2021-22 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

[BlissfulSynergy]

It may have been during this session that Jordan Cowan captured Nate & Katie on video skating to The Blower's Daughter, posted earlier in this thread.

When I re-watched the OIP clip of Katie/Nate skating to The Blower's Daughter, I noticed they were wearing different practice outfits, so this filming took place at a different time/ session than that of Chelsea/Danny.

ETA:
Meanwhile, down memory lane:
Kayne/O'Shea's best sp circa 2016 U.S. Nationals:

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A lovely performance. I remember how they changed their program for Nationals, and it was a good decision for them
Looking closely, it is evident how the program is paced and choreographed to camouflage Tarah's lesser SS proficiency (with all due respect to Tarah's remarkable determination, chutzpah, and dramatic intensity)

Last Group 2016 U.S. Nationals pairs fp:

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[BlissfulSynergy]

I was at this competition, sitting on Row 4, and I never saw so many lifts that either came down or had to be muscled up, or seemed to be trembling on a thread of balance. A few of the instances happened right in front of me. The trembling ones aren't quite so obvious when watching the videos, and they were nerve-wracking to watch, but also pretty impressive. I could see the guy's hand lose it, the girl shift her weight, and they recovered. Quite the experience, just watching from the sidelines!

But it was a great competition, nevertheless.

Yeah, it definitely is a memorable competition. The lift problems were definitely crazy that year: Timlen/Highgate-Brutman; Serafini/Tran (in their competitive debut); Pfund/Santillan (or if it wasn't this year for them, it was the following year 2020 -- which was their last before considering a country switch); and then famously, Danny/Tarah's unfortunate hiccough at the penultimate moment of their fp.

Ash/Tim were remarkable in coming back from her fall mishap and concussion protocol. I'm glad they are bringing back their W fp this coming season.

One of the creative elements I remember among a number of pairs at this competition was variation entries into forward inside edge death spirals. Often, these unexpected, but pleasing moments are barely noticed or not taken into account for their innovative qualities and how programs are enhanced through such creative explorations:

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See T/H-B's move into their death spiral @ 02:29 (double hand-hold with female partner stretched out in a forward lean; male partner twirls her around as she positions her blade for the smooth move into forward inside edge ds)

See S/T's move into their death spiral @10:48 (double spread eagle with female partner in front and the pair are in a double hand hold; then they transition into a forward inside edge ds)

@ 35:23 see Smith/Reiss' entry (with female partner in a head forward lean with free leg in front); and then the male partner's drag exit out of their death spiral). A variation on the drag is executed by the male partner during the entry into death spirals as well, performed in a few programs previously by James/Cipres, among other pairs skaters

@ 44:51 see Digerness/Neudecker's entry into their death spiral (with a lovely choreographic transition, and then Nica holds one leg up in an attitude position before moving into the death spiral);

At around 52:42, Liu/Meyh perform a similar entry with Chelsea holding up one leg in an attitude position before moving into the death spiral

I'm sure there are other creative moves by teams in the final group that season, in the Part 2 video posted by Skater Historian, who deserves a huge Thank You for preserving and sharing these videos!

 

[skylark]

Yeah, it definitely is a memorable competition. The lift problems were definitely crazy that year: Timlen/Highgate-Brutman; Serafini/Tran (in their competitive debut); Pfund/Santillan (or if it wasn't this year for them, it was the following year 2020 -- which was their last before considering a country switch); and then famously, Danny/Tarah's unfortunate hiccough at the penultimate moment of their fp.

But you're omitting several, including the most famous and shocking ones -- Chris and Alexa. Their axel lift came down halfway through after you can see him struggle to get her to the top of the lift, in a very uncharacteristic way; and then near the end, for the one-handed (group 3 (or 4?) lift, he couldn't even lift her at all. That lift, like Tarah & Danny's, was usually meant to be a grand finish. Not only that, in the sp Chris struggled to catch Alexa from the twist. Of course, after the free skate, they revealed that Chris's left wrist was injured and he'd need surgery even. But we spectators didn't know that at the time. Shock factor. Of course, they were perfectly within their rights not to reveal the injury ahead of time -- many skaters don't want that to be their "story" ahead of a competition.

