And Calalang's look after he said it.
2021 U.S. Nationals: Senior Pairs - Free Skate
- Thread starter gsk8
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Feel the icy chill of USFS disfavour, Gribble/LeDuc.
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I’m bummed.
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- Jul 17, 2018
Wasn’t it lovely? It was the best part of their program for me.
I love a good death spiral! And I’m glad they hung on to second.
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- Apr 5, 2017
Is it really only like ten minutes until the last two groups for Dance?!
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C/J did it!!!
At first I thought they had to get 153+ for 2nd place, it obviously that was for 1st.
I thought they were going into 5th or something when I saw the score
Hooray for the medallists! Glad Ash and Tim made the podium.
At first I thought they had to get 153+ for 2nd place, it obviously that was for 1st.
I thought they were going into 5th or something when I saw the score Hooray for the medallists! Glad Ash and Tim made the podium.
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- Feb 27, 2012
Plenty of U.S. skaters are dog people.
Nate and Katie's dog Sochi is one of the cardboard cut-outs.
Brandon's best friend is a Boston Terrier, who was a cut-out at Skate America. Here too, I think.
Ashley Cain-Gribble's dog is Mylo, who often attends competitions in person ("in dog") in non-pandemic times.
Alexa and Chris have two big and gorgeous Bernese Mountain Dogs, in addition to their cats.
etc., etc.
Hugs to Jessica/Brian. Congratulations to Ashley/Timothy. Look forward to more in future from Audrey/Misha -- and others.
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He is! We were leaving the arena and happened to bump into him. We stood there and talked for about 15 minutes. He's so personable and friendly.
If only C/J could jump the US would finally have two world class Pairs teams because both of these teams don't look out of their league in terms of power and speed compared to the top teams in the world and when is the last time you could say that?
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And it took a cat to make you realize this!
(inside joke. Moonvine has a photo of her cat admiring Brian’s physique)
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She tweeted about him. I posted the link.
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Heh Alexa's (I've been spelling her name wrong this whole time, awkwaaard) mask reminds me of Smarties! 
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- Mar 29, 2014
Maaaan what a score for SK/F, 228+. ,
I know its nats, but that is still terrific for a US pair!
Okay, if they stay healthy & more or less consistent, USA is guaranteed Olympic Team Silver. What a strong pairing.
BTW, anyone knows if Haven Denny still skates?? I liked her when she was skating with Brandon.
Edit: hope I spelled the names correctly.
Haven't kept up with US pairs for some time.
I know its nats, but that is still terrific for a US pair!Okay, if they stay healthy & more or less consistent, USA is guaranteed Olympic Team Silver. What a strong pairing.
BTW, anyone knows if Haven Denny still skates?? I liked her when she was skating with Brandon.
Edit: hope I spelled the names correctly.
Haven't kept up with US pairs for some time.
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Brilliant!
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- Jan 9, 2017
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Yes, Haven still skates.Maaaan what a score for SK/F, 228+. ,
Okay, if they stay healthy & more or less consistent, USA is guaranteed Olympic Team Silver. What a strong pairing.
BTW, anyone knows if Haven Denny still skates?? I liked her when she was skating with Brandon.
Edit: hope I spelled the names correctly.
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- Aug 12, 2014
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The last I know of, Haven had a tryout with a skater in Colorado that didn't work out. So it seems she still may be interested in competing again. I hope she does. I miss her gorgeous expression, especially in lifts.Maaaan what a score for SK/F, 228+. ,
Okay, if they stay healthy & more or less consistent, USA is guaranteed Olympic Team Silver. What a strong pairing.
BTW, anyone knows if Haven Denny still skates?? I liked her when she was skating with Brandon.
Edit: hope I spelled the names correctly.
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Johnny Weir hasn't quite reached the Dick Button level of just putting someone on blast.
But when he shaded Brandon and Alexa's previous partners and their jump problems... and how glad he was that they both now found a reliable partner... as her husband Chris was coming up on the Zoom wall...
Well, that was close.
But when he shaded Brandon and Alexa's previous partners and their jump problems... and how glad he was that they both now found a reliable partner... as her husband Chris was coming up on the Zoom wall...
Well, that was close.
