Ice Champions Live!

Ryan Bradley meeting with fans after the performance.

This event benefited the Michael Weiss Foundation and is currently in it's 8th year.  The Foundation has given out over $455,000 in scholarships to skaters to help with their training expenses.  Weiss started the Foundation as a way to give back after seeing how difficult it was for his family to meet his training expenses.  The Foundation is a family affair with his brother-in-law emceeing the show along with several family members selling programs, working the auction and setting up the meet and greet area with the skaters.

The show was kicked off by local novice skater Elise Romola, who will compete at the Challenge Skate in Salt Lake City next week.  Skating to Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen she showcased two pretty double axels and nice spins in addition to great personality on the ice.  After her performance, she received a large cheer from the hometown crowd.  She described participating at this event "amazing" and said that "it inspires you to skate with this level of talent."

Gigi and Luca Becker are the reigning U.S. Intermediate Dance Champions and hail from Bethesda, MD.  They had lovely spins and a nice straight line lift as well as lovely ease on the ice.  Two of their most impressive elements were three sets of twizzles and a change of position rotational lift.  Having attended this event as spectators the last two years, they are first time recipients of the Michael Weiss Scholarship and first time performers at this event.   They called skating in the show "an honor" and "amazing."  "It's so fun to skate with Olympic Champions.  I never thought I'd meet Richard Dornbush.  I even had a conversation with John Kerr."  

Two time U.S. Bronze Medalist Dan Hollander debuted his new Popeye program and started by mopping the ice.  He showcased an incredibly high double axel along with some inventive spins.  His sailor dance section in the middle was very entertaining, especially after he needed some spinach to get through a turbo speed section which ended with a back flip.

Rachel and Michael Parsons are the reigning U.S. Junior Pewter Medalists and train alongside the Beckers in Wheaton, MD.  They'll make their Junior Grand Prix debut in Austria this week and showcased their new hip hop and blues short dance.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was Richard Dornbush's nerd inspired Let's Get It On/Stayin Alive program.  He landed a nice triple axel as well as a triple loop along with three double axels in a row.  He is a master showman and really got the crowd laughing along with toe pick walks and boogie arms along with the worm.  Afterward, Dornbush said that he really enjoyed the show, especially getting to be around all of his idols and have a great time in a non-competitive environment.

2008 U.S. Ladies Champion Mirai Nagasu skated a gorgeous program to "Crazy Dreams."  She floated across the ice and seemed like a dancer with great arm movements and wonderful timing with the music.  She ended her program with an impressive Biellman spin that she brought back down to a haircutter.

Ryan Bradley, the 2011 U.S. Men's Champion had the crowd screaming for his "Footloose" program with a quad and a triple axel along with a back flip.  His only fluke in the program was a fall on a spin but in typical fashion he played it off and was laughing at himself as he got back into his program.  

British ice dancer John Kerr performed solo at this event after his sister and partner Sinead had a conflict at the last minute and couldn't attend.  He mimed dancing with a partner at points in his Rat Pack inspired program and even landed an axel!

Skating to Nessun Dorma, Olympic Champion Brian Boitano landed a huge double axel and performed a spread eagle that went halfway around the rink.  His music and his skating filled the rink for an impressive performance.

Ashley Wagner, the reigning U.S. Ladies Champion showcased her new Philip Mills choreographed short program to the "Red Violin."  She landed a triple lutz, triple loop and a gorgeous double axel along with nice positions in her spin and an intricate step sequence.  She had great intensity and confidence in her program and it was a hit with the audience.

Stephen Cousins, Kimmie Meissner, The Next Ice Age and Capitol Steps also performed at this year's show.

Michael Weiss, himself a two-time Olympian, closed the evening with his daughter Annie Mae singing "Don't You Remember" by Adele.  After her impressive vocal performance, Weiss returned to the ice and showcased his signature athletic moves including a headstand, spread eagle on his heels and an x-out backflip.  For the curtain call, Weiss was joined by Hollander and Bradley for simultaneous back flips.

The Becker siblings said that the scholarship makes it "easier for [our] mom to send us to lessons."  But Dornbush reiterated that it's more than just the money that makes a difference.  "It's great to have these people behind you...After my short program at nationals [where he finished 17th], Michael made the time to talk to me and I really appreciated that."

For the older skaters, the show gives them an opportunity to inspire the next generation.  "It feels like just yesterday I was looking up," said Bradley.  "Michael Weiss came to my club show [in St. Joseph, MO] when I was nine, so it's cool to come back and do his show."  Nagasu's advice is "I wish them the best of luck and tell them to have fun.  It's all about the journey."

Top Moments of 2011: January

U.S. Nationals

Caitlin Yankowskas/John Coughlin skated to their first national title with a flawless and emotionally charged performance of Ave Maria, dedicated to his mother who passed away the year before.

Alissa Czisny followed up her Grand Prix Final win with her second national title and showed that she was back as a top contender in the world.

Ryan Bradley returned to competition at the urging of his fans and claimed his first ever national title at the age of 28.  Two youngsters, Richard Dornbush and Ross Miner stole the show by taking silver and bronze and making the World team ahead of veterans like Jeremy Abbott.

Europeans

Sarah Meier won her first European title in her home country and retired on top.

Broadmoor Open

The Broadmoor Open runs June 22nd-25th in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Competitors in the International Skating Pool and a few other competitors of note include:

Senior Men
Alexander Johnson
SP Score: 20, 29.4 48.4 Music: O mio babbino caro


Senior Men SP Only
Joshua Farris
Score: 34.82, 31.05 64.87 Music: Clair de Lune
3A, 3F+3T, 3Lz

Max Aaron
Score: 32.22 29.7 61.92 Music: Tango medley of Oblivion by Piazzolla & Mr. & Mrs. Smith 
4S, 3A, 3Lz+2T



Senior Ladies
Lauren Dinh
SP Score:  43.70
McKinzie Daniels
SP Score: 40.36
Angela Wang
SP Score: 53.14


Senior Ladies SP Only
Melissa Bulanhagui
Score: 17.5 20.2 37.7
3A attempt, Popped lutz, 2a.
 
Junior Men
Timothy Dolensky
SP Score: 52.05 
3Lo+3Lo turnout, 3Lz, 2A


David Wang
SP score: 49.70
2A, 3F+2T, 3Lz


Junior Ladies
Hannah Miller
SP Score: 45.60 Music: Danse Macabre
3F+1T, 3Lz, 2A
FS score:  87.76 Music: Masquerade Waltz
2A, 3F, 3Lo, 3S+2T+2Lo, 3T+2T, 3S, 3T+'tano 2T
Barbie Long (not on ISP, finished 2nd in novice last season)
SP Score: 50.44 Music: Swan Lake
3Lz, 3F+2T, 2A
FS score: 93.13 Music: 42nd Street
3Lz+2T+2Lo, 3F+2A seq., 3Lo, 3F, 3S, 1Lz, 2A+3T fall.
Mariah Bell (not on ISP, finished 3rd in novice last season)
SP Score: 44.76 Music: Mack & Mabel
2A, 2Lz, 3F+2T
FS Score: 84.73
2A+2A seq., 3F, 3Lz, 3S, 3T, 3F, 3T

Junior Pairs SP
Madeline Aaron/Max Settlage
SP Score: 40.24
Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier (not on ISP, but new junior team)
SP Score: 43.29
Kylie Duarte/Colin Grafton
SP Score: 46.55 Music: Meditation from Thais
Britney Simpson/Matt Blackmer (not on ISP, but new junior team, she competed on Sr Grand Prix)
SP Score: 39.16
Olivia Oltmanns/Josh Santillan
SP Score: 40.13

Junior Dance SD & FD
Jessica Mancini/Tyler Brooks

For a full list of competitors, see http://unseenskaters.wordpress.com/

World Championships: Mens Preview

Patrick Chan struggled at the beginning of the season landing his jumps but his PCS scores were still high enough to keep him at the top of the podium.  He nailed both of his programs at the Grand Prix Final to take gold and post a total score over 10 points higher than any other competitor this season.  He has since added a second quad to his free skate.  His performance to Phantom of the Opera is stunningly choreographed and every element is effortlessly placed throughout the program.  He struggled with injury last season and wants the title of World Champion.  He has a nice lead over the field and can afford to make a mistake or two and still take home the gold.  He has the 2nd best short program score and best free skate and total scores for the season. 

