2020 Skate America: Grand Prix Debuts

(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America may have concluded last weekend, but the memories and performances it created will last forever - just ask the handful of skaters who made their senior Grand Prix debuts in Las Vegas! Although no one expects to make their debut in front of an audience of cardboard cutouts, the following athletes made the best of this nontraditional season and skated their hearts out at the Orleans Arena.

Get a little snapshot into the minds of Team USA’s Paige Rydberg, Maxim Naumov, Olivia Serafini & Mervin Tran, and Molly Cesanek & Yehor Yehorov as these newcomers describe the thrill of accomplishing a major milestone in their skating careers during the most unconventional of times. These skaters may not have medaled at Skate America, but they left it all out on the ice. Facing a global pandemic, interrupted training time, and other major obstacles, these bright young stars put out impressive performances despite the circumstances and inspired thousands of people along the way.

Paige Rydberg performs her short program (left) and free skate (right) at 2020 Skate America at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Paige Rydberg, Ladies Singles

The road to Paige Rydberg’s senior Grand Prix debut was somewhat of a bumpy one. After winning novice silver at the 2014 U.S. Championships, competing on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, and making her senior debut during the 2016-17 season, Rydberg subsequently moved from her suburban Illinois hometown to Colorado Springs to train with Tom Zakrajsek, one of the nation’s top skating coaches. That was in 2017, and due to some health issues, the 20-year-old hasn’t competed on the international stage for the past few seasons. Last year, she won gold at Regionals and Sectionals, advancing to Nationals after a three-year break. Now Paige Rydberg is back and once again on the rise, with 2020 Skate America as her launching pad.

Starting off her comeback weekend with a bang, Rydberg fit right into the Las Vegas vibe thanks to her punchy, powerful Shania Twain short program. She served looks and exuded confidence, skating to Twain’s classic hits, “Man I Feel Like a Woman” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Dressed to the nines in a sparkly black two-piece, Rydberg was captivating from start to finish, showing off her solid jump technique with an exceptional triple flip, a triple toe-triple toe combo, and a double axel. The Chicago native further accentuated her performance with a smirk here and there, a sassy flick of the arm, and an overall presence that dared you to come even closer. Posting positive GOEs and a score of 63.91, Rydberg finished the ladies short program in 6th place, out of 12 skaters.

Just minutes after her performance, Rydberg laughed and said, “I’ve been waiting literally like three years to get back on the international stage - I was waiting to update my [Team USA] jacket! It felt so good to get out there, and they made it feel so real. I didn’t know there was gonna be the audience clapping sound effect! I had so much fun out there. It’s Vegas, Shania Twain, can’t complain.”

The following day, Rydberg opted for a more dramatic piece in the free skate, electing to bring the epic Titanic soundtrack from ill-fated iceburg to competitive ice. The University of Colorado Colorado Springs student donned a dazzling navy blue costume, looking similar to the sapphire heart pendant from the movie. Although she demonstrated her technical skill with several snappy jumps - including another great triple flip and a double axel-triple toe combo - Rydberg fell on her triple flip-double toe and popped her triple loop into a single.

But as the wistful instrumental music climaxed into Celine Dion’s showstopping “My Heart Will Go On,” Rydberg proved that she too could go on and flourish in spite of any initial challenges. Coming to life during the riveting step sequence near the end and topping off the program with a beautiful level 4 layback spin, Paige Rydberg ultimately triumphed.

Following her free skate, Rydberg remarked that she thought she stayed strong, was in the moment, and was intentional in everything she did, musing, “I feel like I have a reputation of having a good short program, then bombing the long [program], and I drop like ten places! So my big goal here was to not let that happen, to have a short program that’s good and goes along with a strong long. So I’m really happy I was able to do that today.” A segment score of 114.22 gave Rydberg a total mark of 178.13, putting her in 7th place overall.

