2021-22 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating | Page 2 | Golden Skate

2021-22 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

Longer YouTube version of Chelsea/Danny video from On Ice Perspectives identifies it as an excerpt from their SP.

Music: Taylor Swift's "Lover." Choreo by Rippon.


Thanks to Jordan Cowan for the video. :thank:

Congratulations to Chelsea/Danny for their Skate America assignment. :)

(And now we have the suspense over which other pair will get the Skate America TBA spot.)
 
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What the heck is going on with C/J? Certainly they have good enough scores for at least 1 if not 2 GP events yet they aren't listed at all?
 
Cross-posting from GP thread:

noskates said:
Wow - no Johnson and Calalang. I wish we knew what happened to them. I can't see them retiring when they were doing so well. I wonder if there's a bad injury or something. Kind of surprised OShea and Liu got an assignment when they're so new. I'm anxious to see them. And we're not sending anyone to China? The matchups in all disciplines are going to provide some serious skating! Sure would like to go to Skate America.
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There is still a TBA in pairs for Skate America. It will be filled by a U.S. team, which may well turn out to be Calalang/Johnson. You also have to remember that C/J did not go to Worlds in 2021, and they missed their 2020 chance due to the pandemic, so they have to rebuild their status and positioning domestically and internationally.

We do not know all that goes on behind-the-scenes. I also think that in these days of social media, some rinks and training groups are extra diligent about not allowing unsubstantiated rumors and gossip to proliferate, nor real information to leak until coaches and skaters are ready to say something. And, most often, the best way to make a statement is on-the-ice, laying it all down and leaving no prisoners. Audiences on their feet with jaws dropped, and keeping fans guessing is the better result/goal than being the object of ill-founded speculation, or overdone expectations. JMO.


ETA:
To be honest, C/J are surely continuing to work hard on making their sbs jumps more consistent. And improving technique on their throws. They have everything else. They need to get back into the game with confidence and good results, which doesn't require rushing things.
 
I was sitting at Olympic Trials going through unpaired US Senior Pairs skaters. Kate Finister (or is she still a junior?), Tarah Kayne, Winter Deardorff, Balazs Nagy (whose name I will someday learn to spell) …is that it?

I wonder which one of the younger ladies is Ellie, who performed this quad twist with Chris Knierim's tutelage and assist?​

BlissfulSynergy said:

Possibly Ellie is the second young lady from the left in the group photo?

Seriously, I wish there was a dedicated and well-produced informative biweekly podcast dedicated exclusively to pairs skating, focusing on events and happenings in the U.S., but including news about international teams as well. And I'm talking something enlightening and straightforward, NOT gossipy, snarky and trivial. It would be cool to include news tidbits along with time given to short interview features, panel discussions on important topics, conversations with skaters, coaches, choreographers, physical trainers, skating historians, legends of the sport, etc. We have nothing like that now, although I like the positivity of P.J. Kwong's podcast, the new Cafecito con Masha podcast, Polina Edmunds' one-on-one interviews, and Conversations in Colour with Asher Hill and his sister, Acacia.

Canadian champion, Roman Sadovsky, has a fun and generously giving vlog for his fans. Plus, the ShibSibs are the esteemed model and pioneers of skating-centric vlogs.
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You could be the person to make such a podcast. You are my go to person for US pairs knowledge.
 
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Jammers said:
What the heck is going on with C/J? Certainly they have good enough scores for at least 1 if not 2 GP events yet they aren't listed at all?
Click to expand...
I came here to look for gossip. My thoughts are they are done for but no official announcement has been made. They withdrew from Worlds under mysterious circumstances.
 
moonvine said:
You could be the person to make such a podcast. You are my go to person for US pairs knowledge.
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Thanks for your praise! I just love figure skating, and I've followed the sport for many years, and I have a lot of ideas, but not necessarily viable connections and resources, or time. That could change with a collaborative effort, support and encouragement from the right people (i.e., those with tech and media knowledge, as well as connections within the sport). I am more of a behind-the-scenes, idea person. :)
 
moonvine said:
I came here to look for gossip. My thoughts are they are done for but no official announcement has been made. They withdrew from Worlds under mysterious circumstances.
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Why do you believe this, though? Neither Jess nor Brian appear to have sustained injuries. They are still shown at the rink working out, and included as part of the team of competitive skaters. Plus, they have reportedly worked with Benoit Richaud again for new choreography.

