2020-21 U.S. Ice Dance | Page 6 | Golden Skate

2020-21 U.S. Ice Dance

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Newly published On Ice Perspectives video of Wolfkostin/Chen's RD runthrough, recorded in Aug 2019:

https://youtu.be/EwjAJk-W958 (3:37, published Jul 6)​

Thank you, Jordan. :)


Speaking of Jeffrey Chen ... yesterday sister Karen and he started the #WearMaskWhile campaign to encourage mask-wearing.

Part of their mission statement:

Our mission is to encourage the people who do wear face masks to speak up about their unique experiences. We want to help make those who wear them feel strength in their decision to protect themselves and their loved ones by creating this opportunity for people to creatively share pictures or videos of themselves wearing a mask. ...


(I remember that earlier in the pandemic, the Chen siblings also set up a sewing operation at home and personally made lots of masks, which they donated to healthcare workers.)

ETA (on Jul 10):
Yesterday was the first post of their new account: https://www.instagram.com/wewearmaskscampaign/.​


Avonley is overrated. Vadym carried her to victory. ...

Ouch, I cannot restrain myself from responding. :shock2:

Avonley and Vadym each brought a lot to their partnership.
I don't think either one should be underestimated.

Hope they both find worthy new partners. :pray:

(Note: I am not saying that I want any other partnership to end.)
 

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Avonley is overrated. Vadym carried her to victory. Christina is the better partner even with citizenship issues

I can't agree. Vadym is a beautiful skater, but Avonely is also has wonderful skating skills and performance ability. She is also amazingly flexible and has wonderful posture.

Nothing against the skater you mentioned, but she doesn't hold a candle to Avonely. At the same time, I find Vadym a much more compelling skater than Anthony. I really don't understand this decision, where will they possibly find a better matched partner?
 

kmw227

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I can't agree. Vadym is a beautiful skater, but Avonely is also has wonderful skating skills and performance ability. She is also amazingly flexible and has wonderful posture.

Nothing against the skater you mentioned, but she doesn't hold a candle to Avonely. At the same time, I find Vadym a much more compelling skater than Anthony. I really don't understand this decision, where will they possibly find a better matched partner?

I don't think Avonley & Vadym's split had anything to do with technical issues (like you said, they were a perfect match). I think there probably were some personal issues between them that we don't know about.
 

elbkup

Power without conscience is a savage weapon
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If N/K’s split was destined to happen it was well timed coming off their triumph at Junior Worlds. They both seem at peace with the decision and both have time to find new partners. I look forward to following two new teams in the not-too-distant future. As far as skating skills are concerned, Avonley is so talented and capable.. she is also very fluid, moves lightly almost like liquid, an uncommon quality in a skater and one which I think Vadym used to full advantage as her partner. Avonley’s exquisite movement puts me in mind of Gabrielle Papadikis or Jean Torvill... she has that same ability to become one with her partner, a unique quality.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Registration for USFS qualifying season has been delayed, per announcement today -- which also mentions "revised anticipated start of the qualifying competitions."

Next update coming in early August.

U.S. Figure Skating Qualifying Season – Update as of July 14, 2020

The 2021 U.S. Qualifying Season registration which would have opened July 15, 2020, and concluded on September 1, 2020, per U.S. Figure Skating’s rulebook, is being delayed and the new registration dates will be communicated in early August. Further, the Competition Committee is continuing its ongoing review of the 2021 U.S. Qualifying Season, including a revised anticipated start of the qualifying competitions. An update will also be provided in early August.


https://www.usfigureskating.org/news/article/2021-us-figure-skating-qualifying-season-update-0 (Jul 14)​


Nice local news report on Elliana and Ethan Peal, who (not surprisingly) say they are working toward 2026 OWG:


In the video, they can be seen practicing Tea Time Foxtrot.
Which would suggest that they are moving up to junior this season? :popcorn:


Daniel Brykalov has a new partnership: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCb3UrggStt/ (Jul 9). #teamnovi
(For the U.S., perhaps? Born in the U.S., he represented Azerbaijan last season with his previous partner.)


Happy Birthday to Igor Shpilband. :hb:


ETA (on Jul 15):

ice-dance.com has started a Solo Dance article series. The first installment, by Anne Calder:

Focus On Solo Dance: U.S. Solo Dance Program

Today IDC is launching a Solo Dance article series, which will include an overview of the program, Q&As with coaches and dancers, and a look to its future. ...

The second article in the Solo Dance series will include interviews with some of the young coaches who are developing programs across the United States.


https://www.ice-dance.com/site/focus-on-solo-dance-u-s-solo-dance-program/ (Jul 15)​

Lots of interesting stuff here.

Although I believe that solo dance is a worthy end unto itself, I also have become increasingly aware (and intrigued) that quite a few U.S. competitors in partnered dance have a background in solo dance.

