U.S. Pairs 2021-22 season - News & Updates, Part X

Sylvia

It's Montreal Worlds week!
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Starting the Olympic season thread with the 7 U.S. pairs results/scores at the inaugural Cranberry Cup international in Norwood, Massachusetts that concluded today:

SILVER Alexa KNIERIM / Brandon FRAZIER, 69.83 (2) 136.04 (2) 205.87
BRONZE Jessica CALALANG / Brian JOHNSON 68.90 (3) 126.38 (3) 195.28
4 Emily CHAN/ Spencer HOWE 63.61 (4) 118.83 (4) 182.44
5 Chelsea LIU / Danny O'SHEA 56.31 (6) 108.89 (5) 165.20
6 Audrey LU / Misha MITROFANOV 60.75 (5) 98.06 (9) 158.81
7 Katie MCBEATH / Nathan BARTHOLOMAY 52.13 (7) 105.61 (6) 157.74
9 Anastasiia SMIRNOVA / Danil SIIANYTSIA 145.16 (11) 99.93 (8) 145.09

Current International Selection Pool (11 teams) & ISU Grand Prix assignments to date (Skate America spot TBA):
Ashley Cain-Gribble & Timothy LeDuc [S3/W9; Team A envelope] Skate Canada & NHK Trophy
Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson [S2; Team B envelope]
Emily Chan & Spencer Howe [S5; Team B envelope]
Cate Fleming & Chase Finster (new team; ISU Junior age-eligible)
Alexa Knierim & Brandon Frazier [S1/W7;Team A envelope] Skate America & Internationaux de France
Chelsea Liu & Danny O'Shea [new team; Reserve team envelope] Skate America
Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov [S4; Team B envelope] NHK Trophy & Rostelecom Cup
Isabelle Martins & Ryan Bedard [J2; Team C envelope] (ISU Junior age-eligible)
Katie McBeath & Nathan Bartholomay [S7; Team C envelope]
Catherine Rivers & Timmy Chapman [J4; Team D envelope] (ISU Junior age-eligible)
Anastasiia Smirnova & Danil Siianytsia [J1; Team C envelope] (ISU Junior age-eligible; competing senior in U.S.)

Qualified for a 2021-22 team envelope:
Valentina Plazas & Maximiliano Fernandez [J3; Team C] competing senior this season
Sydney Cooke & Keyton Bearinger [J5; Team D] competing senior this season
Cayla Smith & Andy Deng [Championship Series Novice 1; Team D]
Ellie Korytek & Allan Fisher [Championship Series Novice 3; Team D]
 
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AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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Chan and Howe had sooo much improvement... Does anyone think they should have the bronze at Cranberry? Or are their SS still a work in progress?

So nice to see K&F land their jumps... (I said land, and that can mean anything) :D
 

Sylvia

It's Montreal Worlds week!
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Copying over @haribobo's Summer 2021 FS & Total scores list & adding more info [CC= Cranberry Cup]:

SENIOR PAIRS Total score/Name/SP/FS [competition]
205.87 Knierim/Frazier 69.83/136.04 [CC]
195.28 Calalang/Johnson 68.90/126.38 [CC]
192.91 Liu/O’Shea 67.18/125.73 [LA Open] (new)
182.44 Chan/Howe 63.61/118.83 [CC]
174.72 Lu/Mitrofanov 58.81/115.91 [Detroit, 1st]
167.58 McBeath/Bartholomay 58.68/108.90 [Glacier Falls]
147.27 Maria Mokhova/Ivan Mokhov 49.27/98.00 [Cranberry Open]
145.09 Anastasiia Smirnova/Danil Siianytsia 45.16/99.93 [CC]
143.68 Valentina Plazas/Maximiliano Fernandez 50.37/93.31 [Detroit]
132.39 Sydney Cooke/Keyton Bearinger 45.08/87.31 [Cranberry Open]
123.71 Sarah Burden/Matthew Rounis 42.90/80.81 [Detroit]
123.66 Alexandra Fakhroutdinov/Danny Neudecker 54.95/68.71 [Detroit] (first season competing)
122.85 Kate Finster/Matej Silecky 45.50/77.35 [LA Open] (new)

JUNIOR PAIRS Total score/Name/SP/FS [competition]
156.64 Anastasiia Smirnova/Danil Siianytsia 52.93/103.71 [Detroit, 1st]
150.05 Sonia Baram/Daniel Tioumentsev 54.31/95.74 [Glacier Falls] (new; she's not ISU Jr. age-eligible until next season)
142.87 Isabelle Martins/Ryan Bedard 46.72/96.15 [Cranberry Open]
141.22 Cate Fleming/Chase Finster 50.91/90.31 [Cranberry Open] (new)
128.00 Laiken Lockley/Jedidiah Isbell 43.84/84.16 [Cranberry Open] (new)
126.55 Sylvia Wong/Skylar Weirens 42.40/84.15 [Cranberry Open]
126.24 Cayla Smith/Andy Deng 47.29/78.95 [Detroit]
114.12 Catherine Rivers/Timmy Chapman 36.89/77.23 [Detroit]
108.67 Ashley Fletcher/Aidan Brown /66.42 [LA Open] (new)
99.36 Lilianna Murray/Jordan Gillette 29.97/69.39 [Cranberry Open] (new)
99.14 Kayla Black/Kamden Black 31.95/67.19 [Seattle IceFest EX]
94.16 Reagan Moss/Blake Edwards 30.53/63.63 [Cranberry Open] (new)
93.36 Mandy Romero/Kristofer Ogren 33.41/59.95 [Detroit] (new)
 
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Karen-W

Checking Senior Bs for TES mins...
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Chan and Howe had sooo much improvement... Does anyone think they should have the bronze at Cranberry? Or are their SS still a work in progress?

