2024 U.S. Sectional Singles & Pairs/Ice Dance Finals - Coral Springs FL; Tacoma WA; Bloomington MN

[AnnMJensen]

No. He is expected to be announced for the Youth Olympic Games (since he had the highest Senior or Junior total NQS score (236.47 at Middle Atlantics in NYC in Sept.) so would miss Nationals. Ditto fro Sherry Zhang and Olivia Ilin/Dylan Cain who all competed at Sectionals.

Right… ok. Thanks.

 

[Sylvia]

Let's GO, Sonja!! (2nd to skate in this penultimate group warming up now)

Live scores: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2023/30617/CAT009SEG018.html

 

[haribobo]

SENIOR MEN qualifying for US Nationals (unofficial)

Ilia Malinin 310.47 (INT)
Tomoki Hiwatashi 249.11 (SEC)
Jason Brown 236.75 (INT)
Andrew Torgashev 233.26 (INT)
Goku Endo 226.88 (SEC)/ 231.41 (INT)
Camden Pulkinen 230.84 (INT)
Yaroslav Paniot 218.45 (SEC)/222.58 (INT)
Jimmy Ma 222.49 (INT)
Liam Kapeikis 220.15 (INT)/201.46 (DOM)
Daniel Martynov 220.09 (INT JR)
Lucas Broussard 216.10 (INT)
Maxim Naumov 210.53 (INT)
Kai Kovar 208.08 (SEC)/185.95 (INT)
Michael Xie 198.84 (SEC)/204.13 (INT JR)
Samuel Mindra 197.76 (SEC)/202.98 (INT)
Will Annis 200.31 (SEC)/186.95 (INT)
Joseph Klein 198.24 (SEC)/177.80 (INT)
Daniel Samohin 195.14 (SEC)

 

[Sylvia]

Hilmer (Music from Avatar: The Last Airbender): 2A, 1F+2T, 3F, 3Lo, CCW-clockwise spin, trademark low cantilever in choreo. seq., 3T, 3Lo+2T+2A, 2S to reverse 2S fall argh, energetic footwork seq. - I hope she did enough!

ETA: 110.71 in FS, 163.31 - Sonja is happy - "Yes, that's what I needed!"

 

[AnnMJensen]

Hilmer (Music from Avatar: The Last Airbender): 2A, 1F+2T, 3F, 3Lo, CCW-clockwise spin, trademark low cantilever in choreo. seq., 3T, 3Lo+2T+2A, 2S to reverse 2S fall argh, energetic footwork seq. - I hope she did enough!

ETA: 110.71 in FS, 163.31 - Sonja is happy - "Yes, that's what I needed!"

That puts her total above 3/4 next highest scorers in Pac Coast.

 

[Sylvia]

Michelle Lee (last season's FS music to The Hours & Twilight OST) - 109.62 in FS, 159.45 and she goes ahead of Lindsay Wang's 159.15 at Pacifics last week.

 

[AnnMJensen]

Michelle Lee (last season's FS music to The Hours & Twilight OST) - 109.62 in FS, 159.45 and she goes ahead of Lindsay Wang's 159.15 at Pacifics last week.

So far only Soho’s score is holding. Unless by some chance Sonja or Michelle go top 2 here……

 

[Sylvia]

Current top 4 with 5 to go:
1 12 Sonja Hilmer, Centennial SC 6 52.60 1 110.71 163.31
2 13 Michelle Lee, Broadmoor SC 8 49.83 2 109.62 159.45
3 15 Finley Hawk, ISC of Indianapolis 7 52.40 4 82.01 134.41 (Julie Berlin is with her in k&c)
4 8 Maxine Marie Bautista, DuPage FSC 13 37.51 3 94.88 132.39 (will go watch her FS replay later)

Final group:
16 Clare Seo, Broadmoor SC 1 61.34
17 Brooke Gewalt, Wagon Wheel FSC 4 55.81
18 Wren Warne-Jacobsen, Go4Gold Shakopee Skating Academy 5 52.92
19 Maryn Pierce, Broadmoor SC 3 57.45
20 Alyssa Rich, Dallas FSC 2 57.49

WD Alexa Gasparotto, Arctic FSC 12 38.93

 

[Sylvia]

Clare Seo (Astor Piazzolla Tango medley incl. Oblivion & Libertango) - jumps: 3Lz bit wild/held on, 3F fall, 3S+2T, 2A, 2A+3T<? 3Lz+rep, 3Lo+2T.