A trio of Japanese men will be fighting for the remaining two spots on the podium.  With all the turmoil going on in their country, these skaters may be under additional stress to perform well and likely will have other thoughts on their minds, but they are all remarkable competitors.

Takahiko Kozuka has the ability to fly under the radar, but can put up some impressive scores.  He lands his jumps with ease and has been remarkably consistent throughout the season.  At the GPF and Four Continents Championships, he had some problems with his short program and couldn't come back to claim the top of the podium.  He has the advantage of coming in as the Japanese champion, but he'll have to skate in the qualifying round.  How he performs here could set the tone for the rest of his competition and could leave him tired by the time the free skate rolls around.  He has the 5th best short program, 2nd best free skate and 2nd best total score of the season.

Right behind him is reigning World Champion, Daisuke Takahashi who took home the top title from Four Continents in February.  His jumps have been inconsistent this season, but he is putting the quad back into his programs and his trademark personality on the ice is just as strong.  He definitely is a crowd pleaser and the home field advantage should give him a big boost.  He has the 3rd best short program, free skate and total score for the season.

Nobunari Oda has been skating lights out short programs all season, but his free skates have been less than inspiring and riddled with technical errors that have cost him medals.  He has had problems counting his jumps and adding extra combinations.  He also wasn't sent to the Four Continents Championships and hasn't been in front of the international judges since the GPF.  He has the best short program score and 4th best free skate and total scores of the season.

Tomas Verner has a charming short program to Singing in the Rain and is one of several skaters performing a Michael Jackson themed free skate.  He has been reworking his jump technique and has recently started adding the quad back into his programs.  He is also the only skater to beat Patrick Chan all season.  He has the 5th best free skate and 6th best total score of the season.

Florent Amodio is the reigning European Champion and is having a fantastic breakthrough season.  Although he was beat by Brian Joubert at home, the international judges have consistently ranked him ahead of the older Frenchman.  I think his free skate is awkwardly choreographed but the judges and audiences seem to enjoy it.  He has the 5th best short program and 7th best free skate and total score for the season.

Brian Joubert has had quite a tumultuous season, which included withdrawing from his home Grand Prix event.  He lives and dies by the quads in his program, and if they go badly it can effect the rest of his program.  He took home the silver from Europeans, but is seeing a changing of the guard internationally.  He and Amodio share the same short program music and if they skate close to each other the difference between the two skaters is readily apparent (and I prefer the attack in Amodio's program).  He has the 10th best short program, 8th best free skate and 10th best total score of the season.

A trio of American skaters are also looking to make their mark.  At 27, Ryan Bradley is attending his third World Championships but for the first time as National Champion.  His programs are chock full of technical content and are full of personality and entertainment value.  He is definitely looking to redeem himself after his 18th place finish last year, and when he is on, he can compete with the best in the world.  As he was in semi-retirement earlier this season, he sat out the Grand Prix, and this will be his first international competition.

Richard Dornbush competed as a junior at the beginning of the season and won the Junior Grand Prix Final.  His Sherlock Holmes free skate is his strength and he performed it perfectly at nationals.  He should be solidly among the top 10 skaters and has the most international experience of the U.S. team this season.

Ross Miner didn't have great results in his first year on the Senior Grand Prix, but after competing with the world's best, he went home and changed the way he trained.  His commitment paid off when he edged out Jeremy Abbott for the final spot on the team with a nice free skate to Casablanca.  He'll be looking to see whether the international judges agree with his changes.

Alexander Majorov is coming to this event fresh off his bronze medal winning performance at Junior Worlds.  He won't have as much mileage on his senior programs as some of the other skaters but he'll definitely have a lot of momentum behind him.

Artur Gachinski, Samuel Contesti and Kevin van der Perren all have good shots at being in the final two groups.

Absent from this event are Adam Rippon (5th best total score) and Jeremy Abbott (9th best total score) of the United States and Yuzuru Hanyu (8th best total score) of Japan.  Both countries have incredibly deep mens fields and were outscored at their nationals events.

My podium predictions: 
Gold: Patrick Chan
Silver: Takahiko Kozuka
Bronze: Daisuke Takahashi

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Patrick Chan
B) Ryan Bradley
C) Misha Ge

The competitors (a D indicates a direct entry into the short program):
Sarkis Hayrapetyan, ARM: He finished 42nd at the World Championships last season.

Mark Webster, AUS: He finished 16th at Four Continents last season. He placed 39th at the World Championships last season.

Viktor Pfeifer, AUT:  He placed 21st at the Olympics last season.  He finished 18th at Europeans.  He finished 12th at Skate America.  He placed 20th at Worlds last year.

Vitali Luchanok, BLR: He placed 23rd at World Juniors.  He finished 11th at JGP Romania. 

Jorick Hendrickx, BEL: He finished 13th at the World Junior Championships and 16th at Europeans.  He finished 7th and 6th at his two JGP assignments this season.

Kevin van der Perren, BEL (D): He placed 17th at the Olympics last year.  He finished 4th at Europeans.  He is the two-time European bronze medalist (2007, 2009).  He finished 8th at Cup of China and 6th at Skate America.  He placed 8th at Worlds last season.  He is married to Jenna McCorkell who competes for Great Britain.

Georgi Kenchadze, BUL: He finished 20th in the preliminary round at Europeans. He was 40th at Worlds last season.

Patrick Chan, CAN (D): Chan finished 5th at the Olympics.  He is the reigning World Silver Medalist.  He is the 2009 Four Continents Champion and World Silver Medalist.  He is the 2007 World Junior Silver Medalist.  He won gold at Skate Canada with a personal best free skate and silver at Rostelecom Cup to qualify for the Grand Prix Final were he won gold with a personal best free skate and total score.

Kevin Reynolds, CAN (D): He placed 11th at Four Continents.  He finished 4th at Skate Canada with a personal best total score and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  Reynolds finished 11th at Worlds with a personal best free skate score last season.   

Joey Russell, CAN: Russell finished 14th at Four Continents.

Nan Song, CHN (D): Song placed 9th at the Four Continents Championships.  He finished 10th in his Grand Prix debut at Skate America and 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard.

Stephen Li-Chung Kuo, TPE: He placed 20th at Four Continents.

Michal Brezina, CZE: He finished 10th at the Olympics.  He finished 8th at Europeans.  He is the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalist.  He sat out the Grand Prix season due to injury.  He was 4th at Worlds last season.

Tomas Verner, CZE (D): Verner 19th at the Olympics.  He is the reigning European Bronze Medalist.  He was the silver medalist at Europeans in 2007 and won the title in 2008.  Verner won bronze at Cup of China and gold at Rostelecom Cup with a personal best free skate to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he placed 5th.

Justus Strid, DEN: He finished 28th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board.

Bela Papp, FIN:  He placed 22nd at World Juniors.  He finished 14th at JGP Romania and 16th at JGP Germany. 

Florent Amodio, FRA (D): Amodio finished 12th at the Olympics.  He is the reigning European Champion with a personal best short program score.  He won bronze at NHK Trophy with personal best free skate and total scores and silver at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he placed 6th.

