-American junior team were also pioneers. They unfairly weren't allowed to transition to seniors after winning the 1972 junior National pairs title, Richard Ewell & Michelle McCladdie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRNVy7wfcgU Boy they had great sbs jumps and a number of cool moves that would be interesting to see in current pairs programs
https://www.liveabout.com/famous-african-american-figure-skaters-1282896

Whoa, I never heard of Tiffani Tucker & Franklyn Singley (1993 U.S. National bronze medalists in ice dance). Having to rely solely on television coverage back then, there are so many 'unseen' skaters from that era:

Tiffani Tucker takes to the ice to feature athlete competing in Gay Games

A figure skater competing in the Gay Games was the former skating partner of Reporter/Anchor Tiffani Tucker. Read their story of how they made history.

www.cleveland19.com

I'll take further discussion about this to the Unexpected Skating-Related Youtube content thread

 

[aftershocks]

I'm not sure if this was posted here yet? ... An article about Denney/Frazier, in which they briefly discuss their programs for this season:

Denney and Frazier Hope for a Packed House In Las Vegas - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Little by little, sports are becoming more prominent in the Las Vegas scene. NHL's Vegas Golden Knights paved the way in 2017 and WNBA's Las Vegas Aces joined the

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Thanks for sharing. It's nice hearing from Haven & Brandon regarding their new programs. It's interesting to learn how John Z impacted the fp with laying out the structure and coming up with the boffo elements for the climactic ending. And per Brandon, Renee Roca melded it together with her choreo:

"Denney and Frazier are also pushing new levels and focusing on improving their in-between skating by adding transitional moves versus crossovers. 'John has done a great job of filling, giving us a lot more weapons and tools to do a bigger arsenal of lifts and tricks in and out of our elements, and Renée Roca glued it all together in a good way,' Frazier says. Fans can look forward to a couple of 'wow factor' moments towards the end of their free program that Frazier credits Zimmerman for creating."

Their description of what the sp character/ theme is about, bears another viewing...

 

[Jayar]

I know one of our resident fact checkers know this-- what senior teams have fully qualified for the US Championships in Greensboro at this point?

 

[Sylvia]

The new required minimum TES combined (SP+FS in same competition) score for 2020 U.S. Nationals is 68. These 9 teams are qualified in that respect:

Ashley Cain & Timothy LeDuc
Alexa Scimeca-Knierim & Chris Knierim
Haven Denney & Brandon Frazier
Tarah Kayne & Danny O’Shea
Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson
Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov
Olivia Serafini & Mervin Tran
Nica Digerness & Danny Neudecker
Maria Mokhova & Ivan Mokhov

These two teams have had injuries this summer and have not competed at full strength yet:
Laiken Lockley & Keenan Prochnow
Allison Timlen & Justin Highgate-Brutman

ETA:

I'm told Jessica Pfund & Joshua Santillan have the minimum score for Nationals (they competed at the SW Florida Fall Classic last month in their home rink). So they are the 10th team.

There's also the new pair Emily Chan/Spencer Howe (competed at Oklahoma Open in late August but I don't know their scores).

This new pair needs to get the minimum score for Nationals at the Pairs Final:

Brynne McIsaac (11th in Senior at 2019 Nationals & new to pairs) and Mark Sadusky (7th in Novice Pairs at Nationals/skated singles at the Junior level last season) announced in late August that they are a new Senior pair team, training in Ellenton, Florida: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1xI25GnxTh/

That makes a total of 14 senior pairs this season that I know about.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

The new required minimum TES combined (SP+FS in same competition) score for 2020 U.S. Nationals is 68. These 9 teams are qualified in that respect:

Ashley Cain & Timothy LeDuc
Alexa Scimeca-Knierim & Chris Knierim
Haven Denney & Brandon Frazier
Tarah Kayne & Danny O’Shea
Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson
Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov
Olivia Serafini & Mervin Tran
Nica Digerness & Danny Neudecker
Maria Mokhova & Ivan Mokhov

These two teams have had injuries this summer and have not competed at full strength yet:
Laiken Lockley & Keenan Prochnow
Allison Timlen & Justin Highgate-Brutman

Is it correct that S/T, D/N and M/M have to compete at the Pairs Final in November?

 

[Jayar]

I know that there are people who do not like this new system, but I actually find it kind of exciting. It might be disappointing to miss out on a trip to nationals, but this gives the lower ranked skaters something to shoot for. Perhaps if they are more invested in earning a particular score, they might be more strategic about planned program content, pushing themselves to perfect a level 4 spin, or get all of the steps to get the level 4, etc. I think that it is going to improve the overall quality of the competitors from first to last place, and that is good for the sport and great for the fans!

