Skate Detroit took place from July 21 to July 25 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and brought together international competitors in three fields (ladies, men, and pairs) in, for many, the first event of the season. Despite being only a summer competition, Skate Detroit was packed with talent and proved to be an exciting showdown between some world-class skaters. Our very own Bronwyn was able to attend the last two days of competition and witness some great programs in person! Below you’ll find our recap of each of the disciplines, including highlights, predictions, and our personal takeaways.
(Disclaimer: The videos linked are not our own and belong to the individual YouTube users by whom they were posted.)
(Disclaimer: The videos linked are not our own and belong to the individual YouTube users by whom they were posted.)
Ladies
For me, the biggest surprise (and a pleasant one at that) among the ladies was Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan. The fourth-place finisher at the 2015 World Junior Championships made quite a splash in her senior debut at Skate Detroit, with strong programs that highlighted both her technical ability and her unique musicality. Her solid performance in the free skate final, a program from last season set to Barbra Streisand’s “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”, earned a tremendous score of 128+ and allowed her to win the ladies event with by a sizable margin. Elements executed included a triple salchow-triple toe combination and double axel-triple toe. While the young Brian Orser protégée still has some polishing to do before the Grand Prix circuit, this competition marked a very promising start to the season.
Hannah Miller, who placed 9th at the 2015 US National Championships, unfortunately faltered in the short program after missing her opening combination and popping a double axel. What she lacked in jumps, however, she made up for in personality with her Rohene Ward-choreographed routine to “Big Spender” and “Rich Man’s Frug” from the Sweet Charity soundtrack. Furthermore, Miller fought back with a free skates in the qualifying and final rounds. In her final free skate, she landed a total of six triples and appeared decidedly more confident as she skated to an elegant Puccini medley, ultimately taking second place overall. An important stepping stone after her recent cross-country move to new coach Rafael Arutunian and as she, like Turnsynbaeva, prepares to debut on the senior Grand Prix.
Bronze medalist Bradie Tennell, the reigning US junior champion, proved her consistency with three programs of relatively equal caliber in her first senior-level competition. While she did not execute a triple-triple combination, the jumps she did perform were of mostly great quality and her elegant carriage across the ice showed a lot of potential for artistic growth. I will certainly be interested to see how Tennell’s career develops in the near future—next up for her will be the Junior Grand Prix.
Coming in fourth place was Selena Zhao, the reigning Canadian junior champion. This was my first time watching Zhao skate and she made a strong impression. While missing the podium, she set herself apart with her powerful jumping technique and 6-triple free skate. With the right training and development, she could definitely be one to watch on the international stage.
Many fans, myself included, waited with bated breath for the comeback of two-time Canadian champion Kaetlyn Osmond, who was forced to sit out all of last season due to injury. Possibly the most seasoned competitor in the ladies field, Osmond had the highest-scoring short program and a strong though imperfect qualifying free skate, but failed to carry that momentum into the last segment of the competition. Yet despite a disappointing final, the choreography and expression of the Piazzolla tango program really shined through, as well as Osmond’s sound skating skills and maturity. Skate Detroit also marked the first time she had attempted a triple loop in competition, and while not entirely successful, it showed her determination to grow her technical ability. She will no doubt be looking to improve upon her performance here at Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy, but I have high hopes for her as she has proved to be a force to be reckoned with in past seasons. Best of luck to Osmond and all the other competitors going forward!
- Kathy
Men
I was very fortunate to be able to attend Skate Detroit in person, and although I was unable to do everything I had wanted there, it was a very fun competition, especially when many of my favorite skaters attended. In addition, men’s is my favorite discipline by far!
Elladj Balde, after a recent coaching change to Bruno Marcotte, easily won the competition with very strong jumps, looking refreshed. I am a huge fan of Balde, and his short program was very entertaining. Though he fell on his quad toe, he did well on the other jumps to win the short program. In the long program, he started out very strong with an absolutely gorgeous quad toe and triple axel-triple toe combination. That said, the second half was much more of a struggle, but in person, his flamenco long program is absolutely exquisite and such a compelling program. Balde seemed very happy with his coaching change and started off his season very well.