Brian Joubert, FRA (D): Joubert placed 16th at the Olympics and is the reigning World Bronze Medalist.  He won silver at Europeans.  He is the 2004, 2007 and 2009 European champion and has medaled at Europeans every year since 2004.  He has won one gold medal at Worlds, two silvers and two bronzes.  He finished 4th at Cup of China and withdrew from Trophee Eric Bompard.

Peter Liebers, GER (D):  He finished 11th at Europeans with a personal best free skate and total score.  He finished 9th at Cup of China and 7th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  Liebers finished 25th at last seasons World Championships.

David Richardson, GBR: He finished 12th in the preliminary round at Europeans.

Harry Hau Yin Lee, HKG: He placed 20th in the preliminary round at World Juniors.  He finished 22nd at JGP Japan. 

Tigran Vardanjan, HUN: He was 13th in the preliminary round at Europeans.  He finished 41st at the World Championships.

Maxim Shipov, ISR: He placed 23rd at Europeans with personal best scores across the board.  He finished 43rd at Worlds last season. 

Paolo Bacchini, ITA : He finished 20th at the Olympics.  He placed 12th at Europeans.  He placed 12th at Skate Canada.

Samuel Contesti, ITA (D):  He placed 18th at the Olympics.  He finished 6th at Europeans.  He won a silver at Europeans in 2009.  He finished 6th at Cup of China and 4th at Cup of Russia.  Contesti placed 7th at Worlds last season.  

Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: Kozuka placed 8th at the Olympics. He finished 4th at Four Continents.  He is the 2006 World Junior Champion and the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist.  He won Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best free skate and total score to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won bronze. He was 10th at Worlds last season.

Nobunari Oda, (D): He finished 7th at the Olympics. He is the 2006 Four Continents Champion and the 2005 World Junior Champion.  He won silver at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America to qualify for the GPF where he won silver.  He was 28th at Worlds last season.

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN (D): He won bronze at the Olympics with a personal best short program score.  He is the reigning World Champion and Four Continents Champion.  He has previously won gold and bronze at the Four Continents Championships and silver at the World Championships.  He won the NHK Trophy and Skate America to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he finished 4th. 

Denis Ten, KAZ (D): Ten placed 11th at the Olympics. He finished 12th at the NHK Trophy and 11th at Skate America.  He was 13th at Worlds last season.

Kim Lucine, MON:  He finished 17th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board.

Min-Seok Kim, KOR: Kim placed 15th at Four Continents with a personal best free skate and total score.  He finished 11th and 12th at his two Junior Grand Prix assignments this season.  He finished finished 23rd at Worlds last season.

Zoltan Kelemen, ROU: Kelemen finished 29th at the Olympics.  He finished 21st at Europeans with a personal best free skate.  He finished 9th at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best free skates and total scores.  He was 32nd at Worlds last season.

Artur Gachinski, RUS (D): He finished 5th at Europeans.  He finished 7th at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board and 6th at Cup of Russia with a personal best short program.

Javier Fernandez, ESP (D): Fernandez finished 14th at the Olympics.  He was 9th at Europeans.  He finished 5th at Skate Canada with a personal best free skate score and 9th at Cup of Russia.  He was 12th at Worlds last season.

Alexander Majorov, SWE:  He is the reigning World Junior Bronze Medalist.  He finished 5th at JGP Japan and won bronze at JGP Czech Republic.  

Adrian Schultheiss, SWE (D): He placed 15th at the Olympics. He finished 13th at Europeans.  He finished 10th at the NHK Trophy and 7th at Skate America.  He was 9th at Worlds last season.

Mikael Redin, SUI: He is the reigning national champion.  He finished 42nd the last time he attended Worlds in 2009.

Kutay Eryoldas, TUR: He finished 31st at Europeans last season.

Anton Kovalevski, UKR (D): Kovalevski finished 24th at the Olympics.  He was 15th at Europeans.  He finished 12th at Rostelecom Cup and 8th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  He was 16th at Worlds last season.

Ryan Bradley, USA (D): Bradley finished 18th at Worlds last season. 

Richard Dornbush, USA (D): He finished 4th at JGP Cup of Austria and won gold at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won gold with personal best scores across the board.

Ross Miner, USA (D): He finished 9th at NHK Trophy with personal bests in the short and free programs and 7th at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board. 

Misha Ge, UZB: He finished 12th at Four Continents with personal best scores across the board.

US Nationals: Senior Recap

Mens:

What an event!  Ryan Bradley put together a clean short program complete with a quad and his signature personality weaved throughout to take the lead in the men's event.  His free skate wasn't pretty, including a miss on both of his quads but he hung on and even executed a Triple Axel + Triple toe combination to finish 4th in the free skate.  His scores were good enough to give him his first national title at 27 years of age.  He thought about retiring after last season and sat out the Grand Prix but was convinced to come back by fans.  At the press conference after the event he declared that he was open to making a run at the 2014 Olympic team.  These programs were not as well trained as they could have been, and if he can skate clean, he could place well at worlds.  With three quads he has the technical skills and he's one of the best performers in the world. 

Richard Dornbush is the reigning Junior Grand Prix Final champion and after a 7th place short program, he had an impressive outing of his Sherlock Holmes Free Skate and placed first in the segment and won the silver medal.  While many were predicting him to win a medal at Junior Worlds, he'll instead be heading to Senior Worlds.  At both the JGP Final and Nationals his free skate was able to carry him to the top after a less than stellar short program.  His JGP Final scores put him amongst the top 10 in the world.  If he can clean up his short program, he could have a stellar debut at Worlds.

After skating on the Grand Prix for the first time, Ross Miner decided to go home and train harder.  He wanted to bring himself up to the level of the top skaters he was competing against.  These results paid off as he skated a gorgeous free program to edge out Jeremy Abbott for the bronze medal.    He has been named to the Worlds Team and will be competing in Tokyo in May.

Jeremy Abbott skated a beautiful short program full of passion and fire and put himself in a good position to defend his national title.  Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep it together in his free skate and was plagued with falls, downgrades, under-rotations and doubling of his jumps.  He finished only .19 behind Miner, but USFSA elected to send Miner to Worlds and Abbott to Four Continents in Taipei.  When he is on, he is truly one of the best male skaters out there today but he can't always seem to get past his mental block.  He'll be going up against the top Japanese men at 4Cs so he'll have a chance to redeem himself there.

Adam Rippon had a disaster of a short program, including a fall on his signature Rippon Lutz.  He rebounded in his free skate to place 3rd in the segment and finish 5th overall.  I was especially impressed in how he refocused himself after a mistake on his opening jump combination and was able to go clean for the rest of the program.  He's now had one bad short program (nationals) and one bad free skate (Skate America) so hopefully he can put this behind him and skate like he did at Skate America.  He'll be skating at 4 Continents along with Armin Mahbahnoozadeh.

The trooper of the year award goes to Joshua Farris.  He finished 13th in the short program in his first senior nationals.  He tore a muscle in his leg practicing quads and then suffered an allergic reaction that kept him in the hospital almost all night the day before the free skate.  Then, during his free skate, he broke his ankle in the middle of the program.  He kept skating and went for all of his elements, including the triple jumps.  He has the rest of the season to heal and we'll see him back on the Junior Grand Prix circuit next fall.

I had no correct exact predictions, but I picked two of the medal winners (Abbott and Bradley).

Ladies:

Alissa Csizny put together two clean programs to reclaim the national title she last won in 2009.  Her levels on her step sequences were greatly improved from her outings on the Grand Prix and her only mistake in the free skate was an under-rotated jump.  Reports from the arena were the crowd went silent because they were so captivated by her performance.  In the press conference, Alissa said this victory was sweeter and gave credit to her new coaches for believing in her when no one else did.  She'll be competing at Four Continents where she'll face off against the Japanese ladies again before taking on the world in Tokyo.  If Alissa skates like she has been for most of this season, she should land on the World podium in March.

