2023 Skate America Pairs Short Program

[dorispulaski]

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ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Skate America​

Oct 20 - Oct 22, 2023

Credit Union of Texas Event Center
200 E. Stacy Road #1350
Allen, Texas 75002
USA

Pairs Short Program

Friday, 20 October 2023
18:30 CDT (UTC-5)

Time in Other Places

ISU YouTube Channel

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• Official Site
• ISU Event Page
• Announcement
• Entries
• Schedule
• Media Information
• Biographies
• Music Selection
• Planned Program Content
• Planned Program Entries
• Time Schedules
• Media Advisories
• Detailed Results and Protocols
• Start Time for Each Team

Start Order and Live Results​

StN.​	Name​	Nation​
​	Warm-Up Group 1​
1	Isabelle MARTINS / Ryan BEDARD	USA
2	Chelsea LIU / Balazs NAGY	USA
3	Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD	CAN
	Warm-Up Group 2​
4	Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO	ITA
5	Anastasia VAIPAN-LAW / Luke DIGBY	GBR
6	Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ	USA
7	Annika HOCKE / Robert KUNKEL	GER

Entries​

No.​	Name​	Nation​
1	Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD SP: “River” by Bishop Briggs FS: "Slaves to Rome" (from "The Gladiator") by Hans Zimmer; "Honor Him" (from "The Gladiator") by Hans Zimmer; "Now We Are Free" (from "The Gladiator") by Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard; choreo by Alison Purkiss	CAN
2	Anastasia VAIPAN-LAW / Luke DIGBY SP: "Never Tear Us Apart" by Bishop Briggs FS: "Survivor" by 2WEI, Edda Hayes! "Gangsta's Paradise" by 2WEI; choreo by Mark Pillay (SP); Christopher Dean (FS)	GBR
3	Annika HOCKE / Robert KUNKEL SP: "I Love Rock n Roll" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts; "Voulez-Vous" by Philip Michael, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters & Stellan Skarsgård FS: "Without You;" choreo by Anna Cappellini, Luca Lanotte	GER
4	Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO SP: "Brotsjor" by Olafur Arnalds; "Iron" by Woodkid FS: "Cat Woman" (from "The Batman" soundtrack) by Michael Giacchino; "The Batman" (from "The Batman" soundtrack) by Michael Giacchino; choreo by Federica Bernardi, David Cipolleschi	ITA
WD	Riku MIURA / Ryuichi KIHARA SP: "Dare You to Move" from The String Quartet tribute to Switchfoot by Jon Foreman FS: "Une chance qu'on s'a" by Celine Dion, Jean-Pierre Ferland; "Amour infini" by Karl Hugo); choreo by Julie Marcotte	JPN
WD	Nika OSIPOVA / Dmitry EPSTEIN SP: "Theme Song Witcher 3" by Marcin Przybylowicz, Mikolai Stroinski FS: "The Prince of Egypt (soundtrack)" by Hans Zimmer; choreo by Sergey Komolov	NED
WD	Evelyn Grace HANNS / Danny NEUDECKER SP: "Gravity" by Alex & Sierra FS: "Dracula The Beginning" by Wojciech Kilar; choreo by Natalia Mishkutenok	USA
5	Chelsea LIU / Balazs NAGY SP: "Dive" by Ed Sheeran FS: "A Thousand Times Goodnight" by Abel Korzeniowski! choreo by Adam Rippon, Pasquale Camerlengo	USA
6	Isabelle MARTINS / Ryan BEDARD SP: "In This Shirt" by The Irrepressibles FS: "Hallelujah" by K. D. Lang; "Canticle of Life" by Karl Hugo; choreo by Rohene Ward (SP), Renée Roca (FS)	USA
7	Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ SP: "Rhapsody on A Theme of Paganini, Op43: Variation 11" by Sergei Rachmaninoff; "Rhapsody on A Theme of Paganini, Op43: Variation 8" by Sergei Rachmaninoff FS: ":The Man, The Legend, The Touchdown" (from "Top Gun Maverick") by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer; "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga; choreo by Jim Peterson, Amanda Evora	USA

 

[Andrea82]

