2025-26 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating | Page 24 | Golden Skate

2025-26 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

Chelsea and Ryan posted a training clip at the Anaheim Ice rink, which is near Great Park Ice. From what I could see through online research, it looks like the Meno Sand & Christine Binder pairs coaching team also coach pairs at Anaheim Ice? 🤔
 
Alright, I’m trying to be patient and wait for official announcements from the skaters/coaches themselves but I feel like we have been seeing the soft launch of a new pairs team as someone suggested earlier. Emily Chan posted a pic of her and Timmy at a park while in Thailand. I don’t want to assume but I do think we have been seeing hints.

(I’ve tried adding the photo but alas technology is not my friend before coffee. It is on her IG)
 
Last edited:
Is McPike/Kovar separated? They are not on the list.

But I think there's lots of new junior teams coming up. I am sure their names will be on there after either their first competition or they submit videos for consideration
 
Not sure if means anything
Probably the list is not complete and names can be added later.

@yuki@thelake, since Kovar/McPike are not on the ISP, we were wondering if they split. Hopefully not, as they looked good together last season.

... Emily Chan posted a pic of her and Timmy at a park while in Thailand. I don’t want to assume but I do think we have been seeing hints.
I looked for the photo. It is among the carousel photos with the cover photo showing Emily with an elephant. 🐘Apparently, it was the Thailand workshop off-day and everyone went shopping and to the park. 😄The next to last photo is of Timmy holding Emily in a lift. They are wearing casual clothes, and smiling. It looks like everyone enjoyed the Thailand visit.

I noticed that Evan Lysacek was there with his wife, so I would guess they were involved in sponsoring and organizing the workshop. Evan was wearing his 2010 Olympic gold medal in some of the photos. Many Boston skaters were there with the rink's head coaches. In one set of clips posted by Emily, Timmy playfully (but strongly) holds Jimmy Ma in an overhead lift. 😂

Most of the recent photos posted on Emily's IG are of her and her boyfriend, Sasha Selevko -- he was also in Thailand.

I would imagine then that Audrey & Spence are a new team, and Emily is now paired with Timmy. The question is whether or not Spence and Audrey will train in Boston? Maybe there won't be official fanfare, just adding new teams' names to the ISP, as was done with McBeath/Nagy.
 
BTW, I also noticed that Liu/ Bedard thanked Meagan Duhamel when she commented on their posted new pairs spin, which looks gorgeous. I wonder if Meagan has been advising them or working with them on new moves?

Chelsea and Ryan posted a training clip at the Anaheim Ice rink, which is near Great Park Ice. From what I could see through online research, it looks like the Meno Sand & Christine Binder pairs coaching team also coach pairs at Anaheim Ice? 🤔
The Internet info is most likely faulty. It's possible that Anaheim rink and Great Parks Ice in Irvine are affiliated. But I noticed another comment on Liu/Bedard's recent post by Russ Scott, a pairs coach at Anaheim rink. It sounds like he is coaching Chels & Ryan, or at least, working with them in some capacity. But again, we can't know for sure until an official reveal.

I'm wondering if Liu/ Bedard are switching coaches and rinks since they weren't in the recent group photo at Irvine rink.

ETA: I'm not familiar with Russ Scott, but he's a former U.S. men's singles skater circa mid-90s, when the tv networks did not show all the skaters. There's video of one of his performances from 1995 on YouTube. 🙂
 
Last edited:
I was told Kovar has retired
Ohh, well I wish Milada the best of luck in her future pursuits off-the-ice. ❤️ She seemed to have good potential with Jared. But maybe there were injuries, and just the whole endless grind, which can be difficult to navigate while remaining motivated.

I wonder if Jared might try out with Liv. Or if Liv is pairing with Sadusky? Plus, is Nica Digerness getting in shape to make a comeback? 🤔 We'll soon discover, at least by the end of June perhaps.
 
Ohh, well I wish Milada the best of luck in her future pursuits off-the-ice. ❤️ She seemed to have good potential with Jared. But maybe there were injuries, and just the whole endless grind, which can be difficult to navigate while remaining motivated.