ETA: 109.07 in FS, 170.41 1st.

 

[Sylvia]

Brooke Gewalt showed some lovely qualities in her FS to "I Will Wait for You" (female vocal in English & French) from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - 99.95 in FS, 155.76 in 4th place.

 

[AnnMJensen]

Brooke Gewalt showed some lovely qualities in her FS to "I Will Wait for You" (female vocal in English & French) from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - 99.95 in FS, 155.76 in 4th place.

Pacific Coast scores getting slapped down here.

 

[Sylvia]

WOW Wren wants to win this in her home state!!! Landed everything incl. opening 3F (fairly new jump for her, IIRC). 118.01 in FS, 170.93 1st!!!

ETA the projected 10 qualifiers from Sectionals (when Tennell's WD becomes official):

P2 Katie Shen 185.21
P3 Mia Kalin 174.29
M1 Wren Warne-Jacobsen 170.93
P4 Soho Lee 170.76
M2 Clare Seo 170.41
M3 Sonja Hilmer 163.31
E1 Sarah Everhardt 162.05
E2 Alex Evans 159.70
M3 Michelle Lee 159.45
P5 Lindsay Wang 159.15

 

[crzesk8dad]

That puts her total above 3/4 next highest scorers in Pac Coast.

Pacific Coast scores getting slapped down here.

 

[haribobo]

SENIOR WOMEN qualifying for US Nationals (unofficial)

Isabeau Levito 208.15 (INT)
Lindsay Thorngren 199.16 (INT)/206.63 (DOM)
Amber Glenn 189.63 (INT)
Elyce Lin-Gracey 188.55 (DOM JR)/179.16 (INT JR)
Josephine Lee 186.78 (SEC)/156.71 (INT JR)
Katie Shen 185.21 (SEC)/163.52 (INT JR)
Audrey Shin 177.14 (INT)/184.02 (DOM)
Ava Ziegler (183.79 INT)
Mia Kalin 174.29 (SEC)/180.08 (INT JR)
Starr Andrews 174.82 (INT)
Clare Seo 170.41 (SEC)/171.94 (INT)
Wren Warne-Jacobsen 170.93 (SEC)/128.87 (INT)
Soho Lee 170.76 (SEC)
Sarah Everhardt 162.05 (SEC)168.69 (INT JR)
Sonja Hilmer 163.31 (SEC)/161.40 (INT)
Alex Evans 159.70 (SEC)
Michelle Lee 159.45 (SEC)
Lindsay Wang 159.15 (SEC)

 

[crzesk8dad]

SENIOR WOMEN qualifying for US Nationals (unofficial)

Isabeau Levito 208.15 (INT)
Lindsay Thorngren 199.16 (INT)/206.63 (DOM)
Amber Glenn 189.63 (INT)
Elyce Lin-Gracey 188.55 (DOM JR)/179.16 (INT JR)
Josephine Lee 186.78 (SEC)/156.71 (INT JR)
Katie Shen 185.21 (SEC)/163.52 (INT JR)
Audrey Shin 177.14 (INT)/184.02 (DOM)
Ava Ziegler (183.79 INT)
Mia Kalin 174.29 (SEC)/180.08 (INT JR)
Starr Andrews 174.82 (INT)
Clare Seo 170.41 (SEC)/171.94 (INT)
Wren Warne-Jacobsen 170.93 (SEC)/128.87 (INT)
Soho Lee 170.76 (SEC)
Sarah Everhardt 162.05 (SEC)168.69 (INT JR)
Sonja Hilmer 163.31 (SEC)/161.40 (INT)
Alex Evans 159.70 (SEC)
Michelle Lee 159.45 (SEC)
Lindsay Wang 159.15 (SEC)

So, in theory Lindsay got the Bradie open spot??

 

[Rukia]

Ohhh very excited for Hilmer!

 

[Sylvia]

So, in theory Lindsay got the Bradie open spot??

Yes (should be made official on Tuesday).

