2023-24 US Pairs Figure Skating

[happycamper2554]

I think Alisa Efimova should be fine to compete internationally after Worlds ends in a week. She'll have sat out her one year and Germany doesn't seem to have any issues with releasing skaters. Plus I think they qualify for the Split Couple rule for Grand Prix assignments thanks to Efimova/Blommaert 10th place finish at 2023 Worlds.

You have to finish in the top 6. Neither of them qualify

 

[Jumping_Bean]

You have to finish in the top 6. Neither of them qualify

The top 6 rule is a different rule, and doesn't apply to split couples (as it also guarantees two GP assignments).

Efimova/Mitrofanov would actually fall under the "Return of a Split Couple" rule, for which a pair (or ice dance team) has to have placed in the top 12 at Worlds within the last (currently) three seasons (might go back down to two next season) and split afterward. Both Peng/Wang and Hase/Volodin used this rule this season.
This rule doesn't guarantee GP assignments but adds the new team to the list of SB scores with the last SB achieved with their latest partner. Efimova/Blommaert's 2022-23 season's best would put them into 12th on this season's SB list currently, which would basically guarantee them a spot.

 

[saine]

You have to finish in the top 6. Neither of them qualify

Alisa Efimova does qualify. From the 2023 Grand Prix announcement, page 3:

Return of a Split Couple - “Returning Split Couple”
Pairs or Ice Dance Couples, who were previously in the top 7 to 12 of an ISU World Figure Skating Championships in the past three seasons (2021, 2022 or 2023) but who split and now have a new partner, may always be chosen as an Organizing ISU Member Skater as per paragraph 2.2. f) and in addition, may be considered as an Organizing ISU Member’s Choice as per paragraph 2.2. g). They will be ranked in the list of Grand Prix Season’s Best scores by taking the season’s points of their partnership with their most recent previous partner, if proof is given in writing by their ISU Member that they intend to continue their competitive career and their return is announced and confirmed by the date of the annual Selection Meeting. Such Pairs/Dance Couples are defined as a “Returning Split Couple” and such Returning Split Couples do not need to fulfill the requirement of a minimum Grand Prix score.

It's not a guarantee, but it is a possibility for a GP assignment that is non-host.

 

[slider11]

Really excited to see the 3 US teams represented at Worlds. Although I don't see any on the podium I am hoping for a top ten finish for at least 2 of them to retain 3 team slots for next year.

 

[muptgirl]

Really excited to see the 3 US teams represented at Worlds. Although I don't see any on the podium I am hoping for a top ten finish for at least 2 of them to retain 3 team slots for next year.

Hope you are right. I fear 2 in top 10 may be a tall ask. Most likely to do it would be Chan/Howe (butong recovery leaves then a wildcard) and Kam/OShea (but the lack of her ever really landing throws makes it seem hard to imagine top 10 if other teams are cleaner in the world. Fear we may drop to just 1

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Fear we may drop to just 1

Alright, that's a bit too pessimistic.

To drop to 1 spot, the US pairs would really have to bomb. As long as two pairs qualify for the Free, the top US team would just have to place in the top 12, which isn't at all unrealistic, even with the current US pairs' weaknesses. (15th+13th would also work, or not making the Free + top 10)

 

[Jammers]

Amazing how the US had so much depth at the end of the Olympic season and looked to win lots of medals in the future to basically with C/H being out all season being without their top 5 teams from the 2021-22 season. Just when the US had some real quality depth it ends in just a few months almost as soon as the Olympic season was over.

 

[SubRosa]

Thinking ahead to the Grand Prix next year, US pairs is in a bit of a pickle. Several teams with a guarantee of one event (Kam/O’Shea, Chan/Howe, Plazas/Fernandez, Liu/Nagy), a team or two who could really use a host pick (McBeath/Parkman, Martins/Bedard), and a team or two up for consideration for a single event based on the split couple/Junior World medalist guidelines (Efimova/Mitrofanov, Williams/Lewer if they go senior). It will be interesting to see which pairs, if any, manage to snag two spots in the initial announcement, and how the host picks will be assigned.

So many teams pushing each other has got to be a good thing, heading into Boston Worlds.

 

[SmileHappy34]

Thank you. I look forward to next year .

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I do not know how true this is, but I heard on TSL that Balasz Nagy was asked by U.S. fgsk to try out with Audrey Shin.

Not sure how to feel because I really like Balasz and Chelsea together. Their 3-twist is amazing. I had hoped there was a way for C to get help with leg strength for better spring in the air, and quickness on getting her free leg out. I guess we'll soon find out, if true that Liu/ Nagy are no more.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Amazing how the US had so much depth at the end of the Olympic season and looked to win lots of medals in the future to basically with C/H being out all season being without their top 5 teams from the 2021-22 season. Just when the US had some real quality depth it ends in just a few months almost as soon as the Olympic season was over.

Yes, but retirements tend to happen after an Olympic cycle. Pairs in general was in a transitional phase after 2022 Olympics, and it is still evolving, with a lot of teams domestic and international who are hungry for major podiums.

Has anyone heard anything about Chelsea & Balasz possibly not staying together? That would be very sad.

I am eager to hear what McBeath/ Parkman and Efimova/ Mitrofanov are doing over the off-season to create new programs and to improve their consistency.

