2019-20 U.S. Men's Figure Skating

[SnowWhite]

So Alexei K. reads goldenskate
https://sport24.ru/news/other/2019-...video-instagram/amp?__twitter_impression=true

I think he's mentioned that before in other interviews.

Lots of interesting stuff

— Алекс или Алексей?
— Алексей. Это красиво и благородно.

According to google translate, that says "- Alex or Alexei? - Alexei. It is beautiful and noble"

I found that tidbit interesting since he uses Alex on social media and I think people here have said that he prefers Alex to Alexei.

ETA:

This is the article in English where Alex K. mentions Goldenskate, of course yet another excellent article by Tatjana Flade *for* Goldenskate. (also the same article where he says he prefers "Alex" even though the ISU has not caught up):

Except as I just posted, in this article in the "Blitz" round, it seems like he gets asked "Alex or Alexei" and picks Alexei.

 

[elektra blue]

So Alexei K. reads goldenskate
https://sport24.ru/news/other/2019-...video-instagram/amp?__twitter_impression=true

hi Alex :handw:

 

[ice coverage]

Super-excited that Lucas Altieri will be going to his first international on foreign soil. :hap85:

Good luck at Golden Spin (in Junior Men).

---

Newly-published article on U.S. Collegiates, at this late date -- but nice to see coverage of the medalists.
(Senior Men: Joonsoo Kim, Daniel Kulenkamp, Tony Lu.)

https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...titles-earn-scholarships.aspx?path=collegiate (Nov 13)​

Speaking of which, I am pleasantly surprised to see that Tony Lu is competing in Senior Men at Eastern Sectionals. (BTW, Daniel Klaber is competing at Midwestern Sectionals. )
(I already was expecting Joonsoo and Daniel at their sectionals.)

ETA (on Nov 16):

Oops, I guess I was wrong about Daniel competing at sectionals. I could swear that I saw his name on an entry list for sectionals, but it disappeared.​

Good luck to all at sectionals this week. :yay:

ETA:

I wonder whether the article is correct that Daniel earned a scholarship for second place. I hope so.
As in previous years, the 2019 Announcement had indicated that for Senior Men, only the champion would receive a scholarship.​

---

... (also the same article where he says he prefers "Alex" even though the ISU has not caught up)...

USFS listed him as "Aleksei" for 2019 Nats, so I am not sure that it is a matter of "catching up" by either body.

Yes, he has been calling himself Alex for years -- at least when among speakers of English.
I am not at all certain, but I think it is possible that matching what is on his passport and/or green card might be an issue here??? Which seemed to be the case for another Team USA skater with a Russian first name.
(OTOH, part of my uncertainty is Charles Allen White, aka Charlie.)

I think Krasnozhon knows his audience. Doesn't surprise me that he would not choose Alex when speaking to a Russian outlet.

He was asked about his preference during the Q and A session at the FOFS breakfast at Skate America in Las Vegas.
I don't remember his exact answer. He did not really shun Alexei/Aleksei, although in the presence of the mostly American audience, he did favor Alex.

 

[moonvine]

Here is the senior men’s short program start order for Midwestern Sectionals. Unfortunately my man Andrew has a long way to go to meet minimum TES. All my fingers and toes are crossed. Ben has come pretty close at 167, but of course he would have to make it at this comp.

https://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2020/27742/CAT010SEG017.html

#letandrewandbenskate

Hi Alexei! What kind of stuffies do you like?

 

[moonvine]

When USFS posted their reasoning for getting rid of Novice/Intermediate, they posted their reasoning for limiting the qualifiers, and if I recall it was something to the effect that "people don't want to sit through lower level groups," "audiences don't want it to take more than 2.5 hours because that's how long other sporting events take and that's how long Broadway musicals last". I'm paraphrasing but that was the gist. The obvious answer would be to allow only 18 qualifiers in the free skates and let all of the qualifiers into the SP, but that logic was clearly lost on USFS. We will be lucky to see 12 men this year, which is so disappointing.

*If anyone can find the powerpoint where they wrote this stuff, feel free to post it*

This makes zero sense. At last years Nationals they had the skaters in places 15-20 early in the morning. Andrew was one of my favorite moments of the competition. The backstory! (He used to weigh over 200 lbs). The giant Lisa Frank stuffie (alas, not from me, though I did stuffie him). Coach Sparkly Shoes! The utter and complete joy in his face to be skating at Nationals. #letAndrewskate

 

[karne]

To me, the concept of a minimum TES for Nationals that is higher than 4CC is appalling. I mean, let's be honest. The most all bar, probably, five of these guys could hope for is 4CC. That would be the same regardless of whether the minimum score was the same as 4CC or the same as Worlds.

 

[StitchMonkey]

To me, the concept of a minimum TES for Nationals that is higher than 4CC is appalling. I mean, let's be honest. The most all bar, probably, five of these guys could hope for is 4CC. That would be the same regardless of whether the minimum score was the same as 4CC or the same as Worlds.

