U.S. Women [#5]: Remain on the Dance Floor

[Vagabond]

Props to Beyonce and Starr Andrews from the suggestion as to the thread title.

 

[Sylvia]

2023 JGP assignments (8 spots/6 skaters), final placements & scores recap (top SP & FS & top 2 women's total scores are bolded below) - the skaters' IG post-JGP recap links are included:

Bangkok THA: Annika Chao 5th (58.93+105.11 = 164.04) https://www.instagram.com/p/CwjHYiePh82/
Linz AUT: Josephine Lee 8th (51.15+100.25 = 151.40) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwvm2jsL98o/ (#1,5,6 in Olivia Flores' pics)
Istanbul TUR: Elyce Lin-Gracey 4th (59.75+119.41 = 179.16) https://www.instagram.com/p/CxBpv6HPecu/
Osaka JPN: Mia Kalin 8th (53.70+106.23 = 159.93) https://www.instagram.com/p/CxV4ErzxmGo/
Budapest HUN: [Soho Lee replaced by] Sherry Zhang 5th (59.31+111.34 = 170.65) https://www.instagram.com/p/CyPkLA4rdE_/
Gdansk POL: Sarah Everhardt 6th (60.19+108.50 = 168.69) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx5SWrkrTFw/
Yerevan ARM:
Elyce Lin-Gracey SILVER (64.50+111.61 = 176.11) https://www.instagram.com/p/CyJ-x49PqaL/
Sherry Zhang BRONZE (60.52+114.66 = 175.18) https://www.instagram.com/p/CyPnvP4rqaF/
As Elyce bows after her Yerevan FS and Mark Hanretty talks about Elyce being "grateful to be here with another amazing lady, Sherry Zhang" you can see Sherry in the background clapping with her arms up for her buddy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Tahwt0S6Y&t=240s
Sherry's priceless reaction in Yerevan when she realizes she will medal! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AJvbFH9yQ0&t=360s
Elyce's pics with Sherry: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEk9a1LMEN/
Sherry's pics with Elyce: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEk9nsLxPe/

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Props to Beyonce and Starr Andrews from the suggestion as to the thread title.

and me for kinda giving the short program the attention it deserves!!!!

I even downloaded the song !!!

 

[Sylvia]

Sonja Hilmer "... who after a decade of competing on the regional and sectional circuit, competed at her first U.S. Championships last season. Sonja also has a unique style on the ice, makes her own costumes, choreographs her own programs, and even choreographs programs for other skaters as well." Check out This Week in Skating's entertaining and uplifting podcast interview with Sonja that was published today!

This Week in Skating Podcast

Listen to This Week in Skating Podcast on RedCircle

redcircle.com

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Congratulations to Logan with just a few skaters left looks like she will win the short program with 63+ points at Budapest trophy in juniors discipline.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting here from the Budapest Trophy comp. thread in Kiss & Cry - will come back and edit in more info after the protocols are published:

Very good skate by Logan to her La La Land music from the 2nd half of last season - jumps were 3F+3T(q?), 2A & 3Lz; Tammy Gambill is with her there (eta she was credited with landing all her jumps cleanly + all L4s in scoring 66.31 in her Broadmoor Fall Classic NQS SP last month):

1​

Logan HIGASE-CHEN

USA

63.26​

35.22​

28.04​

7.08​

7.08​

6.92​

0.00​

#8​

ETA that Logan's SP protocol shows 3F+3T called clean, as well as 2A & 3Lz with 2 level 4 spins & level 3 steps.

 

[Stephanie]

Clare Seo got the SP technical minimum she was missing at Budapest Trophy today and now has the minimums for worlds

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

So,Higase-Chen wins by a large margin. 185.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting @SkateFanBerlin's link (Logan's Junior SP in Budapest yesterday) from the Kiss & Cry here:

Logan HIGASE-CHEN won Junior Short with 63.2[6].