I don't see C/J's 2021 Worlds withdrawal as 'mysterious,' at least not in a negative way. It was certainly unexpected. However, C/J did not have the best of overall results, in last year's abbreviated season. Plus, the prior season, they had been on a roll which was abruptly ended when 2020 Worlds was cancelled. Although C/J seemed to take it in stride (as did other 2020 World team members), the lost opportunity is definitely a huge disappointment (particularly for a team who were looking to make their Worlds debut after a great U.S. Nationals -- and in fact, they gained the Worlds opportunity last season in part due to Chris Knierim's sudden retirement).

And then, the dynamic in the rink changed a bit last season with the partnership of Alexa/Brandon. Of course, Jess and Alexa are always depicted as being great, very supportive friends, so surely all the teams at Irvine root for each other. Still, K/F became the more favored team, and they are also slightly older than C/J.

My thinking honestly, is that C/J are simply hard at work trying to improve their weaknesses, i.e., the pesky sbs jumps. Once again, complete GP assignments are still unknown at this time, particularly with the TBA still to be filled at Skate America.
 
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ice coverage said:
Music: Taylor Swift's "Lover." Choreo by Rippon.

https://youtu.be/q0Vg4uImqcU (1:30, Jun 29)
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That's very lovely, and Danny is such a boss pairs guy. My goodness that twirling move toward the end of the sequence with Chelsea extended straight out and her legs entwined around Danny's neck! Wowsa! It will be interesting to see if that move is copied, or if someone tries a similar variation. That looks amazing. :popcorn: Kudos to choreographer, Adam Rippon, and to Chelsea & Danny. ❤️

The ice dance influence upon pairs continues unabated, as that twirling move is so reminiscent of ice dance carry lifts (and as well there's the adagio pairs influence*, and the expansive creative explorations that pairs went through in the 1970s. I like the music as well. Of course, they purposely only showed us a section of the program they are working on, but they look very good together, so I can see why USFS selected them for a GP assignment.

The footwork sequence is nice, but we don't yet get really good views of L/O closely interacting in this section of the program, i.e., no throws, twists or death spiral. Although surely they are proficient together with those moves. Chelsea is obviously taller than Tarah, but so far so good for this team in terms of matching well.

* Professional adagio pairs skater moves:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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This couple perform a similar leg entwined twirling move, among other exciting moves, and some in-performance clips

- 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
At 2:47 in this video, we see the on top of the head spinning move that James/Cipres were famous for doing in exhibitions and shows;
As well, around 3:04, this adagio couple perform a similar move to the wowsa twirling that Danny/Chelsea showed off in the OIP clip
 
moonvine said:
I was sitting at Olympic Trials going through unpaired US Senior Pairs skaters. Kate Finister (or is she still a junior?), Tarah Kayne, Winter Deardorff, Balazs Nagy (whose name I will someday learn to spell) …is that it?
Click to expand...
I believe you spelled Balazs Nagy's name correctly! Kudos. I always have to check the spelling. LOL

Kate and Balazs became seniors in 2020-2021, but they soon split. Part of the reason could be that Kate seems to need a taller partner. Kate and her brother, Chase, are training now at the Irvine rink. Chase is newly paired with Cate Fleming. I believe Kate is still searching for a partner. There has been no news regarding the partnering prospects of Deardorff, Nagy, or Kayne, that I'm aware of at this point.
 
I agree with Moonvine. We never heard why C/J withdrew from Worlds and I doubt very much it was to work on their SBS jumps. I think they still have a good reputation based on their last couple of performances so it shouldn't be that difficult to get back on the ice in competition - IF there isn't a good reason not to.
 
C-G/LD are apparently now in Finland for two weeks training with Nina Mozer:



Regarding C/J, maybe we should all try to be patient. On April 29, Jessica posted on Instagram the following photo of her and Brian with Benoit Richaud at a rink in Montclair, New Jersey. The caption: "It's not falling apart. It's coming together."

On April 6:

And Jessica has been active on Instagram with a few of her usual fun off-ice photos since then.

Perhaps C/J will get their competitive feet back underneath them at some Summer comps and senior Bs. They could be on track for the Skate America TBA, and it's possible another GP opening could present itself. Or else, they could just go to SA. Failing that, they could compete at Senior Bs and prepare to be ready for 2022 U.S. Nationals. Whatever is going on is their business and fans should respect that fact. I wish C/J well, and I look forward to seeing them compete again when they're ready.
 