This so much!

I can deal with a minimum TES, in fact, i don't think it is the worst thing. But this one is WAY too high, and insultingly high. There are skaters around the world who compete to earn the world TES and never do... worlds is a high bar. 4CC is a more achievable bar but still one to be proud of. I would have been much happier with a 4CC based minimum TES

And while we are at it... it is appalling that USFS did not bother to schedule at least one "last chance" domestic comp to get the minimum TES. There are always surprises. I hate the idea of a skater getting a surprise 4th at sectionals and not even getting a chance to try to earn the minimum TES before nationals. If they want to have a minimum TES, fine, but give skaters opportunities to bloody earn it!

 

[moonvine]

To me, the concept of a minimum TES for Nationals that is higher than 4CC is appalling. I mean, let's be honest. The most all bar, probably, five of these guys could hope for is 4CC. That would be the same regardless of whether the minimum score was the same as 4CC or the same as Worlds.

The most many of the skaters I like can hope for is Nationals. (I love my 15-20 skaters ). I mean... can y’all imagine working hard all year, coming in 4th at Sectionals, and then not getting to skate at Nationals because of a random number? Especially Ben, who is at 167, but it has to be made at the same comp? Ben skates with an insulin pump BTW.

#letAndrewandBenskate

 

[el henry]

Vincent was featured in the November Brown Alumni Monthly:

https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2019-11-04/fans-everywhere

(I saw the hard copy version as one of Spousal Unit's degrees is from Brown, it was full page and very nice. I'm very impressed that the alumni magazines care about skaters:agree

 

[moonvine]

This so much!

I can deal with a minimum TES, in fact, i don't think it is the worst thing. But this one is WAY too high, and insultingly high. There are skaters around the world who compete to earn the world TES and never do... worlds is a high bar. 4CC is a more achievable bar but still one to be proud of. I would have been much happier with a 4CC based minimum TES

And while we are at it... it is appalling that USFS did not bother to schedule at least one "last chance" domestic comp to get the minimum TES. There are always surprises. I hate the idea of a skater getting a surprise 4th at sectionals and not even getting a chance to try to earn the minimum TES before nationals. If they want to have a minimum TES, fine, but give skaters opportunities to bloody earn it!

I hope you will join me in emailing them and suggesting these things. They may not pay any attention but if I don't speak up they are sure to not pay any attention.

 

[ice coverage]

Vincent was featured in the November Brown Alumni Monthly:

https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2019-11-04/fans-everywhere ...

Thank you, el henry.

---

… And while we are at it... it is appalling that USFS did not bother to schedule at least one "last chance" domestic comp to get the minimum TES. There are always surprises. I hate the idea of a skater getting a surprise 4th at sectionals and not even getting a chance to try to earn the minimum TES before nationals. If they want to have a minimum TES, fine, but give skaters opportunities to bloody earn it!

I do not find it appalling.

The exact numbers for the TES minimums have been known since May. Many competitions before sectionals were opportunities to earn the minimum TES, and I am fine with sectionals being the last chance for skaters to put their best foot forward. (The NQS series for singles skaters included dozens and dozens of competitions, and NQS scores would meet the minimum TES requirement.)

If a skater is surprised at placing in the top four at sectionals, it would suggest that the skater already exceeded his own expectations for sectionals. "I would have tried harder to earn the TES minimum if I had known I would place in the top four at sectionals" would not be a convincing argument to me.

It would cost thousands of dollars for USFS to hold an extra "last chance" competition even just for singles skaters (and in fairness, the same thing would need to be offered to pairs and dancers). At a bare minimum: travel/lodging/food costs for at least eleven qualified officials (six judges + ref + tech panel + music official) for at least two days. That kind of expenditure would not make sense to me when the skaters in question (who already have had many options for meeting the TES minimum) realistically would not be a factor in the current season's Nats medals or in selection of the current season's teams for Junior Worlds/Four Continents/Olympics/Worlds. I would prefer that the money be used in support of skaters in other ways.

Lest anyone wonder: I have been extremely supportive of Andrew Austin, and I continue to be.
About three weeks before he competed at 2019 Nats, I was the very first on GS to share his Cinderella story.
I repeatedly gave encouragement in person to Andrew and Quinton at Little Caesars throughout the week of 2019 Nats.
I would be thrilled for Andrew if he were to advance to Nats again.

 

[moonvine]

Lest anyone wonder: I have been extremely supportive of Andrew Austin, and I continue to be.
About three weeks before he competed at 2019 Nats, I was the very first on GS to share his Cinderella story.
I repeatedly gave encouragement in person to Andrew and Quinton at Little Caesars throughout the week of 2019 Nats.
I would be thrilled for Andrew if he were to advance to Nats again.