So nice to see K&F land their jumps... (I said land, and that can mean anything) :D
I don't think they're at the level of Calalang/Johnson, so, no, they shouldn't have won bronze at Cranberry. Their lifts were still sketchy as heck. They are vastly improved but, right now, C/J have a clear advantage and should receive the SkAm TBD spot.
 

tony

Throwing the (rule)book at them
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I don't think they're at the level of Calalang/Johnson, so, no, they shouldn't have won bronze at Cranberry. Their lifts were still sketchy as heck. They are vastly improved but, right now, C/J have a clear advantage and should receive the SkAm TBD spot.
Admittedly, I'm still a little bit baffled by this apparent 'not leaving the country' thing that C/J have going on, and if they get assigned the host pick to Skate America then it just adds another layer to that situation. However, I think USFS was a little bit quick to jump on Liu/O'Shea's assignment, even with one good competition. I really liked Chan and Howe last year and I'm excited to see them improving.
 

Karen-W

Checking Senior Bs for TES mins...
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Admittedly, I'm still a little bit baffled by this apparent 'not leaving the country' thing that C/J have going on, and if they get assigned the host pick to Skate America then it just adds another layer to that situation. However, I think USFS was a little bit quick to jump on Liu/O'Shea's assignment, even with one good competition. I really liked Chan and Howe last year and I'm excited to see them improving.
I have to agree with you there. I like what I see from Liu/O'Shea but I really hope they get at least one international assignment next month ahead of SkAm just to get some more competition mileage under their belts. And I really hope that Chan/Howe can snag a few senior Bs as well and maybe even a GP slot since pairs usually has some open up.
 

AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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I have to say after spending some time tonight on the YouTubes there are two teams I am greatly looking forward to this season and that’s after seeing the teams from cranberry. And that is the Gribble’s and also Vanessa James and Eric Radford.

I saw the free program of the Gribble’s and the short program of James and Radford and both use different, interesting music and have choreography that’s different from others. Can’t wait to see these teams this season
 

Sylvia

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^^^ @AngieNikodinovLove, I assume you mean Cain-Gribble/LeDuc's new SP?

Jordan Cowan uploaded his SP video of Ashley & Timothy to his YT channel August 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwdSbl1yCqk
Music is "Nureyev" from The White Crow film soundtrack; choreography by Misha Ge.

Two junior pairs have been added to USFS' ISP after Cranberry Open:
Laiken Lockley and Jedidiah Isbell (new)
Sylvia Wong and Skylar Weirens (novice last season)

BTW, for all fans of pair skating - @clairecloutier just created a Pairs discussion thread today for the new season :): https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/pairs-discussion-thread-2021-22.108538/
 

AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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^^ @AngieNikodinovLove, I assume you mean Cain-Gribble/LeDuc's new SP?

Oh yes, that is the short program isn’t it?

I mean there’s nothing out there this season so far that I’ve seen that’s like this. It’s a very interesting program and I like to look at it. This is a program that I will rewind multiple times to rewatch.

💕🔟
 

TanithandBenFan

Author of the Ice and Edge Series
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Dallas local news interview with Ashley Cain about her illness

 

Doggygirl

Banned Member
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I was happy to hear Ashley mention that she works with a nutritionist. Though the mention was brief, I'm assuming she regularly works with a nutritionist? If so, what a refreshing change from the "old" (or not so old) days of body shaming, starvation, etc. so prevalent in this and other sports.

Best wishes to Ashley and Tim as they get back into the groove of training. I love their SP and can't wait to see them in competition this season!
 

jkl

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I was so lucky to get to see the US Pairs at Cranberry last week. Junior and Senior Pairs have made so much progress this season. Novice, Intermediate and Juvenile were a special treat to see. Hopefully our Pair teams will continue this success. I had a few favorites but mostly it was good to cheer on all the US teams in person again! 🇺🇸
 

carriecmu0503

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I was happy to hear Ashley mention that she works with a nutritionist. Though the mention was brief, I'm assuming she regularly works with a nutritionist? If so, what a refreshing change from the "old" (or not so old) days of body shaming, starvation, etc. so prevalent in this and other sports.

Best wishes to Ashley and Tim as they get back into the groove of training. I love their SP and can't wait to see them in competition this season!
Anybody and EVERYBODY can call themselves a nutritionist! That is not a protected title, and anyone with no actual nutrition education can call themselves a nutritionist. I sincerely hope she is working with an actual registered dietitian. Those are the only people with an actual education (minimum bachelor’s degree, though a master’s degree is the new minimum education level) you can verify, and whom have an actual state license to practice.
 