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BlissfulSynergy said:
The footwork sequence is nice, but we don't yet get really good views of L/O closely interacting in this section of the program, i.e., no throws, twists or death spiral. Although surely they are proficient together with those moves. Chelsea is obviously taller than Tarah, but so far so good for this team in terms of matching well.
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Watching the longer clip again, I noticed their joyful facial expressions. It's nice to see that Danny & Chelsea are really enjoying this program and having fun together with their new partnership. 👍

It will also be interesting to see how much Chelsea has grown and improved her skating skills after her sojourn in China, learning their training methods and jump technique. From this clip, it's already clear that they have excellent speed and ice coverage together, which is exciting because Danny has always been a great pairs guy with above average SS. Having a partner who can match those skills will broaden his range and unleash more of his talent. I look forward to seeing more from Danny and Chelsea.

ETA:
I enjoyed watching Tarah & Danny -- they had a loyal bond. Although Tarah's SS weren't as proficient as Danny's, which led to them not having great speed, their strong suits were creativity, dramatic intensity and competitive grit. They also had top-notch lifts, although not a very good twist, which has been discussed here by @skylark previously, re the reasons why. It will be interesting to see the quality of twist, throws and sbs jumps that Chelsea & Danny are developing.
 
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BlissfulSynergy said:
C/J could be on track for the Skate America TBA, and it's possible another GP opening could present itself. Or else, they could just go to SA.
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If there was any chance at all of C/J competing at Skate America, I figure they would already be listed somewhere on the GP assignments. They were guaranteed 1 GP, and there would be no reason to turn that down in June unless they were already fairly certain they couldn't compete the end of October.

They could have received a second assignment at another GP or through the SA host pick, but instead that host pick went to a brand new pair with no resume. C/J were 2nd at US Nationals, plenty to be given a host pick even if there was some uncertainty as to whether they could actually compete. The final US TBA spot tends to be for a skater far more off the radar or a new team.

Skate America is the first GP-- if there was any possibility they could compete there, then it wouldn't make a lot of sense to have already declined a spot at a GP later on in the series.

It's normal for skaters who are a bit uncertain about competing on the GP (due to injury, etc) to receive assignments and then withdraw later (see Sui/Han). As another example, when Alexa Knierim was very sick in 2016, they were assigned 2 of the latter GPs and then eventually WD when it became clear she needed surgery and wasn't going to be healthy enough by then. So it seems doubtful C/J are "going for the Skate America TBA", as they were already entitled to at least one GP and for whatever reason aren't attending. There's obviously something going on that kept them out of Worlds and now this. If there was a possibility they could compete on the GP, I really believe their name would already be on there. You hope for the best case scenario, but this is a highly unusual situation for sure. There have been no rumblings of major injury/illness like there have been for Panfilova/Rylov who also are absent from the GP assignments.
 
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gold12345 said:
If there was any chance at all of C/J competing at Skate America, I figure they would already be listed somewhere on the GP assignments. They were guaranteed 1 GP, and there would be no reason to turn that down in June unless they were already fairly certain they couldn't compete the end of October.

They could have received a second assignment at another GP or through the SA host pick, but instead that host pick when to a brand new pair with no resume. C/J were 2nd at US Nationals, plenty to be given a host pick even if there was some uncertainty surrounding whether they could actually compete. The final US TBA spot tends to be for a skater far more off the radar or a new team.

Skate America is the first event of the series-- if there was any possibility they could compete there, then it wouldn't make a lot of sense to have already declined a spot at a GP later in the series.

It's normal for skaters who are a bit uncertain about competing on the GP (due to injury, etc) to receive assignments and then withdraw later (see Sui/Han). As another example, when Alexa Knierim was very sick in 2016, they were assigned 2 of the latter GPs and then eventually WD when it became clear she needed surgery and wasn't going to be healthy by then. So it seems doubtful C/J are "going for the Skate America TBA", as they were already entitled to at least one GP and for whatever reason aren't attending. There's obviously something going on that kept them out of Worlds and now this. If there was a possibility they could compete on the GP, I There have been no rumblings of major injury/illness like there have been for Panfilova/Rylov who also are absent from the GP assignments.
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gold12345 said:
If there was any chance at all of C/J competing at Skate America, I figure they would already be listed somewhere on the GP assignments. They were guaranteed 1 GP, and there would be no reason to turn that down in June unless they were already fairly certain they couldn't compete the end of October.

