2025-26 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating
- Thread starter BlissfulSynergy
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in attendance
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- Sep 1, 2020
So cool! I knew Jessica and Zack had been engaged since last year, and they have been a couple since forever. 
I didn't know their wedding date! 
They were long time partners on the ice prior to Jessica pairing with Brian Johnson in the latter stage of her career.
I didn't know their wedding date! They were long time partners on the ice prior to Jessica pairing with Brian Johnson in the latter stage of her career.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2021
People keep saying Nagy and Lui split because of USFS pressure, but that’s honestly just a rumor that got repeated so many times everyone started treating it like a fact.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Yes, I have heard this now from several people, one of whom knows relatives of principles involved. My feeling is that a number of things can be true at the same time. With this many reports, I feel like there have been problems in the pairings which Balazs has not handled with patience and kindness. I am also cognizant that Balazs was trained as a junior in the known detrimental environment toward females of Sappenfield's former coaching operation. Most likely, it was there that Balazs learned poor behaviors toward female partners. I recall seeing such unsettling behavior play out in the kiss 'n cry between TJ Nyman & Sarah Feng. The latter often seemed nervous in the kiss 'n cry, while casting uneasy glances toward Nyman & Sappenfield (especially after mistakes in their programs).
I don't recall any negative behavior between Balazs and his junior partner, Kate Finster. But she was ambitious and determined, with a strong personality. So, Balazs and the coach likely did not rattle her too much. Possibly, Balazs and Maria Pavlova did not get along well. I haven't heard any specifics. I also do not think they showed much promise as a pair. Maria is obviously in a much better partnership now. At the same time, there are reports that Maria & Balazs experienced a difficult time with the Hungarian federation.
When Balazs returned to the U.S., he had expressed a desire to pair with an experienced partner. He ended up with Chelsea Liu, and their partnership quickly blossomed. From my observation, in the beginning, they seemed compatible, happy together, and excited about their prospects. Aside from Chelsea's jump landing issues (related to the long length of her legs), Balazs & Chels were panning out to be an exciting team to watch. However, U.S. fed began placing too much pressure on them for successful result outcomes. Clearly, toward the end of their one promising season, things were going awry. Balazs began noticeably having tech issues himself on jumps, most likely due to looking over at Chelsea and worrying about her landings. That's usually the case when the more consistent partner begins faltering on jumps.
I am not making any excuses for Balazs or for anyone else. I'm just being realistic about a number of factors, combined with U.S. fed's overdone interference in both of Balazs' recent pairings. I understand that there was a desire to help Audrey succeed in her switch to pairs. It would likely have been best to move slower and allow Audrey to try out with different partners, rather than becoming so invested in having Balazs and Audrey pair up and achieve immediate success. At this juncture, I wish the very best for both Audrey & Balazs. I hope they put what they have learned to good use and become successful in finding more compatible and productive partnerships, which I believe is possible for both of them.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
With all due respect to your knowledge of the situation, U.S. fed's over-management of Shin/ Nagy (while well-meaning) was detrimental from the very beginning. Why send Shin/ Nagy to Marcotte in Canada in the first place?
Balazs could not get a work permit there and they had to return to Colorado as their main base, at least for a while. The other uncertain factor is, Had Chelsea and Balazs split prior to U.S. fed telling Balazs to try out with Audrey? More importantly, why make Liu/Nagy and Chan/ Howe compete head-to-head publicly after 2024 U.S. Nat'ls, in order to decide which team to send to Worlds in the third spot. 
That was completely unnecessary, and likely damaging to the confidence of both teams.C/H were and are proven veterans. They had placed first in the sp at '24 Nat'ls, and then due to Spencer coming back from shoulder surgery, he and Emily WD from the fp. The only thing USfigsk needed to do at that point was to monitor C/H's readiness and recognize (as they ultimately did) that C/H were the best team to send to Worlds in the third spot. If it was felt that a head-to-head was needed, it should have been conducted privately between the 3rd and 4th place teams: Val/Max and Liu/Nagy (since L/N were 3rd in the fp). Better yet, why did U.S. fed not simply allow Chelsea & Balazs to regroup after a promising, yet difficult first season in its latter stages? Offer them support, assistance, and an opportunity to express their wants and needs at that stage.
But nope, U.S. fed inserted themselves in placing former singles skater, Audrey Shin, into a full speed ahead pairs partnership with Balazs. Why the rush to place such overly high expectatations on S/N? Even Bruno Marcotte had indicated that successful results could take up to three years! If you ask me, the overdone push and overly high expectations for S/N started out being a recipe for disaster. It placed undue pressures on an already fragile partnership connection. Moreover, despite genuine efforts from both Audrey & Balazs, at least on the surface publicly, their vibes, personalities, and perceptions are completely different. There was obvious physical compatibility, but I don't sense that they were ever on the same wavelength emotionally.
I do not doubt that Balazs was harsh toward Audrey, as has been reported. That's something he needs to own up to and repair. Meanwhile, I will refrain from solely blaming Balazs for the Shin/ Nagy partnership split. Especially in view of U.S. fed's bonehead insistence upon sending S/N to Beijing under the insufficient summer camp competition results criteria. It was unreasonable of U.S. fed not to factor in results from the early season John Nicks pairs event.
