Andrew Torgashev

[el henry]

US Fan Zone has an article on Andrew, in anticipation of Worlds.

The article is by Phil Hersh and probably has more quotes from Rafael A. than from Andrew I am thrilled that Raf knows who he is, I had my doubts. Andrew is moving ahead of his plan, and talks about the injuries that kept him from skating for two years:

“My mentality always was to just grind as much as I could until I realized that if you grind something too much, it turns into dust,” Torgashev said. “So I needed to build myself instead of just work as hard as I could.”

Andrew Torgashev builds toward world figure skating championships debut

U.S. figure skater Andrew Torgashev discusses his journey through various injuries and coaches to reach the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships.

olympics.nbcsports.com

A little too much emphasis on quads for my taste (that's not why I adore Andrew's skating), but any article on Andrew is a good one

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Nice article. Thanks for bringing it over. The quad discussion is . Personally, as an outsider watching from afar, I see 2 quads as more realistic for Andrew, or maybe 3, but NOT 4. It would be a lot to go from an inconsistent 1 to suddenly putting in 3. That would also eat up precious choreography time. But Raf is a technical coach, used to coaching winning skaters, so of course he would say that. Andrew did a 4T+3T and a 4T in the LP at Egna Spring Trophy and they were both gorgeous. (He struggled on his triples afterward and did a planned 2A, but oh well).

I was wondering if he was going to add more quads in the future, and it sounds like that's the plan. I just hope they can be somewhat consistent and that Andrew stays healthy in the process.

I am truly glad Andrew is still able to skate and chose to keep skating. He almost didn't, and if he hadn't, the 2023 Nationals magic would not have happened. For one thing, I would never have visited or posted in this thread. This is post #28 for me here, and there's going to be more.

 

[el henry]

Nice article. Thanks for bringing it over. The quad discussion is . Personally, as an outsider watching from afar, I see 2 quads as more realistic for Andrew, or maybe 3, but NOT 4. It would be a lot to go from an inconsistent 1 to suddenly putting in 3. That would also eat up precious choreography time. But Raf is a technical coach, used to coaching winning skaters, so of course he would say that. Andrew did a 4T+3T and a 4T in the LP at Egna Spring Trophy and they were both gorgeous. (He struggled on his triples afterward and did a planned 2A, but oh well).

I was wondering if he was going to add more quads in the future, and it sounds like that's the plan. I just hope they can be somewhat consistent and that Andrew stays healthy in the process.

I am truly glad Andrew is still able to skate and chose to keep skating. He almost didn't, and if he hadn't, the 2023 Nationals magic would not have happened. For one thing, I would never have visited or posted in this thread. This is post #28 for me here, and there's going to be more.

Of course you are right, I do not see four quads as realistic for Andrew, nor are they necessary. What he has to offer skating is rarer, and worth more, than quads.

Selfishly, I wish the interview had been done by someone other than Phil Hersh. He was a boring broken record with stories on Jason, quadquadquadquad, and I would have hoped that Andrew escapes the same treatment.



But onto more pleasant thoughts, a week until Worlds

 

[el henry]

Glad to see Andrew enjoying some off ice shenanigans at Worlds as well

 

[skatingfan4ever]

In Japan, it is Short Program Day for Andrew.

He will be the second skater to compete. Skating very early in the segment worked out well for him at 2023 Nats, so here's hoping it will work out well again. I think his 3A is better than Jason's when it's landed cleanly. His 4T can be gorgeous. His flip-toe is reliable.

He needs this mentality for the entire program: "The options were I could just roll over and play dead or fight until the end,” Torgashev said. “So I choose to fight, try to squeeze out as many points as I could out of my spins and step sequence and execute that combination as well as I could.” His SP footwork did look sharper at Challenge Cup than at Nats, to my eye, and he got a Level 4 instead of a Level 2. Fight for all the points you can, Andrew! You deserve every single one of them! (And you deserve more than what you're given in PCS, but that's another discussion. One quick comment -- At 2023 Nats in the LP, Jason deservedly got the highest PCS, but Ilia got higher PCS than Andrew when Andrew went perfectly clean with better choreography that was delivered better. All you can do is shake your head and sigh).

Make the free skate! Skating a clean short program would be ideal. I hope to see what the Japanese camera people will do with both of his programs. (It's been wonderful camera work for the two segments thus far). LET'S GO ANDREW!!!

I'll find out how it went when I wake up tomorrow, but I won't be watching live.

 

[el henry]

Prayers up for a great short from Andrew, and for making the free. We know he has the skill and the talent, he just needs to seize the mentality.

