Andrew Torgashev

[Tav]

Here are 3 videos of it with timestamps. The YouTube ones will start at the exact time; the non-YouTube one I wrote in the post).

2019 Peggy Fleming Trophy

- YouTube

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

youtu.be

2020 Junior Worlds

- YouTube

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

youtu.be

2023 Slate America (Timestamp: 2:35; possibly 1:47 too, or is that something else?)

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

These are all what Andrew calls, "The One-foot Hitch-kick." Did the fans dub it The Flying Torg?

 

[Tav]

I'm just so happy he's doing programs that are completely unique and haven't been done a thousand times before. The Muse songs haven't been done to death (yay!), and the choreo in the SP is just NEW and amazing stuff to behold. He seems to really want to be different and I think he'll accomplish that as long as he's always being inventive.

 

[el henry]

These are all what Andrew calls, "The One-foot Hitch-kick." Did the fans dub it The Flying Torg?

The Flying Torg is what Andrew calls the "reverse butterfly" in his Peggy Fleming fluff video.

The hitch kick is another move, a straight up and down kick. Another great Andrew move.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

In the USFS Fan Zone article about the SA LP. Andrew's quote was, "It was good. Nothing really special about it. I was trying to get my marks done. Yesterday I got a little out of body, so I'm trying to stay in a controlled space and more of a comfort zone to just accomplish what I could."

I think what was special was that Andrew jumped so well. The rest is a work in progress, but he had such a good jumping day. Maybe his best LP jumps ever besides 2023 Nationals. It's tricky because at 2023 Nationals he did the 4T but only one 3A. Since he did two 3As here (one in combination with a 2A), in a way I am more impressed with these jumps. Also, I hope that at Nationals he can get the jumps done AND give us a little more artistically. I think that's what he meant by "nothing special about it."

I was curious what Tara and Johnny would say. Both of them are in love with his SP Step Sequence. After the SP, Johnny said, "Rough on the jumps today, but the way he brought it home with that step sequence. I can't remember the last time I've loved a step sequence as much as that. It was so inventive, acrobatic, a stunning display." Tara said during the Step Sequence, "'I'm loving this short program. I love the choreography. I love the vibe. I love the way he's moving to it. He is such a dynamic skater."

In the LP, they both complimented him on his improved jump technique from Raf. Johnny loved that he's trying something new and different this season, mentioned his SP StSeq again (said it's "absolutely phenomenal,") and said that while the long program "lacked a little bit of energy," it was more secure than Worlds and a step in the right direction.

Andrea Joyce shared some fluff about Andrew during the SP warmup. Andrew's new approach to competition is based on gratitude and joy, not being obsessed with results. Apparently, in his comeback, Andrew went on a 55-day pizza diet, lost weight, and got his 4T back. (I did not know that; @el henry probably did though).

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I was curious about Tara and Johnny, but for rewatch purposes I got the No Commentary videos downloaded from Peacock. It's worth every penny. Enjoy! I don't dare upload them anywhere else, but here they are in Dropbox.

2023 Skate America Short Program
2023 Skate America Free Skate
2023 Skate America Gala

 

[trishelle]

Thanks for posting the article, and the vids!

I was a little disappointed that Andrew kept bailing on his quads at SA, and that the 4sal is seemingly just gone. I hope that it's not because of his back or a different injury. But tripled toeloop aside to open, it was a lovely FS if a little restrained. It was nice to see him jump up 4 places after the SP. He did get some world ranking points by doing so, and coupled with the points he got at Lombardia hopefully in the future he won't have to skate first or second in an SP anymore. His 3axel looks more stable since joining Raf's group and I like that he does 2 of them now in the free skate.

Does he have any other comps scheduled before nationals? Perhaps a smaller one where he can just practice performing his full programs with the quads attempted and have judges there LOL? He needs as much competition & performing experience as he can if he wants to beat Jason at Nationals convincingly and establish himself as the #2 US mens skater - which I think he can and should be able to do if he believed in himself.

 

[el henry]

Thank you for the shares @skatingfan4ever, and for relaying Tara and Johnny's comments. I'm always happy to hear anyone praising Andrew's excellence, but like you, I prefer to rewatch without distraction.

I did know about the 55 day pizza diet, although I am not sure from where. It doesn't sound like the healthiest diet to me, but Andrew is an adult man and can make his own decisions, so whatever works for him is fine by me.