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

My post from the Budapest Trophy thread just now:

Logan Higase-Chen - music is "Breath of Life" by Florence and the Machine (beginning & end) with "Tower Prayers" & "I'll Take Your Throne" (both from "Snow White & The Huntsman) in the middle - jumps: 3F+3Tq? (maybe < in replay) 3Lz, 3S, 2A, 3F+2A+2T, 3Lz+2T, 3Lo

63.26 (SP) + 122.29 (FS - her mouth opened in surprise at hearing this score!) = 185.55 & the gold medal!

If I come across videos of Logan's FS or Clare Seo's Senior SP I will post the links here.

ETA and cross-posting my reply here:

Turns out Higase-Chen wins in total with 185. Is this the highest junior score this season?

Yes, but Elyce Lin-Gracey's 179.16 is the highest among the U.S. Junior women on the ISU SB total scores list (this is a Junior B so won't count for ISU SB).

Sherry Zhang's 186.69 (Skate St. Moritz) is the highest domestic (NQS) total score among the Junior women to date. ETA the 170+ NQS scores:
Cleo Park 180.15 (Skate St. Moritz)
Logan Higase-Chen 179.48 (Broadmoor Fall Classic)
Sophie Joline von Felten 174.19 (Boston Open: landed 3A -2.08 GOE +1 bonus = 6.92 in FS); represented SUI on JGP last season
Jessica Jurka 173.57 (Skate Detroit)
Annika Chao 172.71 (Glacier Falls)

 

[Coco]

I have to stan Logan for the FS music alone!

 

[Sylvia]

Clare Seo got the SP technical minimum she was missing at Budapest Trophy today and now has the minimums for worlds

33.89 TES today!

If I come across videos of Logan's FS or Clare Seo's Senior SP I will post the links here.

Thanks to @ptvvibezz who found and posted the link to Clare's "Simple Gifts" SP (63.35 2nd place): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0bdZWkS9T0

And here's Logan's winning Junior FS (watch while you can?): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HvZxls2ABo

ETA - Bradie Tennell's 1st place SP (65.09) in Budapest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LukBk3IwtQ

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Bradie’s recent triple lutz double toes looks intentional as I’m sure it is. Do we think it will be upgraded back to a triple triple for the Grand Prix series?

 

[haribobo]

US SENIOR WOMEN AS OF 10/15/2023

INTERNATIONAL STANDINGS (FYI some of these scores are junior events)
190+ Bradie Tennell, Lindsay Thorngren, Isabeau Levito
180+ Ava Ziegler
170+ Elyce Lin-Gracey, Clare Seo, Audrey Shin
160+ Sarah Everhardt, Starr Andrews, Katie Shen, Sonja Hilmer
150+ Mia Kalin, Hannah Herrera, Josephine Lee


NQS STANDINGS
200+ Lindsay Thorngren
180+ Audrey Shin, Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, Katie Shen
170+ Elyce Lin-Gracey, Clare Seo, Hannah Herrera, Sonja Hilmer, Mia Kalin, Wren Warne-Jacobsen
150+ Courtney Hicks, Sonia Baram, Lindsay Wang, Soho Lee, Alex Evans, Michelle Lee, Kendall Erne, Alexa Gasparotto, Nicole Park

Let me know if I forgot anyone

 

[Sylvia]

US SENIOR WOMEN AS OF 10/15/2023

INTERNATIONAL STANDINGS (FYI some of these scores are junior events)

Thanks - I've added the competitions/placements and Mia Kalin's Kings Cup junior score below.

190+ Bradie Tennell [Shanghai Trophy Inv., 1st], Lindsay Thorngren [Cranberry Cup, 1st], Isabeau Levito [CS Nebelhorn, 1st]
180+ Ava Ziegler [Cranberry Cup, 2nd], Mia Kalin [Kings Cup Junior, 1st]
170+ Elyce Lin-Gracey [JGP ARM, 2nd], Clare Seo [CS Budapest, 3rd], Audrey Shin [Kings Cup, 1st]
160+ Sarah Everhardt [Cranberry Cup, 6th & JGP POL, 6th], Starr Andrews [Kings Cup, 2nd], Katie Shen [Cranberry Cup Junior, 1st], Sonja Hilmer [Cranberry Cup, 5th & CS Nebelhorn, 7th]
150+ Mia Kalin [JGP JPN, 8th], Hannah Herrera [Kings Cup, 3rd], Josephine Lee [Cranberry Cup Junior, 3rd & JGP AUT, 8th]