I wouldn't watch skating at 3/4 am my time if Toller Cranston came back to life, so I will not be watching live either,

 

[reader3]

I hope Andrew has a better skate for the FS.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Andrew survived, and actually got a slightly higher score than Challenge Cup (71.41). Fall and q on 4T, which frankly I sort of expected. Nice 3A (I would have given it a bit more GOE). I said his flip-toe was reliable and it is, but today he had a slight break after the flip. Thankfully he still got credit for the combo. His camel spin was shakier than usual, which was surprising.

Raf was with him and went straight into Russian when he came off the ice. Andrew responded in Russian.

My favorite things were the beautiful camerawork and, even more so, the response of the crowd when Andrew was taking his bows! The jumps weren't great and yet they seemed so appreciative of what else Andrew has to offer. Challenge Cup sounded so dead compared to this, for a similar effort. (Apologies to the lovely people who were at Challenge Cup; there were simply a lot less of you. ) It must have felt nice for Andrew to have such crowd support.

Seeing Andrew skate is always a pleasure, regardless of results. Results-wise, he is in 22nd, about 8 points out of 12th. (Finishers 1-12 get 2 GPs next season). My main hope going in was that he would make the Free Skate, which he dd. I am hopeful that he can move up a few spots after the FS. We shall see!

 

[reader3]

luv it:

Raf was with him and went straight into Russian when he came off the ice. Andrew responded in Russian.

 

[el henry]

Andrew made the Free, Andrew made the Free

Not his best skate, but giving him the experience he needs internationally in front of those wonderful Japanese audiences.

Wish he'd skip the 4T in the SP, but that's just me. Probably get more points doing another jump clean, need to maximize his potential.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I looked at the results, then watched Andrew's program, and came here immediately to post. I haven't watched any other men yet.

 

[skatedreamer]

Hoping

Andrew made the Free, Andrew made the Free

Not his best skate, but giving him the experience he needs internationally in front of those wonderful Japanese audiences.

Wish he'd skip the 4T in the SP, but that's just me. Probably get more points doing another jump clean, need to maximize his potential.

Agreed! Andrew's was the only SP I managed to see live. My heart sank when he fell and I felt even worse when he looked so disappointed in himself. All the credit in the world to him for fighting for the rest of the program. Here's hoping he'll remember how Nathan blew his SP at the 2018 Olys and then came back on fire in the FS.

Just keep on keeping on, Andrew. You're a gifted, sensitive skater and we're all rooting for you!

 

[gsk8]

 

[skatingfan4ever]

It's Worlds Free Skate Day for Andrew!

I don't know what Andrew is telling himself, but in my mind the pressure is off because he's so far down in the standings. I hope he skates with freedom and passion (and lands his jumps ) and gives the FABULOUS Japanese audience even more reason to cheer! They are so eager to do so!

I hope to find his name somewhere in the teens when I get up tomorrow morning. Top 12 is even better but I don't see him leapfrogging 10 skaters.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I just watched the first FS group on Peacock (I'll get to the rest later today). Side note: I HIGHLY recommend watching the World Feed if you have Peacock, at least for certain skaters, because there's no commentary and you really get to soak up the atmosphere in the arena and the program music etc. If you don't want spoilers, I assume you won't be visiting the Fan Fests. I'm going to give some.

I am proud of Andrew. I looked at how far down he finished (21st) and was afraid the program would be worse than it was. He fell on the 4T (disappointing but not unexpected), which got a downgrade. The 3A could have been better but he landed it. Nice triples. A couple of edge calls (2nd lutz and 1st flip). Segment score was 139.18; total score was 210.59.

He made the same mistake on the flip-toe as in the short. BUT, I am SO happy that right afterward he did a beautiful 3F+2A. I was so nervous after the flip-toe because I knew he had to do another flip right away. He fought until the end.

After the replays, before the scores, Andrew said thank you in English and the rest of the time he was talking with Raf in Russian. His Russian was easier to hear after the FS than the SP. I don't know any Russian, so I don't know what they were discussing. I will be interested to read Andrew's thoughts on how it went. He looked very disappointed with himself.

It was absolutely FASCINATING watching this first group. Morisi moved ahead of Andrew but Boyang dropped behind him. (Then everyone after Boyang finished ahead of Andrew). Morisi skated after Andrew and before Andreas, and the group ended with Boyang. With Morisi skating between Andrew and Andreas, it was so easy to notice the lack of artistic presence and intention Morisi has. Morisi is more successful at quads, but everything else, Andrew and Andreas are more enjoyable for. Artistically it was like day (Andrew) turning to night (Morisi) and then the sun coming up again (Andreas). In fact, I fast-forwarded through most of Morisi because of his grating music and boring skating. I was not a fan of Andreas's music either, but because of his choreography and artistic commitment to the program, I watched the whole thing. And then you have Boyang, who tries his best but when the jumps aren't working the program falls completely flat. All this to say, I am so happy when skaters skate with artistic intention. That way if the jumps are off, the program is still a pleasure to watch.

