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

[Sylvia]

@olympic, I know McBeath/Bartholomay have recorded programs for the 2nd opportunity Points Challenge. Videos are scheduled to be posted in the Fan Zone on Tuesday.

....
2 pairs additions to USFS' International Selection Pool:
Katie McBeath & Nathan Bartholomay (eta) - just in time to compete in the 2nd ISP Points Challenge
...

 

[olympic]

@olympic, I know McBeath/Bartholomay have recorded programs for the 2nd opportunity Points Challenge. Videos are scheduled to be posted in the Fan Zone on Tuesday.

Thank you

 

[Jeschke]

Where did Nagy learn his basics? Someone knows?
I really like the way he moves on the ice.

As mentioned before, I am not happy with this partnership and don't think they are a good fit, but well...

 

[drfj]

Where did Nagy learn his basics? Someone knows?
I really like the way he moves on the ice.

As mentioned before, I am not happy with this the partnership and don't think they are a good fit, but well...

he was skating many years in Budapest coached by Julia Sebestyén

 

[jkl]

Sadly I just saw Cate Fleming on icepartner search. I really liked that team. Here’s hoping she finds a great partner!

 

[Carolla5501]

Where did Nagy learn his basics? Someone knows?
I really like the way he moves on the ice.

As mentioned before, I am not happy with this partnership and don't think they are a good fit, but well...

Well I am sure they will break up as soon as they realize it doesn't have your seal of approval LOL!

 

[Colonel Green]

Some quite explosive allegations being made now about the Sappenfield camp and T.J. Nyman. Sappenfield's attitude toward the Coughlin situation had already attracted quite a lot of controversy.

 

[Sylvia]

Maybe someone can start a new thread about the allegations so we can keep using this thread for pairs skating news?

ETA that wickedwitch has started a GSD thread here.

 

[Sylvia]

Where did Nagy learn his basics? Someone knows?
I really like the way he moves on the ice.

@clairecloutier interviewed Nagy/Finster last year and her interview is referenced in Balazs' wiki:

"Nagy began skating under coaches Oleg Efimov and Natalia Efimova, a former Soviet pairs skater and ice dancer, respectively, in Wake Forest, North Carolina"[2] (coaches & parents of ice dancers Alina and Nastia Efimova)

I recall Nagy qualified for Intermediate and/or Juvenile Nationals as a young singles skater when he competed in NC (before he moved back to Hungary).

 

[Frau Muller]

Some quite explosive allegations being made now about the Sappenfield camp and T.J. Nyman. Sappenfield's attitude toward the Coughlin situation had already attracted quite a lot of controversy.

Where can we read this? In another thread in FSU? Link, pls.

 

[Colonel Green]

Where can we read this? In another thread in FSU? Link, pls.

There isn't another thread at the moment, but if you search Sappenfield's name on Twitter you'll see what's being said.

 

[muffinplus]

Where can we read this? In another thread in FSU? Link, pls.

https://twitter.com/InTheLoPodcast/status/1314008816510476288

 

[Frau Muller]

Thanks for the link. Wow. Terrible. BY tomorrow, many will be discussing.

 

[olympic]

I just have to say that C/J show even more command than before on the ice; edges, stroking, posture, speed. It looks like they generate a lot of power with relatively few strokes. Their throws actually look a little higher and their twist / lifts were already big. SBS spin improvement, too. Physically, they are a match for one another. They do really need to lock down the SBS jumps. I worry that it will grow into a 'thing'.

On TSL, Jonathan stated that they weren't 'going anywhere', so I looked up their last 2 competitions - Nationals and 4CCs; they won the LP at Nationals and placed 3rd at 4CCs behind the Chinese, ahead of the Canadians. So, I thought it was quite a stupid comment on his part.

 

[Sylvia]

I just have to say that C/J show even more command than before on the ice; edges, stroking, posture, speed. It looks like they generate a lot of power with relatively few strokes. Their throws actually look a little higher and their twist / lifts were already big. SBS spin improvement, too. Physically, they are a match for one another. They do really need to lock down the SBS jumps. I worry that it will grow into a 'thing'.

New Calalang/Johnson article by Darci Miller (published on Oct. 6):

Calalang and Johnson Look to Recapture Momentum at Skate America® - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

For Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, the 2019-20 season was their coming out party.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

"In the (ISP free skate), we didn't do our jumps as well as we could've or as well as we usually do, so we were a little bummed about that," Johnson said. "We're going to keep improving."
...
The Calalang and Johnson heading to Las Vegas in 2020 are very different than the ones that made their Grand Prix debut there in 2019. They're not the new, untested kids anymore – they're the reigning U.S. pairs silver medalists and would-be World competitors.
But regardless of whatever expectations may accompany them now, they say that nothing really changes. They still have to perform.
"You have to land your jumps; you have to land your throws; you have to have that overall package," Calalang said. "And that is something that we've been working really hard at."
"It's not been up to our standard yet," Johnson added. "So we know we can keep getting better and better, and we're going to keep striving for that."

 

[Catherine M]

I rarely get excited about US pairs but I am firmly on the Calalang/Johnson fandom train. Not sure when I'll get to see them live--guess best opportunity will be 2022 US Nationals in Nashville but till then, I'll watch them from the comfort of my couch and hope for continued growth.