They could have received a second assignment at another GP or through the SA host pick, but instead that host pick when to a brand new pair with no resume. C/J were 2nd at US Nationals, plenty to be given a host pick even if there was some uncertainty surrounding whether they could actually compete. The final US TBA spot tends to be for a skater far more off the radar or a new team.

Skate America is the first event of the series-- if there was any possibility they could compete there, then it wouldn't make a lot of sense to have already declined a spot at a GP later in the series.

It's normal for skaters who are a bit uncertain about competing on the GP (due to injury, etc) to receive assignments and then withdraw later (see Sui/Han). As another example, when Alexa Knierim was very sick in 2016, they were assigned 2 of the latter GPs and then eventually WD when it became clear she needed surgery and wasn't going to be healthy by then. So it seems doubtful C/J are "going for the Skate America TBA", as they were already entitled to at least one GP and for whatever reason aren't attending. There's obviously something going on that kept them out of Worlds and now this. If there was a possibility they could compete on the GP, I really believe their name would already be on there. You hope for the best case scenario, but this is a highly unusual situation for sure. There have been no rumblings of major injury/illness like there have been for Panfilova/Rylov who also are absent from the GP assignments.
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Its been confirmed that rylov is having major surgery. So no explanation needed
 
gold12345 said:
If there was any chance at all of C/J competing at Skate America, I figure they would already be listed somewhere on the GP assignments. They were guaranteed 1 GP, and there would be no reason to turn that down in June unless they were already fairly certain they couldn't compete the end of October.

They could have received a second assignment at another GP or through the SA host pick, but instead that host pick when to a brand new pair with no resume. C/J were 2nd at US Nationals, plenty to be given a host pick even if there was some uncertainty surrounding whether they could actually compete. The final US TBA spot tends to be for a skater far more off the radar or a new team.

Skate America is the first GP-- if there was any possibility they could compete there, then it wouldn't make a lot of sense to have already declined a spot at a GP later on in the series.

It's normal for skaters who are a bit uncertain about competing on the GP (due to injury, etc) to receive assignments and then withdraw later (see Sui/Han). As another example, when Alexa Knierim was very sick in 2016, they were assigned 2 of the latter GPs and then eventually WD when it became clear she needed surgery and wasn't going to be healthy enough by then. So it seems doubtful C/J are "going for the Skate America TBA", as they were already entitled to at least one GP and for whatever reason aren't attending. There's obviously something going on that kept them out of Worlds and now this. If there was a possibility they could compete on the GP, I really believe their name would already be on there. You hope for the best case scenario, but this is a highly unusual situation for sure. There have been no rumblings of major injury/illness like there have been for Panfilova/Rylov who also are absent from the GP assignments.
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I agree with you. They were entitled to one spot, so it makes no sense that they have none. Those tbd spots are usually for an American skater/couple who don't have enough points to get a GP spot. What they have done is unusual and unless there is an injury involved, I think they aren't setting themselves up well for the Olympics. Cain and LeDuc would have a stronger argument if they do the grand prix an do decently at nationals.

Jessica and Brian always seemed like they needed more competitive experience, not less.
 
ice coverage said:
Longer YouTube version of Chelsea/Danny video from On Ice Perspectives identifies it as an excerpt from their SP.

Music: Taylor Swift's "Lover." Choreo by Rippon.


Thanks to Jordan Cowan for the video. :thank:
Click to expand...

Wow! :party2: I haven't seen Danny smile like that on the ice since 2016 Nationals! Oh my goodness, it's so good to see him that happy! He's got one of the best -- well, my opinion THE best -- smile in pairs skating.

Chelsea looks very happy also. And the word that came to me for her is 'carefree.' Well, they both look carefree and as if they've gotten a new lease on life. I just re-watched 2019 Nationals, and Chelsea looks ever so much more confident in this video. And I'm still angry every time I watch Tarah & Danny's free skate that year, not because of the mistake, but because Danny took all the heat and all the responsibility for it, unreasonably and wrongly, in my opinion.

I really like the Taylor Swift music choice, too. Like they're letting everything go. Skate for fun. Wow.:love2:

p.s. And great joy, great job on the choreography by Adam Rippon! :dance3:
 
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