Sylvia

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Copying over posts mistakenly posted today in last season's thread:
Audrey Lu posted a video of her & Misha’s free skate at John Nicks Pairs Challenge:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CT5T4teD6Zv/

It’s one of the best they’ve done yet.
WOW. That is some of the most ambitious SBS jumping, not just on the national level, but on the intl. scene. Also, glad to see them going for the harder Throw 3L and 3F/Z
BTW, - McBeath / Bartholomay had decent back-to-back performances at ACI. I hope they can take it further and progress ...
Thanks for posting Audrey's IGTV link, Claire! Glad we got to see some video from the Nicks competition! ;)

Belatedly, top 6 U.S. pairs results/scores excerpt from the inaugural John Nicks Pairs Challenge competition thread in the Kiss & Cry section:
Results: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/30137/index.asp
Senior Pairs FS protocols: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/30137/SEGM002.html

GOLD Alexa KNIERIM / Brandon FRAZIER 76.09 (1) 136.46 (1) 212.55
SILVER Jessica CALALANG / Brian JOHNSON 67.33 (2) 129.36 (2) 196.69
BRONZE Audrey LU / Misha MITROFANOV 66.16 (4) 129.04 (3) 195.20
4 Chelsea LIU / Danny O'SHEA 66.67 (3) 110.78 (5) 177.45
...
6 Emily CHAN / Spencer HOWE 59.77 (6) 110.31 (6) 170.08
...
8 Katie MCBEATH / Nathan BARTHOLOMAY 56.41 (7) 105.28 (8) 161.69
ETA:

At CS Autumn Classic International this weekend, Cain-Gribble/LeDuc won the bronze (170.64/111.06 5th in FS) in a close finish with Deanna Stellato (her debut for Canada)/Deschamps 4th (169.91/112.08 3rd in FS) and Katie McBeath/Nate Bartholomay 5th (168.61/112.01 4th in FS) in their Challenger Series debut.

Upcoming U.S. pairs assignments before Skate America:

JGP #6 in Gdansk, Poland (Sept. 29-Oct. 2): Smirnova/Siianytsia, Martins/Bedard
JGP #7 in Linz, Austria (Oct. 6-9): Smirnova/Siianytsia, Martins/Bedard, Cate Fleming/Chase Finster (JGP debut)

CS Finlandia Trophy in Espoo, Finland (Oct. 7-10, 2021): Cain-Gribble/LeDuc, Calalang/Jonhson
CS Asian Open Trophy in Beijing (Oct. 13-17): Chan/Howe (their CS debut), Lu/Mitrofanov
 
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AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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That was the best program I’ve seen Audrey and Misha do. Wow those jumps are to die for. And they were more synchronized and seem to be skating faster than ever. That was a wonderful program

I would love to see them medal at both of their GP events and make the Olympic team. I never seem to have to worry about their jumps!
 

Spiralgraph

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"That was the best program I’ve seen Audrey and Misha do. Wow those jumps are to die for. And they were more synchronized and seem to be skating faster than ever. That was a wonderful program

I would love to see them medal at both of their GP events and make the Olympic team. I never seem to have to worry about their jumps!"



I love their technical ability, but they have a ways yet to win me over completely. They still skate inwardly not relating to the audience or projecting well enough to be near the top teams. However, if they keep landing their jumps and improving I agree if they finish in the top two at Nationals send them to China for the Olympics (and maybe even the team event!)
 

skylark

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It's not like she was consistent with the jumps prior to having rona.
That's a bit unfair. I haven't seen Ashley miss this many in one go before. It's clear that, like many who've had 'rona have experienced, her breathing capacity hasn't recovered yet, and if you can't breathe, it's hard to jump.

All the best to Ashley for her recovery! It was touching to see how solicitous Timothy was of her, too.
 

AJ Skatefan

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It's not like she was consistent with the jumps prior to having rona.
That's a bit unfair. I haven't seen Ashley miss this many in one go before. It's clear that, like many who've had 'rona have experienced, her breathing capacity hasn't recovered yet, and if you can't breathe, it's hard to jump.

All the best to Ashley for her recovery! It was touching to see how solicitous Timothy was of her, too.
It seems to me that there problems were always on the throws rather than the SBS jumps
 

Willin

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@yeslek Mostly because they do harder SBS jumps than other pairs teams. When they do SBS 3Ts she's generally clean. The troubles come when they try the harder triples like 3Lo - which she does cleanly sometimes but not others. But maybe that's why no other pair's team tries that jump SBS.

They do tend to have more problems with throws and lifts usually.
 

yeslek

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@yeslek Mostly because they do harder SBS jumps than other pairs teams. When they do SBS 3Ts she's generally clean. The troubles come when they try the harder triples like 3Lo - which she does cleanly sometimes but not others. But maybe that's why no other pair's team tries that jump SBS.

They do tend to have more problems with throws and lifts usually.
If you look them up on skatingscores.com about half of their 3s are under.
 

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