2022-23 US Pairs Figure Skating

[ice coverage]

I was just thinking of how much more stable ID is than are pairs, at least in the US. Although there are some splits, there are far fewer and it’s much more normal for teams to be together for many years.

The thing is that Hubbell/Donohue, Chock/Bates, and Hawayek/Baker are/were outliers in terms of longevity of this season's U.S. ice dance couples. Also Carreira/Ponomarenko, who placed seventh at 2022 U.S. Nats.

Without them, I would not say that it is "much more" normal for U.S. ice dance partnerships to be together "for many years."
Fifteen senior dance couples qualified for 2022 Nats.
In their third season together: Green/Parsons placed fourth; Wolfkostin/Chen placed sixth; Cesanek/Yehorov placed tenth.
The remaining eight senior couples were in their first or second season together.
In their first season together, @skylark's favorites Bratti/Somerville placed fifth.

Sixteen junior dance couples qualified for 2022 U.S. Nats.
Aside from the three sibling couples, the Pham/Rogers partnership had the most longevity. In their fourth season together, they placed fourth.
In their second season together: Neset/Markelov won; Flores/Tsarevski would have been very strong contenders for the podium.
In their third season together: Ling/Wein placed third; Carhart/Horovyi placed fifth.
Peal siblings placed third. Brown siblings had to withdraw.
[Hauer/Starr are a grey area; in the second season of their revived partnership, they placed sixth. They also had an earlier partnership together, but I don't know for how many seasons (ETA [on Apr 14]: two seasons, I think). In between their new and old partnerships together, she had a different partner (not for long); not sure whether he had a different partner too.]

ETA (on May 7):

Between Hauer/Starr's new and old partnerships, he too had a different partner. Hat tip to Sylvia (whose post I noticed when browsing thru old FSU threads).
https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-qualifying-pipeline-info.105692/post-5682744

2020 Eastern Sectional Ice Dance + Pairs Challenge

Event Results for 2020 Eastern Sectional Ice Dance + Pairs Challenge

ijs.usfigureskating.org

---

ETA (on Apr 29):

For my own convenience/reference, I like for the new season's thread to include a link to the previous season's thread. I only now am belatedly remembering to add the link to the 2021-22 thread:​

2021-22 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

It's about time that we started a US pairs thread for the new season. I can't think of a better item of news to begin the thread with than the following, reported by @GoneWithTheWind in the Partner Switch thread: U.S. Figure Skating released their ISP list and Chelsea Liu and Danny O'Shea are...

www.goldenskate.com

 

[Seven Sisters]

I was just thinking of how much more stable ID is than are pairs, at least in the US. Although there are some splits, there are far fewer and it’s much more normal for teams to be together for many years.

There have been high-profile splits in US dance fairly recently also. I’m thinking of Nguyen/Kolesnik, who many thought would be the Next Big Thing in US dance after they won Junior Worlds, and Flores/Tsarevski, not as accomplished but favorites of mine, just delightful.

McNamara and Carpenter also won Junior Worlds and split afterwards. And of course the Parsons siblings and the Green siblings split, but that led to a fabulous result that is probably beyond what either original team could have accomplished if it had stayed together.

Splits are just a part of life.

 

[TontoK]

There have been high-profile splits in US dance fairly recently also. I’m thinking of Nguyen/Kolesnik, who many thought would be the Next Big Thing in US dance after they won Junior Worlds, and Flores/Tsarevski, not as accomplished but favorites of mine, just delightful.

McNamara and Carpenter also won Junior Worlds and split afterwards. And of course the Parsons siblings and the Green siblings split, but that led to a fabulous result that is probably beyond what either original team could have accomplished if it had stayed together.

Splits are just a part of life.

The part of your post that I've highlighted is important. It's not necessarily a terrible thing for a split to occur. Aside from competitive aspects, sometimes people split just because one partner is done (ex: Chris Knierim) or one partner has made a life decision that does not include the other (ex: Audrey Lu). No one is at fault.

Life just happens, and in a pair, there's twice an many ways that life can happen.

PS. I agree that Green and Parsons have a much better future than I could imagine for either of their previous partnerships with siblings.