 

[Natanielle825]

I rarely get excited about US pairs but I am firmly on the Calalang/Johnson fandom train.

Me too. They were by far the best team here. Room for improvement of course but their twist and throws looked amazing. And they don't have years of US pairs baggage holding them back (as far as personal competitive history, not that the discipline doesn't inherently suck).

 

[Sylvia]

Kayne/O'Shea and Finster/Nagy skated at the SC of Boston in Norwood this week - group photo with Lu/Mitrofanov and Chan/Howe (recently added to Skate America which will be their international debut) posted today on Ganicheva/Letov's account: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGIa0qjD6Oh/
Shishkova and Naumov (not tagged) are also in the photo.

ETA: K/O recently recorded their ISP Points Challenge #2 programs at the Canton, Michigan rink where Jim Peterson/Amanda Evora coach now.

 

[Sylvia]

Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson are answering questions via USFS' Instagram Story for #FanFriday today: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGIdDX2Hj7s/

 

[Alilou]

Mervin Tran writes about travelling to Skate America:
Airplane ramblings:

Airplane Ramblings

Look, it's not lost on me that we're in a pandemic. I understand that my lifestyle and livelihood are both non-essential; however, the sport of figure skating provided me the structure to motivate myself and strive for excellence. It's kind of a big deal to me. It's been a positive influence in m...

docs.google.com

 

[Sylvia]

Mervin Tran writes about travelling to Skate America:

Thanks! Here's his tweet from last night with the link: https://twitter.com/skate_moivo/status/1318034312692785152

Mervin's latest Instagram story -- showing him standing outside with the Orleans hotel in the background -- is captioned: "Test came back undetected! First obstacle completed."

ETA that I've cross-posted in the "... feasibility of the 2020-21 skating season" thread here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...21-skating-season.107193/page-37#post-5879551

 

[Sylvia]

Here are the updated Team USA bios of the 7 pairs competing at Skate America this week. This will be the respective Grand Prix debuts of Knierim/Frazier, Serafini/Tran and Chan/Howe (also their Team USA debut as a pair). It's hard to believe that Calalang/Johnson made their GP debut here just one year ago!

Ashley Cain, 25, and Timothy LeDuc, 30: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...bsp-ashley-cain-gribble-and-timothy-leduc/349
TRAINING TOWN Euless, TX
COACH(ES) Peter Cain, Darlene Cain, Nina Mozer, Vladislav Zhovnirski
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Pasquale Camerlengo
SP Music: “Never Tear Us Apart" by Bishop Briggs from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack
FS Music: “Piano Concerto No. 2" by Rachmaninoff

Jessica Calalang, 25, and Brian Johnson, 24: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/.../-nbsp-jessica-calalang-and-brian-johnson/380
TRAINING TOWN Irvine, CA
COACH(ES) Jenni Meno, Todd Sand, Christine Binder
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Benoit Richaud (SP), Cindy Stuart (FS)
SP Music: "Light of the Seven" composed by Ramin Djawadi (last season's music)
FS Music: “Who Wants to Live Forever" by the Tenors featuring Lindsey Stirling

Emily Chan, 23, and Spencer Howe, 24: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/.../roster/-nbsp-emily-chan-and-spencer-howe/366
TRAINING TOWN Norwood, MA
COACH(ES) Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Olga Ganicheva
SP Music: “Onmyoji II - Main Theme" by Shigeru Umebayashi
FS Music: “The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion

Tarah Kayne, 27, and Danny O'Shea, 29: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...roster/-nbsp-tarah-kayne-and-danny-o-shea/416
TRAINING TOWN / COACH(ES) TBD [note: I heard Jim Peterson will be helping out K/O unofficially at Skate America]
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Randi Strong
SP Music: “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy (debuted at 2020 Nationals)
FS Music: Music from Carmen

Alexa Knierim, 29, and Brandon Frazier, 27: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...r/-nbsp-alexa-knierim-and-brandon-frazier/344
TRAINING TOWN Irvine, CA
COACH(ES) Todd Sand, Jenni Meno, Chris Knierim, Christine Binder, Rafael Arutunian
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Renee Roca
SP Music: "In the End" by Tommee Profitt and "Too Far Gone" by Hidden Citizens
FS Music: "Fall on Me" by Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli

Audrey Lu, 18, and Misha Mitrofanov, 23: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...ster/-nbsp-audrey-lu-and-misha-mitrofanov/350
TRAINING TOWN Norwood, MA
COACH(ES) Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva, Evgeni Nemirovskii
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Olga Ganicheva, Evgeni Nemirovskii
SP Music: “Show Must Go On" from Moulin Rouge!
FS Music: Charlie Chaplin Medley

Olivia Serafini, 23, and Mervin Tran, 30: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...ter/-nbsp-olivia-serafini-and-mervin-tran/409
TRAINING TOWN Rockland County, NY
COACH(ES) Jason Briggs, Jana Brazee
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Julie Marcotte
SP Music: "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys
FS Music: "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol (last season's music)

 

[Garden Kitty]

Getting detailed info about the skaters from Sylvia almost makes it seem like a "regular" season! Thanks, Sylvia.

