2021-2022 U.S. Men's Figure Skating | Page 17 | Golden Skate

2021-2022 U.S. Men's Figure Skating

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
I think USFS would need to send Ilia (because of the clash between the JGPF and Golden Spin) to the challenger in Poland or the one in Austria to get his TES mins. Or he might not get them in time for 4CC, OG and WC (same goes for Lindsay Thorngren).

Scores from non-Challenger internationals also would count for ISU tech minimums.
I do think it is more likely that USFS would send Ilia and Lindsay to a Challenger.
But if not (for whatever reason), it would be possible for them to earn senior minimums at a non-Challenger.



... In other new the mens entry list for the Championship Series in Henderson is up and there are a lot of familiar names, including Andrew Torgashev, Eric Sjoberg, and Jordan Moeller.

I'll mention Dinh Tran too. :)
I'm happy that Sebastien Payannet and Mitchell Friess are entered -- it would be great if they can qualify for Nats again. :pray:
It will be the first year for Liam Kapeikis in the senior category of U.S qualifying. :unsure:

Regarding junior men:
Among Henderson's bigger field (compared to Blaine's) are: Michael Xie, Kai Kovar, Matthew Nielsen, and Beck Strommer.​
Taira Shinohara scored 175.84 in Blaine, which I hope will prove to be sufficient to qualify for Nats. (He also is on the entry list for Fort Wayne.)​
 

century2009

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Including Nathan? To each their own, but Nathan Chen will not make the Olympic team only due to injury or illness. His BOW is an entire universe ahead of the rest of the U.S. men. There's no way U.S. figure skating will keep Nathan off of the team, even if he has a bad day, or week at the office come Nationals. Imo, he is 1000% guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team.
I agree.

I am surprised that people really think Nathan will not be given a slot automatically. I mean have they watched mens figure skating?

He doesnt even need to show up at National and he is in the Olympic team. USFS is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very lucky to have him.

Jason and Vincent are vulnerable. They have the possibility to be push aside.
 
Last edited:

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
I want to see how Ilia does in a senior event before making any predictions on his Olympic chances. In the past he hasn't been the greatest competitor so it remains to be seen how he would fare against the senior men. If he goes up against a decent field and dominates then he absolutely deserves consideration for the Olympic team.

------------------------------------------------------

In other new the mens entry list for the Championship Series in Henderson is up and there are a lot of familiar names, including Andrew Torgashev, Eric Sjoberg, and Jordan Moeller.
I agree. After seeing Jason this week, I think he is in the best shape of his life. He defeated some good skaters this weekend and that International win will go a long way. Look at what happened to Amber last season. She was passed over for Karen because she had no real International experience. Jason is a PCS master and if he performs at his best, you know the crowd will go wild. Jason is also responsible for keeping our 3rd Spot for the Men after Vincent missed the Free Program at Worlds. If he skates cleanly, I just can't see the committee passing him over for a Junior Skater.
 
Last edited:

Dogo

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 2, 2020
In my opinion, the big event to send a young skater for experience to isn’t the Olympics. Look how well that worked out with Polina. Let them go to 4CCs or Worlds.
Completely agree. Ilia's goal should be to skate clean in both JGPF and Nationals. He will be on a pause until December whereas Jason's season has just begun. Ilia can always be there as a wildcard if someone get's injured going into the Olympics. But the main goal for his team should be to send him to either(or both) 4CC and Worlds since we don't know if any of the main US men will have the energy to go to these competitions. If Ilia shows a great performance here, he will be setting up the stage for a huge PC boost and great start of the 2022-2023 season. And maybe, who knows, being a great international leader.
 
Last edited:

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
I'm passionate about fairness for athletes, and in this case, I read more into your initial post than was warranted.
And hindsight being 20-20, I'm glad. Would you rather look back on the Olympic team as it is or look back on the Olympic team knowing there was a sexual abuser on it?
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
And hindsight being 20-20, I'm glad. Would you rather look back on the Olympic team as it is or look back on the Olympic team knowing there was a sexual abuser on it?
I haven't heard anything about a current skater being accused of sexual assault. Is this a fact?
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
I haven't heard anything about a current skater being accused of sexual assault. Is this a fact?
Sorry, I was referring to 2018, and the fact that Ross Miner is now suspended by SafeSport.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Completely agree. Ilia's goal should be to skate clean in both JGPF and Nationals. He will be on a pause until December whereas Jason's season has just begun. Ilia can always be there as a wildcard if someone get's injured going into the Olympics. But the main goal for his team should be to send him to either(or both) 4CC and Worlds since we don't know if any of the main US men will have the energy to go to these competitions. If Ilia shows a great performance here, he will be setting up the stage for a huge PC boost and great start of the 2022-2023 season. And maybe, who knows, being a great international leader.
From a strategic perspective, Ilia and his team should spend the next few months working on increasing his base value.

