2021-22 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

[BlissfulSynergy]

I mentioned the below in programs suggestions thread, so I'll post here too. An idea for Chelsea and Danny, maybe...

I'm thinking A Whole New World by Zayn with Zhavia Ward (for Disney's Aladdin) might be a good fit for Chelsea Liu & Danny O'Shea:

ZAYN, Zhavia Ward - A Whole New World (End Title) (From "Aladdin")

Stream #Aladdin on Disney+.Disney+ is the only place to stream your favorites from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. Access it ...

www.youtube.com

Lyrics:
...
A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us, 'No'
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming
A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world (don't you dare close your eyes)
A hundred thousand things to see (hold your breath, it gets better)
I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be
A whole new world
With new horizons to pursue
I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

 

[Seven Sisters]

I mentioned the below in programs suggestions thread, so I'll post here too. An idea for Chelsea and Danny, maybe...

I'm thinking A Whole New World by Zayn with Zhavia Ward (for Disney's Aladdin) might be a good fit for Chelsea Liu & Danny O'Shea:

ZAYN, Zhavia Ward - A Whole New World (End Title) (From "Aladdin")

Stream #Aladdin on Disney+.Disney+ is the only place to stream your favorites from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. Access it ...

www.youtube.com

Lyrics:
...
A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us, 'No'
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming
A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world (don't you dare close your eyes)
A hundred thousand things to see (hold your breath, it gets better)
I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be
A whole new world
With new horizons to pursue
I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

Please—no Disney. Especially for Seniors—it’s bad enough in Juniors!

JMHO

 

[cheerknithanson]

Some team should skate to "I Want Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers ft. Coldplay. I already have the element placements in my head.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Please—no Disney. Especially for Seniors—it’s bad enough in Juniors!

JMHO

What would you suggest, if anything, that is more adult, with a similar type of 'wondrous' energy and feeling of newness and unlimited opportunity?

 

[skatesofgold]

Please—no Disney. Especially for Seniors—it’s bad enough in Juniors!

JMHO

I think Disney is fine if figure skaters would use music from the scores. Disney isn't just the songs everyone can remember the words, too. Pirates of the Caribbean is technically Disney, and no one questions men using it. I feel like complaints about music just continues to encourage the figure skaters to use war horses. I never understood the problem with Bradie's routine to Cinderella either when it was score based from the live action version of the film.

 

[skylark]

I think Disney is fine if figure skaters would use music from the scores. Disney isn't just the songs everyone can remember the words, too. Pirates of the Caribbean is technically Disney, and no one questions men using it. I feel like complaints about music just continues to encourage the figure skaters to use war horses. I never understood the problem with Bradie's routine to Cinderella either when it was score based from the live action version of the film.

I completely agree. Bradie's program began with "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" -- and what's more relevant to figure skating than that? Then the music picks up energy and urgency, suggesting and, with her skating, even demonstrating the work and the joyful quality of the work. Finally, the midnight gong suggests the idea that there's wisdom and usefulness in the deadline! The deadline, in figure skating, is a competition; you've got to be there and be ready. I never understood people saying that program was "juniorish" (which it wasn't, if you look at her content and compare it to other women single skaters at the time) or complaining about Disney. I think it sometimes might be just a reflex, or like a hiccup (but I'm not addressing Seven Sisters - and also I'm recognizing that everyone has their personal taste and that's great! Then again, I tend to be open to just going with whatever a skater wants to skate to or express -- sometimes too much so, some might say.

When I read the lyrics of "A Whole New World" in @BlissfulSynergy's post, above, I got goose bumps. Because I felt like the words really do express something about Danny and Chelsea and the excitement of their pairing. And this next couple of years would be the time to express that idea. I happened to recently watch a "5 things" video of Chelsea done by USFS a year or so ago. She said the songs she mostly listens to are by Taylor Swift and ... er, someone else, I can't remember. So I think it's cool that they chose her song "Lover." The lovely thing is how much Danny enjoys it.

 

[skatesofgold]

I completely agree. Bradie's program began with "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" -- and what's more relevant to figure skating than that? Then the music picks up energy and urgency, suggesting and, with her skating, even demonstrating the work and the joyful quality of the work. Finally, the midnight gong suggests the idea that there's wisdom and usefulness in the deadline! The deadline, in figure skating, is a competition; you've got to be there and be ready. I never understood people saying that program was "juniorish" (which it wasn't, if you look at her content and compare it to other women single skaters at the time) or complaining about Disney. I think it sometimes might be just a reflex, or like a hiccup (but I'm not addressing Seven Sisters - and also I'm recognizing that everyone has their personal taste and that's great! Then again, I tend to be open to just going with whatever a skater wants to skate to or express -- sometimes too much so, some might say.

