2022 Skate America preview (pairs): A story for the ages

There’s a lot that’s different about pairs this year, as often is the case in a post-Olympic season. Of all the disciplines, pairs is typically the one with the smallest fields, so when a few pairs retire or split up (or one powerhouse country is banned for the season), it really changes the dynamic. One constant at 2022 Skate America this week is the World champs, Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier. And another story is the resilient ascent of Deanna Stellato, now representing Canada with Maxime Deschamps. Her first Grand Prix event was the last season she competed in singles back at 2000 (not a typo) Skate Canada. This week, she has a very clear shot at winning her first career Grand Prix medal.

2022 Skate America predictions
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GOLD Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier USA - Back for more this season, the World champions have already looked like they haven’t missed a beat. They took the World title in March in only their second season together, and they believe they have room to improve and more to give in this partnership. A win this week would be a first gold for either of them at a fully-international Grand Prix event.

SILVER Deanne Stellato/Maxime Deschamps CAN - Bronze at Canadians last season, Stellato/Deschamps have now been catapulted by default to being the top Canadian pair after the two ahead of them retired. But they showed with their win at Nebelhorn Trophy that it was not at all just a matter of formality—they are here to compete with the best of the bunch now, and very much ready to lead the Canadian pairs in this new Olympic quadrennial. Stellato’s story is well-known - she returned to competitive skating as a pair skater 15 years after retiring from singles in 2001, and six years after that, it seems like she’s well on her way to some of the biggest medals of her career.

BRONZE Letizia Roscher/Luis Schuster GER - The three-time German junior champs are moving up to the senior ranks this season after some valuable experience at Europeans late last season. They had a solid season debut at Finlandia Trophy, where they were fourth.

4. Valentina Plazas/Maximiliano Fernandez USA - Bronze at US Classic to start off their season, Plazas/Fernandez have shown visible improvements in both their strength and their steadiness over the past year. They have a shot at a podium finish this week, especially if they can get their side-by-sides to fire correctly in competition.

Predictions for the remainder of the field
5. Anna Valesi/Manuel Piazza ITA
6. Maria Mokhova/Ivan Mokhov USA
7. Kelly Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier CAN
8. Greta Crafoord/John Crafoord SWE