Nicolas Nadeau, the 2015 Canadian junior champion, surprised many people when he placed second in this competition. His Mary Poppins long program was very charming, and I was surprised on how much I enjoyed it. Nadeau is one to watch this year for Canada, as he looks as though he could be competing in seniors now.
Alexander Johnson rounded out the podium in third place. I’ve been a fan of Johnson for a long time as well, and I was simply excited to see him skate in person. His long program was an absolute highlight for me, despite his struggles with his jumps. His interpretation and choreography are both top-notch, and he feels the music incredibly well. If he can continue to push his jumps, he should be able to finish well at Nationals again. In addition, I was able to have a very nice conversation and take a picture with him after the competition. :)
Timothy Dolensky was very impressive, despite missing the podium here. His short program to “Cinema Paradiso” fits him like a glove in my opinion, as he is a very musical skater. He also struggled on his jumps, but finished third in the long program. He has been competing a lot this summer, and is one of the names to watch for the TBD spot at Skate America.
Philip Warren placed second in the short program, with the best quad I saw all weekend. Warren gets incredible height on his jumps, and landed a quad toe-double toe combination with ease in his hammy and fun performance. His long program did not go so well, but if he can control his incredible jumps, he could skyrocket to the ranks of the top U.S. men.
Shotaro Omori finished in sixth in the short program, planning only to compete in that segment. His short program, set to “Your Song” from Moulin Rouge! was choreographed by Jeremy Abbott, and though Omori still has room to grow into the program, I can see it becoming a very strong vehicle for him as the season progresses.
Overall, Skate Detroit was an exciting event, and I hope to be able to attend whenever I am in the area. If you have any specific questions on any of the men or any of the other events, feel free to shoot a question to our Twitter account @lutzandglory!
- Bronwyn
Pairs
In 6th place came the team from the Boston metro area, Alex Shaughnessey and Jimmy Morgan, colloquially known as Team Pussywagon, a term uttered during their short program music “Greased Lightning”. This team is always a fan favorite. They are constantly cognizant of the crowd and always put the performance first. Though not the cleanest, their short program was vivacious, playful, and just plain fun. Though their long program had its fair share of mistakes, consequently causing them to fall in the standings, this team has definitely improved and has clearly pushed themselves in training this summer. If they continue at this rate, they’ll definitely be in wonderful shape for U.S. Nationals.
A team I was pleasantly surprised with was the 4th place finishing team in Detroit, Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan. I was extremely pleased to see how technically proficient this team was, having some of the best side-by-side jumps of the competition in both the short and long programs. Though they did finish in 4th place in both segments, the team has only been skating for small number of months, and this was certainly an auspicious debut for these two. I’m very excited to see how this team progresses in terms of synergy and fluidity as the season really kicks into gear.
The winners of the short program in Detroit, despite troubles on their side-by-side triple toe loops, were Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran. After splitting with Simon Shnapir post-Sochi, Castelli found a new partner in Tran, and the two immediately clicked, placing in the top 6 at their first U.S. Nationals together, which was one of their first competitions together as a team. Skating fans were excited to see this pair’s new Journey Medley free skate, since they kept the “Summertime” SP from the previous season. Tran struggled in both the short and long programs on the side-by-side jumps, and the team's confidence and energy really took a hit, thanks to an unfortunately botched lift deep into the long program. All the while, the team still scored 57+ in terms of Program Components, a very promising statistic. The team has made mention of how difficult Julie Marcotte’s choreography for the long program is, but it is clear that they were rewarded, despite the technical mistakes. I’m so excited to see how both programs will develop because this team, while they have tough Grand Prix fields to contend with, has two programs that have potential to be super impactful, for both the audience and the judges.