When I read the lyrics of "A Whole New World" in @BlissfulSynergy's post, above, I got goose bumps. Because I felt like the words really do express something about Danny and Chelsea and the excitement of their pairing. And this next couple of years would be the time to express that idea. I happened to recently watch a "5 things" video of Chelsea done by USFS a year or so ago. She said the songs she mostly listens to are by Taylor Swift and ... er, someone else, I can't remember. So I think it's cool that they chose her song "Lover." The lovely thing is how much Danny enjoys it.

Yeah, and in addition to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King has been used among seniors, such as Denney/Frazier. Fall on Me as used by Knierim/Frazier last season was technically a Disney selection (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), too. I'm hoping the music from Jungle Cruise will be used in the future. James Newton Howard is one of my favorites, and he's also responsible for the score from The Hunger Games movies, which is starting to become more popular, I think.

 

[Weathergal]

Yeah, and in addition to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King has been used among seniors, such as Denney/Frazier. Fall on Me as used by Knierim/Frazier last season was technically a Disney selection (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), too. I'm hoping the music from Jungle Cruise will be used in the future. James Newton Howard is one of my favorites, and he's also responsible for the score from The Hunger Games movies, which is starting to become more popular, I think.

Also a James Newton Howard fan here. I didn't realize he did the "The Hunger Games" movie soundtracks though. Going way back, I loved the soundtrack he did for the 1991 movie "Grand Canyon" (not about the national park).

Not a huge fan of most Disney music for skating, but there have been some good programs - one of my favorites was Denney / Frazer's "The Lion King."

 

[Dawn825]

^^ @Dawn825, haven't you seen the full OIP clip of Ash/Tim's new sp? It's marvelous -- it's been uploaded in full, and for free, on YouTube

Yes I have and I loved it but to me its a bit like landing a quad on Instagram: Mazal Tov, but you cant do it in competition till youve done it in competition. Thats what I was saying about consistency, the top team between K/F and C/L will be determined by who's landing more jumps when it counts.

 

[Moxiejan]

Yes I have and I loved it but to me its a bit like landing a quad on Instagram: Mazal Tov, but you cant do it in competition till youve done it in competition. Thats what I was saying about consistency, the top team between K/F and C/L will be determined by who's landing more jumps when it counts.

We all know that over the years, C-G/L have shown that they have successfully completed all elements shown in the video — in competition, when it counts. The greater importance of this video is showing the early days of a wonderfully constructed SP that has the potential of being one of the best of the season.

 

[noskates]

I generally equate a Disney musical program with a junior skater. But I didn't even realize Fall On Me was from a Disney movie? I thought it was a brilliant piece of music and was perfect for K and F. I think there's a difference between the complexity of many of the themes and some of the Disney music does lend itself to senior skaters. The Lion King theme comes to mind. The music from Aladdin - not so much. But as in all things figure skating, it's one's own taste. But I seriously doubt any skater or choreographer comes to Golden Skate to get their music choice blessed. And I seriously think that old warhorses are used because they're probably available, cut to the right time, and easy to choreograph because there have been so many programs from before to review. JMO.

 

[dorispulaski]

Will there be any US Pairs competing on the JGP this season? None are entered for Kosice, SVK, nor for the Russian JGP.

Will there be any for Poland or Austria?

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Yes I have and I loved it but to me its a bit like landing a quad on Instagram: Mazal Tov, but you cant do it in competition till youve done it in competition. Thats what I was saying about consistency, the top team between K/F and C/L will be determined by who's landing more jumps when it counts.

Of course, ITA that proving your worth in competition is vital. On the other hand, IMO, it will boil down to more than just jumps, honestly. The jumps are important, but not the chief or only factor. Politics and perception (i.e., rep status, fed backing and how you are perceived by who makes up the judging panel) can obviously make an important difference in a tight competition. Just as skate order can have an impact on outcomes.

Witness 2021 Worlds were Knierim/Frazier skated early as a new team, and were given a low-ball score by the judges. The fact that K/F's quality as a team is so high, a number of teams who performed after them had to be placed behind them in the scoring. So, there ended up being five teams closely bunched at 63+ to 64+. The range should not have been that tight among the teams in question. Since Ash/Tim skated fairly clean in the sp, they were placed percentage points ahead of K/F. It was very exciting to see two U.S. teams in position to win three spots at Worlds and Olympics for the first time in decades.

I believe that seeing what they could do and how far they could go, has fueled Ash/Timothy and Alexa/Brandon to be prepared and ready for this season, so that they can take advantage of every opportunity to build momentum and to gain even more respect and credit from the judges.

2021 World Figure Skating Championships - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Will there be any US Pairs competing on the JGP this season? None are entered for Kosice, SVK, nor for the Russian JGP.

Will there be any for Poland or Austria?