 

[Tav]

I think what was special was that Andrew jumped so well. The rest is a work in progress, but he had such a good jumping day. Maybe his best LP jumps ever besides 2023 Nationals. It's tricky because at 2023 Nationals he did the 4T but only one 3A. Since he did two 3As here (one in combination with a 2A), in a way I am more impressed with these jumps. Also, I hope that at Nationals he can get the jumps done AND give us a little more artistically. I think that's what he meant by "nothing special about it."

I was curious what Tara and Johnny would say. Both of them are in love with his SP Step Sequence. After the SP, Johnny said, "Rough on the jumps today, but the way he brought it home with that step sequence. I can't remember the last time I've loved a step sequence as much as that. It was so inventive, acrobatic, a stunning display." Tara said during the Step Sequence, "'I'm loving this short program. I love the choreography. I love the vibe. I love the way he's moving to it. He is such a dynamic skater."

In the LP, they both complimented him on his improved jump technique from Raf. Johnny loved that he's trying something new and different this season, mentioned his SP StSeq again (said it's "absolutely phenomenal," and said that while the long program "lacked a little bit of energy," it was more secure than Worlds and a step in the right direction.

Andrea Joyce shared some fluff about Andrew during the SP warmup. Andrew's new approach to competition is based on gratitude and joy, not being obsessed with results. Apparently, in his comeback, Andrew went on a 55-day pizza diet, lost weight, and got his 4T back. (I did not know that; @el henry probably did though).

I think his LP was special, even if he doesn't think it was, because he PBed himself! How is that not special? Not only that, it was almost entirely cleanly skated and jumped. Andrew's too hard on himself. If I were a skater, that's all I would be trying to do. PB myself and skate as clean as possible.

It's a healthy frame of mind to not be obsessed with results, and I mean where you place, or who you beat, or if you get on the podium. That's not what any athlete should be thinking about because you have no control over that. You CAN control what you actually do on the ice. How it gets interpreted is out of any skater's hands. If you focus on what you're doing, you tend to fair better, overall.

I didn't know his 53-day pizza diet was for weight loss... Really? That is not how you lose weight, at least not in a healthy way. He's only 22, so I suppose it's not a big deal. He's extremely metabolically healthy as it is, but that does go away with prolonged poor eating habits over time. Eat a lot of protein, boy. Eat good quality meat and slow-digesting carbs, healthy fats and fiber. I just find this pizza diet funny!

 

[Tav]

Does he have any other comps scheduled before nationals? Perhaps a smaller one where he can just practice performing his full programs with the quads attempted and have judges there LOL? He needs as much competition & performing experience as he can if he wants to beat Jason at Nationals convincingly and establish himself as the #2 US mens skater - which I think he can and should be able to do if he believed in himself.

Not yet. Maybe he could end up going to the Golden Spin of Zagreb. I really hope USFS sends him to another international competition before the year is over.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Does he have any other comps scheduled before nationals? Perhaps a smaller one where he can just practice performing his full programs with the quads attempted and have judges there LOL? He needs as much competition & performing experience as he can if he wants to beat Jason at Nationals convincingly and establish himself as the #2 US mens skater - which I think he can and should be able to do if he believed in himself.

Not yet. Maybe he could end up going to the Golden Spin of Zagreb. I really hope USFS sends him to another international competition before the year is over.

In this article/interview by Figure Skaters Online (done before Skate America), Andrew said he still planned to do Eastern Sectionals, even though he has a bye to Nationals. It will be in his hometown of Coral Springs. We'll find out very soon, because Easterns are happening this week/weekend. But, he told GS after the Skate America Free Skate (per the tweet posted earlier in the thread) that he is hoping to be sent to another Challenger this season. I really hope he does get another Challenger. Warsaw and Golden Spin are the only ones left.

I'm about to nerd out. Read on if you dare.

After Skate Canada, Andrew is tied for 20th in the "Season's Best Total Score" standings, with his 233.26 at Lombardia. The score is a little low in relation to other skaters, but considering Andrew got 210 at Worlds, 233 is quite an improvement. (He got 219 at SA, which is also better than Worlds, even with no combination in the SP). It is still early in the season, however, and scores tend to escalate by Worlds. Having a Top 24 Season's Best Total Score at the end of the current season is one way to earn one GP, other than as a host-pick, for the following season. (Another way to earn one GP is by being Top 24 in the World Standings; right now Andrew is 69th with 766 points).*

All this is to say, if he gets another Challenger this season and somehow gets a higher total score than he did at Lombardia, it may greatly help his GP chances for next season, and may get him some more WS points too. Not to mention more competitive experience and more program mileage.