ETA (on Jul 30):
Adding links for the second and third installments of Anne Calder's series:
Focus On Solo Dance: Coaches’ Perspectives (Jul 21)
Q & A with Logan Giulietti-Schmitt: Kristen Frazier-Lukanin and Igor Lukanin; Chris Obzansky; Alina Ponomarova; Naomi Lang Strong; and John Millier.​
Focus On Solo Dance: Athlete Perspective (Part I) (Jul 28)
Interviews with Avonley Nguyen, Molly Cesanek, and Eva Pate, all of whom competed in solo dance before their current success in partner dance.​


ETA (on Jul 16):

Isabella Flores appears to have a new partner [ETA (on Jul 26): Dimitry Tsarevski], according to her Instagram bio.

The new partnership has been training together for at least a few weeks, per her Insta posts.​

ETA (on Aug 12):

As of Aug 7, Flores/Tsarevski were twelve weeks into their partnership, per her Insta. Which would mean that they joined forces in May.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDm2cEFJwA_/
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Top Wheaton Ice Skating Academy Teams Move To Ion Training Facility (senior and junior teams)


Lorraine McNamara and new partner Anton Spiridonov, Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, and Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov are the senior teams that have moved to Ion ITC [International Training Center]. Senior teams from Poland and France are also training there. ...

The facility is located less than one hour from the academy’s rinks in Rockville and Wheaton. ...

Wheaton junior teams now training
[at Ion] in Leesburg [Virginia] are Angela Ling and Caleb Wein, Katarina DelCamp and Ian Somerville, and Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexi Kiliakov. There are junior international teams there as well.

The other level teams at Wheaton Ice Skating Academy are training at Ion ITC during July and August. They are scheduled to return to the Maryland-based rinks in September.
 

cheerknithanson

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Top Wheaton Ice Skating Academy Teams Move To Ion Training Facility (senior and junior teams)


Lorraine McNamara and new partner Anton Spiridonov, Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, and Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov are the senior teams that have moved to Ion ITC [International Training Center]. Senior teams from Poland and France are also training there. ...

Wheaton junior teams now training
[at Ion] in Leesburg [Virginia] are Angela Ling and Caleb Wein, Katarina DelCamp and Ian Somerville, and Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexi Kiliakov. There are junior international teams there as well.

The other level teams at Wheaton Ice Skating Academy are training at Ion ITC during July and August. They are scheduled to return to the Maryland-based rinks in September.

Oooo that's close-ish to me. I hope they won't have to go on a bunch of toll roads.
 

Ross74

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Top Wheaton Ice Skating Academy Teams Move To Ion Training Facility (senior and junior teams)


Lorraine McNamara and new partner Anton Spiridonov, Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, and Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov are the senior teams that have moved to Ion ITC [International Training Center]. Senior teams from Poland and France are also training there. ...

The facility is located less than one hour from the academy’s rinks in Rockville and Wheaton. ...

Wheaton junior teams now training
[at Ion] in Leesburg [Virginia] are Angela Ling and Caleb Wein, Katarina DelCamp and Ian Somerville, and Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexi Kiliakov. There are junior international teams there as well.

The other level teams at Wheaton Ice Skating Academy are training at Ion ITC during July and August. They are scheduled to return to the Maryland-based rinks in September.

So this mean the Junior and Senior dancers are moving permanently, right? Just not the lower levels.
 

MiraiFan

Final Flight
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Oct 6, 2016
That is one heck of a drive (it's marginally better now, but traffic is getting worse as more people return to work full time). For a lot of the skaters who live in Maryland--yikes....
 

NanaPat

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So this mean the Junior and Senior dancers are moving permanently, right? Just not the lower levels.

From the article (at the end)
The other level teams at Wheaton Ice Skating Academy are training at Ion ITC during July and August. They are scheduled to return to the Maryland-based rinks in September.

Not sure what the "other levels" are, but it may be everything but juniors, cause they talk about juniors in the previous line.
 

Ross74

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That is one heck of a drive (it's marginally better now, but traffic is getting worse as more people return to work full time). For a lot of the skaters who live in Maryland--yikes....

Right. You have to wonder if the older ones still in school are just going to finish online, which they might be doing anyway. I wouldn't want to make this drive everyday, though I'm sure plenty do. Will some of the coaches be moving?
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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I am echoing what some other posters have said.

As a retired fed who spent a fair amount of time in the DC metro area, and whose brother lived in NoVA for over ten years, USFS says Wheaton to Leesburg is one hour drive? When, at 2 in the morning?:shocked: Have these people ever been on the beltway?

Anyway, best of luck to the skaters on their move.:hap85:
 
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cheerknithanson

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I am echoing what some other posters have said.

As a retired fed who spent a fair amount of time in the DC metro area, and whose brother lived in NoVA for over ten years, USFS says Wheaton to Leesburg is one hour drive? When, at 2 in the morning?:shocked: Have these people ever been on the beltway?

Anyway, best of luck to the skaters on their move.:hap85:

Even going on the highway from close to Arlington to McLean would be a nightmare at times. I did that 3 times a week for a year when I did ballet out there 3 times a week. You learn when you're a small child what traffic is.
 

ladyjane

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Jun 26, 2012
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Netherlands
Right. You have to wonder if the older ones still in school are just going to finish online, which they might be doing anyway. I wouldn't want to make this drive everyday, though I'm sure plenty do. Will some of the coaches be moving?

