2024-25 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

[moonvine]

It's also already on the international assignments page.

I better get Mr O’Sheas Pumpkin shaped Reese’s off post haste.

 

[skylark]

Ellie and Danny must be training like mad for the Grand Prix Final! So proud of them.

I'm also very proud of Emily and Spencer for their exquisite skating. They're coming along, they missed a lot of training and will be building their momentum. And not forgetting that they skated at the GPF 2022.

 

[ramurphy2005]

Promo vid for Audrey and Balazs

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram: "There’s a new pairs team in town! 👏 We caught up with @audreyshin.skater and @nagybalu at the beginning of the season to talk about their new partnership. Cheer them on at Golden Spin of Zagreb this week! 🇺🇸"

3,083 likes, 18 comments - usfigureskating on December 2, 2024: "There’s a new pairs team in town! 👏 We caught up with @audreyshin.skater and @nagybalu at the beginning of the season to talk about their new partnership. Cheer them on at Golden Spin of Zagreb this week! 🇺🇸".

www.instagram.com

Youtube link for the same video if you don't want to use Instagram:

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

www.youtube.com

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I'm happy for Ellie & Danny. I think they have a very special movement quality together that is enhanced by their choreo, music selections, and costumes. Hopefully, they can continue progressing with greater consistency on the jumps and throws. They are a very stylish, well-rounded team. Ellie is fighting hard to master the challenges on the triple jump elements. Danny, as the veteran partner, has been quite wonderful in guiding and supporting Ellie! In the fp at GPF, perhaps Danny was checking to see if Ellie had landed which led to him not taking care of his own jump landing. But, yeah, that's figure skating.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I saw Audrey & Balazs at Golden Spin. The fp video is available now on YouTube. The sp and fp are on Rumble.

While I like the music and movement for their sp, the sp performance did not come across as well as the fp, at least for me. They had some errors in the sp, too, which didn't help. Overall, they look very good together physically. The jumps are okay, and at least landed fairly well in this debut (they have to work on unison and keeping their jumps within reasonably consistent range of each other). It's clear they have been working hard together. The twist is decent, and they look pretty good in general. With more experience under their belt together, they should do well because the elements all seem to be there. Clearly, they have to work on fine-tuning, consistency, getting to know each other, and forging a better connection. Due to their recent pairing, especially with Audrey being new to pairs, I could see the wheels turning in her head from element-to-element. With more experience and confidence, hopefully, she'll be able to smooth out her moves and begin performing and interacting more with Balazs.

At the moment, Audrey seems younger than 20 (especially in that cheesy US figskating video). She will be 21 in March. Balazs is 26. He'll turn 27 next July. So, their debut looks promising in terms of technical skills. But, there's going to be more work to do to find a connection and to bring more pizzazz and personality to their partnership. Balazs had a cool, sexy, fun vibe with Chelsea Liu. Of course, Chelsea is older and she was an experienced pairs skater (albeit with jump landing issues and the concussion history). Still, I miss the boffo, height defying, effortless Liu/Nagy triple twist. Plus, already the sp music used by Chelsea and Balazs is being used by other skaters, including the junior pairs team from China who won JGPF.

Pairs performances at 2025 U.S. Nationals will be interesting and fairly unpredictable, outside of Danny and Ellie most likely repeating as champions.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

The jumps are okay, and at least landed fairly well in this debut

I checked out the fp again. There's a lot to be positive about re the new Shin/ Nagy pairing. They match physically and seem to work well together. The basic elements are there on everything, but obviously need fine-tuning and polishing. Plus, they need to find an emotional connection and the right material to help them stand out. That can only come with more hard work and competitive opportunities.

Meanwhile, it is good that Audrey is able to land the jumps and throws fairly well under pressure, and she's handling the pairs elements quite well for being new to the discipline. What Audrey clearly has to watch out for is making sure her jump landings are solidly around. I checked judges' protocols at Golden Spin. As I suspected, Audrey received a q on the sbs 3S; and on the combo pass she got a q on the lead 3T with a UR on the 2A. Pulling for Audrey to secure those jump landings so they can maximize their tech points.

 

[saine]

I'll bring this here since I got curious with the recent posts here about them. I started wondering about Shin/Nagy being in the same coaching situation that Bombardier/Mimar were (they were initially coached by Bruno Marcotte and Andrew Evans, and left Marcotte.) Shin/Nagy left Andrew Evans at some point and added Meagan Duhamel.

Also Tammy Gambill is not listed on their ISU bio as part of their coaching team, but she was left tagged on the edited Instagram announcement.