*The World Standings and the Season's Best Total Scores are two completely separate lists. The Season's Best Total Scores shows, from highest to lowest, the best total score each skater has earned during the current season at an official ISU event. OTOH, for the World Standings, skaters earn points based on their placements at various ISU events, and the points available also vary by type of event (e.g. Worlds, GP, Challenger, etc). The World Standings takes 3 seasons of results into account, and the math becomes more complicated if you compete at a lot of ISU events.

I got the WS point values and math details from Wikipedia, and both lists are kept up-to-date on the ISU website.

 

[Tav]

In this article/interview by Figure Skaters Online (done before Skate America), Andrew said he still planned to do Eastern Sectionals, even though he has a bye to Nationals. It will be in his hometown of Coral Springs. We'll find out very soon, because Easterns are happening this week/weekend. But, he told GS after the Skate America Free Skate (per the tweet posted earlier in the thread) that he is hoping to be sent to another Challenger this season. I really hope he does get another Challenger. Warsaw and Golden Spin are the only ones left.

I'm about to nerd out. Read on if you dare.

After Skate Canada, Andrew is tied for 20th in the "Season's Best Total Score" standings, with his 233.26 at Lombardia. The score is a little low in relation to other skaters, but considering Andrew got 210 at Worlds, 233 is quite an improvement. (He got 219 at SA, which is also better than Worlds, even with no combination in the SP). It is still early in the season, however, and scores tend to escalate by Worlds. Having a Top 24 Season's Best Total Score at the end of the current season is one way to earn one GP, other than as a host-pick, for the following season. (Another way to earn one GP is by being Top 24 in the World Standings; right now Andrew is 69th with 766 points).* All this is to say, if he gets another Challenger this season and somehow gets a higher total score than he did at Lombardia, it may greatly help his GP chances for next season, and may get him some more WS points too. Not to mention more competitive experience and more program mileage.

*The World Standings and the Season's Best Total Scores are two completely separate lists. The Season's Best Total Scores shows, from highest to lowest, the best total score each skater has earned during the current season at an official ISU event. OTOH, for the World Standings, skaters earn points based on their placements at various ISU events, and the points available also vary by type of event (e.g. Worlds, GP, Challenger, etc). The World Standings takes 3 seasons of results into account, and the math becomes more complicated if you compete at a lot of ISU events.

I got the WS point values and math details from Wikipedia, and both lists are kept up-to-date on the ISU website.

Thanks for that article! I had no idea he wanted to do Sectionals again, this season. How weird. Didn't he say he resented the fact that he had to do Sectionals last season (on Polina's podcast)? How odd that he would want to do it when he doesn't have to. I guess we could end up seeing a roster floating around that might have his name on it for Eastern Sectionals this week. I have no idea if such a thing ever happens, though. I don't want to have to subscribe to Peacock just for that, though I might if there's no other way to watch him. Perhaps, he won't do it, after all, as he suggested.

He's not listed as going to the Warsaw Cup this season. Jason and Daniel Martynov are going. Jason wanted to do a CS this season, so USFS hooked him up.

I really hope Andrew gets to go to 4CC this season, though it will take place after Nationals. That would be amazing, especially if he doesn't get to go to another CS before the year is over. Provided he does just as well at this season's Nationals as he did at last season's, and if we can assume Jason and Ilia will forgo their rights to compete in it, Andrew could end up on the 4CC team, realistically!

Just discovered the 4CC team is getting selected BEFORE Nationals this season because it's happening only one week after Nationals. Andrew could get selected! I don't know what their criteria will be, but if he's the reigning National bronze medalist and is second-best in the CS in U.S. Men's this season, so far, then how could they not send him?!?! (so excited!)

One thing I was wondering about was did Andrew earn a GP spot this season, or was it a Skate America guest spot? He seemed to have both low SB ranking and WS ranking going into the selection process for this season. I just hope he gets his international opportunities to improve both so next season, he can reap the benefits of his current hard work. Maxim Naumov, for example, was on the short list for taking one of Daniel Grassl's spots after he withdrew from both events, though didn't get either, but his hard work from last season earned him being on the short list. Jimmy Ma got a second GP assignment earlier this season for the same reason. It's just going to take time for Andrew to get to where he's riding on the foundation he will have built, but he's still in the process of building that foundation as a senior.

 

[el henry]

Thanks to both of you @skatingfan4ever and @Tav for your thoughts.