Rachael Flatt debuted her new short program in Greensboro and Lori Nichol hit a home run on the choreography.  I've never seen Rachael so committed to her performance or so free in her movement as during her step sequence at the end of her East of Eden program.  I think this program really suits her and I'm interested to see how it's received by the international judges.  Her spins have long been a weakness for her, and a Level 1 on her layback spin made the difference between being 1st or 3rd in the short program.  She's working on some more difficult jump combinations for the next two competitions.  With a great new program and a renewed love of skating, Rachael looks ready to take on the world and attempt to win back three spots for US ladies at next years worlds.

Mirai Nagasu skated a clean short program to land in first place.  Unfortunately, she couldn't keep it together and let her nerves take over.  She looked terrified before she started her free skate and it showed in her program.  She botched her flying sit spin so badly that she ended up receiving no credit for the element.  Frank Carroll revealed after the event that she didn't start training seriously until a few weeks before Nationals.  In the press conference, Mirai was upset about not going to Worlds because she wanted to go to Japan to see her family.  I'm not sure how much her heart is into skating and while she can be a lovely skater, she doesn't seem to be mature enough to handle the pressure of training and competition.  Hopefully she'll do some soul searching before next season and decide what direction to take her career.

Agnes Zawadzki and Christina Gao both had solid outings to claim spots on the Junior Worlds team.  Agnes has struggled with her long program all season, and it was great to see her execute a good program here.  Christina has really grown up and matured since last season.  I think she's still getting used to her new height, but she definitely is beginning to skate like Yuna Kim.  Both these young ladies have a bright future ahead of them and are armed with a full technical arsenal including triple-triple combinations.  They'll take on the young Russian prodigies for spots on the Junior World Podium.

Ashley Wagner was battling the flu and wasn't able to put out the two clean programs necessary to medal in this extremely competitive field.  She seemed to have a good attitude after the event, and hopefully we'll see her next year, healthy and fighting for a spot on the World team.

Vanessa Lam who won her only JGP assignment this season and Yasmin Siraj, the youngest senior competitor, finished 7th and 8th at their first senior nationals.

I had one exact prediction (Alissa won gold) and picked 3 out of the 4 medalists (Alissa, Mirai and Rachael).

Pairs:

Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin had the arena and the television in audience in tears after their moving free skate to Ave Maria, a tribute to John's mother Stacy who passed away last February.  Besides their amazing emotional performance, they solidly executed all of their elements to finish 1st in both segments and earn their first trip to Worlds.  I have been impressed with this team for several years and it was nice to see everything come together for them in such a trying year.  They also won their first Grand Prix medal this season and I think their programs can carry them to the podium at 4 Continents as well.

Evora and Ladwig debuted their new short program here and it seems to suit their personalities much better and the judges agreed.  They showed off their signature lifts in the free skate and won their second consecutive silver medal.  If both of these teams skate their best at Worlds, there is a small chance that the United States could earn a 3rd pairs slot for next years Worlds. 

Denney and Barrett were able to rebound from the mistakes in their short program and only erred on the side by side double axels in their free skate to claim the silver medal.  They have now won a medal at nationals in each of their three seasons together.  They'll be heading to Four Continents but not Worlds.

Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker have only been skating together for a few months but already showed some of the maturity and polish of the top teams.  I can't wait to see what they look like next season with more training under their belt and some international assignments.  They finished 4th in their first competition.

Castelli and Shnapir had some troubles in both their skates but still finished 5th overall.

I had 1 exact prediction (Yankowskas and Coughlin won gold) and picked 3/4 of the medalists (Yankowskas/Coughlin, Evora/Ladwig, Denney/Barrett)

Dance:

While the final results were what many predicted, the dance event was still full of surprises.  Davis and White won their third consecutive national title.  They received Level 3s and 4s on all the elements in their free dance with all positive GOEs.  Their free dance was full of difficulty and passion and their program showed all the potential of being a world championship winning program.

The Shibutanis were absolutely charming in both of their programs and performed with maturity beyond their years.  They finished only 6 points behind Davis and White in the short program and beat them on the technical score in the free skate.  They also received all Level 3s and 4s and positive GOES on their program.  They looked like completely different skaters than on the Grand Prix, where they already shined as the only team to win two medals in their senior debut.  If they continue their growth and perform like they did at nationals they should have a great debut at senior worlds and it won't be long before they're on the medal podium at Worlds and possibly even passing up their training mates.

While Chock and Zuerlein had two solid programs, they fell far behind the rest of Team Canton, nearly 20 points out of second place.  They had similar scores as the Shibutanis on the Grand Prix and their programs were cleaner here than on the Grand Prix.  I don't particularly love their short dance, but their free dance is phenomenal and they completely embrace their roles and put on a great performance. 

The Hubbells were able to grab the pewter medal after an unusual fall by Kriengkrairut/Giuletti-Schmitt in the free dance.  Cannuscio and Lorello had a good senior debut to finish 6th.

I had three exact predictions (gold-bronze medals) and picked 3/4 medalists.

Overall: I had 5 exact predictions and picked 11/16 of the medalists.  My USFSA Fantasy Team finished 6th.

US Figure Skating International Teams

U.S. Figure Skating has named the following athletes to the Four Continents, World Juniors and World Teams.

Four Continents Championships: February 15-20, Chinese Taipei
Men: Jeremy Abbott, Armin Mahbanoozadeh, Adam Rippon
Ladies: Alissa Czisny, Rachael Flatt, Mirai Nagasu
Pairs: Denney/Barrett, Evora/Ladwig, Yankowskas/Coughlin
Dance: Chock/Zuerlein, Davis/White, Shibutani/Shibutani

World Junior Championships: February 28-March 6, Republic of Korea
Men: Max Aaron, Jason Brown, Keegan Messing
Ladies: Christina Gao, Courtney Hicks, Agnes Zawadzki
Pairs: Cain/Reagan, Andrews/LeDuc
Dance: Bonacorsi/Mager, Cannuscio/McManus, Lichtman/Copely

World Championships: March 21-27, Japan
Men: Ryan Bradley, Richard Dornbush, Ross Miner
Ladies: Alissa Czisny, Rachael Flatt
Pairs: Evora/Ladwig, Yankowskas/Coughlin
Dance: Chock/Zuerlein, Davis/White, Shibutani/Shibutani