Officials

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Referee	Ms. Aniela HEBEL-SZMAK	POL
Technical Controller	Ms. Kerstin KIMMINUS	GER
Technical Specialist	Ms. Dana GRAHAM	USA
Technical Specialist	Ms. Stephanie LAFLEUR MORIN	CAN
Judge No.1	Ms. Yuko OGAWA	JPN
Judge No.2	Ms. Laurie JOHNSON	USA
Judge No.3	Ms. Florence VUYLSTEKER	FRA
Judge No.4	Ms. Agita ABELE	LAT
Judge No.5	Ms. Nicole LEBLANC-RICHARD	CAN
Judge No.6	Ms. Nicole van GERWEN-MAAS	NED
Judge No.7	Ms. Hui LIU	CHN
Judge No.8	Ms. Virginia de AGOSTINI	ITA
Judge No.9	Ms. Claudia STAHNKE	GER

 

[Skater Boy]

A very very weak field. The top teams normally ie with Russia and China being somewhat competivie might not even be considered top ten at worlds. Normally Trennt and LIa wouldn't make the Canadian team. Currently the top two team are out with USA no. 1 in Knerim and Frazier on at least hiatus. The Japanese injured. There are going to be some surprises and pretty ho hum teams in the Grand Prix finals in pairs.

 

[throw_triple_flip]

..

This is just being spiteful for the sake of it. Totally unnecessary and untrue.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

A very very weak field. The top teams normally ie with Russia and China being somewhat competivie might not even be considered top ten at worlds. Normally Trennt and LIa wouldn't make the Canadian team. Currently the top two team are out with USA no. 1 in Knerim and Frazier on at least hiatus. The Japanese injured. There are going to be some surprises and pretty ho hum teams in the Grand Prix finals in pairs.

I can understand Russia being an argument but China? It's been five years since China last had even three top-level teams, and even back then the signs were fairly clear that something was going very wrong in developing young pairs talent in China, considering the constant flurry of splits and (unofficial) early retirements from the sport, and a most concerning lack of Jr medals.

Also, it must have been at least as long since Canada had three pairs that could beat Trennt and Lia, and I don't remember Canada having such a deep field that P/M wouldn't be on the National team and getting Challengers etc. which would allow them to get GP spots anyways. Maybe they wouldn't be GPF contenders, but 4CC and/or Worlds would not be an impossibility in most years, and certainly not in the last 5 years.

 

[LadyB]

A very very weak field. The top teams normally ie with Russia and China being somewhat competivie might not even be considered top ten at worlds. Normally Trennt and LIa wouldn't make the Canadian team. Currently the top two team are out with USA no. 1 in Knerim and Frazier on at least hiatus. The Japanese injured. There are going to be some surprises and pretty ho hum teams in the Grand Prix finals in pairs.

Well, China had Sui/Han and Jin/Peng not too long ago, with S/H Olympic Champions last year - but there hasn't been a culture like in Russia, I therefore would not call them in general a force to be reckoned with right now.
Agreed, it's not the classiest field of pairs, but both P/M and H/K can raise the stakes when they're on. As for the Grand Prix final - are you forgetting the Italians, Hungarians, second German team?

 

[throw_triple_flip]

Well, China had Sui/Han and Jin/Peng not too long ago, with S/H Olympic Champions last year - but there hasn't been a culture like in Russia, I therefore would not call them in general a force to be reckoned with right now.
Agreed, it's not the classiest field of pairs, but both P/M and H/K can raise the stakes when they're on. As for the Grand Prix final - are you forgetting the Italians, Hungarians, second German team?

They're also experiencing amnesia about the impact covid had on that particular discipline as well. It's to my understanding that Russian Pair skaters were still able to practice or do Pair try outs to a relatively normal degree during the pandemic. Which was not the case pretty much everywhere else. Social distancing and all the covid regs made things difficult across all of skating, but it was hardest on Pair skating. It was also a bit of dwindling sport before that as well. Now we're seeing lots of countries with multiple teams, and the standard has increased quickly (look at the scores teams like Conti/Macii and Stellato-Dudeck/Deschamps got in the 21/22 season compared to last season). Yet some feel the need to sneer. It's a shame.

