2021 Skate America: Pairs Recap

[gsk8]

Tarasova and Morozov pocket second Skate America gold

Russia’s Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov won the gold at 2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America, their second gold at this event, on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nev. Riku Miura […]

www.goldenskate.com

What a surprise! I'm so thrilled for Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara!

“We had our best score today and we are very happy, but it is more regrettable that on the throw jump we made a mistake and I fell,” said Riku.

Now that they have reached the “200-mark” along with winning a medal, their goal is to continue to aim for another medal at their next event at NHK Trophy with over 210 points.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

What a surprise! I'm so thrilled for Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara!

I'm so happy for them. They skated really well, and what a recovery after that nasty fall! They always look so happy to be out on the ice and competing together; I like their approach to their season too, setting small goals to check off at each competition, and really hope they can medal at their next GP.

Congratulations to Tarasova and Morozov for their victory too! I may be in the minority, but I really liked their free skate. I think the softer, more modern music really suits them and showcases their beautiful skating. Those throws were enormous! I think Boikova/Kozlovskii's free has potential, but they need to commit to the theme a bit more; however, it's early in the season and they have time to grow into the program.

 

[gsk8]

I was so worried for Rika after that fall. She just bounced right back and I was so worried throughout the rest of the program. Her head did hit the boards and while it may not have looked too bad, it doesn't take much for a concussion!

 

[ladyjane]

I was horrified by Riku's fall, and also was wondering about the head hit. But what a great and wonderful success for them. Apart from that fall, they always look so pleased to skate together which makes their programmes joyful for a spectator (albeit online) too!

I am also really happy for Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov. Success was a bit elusive the last two seasons (although they did happen to win the Russian Championships last season which is a great achievement in that deep field, as well as a medal at Europeans in 2019-2020) and it is wonderful to see they are on the rise again, and with nice programmes that fit them well.

I'm hoping for Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kovslovskii that they will improve along the season. I really enjoyed their SP, their FS still needs a lot of work (and I'm not referring to the falls).

I was also pleased to see Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier have a great Free Skate (the second after T/M) although that wasn't enough for the podium. They still got a higher placement than after the SP. Redemption!

All in all it was a great pairs event. Of course there were also disappointments but that's competition!

 

[nussnacker]

I was horrified by Riku's fall, and also was wondering about the head hit. But what a great and wonderful success for them. Apart from that fall, they always look so pleased to skate together which makes their programmes joyful for a spectator (albeit online) too!

I am also really happy for Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov. Success was a bit elusive the last two seasons (although they did happen to win the Russian Championships last season which is a great achievement in that deep field, as well as a medal at Europeans in 2019-2020) and it is wonderful to see they are on the rise again, and with nice programmes that fit them well.

I'm hoping for Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kovslovskii that they will improve along the season. I really enjoyed their SP, their FS still needs a lot of work (and I'm not referring to the falls).

I was also pleased to see Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier have a great Free Skate (the second after T/M) although that wasn't enough for the podium. They still got a higher placement than after the SP. Redemption!

All in all it was a great pairs event. Of course there were also disappointments but that's competition!

Very well said regarding all pairs!

 

[readernick]

Tarasova /Morozov just proved, again, that they are the best pairs skaters in Russia when they hit. Their basic skating and their elements are just a cut above and really only Sui/Han can challenge them. ( If clean, but they aren't the most reliable). That being said, I hate their programs. I thought Clair De Lune was a better choice for their SP and their FS while a classic style that should suit them just seems boring and not as good as they are... Can they keep their current coaching team and get Marina to choreograph? Her programs were the only programs that showed them off perfectly.

The next four pairs including M/K, B/K, K/F and C/J seem about equal in quality to me so it came down to who was cleaner. They have different pros and cons.

M/K have really great SS and the best SBS jumps imho. Their other pairs elements are really good but not incredible. I don't like their programs. They are better than their programs. They were the cleanest between both programs so the silver medal is correct.

B/K ( especially Boikova) are dynamic performers on the ice. However, I find that they both have bad posture , rather weak SS, and he seems very unpolished to me. Their previous programs disguised these issues. Their current programs don't. I'm a fan, but I think they should have been fourth given the lack of quality in a lot of their elements.

K/F were probably comparatively underscored in the LP, but they really only have themselves to blame because their messy SP left them in the first group. Good lifts, great throws ( although her foot touched down so the GOEs were correctly low) and pretty interesting programs. However, their twist wasn't as good as it usually is... Brandon was nervous in the SP and it showed.

C/J have a twist and lifts that rival T/M for quality. Sadly, their jumping elements are very weak. They don't have the best throws. I like their programs but the FS music is rather depressing. I wonder if they will ever get their SBS jumps together? If they do, they will be a force.

The rest of the field had up and down moments but nothing stood out to me. Enjoyable competition on the whole..

 

[Weathergal]

I really enjoyed this Pairs competition and thought it was a great way to start the first "real" GP in two years. The rise of Miura / Kihara has been really exciting, and they are just so enjoyable to watch! I was worried about Riku and didn't realize that she had hit her head on the boards. Pairs women really are fierce! Congratulations to them on a well-earned silver.

Tarasova / Morozov deserved their win here, even if their FS music in particular is not inspiring. I wish they'd at least get rid of the mismatched looking costumes in the SP and the drab, gray ones in the FS.

One of the things I always liked about watching Boikova / Kozlovskii was their confidence. You could relax while watching them and just enjoy their command of the ice and their programs. Lately that confidence seems to be lacking, and I hope they can get it back. Their SP I think has as lot of potential; the FS doesn't seem as good of a fit. But they have time - and of course the magic of Moskvina - so I look forward to seeing how they will do as the season unfolds.

I'm not a fan of either Knierem / Frazier's or Calalang / Johnson's FS music. But that didn't matter -- I enjoyed them both! It was great to see both teams do so well. I felt they both were very passionate about what they were doing and truly fighting to do their best. K / F really had the crowd with them by the end of their skate, and you could just feel the energy! I felt they were a bit underscored, but I suspect that not being in the final group hurt them a bit. If C / J could get those jumps...they were awfully close to K / F even with two failed SBS jumps. Things could be very interesting indeed - and wonderful for us fans - if both K / F and C / J go head to head and are clean.

One thing I was wondering is when is the last time - if ever - that the US had three pairs all from the same coaching team at an event?

 

[gsk8]

Miura looks up to the Chinese pair skaters Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, while Kihara admires Shen Xue and Hongbo Zhao. Two of favorites as well!

 

[kmw227]

Nobody's mentioned them yet, so I'll say that I really enjoyed Pepeleva & Pleshkov! Their programs aren't the most interesting but they have a lot of beautiful elements and a lovely performance quality on the ice. I'm looking forward to seeing how they improve over the course of this season.

I also really like both of Knierim & Frazier's programs this season. Very good vehicles for them that show off Alexa's performance skills very well! Good to see them get redemption in that free skate.

Overall it was a very strong pairs event with a lot of great teams! Very fun to watch.

 

[lariko]

I felt this was a least favourite of the 4 divisions. I adore pair skating, but I also adore Boikova and Kozlovskii, and I was sad to see them miss two elements in the free skate. The Japanese pair was a highlight, and I liked that there seems to be more eye catching pretty stuff added to the programs with creative choreo and acrobatic extras.