Figure Skating: 10 Skaters to Watch for the Upcoming Season

7. Tyler Pierce (USA), Ladies

When she stepped onto the ice in Minnesota last January, Tyler Pierce wasn’t anyone who had ever gotten much attention. Her only Junior Grand Prix appearance had happened all the way back in 2013. In two appearances at Junior Worlds, she’d failed to crack the top twelve. Though, to be fair, she’d had multiple successes on the Challenger circuit during the fall. But she put herself firmly on the map when she skated a clean and energetic short program. It was one that left her a surprise third, only five hundredths behind Gracie Gold and ahead of Ashley Wagner. Once those top two girls reasserted themselves in the free, that state of affairs didn’t last. But a strong free with a triple lutz-triple toe earned her a top five finish, and at Junior Worlds she placed sixth.

Disappointingly, she only got a single Grand Prix assignment. But a spot for an American woman remains open at Skate America, and she also might nab a second after withdrawals. Her true test will be to see if she can repeat last year’s Nationals success this year. Also, she needs to get her triple lutz-triple toe consistent; she under-rotated it at Junior Worlds. If she can do that, it’ll be a pleasure to see how she develops and how far she goes.

Next: Julianne Seguin & Charlie Bilodeau (CAN), Pairs