Remember When: Skate America 2019 Mens Free Program

Benny the skating dog stole the show.

I'll be honest, this competition didn't end the way I wanted. I had really hoped Keegan could make it onto the podium. He deserves to. He is an incredibly talented skater and often comes close. Still, that afternoon event was a lot of fun to watch (I mean, Nathan Chen tried to do hip hop. That in and of itself was worth the price of admission.) We sat next to a lady (who was not our fan in any way, especially once she found my best friend was NOT a fan of the sport so how dare she even exist) who was a huge Jason Brown fan so it was nice to see her guy skate well. I mean, it's hard not to want Jason to do well, he's just one of those guys you want to cheer for.

Not surprisingly Nathan Chen was leaps above the rest of the competition and he wasn't even completely on his game (he stood up though). His tech is incredible and I like that he keeps trying things to keep the sport interesting. It was a well skated event for being the first big competition of the season, and once again we had a blast cheering them all on. I did not get photos of the medal ceremony for the men or the pairs because it went longer than expected and so I had to hoof it to make our reservation for dinner. 

As with my blog post earlier (Pairs Free Program) I'll keep it to two photos per skater and you can view all of the photos from Skate America in my gallery.

Koshiro SHIMADA - Japan

USFS "Preview" - Championship Men

Many thanks to Sylvia at Unseen Skaters for the unofficial roster.

Max Aaron Short Program / Free Program

Jason Brown Short Program / Free Program

Nathan Chen Short Program / Free Program

Timothy Dolensky Short Program / Free Program

Scott Dyer Short Program / Free Program

Tomoki Hiwatashi Short Program / Free Program

Grant Hochstein Short Program / Free Program

Benjamin Jalovick Short Program / Free Program

Alexander Johnson Short Program / Free Program

Alexei Krasnozhon Short Program / Free Program

Daniel Kulenkamp Short Program / Free Program

Jimmy Ma Short Program / Free Program

Ross Miner Short Program / Free Program

Jordan Moeller Short Program / Free Program

Sebastien Payannet Short Program / Free Program

Sean Rabbitt Short Program / Free Program

Adam Rippon Short Program / Free Program

Emmanuel Savary Short Program / Free Program

Kevin Shum Short Program / Free Program

Andrew Torgashev Short Program / Free Program

Vincent Zhou Short Program / Free Program

World's Greatest: Alexei Yagudin (RUS)

Alexei is considered one of the greatest skaters of all time. He's one of the few skaters that has 4 titles to his credit as well as an Olympic title. Plagued with injury through most of that time, he made it a full cycle before being taken out of competition by his knees. They just couldn't handle the stress and strain. He skated with Stars On Ice after his forced retirement from competition. Now he's still Mr. Celebrity in Russia and his the father of an adorable little kid.

Alexei got me hooked on men's competitive skating. Most of the time I waited until they were pros to make a determination on if I would like them, but Alexei did for competitive figure skating what Kurt Browning does for the pro world. He was able to seamlessly weave athletics with musicality/art. Skaters like Alexei are rare.

Alexei had the difficult hardware, but he was more known for his footwork. Many still claim it's the best ever, however if one takes a look at what he does it's not only simple in comparison with other skaters - it's pretty much the same step sequence over and over (and the same from program to program). Tarasova and Morosov found a formula that worked on their skater, and people blindly follow.

That does not diminish Alexei's mark on the sport, however. He is a fantastic showman and athlete. I truly believe we'd be hearing more out of him competitively but his injuries - and knee surgery - kept him out of the running. Still, four world titles and an Olympic title is nothing to sneeze at.


My favorite program of his at worlds - a year he didn't win - his SP to Revolutionary Etude:

30 Days of [Figure] Skating: Day Four

Day 4: Up and Comer you're most excited to see...

No question, that goes to Alaska's own Keegan Messing. I've watched him climb the ranks for the last six years or so, and couldn't be more proud of all he's accomplished. While others see some of the results and think him mediocre, I'd like to point out that Alaska's figure skating scene is... well... nearly non existant. They get very little support from teh state, very little notice from the USFSA, and their expenses are multiplied due to the lack of training rinks, general airfare to get to competitions, and the inflated local economy.

Keegan is a techinical wizard who is slowly working on his artistry. He's got a lot of energy and flair... and I love his sense of humor. He made a lot of buzz in 2008 and I heard a few remarks about how much he reminded others of a young Scott Hamilton (the height probably has a lot to do with it).

He's skating as a Junior internationally, and a senior at nationals. He's part of the next generation, and I have no doubt he'll be in the mix in no time. Definitely my top pick for most exciting up and comer.

Weir reinventing his skating, sits out competitive season.

US Figure Skater, Johnny Weir withdrew today from the 2010-2011 competitive season. In a press release put out by Weir with the USFSA and Figure Skaters Online, Weir stated that he was currently working on reinventing himself as a skater and plans to come back after a year or retooling.

"I have decided that I need a year to rest and reinvent myself as an athlete and artist," Weir's statement read. "I say this with the hope of returning as a competitor for the 2011-12 season."



How hard he is actually working on that while making as many public appearances nation wide, one has to wonder, and many fans are arguing that we've seen the last of Weir on the competitive front.

Weir dominated US Men's figure skating from 2004-2006. Hitting a rough patch starting at the 2006 Olympic games, Weir suffered a devastating loss in 2007 at the US National Championships when he faltered and failed to make the World team. It's been a rocky road since then, but he seemed to have turned a corner in the last couple of seasons. Weir fought a good battle at the 2010 US National Championships to win the third spot on the Olympic team. Weir finished sixth in the games and many argued he should have been higher.

Weir withdrew from Worlds feeling he was not up to par to compete, stating that he would work hard and come back strong next season. Since Worlds he has flitted the world enjoying the glitz and glam of his new found fame.

The Drought Is Over

The cloud has lifted. The jinx is over. What other cliches can we throw at the surprise last night? Evan Lysacek broke all sorts of streaks last night with his win over heavy Gold medal favorite Evgeni Plushenko - and the win shocked everyone, including Lysacek.

Skating first in the final flight of men, Evan Lysacek was visibly nervous and tight - giving commentators Sandra Besic and Scott Hamilton cause to worry he wouldn't deliver. But, deliver he did. It was cautious, without the abandon that usually comes within his programs - especially during footwork - but he laid it down. And the others followed suit with only minor mistakes coming from most.

One has to wonder if Evan had resolved to "skate for silver" instead of Gold. Everyone seemed to assume that if Evgeni Plushenko stood up - and why wouldn't he? - he would just be handed the gold (this blogger believed that even though she chose Evan Lysacek for the USFSA's fantasy skating team). When the scores came up it was shock, joy, pain, frustration, a mix of emotions heard round the world. In sports history it goes down as one of the biggest upsets of all time.

Evan is the first American to win Gold in Men's Figure Skating since 1988 when Brian Boitano narrowly beat out Brian Orser of Canada to win the gold in Calgary. Evan is the first reigning World Champion since Scott Hamilton won in 1984 in Sarajevo. Evgeni got all the attention for trying to be the first since Dick Button (yes, another American) to win a second, consecutive Olympic title. It didn't happen. It was Evan's night.

It was Frank's night (finally, a gold medalist out of his camp!).

It was America's night.

But, ultimately, it was Evan's night.

Men's event delivers in a big way

Emotions were high at the end of the Men's Short Program Tuesday night. Most of the top men delivered outstanding performances, making the event the most nailbiting since the "Battle of the Brians" in 1988.

Evgeni Plushenko is, not surprisingly, the leader after the short program. As the tenth skater, to have the score stand up through an evening where each skate seemed to build off the last, is a feat in and of itself. The reigning Olympic champion seems well poised to take a second gold - an accomplishment that only one other man has ever done, American Dick Button - but he can't leave anything out Thursday...

...Because American Evan Lysacek is only .55 points behind him, and Japanese Daisuke Takahashi is only .05 points behind that. It will come down to strategy, cleanliness, and heart tomorrow night and every single man has what it takes. History will be made one way or the other, and it seems this event is one people will talk about and remember for some time.

The night was not all possitive, however. Favorites to do well, France's Brian Joubert and America's Jeremy Abbott both had disasterous shorts. Falls, popped jumps, disappointment. Their body language suggested utter devastation before the end of their programs, and most everyone in the arena and watching at home felt their grief.

What's on the skaters' agenda for tomorrow? One can only speculate, Plushenko has made it clear he feels a skater without a quad does not deserve gold - and it seems to be suggested a place on the podium - so expect to see him keep true to his word and attempt at least one quad - and one could be certain he'll go for more than that.

Evan Lysacek stated days before the event that he would not be attempting a quadruple jump in Vancouver - citing injury and his crash landing at nationals for reasons - but did Plushenko's comments rile him enough to change his mind?