Continuing on with another team that was coached by Bruno Marcotte and Andrew Evans...

Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy (USA, Pairs) left Andrew Evans and Tammy Gambill at some point and added Meagan Duhamel (ISU Bio). It was in their announcement post on Instagram, but was edited out to add Meagan's name. I quoted the post about their announcement since I can't go back on Internet Archive for the original Instagram post.

The picture of them with Andrew Evans is included in the Instagram announcement, but he was untagged. Tammy Gambill is still tagged though.

 

[FlossieH]

I checked out the fp again. There's a lot to be positive about re the new Shin/ Nagy pairing. They match physically and seem to work well together. The basic elements are there on everything, but obviously need fine-tuning and polishing. Plus, they need to find an emotional connection and the right material to help them stand out. That can only come with more hard work and competitive opportunities.

Meanwhile, it is good that Audrey is able to land the jumps and throws fairly well under pressure, and she's handling the pairs elements quite well for being new to the discipline. What Audrey clearly has to watch out for is making sure her jump landings are solidly around. I checked judges' protocols at Golden Spin. As I suspected, Audrey received a q on the sbs 3S; and on the combo pass she got a q on the lead 3T with a UR on the 2A. Pulling for Audrey to secure those jump landings so they can maximize their tech points.

Audrey unfortunately will always get extra scrutiny from judges on jumps because of who her coach was. She will get things called as q and < which would not always be called as such for other skaters.

 

[FlossieH]

Are there any pairs still coached by both Bruno Marcotte and Andrew Evans? I'm kind of wondering whether there has maybe been some sort of parting of ways at the coaches level, given that two pairs have changed at around the same time.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Was Evans listed as part of the Marcotte coaching team for Shin/ Nagy initially? I don't recall. Tammy Gambill was listed, but I think that was mostly as a convenience for Audrey who apparently has a strong bond with Tammy. Most likely, the support from Tammy for Audrey has been via Zoom or Facetime, followed by occasional visits to World Arena in Colorado, where S/N also take advantage of physical training at the Olympic Center.

ETA:
Oh, I now see saine's earlier post which I'd missed. I guess it is not unusual for coaching changes happening at rinks within a core group. Changes can occur for numerous personal, professional, and interpersonal reasons.

It seems like saine may be implying that Bombardier/ Mimar perhaps prefer to work solely with Evans to avoid training with a new team in Shin/ Nagy who are more direct rivals in their newly partnered ambitions. Whereas S/N training with Miura/Kihara is much less of a direct rival situation.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Audrey unfortunately will always get extra scrutiny from judges on jumps because of who her coach was. She will get things called as q and < which would not always be called as such for other skaters.

Well, I think the scrutiny is not because of Gambill being Audrey's coach, but because Audrey definitely has issues with getting fully around on her landings. Of course, UR issues have been problematic for a number of skaters coached by Gambill, for whatever reason.

I did not pay too much attention to Audrey's landings when I first viewed their programs at Golden Spin. When I looked again, I decided to check her landings more closely because I knew she has had URs as a singles skater. I did think the 2A in the combo was slightly under and that the other jumps questioned were close to being under but could probably pass. So, I was not surprised when I looked at the judges' protocols. I do not think it is necessarily Audrey's past issues as a singles skater that led to the calls. It is just the panel checking things out at the event. For sure, they are gonna closely examine new teams. I think they did their job.

Sometimes judges do allow good or bad jump reps to sway their calls. For e.g., at NHK, Andrew Torgashev absolutely fully landed his quad in the fp and got unfairly hosed by the judges who took that jump away from him. The jump was too well-landed to be called under. A q at worst, but it was a secure boom landing with no blade movement. Apparently, the judges simply were not used to seeing Torgy skate that well since he is not known internationally for landing quads.

Plus, judges seemed interested in keeping the young Japanese skater in third who has quads but lacks well-rounded presentation skills. I thought Torgy should have placed third in the sp, but he was kept in 4th. And then, the judges had the nerve to place Torgy behind Matteo Rizzo in the fp, when Rizzo had errors and did not perform to the music until he got his jumps completed. Also, Yuma had a stepdown error on a quad toe in the fp, which was called. But the tech panel completely ignored the fact that Yuma quite obviously badly under-rotated the quad toe right before the stepdown error! Yuma was going to win regardless due to his high-scoring sp. Why ignore obvious errors, and then call nonexistent ones. So, yep, judging can be a mixed bag.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

In the case of Audrey being new to pairs, she is going to be scrutinized and generally called for iffy landings. Getting q called is not as bad as being called under when you were not under. For sure, some skaters might not have gotten q on those jumps by Audrey, but the 2A was definitely under, and the q calls were fair. I think one of the reasons Audrey and Balazs were sent to Marcotte is in order to help Audrey fix her jumps and smooth her pairs transition.