ISU Season Best Total Scores of 159+ as of Oct. 16, 2023 (Sherry Zhang & Annika Chao are the ones competing Junior domestically):

5	Isabeau LEVITO	USA	ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2023	23/09/2023	198.79	S
14	Bradie TENNELL	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023	15/10/2023	185.84	S
24	Elyce LIN-GRACEY	USA	ISU JGP Istanbul 2023	08/09/2023	179.16	J
32	Sherry ZHANG	USA	ISU JGP Armenian Cup 2023	06/10/2023	175.18	J
34	Ava Marie ZIEGLER	USA	ISU CS Finlandia Trophy 2023	08/10/2023	173.60	S
37	Clare SEO	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023	15/10/2023	171.94	S
43	Audrey SHIN	USA	ISU CS Autumn Classic 2023	15/09/2023	169.04	S
45	Sarah EVERHARDT	USA	ISU JGP PGE Solidarity Cup 2023	29/09/2023	168.69	J
53	Annika CHAO	USA	ISU JGP Bangkok 2023	25/08/2023	164.04	J
64	Sonja HILMER	USA	ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2023	23/09/2023	160.13	S
65	Mia KALIN	USA	ISU JGP Osaka 2023	16/09/2023	159.93	J

 

[layman]

Starr Andrews 2023 Kings Cup International SP

TEAM USA 2023/2024 Season Short ProgramCHOREOGRAPHY: ADAM RIPPON Music : Beyonce "Alien Superstar"ALIEN SUPERSTAR WRITTEN BY BEYONCÉ, HONEY REDMOND, CHRISTOP...

www.youtube.com

I absolutely love Starr Andrews new SP set to Beyonce's track, "Alien Superstarr!" I have been watching the program over and over again. I think it's so unique.

 

[Sylvia]

I absolutely love Starr Andrews new SP set to Beyonce's track, "Alien Superstarr!" I have been watching the program over and over again. I think it's so unique.

Did you miss reading the lively discussion in the previous (now closed) thread? https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/u-s-women-4-how-dare-you.110065/page-32#post-6479276

[cross-posting here from the previous thread as well as her fan thread] Starr has shared her Kings Cup SP video on her Instagram (I see many positive comments from fellow skaters ): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyIHL9iucxg/

 

[layman]

Did you miss reading the lively discussion in the previous (now closed) thread? https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/u-s-women-4-how-dare-you.110065/page-32#post-6479276

[cross-posting here from the previous thread as well as her fan thread] Starr has shared her Kings Cup SP video on her Instagram (I see many positive comments from fellow skaters ): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyIHL9iucxg/

I missed it.

 

[Sylvia]

Here's the link to my post in Starr's fan thread for those who feel like gushing some more : https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...andrews-fan-thread.102874/page-3#post-6479550

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting here from the Challenger Series thread - TSL's short fan cam clip of Lindsay Thorngren's SP (3Lz+3T< & LSp4) from August to "Windmills of Your Mind" by Venus - her updated ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00108093.htm

Small clip of Thorngren at Cranberry:

Lindsay Thorngren 2023 Cranberry Open SP (choreography by Sandra Bezic)

www.youtube.com

Looking forward to seeing her compete next week at SCI!

ETA link to AnythingGOE's August 12th kiss & cry pic of Lindsay & Julia Lautowa after her Cranberry Cup SP: https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1690419914459287553

 

[Evgeniafan]

Re-posting here from the Challenger Series thread - TSL's short fan cam clip of Lindsay Thorngren's SP (3Lz+3T< & LSp4) from August to "Windmills of Your Mind" by Venus - her updated ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00108093.htm


Looking forward to seeing her compete next week at SCI!

ETA link to AnythingGOE's August 12th kiss & cry pic of Lindsay & Julia Lautowa after her Cranberry Cup SP: https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1690419914459287553

Its a good program, I was in the audience.

 

[Allskate]

I'm cross-posting from Isabeau Levito's thread.

