2020-21 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating | Page 9 | Golden Skate

2020-21 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

This is confirmation that Dave Lease has excellent sources of information.

Mind you, I can't stand to listen to a lot of his drivel and opinions, but he does have an inside track on actual news.
 
Does anyone want to speculate as to who Danny might skate with next? Will he want to find a coach in Colorado, where he has a house? Or would he relocate (which has already happened, more or less). What if he and a new partner ... Megan Wessenberg, for instance, could be coached by Meno and Sand?

I thought of Katie McBeath, too, because I think she's already a very beautiful pairs skater ... just watching her face as she and Nate skate adds a whole extra dimension to their skating. (much like Katia Gordeeva). But honestly, I think Nate shines with her and I want to see them continue skating together.

Also ... maybe Danny could skate with Kate Finster? She's needed (as @BlissfulSynergy pointed out) a taller skater, and Danny fits the bill.

Do we think Tarah is going to skate with Nagy?
 
skylark said:
This is confirmation that Dave Lease has excellent sources of information.

Mind you, I can't stand to listen to a lot of his drivel and opinions, but he does have an inside track on actual news.
Click to expand...

But ... had TSL spread the rumor that Danny was going to retire?

If so, then TSL did not get an important part of the story correct.


Anyway, the Nats field now will be down to eleven Senior Pairs.
(Jessica/Brian and Ashley/Timothy have byes from 2020 Nats.
Alexa/Brandon; Audrey/Misha; Olivia/Mervin; Katie/Nate have byes from ISP Points Challenge.
Five pairs will advance from Championship Series.)

Tarah and Danny had a bye (from 2020 Nats), so the end of their partnership does not open up a spot.


BTW, Nagy now is a member of Skating Club of New York, per a Facebook post from the club in October.

Although AFAIK it is a change for him in terms of club, I am not saying that it signals anything about where he is training or will be training.
Elite skaters who train all over the country are among SCNY's members.


Smirnova/Siianytsia have a new Instagram account for their partnership.


First post from the new account was on Dec 3.
 
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ice coverage said:
But ... had TSL spread the rumor that Danny was going to retire?

If so, then TSL did not get an important part of the story correct.
Click to expand...
TSL reported Danny's retirement as a rumor on Twitter. But that Sunday, on their video, what Dave said was something like (not a direct quote) ... "well, Tarah and Danny have split up ... and Danny's retiring." Definitely, he said first that they'd split.

My sense is that Danny's first reaction, to a split with Tarah, might have been to retire. In the two weeks since then, he may have had people approach him and convince him to keep skating. After all, he really is one of the top US pairs men.


ETA: Here's the video. The relevant part starts at 51:37. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_0...9hfFhnA9WmCAkN8NBzlxJGGLuE2CG9pkIZl6Qk80uiFBo
 
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happycamper2554 said:
Before Continuing, Please consider TSL as the Source. Do with that what you will. I personally hope this is fake news

Danny O'Shea Allegedly Retiring

https://twitter.com/SkatingLesson/status/1332529317973291008
Click to expand...

skylark said:
TSL reported Danny's retirement as a rumor on Twitter. But that Sunday, on their video, what Dave said was something like (not a direct quote) ... "well, Tarah and Danny have split up ... and Danny's retiring." Definitely, he said first that they'd split.

My sense is that Danny's first reaction, to a split with Tarah, might have been to retire. In the two weeks since then, he may have had people approach him and convince him to keep skating. After all, he really is one of the top US pairs men.
Click to expand...

"Danny O’Shea has reportedly retired" was the sole focus of TSL's Nov 27 tweet posted by happycamper.
(Silly me for not checking before my earlier post today.)

Speaking for myself, I will make a mental note that this occasion is another instance (not the first) of TSL being off the mark.

I do get that it has been on the mark more often than not -- and that it was on the mark with the part about the end of Danny and Tarah's partnership.

On topic, I am glad that Danny is not retiring. :)
Hope that he can find a worthy partner for next season.
 
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ice coverage said:
On topic, I am glad that Danny is not retiring. :)
Hope that he can find a worthy partner for next season.
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Me too. :) It took me a long time to find the video and the reference, but here it is.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

The section starts at 51:37. To give Dave some credit, he begins with "there have been rumors."
 
skylark said:
This is confirmation that Dave Lease has excellent sources of information.