If they MUST have a minimum TES, I do not think it should be higher than the TES for 4CCs. I can see there needing to be a minimum TES for Worlds, or there might be 70 ladies instead of 40 something. And at that they can earn the minimum over different competitions. Ben Jalovick is at 87, so only 3 away, but he has to make the whole 90 here. Andrew will need a miracle, I’m afraid. He’s at 71. And he came in 2nd in his regionals, I believe.


So jealous you got to talk to Andrew and Quinton in person. I wonder why Andrew did not skate at Collegiates? If he makes it next year I can’t be there. CA is too far for me to travel.
#letbenskate
#letsndrewskate

 

[karne]

I was just counting how many men the US lost in the cycle between end 2014 and end 2018. It's nearly two whole warmup groups.

Max, Joshua, Jeremy, Adam, Grant, Ross, Timothy, Alex J, Scott Dyer. That's nine. There's probably been more I can't think of right now. And the first four alone are all top-10 Worlds material and consistent National medallists. And they haven't been replaced, with due respect to the current men. That's a heavy blow for any country.

So what's USFS doing? They're cutting out more skaters from making Nationals by imposing an arbitrary number that is higher than the 4CC TES and imposes ridiculous restrictions on how that TES must be earned (having to get it all at the same comp). These skaters could hope for backup 4CC at the most. In reality, they're not going anywhere post-Nationals. There is literally no reason for this.

In three or four years USFS is going to start complaining that they don't have enough Senior Men at Nationals. And they'll have shot themselves in the foot and have no-one to blame but themselves.

 

[moonvine]

I was just counting how many men the US lost in the cycle between end 2014 and end 2018. It's nearly two whole warmup groups.

Max, Joshua, Jeremy, Adam, Grant, Ross, Timothy, Alex J, Scott Dyer. That's nine. There's probably been more I can't think of right now. And the first four alone are all top-10 Worlds material and consistent National medallists. And they haven't been replaced, with due respect to the current men. That's a heavy blow for any country.

So what's USFS doing? They're cutting out more skaters from making Nationals by imposing an arbitrary number that is higher than the 4CC TES and imposes ridiculous restrictions on how that TES must be earned (having to get it all at the same comp). These skaters could hope for backup 4CC at the most. In reality, they're not going anywhere post-Nationals. There is literally no reason for this.

In three or four years USFS is going to start complaining that they don't have enough Senior Men at Nationals. And they'll have shot themselves in the foot and have no-one to blame but themselves.

Please consider writing them a polite email as I am doing (waiting until after Sectionals are done to see exactly how many medalists are left out). They probably won’t change it but if we don’t say anything they almost certainly will not. Pairs may be even worse, I haven’t looked into it.

If you go to summer comps and watch regionals/sectionals and see the crazy difference between the numbers of men and ladies - it is shocking. I have watched some men’s regionals sps in literally 15 minutes because there are only three or sometimes only two men there. It is amazing to me that we have men like Nathan, Jason, Vincent, etc.

Pairs are exponentially worse. There were 2 pairs in Philly. Two. And I think they were juvenile. There were more adult skaters at Philly than there were pairs.

#letbenskate
#letandrewskate

 

[moonvine]

Someone please read this and tell me he made it. https://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2020/27742/CAT010SEG018.html

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Alexei landed his 4F today, albeit underrotated. Nontheless I think this was an amazing feat for him considering that it is a new jump for him. I hope he can do his programs in competitions like he does them in practice at Nationals! I really like his dramatic Vampire program (I am a sucker for Vampire programs).

 

[karne]

Someone please read this and tell me he made it. https://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2020/27742/CAT010SEG018.html

Sadly, it looks like both him and Ben Jalovick were short. Andrew's TES total was 86.81 and he needed 92. (92! What a flipping joke!). Ben's TES total was 78.28.

#letAndrewskate
#letBenskate

For the record: the total TES for 4CC is seventy four. 74. Both Ben and Andrew could get the TES minimum for 4CC.

 

[mrrice]

Does any US Man other than Nathan have a shot at making the GPF?

 

[karne]

Does any US Man other than Nathan have a shot at making the GPF?

Jason does. He got silver at SkAm. Would probably need silver at NHK; I'm not sure he can make it with a bronze.

 

[moonvine]

Sadly, it looks like both him and Ben Jalovick were short. Andrew's TES total was 86.81 and he needed 92. (92! What a flipping joke!). Ben's TES total was 78.28.

#letAndrewskate
#letBenskate

For the record: the total TES for 4CC is seventy four. 74. Both Ben and Andrew could get the TES minimum for 4CC.

Wait until I write a complete writeup of medalists who didn't make it, thanks to Sylvia Unseen. (must watch my Gracie first) I am *hot*. By the way, Andrew is the SILVER medalist and beat head to head a Senior man with a USA Jacket (no disrespect to Emanuel at all). Emanuel did not make the minimum TES this time but did earlier this season, so he will skate at Nationals. I hope at least Andrews USA Jacket is on it's way?
#letAndrewskate
#letBenskate