Another relatively new team that formed post-Sochi is the 2nd place team here in Detroit, Gretchen Donlan and Nathan Bartholomay. This team skated an absolutely wonderful short program, set to “All That Jazz” from the stage musical Chicago. Both technically and artistically, this team showed what they’re made of. Complete with fabulous lifts and solid basics as well, Donlan and Bartholomay were certainly poised to contend for this title. Mistakes on the jumps were the major culprit in the free program, as was the case with most other team here, but that didn’t stop the 7th place finishers at last year’s U.S. Championships from delivering a beautiful performance to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #2, a common music selection in figure skating, with solid Component scores that still placed them 2nd in the free program and 2nd overall. With no Grand Prix events in their sophomore season, this team is really looking to threaten other pairs for a coveted spot on the podium and possibly the world team at the U.S. Championships in January.
The indisputable winners of Skate Detroit and one of the clear-cut favorites coming into the competition, Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch, had an absolute dream of a season last year. The 13th place finishers in at the 2015 World Championships, this team proved in Detroit that they are hungry for more medals and even better results this season. Their innovative short program, set to Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, was a standout for me. I commend the originality they and choreographer David Wilson tapped into to create this program, exhibited particularly in the death spiral, which Ilyushechkina seamlessly entered with the ever-difficult cantilever. Their 120+ for the free skate is certainly nothing to scoff at and is a fabulous foundation to work up from as they move to their first Grand Prix of this season Cup of China, in November.
A team I was pleasantly surprised with was the 4th place finishing team in Detroit, Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan. I was extremely pleased to see how technically proficient this team was, having some of the best side-by-side jumps of the competition in both the short and long programs. Though they did finish in 4th place in both segments, the team has only been skating for small number of months, and this was certainly an auspicious debut for these two. I’m very excited to see how this team progresses in terms of synergy and fluidity as the season really kicks into gear.
The winners of the short program in Detroit, despite troubles on their side-by-side triple toe loops, were Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran. After splitting with Simon Shnapir post-Sochi, Castelli found a new partner in Tran, and the two immediately clicked, placing in the top 6 at their first U.S. Nationals together, which was one of their first competitions together as a team. Skating fans were excited to see this pair’s new Journey Medley free skate, since they kept the “Summertime” SP from the previous season. Tran struggled in both the short and long programs on the side-by-side jumps, and the team's confidence and energy really took a hit, thanks to an unfortunately botched lift deep into the long program. All the while, the team still scored 57+ in terms of Program Components, a very promising statistic. The team has made mention of how difficult Julie Marcotte’s choreography for the long program is, but it is clear that they were rewarded, despite the technical mistakes. I’m so excited to see how both programs will develop because this team, while they have tough Grand Prix fields to contend with, has two programs that have potential to be super impactful, for both the audience and the judges.
Another relatively new team that formed post-Sochi is the 2nd place team here in Detroit, Gretchen Donlan and Nathan Bartholomay. This team skated an absolutely wonderful short program, set to “All That Jazz” from the stage musical Chicago. Both technically and artistically, this team showed what they’re made of. Complete with fabulous lifts and solid basics as well, Donlan and Bartholomay were certainly poised to contend for this title. Mistakes on the jumps were the major culprit in the free program, as was the case with most other team here, but that didn’t stop the 7th place finishers at last year’s U.S. Championships from delivering a beautiful performance to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #2, a common music selection in figure skating, with solid Component scores that still placed them 2nd in the free program and 2nd overall. With no Grand Prix events in their sophomore season, this team is really looking to threaten other pairs for a coveted spot on the podium and possibly the world team at the U.S. Championships in January.
The indisputable winners of Skate Detroit and one of the clear-cut favorites coming into the competition, Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch, had an absolute dream of a season last year. The 13th place finishers in at the 2015 World Championships, this team proved in Detroit that they are hungry for more medals and even better results this season. Their innovative short program, set to Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, was a standout for me. I commend the originality they and choreographer David Wilson tapped into to create this program, exhibited particularly in the death spiral, which Ilyushechkina seamlessly entered with the ever-difficult cantilever. Their 120+ for the free skate is certainly nothing to scoff at and is a fabulous foundation to work up from as they move to their first Grand Prix of this season Cup of China, in November.
- Will