Mind you, I can't stand to listen to a lot of his drivel and opinions, but he does have an inside track on actual news.
Click to expand...
Well yeah, I have personal knowledge of someone in-the-know who speaks to Dave and imparts info from time-to-time. But skating is a small community, so there are a lot of leaks, sometimes on purpose. And at other times info and gossip jump-the-gun. Dave knows a lot of people due to his relationship with Jen, and then via schmoozing with so many players in the skating community when he and Jen were building TSL in the early years, prior to getting on USFS bad side.

But being on USFS blacklist hasn't slowed Dave down. He's in with a lot of Canadian sources, including Sandra Bezic, David Wilson, Meghan Duhamel, KMT, et al. Also, there are plenty of skaters and coaches in the U.S. who don't shun Dave, because TSL is a viable platform, built together with Jen who's the key person that provided Dave with access to the top echelon in the skating community. Anyway, in the social media age, it's fairly easy to shoot off a message to anyone and see whether or not they might respond.

I would say that sometimes persons who are the subject of gossip probably prefer to be in control of when they release information. But today it's often difficult to keep a clamp on breaking news. I even guessed beforehand about the possibility of Brandon and Alexa hooking up due to the circumstances of Haven & Brandon not doing well as expected at Nationals, and the obvious problems at their training rink, which made me think they might reassess next steps. With Chris's unexpected retirement, it suddenly seemed like a good opportunity for Brandon to reach out to Alexa after clearing it with Haven. Apparently, something like that is what happened.
 
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So, the recent confirmation that Danny and Tarah are splitting is interesting, especially since TSL was wrong about Danny retiring. Having heard that Danny just bought a house in Colorado, maybe he likes living there and so possibly he will search for a partner with the Colorado area his home base. And from Tarah's statement, it looks like she will be back with Amanda & Jim, in their new Detroit training camp.

When it was first reported that T&D were seeking a new coach, they posted an Instagram message about their commitment and loyalty to each other, which has been exemplary. But obviously, the current situation goes to show how nothing is ever set in stone.

Hopefully, they will each find new and exciting partners with whom they can advance farther. They will surely need to work on individual improvements to their skating, especially Tarah, in the area of blade skills which might help increase her speed -- easier said than done in terms of breaking bad habits.

Anyway, cheers to both, and I look forward to seeing how everything turns out for these two in their new journeys!
 
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In regard to partner speculation, I do not see Katie/Nate splitting. They seem to have a good thing going on with the Meno/Sand training camp in Cali-land! Plus, they looked sparkling and very well suited to each other during the 2nd ISP Challenge in October. There's absolutely no reason for them to split after all their hard prep work together since joining up last Fall.

Kate Finster OTOH, makes a ton of sense for pairing with Danny. 😊

I'm not too sure who would work for Tarah. Perhaps she and Nagy are planning to make it a pairing up on and off the ice. It's hard to say. I'm not sure how they would fare as on-ice partners. Amanda and Jim may have someone else in mind for Tarah as a pair partner.

Meanwhile, what happened to the Russian young lady who had briefly paired with Nyman, and then they quickly split. Did she move back to Russia?

Has anyone heard how Sasha F and Danny Neudecker are coming along? Also, has Nica D recovered well from her injury? How have she and Ian Meyh been faring, especially in view of skaters being told to leave Sappenfield?
 
BlissfulSynergy said:
So, the recent confirmation that Danny and Tarah are splitting is interesting, especially since TSL was wrong about Danny retiring. H
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Here's what makes the most sense to me. TSL heard and reported rumors, two weeks ago, that 1) Tarah and Danny had split; and 2) Danny was retiring. When I think of how uncompromisingly loyal to Tarah that Danny has always been, sometimes in the face of possible opposition and whispers that he deserved to have a partner with skating skills that better matched his own excellent ones, then if it was true that a break-up came first, I could see him being so downhearted that his immediate reaction might be to think, heck with it, I'll retire.

