Team Canton: We Ready!

Madison Chock & Evan Bates Team Up

 Isn't it rich? Are they a pair? After all the recent splits in pairs skating and ice dance in the US and world-wide, a new team has emerged. Though USFSA hasn't made an official announcement, Jo Ann Barnes of the Detroit Free Press announced this morning in an article that Madison Chock (formerly with Greg Zuerlein who retired) has teamed with Evan Bates (formerly with Emily Samuelson with whom he split for unknown reasons). One thing this team has going for them is that both, with there former partners, trained with Zoueva & Shpilband in Canton, MI so no moves or coaching changes are in order. Igor Shpilband commented earlier this week that Madison had tryouts with several other ice dancers and I'd love to know who they were. I haven't had a lot of time to process this new pairing but here are my initial thoughts:

1) The height difference: Madison is 5'1" and Evan is 6'2" which would be great in pairs but may be awkward in the close holds of ice dancing. On the flip side, this could make for some impressive lifts, which Madison lacked with the much shorter Zuerlein.
2) Injuries: Is Evan truly healed from his achilles injury? I initially suspected the reason he split from Emily was that he was not yet ready to compete, though this new pairing would suggest that he is.
3) Style: Though Madison is a beautiful skater, she doesn't have the long clean lines of Emily Samuelson, which was one of the things that made her a great match for Evan. On the other side, Madison is incredibly expressive, even to the point of chewing scenery, while Evan is a bit more reserved as a performer.
4) Status: Oddly enough many expected Chock/Zuerlein & Samuelson/Bates to compete for the 3rd slot in the US behind Davis/White & Shibutani/Shibutani. Since the two teams split and re-teamed, if they can mesh well by January, they are almost guaranteed that 3rd spot on the US podium and a bid to Worlds. USA also has 2 host picks left for Skate America and this team will more than likely get one of them.

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: The Top Coaches

As we gear up for the start of competition at Nationals in Greensboro today, we cannot wait to see our favorite skaters give it their all. But behind every skater there is a dedicated team, so I thought it would be nice to write about some of the most important people in the sport...the coaches.

Let's start out with one of my favorite figure skating coaches, Frank Carroll. I was, and still am, a huge Michelle Kwan fan so Frank is the first skating coach I ever knew of. I have watched him coach many skaters, but I'll always remember him in conjunction with Michelle. I am not the biggest Evan Lysacek fan but I was so happy that he won Olympic Gold because he was Frank's first ever Olympic Gold. Because Evan is retired, Frank's only elite skater in contention at Nationals is Mirai Nagasu. I have loved watching their relationship develop and I still remember Cup of China last season when he told her she was no longer allowed to cry at competitions. Mirai has calmed down and matured a lot over the past few seasons and most of that can be attributed to Frank's stellar coaching skills.

Another one of my favorite coaches these days, and perhaps the busiest skating coach in the business is Tom Zakrajsek of the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado Springs. Correct me if I am missing anybody but he has at least 7 elite skaters competing in Greensboro this year including Rachael Flatt, Agnes Zawadzki, Alexe Gilles, Brandon Mroz, Joshua Farris, Alexander Johnson, and Max Aaron. With Rachael and Brandon being top contenders in their events, Tom could theoretically have two national champions under his tutelage. Between 4 senior skaters, Tom was at every senior ISU Grand Prix this season (I want his frequent flyer miles), including the final. He is known to go above and beyond to prepare and motivate his skaters, from renting late night ice time to prepare his male skaters for a late draw in the short program, to doing pushups on national TV when Rachael Flatt won the free skate at Skate America. Greensboro certainly won't be a vacation for coach Tom, but with so many talented skaters, he'll certainly enjoy the spoils of victory.

If anybody is going to challenge Tom for the title of "busiest coach" it will be Marina Zoueva & Igor Shpilband. They train the four top senior dance teams in the country, though Samuelson and Bates are absent due to injury, and Lichtman and Copely, a top junior team. Their work with Davis & White, Chock & Zuerlein, and previously with Belbin & Agosto has completely transformed Ice Dance in the US. They've made world class competitors in a discipline that was previously dominated by eastern Europeans. Unless something outlandish happens next weekend, their teams should sweep the senior National podium and win the junior title. In addition to "busiest coaches" they'll also most likely be the "most decorated coaches" this week in Greensboro.

Of all the coaches that have multiple pupils competing in the Senior division, the husband and wife team of Yuka Sato & Jason Dungjen have the best chance of striking Gold twice. They have done wonders with Alissa Czisny, particularly in terms of confidence and consistency, in their first season with her and coached her to a Grand Prix Final gold. She is, in my opinion, the favorite to win the ladies title if she can keep her focus. On the men's side, they also coach Jeremy Abbott, who is the 2-time reigning US champion and looks strong enough to win a third this week. Yuka choreographs for additional skaters around the world and Jason is an ISU technical specialist. This marriage of technical expertise and choreographic artistry has allowed them to add precision and polish to Jeremy and Alissa. I have a feeling they'll be getting requests to coach a lot more skaters if they have the success I suspect they will in Greensboro.