He's not going to match Jason on PCS. Any improvements he can make before Nationals will be small compared to the chasm that exists.

What he can do... overwhelm other skaters with base value. Add two quads in the short, add at least two more in the free.

This is, of course, easy to say, but hard to do. But if he's set on making the Olympic Team this cycle, it's not out of the question. Essentially, Ilia has to beat Jason in TES by more than Jason is going to beat Ilia in PCS. The issue is that Jason can have an off day and still score very well with his strength, but I'm not sure Ilia can have an off jumping day and have a chance.
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Sorry, I was referring to 2018, and the fact that Ross Miner is now suspended by SafeSport.
Got it. I think Ross will be removed from his rink following this incident. I certainly can't see any parent leaving their child in his hands knowing how he feels about certain people.
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
I want to see how Ilia does in a senior event before making any predictions on his Olympic chances. In the past he hasn't been the greatest competitor so it remains to be seen how he would fare against the senior men. If he goes up against a decent field and dominates then he absolutely deserves consideration for the Olympic team.

------------------------------------------------------

In other new the mens entry list for the Championship Series in Henderson is up and there are a lot of familiar names, including Andrew Torgashev, Eric Sjoberg, and Jordan Moeller.
Yay! Mitchell Friess!❤️ Thank you for posting!
 

Dogo

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 2, 2020
From a strategic perspective, Ilia and his team should spend the next few months working on increasing his base value.

He's not going to match Jason on PCS. Any improvements he can make before Nationals will be small compared to the chasm that exists.

What he can do... overwhelm other skaters with base value. Add two quads in the short, add at least two more in the free.

This is, of course, easy to say, but hard to do. But if he's set on making the Olympic Team this cycle, it's not out of the question. Essentially, Ilia has to beat Jason in TES by more than Jason is going to beat Ilia in PCS. The issue is that Jason can have an off day and still score very well with his strength, but I'm not sure Ilia can have an off jumping day and have a chance.
Exactly, I wouldn't take out Ilia out of the Olympic conversation. And not only for his sake (it is a big personal opportunity after all and if he earns it, so be it) but also because he can put some healthy pressure/competition onto Jason and Vincent.

However, I think working with the mentality of "making the olympic team" can backfire with Ilia's performance. He is still not a senior and the LP on his Courchevel GP showed us that he is still learning to manage his own expectations and nerves. He should skate for his own sake and happiness, always aiming for that clean program with increased artistry and adding a more competitive BV (that he can handle skating clean), and let the 'cards fall down' wherver they may fall. I support this boy so much and want him to have a steady and solid season. If he will end up competing with Yuma at some point, he needs all the experience he can get now with managing everyone's expectations on him.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
I agree. After seeing Jason this week, I think he is in the best shape of his life. He defeated some good skaters this weekend and that International win will go a long way. Look at what happened to Amber last season. She was passed over for Karen because she had no real International experience. Jason is a PCS master and if he performs at his best, you know the crowd will go wild. Jason is also responsible for keeping our 3rd Spot for the Men after Vincent missed the Free Program at Worlds. If he skates cleanly, I just can't see the committee passing him over for a Junior Skater.
I don't think so. He won, and rightly so taking both programs into account, but Jason can be a lot better than this competition, and I think he is going to have to be.

The good news is that Jason and his team aren't stupid. They know the threats, where he can earn more points, and they'll have a plan. It's early yet.
 

casualFSfan

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 16, 2018
Forgive me.

I'm passionate about fairness for athletes, and in this case, I read more into your initial post than was warranted.

And, no, I will not ignore your posts. Sometimes a fresh perspective is necessary, and it's good to hear from new voices.