 

[ramurphy2005]

With Chelsea and Balasz, I think all we have is TSL gossip, so unless something is stated officially one way or another, I'm not putting much stock in it.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

With Chelsea and Balasz, I think all we have is TSL gossip, so unless something is stated officially one way or another, I'm not putting much stock in it.

Get better soon, Chelsea! Sending her lots of love and looks like we could maybe actually see Balasz and Audrey next season

 

[Diana Delafield]

I had hoped there was a way for C to get help with leg strength for better spring in the air, and quickness on getting her free leg out. I guess we'll soon find out, if true that Liu/ Nagy are no more.

This will never reach the attention of any pairs coach other than my own, but I was surprised to find, in the twilight of my own pairs career, how my leg and core strength have increased since I took up roller dance as well a few months ago. The quad wheels are so much heavier than blades, it's like training wearing weights, and of course my partner and I expect to do the same things on wheels as we're used to doing on blades, so we try harder not to look clunky in the gym/dance studio mirrored wall. Then we move to the rink at our club, put on our usual skates, and it's like flying by comparison. I'd kept two of my triple throws (loop and salchow), but now I've got the triple toe loop back as well and am working on the flip. (Just typed "flup" by accident. Probably a more accurate description .) Those wheels make for great, if a bit unorthodox, weight training!

 

[FlossieH]

Shame they have split, but Chelsea needs to look after her wellbeing. Audrey Shin looked very promising in the video posted with Chris Knierim and Brandon Frazier. If she and Nagy were to decide they were compatible, it could be a very promising partnership.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

This will never reach the attention of any pairs coach other than my own, but I was surprised to find, in the twilight of my own pairs career, how my leg and core strength have increased since I took up roller dance as well a few months ago. The quad wheels are so much heavier than blades, it's like training wearing weights, and of course my partner and I expect to do the same things on wheels as we're used to doing on blades, so we try harder not to look clunky in the gym/dance studio mirrored wall. Then we move to the rink at our club, put on our usual skates, and it's like flying by comparison. I'd kept two of my triple throws (loop and salchow), but now I've got the triple toe loop back as well and am working on the flip. (Just typed "flup" by accident. Probably a more accurate description .) Those wheels make for great, if a bit unorthodox, weight training!

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

For Chelsea, I think her long legs have made it difficult for her on the jumps and throws. That's why I figured if she could get some strength and quickness training for her legs, it might help. There are probably technique issues involved as well. Chelsea said she came back just to see what more she could accomplish without placing too much pressure of expectations on herself. With the jumps not going well, maybe she's decided to move on. We'll soon find out definitively. I didn't see the confirmation posted already!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Shame they have split, but Chelsea needs to look after her wellbeing. Audrey Shin looked very promising in the video posted with Chris Knierim and Brandon Frazier. If she and Nagy were to decide they were compatible, it could be a very promising partnership.

Possibly. The downside is that Audrey has no prior pairs experience. However, if she's showing skill and promise on the difficult pairs elements, the fact she has been a good jumper in singles might bode well, if she and Balasz match in important aspects.

In any case, nothing has been confirmed yet. STRIKE THAT! I see it has been confirmed on Chelsea's Insta! TSL Dave can be maddening in the way he casually throws out these gossipy tidbits with no sourcing or detailed context. He said this during TSL's 2024 Worlds review episode. He is quite often accurate, but not always.

 

[FlossieH]

Possibly. The downside is that Audrey has no prior pairs experience. However, if she's showing skill and promise on the difficult pairs elements, the fact she has been a good jumper in singles might bode well, if she and Balasz match in important aspects.

In any case, nothing has been confirmed yet. STRIKE THAT! I see it has been confirmed on Chelsea's Insta! TSL Dave can be maddening in the way he casually throws out these gossipy tidbits with no sourcing or detailed context. He said this during TSL's 2024 Worlds review episode. He is quite often accurate, but not always.

Yes, I was basing my comment on the video Audrey Shin previously posted of her doing pairs elements with Chris Knierim and Bandon Frazier, in which she was looking very promising, and Chelsea's post about her split from Balasz Nagy. Nothing to do with TSL at all (I don't pay attention to and haven't seen anything from him).

We don't know whether Audrey is definitely wanting to switch to pairs or if she and Balasz Nagy would be compatible. However, if both those things applied, it could be a very promising partnership. Audrey only did double twists and throws in the video, but that still shows good progress for someone with no pairs experience and I am confident that she would be able to progress to triples. She was lovely in the lifts and the synchronicity in the SBS jumps and spins was impressive for someone so new to the discipline. Yes, she was working with top pairs skaters who would have adapted to her - but there needs to be consistency on her part in the first place for them to be able to do so.

 

[ramurphy2005]

Well....I wasn't expecting that post to come while I was making dinner....

I hope Chelsea is happy in whatever path her life takes her.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Yeah @FlossieH, I have been wondering since I heard what was said so casually on TSL. I realize Chelsea had problems all season with jumps and throws, and there was no sign of her improving. She does have huge pairs experience though, which is what Balasz had been looking for. Balasz had initially tried out with Gabbie Izzo after her switch to pairs. But they didn't click, so he tried out with Chelsea.

I haven't seen a lot of Audrey Shin, but I saw the recent pairs training clips, and I have admired some of her singles performances. Hopefully, they will match well in all the necessary ways.