US Nationals: Senior Mens Free Skate

1. Scott Dyer: 61.65 TES + 59.72 PCS = 121.37 Total: 177.15 
2. Lloyd Ting: 51.78 TES + 45.64 PCS -1.00 = 96.42 Total: 140.92 and into 2nd place
1. He is skating to Madness and is currently in 22nd place
2. Triple Lutz + Double toe to open his program
3. Fall on a double axel
4. I'd like to see better sit positions in this combination spin
5. Nice triple flip
6. Triple salchow but he had to hold on to the landing
7. Really nice low sit spin position but I'd like to see him really stretch through his free leg
8. Triple flip + double toe
9. Some nice edges in his step work sequence but I'd like to see a lot more upper body involvement
10. Nice triple flip
11. Turn out of his second double axel but he doesn't put his free leg down
12. I'd like to see more performance and connection with the audience in this choreographic step sequence
13. Good final sit spin
3. Sean Rabbitt: 51.93 TES + 52.36 PCS = 104.29 Total: 155.71 and into 2nd place
1. He is skating to Long de Chuan Ren and is currently in 21st place
2. Triple lutz + single toe
3. Triple salchow + triple toe and he holds on to the landing of the second jump
4. Double flip
5. Interesting camel spin into sit spin variation and a nice low sit spin
6. Triple loop
7. Nice triple
8. His sit spin is so low which is so difficult at his height and he really stretches through his legs and gets into a really nice position
9. I'd like to see him put more performance through his step sequence and a lot more power behind the steps
10. Double axel + double toe + double toe was nicely done
11. Triple salchow with a nice flow out of the jump
12. Double axel was a little tight on the landing
13. Good final combination spin
4. Parker Pennington: 51.99 TES + 58.20 PCS -1.00 = 109.19 Total: 164.68 and into 2nd place
1. He is skating to Freedom and is currently in 19th place
2. This is a self choreographed program
3. He opens with hands down on his triple axel
4. Nice comeback with a double axel + triple toe combination
5. Triple loop but a little tight on the landing
6. Nice camel spin position and good speed and he has a nice catchfoot position
7. Triple flip but he hangs on to the landing
8. A very nice smooth step sequence
9. Good triple salchow out of a nice spread eagle
10. Triple lutz + double toe + double toe with a tano arm
11. Nice musicality in his choreographic step sequence but a few ice sprays in some places
12.  A little wild on the landing of his triple lutz but he hangs on
13. Really tight and forward on the landing of his triple flip
14. A nice low sit spin position for him
15. Good speed through his combination spin and he has some nice positions
5. Andrew Gonzales: 52.05 TES + 57.06 PCS - 1.00 = 108.1 Total: 162.52 and into 3rd place 
1. He is skating to Music from 1492 and is currently in 20th place
2. A fall on his opening triple flip
3. Great height and landing on his double axel
4. Triple loop + double toe
5. A really nice camel position and catch foot position
6. A very nice flowy quality to his step sequence and good use of his upper body
7. Nice low sit spin position with great speed
8. Triple lutz + double toe + double loop nicely done
9. Triple flip + double toe
10. Misses his toe pick on his triple lutz, not quite sure it will count as a single or not
11. A nice choreographic step sequence
12. Nice triple salchow
13. Great speed and a super low sit position in his final combination spin
6. Wesley Campbell: 57.84 TES + 60.50 PCS -1.00 = 117.34 Total: 176.69 and into 2nd place 
1. He is skating to Man on a Wire and is currently in 14th place
2. Such an effortless entry into his double axel and a great landing
3. Triple lutz + double loop
4. A fall on his triple axel
5. A really nice camel position into a good catch foot position with nice speed
6. Triple flip + triple toe combination
7. A nice triple salchow with good flow out of the jump
8. He really gets into the ice and glides across the surface
9. A nice flow into this step seqeunce but I don't see a ton of difficulty here; he does have a nice one foot sequence at the end
10. A nice sit spin position but he has a slightly awkward arm position and I'd like to see him work on the placement of his hands
11. Double loop + double toe + double loop
12. A nice choreographic step sequence and he has a nice pleasant look on his face
13. A nice double axel
14. Double flip
15. A nice upright spin but a loss of centering into his sit spin position
7. Christopher Caluza: 50.58 TES + 49.86 PCS -2.00 = 98.44 Total: 157.72 and into 5th place  
1. He is skating to Warsaw Concerto and is currently in 15th place
2. A fall on his opening triple lutz
3. Triple toe a little sideways on the landing but he hangs on
4. Hand down on his double axel
5. A good sit spin position
6. I'd like more performance and variety in his upper body usage in the step sequence
7. A big lead into his triple salchow but he landed it nicely
8. Triple loop + double toe + double loop with Rippon arms
9. Triple flip
10. Triple lutz + double toe with a tight landing
11. Double axel + double toe--all the combinations occured after the halfway point
12. He falls on the entrance to his combination spin; nice positions but it's unclear whether he started the spin before the fall and will receive no credit
13. I'd like to see more power and emotion in his choreographic step sequence--he puts his unique ariel in the program again
8. Alexander Johnson: 48.70 TES + 59.50 PCS = 108.20 Total: 165.50 and into 3rd place 
1. Nice triple axel double toe to open his program
2. Double axel--looks like he didn't have a tight enough rotation and opened up
3. Good sit spin positions but a little slow
4. A nice triple lutz
5. Double loop
6. A good camel spin position but very slow, he could work on more flexibility through his catch foot position
7. Double flip and he turns out of it
8. I'd like to see him deeper in knees and have more power behind his step sequence
9. Tight landings on his triple lutz + double toe + double loop
10. Single salchow--looks like he's starting to run out of steam here
11. Better speed and power through his choreographic step sequence
12. Double toe + double toe + double loop--this is an illegal combination (only one three jump combination is allowed) so he'll receive no credit for any of the jumps
9. Joshua Farris: 43.24 TES + 50.58 PCS -3.00 = 90.82 Total: 151.73 and into 8th place 
1. He is skating to Porgy and Bess and is currently in 13th place
2. A fall on his opening triple axel
3. He hangs onto the landing of his triple loop
4. A fall on his second triple axel--he is still skating juniors internationally and the big jump to the senior level is landing the triple axels and many men struggle with this element when they first make the transition
5. Nice triple lutz + double toe but a little forward on the landing
6. There is no power or speed in this step sequence
7. Forward on the landing of his double axel and he puts both his hands down
8. A nice low sit spin position with good speed in the position change
9. A fall on his triple lutz
10. Double flip + double toe + double loop with a tight landing
11. triple salchow and a bad landing and he almost hits the board in front of the judges
12. He is only 15 and the youngest senior mens competitor and I think he has a bright future ahead of him if he can shake off this disappointment
10. Jonathan Cassar: 63.28 TES + 68.50 PCS = 131.78 Total: 187.76 and into 1st place
1. He is skating to Schindlers List and is currently in 17th place
2. This is one of my favorite free programs and the choreography is exquisite
3. He opens his program quietly with a step sequence and has some great upper body movements
4. Nice triple lutz double toe combination
5. Pretty triple salchow
6. A very nice double axel
7. I love how much he invests in the program and he really performs it
8. Another nice triple salchow
9. Nice sit position with good speed
10. Hand down on his triple lutz
11. His spread eagle positions are brilliant and unmatched by anyone here
12. Triple flip double toe, and he turns out of the double toe but doesnt put his free leg down
13. Nice triple loop double toe combination