Andrew did say what a change last year was for him, needing to drive, needing to qualify, no emails, all points he had not considered before. But this year Sectionals are at his "home rink" where he trained until he left for Colorado, so if he wants to see old friends, it would be a good excuse. (I do not deliberately follow skaters' families' lives, but it appears his parents no longer live in Florida and Andrew's mother now lives in Vegas.)

Andrew still does not have enough points for world rankings for a GP , but another Challenger would be great. Golden Spin is a good one, but it can be a challenging (no pun intended) comp, as many of the ranked skaters who did not make GPF use it as a final tune-up.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Thanks for that article! I had no idea he wanted to do Sectionals again, this season. How weird. Didn't he say he resented the fact that he had to do Sectionals last season (on Polina's podcast)? How odd that he would want to do it when he doesn't have to. I guess we could end up seeing a roster floating around that might have his name on it for Eastern Sectionals this week. I have no idea if such a thing ever happens, though. I don't want to have to subscribe to Peacock just for that, though I might if there's no other way to watch him. Perhaps, he won't do it, after all, as he suggested.

He's not listed as going to the Warsaw Cup this season. Jason and Daniel Martynov are going. Jason wanted to do a CS this season, so USFS hooked him up.

I really hope Andrew gets to go to 4CC this season, though it will take place after Nationals. That would be amazing, especially if he doesn't get to go to another CS before the year is over. Provided he does just as well at this season's Nationals as he did at last season's, and if we can assume Jason and Ilia will forgo their rights to compete in it, Andrew could end up on the 4CC team, realistically!

Sectionals surprised me too, when I read the article, which I only found two days ago. My impression is that Andrew didn't enjoy Sectionals while he was competing last year (he was so nervous to qualify), but now he appreciates the experience. I remember he said something about how, pre-injury, he had maybe imagined that if he had to do Sectionals again he might not skate anymore. But his attitude changed when he was working so hard to skate again after the injury. The process taught him not to take his opportunities for granted. We'll see what happens.

I didn't think Andrew was doing Warsaw, but I wasn't sure of the limits on skaters per country for Challengers. Golden Spin would be good.

I love your thinking on 4CC. That would be incredible for Andrew. It might be hard to make Worlds again (but as last year taught us, you never know!), but 4CC is definitely a realistic possibility!

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Here are notable quotes from the Figure Skaters Online article.

Lombardia
“I always try to prepare as best as I can in training, so when I am there, I can just focus on competing,” Torgashev said. “I prepared for that score (at the Lombardia Trophy), and it is a realistic skate for what I have been preparing. The short program was above what I was training, so that was a good one to experience. Third at a Challenger was a nice way to start the season.”

Goals This Season
“I am building content in the program to compete with the top 10 at Worlds,” said the Florida native who now trains in Irvine, California with Rafael Arutyunyan. “In terms of injury, I don’t think we are ever safe. It’s always something to be very mindful of. Especially, if we are trying to add more quads into the program and more difficulty, it requires more loads in training. Overall, I feel more confident.”

Working with Shae-Lynn [For some reason I thought Misha did both programs. Knowing now that the SP is Shae-Lynn, I can totally tell it is choreographed by her, with how upbeat and sharp the movements are. And of course Andrew's delivery of it is ]

Choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne is someone Torgashev really admires, so when the former Canadian Olympic ice dancer suggested “L’enfer” by Stromae for this season’s short program, he was thrilled. Torgashev said he listened to the music about 20 times as soon as Bourne sent it to him.

“My goal last year before Nationals was to skate of a quality where Shae-Lynn would do a program with me for the next season,” Torgashev said. “I am glad it worked out. This (short program) is about dealing with loneliness and all of these thoughts in your mind. This one is very dear to my heart, and it is a joy to train. I can speak only highly of Shae-Lynn. My words can’t do her justice. It’s an honor to have her do that program.” [Best quote of the whole article!!! ]

Free Program Theme
“The story of the program is freedom and trying to let go of the past and just letting myself skate freely,” Torgashev explained. “It’s difficult with jumps and everything to completely perform choreography and technically, but it’s our jobs."

Jumps
“In the free, I will go for two Axels, I will go for a (quad) toe. I may go for a (quad) Sal(chow). It’s all about the training process. It will get there, but right now, it’s still shaky in my opinion. In the short, I will go for one quad, whether it be toe or Sal(chow) and (triple) Axel in the second half.” [Maybe any given event he could do Toe or Sal? He's had 2 events so far, and at one he did the Sal and the other he did the Toe. I wonder which it will be next.]