Midwestern Sectional Senior Women's final standings/link to protocols: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2023/30617/CAT009SEG018.html

1	18	Wren Warne-Jacobsen, Go4Gold Shakopee Skating Academy	5	52.92	1	118.01	170.93
2	16	Clare Seo, Broadmoor SC	1	61.34	4	109.07	170.41
3	12	Sonja Hilmer, Centennial SC	6	52.60	2	110.71	163.31
4	13	Michelle Lee, Broadmoor SC	8	49.83	3	109.62	159.45
5	17	Brooke Gewalt, Wagon Wheel FSC	4	55.81	5	99.95	155.76
6	20	Alyssa Rich, Dallas FSC	2	57.49	6	97.84	155.33
7	19	Maryn Pierce, Broadmoor SC	3	57.45	8	86.40	143.85
8	15	Finley Hawk, ISC of Indianapolis	7	52.40	9	82.01	134.41
9	8	Maxine Marie Bautista, DuPage FSC	13	37.51	7	94.88	132.39
10	14	Amber Barth, Dallas FSC	9	44.78	10	78.98	123.76
11	11	McKenzie Edwards, Scott Hamilton SC	10	43.23	12	72.59	115.82
12	9	Kendall Erne, Winter Club of Indianapolis	11	41.00	13	67.52	108.52
13	6	Faith Olczak, DuPage FSC	14	35.33	14	66.11	101.44
14	3	Lily Podgorak, Go4Gold Shakopee Skating Academy	19	27.90	11	72.77	100.67
15	5	Molly Schelosky, St. Clair Shores FSC	16	30.32	15	65.82	96.14
16	10	Grace Golden, Scott Hamilton SC	15	31.56	19	51.61	83.17
17	1	Lianna OGrady, Skokie Valley SC	20	25.51	16	57.58	83.09
18	2	Ariana Grymski, DuPage FSC	18	28.01	17	53.55	81.56
19	4	Josephine Billings, Lansing SC	17	29.50	18	51.91	81.41
WD		Alexa Gasparotto, Arctic FSC	12	38.93

 

[ptvvibezz]

Some of the senior women's SP from Midwest Sectionals are in this video I uploaded! I am currently trying to upload the senior women's free.

2023-24 Midwestern Sectionals Senior Women's SP

Enjoy!

youtu.be

 

[Karen-W]

Finally got around to watching the senior FDs...

Murphy/Levitt - sorry, nope, that's a FFW from me as soon as I heard the opening notes of "To Build A Home." I can hardly take that music with internationally competitive skaters and I certainly won't spend time on a team that isn't even in the ISP. Oh, I did notice she's got a blue version of Schott's green lung/boob wrap dress. That's a figure skating fashion trend that needs to stay put in Germany, TYVM.

Harris/Vollmer - is this the cut-rate version of ChoBat's Snake Charmer program? Like, this is what we could have expected from Handra/Sinek back in the day, right? I almost like her dress, but the green cuffs around her biceps are distracting and need to be gone if they make it to Nats as the only alternates.

Kowar/Schwappach - so, they took the ice and I thought "oh, we're going to have some classy, traditional ballroom dance-esque program..." and then we get the familiar strains of the 007 theme and I'm like... fool me once, cuz I thought you were gonna be the second coming of Garabedian/Proulx-Senecal but, noooo... And then they used some really random, heavy metal-esque instrumentals (I presume from the "No Time to Die" soundtrack) which were really incongruous with their entire look and then I spent the rest of their FD until the title song came on being lost and confused about how they gave zero edge and energy to the very different heavy metal instrumental section and that none of it felt very 007 at all. This is a team that could really have done with a costume change with that first music change. And that is an awful lot of thought that I've put into a team that is "just happy to be at Nationals!"

Koncius/Shchpetov - bland, vanilla, boring. The music reminded me of Downton Abbey and then my mind began wandering and wondering why we haven't ever had a good DA program and how, surely, some team could tell the epic love story of Lady Mary & Matthew Crawley that was tragically cut short when Dan Stevens left the show to do better things... like the live-action Beauty & the Beast and the Eurovision movie, lol. And, once again, I've gone an a ridiculous tangent during this program which says all you need to know about it.

WolfTsar - kudos to MIDA for picking out some non-annoying tango music. I didn't want to poke my eyes out halfway through and that's quite a feat. He struggled on that 2nd twizzle, but other than that, this was a top-notch performance and it will stand out in a good way at Nationals in the sea of mid-tier teams. This can definitely beat McNSpir and might even also beat BraSom. We shall see.

