2022 U.S. Nationals: Senior Pairs Short Program

[Seven Sisters]

It’s the most important to the athletes. I wish it wasn’t. But it is. Ben introduced himself as Olympic Silver Medalist tonight. Not 4 time US champion, 4 time World Medalist, 4CC champion. I think way too much emphasis is placed on it but it is what it is as the kids say.

As a dance fan , I say that Ben has every right to introduce himself this way. That Olympic silver was a game-changing moment for North American ice dance and a huge achievement.

Ladies’ medals, I’m not as impressed

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I love that Audrey and Misha's skates don't give me heart attacks! They've been so consistent this season.

Lu/Mitrofanov are very much improved this season. And I love their programs for them this season too. Plus, the way they've carried themselves competitively over their competitions in the fall, especially at Golden Spin, has been great to see. They were calm and consistent, and they brought all their training to bear.

Still, L/M have more improving to do. They didn't come out gangbusters in the sp -- they were slightly tentative and had some minor bobbles (a hand down on the throw and a stumble on footwork by Audrey). One of the things I learned by watching the NBC Sports broadcast on USA is how Audrey suffered a cut to her cheek from Misha's blade during a death spiral practice. OUCH! Andrea Joyce reported that Audrey got stitches out recently and that she can now joke about the injury, and that she uses it to get into her zombie character for the sp. LOL!

Those kinds of touches, and insider news is simply nonexistent without live broadcast coverage. It really sucks how sports are kept off regular tv, so you have to figure out ways to watch sports. I no longer get to see much baseball or tennis anymore, as a result. And then they try to make you pay and pay. If we pay for Peacock, why should we have to pay for other streaming or big subscription services to get the main figure skating commentary? I know some people don't enjoy the commentating, which can be too much at times (e.g., Tara overdid it once again during Ash/Timothy's absolutely gorgeous sp, talking overcritically as they were moving into their elements). The brilliant way Ash/Timothy skated finally shut Tara's mouth midway through their opening moves!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Ash/Timothy at this competition. I just knew how hard they've both been fighting all season long, especially after starting out with Ash getting hit with COVID. They've made it all the way back to top form. And they appear to be in an excellent mindset competitively. NBC broadcasters are wrong when they frame it that Ash/Timothy had poor or weak short programs. That's simply not true. Ash/Timothy were not at full strength earlier in the season due to Ash needing to rebuild her stamina. Still, this sp has been good for C-G/LD all season. It was just international judges looking down on them, and not giving them the higher scores they deserved for skating so well that was most of the problem, in addition to Ash having to rebuild competitive stamina at the beginning of the season.

Ash/Timothy kept working hard and they never gave in, so eventually the international judges saw the light and rewarded them at NHK with their highest score this season 70+ (prior to Nationals' record-setting 79.55) in the sp. And they didn't even skate their cleanest sp at NHK! They were definitely lowballed in the sp at Finlandia, but still came back to win bronze (a total of 3 bronze medals this fall, and a 4th place at NHK in a tougher field). I'm sure that Ash/Timothy's adversities and overcoming them to place high internationally has given them confidence to match their determination.

 

[moonvine]

As a dance fan , I say that Ben has every right to introduce himself this way. That Olympic silver was a game-changing moment for North American ice dance and a huge achievement.

Ladies’ medals, I’m not as impressed

I don’t disagree he has the right at all. I’m just mentioning he is also 4x world medalist, 4x national champion, 4CCs champion. But he only mentions the Olympic one.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I dunno they seem to get along well. But it could be an act. Who can say.

No, Tara and Johnny understand each other, IMO. They are intimate friends who are in constant contact. And Johnny gets along with Tara's husband too. I think everyone who works on the NBC Sports production crew are protective of Tara, and they overlook her faults. I always find myself screaming at the tv for Tara to shut up when she gets out of hand. Fortunately, the brilliant way Ash/Timothy were skating finally shut Tara's overdone mouth.

Certainly, Johnny never hesitates to forgive Tara her faults. They don't always agree with each other, and they say so on air, but they keep it light because they are definitely the best of friends on and off the air. As the sayings go, "They got a good gig going." They understand how their partnership works. And they know how to werk it! Let's be honest. LOL. They def make it work! I did love the coordinated maroon outfits the trio wore, plus the leather highlights on Tara & Johnny. Wheee!

I'm looking forward to seeing the Meddling documentary (about 2002 SLC scandal) on Peacock that Tara and her husband (Todd Kapostasy) produced, which T,T & J were promoting during the pairs broadcast on USA. It's the 20th anniversary of the scandal, so I guess that's partly the impetus. Todd has won Emmys for his previous sports reporting/ production work.

