Showing posts with label usfsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label usfsa. Show all posts

Friday, December 15, 2017

USFS "Preview" - Championship Ladies

Many thanks to Syliva at Unseen Skaters for the unofficial roster.

Starr Andrews  Short Program / Free Program

Mariah Bell   Short Program / Free Program

Emily Chan  Short Program / Free Program

Karen Chen  Short Program / Free Program

Franchesca Chiera  Short Program / Free Program

Polina Edmunds  Short Program / Free Program

Amber Glenn  Short Program / Free Program

Courtney Hicks  Short Program / Free Program

Tessa Hong  Short Program / Free Program

Vivian Le  Short Program / Free Program

Ashley Lin  Short Program / Free Program


Katie McBeath  Short Program / Free Program

Brynne McIsaac   Short Program / Free Program

Hannah Miller  Short Program / Free Program

Mirai Nagasu  Short Program / Free Program

Kaitlyn Nguyen  Short Program / Free Program

Bradie Tennell  Short Program / Free Program

Ashley Wagner  Short Program / Free Program

Angela Wang  Short Program / Free Program

Megan Wessenberg  Short Program / Free Program

Caroline Zhang  Short Program / Free Program

USFS "Preview" - Championship Men

Many thanks to Sylvia at Unseen Skaters for the unofficial roster.


Max Aaron Short Program / Free Program

Jason Brown Short Program / Free Program

Nathan Chen Short Program / Free Program

Timothy Dolensky Short Program / Free Program

Scott Dyer Short Program / Free Program

Tomoki Hiwatashi Short Program / Free Program

Grant Hochstein Short Program / Free Program

Benjamin Jalovick Short Program / Free Program

Alexander Johnson Short Program / Free Program

Alexei Krasnozhon Short Program / Free Program

Daniel Kulenkamp Short Program / Free Program

Jimmy Ma Short Program / Free Program

Ross Miner Short Program / Free Program

Jordan Moeller Short Program / Free Program

Sebastien Payannet Short Program / Free Program

Sean Rabbitt Short Program / Free Program

Adam Rippon Short Program / Free Program

Emmanuel Savary Short Program / Free Program

Kevin Shum Short Program / Free Program

Andrew Torgashev Short Program / Free Program

Vincent Zhou Short Program / Free Program

USFS "Preview" - Championship Pairs Teams

Thanks to Sylvia at Unseen Skaters for the unofficial roster.

Ashley Cain/Timothy LeDuc Short Program / Long Program

Jessica Calalang/Zack Sidhu Short Program / Long Program

Marissa Castelli/Mervin Tran Short Program / Long Program

Winter Deardorff/Max Settlage Short Program / Long Program

Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier Short Program / Long Program

Nica Digerness/Danny Neudecker Short Program / Long Program

Jade Esposito/Rique Newby-Estrella Short Program / Long Program

Caitlin Fields/Ernie Utah Stevens Short Program / Long Program

Tarah Kayne/Danny O’Shea Short Program / Long Program

Chelsea Liu/Brian Johnson Short Program / Long Program

Jessica Pfund/Joshua Santillan Short Program / Long Program

Alexa Scimeca-Knierim/Chris Knierim Short Program / Long Program

Erika Smith/AJ Reiss Short Program / Long Program

Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Nathan Bartholomay Short Program / Long Program

Allison Timlen/Justin Highgate-Brutman Short Program / Long Program

Alexandria Yao/Jacob Simon Short Program / Long Program

USFS "Preview" - Championship Dance Teams

This is basically for me, I'm one of those that likes to be familiar with what I'm going to see. I'm getting super excited for this trip, and this is keeping me from going insane waiting until it's closer to time to pack... I mean I *could* pack now for Disney but I'd rather wait until about a week out to pull out the suitcases.

Many thanks to Sylvia at Unseen Skaters for compiling the list. This is not the official roster, but it's all we have.