Andrew's Accomplishments:
1. Making the Free Skate
2. Earning 146 WS Points
3. Not finishing in 24th place
4. Skating with his heart in front of an incredible, appreciative audience in Japan
5. Gaining valuable international experience
6. Sharing his special artistry and skating qualities with everyone who is watching

Anyway, I have a few more thoughts but this post is already long enough.

 

[el henry]

I love your list of Andrew's accomplishments @skatingfan4ever .

We need to remember (or at least I need to remember) that after watching Andrew at the Qualifying comps, where he was struggling, if you had told me he would be on the World's team, I would have asked what you were smoking.

I know he's disappointed, but he should be proud of himself, and take this experience forward into next season.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Another FS accomplishment is that he only fell once. And in the whole competition, he only fell once in each program. Granted, he didn't attempt multiple quads or multiple 3As, but some men struggled more with their triples.

Andrew's Japanese intro during the FS warmup mentioned the JGPF (I don't know any Japanese, but I understood "Junior Grand Prix Final"), but in English the announcer said, "Making it back into the spotlight after a long recovery from injury, he took third at the US Nationals and secured his position here at the Worlds. Representing the United States of America, Andrew Torgashev." I like that. Making it back into the spotlight. May he be able to stay there for a while yet. As in, not get injured so he can keep competing.


Given that most (all?) of his serious past injuries came from training quads, I worry. He seems committed to keeping it in though, at least right now. The success rate on the 4T in competition is quite low, though. And Phil Hersh wrote that Raf wants him to do 3 or 4 quads - really? Maybe a good solid off-season of training will boost his confidence and consistency.

Somehow I don't think Andrew would (or wants to) go the Jason Brown route of not attempting quads. But could he? Or is Jason's "everything else" so astronomically better than anyone else, Andrew included, that he's the only skater who can get away with it and finish so high in the standings.

Also, how do you think Andrew can become more consistent? Does he simply need to do more competitions? Camden, for example, has had plenty of competitions and he's still a wildcard.

I actually like most of Andrew's jumps more than Jason's, when Andrew lands cleanly. His 3A especially gets more height and distance, a better arc, and has a smoother takeoff, to my eye. And of course Andrew can land a 4T and consistently attempts it in his programs. Andrew gets a lot of edge calls on his Lutz (and occasionally on his Flip), although he somehow didn't get any edge calls at Nationals (I'm not sure whether his Lutzs were cleaner there or simply not called). I think Andrew also has one of the smoothest Eulers out there. But it doesn't matter how aesthetically pleasing Andrew's jumps can be if he doesn't rotate and land them. Is it a mental thing, a technical thing, a repetition/experience thing, or maybe all the above?

Of course, none of us know Andrew personally and what he's going through in training or at a competition, but I'd love to know what my fellow Andrew fans think about this. I so very much hope that Andrew can become more consistent over time. His glorious, heartfelt skating deserves to shine so brightly!

 

[gsk8]

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Happy 22nd birthday to Andrew!!!

Some fun blasts from his past:

2015 Nationals Ex

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

The music is not what I like to listen to and I still don't "like" it ("Fireball" by Pitbull feat. John Ryan), but Andrew's skating is as usual. It's nice to see him doing such a fun program. He had the audience in the palm of his hand. He even does an illusion out of his camel spin and a split jump later on. When he gestures to the crowd, they respond immediately. I repeat, he was 13 years old! He's always skated beyond his years artistically. (Heck, it's hard to believe he's still only 22).

Local News Fluff in 2013, after he won Intermediate, having won Juvenile in 2012 (in Novice in 2014 he finished 4th, then won Juniors in 2015)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

11-year-old Andrew already had lovely spins. His mom is so sweet. I kept replaying the outro because Andrew's footwork was showcased on the side!

This fluff is not only a piece of Andrew's history, but it's also a piece of USFS history. I doubt it would happen these days because USFS hasn't crowned Juvenile, Intermediate, and Novice national champions since 2019. Can you imagine an intro like, "Local 6th grader gets to go to the figure skating National Development Camp?" It doesn't have the same ring to it as "national champion."

 

[Jeanie19]