Michael Parsons (figure skater)

Michael Parsons
the Parsons at the 2016-17 JGP Final
Personal information
Country represented United States
Born (1995-10-03) October 3, 1995
Wheaton, Maryland
Home town Derwood, Maryland, U.S.
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Partner Rachel Parsons
Former partner Kristina Rexford
Coach Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmitri Ilin
Choreographer Elena Novak
Skating club Washington Figure Skating Club
Training locations Wheaton, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Began skating 2001
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 180.95
2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
Short dance 70.02
2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
Free dance 110.93
2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Ice dancing
World Junior Championships
2017 TaipeiIce dancing
2016 DebrecenIce dancing
Junior Grand Prix Final
2016–17 MarseilleIce dancing
2015–16 BarcelonaIce dancing

Michael Parsons (born October 3, 1995) is an American ice dancer. With his skating partner and sister Rachel Parsons, he is the 2017 World Junior champion, the 2016 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2017 U.S. national junior champion.

Personal life

Michael Parsons was born October 3, 1995 in Wheaton, Maryland.[1] He has two sisters, Rachel and Katie. He is majoring in biology at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland.[2][3]

Career

Early years

Parsons started learning to skate at age seven to play hockey but ultimately chose figure skating.[3][4] He joined the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy in December 2003.[5] Early in his ice dancing career, he skated with Kristina Rexford.[6]

He teamed up with his sister, Rachel, in February 2010.[7] They won gold on the novice level at the 2011 U.S. Championships and debuted on the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series in September 2011, placing 9th in Gdańsk, Poland. After taking the junior pewter medal at the 2012 U.S. Championships, they represented the United States at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, placing 4th. They were also selected for the 2012 World Junior Championships in Minsk, Belarus, where they finished 15th.

Competing in the 2012–13 JGP series, the Parsons placed 6th in Linz, Austria, before taking bronze in Zagreb, Croatia.

2013–2014 season

The Parsons obtained silver at both of their 2013–14 JGP assignments, which took place in Košice, Slovakia, and Ostrava, Czech Republic. They qualified for the JGP Final in Fukuoka, Japan, where they placed sixth. The duo won bronze at the junior level at the 2014 U.S. Championships and capped off their season with an 8th-place finish at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

2014–2015 season

The Parsons medaled at both their 2014–15 JGP assignments, receiving bronze in Aichi, Japan, and silver in Zagreb, Croatia.[8] They finished as the first alternates for the JGP Final and won silver on the junior level at the 2015 U.S. Championships. Concluding their season, they placed fourth at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

2015–2016 season

During the 2015–16 JGP series, the Parsons were awarded gold in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Zagreb, Croatia. Competing in Barcelona, Spain, at their second JGP Final, the siblings took the bronze medal behind Lorraine McNamara / Quinn Carpenter and Alla Loboda / Pavel Drozd, having placed second in the short dance and fifth in the free. At the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, they placed first in the short and second in the free, winning the silver medal behind McNamara/Carpenter.[9]

2016–2017 season

Competing in their sixth JGP season, the Parsons were awarded gold in Yokohama, Japan,[10] and Dresden, Germany, both times ahead of Russia's Anastasia Shpilevaya / Grigory Smirnov. In December 2016, they competed at the JGP Final in Marseille, France; ranked second in the short and first in the free, they won the title by a margin of 0.63 over Loboda/Drozd. [11] The following month, the Parsons would win their first junior national title at the 2017 U.S. Championships, over 11 points clear of the field. The siblings would cap off their undefeated season by winning the 2017 World Junior Championships; similar to the 2016–17 JGP Final, the Parsons won the event overall after placing second in the short and first in the free, earning an even narrower victory of .56 ahead of Loboda/Drozd. The Parsons earned personal bests in their combined total and free dance scores at their fifth trip to the Junior Championships.

Programs

(with Rachel Parsons)

Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2017–2018
[12]
  • Rhumba: Mambo Molly
    by Mambo Molly
  • Slow rhumba: Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime
    by Zucchero
  • Mambo: Congo Crazed
    by Mambo Molly
  • Ghost Dances
    • La Partida
      by Victor Jara
    • Sikuriadas
      by Inti Illimani
    • Quiaquenpita
      by Inti Illimani
2016–2017
[1][10]
  • Singing in the Rain
    arranged by Sophia Sin, Alexander Goldstein
2015–2016
[13]
  • La Malamada
  • Palabras y Vientoby
    by Medialuna Tango Project
2014–2015
[14]
2013–2014
[7]
  • Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture
    by Jule Styne
  • Foxtrot: Funny Girl Overture
  • Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture
2012–2013
[15]
2011–2012
[16]
2010–2011
[4]

Competitive highlights

(with Rachel Parsons)

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[17]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19
Four Continents6th
GP FranceTBD
GP NHK TrophyTBD
GP Rostelecom7th
GP Skate America9th
CS Asian Open2nd
CS Golden Spin8th
CS Lombardia2nd
CS Nebelhorn2nd
CS Ondrej Nepela2nd
Lake Placid IDI2nd2nd
International: Junior[17]
Junior Worlds15th8th4th2nd1st
Youth Olympics4th
JGP Final6th3rd1st
JGP Austria6th
JGP Croatia3rd2nd1st
JGP Czech Republic2nd
JGP Germany1st
JGP Japan3rd1st
JGP Poland9th
JGP Slovakia2nd1st
MNNT Cup2nd J
Lake Placid IDI1st J1st J
National[4][5]
U.S. Champ.1st N4th J3rd J2nd J2nd J1st J5th
Eastern Sect.1st N2nd J
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior
TBD = Assigned

References

  1. 1 2 "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
  2. ↑ "MC Students are Champions on Ice". Montgomery College. June 2016. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Shaffer, Jonas (March 26, 2016). "Two local ice-dancing pairs back from Hungary and closer than ever". Baltimore Sun.
  4. 1 2 3 "Rachel Parsons / Michael Parsons". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2016.
    • "Earlier versions: 2012 to 2013". Archived from the original on February 3, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Michael Parsons". Wheaton Ice Skating Academy. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014.
  6. ↑ Shipley, Amy (December 4, 2008). "Local Skaters To Compete in U.S. Junior Champs". Washington Post. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ Slater, Paula (July 21, 2015). "Parsons and Parsons look to raise the bar". Golden Skate.
  9. ↑ Decool, Mélissa (20 March 2016). "McNamara and Carpenter take World Junior title". Golden Skate.
  10. 1 2 Xiong, Wei (September 30, 2016). "Parsons and Parsons: "We are always trying to improve"". Golden Skate.
  11. ↑ Decool, Mélissa (9 December 2016). "Parsons and Parsons capture gold in Marseille". Golden Skate.
  12. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2017/2018". International Skating Union.
  13. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012.
  17. 1 2 "Competition Results: Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS". International Skating Union.

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