What to Watch
National Rivalries
At the sharp end of the field, Boikova/Kozlovskii and Tarasova/Morozov are not only facing off for the win here, but for domestic favor back home. Both in the top three Russian pairs and likely secure in an Olympic spot, both teams will want to set themselves up as gold medal threats in the eyes of international judges and the eyes of their countrymen. Tarasova/Morozov already have a win from Cranberry Cup and a silver medal from Finlandia Trophy this season, while Boikova/Kozlovskii haven’t competed since their bronze medal outing at Worlds.
More towards the middle of the pack, Knierim/Frazier and Calalang/Johnson both have plenty to prove in front of a home crowd. Knierim/Frazier need to demonstrate that they can keep up with the top international teams, while Calalang/Johnson need to make their case as the American number two team. They finished behind Cain-Gribble/LeDuc at Finlandia Trophy by just over a point, so are very much in the hunt for the US’s second Olympic spot.
Also battling for national ranking, Canadians Walsh/Michaud have seen their Olympic hopes diminished by the appearance of James/Radford this year and will be looking to have a strong season opener here to put themselves back in the mix.
New Faces
On a meteoric rise following their top 10 finish at Worlds and winning Autumn Classic earlier this year, Miura/Kihara will be making their first Grand Prix appearance outside of the host pick for NHK Trophy 2019. They have the third highest ISU personal best score of any team at this event, so could make a huge statement for Japanese pairs by snagging a medal here.
Also likely to attract lots of attention, for a less pleasant reason, Chelsea Liu and Danny O’Shea will be making their Grand Prix debut as a team, just two weeks after USA Today reported allegations of horrendous abuse against O’Shea’s previous partner Tarah Kayne by their former coach Dalilah Sappenfield. Kayne and O’Shea left their coaching situation as a result of the abuse and he and Liu now train with a different coaching team in Southern California.
The Field
| TEAM/COUNTRY | BEST SCORES | NOTABLE RESULTS |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksandra BOIKOVA / Dmitrii KOZLOVSKII Russia | SP: 82.34 FS: 152.24 Total: 234.58 | 3rd 2021 Worlds 2020 European Champions 2020 National Champions |
| Evgenia TARASOVA / Vladimir MOROZOV Russia | SP: 81.21 FS: 147.29 Total: 228.47 | 2x European Champions 3x World medalists 3x National Champions |
| Riku MIURA / Ryuichi KIHARA Japan | SP: 72.32 FS: 131.74 Total: 204.06 | 10th 2021 Worlds 1st 2021 Autumn Classic |
| Alexa KNIERIM / Brandon FRAZIER USA | SP: 65.68 FS: 133.63 Total: 199.31 | 7th 2021 Worlds 2021 National Champions |
| Jessica CALALANG / Brian JOHNSON USA | SP: 68.20 FS: 128.39 Total: 196.15 | 4th 2020 4CC 2nd 2020 & 2021 Nationals |
| Alina PEPELEVA / Roman PLESHKOV Russia | SP: 67.06 FS: 121.73 Total: 188.79 | 5th 2019 Junior GPF |
| Evelyn WALSH / Trennt MICHAUD Canada | SP: 62.97 FS: 116.83 Total: 177.58 | 12th 2021 Worlds 2nd 2019 & 2020 Nationals |
| Chelsea LIU / Danny O’SHEA* USA | SP: 56.31 FS: 108.89 Total: 165.20 | First season as a team O’Shea 2018 4CC Champion |
How to Watch
- Short Program: Friday, October 22, 6:00pm PST (Time Conversion)
- Free Skate: Saturday, October 23, 6:35pm PST (Time Conversion)
Find your local broadcaster here.
Triple Figure 