 

[skylark]

Some lovely news! Congratulations to US pairs team Anastasia Smirnova and Danylo Siianytsia, who are in 3rd place after the SP at the World Junior Championships!

I didn't have time to watch the whole competition, but I watched their SP, and enjoyed it very much. I like their flair; they showed some great performance ability, They got level 3s and 4s -- level 4 on their spectacular 3twist, their lift and spins. I enjoyed their good unison on the combination spins. Since I saw a video of them last (which has been a while, maybe even 2 years) they've improved a lot.

Here's the link to the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C__JxrHHz4

 

[skylark]

And some more lovely news ... Ashley Cain-Gribble/Timothy Leduc's 2022 Nationals Free Skate has won Best Performance - Pairs award from the Professional Skaters Association!

Best Performance Pairs
Timothy LeDuc / Ashley Cain-Gribble — Championship Pairs Free Skate Program
PSA Coaches – Peter Cain, Darlene Cain, Nina Mozer
Choreographer – Pasquale Camerlengo
Music Selection – "Dance For Me Wallace" and "Charms" from the W.E. soundtrack
Costume Design – Denise Freye, Darlene Cain

Kudos to Ashley, Timothy, and Team! I scrolled down to previous years and noticed that Ashley and Timothy have won this award 3 times: in 2017 for their SP to "I've Put a Spell on You" -- when that was their very first Nationals together as a pair and they'd been skating together for less than a year! Then they won it in 2019, for W.E. soundtrack FS, and this year ... when they were in a whole gorgeous new stratosphere with both their SP and FS performances.

Best Performance Awards — Professional Skaters Association

Best Performance Awards

skatepsa.com

(2022 Best Performance winners in other disciplines:
Mariah Bell FS, Ilia Malinin FS, Hubbell/Donohue FD, Haydenettes FS.)

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

What "quick fix" is she referring to? Any ideas? Sometimes the figure skating 'shorthand' perplexes me. She's responding to Claire Cloutier's twitter about Brian Johnson's retirement. It seems like a non-sequitur to me. I'd really like to know what people think.

I read it that Tai is simply saying (from personal experience of being a competitor and of watching and knowing how U.S. fed has usually operated) that developing talent with patience and steadiness (as during her era) reaps more rewards than hurried quick fixes. I don't think Tai is referencing any particular 'quick fix,' AFAIK. She must be indicating that making quick decisions to shore up the lost talent at the top won't be beneficial in the long run.

That's my guess. For a more definitive answer, it's always possible to contact Tai and ask her directly.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I don’t know though because IIRC, Tai and Randy were paired up at the whim of a coach.

I wouldn't phrase it like that, as being a 'whim'. I believe that Mabel Fairbanks saw something in Tai & Randy, even at a young age. They matched very well, and Mabel probably saw that. She was right. She was also responsible for coaching quite a few young skaters who went on to do very well nationally and internationally.

I think that, given Brandon Frazier's illness during Nationals, it was judged too risky to send Jessica/Brian to 4CC, when they were first alternates to the Olympics.

I don't think a reason was ever given. Possibly that was the thinking since Beijing's restrictions around COVID were so great. Still, it seems to me that it would have been difficult for first alternates to sub if necessary unless the need was known prior to flights taking off for China. There were restrictions on who could enter the country. AFAIK, first alternates were not being allowed to travel as part of teams, just in case.

The other part of this is whether or not Jess/Brian were brought into the loop to have their feelings on competing at 4CCs taken into consideration. It's possible that they weren't interested in competing at 4CC after not making the Olympic team, yet coming so close.

 

[moonvine]

This is so sad. Out of all these pairs only one is possibly still together.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I don’t know though because IIRC, Tai and Randy were paired up at the whim of a coach. I may be thinking of a different pair but I thought they were at the stage where holding a girl/boy’s hand was “ewwww.” She’s also looking through the lens of a what, 40 year career? For various reasons I’d think that wouldn’t be possible for most people.