Chelsea and Ian's axel lift also came down halfway through. Misha had to muscle Audrey up in one of their lifts, and even then it came down early and incomplete. Michael Weiss talks rather at length about that one. Deanna and Nate's reverse lift went up, but not the way it should have -- they saved it very well but it wasn't as spectacular as usual -- and that's why she was so angry at the end. Jim Peterson said to her, as she came off the ice, "That was great!" And she, still angry, grumbled something like "that's my favorite lift." And I remember another several couples having some visible trouble, probably not visible in the videos, due to position of the camera. Particularly one right in front of me where he was holding her overhead, one-handed, and he was losing his grip. She adjusted her position and the lift bounced five or six times. That was a couple early in Part 1 of the event, but I don't remember who. It was as impressive as it was scary! ETA: my impression is that she was the one who saved the lift. Another example that the woman's technique in a lift is as important as the man's.

As I hinted before, the whole event was a great revelation in how well pairs couples adjust, save lifts, and keep the girl safe when lifts do come down. Respect! It also made Ashley and Timothy's near-perfect free skate even more thrilling.

 

[skylark]

I'm sure there are other creative moves by teams in the final group that season, in the Part 2 video posted by Skater Historian, who deserves a huge Thank You for preserving and sharing these videos!

Absolutely. And I appreciate your pointing out innovative, beautiful moves as well. I like focusing on the positive. But in that competition, how the couples turned a negative into a positive or saved a disaster was a tribute to their creative energy as well, and how sensitive and remarkable their non-verbal communication is.

 

[ice coverage]

... Of course, they were perfectly within their rights not to reveal the injury ahead of time -- many skaters don't want that to be their "story" ahead of a competition. ...

Agree ad infinitum -- for all skaters from all disciplines.

One of my pet peeves is that from time to time elsewhere on GS, this point gets forgotten in relation to injured skaters in general -- who understandably would not want to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of judges.

---

Per Instastory yesterday from Drew Meekins, he has been coaching Neudecker and Fakhroutdinov for a few weeks ... which was a response to Neudecker's post about the partnership recently starting to work with Drew.

(My impression is that Drew now is their only/main coach.
Neudecker's post starts with a photo of the three of them in the Kiss and Cry at Broadmoor.)

 

[skylark]

Agree ad infinitum -- for all skaters from all disciplines.

One of my pet peeves is that from time to time elsewhere on GS, this point gets forgotten in relation to injured skaters in general.

---

TSL said (reporting rumors) multiple times before 2016 Worlds that Ashley Wagner was injured. She revealed after the fact that she had in fact been injured, and she wore a brace on her thigh because of it in the subsequent World Team Trophy. But she was the one whom I heard say, "I didn't want that to be the 'story' about me going into the competition."

OT.... and I really miss the "OT" emoticon we used to have here at GS. For one thing, it was cute!

ETA: And the "Thread Hijacked" one was even cuter!

 

[ice coverage]

TSL said (reporting rumors) multiple times before 2016 Worlds that Ashley Wagner was injured. She revealed after the fact that she had in fact been injured, and she wore a brace on her thigh because of it in the subsequent World Team Trophy. But she was the one whom I heard say, "I didn't want that to be the 'story' about me going into the competition." ...

For me, the example that has stuck with me is that Tessa/Scott said something similar regarding one of their competitions, although I do not recall which one.

ETA:

[I am no defender of TSL, but I should add that in the Tessa/Scott example of mine, their comment IIRC did not come after anything from TSL. In that respect, a difference from Ashley's situation.
My memory is very fuzzy at this point, but it's possible that Tessa/Scott were speaking of 2010 Olympics.]​

(I kept editing my post above before seeing yours ... had removed my mention of Tessa/Scott there ... and now am ending up adding it back here. )

---

Forgot to include a little FYI earlier:

Chelsea Liu apparently has joined Skating Club of New York. (Danny already was a member, along with Tarah.)

SCNY posted a nice photo (Jun 30) of Chelsea/Danny together in Team USA jackets (as well as photos of other members with GP assignments).

(To be clear: Elite skaters who train all over the country are among SCNY's members.
I am not/not/not raising any question re Chelsea/Danny's training base.)​

(Off topic: Camden also is a new member of SCNY.)​

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

But you're omitting several, including the most famous and shocking ones -- Chris and Alexa. Their axel lift came down halfway through after you can see him struggle to get her to the top of the lift,

I didn't intentionally omit Alexa/Chris's famous problem. I think I missed their performance in this review video b/c I didn't re-watch this straight in one sitting this time. I've previously re-watched the 2019 U.S. pairs event (sp and fp) several times when it was accessible on NBCSportsGold.

The rink did seem cursed with contagious lift issues. As well, with Chris having a wrist injury, I completely discount the problems the Knierims had on the twist and on their lifts. Plus, let's not forget that everyone had just learned about John Coughlin's suicide. That tragic, unexpected news gave, especially the pairs event, a more surreal vibe with below the surface emotions and nerves obviously more tense and fragile than usual. However, the show must always go on (even this past season, thankfully, they managed to organize U.S. Nationals during a pandemic).

