It’s been over a decade since an American pair has won Skate America. It was 2006 when Rena Inoue/John Baldwin accomplished that, back when we were still calling IJS “the new judging system.” This week, the chances for that feat to happen again are higher than they’ve been in a long time. But US champs Ashley Cain-Gribble/Timothy LeDuc will have a lot to contend with to win their first Grand Prix event. It’s going to be consistency that will win out here in Vegas for the pairs.
Skate America predictions
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GOLD Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin RUS - I’m calling an upset here. And a lot of the potential here is the relative consistency of this pair over the other two top pairs here. Of course, consistency is just a matter of percentages, but they have the best chance of skating clean or near-clean, which will be crucial for the pairs this week as they fight for gold. Those side-by-side triple flips are going to help too.
SILVER Ashley Cain-Gribble/Timothy Le Duc USA - They started their season with a big win at US Classic - it was not just the win - which was impressive enough as it was because they beat both Tarasova/Morozov and Peng/Jin - but it was also the scores that they put up. It was the first time they had broken 200 points internationally. It’s crazy to think that this is the same pair team who looked like their entire career might have been in jeopardy last December when they crashed on a lift at Golden Spin. But that accident seemed to have propelled them in drive and confidence, and their skating looks better than ever. They have a really solid shot at gold this week, but they will have to avoid the errors that they made at US Classic to get there.
BRONZE Cheng Peng/Yang Jin CHN - These two continue to grow as a pair and find their own voice. They broke through last season with a fourth-place finish at Worlds, but nagging pain in Peng’s feet have kept them from being at their best so far this season. For them to win here, they will need to be stronger in the side-by-side jumps, which have always been their problem area. Any way you slice it, it looks like a three-way battle for the title this week.
4. Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier USA - The reigning US silver medalists showed moments of brilliance last season, and they are looking to build on those strides from last season here. They have twice been silver medalists at Skate America, so they are no strangers to the podium. As with all the American pairs, their biggest hurdle will be the side-by-sides.
5. Jessica Calalang/Brian Johnson USA - Making their Grand Prix debut as a pair this week, Calalang/Johnson have proven to be a really strong match, with incredibly complementary skills that have set them up well early on. They are still figuring out their big pair skills, and that will likely be their biggest hindrance this week. But they are a pair to watch for in the future.
6. Camille Ruest/Andrew Wolfe CAN - Coming back from injury and surgery over the summer, Ruest/Wolfe were seventh to start their season at US Classic.
7. Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya/Harley Windsor AUS - Injury kept them out of the second half of last season, but they are back in competition again this season. They come in after a ninth-place finish at Nebelhorn Trophy last month.
8. Zoe Jones/Christopher Boyadji GBR - Late replacements for Natalia Zabiiako/Alexander Enbert, Jones/Boyadji will be making their second career Grand Prix appearance.