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- Joined
- Sep 24, 2021
Their split had nothing to do with USFS and their "over management" ... but fans love that narrative so let's keep it at that
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Excuse me, I meant to reference Shin/ Nagy at points when I wrote 'Liu/ Nagy' and 'L/N'. I corrected those errors in my original post.
I respect your background knowledge. Obviously, how you view the situation is according to your knowledge and perceptions. This is not a black and white situation. There are many shades of gray. None of us were in either of these partner relationships. I understand that there are some people who may have the advantage of direct contact with one or more of the persons involved. I am speaking from what I have observed in following the skaters and their performances, and also from my perspective of many years following the sport and witnessing poor decisions made by U.S. figure skating in regard to their athletes. I realize it's an organization made up of different people who for the most part have good intentions. On the positive side, as I said earlier, current U.S. figure skating authorities seemed to have learned something over the course of the season, and I commend them for their fair-minded and equitable approach to handling Worlds and Olympics assignments after 2026 Nationals.
In regard to the Liu/ Nagy split, they were obviously still together between February 22-24, 2024 when they were told to participate in a head-to-head performance vs Chan/Howe during the '24 U.S. Sychronized Skating event. As I mentioned earlier, making those two teams compete against each other publicly was completely uncalled for.
Chan/Howe are a proven, veteran team who had placed as high as 5th in the World. Spencer was coming back from shoulder surgery. He and Emily had placed first in the 2024 U.S. Nats sp, but had WD from the fp. All that was needed was to monitor them for their readiness to compete at Worlds. Liu/ Nagy were a new team who had shown great promise, but by the end of the season, Chelsea seemed to have lost confidence and form. Her difficulties in landing jumps and throws had escalated and seemingly had begun to impact Balazs' performance on sbs jumps. L/N had placed 5th in sp and 3rd in fp at '24 Nats. Why not give them support and any assistance needed, and simply assign them as first alternates to '24 Worlds? Why force these two teams to undergo a public head-to-head?? Reportedly, Chelsea fell on every jump and throw.Was it right after that unpleasant and totally unnecessary experience that Liu/ Nagy broke up? Who knows? There was certainly no public announcenent of a split until rumors surfaced that Balazs had been asked to try out with Audrey Shin. Those rumors forced Chelsea to release a statement on March 26, 2024 saying she was stepping away to prioritize her mental health but that she hoped to resume skating in the future. So, it's a fact-based matter of public record that Liu/Nagy split somewhere within the four weeks after USfigsk had them participate in an unfortunate head-to-head vs Chan/ Howe. Also, within that same period, there was a try out between Balazs and Audrey.
You said earlier, "People keep saying Nagy and Lui split because of USFS pressure, but that’s honestly just a rumor that got repeated so many times everyone started treating it like a fact."
Well, it is a fact that undue pressure was placed on both Liu/Nagy and Chan/Howe in being told to engage in a totally unnecessary public skate-off. Sometime within 4 weeks after that embarrassment, Liu/Nagy split and Balazs did the tryout with Audrey. It's clear that Audrey & Balazs then began training together, yet didn't announce their partnership till June 2024.
IMO, it's unrealistic to suggest that U.S. figure skating had no involvement in any of this and did not place pressure on Liu/ Nagy. Also, I do not see reasonable fans 'loving' any specific narrative about the recent split between Shin/ Nagy. There are clear facts available indicating U.S. figure skating's well-intentioned, yet obviously pressurized, fast-tracking and 'overmanagement' of the Shin/Nagy partnership. They were sent to Canada by USfigsk to be coached by Marcotte. They were sent to the Beijing qualifier with low confidence, less experience, and poorer results to that point than two other viable teams. Aside from these outwardly imposed burdens and pressures, S/N both worked hard on trying to grow and improve their competitive results, no matter the actual private state of their interaction. Their new sp by Tessa Virtue demonstrated positive growth and promise. Yet ultimately, their efforts to bond as partners were unsuccessful, likely for many reasons, including hurtful private interactions, differing personalities and ambitions, plus the heavy expectations placed upon them by U.S. figure skating!
Far from 'loving' rumored narratives, it seems to me that concerned fans would love more transparency from U.S. figure skating and more fairness and compassion in how they lead, advise, and support their athletes.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
I haven't seen the post yet. What do you mean? A casual photo with certain skaters standing next to each other?I don't want to read too much into it, but did see a post on IG from Mishkutenok today with interesting pair ups. Maybe just for the photo as some are enjoying vacations right now, but still something to think about.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Okay @bckabck, thanks for sharing about the post from MMPairs. Since it is publicly posted, I don't see any reason not to believe that these are new pairings. Wow!
I can't tell who Naomi William's new partner is. She does not appear to be pictured with Lachlan Lewer. Hmm, I realize you said that some skaters are on vacation.
Still, Timmy Chapman is apparently now in Colorado, and looking as if he's paired with Liv Flores.