Comnent on Ilia, who sometimes visits the Irvine rink
“What he’s doing is almost unreal,” Torgashev said of Malinin. “Sometimes, I have to stay realistic of what I am capable of.” [No one else can jump like Ilia, Andrew, so yes, be realistic, but also remember that you can compete with most of the skaters out there when you skate well.]

Andrew Torgashev is ready to make Grand Prix debut at Skate America - Figure Skaters Online

By Scott Mammoser, Team FSO staff writer Header photo by Yoriko Suzuki Not only does this weekend’s Skate America begin the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, it will be the first senior Grand Prix event for Andrew Torgashev. The 22-year-old American is coming off a season that saw him win...

figureskatersonline.com

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I really hope Andrew gets to go to 4CC this season, though it will take place after Nationals. That would be amazing, especially if he doesn't get to go to another CS before the year is over. Provided he does just as well at this season's Nationals as he did at last season's, and if we can assume Jason and Ilia will forgo their rights to compete in it, Andrew could end up on the 4CC team, realistically!

Just discovered the 4CC team is getting selected BEFORE Nationals this season because it's happening only one week after Nationals. Andrew could get selected! I don't know what their criteria will be, but if he's the reigning National bronze medalist and is second-best in the CS in U.S. Men's this season, so far, then how could they not send him?!?! (so excited!)

One thing I was wondering about was did Andrew earn a GP spot this season, or was it a Skate America guest spot? He seemed to have both low SB ranking and WS ranking going into the selection process for this season. I just hope he gets his international opportunities to improve both so next season, he can reap the benefits of his current hard work. Maxim Naumov, for example, was on the short list for taking one of Daniel Grassl's spots after he withdrew from both events, though didn't get either, but his hard work from last season earned him being on the short list. Jimmy Ma got a second GP assignment earlier this season for the same reason. It's just going to take time for Andrew to get to where he's riding on the foundation he will have built, but he's still in the process of building that foundation as a senior.

I just saw your edit about USFS picking 4CC before Nationals. Very interesting. I am likely very biased, but I say send Andrew. He beat Camden at Lombardia, he beat Max at SA. Liam only scored 220 placing 8th at SC. Jimmy Ma is all over the place, with a SB of 222 so far.

Andrew was definitely a host pick at SA this year. You're right about him still building his Senior foundation. He lost so much time with injuries. He's putting in the work, that's for sure.

 

[Tav]

I just saw your edit about USFS picking 4CC before Nationals. Very interesting. I am likely very biased, but I say send Andrew. He beat Camden at Lombardia, he beat Max at SA. Liam only scored 220 placing 8th at SC. Jimmy Ma is all over the place, with a SB of 222 so far.

Andrew was definitely a host pick at SA this year. You're right about him still building his Senior foundation. He lost so much time with injuries. He's putting in the work, that's for sure.

The other one who they could put on the team is Hiwatashi, since he came in 3rd at his Challenger, but he was in 7th after the short, and Andrew was in 2nd after the short at Lombardia. Andrew did a bit better comparatively, not to mention his overall score is higher. So far, I don't see how they don't send him. Just don't see it.

It's sad to see Andrew getting his senior career started at age 22. It really is late in coming, but he hit the ground running, at least. He wasted no time at all getting on the podium at Nationals (honestly, picking right up where had left off three years earlier), and then making it to his first senior Worlds. At least USFS adores him so much that they wanted him in the Skate America guest spot. But, it really does take time to get all those perks the other guys have merely because they were doing international assignments in the first half of last season, which he missed out on. Things will be so much better by next season.

 

[el henry]

Andrew is not listed among the entries for senior men at Eastern Sectionals. Maybe he thought the better of it, or maybe he has another comp

2024 Eastern Sectional Singles Final

Event Results for 2024 Eastern Sectional Singles Final

ijs.usfigureskating.org

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Andrew is not listed among the entries for senior men at Eastern Sectionals. Maybe he thought the better of it, or maybe he has another comp

2024 Eastern Sectional Singles Final

Event Results for 2024 Eastern Sectional Singles Final

ijs.usfigureskating.org

I was just coming here to post the same thing.

One of the skaters listed is Emmanuel Savary. I sure hope he can make it to Nationals! Another skater listed is Daniel Samohin. Question - Is this the same Daniel Samohin who competed for Israel and retired? His club is listed as SC of Boston. Anyone know anything?