Olympic silver medalist and coach of Olympic gold medalist Yu-Na Kim, Brian Orser, also has two top contenders in the senior event, Adam Rippon and Christina Gao. Adam put up the top score by a US male this season and Christina put up the 3rd highest score by a US lady, so he too may have medalists on two senior podiums. After his break with Kim, Rippon and Gao are his top skaters and he now has more time to focus on them. If all goes as predicted, he'll be taking Adam to Worlds and Christina to junior Worlds where they'll both be medal threats. Orser is a great example of a successful world-class skater who was able to use his experience to become a stellar coach.

Priscilla Hill is yet another coach who has top contenders in senior men's and ladies with Armin Mahbanoozadeh and Ashley Wagner. Both have the potential to medal in their events. She also coaches Stephen Carierre who has withdrawn due to injury and some other international skaters. Hill is no stranger to coaching winners, as she coached Johnny Weir to 3 National titles and was usfsa's 2004 coach of the year. She trains her students at the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club in Wilmington.

Married couple John Zimmerman & Sylvia Fontana are first-time coaches, but they have taken on reigning US Pairs champions Denney & Barrett and have done wonders with them thus far. Their work has built some consistency within the team and taught them to connect with one another more on the ice. They train the pair in Florida and are working to establish a world-class pairs training center there. In my opinion, that is just what is needed for US pairs skating to begin to thrive and this may just be the coaching team to do it. Look at Russian pairs under Tamara Moskvina, Chinese pairs under Bin Yao, and USA/Canada ice dance under Zoueva/Shpilband-they are all very successful programs and the common thread is one coach and one training system. If I were Zimmerman & Fontana, I would look for strong young skaters and pair them up very young so that they learn their elements together and learn to truly skate as one. I think that they can help Denney & Barrett to grow and improve, but their work should focus primarily on younger skaters if they want to truly establish a successful US pairs training program.

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 18 Days!

Madison & Keiffer Hubbell (Detroit SC)

• 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final Champions
• 2008 US Junior Champions
• 2009 US Nationals 4th
• 2010 US Nationals 6th
• 2010 Cup of China 6th

Madison and Keiffer have had an interesting season this year in that they started with a rough short dance at Cup of China, but came back with a stronger free skate, but still finished 6th overall. They withdrew from Cup of Russia after a strong short dance in what was sort of a freak event with 3 teams withdrawing. Though I thought their Addams Family short dance was a bit generic, I found their free dance to be really innovative, especially in their use of levels. With the retirement of Belbin & Agosto and Navarro & Bommentre, the Hubbells have a chance to challenge the 3 Zoueva/Shpilband teams for a place on the podium. Though they haven't had the scores of the Shibutanis or Chock & Zuerlein this season, they are still in contention for a medal if either or these teams falter. It is unfortunate to say because I hate to see one set of coaches dominate, but it is my opinion that if top US ice dance teams are not training with Zoueva & Shpilband, they are at a disadvantage. 

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 22 Days!

Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein (Arctic FSC)

• 2008 Junior Grand Prix Final Champions
• 2009 US Junior National Champions
• 2009 Junior World Champions
• 2010 US Nationals 5th
• 2010 Four Continents Championships 5th
• 2010 Skate Canada Bronze Medalists
• 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard Bronze Medalists

Madison & Greg had a great Grand Prix this season, finishing 3rd in both of their events and 8th overall in the Grand Prix series. With only 2 or 3 of the top teams in the world skipping the Grand Prix this season, this puts Madison & Greg in a great position to place in the top 10 at worlds. Of course they will have to qualify for their first senior worlds, but barring any major disasters, they should easily make the podium. With Davis & White untouchable in the US, the real battle should be for silver between this team and Maia & Alex Shibutani. Interestingly enough, all three teams are coached by Marina Zoueva & Igor Shpilband. They train together everyday so they know what to expect from one another and they push each other to be better. I am torn because I love the Shibutanis' short dance to the Carousel Waltz, but I love Chock & Zuerlein's free dance to Cabaret. Based on Grand Prix scores, the Shibutanis have about a 4-point edge over Chock & Zuerlein, but those extra 2 months of training between the Grand Prix and Nationals can do wonders for most teams. I find the Shibutanis to be stronger technically while I enjoy watching Chock & Zuerlein more as performers. Either way I love them both and have no reason to believe they won't win silver and bronze at nationals right behind Davis & White and make a great showing at their first senior Worlds. This is certain to be a battle royale in Greensboro and the senior free dance is the event I am most looking forward to at the 2011 US Nationals. 

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 26 Days!

Maia & Alex Shibutani (Arctic FSC)

• 2007 US Novice Champions
• 2009 US Junior Silver Medalists
• 2009 Junior World Silver Medalists
• 2010 US Junior Champions
• 2010 NHK Trophy Bronze Medalists
• 2010 Skate America Bronze Medalists

The Shibutanis made their senior Grand Prix debut this season and came in with a bang! They became the first dance team ever to medal in both events of their senior debut season. They will enter their first senior US Nationals coming off of a win on the Junior level. Not only do they have good momentum, but based on their scores this season they are favorites for the podium. They won't catch Davis & White but their Grand Prix scores were slightly higher than those of the next best American team, Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein, making them favorites for silver at Nationals. Interestingly enough, all three of these top American teams are coached by Marina Zoueva & Igor Shpilband. This may be the first time in history that all three teams on the podium work under the same coaches, that is if no major upsets occur.