Rachel Parsons (figure skater)

Rachel Parsons

the Parsons at the 2016-17 JGP Final
Personal information
Full name Rachel Marie Parsons
Country represented United States
Born (1997-11-19) November 19, 1997
Rockville, Maryland
Home town Derwood, Maryland, U.S.
Height 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Partner Michael Parsons
Former partner Kyle MacMillan
Coach Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Dmitri Ilin
Choreographer Elena Novak
Skating club Washington Figure Skating Club
Training locations Wheaton, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Began skating 2003
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 164.83
2017 Junior Worlds
Short dance 67.88
2016 Junior Worlds
Free dance 97.54
2017 Junior Worlds
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Ice dancing
World Junior Championships
2017 Taipei Ice dancing
2016 Debrecen Ice dancing
Junior Grand Prix Final
2016–17 Marseille Ice dancing
2015–16 Barcelona Ice dancing

Rachel Marie Parsons (born November 19, 1997) is an American ice dancer. With her skating partner Michael Parsons, she is the 2017 World Junior champion, the 2016 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2017 U.S. national junior champion.

Personal life

Rachel Parsons was born November 19, 1997 in Rockville, Maryland.[1] She is the sister, younger by two years, of Michael Parsons. She attended Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland (Graduated in 2016).[2] Her siblings are Michael and Katie.

Career

Rachel Parsons started skating at age six because she wanted to learn how to stand up on the ice.[3] After joining the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy in June 2006,[4] she started focusing solely on ice dance. With Kyle MacMillan, she won gold on the juvenile level at the 2009 U.S. Championships and then gold on the intermediate level at the 2010 U.S. Championships.[3]

She teamed up with her older brother, Michael, in February 2010.[5] 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.[6] 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 were awarded gold in Yokohama, Japan, 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. 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 Michael Parsons)

Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2016–17
[1][7]
  • Singing in the Rain
    arranged by Sophia Sin, Alexander Goldstein
2015–16
[8]
  • La Malamada
  • Palabras y Vientoby
    by Medialuna Tango Project
2014–15
[9]
2013–14
[5]
  • Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture
    by Jule Styne
  • Foxtrot: Funny Girl Overture
  • Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture
2012–13
[10]
2011–12
[11]
2010–11
[3]

Competitive highlights

(with Michael Parsons)

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[12]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17
Junior Worlds 15th 8th 4th 2nd 1st
Youth Olympics 4th
JGP Final 6th 3rd 1st
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[3][4]
U.S. Champ. 1st N 4th J 3rd J 2nd J 2nd J 1st J
Eastern Sect. 1st N 2nd J
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

References

  1. 1 2 "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
  2. ↑ Shaffer, Jonas (March 26, 2016). "Two local ice-dancing pairs back from Hungary and closer than ever". Baltimore Sun.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Rachel Parsons / Michael Parsons". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Rachel Parsons". Wheaton Ice Skating Academy. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ Slater, Paula (July 21, 2015). "Parsons and Parsons look to raise the bar". Golden Skate.
  7. ↑ Xiong, Wei (September 30, 2016). "Parsons and Parsons: "We are always trying to improve"". Golden Skate.
  8. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Competition Results: Rachel PARSONS / Michael PARSONS". International Skating Union.

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