Jan 30, 2023
did not expect to come out of the men's free skate with so many new favs!! what a competition!!
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did not expect to come out of the men's free skate with so many new favs!! what a competition!!
Joonsoo Kim's free program costume at the 2019 US Nationals (Junior).
(Source: Skates U.S.)
US Nationals Men’s SP Pt. 2
And we’re back with the final group of the men’s short programs. It’s been an amazing competition so far for the men. Let’s see if they can keep it up.
Ryan Dunk makes his senior debut today. He’s nervous. Only a double axel and a triple-double. He’s got very nice lines and some good expressions during this ballad, so I see some potential. But he’s going to need those jumps to even register. It’s not a bad a program. Kind of nice, but not a knockout, look at me! type.
Jordan Moeller is another skater that is all legs. Not a bad thing, just something I notice. Ouch! That was a very bad fall. Crowd cheering him on in support. He lands his triple-triple cleanly and his triple lutz as well. He’s actually very pleasant to watch. He’s really into the music and the style suits him. It’s not classic ballet but more contemporary. I don’t know, it’s hard to describe, but he’s really pleasant to watch.
Side note: I didn’t know Kori Ade moved her school to Tennessee. I’m not surprised. She lost her two best students. Just wasn’t something I heard.
Joonsoo Kim is next. Another senior debut. He’s nervous but held onto that double axel. That was probably meant to be a triple. Slight delay in his triple-double. Oh no, he doubled his last jump. That’s not good. I love this song and he dedicates it to his friends and family who helped him when he was thinking of leaving the sport. I know he wanted to skate well. Poor thing, he is upset.
Jason Brown’s programs are amazing this year. He does need the quad and soon but his skills alone are strides ahead of most of the others. There’s a maturity about him this season that just makes his programs so mesmerizing. Starts off with an easy triple. Lands the triple axel cleanly. Remember when he was just starting and the axel was so wonky. Spins are better than most women and now he sells it. This footwork reminds me of Kevin Aymoz’s footwork. Just heads above most others. This is his best short program and the best he’s ever performed it. Aw he hugged a flower girl. HOLY CRAP!!!! LOOK AT THAT SCORE! He’s is second for now and that’s without a quad.
Tomoki Hiwatashi has not impressed me the few times I’ve seen him skate. I say that but I think I liked this program. I think it’s because he gets into it. He lands his quad and the triple axel. So he’s really getting into the choreography. My problem with Tomoki is he doesn’t hold the character the whole program. He drops it and then looks completely blank. That said he is performing the hell out this today. I take back what I just said. That was an awesome performance. Excellent score, but damn we have so many good men that he’s in 5th.
Jimmy Ma had one of the most viral short programs ever a few years but has struggled since then. I hope he does well tonight. And it looks like he’s going back to a style similar to his viral short. Turns out of his quad, but gets the triple axel. He looks angry? He skates with a lot of speed. Oh no, falls on his triple-triple so he loses the points of the combo. That’s the worst one to do that on. I love a man that’s brave enough to skate to music like this. I kind of which the ladies would be braver and bolder in music choice. Damn that was a good performance but that combo is going to hurt him. 12th isn’t bad but not where he wanted.
So we end the night with Nathan, Jason, and Andrew in the top three. Followed by Vincent, Tomoki, and Alex K. And honestly, 2nd through 5 are only separated by 6 points so anything could happen. Til tomorrow!!!
Joonsoo Kim competing at the 2020 US Nationals.
(Source: Skates U.S.)
Joonsoo Kim's short program costume at the 2017 Novice United States Championships.
(Source: Jay Adeff)
Nice Triple Axel combo. Under on that Triple Axel. Fall on the Triple Loop, looked under. A bit crooked and not a lot of height on that Triple Flip, looked under again. Nice spin. Solid Triple-Triple. A bit under on the second jump of that combo. Nice step sequence. Nice spin. Freak fall at the end of that choreo sequence. Nice spin.
That was a rough program from Joonsoo Kim. It’s a shame, because he’s a lot better than that, but that was rough. A couple of falls, some under rotations. Just not his day.
126.33, 193.78 and into second behind Joseph Klein and ahead of Will Annis
Nice Triple Axel. Hand down on the Triple Lutz. Nice spin. Short on the second jump of the Triple-Triple combo and stepped out. Nice spin. Nice step sequence. Nice spin.
That was a good skate from Joonsoo Kim. Two slight mistakes, but a fun program.
67.45 and into fourth
Nice height on that Triple Axel. Turn out on the second jump of the 3-2 combo, but the first jump was gorgeous. Nice Triple Lutz-Triple Toe combo. Solid Triple Loop. Nice spin. Triple Sal may have been a bit under. Nice spin. Fall on the Triple Flip. Stumble out of the Triple Lutz. Nice spin. Stumble in the middle of his step sequence.
Ugh, that was a shame for Joonsoo Kim, because it started out pretty well! The issues came in the second half, but it was still a pretty solid performance overall.
128.08, 197.12 and into first place ahead of Peter Liu and Mitchell Friess