2023-24 US Pairs Figure Skating

[skylark]

Get better soon, Chelsea! Sending her lots of love

Ditto. Love ya, Chelsea.

People are always complaining that USFS didn't take a stronger hand in making or breaking or manipulating our pairs skaters ... but what if USFS has been on the better side for all these years? What if the better attitude is "we'll give this pair skater time to develop her jumps and celebrate that she's got gorgeous lifts and is a world-class pairs skater in nearly all the other pairs elements?"

What if that's more supportive of our athletes' mental health? Could it mean that for a long time, USFS acted on the belief that our athletes' mental health is actually more important than winning more medals?

I recall Alexa Knierim saying, when she was still skating with Chris; and she'd (not Chris!) made multiple errors at a high-level competition, that because she had so much love and support from everyone around her, when she fell on elements, that she felt really bad about herself. Everyone, including it seems USFS, kept believing in her and giving her more time. I think that had to be helpful.

 

[moonvine]

Poor B Nagy! I hope he can get a partner that will stick around for longer than a year.

 

[skylark]

Poor B Nagy! I hope he can get a partner that will stick around for longer than a year.

I have a feeling that the situation is not quite as simple as that. Also, it was brave of Chelsea to state that she is prioritizing her mental health, which I would think we all would applaud.

 

[skaterpups]

Copied from FSU
The new International Selection Pool is now up https://www.usfigureskating.org/skate/qualify-for-team-usa

For Pairs

Saya Carpenter and Jon Maravilla
Emily Chan and Spencer Howe
Nica Digerness and Mark Sadusky
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov
Olivia Flores and Luke Wang
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea
Ellie Korytek and Timmy Chapman
Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard
Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez
Naomi Williams and Lachlan Lewer

Removed from Senior:
Hanns/Neudecker
Nagy/Liu

Removed from the Junior:
Adele and Andy
Carter Griffin and Audrey Park
Ashley and Aaron

 

[SubRosa]

Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy have been added to the pairs list. They are currently in Berlin attending the the ISU's annual Pair Skating Development Training Seminar (April 1-6, 2024):

https://www.instagram.com/reaganandjakub/p/C5Wbvr7rxnD/?img_index=1

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YIR7BrDYT/?img_index=1

So, 3-4 junior teams and 7-8 senior teams on the ISP? Not sure which way Williams / Lewer are going next season?

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Not sure which way Williams / Lewer are going next season?

Unless age limits are changed, Williams/Lewer will have to move up to Seniors.
We will probably find out if there are any changes to the age rules in May.

(Also, still waiting for Daniil Parkman's release, hoping he manages to get it before the next season starts.)

 

[SubRosa]

Waiting impatiently for the age rules to be clarified . . .

 

[slider11]

I was surprised to see Chelsea step away but I wish her well. Balasz needs/deserves a committed partner. If Audrey can handle the lifts - how scary that must be to learn to be placed in the air in bizarre, spinning conditions- I think the throws would come and the jumps should be there.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I was surprised to see Chelsea step away but I wish her well. Balasz needs/deserves a committed partner. If Audrey can handle the lifts - how scary that must be to learn to be placed in the air in bizarre, spinning conditions- I think the throws would come and the jumps should be there.

I think Balasz had a 'committed' partner in Chelsea. They were both equally committed. I'm sure their split is much more complicated than publicly expressed. They were very good together with one of the more amazing twists ever seen in pairs figure skating.

Obviously, there were issues on Chelsea's sbs jump landings. Plus, they both said in an interview that they needed to work on adjusting their different techniques on throws. With her long legs, seemingly Chels needed more height and quicker snap on getting her free leg out before hitting the ice on throws and sbs jumps. I'm no expert, so I don't know about the ins-and-outs of everything pairs, but I think in general, it is very difficult to change learned technique in figure skating.

I also get the sense that one of the factors every singles skater and especially every newly formed team faces (especially experienced skaters in new partnerships) is succeeding together quickly. Alexa & Brandon were so good together fairly quickly, they set a high bar not easily repeatable or achievable.

These days the sport of figure skating does not offer much time, patience, or opportunity to their athletes.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I was surprised to see Chelsea step away but I wish her well. Balasz needs/deserves a committed partner. If Audrey can handle the lifts - how scary that must be to learn to be placed in the air in bizarre, spinning conditions- I think the throws would come and the jumps should be there.

It looks like Audrey was handling the lifts like a pro already from the clips posted on her IG, practicing with Chris K and Brandon F. What we saw were just basic positions though, but she looked good and seemed fairly fearless.

There are many factors involved in whether or not two people match well or don't match well. If their tryout works, I guess we'll find out soon enough. If they do partner, it would still be a long journey ahead. It would be a completely different partnership, especially with Audrey being new to pairs.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Removed from the Junior:
Adele and Andy

Do we know if they are still skating together?

Also, still waiting for Daniil Parkman's release, hoping he manages to get it before the next season starts.

I surely hope Danill won't be held hostage for a huge payout.


At U.S. Pairs Final last November, I was impressed by the promise shown by Megan Wessenberg & Eduardo Caputo, who train with Berton/ Brubaker in Chicago. Does anyone know how they're doing after having WD from U.S. Nats due to an injury suffered by Caputo?

 

[Diana Delafield]

If Audrey can handle the lifts - how scary that must be to learn to be placed in the air in bizarre, spinning conditions-

Not really. She'd learn them standing still off the ice first, often with apparatus like the jump harness to assist (remember the comedy scene in The Cutting Edge where Doug just skates away and leaves her hanging there?). Then you move it onto the ice, still just standing in one spot -- although I found the back press impossible to do in skates without moving. My blades kept shooting out from under me as I started to jump, that one being for the lady like doing a backflip over his head and stopping her own momentum at the precise highest point. We had to learn that one "iced" on the move, but slowly. You make sure you're both secure at each stage before moving on. You progress to him skating the lift in a straight line without turning, and then he adds the mohawks, and finally you start picking up speed. It didn't take long to go through the stages learning lifts for the first time, although I'd been doing artistic gymnastics for several years and loved the uneven bars best, so that was a big help in that I was used to balancing on the narrow bar ten or so feet in the air.

Audrey wanting to learn lifting is the crucial element. The rest can be taught; the desire has to come from within.

 

[Rebecca Moose]

I can't wait for Flores/Wang to go senior.