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Well, I'm really glad for Ash & Timothy being on the podium in third. They deserve to be there. Ashley definitely seemed more calm and assured. And ironically, Timothy missed the first jumping pass because he was probably checking to see if Ash landed her jump and lost his focus. That's probably one of the biggest issues for pairs teams on sbs jumps. STOP worrying about what your partner is doing and take care of your own jump, for goodness sake. In any case, Ash/Timothy had a good skate, and it could have been better, which would have even pushed C/J to third with their uncharacteristic distractions. Yes, C/J have issues with jumps, but normally they don't allow jump hiccoughs to take away from the rest of their program. SMH
Lu/Mitrofanov still need seasoning. They are showing improvement and they need to continue on that path. The domestic judges and U.S. fed clearly want to push them up. IMO, Ash & Timothy are better overall than L/M in so many ways, and deserve better support and encouragement.
I get the sense that U.S. fed is so solidly behind Knierim/Frazier now that they also want to ensure in a way that C/J and C-G/L stay behind K/F. I say that because K/F's scores are so huge. I would have given them 75 in the sp, and the fp marks needed to be tempered a bit. That was a good skate, not a 150+ skate.
Clearly, there's a lot of talent and it all needs to be nurtured and not held back. U.S. fed should be focused on all teams doing well, particularly the top three so that a third spot can be gained at Worlds. Saying that, I'm going to wonder whether C/J will be chosen for the World team with their display of unsteadiness on the jumps and on the last lift -- their signature lift. That shaky dismount shows that their heads were not in that performance. They were lucky to be skating last with all the marks in for other skaters. I feel for C/J in the sense that IMO way too much over-focus is now on Knierim/Frazier, which is in effect pushing C/J to the side. Both C/J and K/F are stellar, top-notch team with loads of quality, and C-G/L are not far behind.
This NBC and U.S. fed mindset of over-hype leaves me cold. I viewed the fp on NBCSN because I like to see what the buzz and skinny is in the arena. Sometimes you can learn something from the commentary. But definitely, Tara & Johnny, and especially Tara can be annoying as heck with too much chatter which can spoil enjoyment of performances. I can't see them saying K/F's performance brought tears to their eyes. That's OTT. It's a nice program with some wonderful moments. But it's not that different from what they did at Skate America. Some slight improvement, but they still need to finesse unison and position on their sbs jump landings. At least they are solid on the jumps. Alexa also needs to stop brushing her free foot on the ice on her throw landings.
What's special about Alexa & Brandon is their athleticism, their joy in skating together and their quality elements which are world class. They are a great match, but the hype IS NOT necessary. But no, U.S. fed and NBC always lead with hype because they don't have any other reference point. It's tired and old timey and ultimately ineffective and clunky to overdo and over-favorite and pile overwrought expectations on skaters. We see how that backfired for Mariah.
U.S. fed has abundance they don't know how to nurture or strategically manage. It doesn't make sense to push one team (K/F, i.e., golden girl Alexa) to the high heavens as if only one team is the be-all, end-all. Everyone knows C/J have the ability to skate lights out because they did it at last year's Nationals. This is why I believe the judges loaded up the points for K/F to keep them far ahead. I would say try to support all teams and not over-inflate one team over the others. Let the chips fall where they may. And they might just fall in the exciting direction of our witnessing a fabulous event where everyone skates their absolute best. That would be the more beneficial outcome and goal to hope for, instead of the overdone hype for only one team.
Also, stop adding to the dissing of U.S. pairs, like Tara & Johnny did in the sp. And then they turn around in the fp talking about crying for K/F's performance. That's contradictory. Try to frame a more realistic narrative with relevant talking points. Reference U.S. pairs' history and legacy. Jenni Meno & Todd Sand are staring us right in the face as K/F's and C/J's coaches. But no, the hyped up fanzone article has to reference Nina Mozer as some kind of pairs whisperer guru. FWIW, Meno/Sand learned from the legendary John Nicks, the British pairs champion who came to the U.S. in the aftermath of the Sabena air crash tragedy to help rebuild the U.S. pairs discipline. It makes better sense to me to make sense.
In the fanzone article, I have no idea what they mean by K/F being a 'super team.' That's just a hype-like turn of phrase. K/F are going to be worthy international competitors with a chance to rise to great heights only if they stay grounded. That's why I love Brandon's response to the over-animated Andrea Joyce. Brandon knows they have to put those OTT scores to the side, get back to the rink and continue working hard to continue improving. Even champions like Gabby & Guillaume understand that working hard to improve is never-ending. Champions, and so-called 'super teams' can never rest on their laurels and absolutely should never allow themselves to believe in or to be distracted by media & U.S. fed hype/ favoritism.