IMO, Tai Babilonia is thinking about the idea of teams sticking together through difficult challenges, which maybe some partners need to think more about doing, especially when changing partners isn't going to result in better competitive chances necessarily. Often, switching to someone new (thinking that the grass might be greener) just leads to a new set of challenges.

For example, look at what has happened to Nica Digerness and Danny Neudecker since they split. Both have gone through two different partners each, searching for success. And so far, neither has yet made it back to to compete in senior pairs at U.S. Nationals. Perhaps, had they stayed together and worked out whatever challenges they were facing, they might be fairly much at the top by now, as a talented and experiencded up-and-coming pairs team. I'm not sure why they couldn't have grown together. I wonder whether it was just injuries, or whether it was Sappenfield's meddling? It could be the latter.

Also, please do not reference Mabel Fairbanks' intuition in pairing the very young Tai and Randy together, as merely 'a whim.' Fairbanks was a very good, established coach and former professional skater. She coached a number of skaters when they were young, who went on to enjoy significant competitive success. She's not in the U.S. figure skating HoF for relying on 'whims.' I'm sure she was noticing their physicality and their ability, and if nothing else, she must have felt that it was worth their while to learn and grow together. It was about learning how to skate, and obviously they did match well, particularly as youngsters. I always appreciate the fact that when Tai began to mature, and her body filled out, and she wasn't a skinny mini anymore, they maintained their partnership and furthered their dedication and commitment. That's how they became great champions.

Yes Tai & Randy skated in a completely different era. The pace of life was slower, and there weren't as many competitions. But their path was not any easier than what fs athletes face today. There are probably a number of instances where pairs partnerships should not have been dissolved. Sure, it is necessary to split sometimes, for different reasons, including injuries, family-related issues and logistics, or changes in goals and interests. But overall, taking that step of calling it quits, should be examined more carefully.


Oh, now I see that I had briefly responded to your comment previously. Forgive me for revisiting the topic. My points are just observations in regard to my deep admiration and respect for Mabel Fairbanks, and for Tai & Randy. I have no intention to offend.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I was noticing that Ashley Cain is now back on the ice:

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "feels good to be back on the ice☺️ wearing @gabriellapapadakis x @sewsewyou (top) & @lisamckinnon90210 (pants) 🦋"

3,611 likes, 62 comments - icegirlash on May 16, 2022: "feels good to be back on the ice☺️ wearing @gabriellapapadakis x @sewsewyou (top) & @lisamck..."

www.instagram.com

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "flying around 🦋 wearing @chiquesport @leggsbrand & vc to @maddiebesgen 🤍"

2,686 likes, 24 comments - icegirlash on May 17, 2022: "flying around 🦋 wearing @chiquesport @leggsbrand & vc to @maddiebesgen 🤍"

www.instagram.com

This is amazing and goal-worthy

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "Come stretch with me! Every week I work with Shelby McNamara for my flexibility. She is a U.S. Rhythmic National Champion, 2x World Team Member, and founder of FlexAbilities — an online flexibility training program for ath

2,578 likes, 35 comments - icegirlash on May 18, 2022: "Come stretch with me! Every week I work with Shelby McNamara for my flexibility. She is a U.S. R..."

www.instagram.com

Wonderful moments:

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "☺️"

icegirlash on May 11, 2022: "☺️"

www.instagram.com

Ashley has removed 'Gribble' from her name, etc. I don't know what that portends, but I wish her well in everything she pursues going forward, and that she never has any regrets. I appreciate so much the fond memories I have of her skating journey. I am hopeful she might be able to continue competitively. But if not, perhaps she will remain involved in skating in whatever capacity she feels is best for her.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

McNamara and Carpenter also won Junior Worlds and split afterwards.

M/C did not split right after winning junior Worlds. They had come in 2nd the year prior to winning. Afterward, they decided to remain in juniors, but fell to 7th at junior Worlds. Then they competed for three seasons as seniors, with reasonably good results (but they were stuck behind a deep U.S. senior ice dance field). Unfortunately, M/C also experienced injury setbacks, despite some memorable performances as seniors. Quinn eventually decided to retire, and Lorraine found a new partner (Anton Spiridonov).