 

[Sylvia]

Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson are answering questions via USFS' Instagram Story for #FanFriday today [Oct. 9]:

I noticed that USFS recently has started archiving these #FanFriday Q&A story clips on their Instagram profile page -- Calalang/Johnson were featured in the 5th one of the series: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17845998335394415/

 

[Bellanca]

Alexa Knierim, 29, and Brandon Frazier, 27: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...r/-nbsp-alexa-knierim-and-brandon-frazier/344
TRAINING TOWN Irvine, CA
COACH(ES) Todd Sand, Jenni Meno, Chris Knierim, Christine Binder, Rafael Arutunian
CHOREOGRAPHER(S) Renee Roca
SP Music: "In the End" by Tommee Profitt and "Too Far Gone" by Hidden Citizens
FS Music: "Fall on Me" by Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli

"Curiouser and curiouser" how this new and exciting pairs team will do. It's time to raise the curtain. Good luck to all!

 

[Sylvia]

Ashley/Timothy article ahead of Skate America (Oct. 19):

Cain-Gribble and LeDuc: “We always want to bring something new to our programs” - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

"Opportunity" is a word that comes up often in conversation with Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, reflecting the couple's outlook. No matter the obstacles,

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Excerpt:

"We're building up," LeDuc agreed. "But we had a little bit of a setback in August."

An off-ice training accident, caused by a timing error, left LeDuc with a concussion and a broken nose. He underwent surgery to repair the bone damage.

"It's a part of pairs skating," LeDuc said of the accident. "We understand it's the risk. We just took it as an opportunity to move forward in the ways that we could. We worked on stroking and choreography during that time."

ETA a photo of them on practice ice in Las Vegas yesterday: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGlMZUmjwZc/

Yesterday I posted links to Alexa's & Jessica's photos in the Fan Cutouts thread here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...s-available-for-purchase.107629/#post-5880305

ETA two quotes from LeDuc from an ESPN article about teams preparing for the season during a p*ndemic, linked in the U.S. Dance news thread here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...eason-news-updates.107355/page-4#post-5881063

"Having to look at what they're doing on a small screen or a computer, sometimes with bad wi-fi, and then they have to see how you're interpreting that over a small screen, and doing all of this on the floor, so you're not even on the same medium ... oof, it was challenging," LeDuc said. "It was definitely very outside our comfort zone. When we started, I would have been like, 'You're crazy, that's never gonna happen, how on earth would we do that?' And here we are."

Indoors, "we were on a hardwood floor in our socks so we could kind of shoosh around and do our best to fake ice-skate," LeDuc said. "Everything on ice relies on speed and how we're using the space that we have. On the floor, you can't predict how many pushes you need, how long it will take. When we finally got back on the ice, there were times it was like, 'We're gonna have to retool this.' Other parts we predicted perfectly."

 

[clairecloutier]

Jessica Pfund/Josh Santillan announced on their web site that they want to change countries and represent Switzerland. Jessica's dad is Swiss, so she has dual citizenship.

They reached this decision after being disappointed with their scores at last year's Nationals.

U.S. Figure Skating denied a release for this season, so they are taking the season off. It sounds like they should be (?) eligible to switch next season.

Joshica’s Blog – Banter, fun, and updates on us!

 

[Karen-W]

Jessica Pfund/Josh Santillan announced on their web site that they want to change countries and represent Switzerland. Jessica's dad is Swiss, so she has dual citizenship.

They reached this decision after being disappointed with their scores at last year's Nationals.

U.S. Figure Skating denied a release for this season, so they are taking the season off. It sounds like they should be (?) eligible to switch next season.

Joshica’s Blog – Banter, fun, and updates on us!

Well, this would be the season to take off given the limited number of competitions they are likely to be able to attend.

 

[Carolla5501]

Jessica Pfund/Josh Santillan announced on their web site that they want to change countries and represent Switzerland. Jessica's dad is Swiss, so she has dual citizenship.

They reached this decision after being disappointed with their scores at last year's Nationals.

U.S. Figure Skating denied a release for this season, so they are taking the season off. It sounds like they should be (?) eligible to switch next season.

Joshica’s Blog – Banter, fun, and updates on us!

Personally this has to stop. USFS needs to quit acting like they "own" these kids. If they can't give them the opportunity let them go. Their behavior is one reason I am hesitant to support them. They give the kids tiny amounts of money (compared to the costs involved) and then act like it's "hurting" them to let a skater go skate somewhere else. Quit being jerks!

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

So basically they are country hopping to get more international competition chances. I don't really remember anything about them or their programs from last Nationals. I also don't remember feeling like anyone had been dumped or scored unfairly. So there are a lot of sour grapes regarding competition scores. All that topped off by the list of injuries and saying they are in the last years of their career. It just makes me wonder if that's something worth blogging about if you want another country to accept you as part of the team.

USFSA is wrong in requiring money paid back from 2010 to release early. I could see having to pay back anything that was given to them for the current season. Maybe one prior season to discourage country hopping but all the way back is just messed up.