U.S. Figure skaters announce off-season changes | Golden Skate

U.S. Figure skaters announce off-season changes

gsk8

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Jun 21, 2003
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. FIGURE SKATERS ANNOUNCE OFF-SEASON CHANGES

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 7, 2010)
– Coaching changes by a pair of former U.S. champions and the retirement of a longtime national and international competitor highlight a busy off-season for several U.S. Figure Skating athletes.

RETIREMENTS
After more than 10 years of U.S. and international competition, Bebe Liang announced her retirement from competitive skating. Liang, who trained with Ken Congemi and Frank Carroll during her career, won the bronze medal at the 2006 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and the gold medal at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy. Her best showing at a U.S. Figure Skating Championships was a fourth-place finish in 2007.

"My time as a competitive figure skater has been the most rewarding and exciting time in my life, but now I feel it is time to close that chapter and open a new one," Liang said. "I would like to thank my fans and everyone at U.S. Figure Skating who has been so supportive of me. I would especially like to thank my family and my coaches, who have put so much time and energy into molding me to become the athlete I am today."

Ice dancing team Jane Summersett and Todd Gilles have also made public their retirement from competitive skating. The duo, which teamed up three years ago, garnered bronze at the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy and twice placed sixth at the U.S. Championships.

PARTNERSHIP ENDINGS

Four pairs teams have ended their professional partnerships, including 2009 U.S. junior champions and 2007 U.S. novice champions Tracy Tanovich and Michael Chau.

"Tracy and I had a very successful career in our six competitive seasons together. We have learned so much from each other and have had such great memories that I will never forget," Chau said. "Tracy is like a little sister to me, and there will always be a place in my heart for her. I wish her the best in the future."

Also concluding their partnerships are 2010 U.S. novice pairs silver medalists Tori Vollmer and Zack Sidhu, 2009 U.S. novice pairs champions Cassie Andrews and Nicholas Anderson and 2009 U.S. novice pairs silver medalists Haven Denney and Daniel Raad. Andrews has formed a partnership with Timothy DeLuc, and Denney has teamed up with 2008 U.S. novice men’s champion Daniel O’Shea.

Ice dancing teams Piper Gilles and Zach Donohue, the reigning two-time U.S. junior bronze medalists, and Trina Pratt and Chris Obzansky, who finished ninth at this year’s U.S. Championships, have also split up.

COACHING CHANGES




2009 U.S. champion Alissa Czisny has announced that she will continue to train at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., but now under the tutelage of Yuka Sato, who also coaches two-time reigning U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott.


"Having enjoyed taking lessons from Yuka Sato in the past, I am looking forward to working with her and Jason Dungjen as my full-time coaches," Czisny said. "I'm very excited for them to teach me everything they know."



Kimmie Meissner, the 2006 World champion and 2007 U.S. champion, has left her most recent training site in Coral Springs, Fla., for Fairfax, Va., where she will be coached by Chris Conte. Conte has worked as a technical consultant for U.S. Olympians Timothy Goebel, Sasha Cohen and Emily Hughes.



Other U.S. skaters making a coaching change include 2008 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final champion BeBecky Bereswill, who is leaving Houston, Texas, for Canton, Mich., to train with FedoAndreev and Johnny Johns; 2007 U.S. novice silver medalist and 2009 U.S. junior bronze medalist Alexander Johnson, who will be mentored by Tom Zakrajsek and Becky Calvin at the Broadmoor SC in Colorado Springs, Colo.; 2009 U.S. novice bronze medalist Angela Wang, who will remain at Salt Lake Figure Skating and train with Scott Smith; and 2009 U.S. novice ice dancing champions Lauri Bonacorsi and Travis Mager, who will train with Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov at the IceWorks Skating Complex in Aston, Pa.



Three skaters announced they will be training with Frank Carroll, coach of Olympic champion Evan Lysacek and U.S. silver medalist Mirai Nagasu, in El Segundo, Calif. They are 2010 U.S. novice champion Leah Keiser, 2009 U.S. junior ladies silver medalist Ellie Kawamura and 2009 U.S. junior ladies pewter medalist Kristiene Gong.


 

Tonichelle

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Jun 27, 2003
Jane and Todd's retirement is such a bummer to me. I really enjoyed watching them skate at Nationals in 2008.
 