 

[skylark]

I was noticing that Ashley Cain is now back on the ice:

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "feels good to be back on the ice☺️ wearing @gabriellapapadakis x @sewsewyou (top) & @lisamckinnon90210 (pants) 🦋"

3,611 likes, 62 comments - icegirlash on May 16, 2022: "feels good to be back on the ice☺️ wearing @gabriellapapadakis x @sewsewyou (top) & @lisamck..."

www.instagram.com

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "flying around 🦋 wearing @chiquesport @leggsbrand & vc to @maddiebesgen 🤍"

2,686 likes, 24 comments - icegirlash on May 17, 2022: "flying around 🦋 wearing @chiquesport @leggsbrand & vc to @maddiebesgen 🤍"

www.instagram.com

This is amazing and goal-worthy

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "Come stretch with me! Every week I work with Shelby McNamara for my flexibility. She is a U.S. Rhythmic National Champion, 2x World Team Member, and founder of FlexAbilities — an online flexibility training program for ath

2,578 likes, 35 comments - icegirlash on May 18, 2022: "Come stretch with me! Every week I work with Shelby McNamara for my flexibility. She is a U.S. R..."

www.instagram.com

Wonderful moments:

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "☺️"

icegirlash on May 11, 2022: "☺️"

www.instagram.com

Thanks for posting these, which I've seen and especially enjoy the last one. Also, it's notable that Ashley's just now posting that she's back on the ice, which seems to mean that she was off ice ever since Worlds. Good for her for complying with doctors' orders and protecting her health first, which is confirmed by the fact that she and Tim withdrew from their contracts with ICe Dreams and (1 appearance) SOI.

Ashley has removed 'Gribble' from her name, etc. I don't know what that portends, but I wish her well in everything she pursues going forward, and that she never has any regrets. I appreciate so much the fond memories I have of her skating journey. I am hopeful she might be able to continue competitively. But if not, perhaps she will remain involved in skating in whatever capacity she feels is best for her.

I saw this belatedly, only when it was pointed out on another forum. It was pointed out that she'd also removed 1400 IG posts with Dalton. I am very sad for them both. Such a lot of turmoil for her [ETA: both of them, probably] to have gone through in the past few months.

 

[skylark]

This is so sad. Out of all these pairs only one is possibly still together.

It does make it seem like we had a golden era of US Pairs for awhile. The good thing is, many of us fans knew that and appreciated it. Before I get a response, though, I do think we have a lot in our pairs, still, to look forward to.

The video makes me miss Haven Denney. It also makes me miss the more playful side of Brandon Frazier (and their lyricism together). I imagine this is a minority opinion, but it's how I feel.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

^^ Haven/Brandon were one of my favorite teams. I enjoyed them more than the Knierims during their rivalry days. It's such a great thing that all of these former teams always respected each other, and supported each other. It's a wonderful blessing that Alexa/ Brandon matching up led to such high achievements in a short period of time, after all the ups-and-downs they each went through in their former partnerships.

 

[apgold]

I'm sorry to hear about Ashley's marriage, how sad.

Apparently Audrey Lu is retiring or at least putting skating on pause to attend UCLA? According to an IG post from her coaches, she is leaving SCOB. So maybe this explains her split from Misha.

Best of luck to her in her studies and whatever she decides to do next!

Good luck sweet child to your new chapter in life!!!!
We are honored to spend the last 12 years together with you . We are very proud of who you’ve become. Thank you for bringing us so much joy and laughter , we will miss you!
•
•
Olga & Aleksey students @audreylu22
Follow Olgalexcoaching for more!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Below is another recent article on Knierim/Frazier. This article originates in the LA Times, which is difficult to access without an online subscription. So I'm linking the same article from a different media source. The article contains quotes from Tai Babilonia and Jenni Meno.

https://www.hastingstribune.com/helene-elliott-figure-skating-pair-alexa-knierim-and-brandon-frazier-share-special-bond-big-plans/article_29bf0fc9-4165-5861-b6a1-1750c5ea098a.html

 

[moonvine]

Below is another recent article on Knierim/Frazier. This article originates in the LA Times, which is difficult to access without an online subscription. So I'm linking the same article from a different media source. The article contains quotes from Tai Babilonia and Jenni Meno.

https://www.hastingstribune.com/helene-elliott-figure-skating-pair-alexa-knierim-and-brandon-frazier-share-special-bond-big-plans/article_29bf0fc9-4165-5861-b6a1-1750c5ea098a.html

That’s one of the stranger articles I’ve read. I mean…we all know Brandon is good friends with Chris. The article makes it sound like Alexa and Brandon had never met before. And after Tai saying US pairs should stay together more .she says they should retire?????