Here's an article about Isabeau. I love that Madison Chock has become a mentor to her and helped her with some choreography ideas for her short program:

https://olympics.com/en/news/isabeau-levito-exclusive-grand-prix-figure-skating-drivers-license-madison-chock

And here's a Q and A with Isabeau. My favorite answer is to the question of who inspires her. Her answer? Amber Glenn.

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram: "Isabeau x @nickiminaj, the crossover we didn’t know we needed 💖"

4,708 likes, 9 comments - usfigureskatingSeptember 27, 2023 on : "Isabeau x @nickiminaj, the crossover we didn’t know we needed 💖".

www.instagram.com

 

[mtnskater]

Isabeau comes across as a lovely person. Love that she’s an avid reader and very curious. I’m so glad Maddie Chock is helping to mentor her. So this explains where the snake short program comes from. I sure would love Maddie to help design her costumes! Her snake costume was one of the best ever.

 

[ktfrozen]

Glad to see the U.S. Women still dancing strong!

 

[Allskate]

I sure would love Maddie to help design her costumes! Her snake costume was one of the best ever.

I would love this, too. Maddie is so good at designing beautiful and flattering costumes. I'd actually choose her to design Isabeau's long program costume over her short program costume for this season's programs. To me, the long program costume is just too distracting. It doesn't even seem that aerodynamic.

I thought this photo of Isabeau and Jason in their matching costumes at Japan Open was cute:

Isabeau Levito on Instagram: "Japan Open!!"

6,126 likes, 25 comments - isabeau.levito on October 13, 2023: "Japan Open!!"

www.instagram.com

 

[susieB129]

“Egyptian Snack Dance.”

 

[Allskate]

Women supporting women, including competitors. I love this:

Women's SP press conference at #skateamerica:Isabeau Levito: 'Amber inspires me not only as an athlete, but also as a person. She is genuinely nice, amazing, such a sweet person!'Amber Glenn (in tears): 'Isabeau is the future of our sport and I want to encourage that!'

https://twitter.com/fsonline/status/1715900700239011989?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

On a more superficial note, I love Amber's short program costume.

 

[Willin]

Damn I said Lindsay would beat Isabeau this season, but I wasn't expecting Amber to do it first. It's only a SP, but if a clean Amber beat a clean Isabeau in a SP, I'm curious to see what will happen this season overall. Definitely seems Isabeau is no longer USFS's golden child they're promoting above the others...

 

[Allskate]

Damn I said Lindsay would beat Isabeau this season, but I wasn't expecting Amber to do it first. It's only a SP, but if a clean Amber beat a clean Isabeau in a SP, I'm curious to see what will happen this season overall. Definitely seems Isabeau is no longer USFS's golden child they're promoting above the others...

I don't think you're giving Amber enough credit. That wasn't about USFS promotion. That was the best short program I can remember her delivering. I'm so glad that she was able to do it at home in front of friends and family. I hope it gives her the confidence that helps her to do more clean programs.

As Isabeau said, she did not have any major mistakes, but did have some minor ones and held back. I think her spins have been a bit off so far this season. It's early in the season and she's trying something different, so I would think that she will perform this program better later in the season. At the end of last season, I said I wished she would try something different in one of her programs (and work with a new choreographer). I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled when I heard rumors of the type of short program she was doing, but I do think it's good experience for her.

 

[Rukia]

Amber was just so fast and smooth, her jumps were big and clean, and she had really interesting choreography. More than that, she just seemed very calm throughout. Isabeau has a lot of really nice parts to her skating, but tonight they just weren't there in comparison. I'd say this is just fair judging more than anything (and that's not saying Isabeau was necessarily bad by any means, it just appeared a bit nervier and not as powerful and dynamic which I know Isabeau is completely capable of).

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Amber was just so fast and smooth, her jumps were big and clean, and she had really interesting choreography. More than that, she just seemed very calm throughout. Isabeau has a lot of really nice parts to her skating, but tonight they just weren't there in comparison. I'd say this is just fair judging more than anything (and that's not saying Isabeau was necessarily bad by any means, it just appeared a bit nervier and not as powerful and dynamic which I know Isabeau is completely capable of).

And I checked protocols all positive grades of execution, and no carrots or symbols