John Nicks Pairs Challenge - Free Skate Video and Results
Two American teams ended up on the (tiny) podium, but it was the Canadian duo taking gold back north of the border.
First, to explain the subhead, just look at this podium:
There was barely enough room for two people on each step. The men had to have their medals handed to them rather than draped around their necks, because of how tight the spacing was up there.
Still, that’s just a footnote to another excellent day of skating at Chelsea Piers Sky Rink, so let’s get right to it.
12. Olivia Flores/Luke Wang
Short: 45.01. Free: 77.65. Total: 122.66
This was the only change in order from Tuesday’s short program, as Flores and Wang slipped to 12th. Here’s hoping they can turn things around for the rest of this season. They’ll be at Nebelhorn later this month (replacing the withdrawn Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea) then at Skate America in November.
11. Linzy Fitzpatrick/Keyton Bearinger
Short: 43.17. Free: 82.74. Total: 125.91
I did not expect to see Bearinger breaking out a backflip during this program, which was enjoyable to watch (as were all of them today to be honest).
10. Naomi Williams/Lachlan Lewer
Short: 53.22. Free: 94.92. Total: 148.14
As I mentioned in Tuesday’s roundup, Williams and Lewer are also still competing at the junior level while dipping their toes (toe picks?) into senior competition this season. They’ve already done one JGP this season and I’ll be curious to see where they’re headed next.
9. Sophia Schaller/Livio Mayr
Short: 53.59. Free: 99.78. Total: 153.37
The battle within the bigger event featured the two teams that finished 1-2 at Austrian nationals last season. However, the reigning gold medal winners finished more than 10 points behind the other Austrian squad. Still, they’ll be the team representing the country at the Olympic qualifying event.
8. Gabriella Izzo/Luc Maierhofer
Short: 59.59. Free: 105.41. Total: 165.00
This was a new career high score across the board for Izzo and Maierhofer, who are in just their second season together. They’ll also head from here to Nebelhorn.
7. Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy
Short: 59.64. Free: 106.12. Total: 165.76
There was a lot of buzz online (and even some in the building) about whether Shin and Nagy are the right team to send to Beijing to help the U.S. qualify for that third pairs spot at the Olympics. They finished fifth among the eight U.S. teams competing this week, and would need a top four finish in the qualifying event to secure the additional Olympic spot for Team USA. Still, I expect we’ll see stronger performances from them in future events.
6. Chelsea Liu/Ryan Bedard
Short: 59.88. Free: 108.39. Total: 168.27
Considering this was their first event as a team, and Liu’s first event at all in more than a year, they have to be excited about this result and the path forward.
5. Karina Akopova/Nikita Rakhmanin
Short: 65.20. Free: 109.64. Total: 174.84
Akopova and Rakhmanin came into Wednesday less than a point away from the podium, but ended up more than 10 points back of third place. The next big goal for them will be finishing high enough at the qualifying event to earn an Olympic spot for Armenia.
4. Emily Chan/Spencer Howe
Short: 65.58. Free: 117.64. Total: 183.22
No medal for Chan and Howe (well, actually I’m pretty sure I saw an official handing out pewter medals after the official medal ceremony, so technically they might have received hardware), but they performed admirably. They’re listed as substitutes for the Olympic qualifier should USFS choose to make a change. They’ll also be at the NHK Trophy Grand Prix event in November.
3. Katie McBeath/Daniil Parkman
Short: 65.62. Free: 122.27. PCS: 187.89
Unlike Tuesday, where 3-5 were tightly bunched, there ended up being some separation Wednesday, giving McBeath and Parkman breathing room on the podium (though not literally, as seen in the picture above). This score was a massive jump over their previous career high, set at this event a year ago.
2. Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov
Short: 66.85. Free: 126.69. Total: 193.54
It has been 30 years since the shocking death of Russian pairs champion Sergei Grinkov, and Efimova and Mitrofanov are paying tribute to his legend with their free skate this season. The music, “(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story” is a fitting tribute, given the title of Ekaterina Gordeeva’s memoir, written after Grinkov’s death. Gordeeva assisted in this program’s creation, and it’s a fitting tribute to them. Efimova and Mitrofanov skated it beautifully, and I’m excited to see how their score grows as they get more comfortable with it. In addition to skating at Nebelhorn later this month, this duo already has two Grand Prix assignments: NHK Trophy and Finlandia Trophy (both in November).
It will be interesting to see if Efimova and/or Parkman can secure citizenship in time for the Olympics, otherwise Team USA could be without a couple of its top pairs teams (and that’s without knowing the status of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea who withdrew from this event, though they were present in New York and even took the ice following the competition both days).
1. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps
Short: 70.77. Free: 128.66. Total: 199.43
The 2024 world champions took a step back last season, finishing fifth at worlds in Boston, coincidentally with a near-identical score to what they posted this week (which was good enough to earn gold at this event). Both of their new programs for this season are strong, and there’s room for growth in those scores. I thought their music choices for this season fit them much better than last season’s too. They’re headed to the Grand Prix de France and Skate Canada, so sadly this will be the only time this season I get to see them skate in person (unless someone wants to fund a trip to Milan for me… just sayin’).
Some quick final thoughts on this two-day event:
It is still weird to me that the Challenger Series “event” in the U.S. is actually separate events (Cranberry Cup and this one). I missed the Lake Placid ice dance event this season (not a CS event, but the opener to the season in that discipline), but I might have to try to hit all three next season.
It’s also weird to me that this event is at the West Rink at Sky Rink, rather than the East Rink, where there is full bleacher seating. Personally, I can’t complain since I secured a convenient spot on one of the few benches both days, but I’d be curious to know the thinking behind that decision.
I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to these smaller events where the competitors are literally warming up right next to the crowd. But it makes for great connections to the competitors.
Pairs will never not terrify me. I hold my breath with every throw and every lift.
Last, but not least, I’m considering returning to Sky Rink for Friday. Why? Well, while John Nicks was going on, the same venue was simultaneously playing host to the Middle Atlantic Championships (I saw some of the pairs action for that today). The senior women’s portion of that competition is Friday and Saturday, and in the start order for that competition is Ava Marie Ziegler, who won a gold medal at NHK Trophy in 2023 but missed all of last season due to an injury. I’m so curious to see how she looks after the long layoff.