Then, if the "news" rumor spread like wildfire (and your post about news traveling fast in the figure skating community helps confirm all that) ... it's possible that someone or more than one from USFS could have gotten in touch with Danny very quickly and started giving him emotional support and maybeasking him to hold off for awhile on any announcement of the split and/or retirement. Give himself time to think about it. After all, Danny is Top Four US Pairs Men, for years now! He has excellent partnering and skating skills, and he can jump.

And over time, that emotional support (from USFS, family and friends) and the practical suggestions for training and partnering that USFS might suggest or even just help brainstorm, helped Danny see his options. In the past 2 weeks, several auditions for a partner could easily have been set up. And he could feel encouraged and ready to go again, ready to try again.

Obviously, I don't know if any of this is true. But it all seems logical to me.

I don't want anyone to break up the beautiful :love: new partnership of Katie McBeath and Nate Bartholomay. That's my biggest caveat.

On one hand, it makes sense to see him partner with Megan Wessenberg. She can jump, and she's been training pairs for a year or more. But on the other hand, I could dream of a partnership between Danny and Haven Denney. (Denney and Danny, oi! headslap!) Haven has that magic as a pairs girl. I can see her being given new energy by a new beginning (much as Brandon and Alexa have experienced). And jumps, shlumps. I'd rather see really gorgeous pairs skating, with heavenly (Havenly) expression. With their many many years of pairs experience, a Haven and Danny team could rack up so many points on lifts, twists, and throw jumps, plus connection and musical sensitivity, that jumps might matter less. They could make a splash next year. And US skating fans love an impressive new partnership and a big splash. Maybe or maybe not Olympics-ready, but with a whole new lease on life. It's a fairy-tale come true!

That's my (current) story ... and (for now) I'm stickin' to it.:hap10: :bsplit::dance3:
 
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I dont understand what every one saw it McBeath and Bartholomy. It was blah to me. What Danny wants Danny gets. He's an amazing skater. Heck i'd give him Calalang if she agrees to it.
 
Megan Wessenberg seems to make a lot of sense for Danny. But would that mean he heads to Cali-land to train with Meno/Sand? If so, TeamTodd&Jenni would def be building quite the powerhouse training camp. They already have the top two best pairs teams in the country.

We won't know until all is revealed. Per more reflection, Kate Finster probably needs a taller partner even than Danny. Plus, someone closer to her younger age.

It remains to be seen whether Haven could overcome her jumping difficulties. She certainly made huge strides after her knee injury. I think part of the problem could be mental hiccoughs, which are harder to overcome sometimes than physical challenges. But for sure Haven is a beautiful skater, and seemingly could pair well with Danny.

You make a good point @skylark, about Danny likely being talked out of retiring, if that was his initial aim, as stated on TSL.
 
happycamper2554 said:
I dont understand what every one saw it McBeath and Bartholomy. It was blah to me. What Danny wants Danny gets. He's an amazing skater. Heck i'd give him Calalang if she agrees to it.
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To each their own. For me, Katie has a lot of spark and ability. While Nate doesn't project in the same way she does, he's solid and reliable. With her lights-out pizzazz, all he needs to do is present her well and land his jumps. He's a determined and accomplished partner, and solid as a rock on lifts. I like their vibe together, based on what I saw in their ISP Challenge debut.

Katie surely is a firecracker who could match well with any good pairs guy. Still, I don't see her splitting with Nate after the work they put in together and the trust they've built.

I truly wish fans would stop with even suggesting Calalang & Johnson somehow in any universe would split after the magic they've discovered in each other, and the breakthrough season they had in 2019 - 2020. Obviously, they mainly both need to bear down and gain consistent confidence on their sbs jumps. Hopefully, they are using this strange season to improve that weakness.

Plus, Danny had his chance with Jess when they were young whippersnappers. I don't know how long they skated together, but it's checkable on Wiki. According to Dave's TSL scuttlebutt, Danny's Dad was behind the Jess/Danny split. Anyway, Jess went on to greener pastures with both of her subsequent pairings.

As well, Tarah/Danny had a nice run. They were suited physically, and they were fiercely competitive at heart. But heart has to meet top skill level improvement to reach further heights.
 