Alexandra Aldridge/Daniel Eaton Short Dance / Free Dance

Ashley Bain/Oleg Altukhov Short Dance / Free Dance

Julia Biechler/Damian Dodge Short Dance / Free Dance

Madison Chock/Evan Bates Short Dance / Free Dance

Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker Short Dance / Free Dance

Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue Short Dance / Free Dance

Cassidy Klopstock/Jacob Schedl Short Dance / Free Dance

Karina Manta/Joseph Johnson Short Dance / Free Dance

Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter Short Dance / Free Dance

Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons Short Dance / Free Dance

Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit Short Dance / Free Dance

Elicia Reynolds/Stephen Reynolds Short Dance / Free Dance

Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani Short Dance / Free Dance

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Hopefully that little earworm is making its happy little home in your head right now. It's been stuck in mine for months. Why? Because I made the decision early this year that I would attend the 2018 US Figure Skating National Championships hosted this year in San Jose, CA.

I know, you're confused. For over five years, this blog has been mainly mushing/Iditarod news and Alaska photography. I've not given up on my second favorite sport, I just haven't followed as I used to (thanks to NBC having the two worst commentators EVER on the mics these days). Niche sports are hard to follow, and others follow skating better, so I focus on mushing.

But! Instead of sitting on my butt all weekend refreshing the GPS tracker for the first race of the season in January, I'll be sitting in an arena hanging out with friends and cheering on the skaters trying to make Team USA. I haven't been to a championship (or any skating event) in ten years! I haven't seen some of my friends in ten years. I cannot WAIT for this trip!

While I'll really only be there for the senior skating events (the championship begins in December, but I just couldn't swing that), I'll be gone from January 1-13 (of course if I'm in California I've gotta visit Disney, too!). I'm working on itineraries and everything. I'm so out of the loop as to what these competitions are like. Waiting for the practice schedule to come out. Have we always had to wait this late for info?! Ugh!

But so far, here's what I have.

January 1, 2018
Drive up to Anchorage @ 8:00am

January 2, 2018
Fly out @ 6:45am
Land in Seattle @ 11:21am (10:21am AKST)
Leave Seattle @ 1:00pm (Noon AKST)
Land in San Jose @ 3:14pm (2:14pm AKST)

*Possibly attending the Junior Ladies Free Skate @ 7:15pm (6:15pm AKST)


January 3, 2018
Junior Men Free Skate @ 10:15am (9:15am AKST)
Senior Ladies Short Probram @ 6:00pm (5:00pm AKST)


January 4, 2018
Junior Free Dance @ 10:00am (9:00am AKST)
Senior Pairs Short Program @ 12:50pm (11:50am AKST)
Senior Men Short Program @ 5:30pm (4:30pm AKST)


January 5, 2018
Senior Ice Dance Short Dance @ 1:10pm (12:10pm AKST)
Senior Ladies Free Skate @ 3:45pm (2:45pm AKST)


January 6, 2018
Senior Pairs Free Skate @ 11:45am (10:45am AKST)
Senior Mens Free Skate @ 3:45pm (2:45pm AKST)


January 7, 2018
Senior Ice Dance Free Dance @ 12:30pm (11:30am AKST)
Fly out @ 7:07pm (6:06pm AKST)


My hotel is supposed to have wifi, so maybe I'll check in... but we all know I most likely won't blog much - so follow me on twitter for anything I might say about the competition (if you're so inclined).

Monday, July 5, 2010

Harding marries again

allen figure skating superstar Tonya Harding has made the news once again, this time, thankfully, on a positive note. The Columbian and Associated Press reported over the weekend that Harding applied for a Marriage License with a Joseph Jens Price on June 23, and the AP wire stated that as of Saturday the paperwork had been turned in to prove that the wedding/marriage had taken place.

Harding made a name for herself in the early 90s as one of Nancy Kerrigan's main rivals leading up to the 1994 Olympic games, she was the only American lady - at that time - to land a triple axel in competition. Harding found herself in the middle of controversy after her - then - husband attacked Nancy Kerrigan at one of her practice sessions (it was later known as the "Whack Heard Round the World."). While she was not found guilty of having a part in the attack, Harding did take a plea deal for the charges of cover-up. Subsequently the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) banned the skater from competition for life.

Harding has had a rough go since her figure skating glory days, between domestic violence reports and a very short second marriage and her short lived (and unsuccessful) boxing career, one can only hope she's finally found her happiness.


Saturday, May 8, 2010

Czisny's new, surprising, direction

With Summer coming on quickly, even here in Alaska, figure skating fans begin to look back on seasons past while waiting to hear the news that determines what to expect for the season ahead. Competitive skaters have been free for over a month to take vacations, finish school, and tour before deciding what's next.