For the record, I hope the Olympic Team is Nathan, Vincent, and Jason. If I had to make a prediction now, that's what I think the outcome will be. But I want that Team to be decided because of performances on the day, and for there to be no controversy as in years past.
All good 😊

The olympics are 4 months away, it’s a new season, and competition just started. Emotions are running high. As excited I am about the olympics, I may be relieved when it’s over. Only three medals yet so many great talents. May everyone skate to their potential and be satisfied with the results!
 

figureskatingandrainbows

As Kao Miura once said, スケートって難しい
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 8, 2020
Country
Olympic
The USFS does need to get Ilia and Lindsay to a Challenger. Even though I think it's pretty unlikely Ilia will go to the Olympics, he is a good choice for 4CC and needs minimums to compete there. Plus, he needs to get his name around the senior circuit for success later, and if he needs to make an emergency trip to Worlds, he needs to be eligible to compete. The same goes for Lindsay: it's better to have more skaters who can compete than not.
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
I don't think so. He won, and rightly so taking both programs into account, but Jason can be a lot better than this competition, and I think he is going to have to be.

The good news is that Jason and his team aren't stupid. They know the threats, where he can earn more points, and they'll have a plan. It's early yet.
I agree with this. I can't imagine that his team thought Jason would beat Mikhail. I know I didn't. I think his team gave him a program that if he skated cleanly, he'd be on the podium. I was shocked to see Jason win this event but, with his big component scores, I'm never surprised when he beats skaters that make errors.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
Jason told a Russian interviewer that said he had planned a 4S, that he was injured and not training for two weeks so he did not include it, but it is planned for Skate Canada. He did not look as sharp as Jason can, and that injury/ training may explain some of his roughness.

He also said this about his own skating: (of course, I'm sure he spoke in English, was translated to Russian, and now translated back to English)

I think it’s a sport. Everyone plays their trump cards and tries to do it in the best possible way. I don’t do a quad (yet!), Not because I just decided not to strain or I don’t want to jump. But what I do well also not a simple things at all. Transition, skating quality- it’s not an easy task to do it at the highest level.

For many years I had complexes about quads. I thought I wasn’t good enough, that I didn’t deserve my victories, that I didn’t live up to the standards set by other people. Actually I was devaluing my success. But I’m just a skater who works every day to be better. This is a sport. You go on the ice and show what you are capable of.



I think these are wise words for any skater, whatever their forte. Work on everything, perfect what you do best, go out on the ice and show what you're capable of.:hap10:
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
Forgive me.

I'm passionate about fairness for athletes, and in this case, I read more into your initial post than was warranted.

And, no, I will not ignore your posts. Sometimes a fresh perspective is necessary, and it's good to hear from new voices.

For the record, I hope the Olympic Team is Nathan, Vincent, and Jason. If I had to make a prediction now, that's what I think the outcome will be. But I want that Team to be decided because of performances on the day, and for there to be no controversy as in years past.
I think this is so interesting because I’m about fairness too. I think it’s not fair to leave, say, Nathan at home because he happened to have an off day at Nationals when he’s been carrying US Figure Skating on his back for the past 4 years. Of course everyone wants to go and there are only 3 spots. (2 for pairs). You’re right in that it doesn’t much matter who USFS picks as their 3rd or in some cases 2nd skater. Where it really counts is at Worlds, where placements are determined. So yes I would give preferential treatment to skaters who have gone and done the work and gotten the placements.
 

century2009

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
I think this is so interesting because I’m about fairness too. I think it’s not fair to leave, say, Nathan at home because he happened to have an off day at Nationals when he’s been carrying US Figure Skating on his back for the past 4 years. Of course everyone wants to go and there are only 3 spots. (2 for pairs). You’re right in that it doesn’t much matter who USFS picks as their 3rd or in some cases 2nd skater. Where it really counts is at Worlds, where placements are determined. So yes I would give preferential treatment to skaters who have gone and done the work and gotten the placements.
Nathan has been carrying USFS since 2016 season when he scored the highest score for a US man ever, winning against the big guys then, and we finally got back 3 spots at Worlds.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
Excuse me, Nathan has not been carrying anyone on his back, let alone the US men, and did not get back three spots all by his lonesome. :scratch2:

The US men *lost* the third spot in 2016. (ETA: which was ridiculous in and of itself, but another story. Nathan did not compete) In 2017, Nathan finished sixth and Jason finished seventh, earning back those three spots at Worlds. Without Jason's finish, no third spot. Let's not rewrite history. :)

That said, Nathan obviously has an excellent track record since then. Even though I am a "Top Three or Bust" gal, I cannot envision a scenario where one leaves Nathan off the Olympic team, unless he is heaven forbid too injured to compete. And there won't need to be a committee, because the Nats judges would give him whatever score he needed. I can't say I blame them
 
Last edited:
Top