Michael Parsons (figure skater)

Michael Parsons

The Parsons in 2015
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 162.74
2016 Junior Worlds
Short dance 67.88
2016 Junior Worlds
Free dance 94.86
2016 Junior Worlds
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Ice dancing
World Junior Championships
2016 Debrecen Ice dancing
Junior Grand Prix Final
2015–16 Barcelona Ice dancing

Michael Parsons (born October 3, 1995) is an American ice dancer. With partner Rachel Parsons, he is the 2016 World Junior silver medalist, the 2015 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and a three-time U.S. national junior medalist.

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

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.

2013–14 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.

2014–15 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.

2015–16 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.

2016–17 season

Competing in their sixth JGP season, the Parsons won gold in Yokohama, Japan, ahead of Russia's Anastasia Shpilevaya / Grigory Smirnov.

Programs

(with Rachel Parsons)

Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2016–17
[9][10]
  • Singing in the Rain
    arranged by Sophia Sin, Alexander Goldstein
2015–16
[1]
  • La Malamada
  • Palabras y Vientoby
    by Medialuna Tango Project
2014–15
[11]
2013–14
[7]
  • Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture
    by Jule Styne
  • Foxtrot: Funny Girl Overture
  • Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture
2012–13
[12]
2011–12
[13]
2010–11
[4]

Competitive highlights

(with Rachel Parsons)

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[14]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17
Junior Worlds 15th 8th 4th 2nd
Youth Olympics 4th
JGP Final 6th 3rd TBD
JGP Austria 6th
JGP Croatia 3rd 2nd 1st
JGP Czech Rep. 2nd
JGP Germany 1st
JGP Japan 3rd 1st
JGP Poland 9th
JGP Slovakia 2nd 1st
MNNT Cup 2nd J
Lake Placid IDI 1st J 1st J
National[4][5]
U.S. Champ. 1st N 4th J 3rd J 2nd J 2nd J
Eastern Sect. 1st N 2nd J
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

References

  1. 1 2 "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
  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.
  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. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
  10. ↑ Xiong, Wei (September 30, 2016). "Parsons and Parsons: "We are always trying to improve"". Golden Skate.
  11. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Competition Results: Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS". International Skating Union.

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