2020 Skate America Preview
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)
FOLLOWING THE DARKNESS AND CHAOS THAT HAS BEEN 2020, A BRIGHT SPOT HAS FINALLY APPEARED - AND ITS NAME IS GUARANTEED RATE SKATE AMERICA. Returning to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for the second year in a row, the kick-off event to this year’s nontraditional Grand Prix season is almost here. Six out of the 44 entries are from international skaters, but even so, all athletes competing this weekend are united in one thing - their excitement to get back on the ice, put out solid performances, and bring this beautiful sport back to the people after many months.
For those concerned about the logistics of holding a skating competition during a global pandemic, U.S. Figure Skating has been very diligent about creating a bubble at the Orleans Hotel & Casino - conveniently connected to the skating venue - in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of all involved. Everyone entering the bubble had to test negative for coronavirus and quarantine in their room upon arrival, and masks are required at all times - except for skaters only while they’re on the ice.
In lieu of an audience, Skate America has instead employed cardboard cutouts - purchased by athletes’ friends, family, and fans ahead of time - to fill the empty crowd. Mixed zone and press conferences are all held via Zoom video conferencing, with no in-person skater-to-media contact. It’s safe to say that this year’s American-hosted Grand Prix is unlike any other event in the history of skating.
Read on for previews of every discipline and to hear what the skaters themselves are feeling heading into this unprecedented event!
Senior ladies Starr Andrews (left, right) and Pooja Kalyan of the USA during Thursday’s official practice
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)
Ladies Singles
American ladies had their shining moment in the 90s and early 2000s, but now it looks like a new golden age is in the works. 2018 Olympics Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen are serious podium contenders at Skate America, with 2020 U.S. silver medalist Mariah Bell also in the running. Amber Glenn, who finished 5th at Nationals last season, has been working on a triple axel that could just shoot her to the top.
Another senior lady in the mix is the effervescent Starr Andrews, who finished 6th at the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. When asked how she feels she’s grown as a skater in the two years since her last Skate America outing (in 2018), Starr said, ”I think the maturity of my skating definitely has changed, and I’ve had more experience on international competitions, so I think that also has matured my skating too.”
A silver lining of this nontraditional skating season is that more up-and-coming skaters will have the opportunity to compete at Skate America, with half of the 12 ladies entered making their senior Grand Prix debuts. One newcomer who particularly stands out is 17-year-old Pooja Kalyan.
Pooja can remember the moment she found out she’d be competing at Skate America, recalling, “I’d actually just gotten off the plane, because I was going home to Arkansas for the weekend. I was looking through my emails for schoolwork, and I saw a Skate America letter, and I was like, What?! So that was so exciting.”
It’s anyone’s game in ladies singles, so the world will be watching eagerly as triple-triple combinations, beautiful spin positions, and electric step sequences kick off this pre-Olympic season.
Canada’s Keegan Messing (left, right) and USA’s Joseph Kang (center) during Thursday’s official practice
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)
Men’s Singles
The quad-fest that is men’s singles will be a particularly interesting event packed full of strong skating and even stronger personalities. Two-time world champion Nathan Chen will be leading the pack, coming into this weekend with six consecutive Grand Prix gold medals and four back-to-back U.S. national titles. 2019 world bronze medalist Vincent Zhou is also one to watch, as is Canadian Olympic Keegan Messing.
After the cancellation of 2020 Skate Canada International, Keegan has become the sole Canadian entry on the Grand Prix circuit this season.
”I carry the banner (for Canada) with great pride, but also with great sadness at the same time. All my fellow teammates who have to stay home this year, I feel very sorry for them. They’ve been training so hard through these rough times,” Keegan said. Touching on his own challenges, he stated, “Motivation to continue training this year has been very rough, with the knowledge of not knowing when we’re gonna compete, if we’re gonna compete. I’m just so stoked that we have the opportunity to come here and compete in what feels like a very, very safe environment.”
After representing Team USA internationally, the Alaskan-born dynamo switched to Team Canada at the start of the 2014-15 season. Speaking on both his home country and his adopted nation, Keegan said, ”I had some excellent experiences in the international circuit (representing Team USA), and leaving USA for Canada, (Team USA is) still a very close friend of mine, but you know, skating for Canada, it just really felt like that’s where I belong now. They’ve accepted me with open arms, and it’s just the best thing ever.”
There are lots of newcomers at Skate America as well, such as Joseph Kang. This will be Joseph’s first large-scale senior competition, and he is feeling up for the challenge, stating, ”I just want to prove to myself that I’m able to do the same things in practice that I am on a stage like this, even given the circumstances. It’s a really great opportunity for me to be able to skate with such amazing skaters, and I just want to prove to myself that I’m able to compete with the best of the skaters.”
Whether representing Team USA or somewhere else, every skater this weekend will be skating their hearts out and rejoicing at finally being back on competitive ice.
American pairs team Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea (left) and Israeli pairs team Anna Vernikov and Evgeni Krasnopolski (right) during Thursday’s official practice
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)
Pairs
This weekend could mark the first time in over 12 years that an American pairs team finally wins gold at their home Grand Prix, as the top podium position hasn’t gone to Team USA since Rena Inoue & John Baldwin became Skate America champions back in 2006.
