After two seasons training in Chicago, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier hit the reset button this spring and rejoined former coaches John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana in Florida.
"We realized if we are going to skate for another quad, John and Silvia are closest to our hearts and they are the right people to help us finish what we know we want to do," Frazier said.
"Especially after last year's U.S. Championships, there is definitely a huge restart on several levels," he added. "The decision wasn't easy. We have loads of respect for Rockne (Brubaker) and Stefania (Berton), we loved every second in Chicago with them and they are great coaches. But there were a few things we needed, that we know we had with John and Silvia."
Zimmerman, who coached the pair in 2014 and 2015, had in-depth discussions with the skaters prior to their return, to make sure everyone was on the same page.
"They had a rough two years, and they're battered by it, as I think everyone would be," he said. "I used to have one bad program and feel very dejected by it, even as a professional. But we all believe in each other. There are no fake words; I know Haven and Brandon can do it. We're here to coach them through it and help them see the big picture."
Training with Zimmerman's group at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Denney and Frazier share the ice with French pair Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres, reigning World bronze medalists.
"Watching how (James and Cipres) have transformed since they went to John and Silvia brings a little bit of hope to us, since last season we had a lot of disappointing moments," Frazier said. "The biggest thing that opened my eyes is the way they work on the fine details. We're on the ice way longer, putting attention on things we weren't necessarily focusing on before."
Since missing the 2015/2016 season due to Denney's right knee surgery, the skaters have had ups and downs. They placed second at Skate America and won the U.S. title in 2017, but finished 20th in the short program at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships and failed to qualify for the free skate. Last season, they were fifth in the U.S.
"There was a lot of baggage, a lot of weight," Frazier said. "Regrouping after nationals helped put everything into perspective."
"I am more confident now," Denney said. "Not just in the jumps, but with my overall skating. Silvia is a master of looking at the details, she has a great eye. We do a skating skills (class) with her for an hour each day, and it's awesome."
For programs, the pair turned to Charlie White, and the Olympic ice dance champion gave them all they could handle in a short program to David Cook's version of "Billie Jean" and free skate to music from The Irrepressibles.
"I love working with Charlie, but all I know is when he started laying out the programs, I started laughing," Frazier sad. "I said, "I don't know how much you expect me to do." But he has a way of breaking down the moves and telling you he knows you are capable."
Technically, the pair is sharpening their throw triple flip, often working with associate coach Jeremy Barrett. All three coaches have worked with them to develop new lifts, and training with James and Cipres – both fine jumpers -- has inspired them to work for more consistency in their own jumps, including their triple salchow, double axel sequence.
"They've really absorbed everything about Vanessa and Morgan on a daily basis -- their mannerisms on the ice, how business like they are, how they have bad days and then rebound," Zimmerman said. "It's good for them to be around that, to watch a pair take the patience to work on the things they need to work on."
"We feel great, we feel confident, we feel like we've improved a lot on the technical things," Frazier said.