Lu/Mitrofanov still need seasoning. They are showing improvement and they need to continue on that path. The domestic judges and U.S. fed clearly want to push them up. IMO, Ash & Timothy are better overall than L/M in so many ways, and deserve better support and encouragement.
I get the sense that U.S. fed is so solidly behind Knierim/Frazier now that they also want to ensure in a way that C/J and C-G/L stay behind K/F. I say that because K/F's scores are so huge. I would have given them 75 in the sp, and the fp marks needed to be tempered a bit. That was a good skate, not a 150+ skate.
Clearly, there's a lot of talent and it all needs to be nurtured and not held back. U.S. fed should be focused on all teams doing well, particularly the top three so that a third spot can be gained at Worlds. Saying that, I'm going to wonder whether C/J will be chosen for the World team with their display of unsteadiness on the jumps and on the last lift -- their signature lift. That shaky dismount shows that their heads were not in that performance. They were lucky to be skating last with all the marks in for other skaters. I feel for C/J in the sense that IMO way too much over-focus is now on Knierim/Frazier, which is in effect pushing C/J to the side. Both C/J and K/F are stellar, top-notch team with loads of quality, and C-G/L are not far behind.
This NBC and U.S. fed mindset of over-hype leaves me cold. I viewed the fp on NBCSN because I like to see what the buzz and skinny is in the arena. Sometimes you can learn something from the commentary. But definitely, Tara & Johnny, and especially Tara can be annoying as heck with too much chatter which can spoil enjoyment of performances. I can't see them saying K/F's performance brought tears to their eyes. That's OTT. It's a nice program with some wonderful moments. But it's not that different from what they did at Skate America. Some slight improvement, but they still need to finesse unison and position on their sbs jump landings. At least they are solid on the jumps. Alexa also needs to stop brushing her free foot on the ice on her throw landings.
What's special about Alexa & Brandon is their athleticism, their joy in skating together and their quality elements which are world class. They are a great match, but the hype IS NOT necessary. But no, U.S. fed and NBC always lead with hype because they don't have any other reference point. It's tired and old timey and ultimately ineffective and clunky to overdo and over-favorite and pile overwrought expectations on skaters. We see how that backfired for Mariah.
U.S. fed has abundance they don't know how to nurture or strategically manage. It doesn't make sense to push one team (K/F, i.e., golden girl Alexa) to the high heavens as if only one team is the be-all, end-all. Everyone knows C/J have the ability to skate lights out because they did it at last year's Nationals. This is why I believe the judges loaded up the points for K/F to keep them far ahead. I would say try to support all teams and not over-inflate one team over the others. Let the chips fall where they may. And they might just fall in the exciting direction of our witnessing a fabulous event where everyone skates their absolute best. That would be the more beneficial outcome and goal to hope for, instead of the overdone hype for only one team.
Also, stop adding to the dissing of U.S. pairs, like Tara & Johnny did in the sp. And then they turn around in the fp talking about crying for K/F's performance. That's contradictory. Try to frame a more realistic narrative with relevant talking points. Reference U.S. pairs' history and legacy. Jenni Meno & Todd Sand are staring us right in the face as K/F's and C/J's coaches. But no, the hyped up fanzone article has to reference Nina Mozer as some kind of pairs whisperer guru. FWIW, Meno/Sand learned from the legendary John Nicks, the British pairs champion who came to the U.S. in the aftermath of the Sabena air crash tragedy to help rebuild the U.S. pairs discipline. It makes better sense to me to make sense.
In the fanzone article, I have no idea what they mean by K/F being a 'super team.' That's just a hype-like turn of phrase. K/F are going to be worthy international competitors with a chance to rise to great heights only if they stay grounded. That's why I love Brandon's response to the over-animated Andrea Joyce. Brandon knows they have to put those OTT scores to the side, get back to the rink and continue working hard to continue improving. Even champions like Gabby & Guillaume understand that working hard to improve is never-ending. Champions, and so-called 'super teams' can never rest on their laurels and absolutely should never allow themselves to believe in or to be distracted by media & U.S. fed hype/ favoritism.
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