14. A nice camel position and a decent catch foot position
15. A nice choreographic step sequence well done with the music
16. Double axel
17. A really nice combination spin with good speed
11. Grant Hochstein: 117.61 Total: 183.37 and into 2nd
12. Jason Brown: 144.44 Total: 208.76 and into 1st
13. Jason Wong: 110.43 Total: 172.63 and into 6th
14. Adam Rippon: 76.36 TES + 77.42 PCS = 153.78 Total: 220.04 and into 1st place 
1. He is in 9th place after the short program
2. Off in the air on his triple axel and steps out of it
3. Double axel
4. Beautiful triple Rippon lutz with a great landing
5. A very nice sit spin position with good speed
6. He has such deep knees and edges in this program and flows so well across the ice
7. Nice triple axel
8. Great triple triple toe
9. He has such an intese focused look on his face during this program
10. Triple lutz with the tano variation, double toe
11. Nice triple loop
12. A nice combination spin with good speed
13. There is so much difficiulty and content in this step sequence and he uses every inch of his body to get across the ice
14. Triple salchow
15. Great speed in his donut position into his broken leg sit spin and scratch spin
15. Richard Dornbush: 83.27 TES + 74.58 PCS = 157.85  Total 225.56
1. He is currently in 7th place
2. Nice triple flip to open his program
3. Great triple axel + triple toe
4. Triple lutz beautifully done
5. I'd like to see this step sequence look a little more effortless for him
6. Nice camel spin with a nice transition into his catch foot position
7. So much personality in this program and great choreography to match the Sherlock Holmes theme
8. Great triple axel past the halfway point
9. Nice position in his sit spins and great speed through the change of position
10. Great triple salchow out of a difficult entry
11. Triple lutz + double toe + double loop with both arms up
12. A little tight on the landing of the first double axel in his 2 double axel sequence
13. Great triple loop
14. Great choreography in his choreographic step sequence
15. Great speed in his camel spin, great sit spin position, nice flexibility through his upright spin
16. Wow!!!!
16. Armin Mahbanoozadeh: 77.40 TES + 70.88 PCS = 148.28 Total: 215.05 and into 3rd place
1. He is currently in 8th place
2. He opens with a nice triple lutz
3. Great triple axel
4. Triple flip triple toe nicely landed
5. Nice triple loop
6. Armin is really turning on the personality at the start of this step sequence and there's a lot of difficulty in these steps but it seems a little slow
7. Squeaks out the landing on his triple axel + double toe combination
8. Nice positoin in his sit spin and good speed
9. A little tight on the landing of his triple toe
10. Interesting positions in his second sit spin but a little slow at the end
11. I'd like to see Armin let go a little more and really perform his program instead of doing the elements
12. Nice triple salchow
13. Double axel + double toe + double loop
14. And now that the jumps are over he really comes alive in this choreographic step sequence and I'd love to see this passion throughout his whole program
15. Great donut position in his combination spin and so much speed in his sit position into the scratch spin
17. Keegan Messing: 76.56 TES + 66.94 PCS = 143.50 Total: 213.29 and into 4th place 
1. He is currently in 4th place
2. Big triple axel and he holds on to the landing
3. Hand down on the quad toe but he lands it!
4. Nice sit spin positions for him
5. Double axel out of a spread eagle
6. Tight on the landing of his triple lutz + double toe
7. Nice speed in his camel spin but he loses his centering a little on the position change
8. Nice triple axel + double toe
9. So much speed and abandon in this step sequence and you can tell he is putting everything into it
10. Great speed through his camel spin and accelerates into a low sit spin
11. He's not the most artistic skater but I think he is smart in picking programs and themes that work for him
12. Nice triple loop
13. Triple salchow + double toe + double tloop
14. Triple lutz at the absolute end of the program
18. Douglas Razzano: 71.29 TES + 66.86 PCS -1.00 = 137.15 Total: 206.76 and into 6th place
1. He is currently in 5th place
2. Great height and ice coverage on that triple axel and a great landing
3. A turnout of his quadruple toe
4. Tight on the landing of his second triple axel and he tries to get his feet under him and falls
5. Nice recovery with a triple lutz
6. Good speed and position in his camel spin
7. A nice sit spin position but he slows through the position change
8. His step sequence is nicely choreographed to the music and he has some nice upper body movement to accompany his footwork
9. Nice triple triple toe
10. Great triple salchow
11. Nice triple loop
12. Double axel + double toe + double loop
13. Great sit spin position
19. Ross Miner: 81.80 TES +74.56  PCS = 156.36 Total: 224.35 and into 2nd place 
1. He is currently in 6th place
2. A nice step sequence to open the program
3. Big triple axel + double toe
4. Triple lutz + triple toe
5. So much air on his triple axel and he hangs on to the landing
6. Nice positions in his combination spin but not a ton of speed
7. I like the little touches that have been added to this program and there's a nice feeling to it
8. Good triple loop
9. Nice triple lutz
10. Great spread eagle position
11. Great spread eagle into Triple loop + double toe + double toe
12. I like the variety in his choreographic step sequence but I'd like to see a bit more power here
13. Triple flip
14. Great position on his sit spin but he loses speed through the position change
15. Nice double axel
16. Slow final spin but a great program!
20. Jeremy Abbott: 66.91 TES + 79.86 PCS -1.00 = 145.77 Total: 224.16 and into 3rd place 
1. Solid triple lutz to open the program
2. Triple flip
3. Triple axel + double toe--that error could cost him as he already has the lowest jump content of the top three men
4. Such great personality and steps in this footwork sequence and he makes everything look so effortless
5. This program is so well timed to every moment of the music
6. Huge triple axel and he has to put a hand down on the landing
7. A fall on his triple lutz--he's really left the door open now
8. Triple loop double toe double loop and he struggles to hold on to the landing and has no speed
9. Triple salchow
10. Beautiful choreographic step sequence into a nice double axel
11. Nice camel spin into a beautiful sit spin
12. I can't wait to see this program skated perfectly because I think it will leave the audience speechless
21. Brandon Mroz: 73.66 TES +68.22 PCS = 141.88 Total: 213.49 into 6th place
1. He is currently in 3rd place
2. Step out of his quadruple toe
3. Triple axel + double toe--he doesn't have the jump content of Ryan Bradley so he's left the door open
4. Nice Triple lutz
5. He doesn't seem to have much speed in this step sequence and isn't getting much ice coverage
6. Nice triple loop well timed with the music
7. Nice sit spin positions but not much speed
8. Great triple axel
9. Nice triple lutz triple toe but he has to step back on the landing of the second jump
10. Good triple salchow
11. Triple lutz + single toe + double loop
12. Very slow camel spin
13. A little wild at the beginning of his choreographic step sequence but in a good way
14. Ginal combination spin and he finishes a hair after the music
22. Ryan Bradley: 78.17 TES + 73.34 PCS = 151.50 Total: 231.90 and into 1st 
1. This is one of my favorite free programs ever
2. The audience is already loving it and he's only in his staring pose
3. Step out and hand down on his opening quad toe
4. Step out of his second quad toe as well
5. So much personality in this step sequence and he performs with every inch of his body
6. Triple axel, forward on the landing but he hangs on
7. Nice triple lutz
8. Nice sit spin positions
9. He uses every second of the music and performs to every accent
10. Triple axel triple toe and he just hangs on to the landing
11. Triple loop
12. Triple salchow + double toe + double toe
13. Triple flip to end his jumps
14. Nice camel spins and good positions
15. Final spin combination now and he's picking up a little speed