I'm not sure. I believe that it would do our top junior pairs a lot of good to be able to get out there and compete. Martins/Bedard, Fleming/Finster, and Smirnova/Siianytsia are certainly skilled enough to be chosen to compete on JGP. I suppose the pandemic, visa and travel issues, along with some event cancellations (amidst other uncertainties) has impacted junior pairs assignments?

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I saw them live at Cranberry and would suggest that K/F’s closest peers would be Moore Towers/Marinaro. This is not a bad thing, as MTM are a very capable team.

Hmmm. I do enjoy the grit, competitiveness and drive of KMT/MM, and I'm impressed by how they willed themselves into being a top team for Canada, when so many fans wrote them off immediately (due to pique over KMT ditching Dylan for a younger skater).

It was Kirsten's gumption and her realization that they had to make a switch to better, more prominent coaches (along with Meagan Duhamel's okay) which actually gave Kirsten/Michael a chance to figure out who they could be as a team under Gauthier/Marcotte, and later Marcotte, with assistance from Michael's former coach, Alison Purkiss.

Honestly, KMT/MM are somewhat of a mismatch physically, personality-wise, age and skill level, so they have been fortunate in their rise to Canada's #1. They've just been able to make it work out of mutual goals, hard work, drive and the creative inspiration of Julie Marcotte (who I imagine is no longer working with them). Kirsten/Michael are bringing back their last season fp choreographed by Marcotte. Plus, they've ditched a short program choreographed by Eric Radford (since he's coming back as their direct competitor).

KMT/MM have been interesting to watch, but they were also lucky to be in the right place at the right time. For the most part, they have held their own and have generally competed well, with important Skate Canada political backing. However, KMT/MM do not have the level of power and pop on throws and 3-twist as do K/F and Calalang/Johnson. KMT/MM also don't have the to-die-for lines that Ash/Timothy have, and when A&T land their jumps and are as on-point as they have looked in their new sp video and in training clips, they are more than just competitive with KMT/MM. A&T are obviously competitive with a number of teams at the top level, especially with the improvements they've been showing in all aspects of their skating.

As far as K/F vs KMT/MM, if K/F have it all together and believe in themselves and do what they can do on the ice, they are levels better than KMT/MM in a number of areas. That's not a knock on the Canadians to point this out either. To Kirsten/ Michael's advantage, they have been skating together longer than K/F, but around the same length of time as Ash/Timothy. Canada at the moment seemingly have a much deeper junior pairs field coming up than the U.S. has in their junior pairs division. SC has some good developing senior pairs teams too, but the U.S. is stronger and deeper in senior pairs than Canada currently. That's expressly a huge reason why Skate Canada is supporting the comebacks this season of Eric Radford with Canadian-born French pairs champion, Vanessa James.

ETA:
As well, Nic Nadeau of Canada has switched from singles to pairs with his girlfriend (who has also been a singles skater), Emmanuelle (Emma) Proft.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

According to [Chan/Howe's] ISU bio, Olga Ganicheva is their choreographer.

For those who may have missed, or who don't follow Claire Cloutier's A Divine Sport fs blog:

Getting to Know Olga Ganicheva

Over the last decade, Olga Ganicheva and Aleksey Letov have quietly moved toward the top rank of American figure skating coaches. The husband-and-wife team, who are originally from Russia, started …

adivinesport.com

An interview with Olga Ganicheva, who coaches pairs with her husband (Aleksey Letov) in Boston, formerly in Texas...

 

[skylark]

Here's a link to the pairs free skates at Cranberry.

Cranberry Cup 2021 - Pairs Free Skate

Pairs free skate from the 2021 Cranberry Cup in Norwood, MA. #cranberry #cranberrycup #cranberrycup2021 #pairsfigureskating

www.youtube.com

 

[Seven Sisters]

Seems odd to me nobody is talking about Dalilah Sappenfield’s suspension/disciplinary action here—

https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1433931619627376644

Of course, we don’t know any details yet

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Per US figure skating international assignments entries, McBeath/Bartholomay will be competing at Autumn Classic, which takes place Sept. 16-18. Cain-Gribble/LeDuc are also recently assigned to compete at Autumn Classic, but are not yet on the U.S. website's updated assignments list.

Calalang/Johnson are (as expected), the TBA pairs team for Skate America.

For the JGP:
Martins/Bedard and Smirnova/Siianytsia are scheduled to compete at JGP Poland and JGP Austria

Fleming/Finster are also set to compete at JGP Austria (their JGP debut as a recently paired team)

2021-22 International Assignments and Results

2021-22 International Assignments and Results

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

ETA:
I mentioned the two new U.S. pairs entries for Autumn Classic in that competition's forum

 

[ladyjane]

I was already looking forward to the pairs at Autumn Classic, this announcement has made me looking forward to it even more.