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happycamper2554 said:
I dont understand what every one saw it McBeath and Bartholomy. It was blah to me. What Danny wants Danny gets. He's an amazing skater. Heck i'd give him Calalang if she agrees to it.
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Danny and Jessica partnered together for a year -- 2009-2010. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O'Shea_(figure_skater)

Katie McBeath has this joy, a sparkle, and an ethereal quality when she skates pairs that I don't see in the videos of her skating singles. She just seems to love to fly, and that has a great effect because it makes (some) viewers feel vicariously like they're flying, too. Not everyone can see it and not everyone has the same experience as an audience member, so of course tastes differ.

I've been watching Nate for years. What I find remarkable about him is that he's able to micro-adjust in style and expression according to whom he's been currently partnered with. When he's skating with Katie, I feel he's showing a bit of a softer side, and also a little more expression because he wants to present Katie to the best possible effect.

I thought they showed a lot of promise in the ISP competition.
 
skylark said:
Haven has that magic as a pairs girl. I can see her being given new energy by a new beginning (much as Brandon and Alexa have experienced).
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Very true. That makes sense. I truly believe that the success of Alexa/ Brandon is inspiring to many athletes. It shows how the right pairing can provide a new lease on life for a career in pairs.

Alexa/ Brandon pairing success may have gotten Tarah & Danny thinking about their own options after a less than stellar showing at recent SA (granted T&D had experienced a lot of upheaval in recent years and unexpected coaching changes which surely hampered their training prep for SA).
 
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BlissfulSynergy said:
I truly wish fans would stop with even suggesting Calalang & Johnson somehow in any universe would split after the magic they've discovered in each other, and the breakthrough season they had in 2019 - 2020. Obviously, they mainly both need to bear down and gain consistent confidence on their sbs jumps. Hopefully, they are using this strange season to improve that weakness.
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I'm not wasting my energy on another US Pair team with a beautiful Twist; Fabulous lifts and Terrible SBS. I think their jumps are worse then Chris and Alexa's and I didn't think that possible. We need winning teams and sorry they are not it. I'm not saying we have a ton better at the moment, but thats why we need to mix it up. We've been complacent with mediocrity for too long.
 
Checkout US Figure Skating Instagram to see a new interview clip of Alexa & Brandon. I love them together. They are real and down-to-earth, and clearly appreciate each other and this great opportunity they have together.

The clip reveals how hard they work together to make what's difficult look so smooth and easy. Plus, Brandon is so honest about the challenges of getting into the different rhythms of making a new off-ice life in California work for himself as a guy far from family and friends. He and Haven were a couple off-ice as well as long-term pairs partners who went through a roller-coaster career and remained steadfast till final chapter and verse.

The same is true for the Knierims (what with her illness, Chris's family losses and injuries, and the huge risks they took moving overseas to train with Aljona, and then having to completely regroup and move across country to a new training environment in California). Of course their move to California & to Meno/Sand's camp ultimately paid benefits for the Knierims. So I'm sure, as Alexa & Chris are long-time friends with Brandon, they have probably been quite helpful in making his relocation adjustment less stressful.
 
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happycamper2554 said:
I think their jumps are worse then Chris and Alexa's and I didn't think that possible.
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Oh well, then that's your assessment. Lots of teams struggle with sbs jumps, not just U.S. teams. Jess and Brian get tight in their jumps out of nerves, IMO. Not lack of ability.

Jumping solo is hard enough. Try jumping in unison with someone else and see how far you would get. I doubt very far, even doing single revolutions. LOL. SBS jumps is probably the hardest skill to master consistently in pairs figure skating. While the highly touted Russian pairs are generally consistent, they are not totally picture perfect every time on their jumps, though by rep, it may seem to be so. One of the best Russian teams aesthetically, Panfilova/ Rylov, have weak jumps (mainly her). And that will definitely hold them back.

IMHO, why not focus on positives and give credit where due when offering critiques? Alexa & Chris began to have serious issues with sbs jumps after his leg injury. They were not completely awful on that element beforehand. Of course, sbs jumps were not their strongest element, but they were not horrible either. Same goes for Haven & Brandon. It was after Haven's devastating knee injury and long rehab that they struggled on their jumps.

Meanwhile, it's obvious that both Alexa and Brandon are strong jumpers individually, so together they do quite well in the sbs jumps department.

All is not a piece-of-cake in figure skating, and never has been. It behooves us fans to be more reflective and less demanding and dismissive, IMO.
 
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