However a few skaters have already given details into what lay ahead for them. The most surprising, to most, following the USFSA skaters is that of Alissa Czisny's announcement that she is not finished with us yet and that she's made the difficult decision to part with her longtime coach and begin taking lessons from 1994 World Champion Yuka Sato and her husband, US National Pairs Champion, Jason Dunjen.

The announcement was made earlier this week in an USFSA press release.
"Having enjoyed taking lessons from Yuka Sato in the past, I am looking forward to working with her and Jason Dungjen as my full-time coaches," Czisny said. "I'm very excited for them to teach me everything they know."

Czisny's skating is very similar in style to Yuka's, where Czisny needs to improve is her mental toughness during competition. Working with Brian Boitano - probably the steeliest competitor the US has ever had other than Michelle Kwan - has not helped the 2009 US Champion, and she faltered this past season, not even coming close to making the Olympic Team.

It's not certain, Czisny's coming season, but a summer alone will probably not show much improvement in the headcase department - not when you consider Jeremy Abbott winning his second National title only to, once again, bomb at the bigger international events following Spokane (aka Worlds and that little competition known as the Olympics). A coaching change may be what she needs to keep motivated, but she won't get the results she's desiring until she gets those nerves under control. Not sure Sato & Dunjen are the ones for the job... but then, who is?

In other coaching changes news, World and US National Champion Kimmie Meissner has announced her comeback and a coaching change. She will be coached by Chris Conte in Virginia.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Look who's back in town!

Sasha Cohen proved many wrong this morning when she finally took to the Nationals practice ice. Many have been waiting for this hyped event. Sasha Cohen: Back in the Competition.

Her practice was promising, during her run through she hit her jump combination and her double axel. Her solo jump - the triple flip - ended in a fall, but still, she looks strong. But, she isn't unbeatable. Not this time.


The others hoping to win one of the two spots are also making a buzz in Spokane, albeit a softer one. Rachel Flatt, Ashley Wagner, Alissa Czisny, Mirai Nagasu, and Caroline Zhang all have equal chances and are all favored to do well. All have their strong points, but, like Cohen, all have a long way to go to be the clear front runner. Where they all have an advantage over Cohen is they've not been out of competition these past few seasons - and they're not in the spotlight.

First up tomorrow will be Rachel Flatt. She's been the bridesmaid the last couple of seasons at these championships (coming in second in 2008 to Mirai Nagasu, and second to Alissa Czisny last year) and many are wondering - and hoping - that this is her year. She IS the top ranked US lady in the world rankings, but that doesn't mean she'll win here (Evan Lysacek is the top ranked man in the world, and he came in second to Jeremy Abbott this past weekend). Rachel has the goods, and rarely misses a delivery, but she seems to lack the spark one needs to really win the judges over. She's sailing fairly low on the radar, but then outside of Sasha none of the ladies seem to be getting the attention of the press.

Last year's champion, Alissa Czisny is a total wildcard. No one is sure which Alissa will show up, but the audience is guarunteed to see a skater who won't bring everything she has to the table - aside from breathtaking skating. Even with the flawed jumps (pops, falls, negated) her programs seem to capture attention. Her girl next door looks make it incredibly difficult not to root for her. Will she be able to hang onto her title? Improving upon what she did last year will be the only way she'll get that lucky twice. Will she make the Olympic Team? It'll take a whole lot more than that megawatt smile.

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Favored by *this* author is Ashley Wagner for no other reason than personal preference! (hey it's my blog I can be biased, girl skated for Alaska not too long ago, how awesome is that?) She's not the totally "pretty little ice princess" that the others are. She's also not a diva. She's an athlete. She's artistic second. She's all sport. And she looks fantastic doing it. She's determined to become a better skater, taking the time to correct her flawed edges in her jumps. She's not fully there, the tech caller is still dinging her, but she's making the effort. Money's on her to fly under the radar and take it all - so long as she stays focussed on the job ahead and not the outcome. She wants this one bad

The underdogs are Nagasu and Zhang. Both have been bitten by the puberty bug. They were dynamos when they came on the scene, and are still incredibly promising - but their recent growth spurts have made their ascent to the top slow considerable.

