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Post by Admin on Dec 31, 2017 19:24:21 GMT
The 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships have arrived in San Jose. Some of the sport's biggest names will compete next week for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, but Friday afternoon, it was America's future skating stars who took their turns at center ice. "We practice really hard for this day, especially since it's in the Bay," says Allison Kim, Peninsula pairs figure skater. Kim and her partner, Ethan Musladin made their debut at the national level in the intermediate pairs competition. They're among the 1,700 athletes, coaches and officials taking part in this year's event. "We're also pretty nervous too," says Musladin. "It's kind of a combination of nervous and excitement."  To break down the senior events, we asked three-time U.S. Men’s Champion, two-time Olympian Michael Weiss to provide some insights. The Northern Virginia native will be at the U.S. Championships as a broadcaster with Icenetwork.com. He will also be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame during the championships. “It’s certainly a great honor,” said Weiss. “I never thought when I first started skating that I would even be a figure skater as a career. As I continued to work and get better and better, I realized that it could be a career. From there, to think that at some point I could be in the Hall of Fame is something I never actually dreamed of. Now, after a skating career with so many fantastic moments and memories, to have this honor is very special to me.” |
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Post by Admin on Jan 1, 2018 19:25:40 GMT
 Before the senior events get underway, juvenile, intermediate, novice and junior skaters will take the ice. For some, it will be the first time on the national stage. Two girls from Northern Virginia, Clara Kim and Hannah Byers, will be in the mix. “I’m very excited and I’m super grateful for this opportunity. I’ve worked very hard all year to make it to nationals,” said Byers, 12, whose main coach is Tommy Steenberg, whose own competitive days were featured in the Falls Church News-Press. Byers, who has her own website, has handled adversity en route to this accomplishment. She had a growth spurt and had to relearn her jumps and also had some health issues. Hearing her scores at the Eastern Championships left her ecstatic when she realized she would be going to San Jose. After she’s done competing, she’ll attend a special U.S. Figure Skating camp on Jan. 1 for juvenile and intermediate skaters. Lower-level competitors are hitting the ice this weekend at Solar4America Ice in San Jose, which is one of the largest ice rink facilities in the country. Senior-level skaters will compete next week at the SAP Center to determine who moves on to the Olympic Games. San Jose previously hosted nationals back in 2012. Tourism officials say the event generated more than $23 million in economic impact that year. They expect the numbers to be even higher this time around. "This is typically a slow time for San Jose hotels, and to have a big event coming in this time of year, it helps out the local economy, downtown hotels, and brings more people into the area that would normally not be here," says Kyle Schatzel, Team San Jose/Visit San Jose communications manager. |
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Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2018 19:33:53 GMT
 Mirai Nagasu. Ashley Wagner. Bradie Tennell. Karen Chen. Polina Edmunds. Mariah Bell. Elite U.S. athletes all, their names are not nearly as famous as those of their iconic predecessors: Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes. Will they ever be? There’s almost no chance of that. The axis of power in women’s figure skating has left the United States and moved east to Russia and Asia. But for this week, at the U.S. national figure skating championships, and for the next two months, through the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, those half dozen young U.S. women will be vying to be crowned America’s next great female skating star, even if their fame lasts only until February turns into March.  |
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Post by Admin on Jan 4, 2018 19:39:32 GMT
 The top three ladies after the SP at #uschamps18 It’s quite likely that the names of the three American women who will compete in Pyeongchang next month will come from the first paragraph above. They are such an interesting mix: Nagasu and Wagner, the two Olympic veterans at 24 and 26 respectively, not just hanging on but hoping to continue to thrive in a teenagers’ world; and the others, all in their late teens or early 20s, either on the rise or already hoping to stage a comeback so early in life.  One name is missing, the most famous of this generation of Americans: 22-year-old Gracie Gold. The two-time national champion and 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist announced in the fall that she was in treatment for an eating disorder, anxiety and depression. Sadly, she withdrew from Olympic consideration after missing the entire fall skating season, but her story is a cautionary tale that might prove more important than any triple jump landed here this week. |
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Post by Admin on Jan 5, 2018 19:27:40 GMT
 Nathan Chen could feel the atmosphere had changed from one year prior when he stepped out on the ice Thursday night for his short program at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Chen knew that there was more than just the defense of his national title on the line: He was also skating to officially secure his Olympic debut. “I definitely feel the energy is different from last year, but ultimately I have to do what I set out to do and focus on my own goals,” Chen said, admitting he was nervous before he skated. Chen’s goal for his first of two programs at the SAP Center was simple: “skate relatively clean.”  Chen scored 104.45, putting him in first after the short program and nearing the 106.39 he earned last year to obliterate the previous U.S. championships record by 6.53 points. Sitting behind Chen heading into Saturday night’s free skate is Adam Rippon, who earned a personal best 96.52. Jason Brown is within striking distance after scoring 93.23. All eyes were on those three men entering the U.S. championships this week, as they are among the favorites to make the three-man 2018 U.S. Olympic Team.
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