#1Kerryfan

Final Flight
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Jan 15, 2006
Carroll's got his hands full now......

I was pretty sure Alissa and Kimmie were retiring, but I'm glad they're sticking around!:)

EDIT: Just realized this is my 500th post!
 

SugarCranberry

Rinkside
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Aug 15, 2003
Does this mean Andreev is not going to train with Khokholova or he is going to do both (skate with Khokhlova and coach Bereswill) ?

Karponosov is one of the candidates to take Piseev's place. If he is elected how is going to coach Bonacorsi and Mager ?
 

HCOSurfer

Final Flight
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Feb 25, 2007
I'm really going to miss Bebe, at least she's leaving on a high note. Her LP as Nationals was probably the best I've seen her skate in years (and she was one of the very few skaters that actually didn't fall!).

ETA - anybody else think that Leah Keiser is going to be a force to reckon with over the next couple of years, especially since she's moving to Carroll? I know she's young and all, but she landed 5(!) triple jumps in her novice LP including two 3Z and a 3F.
 
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just wondering

On the Ice
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Oct 20, 2005
I'm really going to miss Bebe, at least she's leaving on a high note. Her LP as Nationals was probably the best I've seen her skate in years (and she was one of the very few skaters that actually didn't fall!).

ETA - anybody else think that Leah Keiser is going to be a force to reckon with over the next couple of years, especially since she's moving to Carroll? I know she's young and all, but she landed 5(!) triple jumps in her novice LP including two 3Z and a 3F.

Sure will miss Bebe ~ !!!!
And Leah will certainly be a force. Not only 5 triples, but a decent overall program, as well. Will be exciting to watch her develop under Carroll.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
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Nov 12, 2009
Carroll's got his hands full now......

I was pretty sure Alissa and Kimmie were retiring, but I'm glad they're sticking around!:)

EDIT: Just realized this is my 500th post!

It's nice they are sticking around but I'm honestly not expecting much from either girl, if they do well than that's great but I just feel like they have already peaked in their careers. I always enjoy watching Alissa's spins though and it will be nice to see Kimmie after such a long break. I honestly think Mirai, Ashley, and Christina will be more exciting to watch in the upcoming season - I really see those three as the frontrunners for at least the next few years.
 

dorispulaski

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It's interesting that Kimmie is going to Christian Conte, the recognized expert on using Dartfish, the software package for analyzing your motion, for improving your jumps. Tim Goebel used him as a consultant.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I remember that first year BeBe skated as a senior. She has always been an interesting skater, and I'll miss her.

How great that Kimmie and Alyssa aren't giving up! I know that it's possible they have peaked, but you never know. Look at Todd Eldredge and Paul Wylie. Alyssa especially brings something unique to skating: no one else has spins like hers, and few people can match her spirals. She also brings an artistic maturity and completeness to her performances. If Yuka and Jason, who seem like two of the most serene people around, can just help Alyssa get hold of her nerves, she could still have a respectable run at some medals.
 

just wondering

On the Ice
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Oct 20, 2005
And didn't Chris Conte do some nice choreographic work for Tommy Steen... (sp???) and a few others? Interesting that he is known for both something technical and artistic. Could be a nice mix of support for Kimmie. Hope to see her in full force next season.
 

cornell08

Final Flight
Joined
May 10, 2009
A glaring lack of a Caroline announcement...best case scenario is that she's still coach shopping. This upsets me a bit though, if Gong and Kawamura got taken up by Carroll, he clearly could have also taken up Caroline. I wonder why she didn't try to go to the coach of her idol-- and if she did, I wonder why he didn't take her on.
 
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R.D.

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Jul 26, 2003
It's nice they are sticking around but I'm honestly not expecting much from either girl, if they do well than that's great but I just feel like they have already peaked in their careers.

This part of your post I agree with.

Alyssa is definitely sticking around but I didn't get the impression the latter was doing the same. It simply said she's working with some jump coach. She could keep skating but will it be competitive skating?

As for Czisny, she now reached her potential as a national-level skater. I assume she wants to stick around because she wants a run at a World medal? If Lepisto could do it, after all...

I don't know if she [Alyssa] has her sights set on 2014 though. First it was 2006, then 2010. She had a legit chance in both years but blew it when it came down to game time.
 