Thus far, Andrew has the highest SB among the non-Ilia US men, a very good thing in terms of 4CC selection. Camden and Jimmy still have GPs coming up to score higher though. I found the 4CC Selection document (see "Athletes to Consider, Section A," bottom of page 2). The 4CC selection meeting for singles & pairs is on December 12th. Golden Spin ends on the 9th, so theoretically the results of Golden Spin could be a part of the decision. Andrew seems to be in very good shape to be selected based on Lombardia and Skate America (although Camden and/or Jimmy may surprise us and skate very well on the GP).

 

[Tav]

I was just coming here to post the same thing.

One of the skaters listed is Emmanuel Savary. I sure hope he can make it to Nationals! Another skater listed is Daniel Samohin. Question - Is this the same Daniel Samohin who competed for Israel and retired? His club is listed as SC of Boston. Anyone know anything?

Thus far, Andrew has the highest SB among the non-Ilia US men, a very good thing in terms of 4CC selection. Camden and Jimmy still have GPs coming up to score higher though. I found the 4CC Selection document (see "Athletes to Consider, Section A," bottom of page 2). The 4CC selection meeting for singles & pairs is on December 12th. Golden Spin ends on the 9th, so theoretically the results of Golden Spin could be a part of the decision. Andrew seems to be in very good shape to be selected based on Lombardia and Skate America (although Camden and/or Jimmy may surprise us and skate very well on the GP).

Well, it saves me from having to get Peacock Premium, already. I was saving it for Nationals. Let's hope Andrew gets to compete at Golden Spin! Camden, Jimmy, or Tomoki could all end up getting selected for 4CC, but maybe a couple of them could go with Andrew. U.S. men could still have three entries this season for that competition, though I don't know how they decide on the number of entries per country. All this assumes Ilia won't be going. We know Jason won't be going, for sure. Also, Andrew does have the tech mins met already for 4CC this time.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

This has turned into a mini US Men's Thread over the last few days, since we're discussing selection procedures and SBs. I promise I won't be posting about everyone else's scores here after every single competition. It's not great for my nerves. We (the fans) have no control over the skaters or the selection committees. I just got curious so I've been looking things up. And there's no reason to look at the ISU lists again until after the season is over.

I have to say that it's been so fascinating for me to feel so invested in a skater who needs to build/rebuild his World Ranking from scratch. Not only did Andrew need to rebuild his skating from scratch last year to compete at Sectionals, but he started with no World Ranking. He lost literally all of his points from the JGP and Junior Worlds by being injured for so long. Usually when a promising junior moves up, their junior points carry over to start with. Andrew had ZERO points until after Challenge Cup, and luckily he's gotten at least some points at all 4 possible events so far.

The skater I followed this avidly before Andrew (writing over 600 posts in his Fan Fest so far) is Patrick Chan. Patrick withdrew from 3 senior competitions in 10 seasons, had 2 senior GPs each season, made the GPF often and won 2 of them, won 3 4CCs, finished no lower than 9th at Worlds in 8 trips (on the podium 5 years in a row), and had 10 National Titles. Not to mention going to 3 Olympics and finishing 5th, 2nd, and 9th. In short, his World Standing was never a question or an issue that came up. The controversies with Patrick were about whether he deserved gold or silver at a competition, and whether he was being too arrogant in his media comments. He was the Nathan/Ilia/Yuzu of that era. He was 2nd at JW in 2007 and the very next season he was 3rd at SA and 1st at TEB, qualifying for GPF, winning Senior Nationals at age 17, and going to Senior Worlds for the first time. He had a completely different career trajectory, with being on top for so long, clearly being the top Canadian, and not getting injured very much. Before Patrick I was a huge Michelle Kwan fan and appreciated Tara Lipinski, and both of them were near the top too.

Following Andrew closely now, and being more aware of mid-tier to lower-tier skaters, and realizing there are skaters who don't have tech mins, has opened my eyes to how difficult it is to be a competitive figure skater. A lot of figure skaters spend hours on the ice each day, plus off-ice work, but only a few can get accolades to show for it. Andrew has had to fight and claw his way back, and in some ways it makes his progress all the more intriguing for me. Nothing has been handed to him as a senior. The biggest piece of luck, I suppose, was some other men underperforming at 2023 Nationals and allowing Andrew to finish 3rd. Even then, if Andrew hadn't been working hard to skate well himself, it wouldn't have happened. (And, as we know, he was within 1.5 points of not getting the SP tech min for Worlds ). Andrew's journey definitely shows me that nothing is guaranteed in figure skating. (Well, except maybe Ilia landing most of his quads, or Jason skating beautifully ).