As for what else they could accomplish…isn’t that pretty obvious?

 

[moonvine]

I'm sorry to hear about Ashley's marriage, how sad.

Apparently Audrey Lu is retiring or at least putting skating on pause to attend UCLA? According to an IG post from her coaches, she is leaving SCOB. So maybe this explains her split from Misha.

Yes. Misha isn’t leaving SCOB. Although my understanding was that she would pursue singles skating at UCLA. She could be doing collegiate skating.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

That’s one of the stranger articles I’ve read. I mean…we all know Brandon is good friends with Chris. The article makes it sound like Alexa and Brandon had never met before. And after Tai saying US pairs should stay together more .she says they should retire?????

As for what else they could accomplish…isn’t that pretty obvious?

^^ Yep, I noticed that too. The writer apparently didn't realize that Brandon and Chris are close friends (from their early days as pairs guys in Colorado). I didn't know they were close friends either until after Brandon & Alexa paired up, and an article about the Chris & Brandon friendship was written revealing their close connection. Chris had even confided in Brandon first about his feelings for Alexa. Brandon had accompanied Chris & Alexa on their first date (I guess they double-dated). The writer needed to do better research.

Regarding Tai's quotes. Remember that how people are quoted in articles can be taken out of context. In any case, I don't think Tai's words are contradictory. She's mostly talking about younger skaters, when she says they need to stick together (and not go musical chairs chasing). Alexa & Brandon partnered at a late stage in both their careers. Because they are so compatible athletically, and they have wonderful pairs experience as well as trust in each other and prior personal interaction, they were able to come together quickly and achieve remarkable results. Thus, Tai is probably thinking that they've achieved their goals, so it's not crucial for them to come back to eligible competition. If they don't return competitively, that doesn't mean they won't continue skating together in shows.

 

[macy]

I was noticing that Ashley Cain is now back on the ice:

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "feels good to be back on the ice☺️ wearing @gabriellapapadakis x @sewsewyou (top) & @lisamckinnon90210 (pants) 🦋"

3,611 likes, 62 comments - icegirlash on May 16, 2022: "feels good to be back on the ice☺️ wearing @gabriellapapadakis x @sewsewyou (top) & @lisamck..."

www.instagram.com

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "flying around 🦋 wearing @chiquesport @leggsbrand & vc to @maddiebesgen 🤍"

2,686 likes, 24 comments - icegirlash on May 17, 2022: "flying around 🦋 wearing @chiquesport @leggsbrand & vc to @maddiebesgen 🤍"

www.instagram.com

This is amazing and goal-worthy

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "Come stretch with me! Every week I work with Shelby McNamara for my flexibility. She is a U.S. Rhythmic National Champion, 2x World Team Member, and founder of FlexAbilities — an online flexibility training program for ath

2,578 likes, 35 comments - icegirlash on May 18, 2022: "Come stretch with me! Every week I work with Shelby McNamara for my flexibility. She is a U.S. R..."

www.instagram.com

Wonderful moments:

Ashley Cain on Instagram: "☺️"

icegirlash on May 11, 2022: "☺️"

www.instagram.com

Ashley has removed 'Gribble' from her name, etc. I don't know what that portends, but I wish her well in everything she pursues going forward, and that she never has any regrets. I appreciate so much the fond memories I have of her skating journey. I am hopeful she might be able to continue competitively. But if not, perhaps she will remain involved in skating in whatever capacity she feels is best for her.

i noticed this too, they both also stopped following each other on instagram. i can't imagine it's anything good and i hope she's ok. whatever happened, i think it was very recent.