US Nationals: Senior Mens Short Program

1. Keegan Messing: 37.61 TES + 32.18 PCS = 69.79
1. He is 18 and skating to Robin Hood
2. I love his imaginary bow and arrows but his tail might bother me
3. A nice triple axel but a little forward on the landing
4. Triple lutz triple toe combination very nicely done with a lot of flow
5. Great camel spin position with good speed but a loss of centering in the change of position
6. Triple flip nicely done
7. Really traveling on his sit spin but nice positions
8. He looks a little wild in places on his step seqeunce but he has a lot of speed and a really interesting spin in a spread eagle position and it really evokes the Robin Hood feel
9. Great sit spin position in his combination spin and great speed but he finishes slightly after the music
2. Adam Rippon: 32.76 TES + 34.50 PCS -1.00 = 66.26 and into 2nd place
1. I'm not sure I love this new costume, I really liked his tunic
2. Way off in his air position in the triple axel and he turns out of it
3. Triple flip+ triple toe combination with good rotation but tight on the landing
4. Nice positions on his camel spin
5. Fall on the Rippon lutz and he almost slides into the boards--he never falls on those!
6. This is a great step sequence for him and there is a lot of nuance and detail and he puts a lot of performance into it
7. Good positions in his combination spin and good speed with good flexibility through his upright spin
8. Adam and Brian both look really unhappy in the kiss and cry
3. Brandon Mroz: 37.96 TES + 33.65 PCS = 71.61 and into 1st place
1. He has really improved his performance this year and has some nice moments at the beginning
2. Quad toe double toe combination but he has to fight for the landing of the quad
3. A little forward on the landing of his triple axel
4. Nice position in his camel spin but he could work on his donut position
5. Nice triple lutz
6. Very slow in his sit spins
7. I like this step sequence and he performs it very well
8. Nice final combination spin
4. Jonathan Cassar: 24.84 TES + 32.14 PCS -1.00 = 55.98 and into 4th place 
1. He is 24 skating to El Tango de Roxanne
2. Hard fall on the triple lutz
3. Ina Bauer to a nice double axel
4. Flying camel spin right on the music
5. Triple loop double toe combination
6. Good camel spin but he drops his body to get into the donut and he could work on flexibility in the donut position
7. Great wide spread eagle into the start of his step sequence and the content is great with good use of his upper body and good performance from him
8. A little loss of centering on his final spin and he finishes after the music
5. Jeremy Abbott: 38.57 TES + 39.82 PCS = 78.39 and into 1st place 
1. Triple flip + triple toe combination, nice and effortless
2. Very nice use of his arms and upper body in the transitions between elements
3. Triple axel with great height
4. A little slow at the end of his sit spin combination
5. Triple lutz and a little scratchy on the ice and he needs to hang on to it
6. Really nice footwork into a great upright spin with nice positions
7. Into his step sequence and he's really reflecting the character of his program and using his whole body
8. Picking up speed through his final combination spin
9. And the crowd is on their feet! 
6. Wesley Campbell: 32.07 TES + 27.28 PCS = 59.35 and into 5th place 
1. He is 25 and skating to Orion
2. Triple lutz very forward but he tacks on the double toe
3. Turn out of the landing of his triple axel but he doesn't put his free leg down
4. Nice camel spin positions but he could work on the donut position
5. Right into his next spin with a good camel and nice upright position but loses speed on the step position
6. Triple flip nicely done
7. A lot of fire behind this step sequence but there's not a lot of power and its simpler than some of the step sequences in the first group
8. Nice fast sit spin into his final pose
7. Jason Brown: 33.71 TES + 30.61 PCS = 64.32 and into 5th place
1. Nice double axel with a good solid landing
2. Triple lutz triple toe combination with good height and good flow out of the jumps
3. He could work on the flexibility through the catch foot position in the camel spin
4. Triple flip with a nice landing
5. Nice low sit spin position with good positions
6. Good intricacy in his step sequences but some of his positions are a little awkward if original
7. Good speed through his final spin sequence but a loss of centering
8. Douglas Razzano: 40.72 TES + 28.89 PCS = 69.61 and into 4th place 
1. He is 22 years old and skating to The Feeling Begins
2. Nice triple axel with a solid landing
3. Nice quad toe
4. Triple toe triple toe combination
5. Nice catch foot spin variation in his camel spin
6. I'd like to see him stretch through his leg a little more in the sit spin
7. A nice step sequence from him into his final spin with a good low sit spin position with great speed
8. A nice solid program from him with very nicely executed jumps
9. Parker Pennington: 27.38 TES + 29.11 PCS -1.00 = 55.49 and into 9th place
1. He is 26 years old and skating to Chocolat
2. This is self choreographed
3. Big fall on his opening triple axel but he had great height and a nice air position
4. Triple lutz double toe combinaiton was nicely done
5. A nice triple flip
6. A good camel spin position and a nice catch foot position but he's really losing speed
7. He has some really good performance facially in this step sequence and some great upper body movement
8. Some good positions in his final combination spin
10. Andrew Gonzales: 29.02 TES + 26.39 PCS -1.00 = 54.41 and into 10th place
1. He is skating to Toccata and Fugue
2. Triple flip + triple toe combination very solid
3. Nice double axel
4. Fall on a triple lutz
5. Nice camel spin positions and it takes him a while to get into the donut position but he has nice flexibility
6. Great low sit spin variations and nice flexibility through upright spins
7. A very simple footwork sequence from him and very slow with no power
8. Good low sit spins into his ending pose
11. Ross Miner: 35.66 TES + 32.33 PCS = 67.99 an into 5th place
1. Landed a beautiful triple axel to open his program
2. Triple lutz + double toe
3. Nice triple flip to complete his jumps
4. A little tight in some of his positions in the combination spin especially in the triangle position
5. A lot of traveling in his upright spin
6. Some nice moments in his step sequence
7. A nice fast sit spin with a nice low position but he slows almost to a stop at the end
12. Grant Hochstein: 34.37 TES + 31.39 PCS = 65.76 and into 7th place
1. He is 20 years old
2. Triple lutz triple toe--very off in the air on his triple lutz but he manages to pull it off
3. Nice landing on his triple axel with good height
4. Good positions in his sit spin
5. Nice arms through his camel position but I'd like to see his leg slightly more behind him; nice catch foot position but he slows a lot by the end
6. Triple loop with a nice flow out of the jump
7. He has a lot of levels in his step sequence
8. Really nice speed in his final combination with good positions
13. Sean Rabbitt: 26.27 TES + 26.15 PCS -1.00 = 51.42 and into 13th place
1. He is skating to Beat It and Thriller
2. Hand down on the second jump in his triple lutz triple toe combination
3. Nice triple flip
4. A lot of personality in this program
5. A little struggle with his double axel and he puts a hand down
6. He falls on a transitional  "Michael Jackson-esque move"
7. Kudos to him for keeping the energy and the personality up through the rest of the program
8. He has good speed in his sit spin
14. Scott Dyer: 28.03 TES + 28.75 PCS -1.00 = 55.78 and into 11th place
1. He is 19 years old
2. Triple lutz triple toe combination
3. Nice clean double axel
4. A really interesting sit spin position with good speed
5. A fall on his triple loop
6. A good step sequence but not a lot of upper body movement and difficulty
7. Good camel spin position with a really nice catch foot position and accelerating through the spin
8. A nice fast camel spin with a good low sit spin
15. Ryan Bradley: 43.89 TES + 36.50 PCS = 80.39 and into 1st place
1. He looks so ready to go and so happy to be on the ice
2. He is 27 years old and Skating to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
3. Gorgeous quad toe triple toe to start his program
4. Beautiful triple axel with great height
5. Great camel spin position with a nice bevel of the foot
6. Triple flip  with a huge smile on his face
7. Nice sit spin positions with a ton of personality
8. Into the step sequence and he's really playing to the crowd and performing here, I'm not sure the technical content is up to par with some of the top men though
9. He accelerates through his final combination
10. Fantastic program!
16. Christopher Caluza: 31.87 TES + 27.41 PCS = 59.28 and into 11th place
1. He is 20 years old
2. Triple lutz triple loop combination--one of the only men doing them
3. Triple flip
4. He just did an aerial on the ice!
5. Good flexibility through his combination spin
6. A nice double axel
7. Good speed through his camel spin but he could use some work on his donut spin
8. A nice final sit spin
17. Lloyd Ting: 23.82 TES + 21.68 PCS -1.00 = 44.50 and into 17th place
1. He is wearing a silver lame jacket
2. A double axel to open his program
3. Triple lutz triple toe and he falls on the landing of the toe
4. Hangs on the landing of the triple flip
5. A nice camel spin position with a nice donut position but he has very little speed
6. He seems to be traveling a bit on his sit spin
18. Joshua Farris: 34.47 TES + 27.44 PCS -1.00 = 60.91 and into 1st place
1. A really hard fall on his opening triple axel
2. Nice triple lutz triple toe combination
3. Good low sit spin position with good speed
4. Nice triple flip with good flow out of the jump
5. Nice camel spin position into the a-frame and a nice sit spin position
6. He needs to work on his catch foot position in his camel spin
7. I'd like to see more power through his step sequence at the end of the program
19. Jason Wong: 32.48 TES + 29.72 PCS = 62.20 and into 10th place
1. Triple lutz + double toe
2. Good tight air position in the double axel but he steps out of the landing
3. Nice broken leg position in the camel spin and nice acceleration through the position change
4. A nice split jump right in front of the judges
5. A nice triple loop to end his jumps
6. A really slow sit spin
7. A nice step sequence with a good one foot section
20. Richard Dornbush: 35.32 TES + 32.39 PCS = 67.71 and into 7th place
1. He is 19 years old and is the current Junior Grand Prix Final champion
2. Nice triple lutz triple toe combination--a little trouble on the landing of his triple toe but he hangs on
3. Forward on the landing of his triple axel
4. Good speed in his sit spin and a really nice position--good acceleration in the position change
5. Steps out of his triple flip but doesn't fall
6. A nice camel position but he could have a better donut position
7. A nice final combination spin
8. Nice passion, fire and energy in his step sequence
21. Armin Mahbanoozadeh: 34.42 TES + 33.35 PCS -1.00 = 66.77 and into 8th place
1. A very nice triple axel to start his program
2. Triple flip + triple toe combination
3. Interesting arms in his camel position into a nice donut
4. A fall on his triple lutz--looked like his feet got tied up underneath him
5. Nice sit spin positions
6. A lot of personality in his step sequence but I'd like to see him get into his knees and use his upper body more
7. An interesting upside down spin with his arms behind him into a nice scratch spin
22. Alexander Johnson: 30.30 TES + 28.00 PCS -1.00 = 57.30 and into 16th place 
1. He is 20 and skating to Caravan
2. Way forward on the landing of his triple axel and he falls
3. Triple flip triple toe combination
4. Nice camel spin but he could have a better catch foot position
5. Triple lutz was nice
6. There are some character arm movements happening in the circular step sequence
7. Good combination spin to end his program