I wonder if Jared might try out with Liv. Or if Liv is pairing with Sadusky? Plus, is Nica Digerness getting in shape to make a comeback? 🤔 We'll soon discover, at least by the end of June perhaps.
Nica's mom posted a pic on FB of Nica climbing a rock wall in May, so Nica must be getting healthier. No word on whether she will go back to skating, though.
 
Some folks have posted pics on IG from the pairs camp. I did see Mark and I saw Olivia too. Not sure if they have paired up or not just saw them in the big picture of everyone there. None of the teams that train in Boston (or are perhaps planning to…..) were there. Of note Liu/Bedard have not been in any of the Irvine skaters pics but they were there and Chelsea has shared some pics.
 
Thanks for sharing TeamStarrman IG posts!

The smiling elderly couple posing with Starr and Daniil must be Bob & Sharon McMillan, the camp sponsors / hosts. TSm made a point of thanking them for 'the unforgettable experience.' I see Fedor Klimov also with TSm, but not Savin, so I wonder if Savin* made it there after all.

I'm really chuffed (i.e., delighted) to see John Kerr in a photo with Starr/ Daniil. Hoping this means Kerr is doing choreo for TSm. 😍

ETA:
* Scratch that. Savin appears in several IG-posted photos with the U.S. junior pairs skaters.
 
Last edited:
Of note Liu/Bedard have not been in any of the Irvine skaters pics but they were there
Chelsea's prior post practicing a creative pairs spin with Ryan at Anaheim rink, coupled with the supportive comment by Anaheim-based coach, Russ Scott, must be Chelsea's way of revealing their new training location. I hope it means a productive breath of fresh air for Chelsea & Ryan, and for Chels, especially. She's trained in pairs with Meno/ Sand since juniors and her first pairs partnership. Perhaps she & Ryan will benefit from a change of scenery and fresh input.

While Irvine rink is still a wonderful base, Sandman's absence since his heart attack and long recovery, surely has been a huge loss (which I admire Brandon Frazier stepping in to help fill). I believe Brandon will still be helping out bts, but not certain if he will be traveling to comps as much since he has a career job in finance.
 
I do not see Luke Wang involved in any posted U.S. pairs activities. Perhaps he has decided to take a break from skating to focus on academics at UCLA.

ETA:
Looks like Beck Strommer has found a pairs partner: Genesis Lira. We don't discuss younger teams too often, as they aren't usually prominently featured. I remember faces, but not always names. In any case, Laz Lune & Olivia Jung won 2026 U.S. novice pairs. Jung is now paired with Carter Griffin in Irvine. And apparently, Lune is now paired with Teryn Kim (based on the new season rink post by Jenni Meno Sand a few weeks ago). I did not see Lune & Kim in photos at the recent McMillan pairs camp. Perhaps they had scheduling conflicts and couldn't attend. There are some other new junior pairings, along with the usual splits.

In seniors, the unusual musical chairs switches remind me of the time when two top Chinese pairs teams were reformed. Yu/ Jin became Yu/ Zhang and Peng/ Zhang became Peng/ Jin. While Yu had a very difficult time emotionally accepting the partner switch, it seemed to be a better physical match-up for her with Zhang, albeit her heart never seemed to be fully in it ever again. The difference for Peng/Jin was striking in terms of personality and physicality. Yet, despite vibing immediately, Peng/ Jin's trajectory was later hampered by injuries, and unfortunately by having to hold their horses behind top Chinese team, Sui/ Han.

Hopefully, all the unexpected top U.S. pairs switches will result in beneficial, career-enhancing outcomes. 🍀
 
Last edited:
FWIW:

None of the teams that train in Boston (or are perhaps planning to…..) were there.

Cooke and Kennedy were in a big "class photo" from 2026 pairs camp, along with the McMillans and participants from all levels.
The most recent word (AFAIK) on Cooke and Kennedy is that they are training at SCOB.

It's possible that Anaheim rink and Great Parks Ice in Irvine are affiliated.

Anaheim Ice and GPI both belong to The Rinks umbrella group.
(Doesn't answer the question of who is or is not coaching L/B at this point.)

I was told Kovar has retired

She too was in the big class photo at 2026 pairs camp.
(Whether or not her 2025-26 partnership is intact would be a separate question. Looking unlikely, I would guess?)​
 
Last edited:
Back
Top