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

But you're omitting several, including the most famous and shocking ones -- Chris and Alexa. Their axel lift came down halfway through after you can see him struggle to get her to the top of the lift, in a very uncharacteristic way; and then near the end, for the one-handed (group 3 (or 4?) lift, he couldn't even lift her at all. That lift, like Tarah & Danny's, was usually meant to be a grand finish. Not only that, in the sp Chris struggled to catch Alexa from the twist. Of course, after the free skate, they revealed that Chris's left wrist was injured and he'd need surgery even. But we spectators didn't know that at the time. Shock factor. Of course, they were perfectly within their rights not to reveal the injury ahead of time -- many skaters don't want that to be their "story" ahead of a competition.

Chelsea and Ian's axel lift also came down halfway through. Misha had to muscle Audrey up in one of their lifts, and even then it came down early and incomplete. Michael Weiss talks rather at length about that one. Deanna and Nate's reverse lift went up, but not the way it should have -- they saved it very well but it wasn't as spectacular as usual -- and that's why she was so angry at the end. Jim Peterson said to her, as she came off the ice, "That was great!" And she, still angry, grumbled something like "that's my favorite lift." And I remember another several couples having some visible trouble, probably not visible in the videos, due to position of the camera. Particularly one right in front of me where he was holding her overhead, one-handed, and he was losing his grip. She adjusted her position and the lift bounced five or six times. That was a couple early in Part 1 of the event, but I don't remember who. It was as impressive as it was scary! ETA: my impression is that she was the one who saved the lift. Another example that the woman's technique in a lift is as important as the man's.

As I hinted before, the whole event was a great revelation in how well pairs couples adjust, save lifts, and keep the girl safe when lifts do come down. Respect! It also made Ashley and Timothy's near-perfect free skate even more thrilling.

Thanks for all these details. The fact that you witnessed this up close and personal in the arena, makes a difference in your recall and emphasis on every aspect of what happened.

I haven't had time to finish re-watching the final group in Skater Historian's Pt. 2 video.

In the Pt. 1 video, I realize that Winter/Max's music selection was blanked due to copyright issues, but that's extremely annoying, because I loved their pairing so much. And this event was the bittersweet end of their partnership. They both knew going in that this would be their final Nationals as a team, though of course Max's retirement wasn't announced until the event was over. He had been struggling with injuries. Yet, these two gave it their all in both programs, which are very poignant and memorable for me. It sucks to have random music pasted over their entire appearance. It was even blaring during their kiss 'n cry, and unfortunately obliterated the excellent commentary by Weiss & White. I found that entire section frustrating and distracting, so I had to scroll past it.

I want unadulterated video of this event! I want my cake and eat it too!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

With Danny N & Sasha F now working exclusively with Drew Meekins, I wonder what's up now with Nica D & Ian Meyh. Are D/M still paired and with Sappenfield? What about the few other teams who remained under Sappenfield? Have they made other coaching arrangements, or are they in the process of doing so?

What are Winter D's prospects now? Is she on partner search? Is Mark Sadusky eyeing a move to Detroit to reunite with Jim Peterson and his crew? What are Brynne M's plans? Would she and B Nagy be a possibility? Or, are Tarah K and B Nagy considering pairing up on-ice?

Moreover, has Aliona's plans with T.J. ended like a Don Quixote flutzing with windmills fever dream?

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Some training and practice clips posted on Instagram. Programs thread needs updating with an apparent Billie Eilish selection by K/F?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CQ1zD1oDT6b/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQy1OBDDh8H/?hl=en

U.S. pairs teams are hard at work for the new season. My heart is going pump-pump for all these remarkable athletes! Strut your stuff! Shine! Have fun!


LOL, I see a lot more chemistry between Chelsea & Danny skating to Taylor Swift's Lover, than I see between Taylor and her co-star in the official Lover video from two years ago.

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The chemistry between Chelsea/Danny is surely in part due to Adam Rippon's inspired choreography, as well as to C&D likely being overjoyed to find not only a suitable partnership, but perhaps a magical on-ice connection that opens up new and unexpected horizons.

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well
To end up with you . . .

Can I go where you go?
And can we always be this close?
Forever and ever . . .

 

[twirlingaround]

Some training and practice clips posted on Instagram. Programs thread needs updating with an apparent Billie Eilish selection by K/F?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CQ1zD1oDT6b/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQy1OBDDh8H/?hl=en

U.S. pairs teams are hard at work for the new season. My heart is going pump-pump for all these remarkable athletes! Strut your stuff! Shine! Have fun!