Marcotte had previously successfully worked with Ellie Kam on her triple jump elements. Ellie is noticeably much stronger with her triple jump technique, albeit she is still trying to figure out mastering the throw landings in competition. Ellie did not have solid triple jump elements as a recent junior pairs skater when she first partnered with Danny. Yet, she is excellent in all other areas and she matches so well and moves beautifully with Danny.

I think U.S. fed is hoping that Audrey (who has decent jumps aside from the slight UR tendency) will benefit under Marcotte's tutelage. Balazs did not need special help, as he's a superb, experienced pairs guy. If anything, Balazs's wonderful twist technique (learned from Sappenfield and further honed in Meno/ Sand camp) has surely been helpful for Marcotte repairing Miura/ Kihara's problematic twist dismount contact.

 

[saine]

Was Evans listed as part of the Marcotte coaching team for Shin/ Nagy initially? I don't recall. Tammy Gambill was listed, but I think that was mostly as an emotional security blanket for Audrey who apparently has a strong bond with Tammy. Most likely, the support from Tammy forAudrey has been via Zoom or Facetime, followed by occasional visits to World Arena in Colorado, where S/N also take advantage of physical training at the Olympic Center.

Tammy is still tagged in their team announcement, so they seem to be on good terms at least. Andrew Evans is still pictured with them in the second photo for their announcement, and he must have been in the original announcement since he was listed as one of their coaches in the Retirements, Splits and New Teams thread.

 

[FlossieH]

My issue with the way q and < get called by judges is the inconsistency. I have no problem with judges being strict, provided they treat all skaters the same way (and I would actually prefer them to be strict but consistent). The issue, as your examples have highlighted, is that they are strict with some skaters and ignore things (or don't even look carefully) with others.

 

[Spiralgraph]

I too wish that judges would be consistent across the board. But that's not likely to happen soon. Part of the issue for S/N is that they are a brand new team and that was their first competition. Audrey and Balazs have no competitive history as a pair so perhaps the judges were inclined to look at their elements with a fine tooth comb. I expect S/N to improve steadily and as long as Audrey is landing the throw jumps regularly the might gain some good will from judges. It'll be interesting to note what happens to say the least.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Again, GS was S/N's first time out and not bad. They have been working hard, and apparentty did not want to rush their debut. Judging is always inconsistent from event-to-event in figure skating, thus results tend to be debatable. From what I saw of their programs via YouTube videos, the calls seemed fair enough. Better to get q called and be alerted after a first outing to work on getting around fully, no question, than not getting called and being slammed later at more important events.

Pairs will definitely be a battle at U.S. Nationals. I am thinking: Kam/O'Shea in first, with second a close contest between Efimova/ Mitrofanov and Chan/ Howe; and fourth a tug-of-war between Shin/Nagy* and McBeath/ Parkman. I also think that McBeath/ Parkman could surprise with two great performances and end up in 2nd or 3rd. C/H have the most experience together but they need to be more consistent and confident on the jumps and throws. E/M have lovely aesthetics, so I am hoping Alisa can conquer her equally problematic jump landing challenges.

I really enjoy watching Digerness/ Sadusky. They have good programs and they have made significant strides this season since joining MM Pairs at World Arena. D/S likely in 6th, and possibly even better, but they would need to be at their best. MarBed have been recovering from injuries, so they have had problematic outings this season. Perhaps 7th may be a closely fought contest between Williams/ Lewer; MarBed; and Korytek/ Chapman. K/C's progress has been hampered by paltry competitive opportunities due to the age-limit rules for senior international competition. Keyton/ Bearinger could also be in the at least 8th to 9th battle.

Finally, I see Cooke/Kennedy and Hanns/ Neudecker in 11th and 12th positions. But as always, anything is possible.

* Shin/ Nagy appear to have been put together as a team by U.S. fed, so if they skate well, they could be placed 2nd or 3rd. Still, I think C/H and E/M have greater skills right now as more experienced pair teams. Pewter would not be a bad placement for S/N in their first U.S. Nationals. Since only two U.S. teams can go to Worlds, I think it should be K/O with either E/M or C/H, to have the opportunity for U.S. pairs to get the best results at Worlds.