I love your Avatar Ross74.
 

Bluediamonds09

Medalist
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Sep 8, 2016
Maybe hawayek/baker do have a chance at the 2022 Olympics after all, what with the junior world champs splitting up? I feel so bad for them.
 

Colonel Green

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Maybe hawayek/baker do have a chance at the 2022 Olympics after all, what with the junior world champs splitting up? I feel so bad for them.
Nguyen/Kolesnik wouldn't have been a factor in that regardless, he isn't a citizen. The team they have to keep ahead of is Green/Parsons.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Feb 27, 2012
Sorry to read that Kenan Slevira is injured, per a quote from his partner Layla Karnes in today's article from ice-dance.com:

"While my partner, Kenan Slevira is injured, I’m temporarily training in Idaho with some amazing coaches under the watchful eyes of Judy Blumberg.”​

Layla also gives some other details about her training during the pandemic.

Best wishes to Kenan as he recovers. :ghug:


Today's article is the fifth in Anne Calder's IDC series on solo dance, and is the third part devoted to athlete perspectives. The scope of today's article includes (but is not limited to) thoughts from another batch of familiar names from partnered dance who discuss their experience in solo dance: Karina Manta and Max Gart, as well as Layla.

Focus On Solo Dance: Athlete Perspective (Part III)

https://www.ice-dance.com/site/focus-on-solo-dance-athlete-perspective-part-iii/ (Aug 11)​

The first three installments of the solo dance series are in one of my posts above:

But I should catch up and post the fourth installment here:

Focus On Solo Dance: Athlete Perspective (Part II)

https://www.ice-dance.com/site/focus-on-solo-dance-athlete-perspective-part-ii/ (Aug 4)​

[It probably is worth repeating that Athlete Perspective (Part I) had interviews with Avonley Nguyen, Molly Cesanek, and Eva Pate, all of whom competed in solo dance before their current success in partnered dance.]


Hilary Asher and Ryan O'Donnell announced on Aug 3 that they have formed a new partnership.
Senior-level partnership, I would guess? (At 2020 Nats, Hilary's previous partnership was junior, and Ryan's was senior.)
Seems as if the new partners have been training in Novi.


In case anyone missed the announcement on Aug 6:

The much-discussed Ion ITC in Leesburg will host one of the two ice dance competitions of the new USFS Championship Series (which is this season's replacement for normal qualifying to Nats).
The other host for dance will be Fort Wayne.​

For future reference, the Championship Series website has individual pages for Fort Wayne, Leesburg, and the six other series stops.
The individual pages are not fleshed out yet, but they say that additional information will be added "soon."
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Feb 27, 2012
After Time to Reflect and Refocus, Green and Parsons ‘Hungry’ Heading Into 2020-21 Season


Among the many interesting parts of the article:

... While the two have yet to reveal their programs for the 2020-21 season – "It puts the 'dance' in ice dance," Green teased with a laugh – they will debut them during the International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge, a virtual competition offered by U.S. Figure Skating. (Check out the Fan Zone next week for more details!) ...​

Wishing good luck in the virtual competition to my favorites Michael and Caroline. :yay:

(On Aug 31, Wolfkostin's Instagram post also had referred to training for the virtual ISP Challenge.)


ETA:

Per their Instastories, Pate/Bye are excited to debut their new RD at the ISP Points Challenge.

Music from Motown: The Musical. (Also tweeted by Eva.)​


ETA (on Sep 4):

In Christina Carreira's Instastory Q & A yesterday, she said that she is "very excited" about the upcoming USFS virtual competition.

On Sep 9, ISU will publish new video interview with Christina and Anthony:
They announce their music in this interview, also per yesterday's Instastory Q & A.​


ETA (on Sep 5):

New interview with Christina C for Ellie Pogrebinsky's "Women in Athletics" series:

... Topics include how nutritionists can help, how to deal with teammates that are also competitors, understanding the how behind weight loss, and the importance of physical therapists as well as sport psychologists. ...

https://youtu.be/7O3GJ_CNSKQ (49:18, published Sep 5)​
 

BlissfulSynergy

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Sep 1, 2020
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Olympics
I wonder if there's anything to the rumor that Anna Lavrova might pair with Vadym Kolesnik.

It's quite sad about the Nguyen/Kolesnik split. Hearing the split news was quite surprising. They definitely had something quite special. But I suppose being so young, there's a lot to navigate particularly if an emotional connection is involved at such young ages. I'm sad to see them parted, but wish them both good luck in the future. It's hard to know how well either might do with other partners, seeing how far they progressed together. At this point, it's back to the drawing board for both of them. Rare magic does not happen every day.

Has anyone heard anything about the possibility of Lavrova (coming back from injury) trying out with Vadym? I heard that Lavrova's former partner, Maxwell Gart, decided to retire and attend college. It was tough for L&G after the mishap at SLC JGP last year. They looked so good together. But if the possible new partnership news is true, Lavrova might be a good match for Vadym, especially in terms of her size. However, he's the more skilled and experienced ice dancer at this point.
 
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