 

[Skater Boy]

Well, China had Sui/Han and Jin/Peng not too long ago, with S/H Olympic Champions last year - but there hasn't been a culture like in Russia, I therefore would not call them in general a force to be reckoned with right now.
Agreed, it's not the classiest field of pairs, but both P/M and H/K can raise the stakes when they're on. As for the Grand Prix final - are you forgetting the Italians, Hungarians, second German team?

No not forgetting them or the Georgians etc. But these teams don't compare when we have in the near past 3 Russians, usually at least one Chinese, and solid and competitive top American and Canadian team forget usually one other contender like Aliona and Co. You can't say this German team compares. It's not "bad" per se. It is what it is. But competitive teams with doubles? Still those of us who love skaitng watch with anticipation.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Going to be in bed when this starts, so this is a placeholder.

Pairs SP starts in 4 hours from now.

Here is the link for the World Feed coverage on the ISU YouTube Channel (starts in 4 hours from now):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EnXqcxr_ik

Here is the Time Schedule:
https://results.isu.org/results/sea...----------QUAL000100--_StartListwithTimes.pdf

And here is the live scoring:
https://results.isu.org/results/season2324/gpusa2023/SEG005.htm

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST EVERYBODY!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

A very very weak field. The top teams normally ie with Russia and China being somewhat competivie might not even be considered top ten at worlds. Normally Trennt and LIa wouldn't make the Canadian team. Currently the top two team are out with USA no. 1 in Knerim and Frazier on at least hiatus. The Japanese injured. There are going to be some surprises and pretty ho hum teams in the Grand Prix finals in pairs.

You must think up negative things to say, just for the heck of it. Despite Knierim/ Frazier not announcing their retirement, I would be shocked if they decided to return competitively. They've accomplished everything they ever dreamed of accomplishing and then some! All they need right now, is for the clueless ISU and IOC to reward them their Olympic team medals!!!

My advice is to avoid watching pairs if you are bored, and leave the rest of us to our enjoyment.

BTW, please pay attention to what's currently happening in pairs prior to commenting. FYI-- Pereira/Michaud earned sixth place at 2023 Worlds by virtue of hard work and talent. They have an excellent chance to win this competition, so your putdown is off-base. The Russian athletes who skate for Russia are banned from ISU competition, till further notice. Chinese fed is still regrouping in pairs, after the retirement and split of Sui/ Han, and the split of Peng/Jin. We will see how China's current pairs teams fare at the China GP, in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, once again, this is a time to truly appreciate how difficult pairs is, and to follow the journeys of the athletes who are actually in the arena. Trying to tear these athletes down, is a nonstarter, especially in this thread! It's the beginning of the GP season. Despite all the problems in figure skating, and all the problems going on in the world, let's stop and smell the roses, and give thanks for our blessings.

Personally, I am going to enjoy watching as much of the GP as I can this season, having been denied the ability to watch last season due to Peacock's and U.S. figsk's utter stupidity. Thank God replays are offered this season!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It must have been a blind draw, with Pereira/ Michaud skating in the first group and being 6th (not 5th) in the World per 2023 championships. I like this field, even with the withdrawals. It's very interesting, IMO, to watch tight competitions, with a variety of teams having the chance to reach the podium.

 

[cheerknithanson]

It must have been a blind draw, with Pereira/ Michaud skating in the first group and being fifth in the World per 2023 championships. I like this field, even with the withdrawals. It's very interesting, IMO, to watch tight competitions, with a variety of teams having the chance to reach the podium.

Wait, they were 5th place at 2023 Worlds? Okay, I might have fudged up on my predictions.

 

[cheerknithanson]

Also I have a thick slice of cheesecake with me and ready to watch skating.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Wait, they were 5th place at 2023 Worlds? Okay, I might have fudged up on my predictions.

No, make that P/M 6th at Worlds 2023. Chan/ Howe were 5th. Stellato/ DesChamps were 4th. Politics kicked in with Conti/Maci in third (so Italian teams would have 3 spots in pairs this season -- C/M were the only Italian team at 2023 Worlds, so they needed to make the podium for the 3 spots to happen, and voilà). Honestly, S/D should have placed third in the sp, but didn't, and then they faltered in their fp, which made it so much easier for C/M to be rewarded.

Thus, Miura/Kihara, World champs pulled out of SA; they looked in bad form at Autumn Classic weeks ago. So, apparently, Kihara has a back injury, which makes sense for them to WD and take care of it.