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janetfan

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May 15, 2009
This part of your post I agree with.

Alyssa is definitely sticking around but I didn't get the impression the latter was doing the same. It simply said she's working with some jump coach. She could keep skating but will it be competitive skating?

As for Czisny, she now reached her potential as a national-level skater. I assume she wants to stick around because she wants a run at a World medal? If Lepisto could do it, after all...

I don't know if she [Alyssa] has her sights set on 2014 though. First it was 2006, then 2010. She had a legit chance in both years but blew it when it came down to game time.

Alissa might just be taking it year by year. If she does well next season she might come back for 2012.

Her funding won't be as good as last season......
Maybe if Sasha retires again Alissa can move up a level.

From US Skating Team Envelopes

Team B - Tier One

Ladies: Sasha Cohen, Ashley Wagner, Caroline Zhang


Team B - Tier Two

Ladies: Alissa Czisny, Christina Gao, Agnes Zawadzki
 

silverlake22

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Nov 12, 2009
Alissa might just be taking it year by year. If she does well next season she might come back for 2012.

Her funding won't be as good as last season......
Maybe if Sasha retires again Alissa can move up a level.

From US Skating Team Envelopes

Team B - Tier One

Ladies: Sasha Cohen, Ashley Wagner, Caroline Zhang


Team B - Tier Two

Ladies: Alissa Czisny, Christina Gao, Agnes Zawadzki

They may move Gao or Zawadzki up ahead of Czisny just where those two are more promising for the future of US figure skating considering their ages.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
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Jul 26, 2003
All I've been hearing the past couple of months is how great Gao and Zawadki(sp) are and how they'll take over US skating in the coming years- no wait, months.

THE WAIT AND SEE approach cannot be stressed enough...I've seen many come and many go just in the past 8 years. Hyped to the hilt and then fall flat. And at the other end of the spectrum, skaters that come out of nowhere and amaze. I think in the coming season we will still have our current crop of Nagasu, Flatt, Zhang, Wagner, and (I suppose) Czisny. Assuming, of course, they can stay healthy. Everyone else would either be newcomers or old-timers who are long past their prime. But come 2012 who knows.
 

dorispulaski

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Well- Kimmie was another skater who was slain by the UR and edge rules, combined with not making the transition to adult size smoothly. The recent changes to the UR rules may help her. AFAIR, Kimmie had a lip that needed to be fixed, and got slammed with UR's on her triple/triples and triple axel, just as she had made some improvements to her arms and posture. And then she had a rash of injuries. The new rules may get her back into the top 3 at nationals.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
All I've been hearing the past couple of months is how great Gao and Zawadki(sp) are and how they'll take over US skating in the coming years- no wait, months.

THE WAIT AND SEE approach cannot be stressed enough...I've seen many come and many go just in the past 8 years. Hyped to the hilt and then fall flat. And at the other end of the spectrum, skaters that come out of nowhere and amaze. I think in the coming season we will still have our current crop of Nagasu, Flatt, Zhang, Wagner, and (I suppose) Czisny. Assuming, of course, they can stay healthy. Everyone else would either be newcomers or old-timers who are long past their prime. But come 2012 who knows.

The thing about Gao and Zawadzki:
1.) They aren't headcases like Czisny
2.) They don't have awful technique like Zhang
3.) They aren't as bland and un-artistic as Rachael

That is why they are hyped so much and I tend to think they will live up to the hype. Nagasu and Wagner will still be up there for at least a few more years, but Czisny, Zhang, and Flatt have a lot of things they need to work on, and I actually think Gao and Zawadzki, though juniorish they may be, are more complete skaters than those three.
 

R.D.

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Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Perhaps. But think of Meissner, Em Hughes and Zhang as counterexamples. Two were supposed to lead us through to this year and the other was supposed to become the next MK. What happened?

sorry I'm so skeptical about all this. I've learned very quickly in my time here not to buy into hype very easily. Only skaters I can think of that actually lived up to it were Mao Asada and to a lesser extent, Miki Ando. I don't remember even Mighty Yuna getting as much hype as these two did and look where she is.

Kostner was hyped around 2004, especially after 2005 when she beat MK. Been a headcase ever since.

Not saying you'll be mistaken but I prefer to wait and see. You never know what can happen.
 
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