I'm not sure where the time went, but the post-Olympic season has begun. Now that we have (almost) come down from the excitement of PyeongChang, it's time to look ahead to the four years leading up to the Beijing Olympics in 2022. Some of the biggest names in American skating are either sitting out the season or have retired, so who will emerge as the big names for the next four years? The 24th Grand Prix Series will give us some answers.
Nathan Chen and skating and college, oh my
World champion Nathan Chen made a move that surprised no one — he decided to overachieve and go to college while figuring out how to continue to be one of the best figure skaters in the world. Juggling quads with quadrangles? The Grand Prix will be the best indicator yet of how ready he is to conquer both.
Tennell's new look
U.S. champion Bradie Tennell has worked hard on pairing her technical prowess with improved artistry. And thanks to her work with choreographer Benoit Richaud, she is bringing a new sense of musicality to the table this season. Will this translate to more medals on the Grand Prix Series?
A comeback?
When the Grand Prix assignments were announced, there was a name assigned to Rostelecom Cup that made heads turn. Two-time U.S. champion Gracie Gold is on the comeback trail after taking last season off for personal and medical reasons. Her public statements about her struggles with anxiety, depression and an eating disorder rallied old fans and gained her new fans — and you better believe that everyone will be rooting for Gold.
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Where does U.S. ice dance go?
The U.S. has the deepest ice dance field in the world. Even with Olympic bronze medalists Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani sitting out the Grand Prix Series, American ice dance is slated to grab medals left and right this season. Now training mates Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, look for more Grand Prix titles, while the next generation of American teams seek medals of their own.
Knierims' new partnership
No, Alexa Scimeca-Knierim and Chris Knierim have not gotten new pairs partners, but they have partnered with a new coach in Olympic champion Aliona Savchenko. The trio gave us hints of their work — and Savchenko's savage workout routines — during the offseason, so the big question will be how this new coach-pupil relationship will translate in competition. They have been close to breaking into the top tier of pairs in the past. Can they figure it out this season?
New coaches, new results?
The Knierims weren't the only ones making a change in their training environments. Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier returned to John Zimmerman's team in Florida. Jason Brown ventured to Toronto to train with Brian Orser's team. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker went to Montreal to Patrice Lauzon and Marie-France Dubrueil's team. We will see on the Grand Prix circuit what materializes from those changes. Â
Read Jackie Wong's full list of what to watch in the October issue of SKATING magazine.
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Jackie Wong is a figure skating analyst at Rocker Skating and a host of the podcast, ice talk. He has been involved in figure skating for more than 20 years as a skater, coach, choreographer and judge. You can find him at rockerskating.com and on Twitter and Instagram for comprehensive coverage of figure skating events all season long.