FlorDes - wow, they are fast across the ice! The entire program really built until it was flying at the end. Having said that, I can't help but feel like the WSS music and concept is a little dated and not the best vehicle for a team hoping to make their senior international debut this season. And, on a shallow costume note - the random sheer parts of her bodice are awful and no self-respecting Maria in the 1950s would have worn such a scandalous dress! I can overlook the obnoxious sheer skirt since there are multiple layers, but the upper half of the dress is a big miss and complete no-no from me. Having said that, if they skate like this at Nats, they are also likely to beat McNSpir and maybe even BraSom. Another "we shall see" from me.

Ling/Wein - what other country can they skate for and get to the Olympics with as their generation's version of Garabedian/Proulx-Senecal? It was all very nice and pleasant and inoffensive. And it went nowhere.

 

[YukiNieve]

Sylvia, I am always amazed how you can remember all the names and faces of coaches and assistants! (or I am just getting old...)

 

[YukiNieve]

Now that the Sectionals are over, we need to start thinking about the US Nationals - and here is again the issue of bag policy at Nationwide Arena:

Bags are generally NOT permitted.
There is an exception for medical bags, diaper bags OR clutches no larger than 8”x 5”x 1”.

FAQs

www.columbussports.org

So where will we ask/write about this unrealistic request?

 

[mtnskater]

I’m still catching up with Mids. Just finished junior women.

Can’t tell you how much I love Kanon Smith’s beautiful and refined skating style. She is just such a lovely skater with everything in beautiful position. She clearly has had to deal with major body changes and seems to be getting her jumps back to an extent. When she hits them they are light and lovely. Her mental state does not look good and either she or a parent appear to be really putting pressure on her. Starting to cry while you are skating after mistakes…awwww. Maybe Amber Glenn could mentor her since she too had a tough time sometime in her junior years. Sad she didn’t make Nationals, but so happy to see her back. One of my favorites.

Jiayling Johnson lots to like, very enjoyable skater.

Logan Higase-Chen just wow. Seems to have a head for competition and appeared fearless. Really like her! Hope USFS sends her out on some internationals! Her jump content would be very competitive. Liked her short program better for her.

Jessica Jurka also impressive with a very solid skate and some budding nice positions that I’m glad her coach emphasizes.

 

[kwanfan1818]

You put stuff in the pockets of your big coat, and to go the extra, invest in a Tilley or photographer's vest. My close friend used to call his photographer's vest his second piece of carry-on luggage.

I find my Tilley vest much more practical and easy to manage than schlepping a bag around.

 

[YukiNieve]

I find my Tilley vest much more practical and easy to manage than schlepping a bag around.

I think women tend to feel much colder than men.　I bring a blanket, a thin cushion, banners to cheer for skaters - all of them will not fit into those pockets.
And what bout plushies to throw for skaters?

 

[kwanfan1818]

All the stuff in my vest provides installation, but I haven't seen any bag policies recently outside small, training rinks that allow a backpack or carrying bag or duffel big enough to carry banners, blankets, and cushions. I've carried a small blanket over my arm, though.

 

[PRlady]

I think women tend to feel much colder than men.　I bring a blanket, a thin cushion, banners to cheer for skaters - all of them will not fit into those pockets.
And what bout plushies to throw for skaters?

As a woman who fights with her husband a few times a week because I am too warm in the temp his thin blood can stand, I resent that remark.

 

[YukiNieve]

Oh I am often in the opposite situation and I kind of envy you who can stand cold weather, PRlady! And yes - my apologies for the generalization!

 

[YukiNieve]

a backpack or carrying bag or duffel big

No, no, I am not asking to bring such huge and/or heavy bags - all I need is 14x14x6 clear bag, which is sufficient for me to put the stuff I need.

 

[Karen-W]

No, no, I am not asking to bring such huge and/or heavy bags - all I need is 14x14x6 clear bag, which is sufficient for me to put the stuff I need.

No offense, but that is a pretty large bag - especially the 6" depth.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

No offense, but that is a pretty large bag - especially the 6" depth.

12 x 12 x 6 is the standard clear bag size for most sports venues.