 

[Sylvia]

Is it correct that S/T, D/N and M/M have to compete at the Pairs Final in November?

I think these 3 teams can elect to compete but don't have to because there are fewer than 12 senior pairs that don't already have byes to Nationals? Also, any pair(s) assigned to Warsaw Cup or Tallinn Trophy (both take place during Sectionals/Pairs Final week) will get a bye to Nationals.

Posted in late August in this thread:

Emily Chan shared this off ice photo of her and Spencer Howe in their FS costumes: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1mklHmHsiU/
They competed at the Oklahoma Open this past weekend and debuted their free skate program there (don't know their scores, sorry!).

I forgot to mention Chan/Howe earlier. If they still need the minimum TES for Nationals then they have 2 more chances:
Midwestern Pairs Challenge in Colorado Springs next week or at the Pairs Final in November.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I hope some of these pairs show up to the Final. I want to see some senior level skaters there!

 

[olympic]

I have been wondering about Pfund / Santillan. I know she’s dealt with endless injuries but for me they stuck out as a pair consistent with SBS triples. When I didn’t hear anything for a while, I assumed they were done, so I am glad to hear they qualified for nationals.

I hope the USFSA utilizes spots for pairs at the later competitions such as Warsaw and Tallinn, giving our pairs further down the ranks more exposure internationally. I think last year the top teams went to GS in Zagreb and it paid off for K/O. Maybe GS can be used as a consolation GPF of sorts to gauge where our top pairs are in December.

And I know due to the low no. of pairs that competing at the final is not necessary, but maybe it could be mandated just so teams get that exposure to competition.

ETA - if CG/L and SK/K don't make it to the GPF, maybe they can skate head to head at GS. That would gauge where they are but also give the USFSA a great preview of what international judges think of our top 2 ahead of Nationals.

 

[aftershocks]

… ETA - if CG/L and SK/K don't make it to the GPF...

There's discussion in the Grand Prix assignments thread that C-G/LD appear to have a very good chance of making the GPF based on the strong improvements to their skating, and the fields they are up against in their two GPs. Time will tell.

An article about Serafini/Tran competing at upcoming Finlandia Trophy:

Finlandia Trophy Marks International Debut for Serafini and Tran - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Year one is successfully under their belts.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

 

[yeslek]

There's discussion in the Grand Prix assignments thread that C-G/LD appear to have a very good chance of making the GPF based on the strong improvements to their skating, and the fields they are up against in their two GPs. Time will tell.

An article about Serafini/Tran competing at upcoming Finlandia Trophy:

Finlandia Trophy Marks International Debut for Serafini and Tran - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Year one is successfully under their belts.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Yes they have the weakest fields by far of any us team.

 

[olympic]

There's discussion in the Grand Prix assignments thread that C-G/LD appear to have a very good chance of making the GPF based on the strong improvements to their skating, and the fields they are up against in their two GPs. Time will tell.

An article about Serafini/Tran competing at upcoming Finlandia Trophy:

Finlandia Trophy Marks International Debut for Serafini and Tran - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Year one is successfully under their belts.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Absolutely. That is why I said ‘if’

Our top teams last year at GS seemed to use the competition as a springboard for a great 2nd half of the season

 

[aftershocks]

Yes they have the weakest fields by far of any us team.

Well, we'll see. As mentioned in the GP assignment thread, a number of top-seeded teams have pulled out of the GP, including J/C and Z/E, which changes the complexion of some events. But these events are still competitive, so it pays to keep that in mind.

Peng/Jin are at Skate America -- Ash/Tim beat them and T/M at U.S. International Classic, but it remains to be seen how well P/J may rev up over the course of the season. P/J do have very good programs and excellent skills, but they have yet to consistently perform at a high level from competition-to-competition. Ash/Tim have been looking very strong and determined. They are a team who have been steadily improving ever since they paired together.

 

[haribobo]

oops wrong thread

 

[aftershocks]

Cross-posting from General Pairs thread:

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

I didn't completely dislike the previous costumes. It was just that the red in Ash's top seemed to resemble flames more than a storm. And Tim's outfit didn't pick up on the red. Still, the stormy gray blend works better for a storm than bright blue against black. Although this sp costume change is more coordinated, why not do this particular styling switch using the stormy gray along with maroon for the accents? Then there would be more contrast between the fp costumes, which are really gorgeous, but also black. So now, there's major black for both programs?

And this blue on black styling, while safe and okay, isn't that interesting. It's less imaginative, and more generically abstract. It would work better with stormy gray and maroon. JMHO. I do like the cut-out back styling of Ash's new top. I also liked the see-through lace styling of the previous red-flamed top she tweaked.