U.S. Pairs 2020-21 season - News & Updates, Part XI

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I’m pleased for Haven that she may be trying to carry on. Her love of skating and performing shone in the FS last year on the Grand Prix. I understand her jumps may never be solid after her injuries but I still think she is lovely to watch and her lift positions and smile are gorgeous. I’d happily watch her again even with imperfect jumps.
 
Well, I am trying to pick my jaw up off the floor, after reading this news about Haven. And I'm so thrilled for her! She was perfectly gracious and classy in her response to Brandon's new partnership with Alexa ... so it's particularly gratifying that she has this chance to keep skating pairs, keep doing what she loves.

I would love to see Haven and TJ do a jump series or combination that may not have the optimal number of rotations, but is tailored to the music and their style of movement so well that audiences and judges will be wowed by their skating. Then they can make up points where Haven excels -- throw jumps, twist, and especially the lifts. Haven is, IMO, the best US pairs girl "in the air" when performing lifts and drawing in the audience during them. She just looks so happy the whole time. The word I keep wanting to say is "ethereal."

It could take a while to see what's going to develop with them. But I'm looking forward to seeing them skate before too long. TJ is not the first pairs boy to go through so many partners; let's hope this will be a magical combination.

Alexa and Brandon do look powerful and happy together, and relieved. I think it shows in their skating that they don't have to worry so much about their partners now. Part of me wishes they wouldn't do Haven and Brandon's famous lift, where Haven just looked like she was in heaven. I read about a new pairs couple who had decided they wouldn't do any lifts that pretty much duplicated what either had done with their previous partners; they'd develop the lifts in new original ways. I think that's a great policy. My first thought when I saw Alexa and Brandon do that lift was that Alexa has a long way to go before she'll look as happy and relaxed as Haven did. With good reason, I would add ... it must take an enormous amount of concentration just to learn to stay balanced with only one hand on one upper thigh.

It's crazy, but the Alexa/Brandon move that makes me happiest isn't even an element; it's when he picks her up and twirls her around while circling forward all the way. Alexa's positions are so powerful and beautiful. It's probably harder than it looks; mainly, though, I like that it's a new move for both.

I want to give Chris a happiness shout-out. On Alexa's instagram a couple of boxes back, he just looks so darn happy!
 
Sylvia said:
Katie McBeath posted today on her Instagram after her successful test day at Great Park Ice in Irvine, CA ("... this singles skater has become an official senior pair skater!"): https://www.instagram.com/p/CEfEyZxpvAO/
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Megan Wessenberg passed her Senior Pairs test this past weekend (Chris Knierim partnered her): https://www.instagram.com/p/CEh69r1Jhbb/

I noticed that Alexa & Brandon have been added to the Pairs ISP (now 8 senior teams, 2 junior teams).
ETA that Jordan Cowan listed their FS music in his own (same) Instagram video clip as "Immersive Light of Love" by @karlhugomusic and "Fall on Me" by Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo.
 
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Emily Chan/Spencer Howe (I enjoy seeing them just skate together around the rink in this clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEZQPWRpIwP/ ) have been added to the ISP, along with 2 junior teams - Isabelle Martins/Ryan Bedard and the new partnership of Haley Scott/Nick Hubbart.

ETA:

Chan/Howe qualified for their first Nationals together in Senior but had to withdraw due to injury.

Martins/Bedard were 5th in Junior at 2020 Nationals and competed twice on the JGP last season.

Haley Scott also qualified for the ISP in Junior ladies for the first time (she placed 6th in Junior at the Eastern Sectional Singles Final last November) and is new to pairs. Hubbart previously finished 8th in Novice Pairs with Zoe Larson at 2019 Nationals after winning the Intermediate national title together in 2018.
 
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AngieNikodinovLove said:
GORGEOUS footage of 2021 world champions Alexa and Brandon here!!!

The lift is the one he would do with Haven

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And it looked a lot better with Haven and somehow he was not world champion
 
olympic said:
I think the biggest benefit of SK/F will be the SBS jumps which were the glaring weak spots for the 2 former teams. The stronger jumper from the 2 former teams now make up one team. If they trust each other (which it seems they will) they will probably have a highly successful landing rate
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That was the logic for mervin Tran and Marissa castelli too. But somehow they never got the jumps together. Boggles the mind.
 
feraina said:
That was the logic for mervin Tran and Marissa castelli too. But somehow they never got the jumps together. Boggles the mind.
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I couldn't put my finger on it but there appeared to be some form of conflict between Castelli and Tran that interfered in their ability to gel on the jumps.
 
olympic said:
I couldn't put my finger on it but there appeared to be some form of conflict between Castelli and Tran that interfered in their ability to gel on the jumps.
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They were supposedly great personal friends too, unlike Marisa and her former partner.
 
Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov are "aiming for a spot at Skate America" and plan to compete in both of the virtual ISP Points Challenge Pairs events, according to this article published on Sept. 8:
usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Charlie Chaplin Could Be the Key to Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov’s Growth This Season - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

When asked what she was up to during the offseason, Audrey Lu shyly replied, "I was just chilling."
usfigureskatingfanzone.com usfigureskatingfanzone.com
Excerpt re. their programs:
... performing to Chaplin's music for this season's free skate, which was choreographed by Ganicheva and Evgeni Nemirovskii, will mark a drastic change for the team.
"It's very playful," Lu said. "The middle has a slow part to show the emotional connection, but otherwise it's funny."
"We always have been skating to the same style, more of a sad type of music," Mitrofanov said. "This is outside of our box and we're definitely interested in seeing how people react – whether they like it or not. We definitely are trying to work on our facial expression. We definitely are trying to show it off and sell the program."
Fans will see a return of the short program Lu and Mitrofanov performed at the 2020 U.S. Championships to "The Show Must Go On" from Moulin Rouge!, this time with harder transitions and more speed.
"We switched it a week before U.S. Championships and we're going to keep it," Lu said. "It fits us well because it's more powerful."
Click to expand...
 
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Sylvia said:
Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov are "aiming for a spot at Skate America" and plan to compete in both of the virtual ISP Points Challenge Pairs events, according to this article published on Sept. 8:
usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Charlie Chaplin Could Be the Key to Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov’s Growth This Season - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

When asked what she was up to during the offseason, Audrey Lu shyly replied, "I was just chilling."
usfigureskatingfanzone.com usfigureskatingfanzone.com
Excerpt re. their programs:
Click to expand...
Anybody know how many spots are available for Skate America? Only 8 like a normal year, or is the amount different this year under these circumstances?
 
LL22 said:
Anybody know how many spots are available for Skate America? Only 8 like a normal year, or is the amount different this year under these circumstances?
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Ahh Maybee 8 as there are only 8 American pairs teams. Maybee Cananada and US might do something.
 
There's 9 Senior US Pairs in ISP-
Cain/Leduc, Calalang/Johnson, Knierim/Frazier, Serafini/Tran, Chan/Howe, Finster/Nagy, Kayne/O'Shea, Lu/Mitrofanov, Deardorff/Johnson

Then at least 9-10 others:
McBeath/Bartholomay, Fakhroutdinov/Neudecker, Digerness/Meyh, Timlen/Highgate-Brutman, Pfund/Santillan, Mokhova/Mokhov, Lockley/Prochnow, McIsaac/Sadusky, Burden/Rounis, and possibly Denney/Nyman or one of those with someone else...
 
Sylvia said:
Ashley and Timothy were guests on "Cafecito con Masha" (Sept. 1):
www.youtube.com

ENTREVISTA CON ASHLEY CAIN GRIBBLE & TIMOTHY LEDUC

Una divertida entrevista con una de las parejas más increíbles de Estados Unidos! Campeones Nacionales de 2019 y medallistas de plata en Four Continents.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
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This was such a great interview! Ashley and Tim both gave such thoughtful, interesting answers to Masha's good questions.
 
feraina said:
That was the logic for mervin Tran and Marissa castelli too. But somehow they never got the jumps together. Boggles the mind.
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I don't think they ever thought of themselves as jumping together. They each seemed to jump individually, more or less at the same time, but seemingly without trying to make their jumps a true pairs element.

At one nationals, Marissa and Mervin did their combo jump right in front of me (my seat was on the 4th row). Mervin fell that time (it seems they nearly always took turns falling) ... and I swear that Marissa looked happy and relieved that she wasn't the one who fell that time. Of course I could be wrong and I mean no disrespect to anyone ... but that is how it looked to me.
 
TanithandBenFan said:
Ashley and Tim posted clips of their long program run through on Instagram and they’re definitely skating to Rach Piano Concerto No 2.
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:respec: Ashley and Tim must have read my mind ... I decided back in February that they should use that music :biggrinbo Also, I'm so glad to hear it's their long program.
 
2020 U.S. Junior Pairs pewter medalists Cate Fleming & Jedidiah Isbell skated a new Junior SP to "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine in the ISP Points Challenge virtual competition; they kept their FS to the Romeo & Juliet OST by Abel Korzeniowski. I'm glad they got to compete in the Youth Olympics in Lausanne before Nationals because it turned out they were unable to make their JGP debut this season.
ETA: They got to record their programs at the brand new Skating Club of Boston facility in Norwood.

Isabelle Martins & Ryan Bedard debuted 2 programs in the Points Challenge - a James Bond themed SP and FS to selections from Beauty and the Beast (2017 soundtrack) in colorful costumes.

A link to videos and segment/total scores are posted in the ISP Points Challenge thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...allenge-sep-and-oct-2020.107555/#post-5860448
 
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Franz-Peter Jerosch, 19, is listed on IPS as of 9/14. He and Analise Gonzalez placed 9th of 10 junior pairs at 2020 Nationals. He lists Vadim Naumov as his coach, is a clockwise rotator, and has dual citizenship (USA and Germany).
 
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