Johnny Weir is going to have to pull out all the stops and go for broke to make the podium - but it is doable. So long, of course, as those ahead of him make mistakes or play it safe.

It's competitions like these that make you wish a podium could hold more than three.

Photo (c) Reuters c/o DayLife.com

No Surprise For Men's Olympic Team

Yesterday afternoon was one heck of a men's event. Yes, there were some falls, yes there were some tears. Mainly from Ryan Bradley's fans as we realized his dreams of the Olympics will probably never be realized.

The little things really started adding up for all of the men in Spokane Sunday afternoon. Jeremy Abbot was the sole skater who rose to the occasion and nailed everything. He rightly deserved his placement and his score. It was pretty inspired. The question this blogger has is: will this be a repeat of last season? Will Nationals be his shining moment and then the rest is downhill? We'll see next month.

The biggest shock, possibly, was Evan Lysacek actually going for the quad. To be honest, no one was going to touch Jeremy with the long program he had, but it was still a risky move on Evan's part. He fell, not completing the rotation. Interestingly enough this US Nationals has had the most fair judging that skating's seen in a very long while - and I think EVER in the history of a National Championship (in any country!).

For Sandra Besic to come out and say that Evan deserved the title (this was prior to Jeremy taking the ice) based on the "magic of the program" was laughable. Evan made simple, basic, mistakes in both the Short and Long program; he practically gave the title away.

This should not concern those who believe Evan to be the best shot at a medal. He typically does not skate lights out at nationals - Spokane 2007 being the major exception since Evan became one of the Elite - and seems to save it for Worlds. With the Olympics being the main prize and goal, it should not come as a surprise that he was merely attempting to tick off the elements. This has worked in the past for Evan - he is World Champion the same year he barely made the World Team - so why think it won't continue to work.

Johnny Weir was the spoiler. No one knew WHICH Weir would show up. The confident ready to win avante garde skater with nothing to lose, or the scared to death he's going to fail skater who just hopes he stands upright for four-plus minutes. It seems that both came to the table. Johnny was on fire in the Short Program, he was sassy and completely his own skater. And it worked. He nearly tied Evan, and had their skating orders been reversed, their scores/placements might have been as well. But, the long program brought out the ball of nerves. It was incredibly evident that the pressure was beinging to take its toll on Johnny. The USFSA made it clear last season that they weren't going to give out favors for him, and he knew it going into the Long Program.

The one downer was - there aren't four spots on the Men's team. Ryan Bradley made costly errors in the Short Program only to completely rebound in his Long Program with two quads and more personality than the rest of the top skaters COMBINED. Such is the trademark of Ryan Bradley, and if SOI doesn't sign him up they'll make the biggest mistake - and they can't afford that right now.

So half of the US Figure Skating Team for Vancouver has been decided.
Pairs are Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett, and Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig
Men are Jeremy Abbott, Evan Lysacek, and Johnny Weir.

Can't wait for the rest of the events, it's a great year for USFigure Skating!

Photos (c) Getty Images & The Associated Press c/o DayLife.com

Alaska Teen Makes Senior Debut A Good 'Un.

Last night I stayed up well past what I planned watching the US Figure Skating Championships Men's Short Programs on Ice Network. Of course it's always fun to see Johnny Weir, Jeremy Abbot, and Evan Lysacek battle it out, with a little sexy humor from Ryan Bradley thrown in for good measure.

But, the highlight for me was Keegan Messing. I've watched this kid climb the ranks, and being a fellow Alaskan, it made me proud. We, sadly, don't have a lot of elite skaters up here... and so when one does make it to seniors and grabs the spotlight and people take notice, it makes me happy.

Keegan's been making waves since his days in the Novice, and now he's on the Senior stage skating against some of the best in the World. I was giddy with anticipation, hoping his senior nationals debut would be a good one...

He did NOT disappoint. It wasn't perfect - he didn't do the required combination - but other than a jump issue he was spot on. And he's turned the heads of skating fans who only follow the senior level. I was cheering from start to finish in my bed room watching an all too small screen as he blew through his program. He really does give off a young Scott Hamilton vibe. It was a solid start to a - hopefully - long and successful competitive career. Ralph and Rory have done an excellent job on his skating.


As for the top field, it's no surprise with teh results. Ryan Bradley is the biggest disappointment, after that fantastic openning with the Quad-Triple combination I thought we might have a real competition on our hands, but no such luck. Hopefully he can pull out all the stops for the Long Program and really show the world who he is.