Mark Sadusky & Audrey Shin are in the front line doing their lift! That is probably going to be a great match, especially since Mark is a coach and a very easygoing, laidback, fun person to be around.
I recognize a couple of the other young pairs pictured, one from Canada. Ellie and Danny are not pictured. Who knows if they plan to come back for another season. I tend to think not. Luke Wang is not pictured either, so I wonder if Starr's documentary will reveal that she's indeed partnering with Luke. Would they train in Colorado or California, though? Or, will Starr pair wth someone else, while Luke pairs with someone unexpected? Hopefully, we will soon find out. Lots of changes for the next quad.
I can't tell who Naomi William's new partner is. She does not appear to be pictured with Lachlan Lewer. Hmm, I realize you said that some skaters are on vacation.
Still, Timmy Chapman is apparently now in Colorado, and looking as if he's paired with Liv Flores.
Mark Sadusky & Audrey Shin are in the front line doing their lift! That is probably going to be a great match, especially since Mark is a coach and a very easygoing, laidback, fun person to be around.I recognize a couple of the other young pairs pictured, one from Canada. Ellie and Danny are not pictured. Who knows if they plan to come back for another season. I tend to think not. Luke Wang is not pictured either, so I wonder if Starr's documentary will reveal that she's indeed partnering with Luke. Would they train in Colorado or California, though?
Or, will Starr pair wth someone else, while Luke pairs with someone unexpected? Hopefully, we will soon find out. Lots of changes for the next quad.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2015
I would be overjoyed to see Mark again. Hoping…Okay @bckabck, thanks for sharing about the post from MMPairs. Since it is publicly posted, I don't see any reason not to believe that these are new pairings. Wow!
I can't tell who Naomi William's new partner is. She does not appear to be pictured with Lachlan Lewer. Hmm, I realize you said that some skaters are on vacation.
Still, Timmy Chapman is apparently now in Colorado, and looking as if he's paired with Liv Flores.
I recognize a couple of the other young pairs pictured, one from Canada. Ellie and Danny are not pictured. Who knows if they plan to come back for another season. I tend to think not. Luke Wang is not pictured either, so I wonder if Starr's documentary will reveal that she's indeed partnering with Luke. Would they train in Colorado or California, though?
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
FWIW, the Mishkutenok/Meekins pairs group previously has shown teams of two skaters who are not in a partnership together doing some kind of pairs exercises together. And I don't think @mmpairs is the only coaching group that mixes things up now and then, putting two non-partners together to work on something.
So my opinion is that the photo does not necessarily indicate anything in the way of new partnerships.
Maybe it does, but maybe it does not.
In any case: To my eyes, Lachlan Lewer is quite recognizable as the person lifting Naomi Williams in the photo.
So my opinion is that the photo does not necessarily indicate anything in the way of new partnerships.
Maybe it does, but maybe it does not.
In any case: To my eyes, Lachlan Lewer is quite recognizable as the person lifting Naomi Williams in the photo.
ETA:
Danny O'Shea is at Worlds, lending his personality/smile and athlete perspective to ISU social media in Prague.
ETA (on Mar 26):
And this just in: A newer post with video shows Chapman working with two different women on throw jumps, LOL.
I think Chapman first is throwing Audrey Shin, if my eyes do not deceive me.
And then he is throwing Olivia Flores.
(All before Connor O'Grady throws Katie Shen.)
www.instagram.com
I think Chapman first is throwing Audrey Shin, if my eyes do not deceive me.
And then he is throwing Olivia Flores.
(All before Connor O'Grady throws Katie Shen.)
Natalia Mishkutenok on Instagram: "Today’s 3S throws 😁"
439 likes, 6 comments - natalia.mishkutenok on March 25, 2026: "Today’s 3S throws 😁".
www.instagram.com
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- Joined
- Mar 25, 2024
It's a bit blurry and he has a hat on, but Lachlan is lifting Naomi. The hat hides his recognizable hair
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2024
Yes, Timmy was throwing Audrey and then throwing Olivia. Could be just exercise or could be early shaking things up to get best pairs aligned with each other. Only time will tell if there is any new partnerships or not, but was still interesting all the same.ETA (on Mar 26):And this just in: A newer post with video shows Chapman working with two different women on throw jumps, LOL.I think Chapman first is throwing Audrey Shin, if my eyes do not deceive me.And then he is throwing Olivia Flores.(All before Connor O'Grady throws Katie Shen.)Natalia Mishkutenok on Instagram: "Today’s 3S throws 😁"
439 likes, 6 comments - natalia.mishkutenok on March 25, 2026: "Today’s 3S throws 😁".
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Oh. I thought his hat was his hair. It wouldn't make much sense for them to not stay together. But teams often break-up 'at the drop of a hat.'It's a bit blurry and he has a hat on, but Lachlan is lifting Naomi. The hat hides his recognizable hair
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Possible. But, since we know Mark is coming back to compete, I tend to think Timmy was just helping out with Audrey on a day that Mark was not there. We'll find out soon enough. Sigh. The era of social media always keeps us guessing...
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- Aug 12, 2014
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2014
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