The Senior Pairs event was supposed to be a slam dunk for Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim, based on their International season, but when has a US Pairs event even been that simple? They made mistakes in both programs which opened the door for Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea, who were not only clean, but gave transcendent performances that could make a splash at Worlds if performed in that manner.
Let's revisit the questions I posed before the event and recap how these things shook down.
- Will Scimeca & Knierim allow their Skate America and NHK medals and GPF qualification to propel them to a 2nd consecutive US Title?
- Not so much...I think they were way too confident coming in and they did not perform up to the best of their abilities. They will get a chance to redeem themselves at Worlds.
- Looking forward, can Delilah Sappenfield coach a World Medalist?
- This is to be determined, but in my opinion, the best pairs coaches are in Florida.
- Will Kayne & O’Shea or Aaron & Settlage, or Castelli & Tran perform in a way that establishes a clear 2nd place US Team?
- Kayne & O'Shea and Scimeca & Knierim are clearly the top 2 in the US, but 4 Continents and Worlds should give us a clearer picture of who is the 1 and who is the 2.
- Will Calalang & Sidhu be able to factor in?
- They led until the top group took the ice and that's about it, though they did top Aaron & Settlage in the free skate.
- Can Mervin Tran ever achieve the success he once had with Narumi Takahashi again, and with Marissa Castelli? Will they stay together long enough for any of this to matter?
- She looks so much happier skating with him than Simon and they seem to be a good match. If they spend another year together and they could make some noise.
- Which junior medalists from last year will sneak onto the podium?
- Fields & Utah Stevens unfortunately did not even come close. They finished 11th overall after an extremely messy free.
- Who will give us that classic great half of a free skate and then crumble in the second?
- Unfortunately this was Castelli and Tran. They started so strong and then we had Mervin's fall, the fall on the throw, and the loss of synchronization on the spins.
- And last but not least, how many of these teams will still be together next season?
- To be determined....
Pairs
- A new program can transform your season-"Take Me To Church" clearly elevated Kayne & O'Shea's level of skating
- An emotional song will pull in the crowd over a rock song any day of the week
- You can never rely on US Pairs to perform the way you expect
- Too much confidence is always a cause for concern (I learned this from Ann Jensen)
- Castelli & Tran have a future if they can.....eh hem.....stay together!
- Never underestimate the power of real ballet training-Aaron & Settlage show us that in their posture and extension through each limb
- If Denney and Frazier had not been injured, this would have truly been a 4-way race and the most competitive US Pairs event in years
- A purple unitard is something we all think about wearing but most of us leave it in the back of the closet with the gold lame hot pants
- Todd Sand still looks as fabulous as ever......like a real life Ken doll
- I love Jimmy Morgan for his skating, but also because I met him in real life and he tweets with me
Ladies
- I want Kori Ade to be my coach when I go back in time and become an elite figure skater; the respect between pedagogue and pupil is palpable
- Heidi Munger's costume was far and away my favorite
- Mirai Nagasu has done some living and that showed in her performance in a great way; her struggles have taught her to skate like a woman
- Karen Chen has "it" but "it" just wasn't her night, don't freak out people, she will come along
- Tyler Pierce blew me away with how effortless her program looked
- Ashley Cain should stop fighting the urge to skate to Frozen, she clearly already has the dress
- Abbott & Rippon are a breath of fresh air as choreographers
- Polina may not wow me as a performer, but she knows how to COMPETE at Nationals
- Ashley Wagner...well that broad sure knows how to put on a show
- Gracie Gold, you had one job and you singled a lutz?
- We had our moments, but I just wanted some clean skating; too much to ask?
The Senior Pairs event seems like it should be a slam dunk for Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierem, based on their International season, but when has a US Pairs event even been that simple? Here are a few questions that have me excited for this event:
- Will Scimeca & Knierem allow their Skate America and NHK medals and GPF qualification to propel them to a 2nd consecutive US Title?
- Looking forward, can Delilah Sappenfield coach a World Medalist?
- Will Kayne & O’Shea or Aaron & Settlage, or Castelli & Tran perform in a way that establishes a clear 2nd place US Team?
- Will Calalang & Sidhu be able to factor in?
- Can Mervin Tran ever achieve the success he once had with Narumi Takahashi again, and with Marissa Castelli? Will they stay together long enough for any of this to matter?
- Which junior medalists from last year will sneak onto the podium? Fields & Utah Stevens, Liu & Johnson, or both?
- Who will give us that classic great half of a free skate and then crumble in the second?
- And last but not least, how many of these teams will still be together next season?