LOL, I see a lot more chemistry between Chelsea & Danny skating to Taylor Swift's Lover, than I see between Taylor and her co-star in the official Lover video from two years ago.

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The chemistry between Chelsea/Danny is surely in part due to Adam Rippon's inspired choreography, as well as to C&D likely being overjoyed to find not only a suitable partnership, but perhaps a magical on-ice connection that opens up new and unexpected horizons.

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well
To end up with you . . .

Can I go where you go?
And can we always be this close?
Forever and ever . . .

Wow, K/F those THROWS look so Good. I wonder if that is just a montage to Billie Eilish or their actual music? It would be nice to hear some music announcements soon

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

In the OIP clip of Chelsea/Danny skating to Taylor Swift's Lover, an infamous podcast thinks L/O didn't show any lifts. It's surprising the podcast hosts missed or failed to remember L/O's gorgeous lift and their amazing, jaw-dropping lift dismount at the end of the clip!

In the clip, L/O look to me to be more than just a good, first year team (which is the somewhat dismissive way one of the hosts assessed the L/O pairing). Granted, we need to see how L/O will fare competitively with sbs jumps, throws and 3-twist. But, as we know, Chelsea previously skated with Brian Johnson, and they had a very good 3-twist.

The reasons why K/O never had a good 3-twist are probably not related to any lack in Danny's abilities. Pairs teams need to work on matching technique and timing. Still, it takes as much ability and core strength from the female partner as it does from the male partner to succeed with lifts, throws and 3-twist.

 

[skylark]

The chemistry between Chelsea/Danny is surely in part due to Adam Rippon's inspired choreography, as well as to C&D likely being overjoyed to find not only a suitable partnership, but perhaps a magical on-ice connection that opens up new and unexpected horizons.

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well
To end up with you . . .

Wow, is that appropriate or what. At least .... in our imaginations it might be. And the imaginings and the illusion can sometimes be part of the magic of pairs.

Can I go where you go?
And can we always be this close?
Forever and ever . . .

This is like the beginning stage of romantic relationships universally. Or, it could be, a new pairs or dance partnership even if it's not romantic.

On that note, in all our wonderings that Tarah Kayne and Balazs Nagy haven't announced a partnership .... I was thinking about the pairs couples and ice dance couples who have said after the fact that deciding to break up or forego their marriage or romance off the ice was a key to creating or re-creating a good partnership on the ice, and that it was a conscious decision. I'm sure of that about Elena Bechke/Denis Petrov, and Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue. I think there are more that I'm less familiar with. So anyway, what I was wondering is if Tarah and Balasz made the reverse decision, to keep the off-ice romance, but not to try a professional partnership. I mean, it would be an unusual, novel choice. Of course this speculation is all in my mind. Another possibility is that Kayne/Nagy are actually skating together and keeping that private for now. I mean, for months all I'd heard about Chelsea and Danny is that it seemed they were working together at Great Park, possibly that Danny was helping Chelsea out, or even helping coach her. I don't recall where I heard that or from whom I heard it. (Was it from you, @BlissfulSynergy ?) And then suddenly last week, KA-BOOM! Seemingly out of the blue, they emerge into the light, fully formed and beautiful together.

 

[skylark]

Wow, K/F those THROWS look so Good. I wonder if that is just a montage to Billie Eilish or their actual music? It would be nice to hear some music announcements soon

When I watched that clip, I had two thoughts. First, that Alexa's landings looked so good. They were already wonderful, and now even better. Secondly, that it seemed to me that Brandon's presentation of her during the ride-out after the jump are ... well, more beautiful. As though he was thinking more about the important techniques before, and that now he's added a sort of more emotional element to his aftermath of throwing her.

 

[skylark]

Here's a short clip of Ashley and Timothy showing "detail work" on the FS to "W.E."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ9FwVVjmIM/

I don't know whose voice we hear on the audio, but I know they're at Nina Mozer's two-week training camp right now. As the post of them doing practice lifts with two other couples is from.

With these two fun shots (link below), Ashley reports that their SC and NHK assignments complete the "full complement." With their previous assignments, they've now had the opportunity to compete at all six stops on the Grand Prix circuit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ6aw89DCAg/

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Wow, is that appropriate or what. At least .... in our imaginations it might be. And the imaginings and the illusion can sometimes be part of the magic of pairs.

I mean, for months all I'd heard about Chelsea and Danny is that it seemed they were working together at Great Park, possibly that Danny was helping Chelsea out, or even helping coach her. I don't recall where I heard that or from whom I heard it. (Was it from you, @BlissfulSynergy ?