U.S. Nationals: Senior Mens Preview

Abbot is the defending national champion and is going for his third national title.  He has the 6th best short program score internationally, 10th best free skate score, and 9th best total score.  He always seems to do better at nationals than he does in international competitions so I expect him to skate clean here and raise his scores.  He's had some struggles with his free skate this season and I think choreographically its the better of his two programs.  When he's on, his skating is magical and his free skate has the ability to deliver big and captivate an audience. 

He's being chased by young phenom Adam Rippon.  Rippon put up huge scores at Skate Canada to take the 7th best short program, 6th best free skate and 5th best total score of the season so far.  He wasn't able to match these scores at Skate America and his triple axel deserted him and left him off the podium.  He and coach Brian Orser tried to shake off the bad program in the kiss and cry but we'll have to wait and see what kind of mental game he brings to Greensboro.  He is really developing as an artist and his programs have a new level of maturity.  On the technical side, he's the only skater in the world who performs a "Rippon Lutz."

Brandon Mroz is also in the mix with an 8th best free skate and 10th best total score internationally for the season.  I'm not crazy about his programs this season but he fights for every element in his programs and he's one of the only skaters who was consistent across the season and you can count on to land his jumps.  He's also one of the only U.S. men to attempt and land quads in the Grand Prix.  He has been battling a shoulder injury and while he said he's back to 100%, he did lose some training time.  He went to worlds his first year competing as a senior but dropped down the rankings last season and he's eager to prove he belongs with the top men.

Ryan Bradley sat out the Grand Prix season before deciding to return to competitive skating.  He has been largely self coached this season and his sister will be with him in Greensboro.  His free skate is one of my favorite programs and he is truly the only skater who can execute it.  He'll be one of the few men here executing quads.  He's said repeatedly that he put too much pressure on himself last season when he barely missed out on going to the Olympics and he's come back for his fans and the love of the sport.  His strength is his free skate, so he'll need to set himself up with a good short program.  With no pressure he really has a chance to go out and enjoy the experience and has a good shot at the podium as well. 

Armin Mahbanoozadeh had the skate of his life to capture the bronze medal at Skate America.  He wasn't able to get a second Grand Prix assignment but his score at the Nebelhorn Trophy shows some degree of consistency.  I think he'll have to capitalize on other skaters mistakes to make the podium but if he skates clean he should easily finish in the top 5.

Richard Dornbush is another young skater to watch and recently walked away with the Junior Grand Prix Final title in December.  His Grand Prix Final score is the second highest international score posted by a US man this season but he also has the worst score of the season.  He's also transitioning to a senior program which is 30 seconds longer so endurance could be an issue.  If he can skate like he did at the Final he'll be on the podium.  Other young skaters to watch for are Grant Hochstein and Ross Miner.

A few other skaters to keep an eye on are Douglas Razzano who posted a 185.70 at Ice Challenge earlier this season and Jonathan Cassar who's free skate to Schindler's List dazzled me last season and I can't wait to see at nationals.

You can also check out this great post from Backstage Barbie comparing all the best and worst mens scores from the Grand Prix season.  http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2011/01/us-nationals-preview-senior-men-best.html

My podium predictions:
Gold: Adam Rippon
Silver: Jeremy Abbott
Bronze: Ryan Bradley
Pewter: Brandon Mroz

My USFSA Fantasy Picks:
A) Adam Rippon
B) Armin Mahbanoozadeh
C) Douglas Razzano

The skaters:

Jeremy Abbott: Abbott finished 9th at the Olympics and 5th at Worlds.  He is the 2007 Four Continents Bronze Medalist.  He won silver at NHK Trophy and bronze at Cup of Russia.  He is the 2005 National Junior Champion.  He is competing for his third consecutive national title.

Ryan Bradley: Bradley finished 18th at Worlds and 5th at Four Continents.  He is the 2007 national silver medalist.  He finished 4th at nationals last season.

Adam Rippon: He placed 6th at the World Championships with a personal best short program score and is the reigning Four Continents champion with a personal best free skate score.  He is the 2008 and 2009 Junior World Champion.  He won bronze at Skate Canada with a personal best total score and finished 4th at Skate America.  He is known for his signature "Rippon Lutz" performed with both arms over his head.  He is the 2008 National Junior Champion.  He finished 5th at nationals last season.

Brandon Mroz: Mroz finished 4th at Four Continents last season.  He won silver at Cup of China with a personal best free skate and total score and bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard.  He is the 2007 and 2008 National Junior silver medalist and the 2009 National silver medalist.  He finished 6th at nationals last season.

Armin Mahbanoozadeh: He placed 10th at the World Junior Championships.  He won bronze at Skate America with personal best scores across the board.  He finished 8th at nationals last year.

Keegan Messing: Messing finished 4th at the World Junior Championships.  He won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and placed 4th at Czech Skate to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where he placed 5th.  He is the 2009 National Junior silver medalist.  He finished 9th at nationals last season. 

Richard Dornbush: He finished 4th at JGP Cup of Austria and won gold at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won gold with personal best scores across the board.  He finished 11th at nationals last season.

Douglas Razzano: He is the 2005 National Junior pewter medalist.  He finished 15th at nationals last year.

Ross Miner: Miner is the 2009 national junior champion and placed 10th at the World Junior Championships.  He finished 9th at NHK Trophy with personal bests in the short and free programs and 7th at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board.  He missed nationals last season due to injury.

Joshua Farris: He won silver at JGP Brasov Cup and gold at J. Curry Memorial to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he placed 6th.  He is the 2009 National Novice Champion.  He is the reigning National Junior silver medalist.

Jason Brown: He qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  He won silver at JGP Courcheval and finished 6th in Japan.  He is the 2009 National Novice bronze medalist and the reigning National junior champion.

Grant Hochstein: He qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  He finished 5th at World Juniors.  He placed 10th at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board.  He is the 2009 National Junior pewter medalist.  He finished 7th at nationals last season.

Jonathan Cassar: He qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He finished 12th at nationals last year.

Scott Dyer: He qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He is the reigning National Junior pewter medalist.

Christopher Caluza: He qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He finished 8th at nationals last season at the junior level.

Andrew Gonzales: He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He is the 2008 National Junior bronze medalist.  He finished 18th at nationals last season.

Parker Pennington: He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  He finished 16th at nationals last year.

Alexander Johnson: He qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern Sectionals.  He is the 2009 National Junior bronze medalist.  He finished 17th at nationals last season.

Sean Rabbitt: He qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He finished 11th at nationals last year at the junior level.

Jason Wong: He qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He finished 10th at nationals last season.

Wesley Campbell: He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He finished 21st at nationals last year.

Lloyd Ting: He qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Note: Stephen Carriere had qualified for nationals but had to withdraw due to injury.