 

[aroundtheworld778]

Again, GS was S/N's first time out and not bad. They have been working hard, and apparentty did not want to rush their debut. Judging is always inconsistent from event-to-event in figure skating, thus results tend to be debatable. From what I saw of their programs via YouTube videos, the calls seemed fair enough. Better to get q called and be alerted after a first outing to work on getting around fully, no question, than not getting called and being slammed later at more important events.

Pairs will definitely be a battle at U.S. Nationals. I am thinking: Kam/O'Shea in first, with second a close contest between Efimova/ Mitrofanov and Chan/ Howe; and fourth a tug-of-war between Shin/Nagy* and McBeath/ Parkman. I also think that McBeath/ Parkman could surprise with two great performances and end up in 2nd or 3rd. C/H have the most experience together but they need to be more consistent and confident on the jumps and throws. E/M have lovely aesthetics, so I am hoping Alisa can conquer her equally problematic jump landing challenges.

I really enjoy watching Digerness/ Sadusky. They have good programs and they have made significant strides this season since joining MM Pairs at World Arena. D/S likely in 6th, and possibly even better, but they would need to be at their best. MarBed have been recovering from injuries, so they have had problematic outings this season. Perhaps 7th may be a closely fought contest between Williams/ Lewer; MarBed; and Korytek/ Chapman. K/C's progress has been hampered by paltry competitive opportunities due to the age-limit rules for senior international competition. Keyton/ Bearinger could also be in the at least 8th to 9th battle.

Finally, I see Cooke/Kennedy and Hanns/ Neudecker in 11th and 12th positions. But as always, anything is possible.

* Shin/ Nagy appear to have been put together as a team by U.S. fed, so if they skate well, they could be placed 2nd or 3rd. Still, I think C/H and E/M have greater skills right now as more experienced pair teams. Pewter would not be a bad placement for S/N in their first U.S. Nationals. Since only two U.S. teams can go to Worlds, I think it should be K/O with either E/M or C/H, to have the opportunity for U.S. pairs to get the best results at Worlds.

Would US likely send whoever places 1-2? I would think KO would be sent as long as they end up 1-3, but second place does seem wide open depending on who lands their jumps.
At Worlds I see it difficult for the US to place high enough to gain the right to send a third pair to the September qualifier, but anything can happen.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Would US likely send whoever places 1-2? I would think KO would be sent as long as they end up 1-3, but second place does seem wide open depending on who lands their jumps.
At Worlds I see it difficult for the US to place high enough to gain the right to send a third pair to the September qualifier, but anything can happen.

Yes, I also see regaining three spots at Worlds for U.S. pairs as extremely difficult, largely due to all the hungry, improved and improving teams internationally. Additional factors, sadly, are how U.S. pairs have traditionally lacked political backing, often been unfairly looked down on, and not always given credit for their strengths.

Still, if either E/M or C/H can show up with confidence and consistency to back up a strong Kam/ O'Shea at home Worlds in Boston, it might be possible to regain 3 spots for the Olympics season. Probably unlikely but not impossible. Since C/H and E/M both train together in Boston, the battle to make 2025 Worlds takes on an added dimension.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Would US likely send whoever places 1-2?

It probably depends upon who places 1 and 2. There's no doubt that Kam/ O'Shea will be sent to Worlds. Even if there's a mistake or two on throw landings (Kam's improving weakness), K/O made the GPF and they have solid, competitive skills that are world class (a cut above other domestic and international teams). E/M and C/H would do well to just be consistent by cutting down on sbs jump and throw landing errors. I give E/M the advantage for 2nd at Nationals. Hopefully, they can maintain confidence. They are a beautiful team aesthetically, plus they were very close to winning two medals on the GP and contesting for GPF.

C/H also have very good aesthetic skills, but they do not seem significantly strong at the moment, due to Spencer's surgery and rehab, plus Emily's ankle issues. C/H may be in a three-way battle for 3rd or 4th with Shin/Nagy and McBeath/Parkman.

 

[aroundtheworld778]

are how U.S. pairs have traditionally lacked political backing, often been unfairly looked down on, and not always given credit for their strengths.

Do you mean they are lacking political backing in their own federation or in the ISU in general? Megan Duhamel said recently in This and That that Kam/OShea have been judges favorites from the start, getting scores above what their technical skills normally merit, and that this year they are getting a big boost for Worlds in Boston. The PCS scores of the other US pairs even the new ones like Shin/Nagy also seem very solid.