 

[moonvine]

Lu/Mitrofanov are very much improved this season. And I love their programs for them this season too. Plus, the way they've carried themselves competitively over their competitions in the fall, especially at Golden Spin, has been great to see. They were calm and consistent, and they brought all their training to bear.

Still, L/M have more improving to do. They didn't come out gangbusters in the sp -- they were slightly tentative and had some minor bobbles (a hand down on the throw and a stumble on footwork by Audrey). One of the things I learned by watching the NBC Sports broadcast on USA is how Audrey suffered a cut to her cheek from Misha's blade during a death spiral practice. OUCH! Andrea Joyce reported that Audrey got stitches out recently and that she can now joke about the injury, and that she uses it to get into her zombie character for the sp. LOL!

Those kinds of touches, and insider news is simply nonexistent without live broadcast coverage. It really sucks how sports are kept off regular tv, so you have to figure out ways to watch sports. I no longer get to see much baseball or tennis anymore, as a result. And then they try to make you pay and pay. If we pay for Peacock, why should we have to pay for other streaming or big subscription services to get the main figure skating commentary? I know some people don't enjoy the commentating, which can be too much at times (e.g., Tara overdid it once again during Ash/Timothy's absolutely gorgeous sp, talking overcritically as they were moving into their elements). The brilliant way Ash/Timothy skated finally shut Tara's mouth midway through their opening moves!

That’s why I love commentary, but from someone like Ben, Charlie, Ted Barton. They don’t talk over the skaters but use the replay at the end to explain.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Not as fast as Tarasova/Morosov but then again, we are talking the gold standard there.

How would you know which team is fastest? I'd call it a dead heat. LOL! Unless you have some way of measuring other than your eyes watching on a screen (or even watching live in the same competition), you're still guesstimating.

T/M can give clinics with their elements and sublime moves, when they aren't making unfortunate errors due to some unknown reasons inside their heads. Gold standard, sure. But they haven't won Olympic gold yet. And now, they aren't even being included in the discussion at the top, sadly.

Of course, T/M will be given the ubiquitous points and score higher than most teams. But they failed to prove themselves at the recent Russian Nationals. Notice how NBC commentators didn't mention T/M when they spoke of the battle for Beijing gold in pairs.

 

[Hyena]

Major props to Ashley and Tim for putting out their best SP yet and - not for nothing - by far the best twist I've ever seen them do. The program has grown into a really beautiful piece.

Calalang/Johnson were on fire too, but I'd have the gap a little bigger between them and CG/L. C/J had a few smaller sloppy moments that would have them lower.

Is Spencer Howe hot?? That manbun really threw me for a loop.

Answer: yes.

I remember Emily for Junior Grand Prix and I really liked her then. I'm glad Pair Skating is working for her ^^

Me too. I really want Chan/Howe to be part of the future of USFS - they've come a long way and have a lot of great qualities.

 

[mrrice]

If they test negative there’s no reason why they should have.

Well, I believe there's a quarantine period isn't there? Here in Ca. it's only a week but, that's valuable training time with games coming so soon.

 

[mrrice]

As a dance fan , I say that Ben has every right to introduce himself this way. That Olympic silver was a game-changing moment for North American ice dance and a huge achievement.

Ladies’ medals, I’m not as impressed

This is an absolute fact!

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Lu/Mitrofanov are very much improved this season. And I love their programs for them this season too. Plus, the way they've carried themselves competitively over their competitions in the fall, especially at Golden Spin, has been great to see. They were calm and consistent, and they brought all their training to bear.

Still, L/M have more improving to do. They didn't come out gangbusters in the sp -- they were slightly tentative and had some minor bobbles (a hand down on the throw and a stumble on footwork by Audrey). One of the things I learned by watching the NBC Sports broadcast on USA is how Audrey suffered a cut to her cheek from Misha's blade during a death spiral practice. OUCH! Andrea Joyce reported that Audrey got stitches out recently and that she can now joke about the injury, and that she uses it to get into her zombie character for the sp. LOL!