No, that didn't come from me. Sadly, I don't have skating insider sources I'm in contact with at this time. All I had seen on forums and social media is that Danny was at the Irvine rink, either coaching or possibly scouting for a new partner. Around the same time, I saw the news that Chelsea was back with Meno/ Sand, apparently looking for a partner. I was surprised to hear that she was no longer with Chinese fed. I'd love to know more about her experiences in China. And it would be nice to see a good article about how L/O ended up partnering. Perhaps they were just together in a learning and working-out capacity, and then realized how well they matched.

Yep, those lyrics definitely match (at least in my imagination), the fact that Chelsea was in a sense 'borrowed,' not by a lover in a romantic way. But she was 'courted' and won over for a time by Chinese fed. And surely her heart was involved in the sense of having a Chinese heritage. Surely, her two seasons with Chinese fed have helped her grow as a person and as a skater, which makes the 'borrowing' experience worthwhile.

In Danny's case, he and Tarah had so many ups-and-downs and obstacles to overcome, which can be 'blues-inducing.' Yet, they gave it their all, and surely learned and gained a lot in the process, which again, is invaluable and worthwhile.

On so many levels, in competitive sports and in life, heartbreak and setbacks are difficult to endure, but also tend to provide opportunities for growth.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

This is like the beginning stage of romantic relationships universally. Or, it could be, a new pairs or dance partnership even if it's not romantic.

Can I go where you go?
And can we always be this close?
Forever and ever . . .

Looking at the lyrics and contemplating your observations made me immediately think of Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. My first U.S. pairs team crush back-in-the-day! Tai & Randy are the template for iconic pairs team bond. They stayed together through thick and thin. They are the epitome of a strong, unbreakable pairs bond on and off the ice. Not intimately romantic, but they shared a pairs romance and an extraordinarily supportive life adventure altogether, which still endures after all these years.

Plus, it's notable that both Tai/Randy and Meno/Sand were coached by the legendary John Nicks. The U.S. pairs legacy continues, in good hands! And I do include as part of that legacy, the ongoing work of Brubaker/Berton in Chicago; Peterson/Evora in Detroit; and the burgeoning pairs camp in Boston, which also has a venerable history.

I agree with your romance decision-making vs on-ice career examples. And I would add James/ Cipres to those names, based on Vanessa's comments during an interview. She explained how they had to make the decision not to date anymore in order to put the focus squarely on their pairs career.

 

[ice coverage]

On Katie McBeath's Instastory today, she mentioned "competition week" -- apparently meaning this week.

My guess would be that she is referring to Los Angeles Open?

(2021 LA Open Quick Links: https://www.lafsc.org/events [scroll down]
Start orders are not posted yet, but Junior and Senior Pairs SP on Friday Jul 9; FS on Saturday.
The event will have a live stream.)

---

... I mean, for months all I'd heard about Chelsea and Danny is that it seemed they were working together at Great Park, possibly that Danny was helping Chelsea out, or even helping coach her. I don't recall where I heard that or from whom I heard it. ... And then suddenly last week, KA-BOOM! Seemingly out of the blue, they emerge into the light, fully formed and beautiful together.

Without knowing how many months you are talking about, I will just mention (FWIW) that in a March 11 photo, Danny (untagged) appears to be at Skating Club of Boston.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMRxp-dr0KH/

I feel 99.99% sure that Danny is in the photo, although of course I do not know why he was at SCOB at that time.
(Off the top of my head, I do not recall the next time that he was sighted back at Great Park. I do realize that he had been at Great Park earlier.)

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I feel 99.99% sure that Danny is in the photo, although of course I do not know why he was at SCOB at that time.

LOL at that caption by @olgalexcoaching. The accompanying photo of three pairs guys doing an upside down strength-training exercise is chef's kiss!

I can definitely make out Danny to the left due to his distinguishable head being visible. Although the other two guys aren't as distinguishable, I would guess they are Misha M and Spencer H, since they are two prominent pairs guys situated in Boston.

Danny seemingly was there for training sessions. Of course, he could have also squeezed in a pairs tryout too, for all we know. Ultimately, as the Lover lyrics express, for Chelsea & Danny: "All's well that ends well to end up with you." In an on-ice partnership of course. Pairing up is all about their passion for skating.

A July 4th post by Chelsea Liu (with Danny), photos by Matej Silecky:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ6iYgkr5PX/

In other Irvine rink news, Matej & Kate received choreo from John & Sinead Kerr:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ1Su2TrJVC/