As she looked ahead to the U.S. Championship Series leading up to 2020 Nationals, Paige reflected back on her Colorado Springs training mates and how they inspire her, explaining, “Honestly since Bradie [Tennell] joined with Tom [Zakrajsek, their coach], we’ve really gotten super close. We know each other from Chicago and just competing against each other, so it’s been nice to have somebody that’s, you know, like Bradie - a national champion, Olympian - that’s part of my coach’s squad. She’s just so sweet to me, and she helps me, like if I’m having a bad day, she’s the first one to just give me advice, and we have this really cool teammate friendship going on. And everybody else that I train with, they all work so hard, like Audrey [Shin, who won bronze at this year’s Skate America] works so hard every day, and so to see her in third was just awesome as well. It’s great to see everybody’s hard work pay off.”

It’s evident that Paige Rydberg is not only teeming with on-ice talent, but sincere sportsmanship as well. Who knows what the future will have in store for this up-and-coming lady!

Keep Up With Paige

PAIGE’S INSTAGRAM: @paigerydberg

PAIGE’S TWITTER: @paige_rydberg

PAIGE’S WEBSITE: paigerydberg.figureskatersonline.com

Audrey Shin (Bronze), China’s Shan Lin (6th), Sierra Venetta (9th), Pooja Kalyan (10th), and Finley Hawk (11th) also made their senior Grand Prix debuts at 2020 Skate America.

Maxim Naumov performs his short program (left) and free skate (right) at 2020 Skate America at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Maxim Naumov, Men’s Singles

Maxim Naumov may have only moved up to the senior level this year, but he’s been slowly inching his way to the top of Team USA’s podium for many seasons. Along with experience on the Junior Grand Prix circuit and a 5th-place finish at the 2020 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, the 19-year-old has also earned the title of national champion at the juvenile, novice, and junior levels - in 2013, 2017, and 2020, respectively. So when Naumov took the ice at 2020 Skate America, it wasn’t just his senior Grand Prix debut, it was the beginning of a thrilling new chapter for the Massachusetts teenager.

For his short program, Naumov skated to “Run” by Joji - a musical composition just as intense and exhilarating as his fervent skating style. With great speed and focus, the U.S. junior men’s champion carried himself with a unique brand of dark, edgy elegance, emitting both beautiful lines and raw power. Naumov doesn’t just feel the music, he becomes it. Also adding to the allure of the program was a substantial triple loop and a collection of impressive, well-positioned spins. A score of 70.91 pushed Naumov into 8th at the end of the segment.

Off the ice, the young skater isn’t quite as intense - his warm, friendly persona radiates just as much as his steely on-ice one does. Speaking about this year’s Skate America, Naumov reported, “I loved this experience. I think it’s an unusual circumstance, so I was just happy that I was able to get through everything. I was able to stay mentally tough throughout the whole thing, but it’s fun too, I mean, senior - it’s a whole new level. Lots of things that I still have to work on for sure, I mean I gotta start getting my quads, and that’s obviously a must in today’s skating, but I’m really excited for what the future holds.”

Naumov’s free skate ended up being just as - if not more - dark and intense as his short program, set to the riveting, symphonic rock-esque “Unstoppable” by E.S. Posthumus and “Stabat Mater” by Woodkid. Naumov skates like a predator stalking his prey - if that prey just happened to be the ice. Dark, savage, and oddly endearing, this program was just in time for Halloween. A fall on his triple axel and a few other errors on jumps docked some points, but overall, Naumov is a very well-rounded skater, receiving level 4s on every single one of his spins and step sequences in both the short and the free. A free skate score of 143.36 gave him a total of 214.27 points, which equaled an 8th-place finish.

Maxim Naumov’s innate gifts and endless potential have several possible roots, one of which is genetic - his parents are Russian pairs skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who are the 1994 world champions and two-time Olympians. Ironically, they won Skate America back in the 1993-94 season, when the competition took place in Dallas, Texas. Shishkova and Naumov are also the primary coaches for their son.

Two of Maxim’s fellow competitors here, Ilia Malinin and Daniel Samohin, are also coached by their parents, so the three have had a lot to bond over. Elaborating on the highs and lows of the parent/coach dichotomy, Maxim said, “It’s something that is hard to explain, and only people who actually get coached by their parents can understand, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything honestly - I love working with my parents. I mean when you’re young, you’re still trying to figure things out, and it can be difficult sometimes, and they have to play two roles - they have to play the role of a parent, to support [you] through anything, but also a coach to push you to as far as you can go. So it’s very, very tough for them, so it took me awhile to understand that and kind of start to respect that. It’s been a work in progress, and I think we’ve reached a level where I’m mature enough to understand those things - and I’m still learning obviously every day - but it’s tough. It definitely has really good positives to it, like family is everything, so it means a lot to me.”

Maxim trains at The Skating Club of Boston, which just opened a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in Norwood, Massachusetts, less than ten minutes away from his home. Speaking on his gratitude to the club, Maxim elaborated, “The Skating Club of Boston has done so, so much for us, and I’m very, very, very grateful. Even before this whole new facility, they were still doing everything for us, and it was really wonderful. But especially now with this new facility, it’s amazing. It’s phenomenal - three sheets of ice, one Olympic-sized, it’s great. There’s a workout room, there’s a medical center there, so literally every single resource that an athlete could possibly need, they have it.”

Natural skating talent, Olympic parent-coaches, and a sparkling new training facility? Sounds like the perfect ingredients to make a champion figure skater!

Keep Up With Maxim

MAXIM’S INSTAGRAM: @maxim.naumov_

Ilia Malinin (5th) and Joseph Kang (11th) also made their senior Grand Prix debuts at 2020 Skate America.

Olivia Serafini and Mervin Tran perform their short program (left) and free skate (right) at 2020 Skate America at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Olivia Serafini + Mervin Tran, Pairs

When Olivia Serafini and Mervin Tran joined forces two years ago, they probably couldn’t predict that they would make their senior Grand Prix team debut during a pandemic. But then again, maybe they didn’t predict that they would move their training base across the country or win the 2020 U.S. Pairs Final either. No matter what life has thrown at Serafini and Tran, they always face it hand-in-hand, and that was especially evident at last weekend’s Skate America.

Skating to Alicia Keys’ jazzy, lighthearted “If I Ain’t Got You,” the pair had somewhat of a rocky start to their short program, losing points on their triple twist and side-by-side triple toeloops. But nonetheless, they persisted, with their confidence growing as the feel-good music went on. Serafini and Tran flow nicely together on the ice, and their strengths were highlighted with level 4s on the forward inside death spiral, change foot combination spin, and group 3 lift. They ended the first day of competition with a 59.67, landing them in 6th place.

Although this is 23-year-old Serafini’s first Grand Prix competition, it’s actually 30-year-old Tran’s 13th Grand Prix. The Saskatchewan-born skater has competed with three prior partners for three different countries - representing Japan, he and Narumi Takahashi are the 2012 world pairs bronze medalists, and representing the United States of America, he and Marissa Castelli are two-time national pairs medalists. Serafini moved to Southern California at 17 to train with Rafael Arutyunyan, eventually winning silver in junior ladies at the 2015 U.S. Championships.

Despite coming into the partnership with different levels of life experience, both on and off the ice, Serafini and Tran present a united front. It’s evident that the New York-based team has a really special bond - they even created a secret handshake that they do seconds before they start their program on center ice.

Elaborating on their close-knit dynamic on the ice, Serafini emphasized, “We’ve been working really hard this past off-season to try and skate more together. And with that, with skating together, we are more aware of each other, and that’s only gonna build that emotional connection between us, instead of skating side-by-side or separately.”

In the free skate, they chose a cover of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” which has become somewhat of a modern-day warhorse in figure skating. After an issue with the triple twist and two falls in the first two side-by-side jumps, the program was off to a difficult start, similar to the day before. But Serafini and Tran soldiered on and refused to let a few bad elements derail the performance they had been preparing so hard for. The team approached every element as a fresh start, nailing the throw triple salchow and wowing anyone watching with a group 5 axel lasso lift that saw Serafini contorted into a split position like a frustratingly flexible pretzel. One of the most impressive things about Serafini and Tran isn’t just the elements they do well, but the fact that when they do struggle, they know how to recover and finish strong. Their unrelenting tenacity truly exemplifies the #WeGetUp mentality that all skaters should strive towards. Receiving 108.40 in the free skate, the duo earned a total score of 168.07 to finish in 6th.

After the free skate, Serafini, who attends New York University, described their performance with one word - perseverance - and articulated, “It’s difficult to start the program with major errors. I think the twist was one of our better twists that we’ve done here this week - it’s definitely been an element that we’ve put a lot of effort into. And you know with just first-time competition jitters, it was a little bit more challenging this week. So we started off strong, but then to have those back-to-back errors, I think the program could have gone a whole other direction, and so that perseverance really, we stayed grounded with each other, and we knew what we could do, and we didn’t let that stop our performance.”

The pair, who train under coaches Jason Briggs and Jana Brazee in Rockland County, New York, greatly praised U.S. Figure Skating’s creation of a bubble at the Orleans Arena. Tran expressed, ”We are blessed to be here, it’s a great opportunity, but at the same time, we’ve been talking with all the staffers, the people that are catering, and they’ve also been out of work for this whole time too. It’s really just nice to have everyone working towards something that’s just kind of lighthearted - like, it’s sports, it’s fun, and it’s great to be back. And I know a lot of my Canadian friends are at home missing skating because [Canada] just shut down again, they can’t do their own Grand Prix, so the fact that they can watch us and hopefully enjoy it through what we’re doing, and hopefully we can set a blueprint for everyone else to follow by. ‘Cause so far, knock on wood, but we’ve been testing everyone here, and everyone’s negative. I think we did something good here.”

This tenacious team is sure to soar to great heights in the coming seasons, but one thing will always be sure - Olivia Serafini and Mervin Tran are an inspiration to all young pairs teams nationwide!

Keep Up With Olivia + Mervin

OLIVIA’S PERSONAL INSTAGRAM: @livsk8

OLIVIA’S FOOD INSTAGRAM: @whole.cal.so.cal

OLIVIA’S TWITTER: @livlovsk8

OLIVIA’S FOOD BLOG: livsk8er.wixsite.com/livnlearn

MERVIN’S INSTAGRAM: @skate_moivo

MERVIN’S TWITTER: @skate_moivo

Alexa Scimeca Knierim & Brandon Frazier (Gold), Emily Chan & Spencer Akira Howe (7th), and Israel’s Anna Vernikov & Evgeni Krasnopolski (8th) also made their senior Grand Prix team debuts at 2020 Skate America.

Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov perform their rhythm dance (left) and free dance (right) at 2020 Skate America at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Molly Cesanek + Yehor Yehorov, Ice Dance

Ice dance is all about connection, chemistry, and expression, and newcomers Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov definitely have all those qualities in spades. Only in the third season of their partnership and having just turned senior this year, Virginia-born Cesanek and Ukrainian-born Yehorov had pretty much a picture-perfect senior Grand Prix debut at 2020 Skate America. The duo demonstrated to their teammates, their federation, and the world that not only can they thrive under pressure, but they’re a serious team to watch in the coming years.

Embodying the Broadway style that this season’s rhythm dance requires, the reigning U.S. junior ice dance pewter medalists skated their first of two clean programs to “Shout” from Ain’t Too Proud and “Walking on Sunshine.” The well-matched pair skate with such contagious energy and pure unadulterated joy that it’s frankly impossible to not grin ear-to-ear while watching them. A musical theatre-esque performance quality makes them stand out, as do their in-synch twizzles and whirlwind rotational lift - both elements of which received level 4s last weekend. They received a score of 66.01, pushing them into 5th.

Just as charming off the ice as they are on it, Cesanek and Yehorov finish each other’s sentences and glow with the excitement that only a first-time senior team has. The 19-year-old Cesanek, who attends American University, described the thrill of competing alongside other ice dancers whom they’ve looked up to forever. “Oh my goodness, so many of them [inspire us]! Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue - their power but their unison together is unmatchable. They’re like so harmonized, so together.”

21-year-old Yehorov added that he admired Hubbell & Donohue’s “sureness in every step. They look so relaxed, but at the same time, they’re so confident. [They have that] control that hinges on such a dance ability.”

Cesanek gushed, “And with Jean-Luc [Baker], the energy! [He and Kaitlin Hawayek] are such good skaters. Oh and we love Anthony [Ponomarenko] and Christina [Carreira] - we love their expression, and we absolutely love the interaction they have between one another. [All the ice dance couples] have different qualities that Yehor and I really admire.”

Changing gears for the free dance, Cesanek and Yehorov chose to skate to Matt McAndrew’s covers of Foy Vance’s “Make It Rain” and Hozier’s “Take Me To Church.” The couple fully committed to the dark, moody energy needed to fully convey the tone of the piece, permeating every edge and movement with the intensity and passion of a rockstar smashing their guitar. Especially beautiful were their stationary and curve lifts, as well as their combination spin and synchronized twizzles - all level 4s. Cesanek and Yehorov really let loose during the choreographic character step sequence, and they accomplished what every ice dancer strives to do - they made you feel something with their performance. Earning 102.08 in the free dance and 168.09 overall, the duo finished their in a solid 5th.

When asked how they tune into the epic emotions needed for their free dance, Cesanek replied, “We get on the same kind of wavelength, the same vibration, throughout the entire day. I feel like we breathe together almost, in order to kind of capture that same feeling for when we do the program on the ice, like we’re one body moving together, creating different unique shapes and telling a story. And in order to do that, we have to be on the same heartbeat almost.”

With a twinkle in his eye, Yehorov noted, “Yeah sometimes it’s really tough, especially in the early morning to do [our] free dance. You’re like ahhh, I’m sleeping, but right now I need to be so dramatic, emotional. And you’re like okay, let’s do this!”

Radiating with both burgeoning artistry and striking technical skills, Cesanek and Yehorov made quite the impression at Skate America. But what’s next? How do you plan for a season you don’t even know will exist? Regardless of the outside world and looming cancellations or modifications to upcoming competitions, the couple are still dreaming big and working hard. On their to-do list for when they return home to Ion International Training Center in Leesburg, Virginia, Cesanek said, “I think our main goal is really to develop both [technical and artistic elements]. Not in separate ways, but we’d like to develop both together in order to complement one another. Every day, we really balance the two, and if one of us is thinking about technical, the other is making sure the components are there and growing just as much.”

One thing is for sure - Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov are a very special team with a very exciting skating career ahead of them!

Keep Up With Molly + Yehor

MOLLY’S INSTAGRAM: @mollycesanek

MOLLY’S FACEBOOK: Molly Cesanek

YEHOR’S INSTAGRAM: @yegoryegorov_

TEAM INSTAGRAM: @mollycesanek_yegoryegorov

TEAM FACEBOOK: Mollycesanek_yegoryegorov

Lorraine McNamara & Anton Spiridonov (6th), Eva Pate & Logan Bye (7th), and Hungary’s Emily Monaghan & Ilias Fourati (8th) also made their senior Grand Prix team debuts at 2020 Skate America.

An sea of cardboard cutouts featuring adults, children, and animals!
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Keep an eye out for these champions of tomorrow, and be sure to follow along on their journeys on the ice! It’s so important to support not just the medalists but all the skaters who compete, across all disciplines and all levels. The sport and art of figure skating is a truly special one, and we are so lucky to have Paige, Maxim, Olivia, Mervin, Molly, and Yehor in it.

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CATEGORIES: 2020-21 SEASON, ARTICLES, COMPETITIONS, GRAND PRIX, USA, SINGLES, PAIRS, ICE DANCE

TAGS: SKATE AMERICA, 2020 SKATE AMERICA, ORLEANS ARENA, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA, PAIGE RYDBERG, MAXIM NAUMOV, OLIVIA SERAFINI, MERVIN TRAN, MOLLY CESANEK, YEHOR YEHOROV