Those kinds of touches, and insider news is simply nonexistent without live broadcast coverage. It really sucks how sports are kept off regular tv, so you have to figure out ways to watch sports. I no longer get to see much baseball or tennis anymore, as a result. And then they try to make you pay and pay. If we pay for Peacock, why should we have to pay for other streaming or big subscription services to get the main figure skating commentary? I know some people don't enjoy the commentating, which can be too much at times (e.g., Tara overdid it once again during Ash/Timothy's absolutely gorgeous sp, talking overcritically as they were moving into their elements). The brilliant way Ash/Timothy skated finally shut Tara's mouth midway through their opening moves!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Ash/Timothy at this competition. I just knew how hard they've both been fighting all season long, especially after starting out with Ash getting hit with COVID. They've made it all the way back to top form. And they appear to be in an excellent mindset competitively. NBC broadcasters are wrong when they frame it that Ash/Timothy had poor or weak short programs. That's simply not true. Ash/Timothy were not at full strength earlier in the season due to Ash needing to rebuild her stamina. Still, this sp has been good for C-G/LD all season. It was just international judges looking down on them, and not giving them the higher scores they deserved for skating so well that was most of the problem, in addition to Ash having to rebuild competitive stamina at the beginning of the season.

Ash/Timothy kept working hard and they never gave in, so eventually the international judges saw the light and rewarded them at NHK with their highest score this season 70+ (prior to Nationals' record-setting 79.55) in the sp. And they didn't even skate their cleanest sp at NHK! They were definitely lowballed in the sp at Finlandia, but still came back to win bronze (a total of 3 bronze medals this fall, and a 4th place at NHK in a tougher field). I'm sure that Ash/Timothy's adversities and overcoming them to place high internationally has given them confidence to match their determination.

They had some poor programs, but at NHK, their most recent comp, they had the highest SP of any US pair team internationally this season. I'm guessing NBC failed to mention that? And even without the Nationals inflation, that would/should have scored at least 75 internationally.

I said it before though, the gap is tight and clearly some judges would rather Calalang/Johnson win. I'm glad C-G/L gave them no choice but to put them first and I hope it remains that way after the FS.

 

[museksk8r]

How on earth did Calalang/Johnson not receive -GOE on their SBS 3Salchow for Jessica’s landing? Protocols show base value on the element. Her landing had no flow, was at a standstill and appeared UR. They missed the Salchows twice in warmup, so clearly doubts crept in. Safe to say the panel is doing everything in their power to boost this team. Ashley and Timothy should have a bigger lead than they do.

 

[moonvine]

Well, I believe there's a quarantine period isn't there? Here in Ca. it's only a week but, that's valuable training time with games coming so soon.

I’m sure there is but the Olympics are almost a month away.

 

[mrrice]

I’m sure there is but the Olympics are almost a month away.

After what I saw today, we look to be in good shape with the top two teams. Who knows what would have happened even if Alexa and Brandon were there.

 

[GGFan]

A couple thoughts from the arena:

1. The top two teams were definitely in a class of their own. I think it's great that Lu/Mitrofanov can land their jumps but they have polishing and projection to work on.

2. Calalang/Johnson: when they first stepped onto the ice and started doing cross-overs you knew the whole event went up to another level. I could watch them skate around the rink for an hour. When she landed her sbs jump it was probably my happiest moment of the competition. I think they could have given us a little more abandon in the footwork but that's me really nitpicking.

3. CainGribble/LeDuc: that might be the best they ever skated! I was prepared for them to be somewhat slow and to be holding my breath on some lifts. Everything looked smooth from where I was. Not quite the power of Calalang/Johnson but they were classy and looked like National champions. Because they landed everything you could really pay attention to what sets them apart: their hands, their attention to details, the way they move. Timothy is mesmerizing in person. I can honestly say that one of the most painful elements to watch across disciplines in person is the footwork (it feels so extra and kills the flow a lot of the time). However, Ashley and Timothy's footwork sequence actually flowed and fit perfectly into the program. Well deserved first place.

Final note: Timothy and Brian's pants did not disappoint in person.

 

[Joe Mendoza]

Final note: Timothy and Brian's pants did not disappoint in person.

this!

 

[moonvine]

Final note: Timothy and Brian's pants did not disappoint in person.

They never do!

So glad you are having fun. Hopefully I can meet you next time. I also have fun at comps

 

[Yeslekyelnats]

That's not really the federation's fault. They aren't requiring tests because it's very hard to get them in some provinces right now, including Ontario (where Nationals is happening). It's not good, but it's not like SC just decided not to have testing because they didn't want to.

Yes it is since many skaters are still choosing to get tested? It’s clearly possible…

 

[invisiblespiral]

Does anyone have videos of pairs? (I missed this)

 

[Yeslekyelnats]

If both teams skate lights out in the Free tomorrow then I could see a "skate off" between Alexa/Brendan and the second place team. If not, it will be the US Champs and Alexa and Brandon for sure.

But they only really needed to “petition” that they would have made the top five since based on the criteria that is all they needed to make the team.

 

[dorispulaski]

Ashley & Tim