Nagasu had difficulty handling the pressure of National Champion as she won when she was just fourteen. A lot of expectations were heaped upon her, and coupled with her growth spurt last season was an emotionally rough one. No one could blame her for wanting to have a redeeming nationals, and that makes for a great underdog type story. She stated in interviews earlier this week that she was just looking for the joy in the sport again; there's always 2014! Here's hoping she has a fantastic competition, and who knows she might just see Olympics 2010 up close and personal!

Caroline Zhang. Touted as the "next Michelle Kwan" by most, she combines the simplicity of the American Sports Icon with the flexibility of fellow competitor Sasha Cohen. Problems for Caroline, though, are her speed and her jumps. She gets nailed for underrotation and wrong edge take offs, and she is painfully slow. She's getting better. 2010 may not be her year, but one has to wonder just how long she'll continue before getting completely discouraged. She certainly shows her frustration with teh judging; should she begin to really work on what they want - mainly speed - she'd be better off. Is it within her to go all out in Spokane? She's not the most flexible this year with Cohen back in the mix, so she's going to have to pull out all the stops so that she's not lost in teh shuffle.

No matter what, the ladies short program is going to be hyped to the hilt, and shouldn't be disappointing (why would it? Pairs and Men killed over the weekend!) Good luck to all the competitors, not just the favorites. What a great birthday present for me!

Photos by Getty Images and Associated Press c/o DayLife.com.

Monday, January 18, 2010

No Surprise For Men's Olympic Team


Yesterday afternoon was one heck of a men's event. Yes, there were some falls, yes there were some tears. Mainly from Ryan Bradley's fans as we realized his dreams of the Olympics will probably never be realized.

The little things really started adding up for all of the men in Spokane Sunday afternoon. Jeremy Abbot was the sole skater who rose to the occasion and nailed everything. He rightly deserved his placement and his score. It was pretty inspired. The question this blogger has is: will this be a repeat of last season? Will Nationals be his shining moment and then the rest is downhill? We'll see next month.

The biggest shock, possibly, was Evan Lysacek actually going for the quad. To be honest, no one was going to touch Jeremy with the long program he had, but it was still a risky move on Evan's part. He fell, not completing the rotation. Interestingly enough this US Nationals has had the most fair judging that skating's seen in a very long while - and I think EVER in the history of a National Championship (in any country!).

For Sandra Besic to come out and say that Evan deserved the title (this was prior to Jeremy taking the ice) based on the "magic of the program" was laughable. Evan made simple, basic, mistakes in both the Short and Long program; he practically gave the title away.

This should not concern those who believe Evan to be the best shot at a medal. He typically does not skate lights out at nationals - Spokane 2007 being the major exception since Evan became one of the Elite - and seems to save it for Worlds. With the Olympics being the main prize and goal, it should not come as a surprise that he was merely attempting to tick off the elements. This has worked in the past for Evan - he is World Champion the same year he barely made the World Team - so why think it won't continue to work.

Johnny Weir was the spoiler. No one knew WHICH Weir would show up. The confident ready to win avante garde skater with nothing to lose, or the scared to death he's going to fail skater who just hopes he stands upright for four-plus minutes. It seems that both came to the table. Johnny was on fire in the Short Program, he was sassy and completely his own skater. And it worked. He nearly tied Evan, and had their skating orders been reversed, their scores/placements might have been as well. But, the long program brought out the ball of nerves. It was incredibly evident that the pressure was beinging to take its toll on Johnny. The USFSA made it clear last season that they weren't going to give out favors for him, and he knew it going into the Long Program.

The one downer was - there aren't four spots on the Men's team. Ryan Bradley made costly errors in the Short Program only to completely rebound in his Long Program with two quads and more personality than the rest of the top skaters COMBINED. Such is the trademark of Ryan Bradley, and if SOI doesn't sign him up they'll make the biggest mistake - and they can't afford that right now.

So half of the US Figure Skating Team for Vancouver has been decided.
Pairs are Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett, and Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig
Men are Jeremy Abbott, Evan Lysacek, and Johnny Weir.

Can't wait for the rest of the events, it's a great year for USFigure Skating!

Photos (c) Getty Images & The Associated Press c/o DayLife.com