New pairing Alexa Scimeca Knierim & Brandon Frazier and 2020 U.S. silver medalists Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson train together in Irvine, California, but will be neck-and-neck for the top spot. Ashley Cain-Gribble & Timothy LeDuc, who came in 9th at the 2019 World Championships and earned Team USA two pairs spots for the following Worlds (which got cancelled due to COVID-19), are looking to make their mark as well.
Tarah Kayne & Danny O’Shea, four-time U.S. national medalists and the 2016 U.S. champions, have competed in eight Grand Prixs together and have grown a lot since their first Skate America back in 2015.
”I think us personally, we have been able to perfect our communication styles, because we’re very different people, we communicate very differently. It let to a lot of bickering, and it didn’t make our practicing or competitions very easy, but as we’ve grown together, we’ve learned how to communicate with each other properly and how to better problem-solve,” Tarah shared.
Danny further articulated, ”I think we’ve been through a lot over the years, and we’ve learned the ups and downs of skating and how it kind of carries you through life. And I think while we are all dealing with struggle and difficulty during this hard time in our country, we’re happy to be able to share a little bit of joy and be here and share what we love with everyone out there.”
The only international entry in the pairs discipline at Skate America is Israel’s Anna Vernikov & Evgeni Krasnopolski. As figure skating isn’t very common is Israel, the team hope to inspire young Israeli skaters through their performances this weekend. Anna said, ”We just hope to show the best of what we can do and prove that our small, little country can also perform and be just as good as other countries.”
Triple twists and lots of lifts are coming up at Skate America, and it’s sure to be a pairs event to remember.
Senior ice dancers Eva Pate and Logan Bye (left, right) and Caroline Green and Michael Parsons (center) during Thursday’s official practice
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)
Ice Dance
North Americans have been dominating the international ice dance field for over a decade, so it’s safe to say Team USA knows how to turn out champion ice dancers - just ask 2014 Olympic champions Meryl Davis & Charlie White. A new generation is ready to take on the 2022 Olympic Games, and their road begins here.
After competing with their respective siblings, Caroline Green & Michael Parsons joined forces last year and have been gaining momentum as a team to watch. They made their senior Grand Prix debut together at 2019 Skate America, placing 7th, in addition to earning two bronze medals on the Challenger Series and a formidable 5th-place finish (one step away from pewter) at the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships back in January.
Michael says the duo has been surprised with their improvement in their second season together, even amidst a global pandemic. Elaborating on their goals for this weekend, he said, “Coming into this Grand Prix competition, we’re really showing that we’ve come a long way this year in both those technical elements, consistency, and especially the skating relationship that we have together on the ice.”
Caroline added, “I think that was the biggest thing we were lacking was that connection, and we had a lot of getting to know each other to do. (laughs) But I think we just want to come out and show everyone what we’ve been working on.”
Another new pairing from 2019-20 is Detroit-based Eva Pate & Logan Bye. Logan competed with his previous partner, Chloe Rose Lewis, at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games, winning silver, and Eva is the 2014 U.S. Solo Dance champion and 7-time medalist.
After winning the 2020 U.S. Ice Dance Final and finishing in 7th at the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Champions, the team continues to build their technical prowess and artistic ingenuity. Both recognize the advantage of coming into this weekend without the pressure of being an already-established top team. Logan explains, ”As an underdog, I think it’s really nice to be able to essentially give it all out on the ice and not have any fear. There’s nothing to hold back on.”
Eva added, ”I feel like we’ve worked really hard for this, and we’re super excited to be here, put it all out on the ice, and skate from our hearts, really.”
2018 Olympians, two-time world medalists, and two-time U.S. champions Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue are the favorites to win this event, with Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker and Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko expected to be battling it out for silver.
Starr Andrews pauses for a moment at the boards with coach Peter Kongkasem
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)
Where to Watch
If you’re in the United States, you can stream all the official practices and events through Peacock Premium, which is offering a 7-day free trial. For other rights-holding countries, go to isu.org/howtowatchgp, and if you live in a non-rights holding country, the ISU will be streaming the entire competition on YouTube here.
The action kicks off with the ladies short program on Friday, October 23rd, at 4:09 PM Pacific Daylight Time and finishes the following day. Check out our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for all the latest competition updates, schedules, starting orders, results, news, quotes, and more!
CATEGORIES: 2020-21 SEASON, PREVIEWS, COMPETITIONS, GRAND PRIX, USA, SINGLES, PAIRS, ICE DANCE
TAGS: SKATE AMERICA, 2020 SKATE AMERICA, ORLEANS ARENA, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA, POOJA KALYAN, STARR ANDREWS, JOSEPH KANG, KEEGAN MESSING, ANNA VERNIKOV, EVGENI KRASNOPOLSKI, TARAH KAYNE, DANNY O’SHEA, CAROLINE GREEN, MICHAEL PARSONS, EVA PATE, LOGAN BYE
A post-competition press conference isn’t normally the place you would expect ice dancers to open up and share their hearts, but that’s exactly what happened at 2020 Skate America. We asked two simple questions, and in return, received the most beautiful, deep answers from gold medalists Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue, silver medalists Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker, and bronze medalists Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko.