In anticipation of Skate America 2024

October 18, 2024
By Reut Golinsky
Photo © Reut Golinsky, International Skating Union (ISU)

The first Grand Prix event of the season kicks off today in Allen, Texas, and we have a few stories to share with you in anticipation of this evening.

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov

American pair Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov teamed up in 2023. Alisa previously competed in singles for her native Finland and in pairs, first for Russia with Alexander Korovin and then for Germany with Ruben Blommaert. Misha, on the other hand, won the 2022 Four Continents with Audrey Lu. After their impressive performance at the 2024 U.S. National Championships - where they placed fifth in the short program, won the free skate, and finished second overall - their international debut this season was highly anticipated.

"I think our background in pairs helps," Misha reflected on their quick rise. "Alisa has been doing pairs for ten years, and I've been doing them for nine. So when we first teamed up, it helped us 'gel' quickly, but it obviously takes more time to really connect, especially when it's not just at practice but at competitions, where nerves kick in and everything feels a bit different."

They kicked off their season with a silver at the 2024 CS John Nicks and finished fourth in a very competitive pairs field at the Nebelhorn Trophy. "This event already feels bigger. A lot of the pairs here have been at Worlds and on the podium," Alisa noted. "We're very happy to be here. It's definitely a great competition to push us and motivate us to train even harder when we get back home," Misha added.

Both of their programs this season were choreographed by Renée Roca: "After Nationals, Renée reached out to us and offered to choreograph our programs, and we thought it would be an absolutely amazing opportunity. Working with her has been an eye-opening [experience] for us. She helped us put together two programs and really start 'gelling' more and more, thanks to these programs."

The concept for both programs was entirely Renée's, though Alisa suggested the music for the short program ("Ameksa" and "Uccen" by Taalbi Brothers). And the music for the free skate was Renée's proposal - it's "Je Suis Malade," but the version performed by the South Korean crossover group "Forestella." (Fun fact: it has an additional connection to the figure skating world, as Yuna Kim's husband, Ko Woo Rim, is one of the singers.)

"Our free skate is completely different from our short. We were aiming to show a strong contrast: in the short program we're going for something spicy, while free skate is more of a 'lovey-dovey' story. We're trying to convey a deeper connection with each other and the judges."

Donovan Carrillo

Donovan Carrillo returns to the Grand Prix circuit after making his senior Grand Prix debut at this very event, Skate America, two years ago. A lot has changed for him since then.

He sat out most of the 2022/23 season recovering from surgery. "My injury - it was a sprained ankle - happened because of poor warm-up, not taking care of my body, and bad habits. I had to learn a lot from that injury, but after surgery, everything is great. My ankle is better than ever. I've struggled with it since 2018, I waited on the surgery, and now that I've done it, I feel I should have done it sooner. But it's okay, it's all part of learning, and I'll try to take care of my body and avoid any more injuries from now on," he promised.

He also switched coaches, moving to Thornhill Figure Skating Club. "It was new, it was different, but overall, it was great," he summed up his first season in Toronto. "It was different because it was nothing like what I was used to. It's amazing to train in a great environment with excellent facilities. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can and improve my skating - both technique-wise and in terms of my skating skills. I feel this is the best place for me, and the coaches I'm working with, Jonathan Mills and Myke Gillman, are doing a fantastic job, not just with me but with all their athletes. They're great coaches and also great life mentors. I love training with them and learning from them."

He had a busy last season, gradually regaining his form, and ended it on a high note by significantly improving his personal best scores - by almost 20 points in FS! - and finishing 15th at Worlds 2024.

"I'm so grateful to be here, to be back in international competitions, and, of course, to be at Worlds, qualifying and representing my country. But also, delivering the performance I just did - that's the cherry on top," he shared when we spoke after he finished his competition in Montreal.
"It's amazing to see how the sport is evolving, with more skaters landing triple Axels and quads. I remember my first Worlds, when I qualified for the free skate with just a double Axel and triple-triple combination. Now, I think it would be almost impossible to qualify with that level of technical content - you need a triple Axel, and maybe even a quad. At one point, I thought it would be tough to qualify for the free skate even with 80 points in the short, because I saw all these skaters in practice, and they were all doing great - it was unbelievable!"
Donovan currently has two quads in his repertoire - the toe loop and the Salchow - but for Worlds, they decided to include only one: "I did the quad toe throughout the season, it was the quad I usually performed in the short program. But in the last few weeks, the quad Salchow became more consistent, so it made sense to include it in both programs instead. In training, I'm doing both, and both are pretty consistent. I'm also working on all quads on harness, and everything is going well. So maybe next season I can add another quad, we'll see how it goes."

For Donovan, figure skating is not just a job, but also a passion. He's a true fan of the sport, and his love for it is infectious: "I really enjoyed this competition, both as an athlete and as a spectator! I watched the rhythm dance - oh my gosh, it was amazing! I love the 80s, I think it was the best choice. It was crazy how the last group was fighting for the podium, and I think today [in the men's free skate] was the same. I love figure skating, and I love the direction it's heading!"

Deniss Vasiljevs

Deniss Vasiljevs has two competitions under his belt before starting his GP season this weekend, having medaled at both - bronze at the Nebelhorn Trophy and silver in Shanghai.

"This summer, I especially struggled with spins because of the rule changes. For some reason, they just weren't efficient for me," he admitted when reflecting on his off-season.

He landed quad Salchow in practice but opted not to include it in SP: "I don't think I'm ready yet. Physically, I'm in shape and fit, but when it comes to performance and overall flow, I'm not there yet." The plan is to add it later in the season, hence the current jump layout, his coach Angelo Dolfini explained: when the quad is added as the first jump, the triple Axel will move to the last.

"I'm skating to 'Helix' by Justice," he said about his short program. "Everything is connected to that vibe - lively, entertaining, joyful, sharp. I love [using] mesh alone, but we had to make adjustments to follow the 'see-through' rules. I think modern-day costumes are really evolving from the old school, and this one represents that well. Let's just say it's more like an electric car than an old-fashioned diesel."

"My free skate is a work in progress. It's quite challenging because you have to be graceful, take your time, and maintain a ballet-like posture, which is less athletic in a way and difficult to hold. Sometimes, I get so tense that I forget to breathe.

It's much easier to swing through it, power through, and then relax once it's done, rather than keep moving almost in slow motion. But that's the point - Solor (a noble warrior from "La Bayadère", whom he portrays) embodies grace and elegance. He has this roughness, but he's gorgeous. The program needs to capture that masculine elegance and ruggedness. In the beginning, he's under the influence of opium, in this half-dream, half-hallucination state. He's fighting, searching for his loved one. He feels her presence, follows her, but she disappears. He continues hallucinating, gives up, and then wakes up.

Throughout the whole program, you need to keep it flowing but also composed. It's very difficult for me, at least compared to previous years. I decided to go with this program (instead of "The Lion King" FS from Worlds 2024) relatively late, sticking to it just a month ago. And it's not ready yet, which is normal. But I want to challenge it, give it time, because in this program I want to deliver this image of drowsiness mixed with engagement and ferocity - while still keeping it smooth and graceful."

One thing you immediately notice when photographing Deniss' programs is that they aren't directed solely towards one side - the "judges' side." This is unfortunate for photographers, as there will always be bad shots from the back no matter where you stand, but it's great for the audience. "It begins with philosophy," he explained. "I don't skate just for pure sport. I skate for entertainment, for joy. I want to leave people with a very positive feeling, I want them to participate, to be engaged. It's very important when people come and participate, support, and bring banners. We need to bring a lot of passion to the sport, or it will slowly die off. I hope I never have to repeat the experience of Worlds in Stockholm (during the pandemic) when there was this huge, beautiful arena with no people.

So, this is my philosophy first and foremost: I don't want to just execute the jumps and go home in peace, I want to bring charisma. And I want the experience to be full, all-encompassing."

Rinka Watanabe

Rinka Watanabe had a busy September with the "One Piece on Ice" shows wrapping up just a few days before she had to leave for Italy, plus another competition before that. Despite the hectic schedule, she said she enjoyed the experience: "It was pretty fun and very different from other shows, I really loved it!"

At the 2022 Lombardia Trophy, she was a fresh face - it was one of her first senior competitions - and her success was a huge surprise to everyone, including herself, when she unexpectedly won gold over reigning World Champion Kaori Sakamoto. Two years later, she returned as a seasoned competitor: "When I came here two years ago, I had almost no experience. Now, two years later, I've already competed at Grand Prix events, the Four Continents, and Worlds. I've progressed a lot since then!"

Those two years, although filled with significant milestones, were not easy for her. After a glorious breakthrough with gold in Bergamo, followed by gold at her Grand Prix debut in Canada and qualifying for the Grand Prix Final in her first full senior season, she faced high hopes and expectations but finished a disappointing 12th at the Japan Nationals. She continued with only a top 5 finish at the Four Continents and a 10th place at Worlds.
Returning to Skate Canada the following year, she not only failed to defend her title but also finished in a disappointing sixth place, which immediately left her out of the final. However, she managed to end her 2023/24 season on a high note with a bronze medal at the Four Continents. All these ups and downs, combined with the highly competitive field in the Japanese team, likely led to hesitations about the continuation of her career: "Maybe these are my last two seasons, and after the Olympic season, I will retire," she confessed. "Maybe. Currently, it's 50-50..."

But even if her senior career ends up being as short as one Olympic cycle, she is determined to try it all and have no regrets. This includes increasing the difficulty of her technical content: "Last season, towards the end, at Japanese Nationals and the Four Continents, I did one triple Axel. But my goal is to do three: one in the short and two in the free. When I look back at my skating life, I want to know that I did everything. I want to do the triple Axel and, if I can, I want to try the quad loop, too. I need to move forward!"

With or without Axels and quads, Rinka is always a delight to watch. She has two programs that are very different in style and mood: the passionate "MarĂ­a de Buenos Aires" for her free skate and the soft and pensive "Moonlight Sonata" for her short program.
"At the end of last season, I was looking for music and noticed that both Shoma Uno and Daisuke Takahashi used 'Moonlight,' and both of their programs were so amazing. I said to myself, 'I want to skate like that!' And that's why I chose it."


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