Knierim/ Frazier (silver medalists at 2023 Worlds) are retired. Stellato/ DesChamps will be at SC next week. Chan/ Howe will be at later GPs. Spencer Howe, I heard, had shoulder surgery, so hopefully he will be healed and in form, training wise, for the later GPs.

So, again, Pereira/ Michaud are the current top team from Worlds 2023, at this event. Hocke/ Kunkel had a good season last year, but they faltered a bit at Worlds, and placed 9th. Vaipan-Law/Digby placed 16th at 2023 Worlds. But honestly, V-L/D showed a ton of improvement at Autumn Classic, with better technical consistency and difficulty. Plus, they have always been an elegant, stylish team. Having the chance to compete on the GP last season helped them tremendously in terms of experience and developing confidence. Athletes can't improve in figure skating, unless they have opportunities to compete. Duh! Just sayin' because the ISU doesn't seem to understand that.

 

[Jammers]

Why were Chan/Howe not picked for Skate America with Knierim/ Frazier most likely being done C/H are the best US Pairs team by a wide margin.

 

[Ziotic]

Why were Chan/Howe not picked for Skate America with Knierim/ Frazier most likely being done C/H are the best US Pairs team by a wide margin.

Likely due to seeding of other teams

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Politics kicked in with Conti/Maci in third (so Italian teams would have 3 spots in pairs this season -- C/M were the only Italian team at 2023 Worlds, so they needed to make the podium for the 3 spots to happen, and voilà).

Except that they would have needed 2nd for three spots at Worlds this season, which they didn't get

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Except that they would have needed 2nd for three spots at Worlds this season, which they didn't get

So I thought Italy had 3 spots in pairs for Worlds this year. It doesn't make sense for a team to be on the podium and only get 2 spots, unless it's because they only had one spot, and thereby needed to come in at least second for 3 spots. If that's the case, so be it.

I stand by the fact that Conti/Maci, while Sara is quite charming and they both are appealing and work hard, they still have a lot to work on stylistically, and with their speed, transitions, and difficulty. The key to their success is in the coaching and training strategy to do what they can do well. Thus, they drill their jumps and have a lot of consistency landing their jumps, which is a real hallmark to their success. They can squeak by on lifts, but Sara needs to improve her positions, and Nic is not the best or strongest pairs guy out there on the lifts. They are also bringing back a program from last season, which can be boring. Plus, I'd love to see them develop more range. But we'll see. Politics is a factor in their success, as it often is in figure skating. At the same time, they have also put in the work, and earned their success.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

No not forgetting them or the Georgians etc. But these teams don't compare when we have in the near past 3 Russians, usually at least one Chinese, and solid and competitive top American and Canadian team forget usually one other contender like Aliona and Co. You can't say this German team compares. It's not "bad" per se. It is what it is. But competitive teams with doubles? Still those of us who love skaitng watch with anticipation.

There's always a transitional period in figure skating. It should be taken as a privilege, IMO, to watch teams develop. If any one of the current teams in pairs really breaks out to become very special over the next few years, it's nice to be able to look back and say, 'I witnessed their development process.' In the end, it's about the journey and the process, not automatic greatness.

If you miss the Russians, stop watching and wait for their return. As far as the Chinese pairs, they only really had an injured Sui/Han limping along to the Olympic gold medal finish line (granted that a subpar S/H were still the stuff of greatness), and a so-so Peng/ Jin, famous for introducing condoned doubles as viable in senior competition. P/J never lived up to their enormous promise, IMO. I will be interested to see how good Peng will be with her new partner. Across the board, there's a lot of promising teams coming up in the pairs discipline, along with experienced skaters newly paired together, including the Germans, Hase/Volodin, a team I am excited about.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Likely due to seeding of other teams

It's been mentioned previously, but it could have been part of a strategy for C/H to get selected by other feds, which they were. That then gives US figsk more leeway to give more U.S. teams an opportunity to compete on the GP, which is what happened. In addition, Emily & Spencer likely preferred not to compete this early. It especially works out better for them with Spencer recovering from shoulder surgery.

The U.S. could have named C/H to SA, but it was wiser in many ways not to do so.