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2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships - HighlightsJunior Pairs and Men's Long Programs;
Senior Men's Short Program
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The 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships continued with the Junior Pairs and Men's Long Programs, and the Senior Men's Short Program.
The junior pairs medalists were decided today at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Saint Paul, Minn. Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss (Broadmoor SC) moved up from second place after Thursday's short program to clinch the gold medal with a total of 143.19 points.
Overnight leaders Chelsi Guillen and Danny Curzon (Coyotes SC of Ariz.) had an uneven performance and had to settle for the bronze medals.
"It's a great relief for us to win the national championships," said Nuss. "We have been working so hard these last few months, and it's nice to have all that work pay off."
 Jessica Rose Paetsch (14) and Jon Nuss (20) perform to music from the Capone soundtrack for their Long Program. |
"This is our second year as juniors," Paetsch added. "Last year we got third, and we tried to work more to try to win this one."
Paetsch (14) and Nuss (14) are beginning to show signs of preparation to move up to the senior level next season as they completed a nice split triple twist in their "Capone" program. In addition, the duo performed two level four lifts that should have their senior counterparts looking over their shoulders.
The gold medalists did have some problems in their program, however, making small mistakes on both of their solo jumping passes, as well as on their straightline step sequence.
"The only down part of the program is when I tripped on the straightline footwork," said Nuss. "But we got back on track to finish strong."
Finishing in second place was the very young team of Tracy Tanovich and Michael Chau (Southwest Florida FSC), who were in third after the short program.
"Our performance went pretty well," lamented Chau. "We had a few technical bobbles, but overall we skated fast and held our own, so we are satisfied."
Tanovich was fearless on the ice, executing and landing elements that her much older competitors struggled with today.
"I felt confident on every move that I tried," said the 11-year-old, as she clutched onto one of the many stuffed animals that were thrown to the team. "I made a little bobble on solo spin and a fall on the throw triple loop. Other than that, I thought that the program was very good."
Skating to selections from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, Tanovich and Chau (17) completed a throw triple Salchow and earned high scores for their overhead lifts. Overall, the team scored a competition total of 137.36 points, and plan to skate on the junior level again next season.
"I don't think that there is any rush to move up to senior," said Chau. "Especially since this is our first year in junior."
Guillen (14) and Curzon (20) struggled with some of their high-risk elements, but were able to hold on to third place despite placing fourth in the freeskate.
"We just wanted to come here to our job," said Curzon. "We wanted to skate well here and earn a medal and put our names out there for consideration for Junior Worlds, but our whole focus here was to put together two good programs."
After landing a nice split double twist, Guillen made a mistake on their solo double Axel-double toe combination. The team attempted two throw triples for the first time in competition in their routine to music from The Legend of Zorro soundtrack, but could only land their toe attempt.
"We went for a second triple throw- a Sal(chow), but we unfortunately had a spill on it," said Curzon. "Overall we are pretty pleased with how everything went."
The team scored a competition total of 134.58 points, edging out pewter medalists Andrea Best and Trevor Young (Detroit SC) who defeated them in the freeskate.
 Adam Rippon (18), performs his Long Program to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. |
The junior men took to the ice this afternoon, and put on a show for the spectators at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Adam Rippon, the leader after the short program, showed why he has been having so much success internationally by laying down a sensitive yet commanding performance. As a result, the teen from The Skating Club of New York, Inc. won the gold medal over one of the toughest fields in recent memory.
Rippon, who trains with Nikolai Morozov in Hackensack, N.J., qualified for and won the Junior Grand Prix Final in December with the highest score ever awarded in a junior international competition. The 18 year-old came into this competition with a lot of buzz, and was able to live up to his and the skating community's expectations by winning the title by more than 10 points than his nearest competitor.
"I was nervous before I went out," admitted the new champion, "but I just kept telling myself to focus on what I needed to do to a clean program like I skate in practice."
The Pennsylvanian opened his program with an easy triple flip-triple toe combination that floated across the ice. In all, Rippon landed seven clean triple jumps, each one better than the previous, and built momentum that culminated with a straightline step sequence which he attacked with reckless abandon.
"When we started the program at the beginning of the season, we just put steps together with different turns and putting them all together," explained Rippon. "I have to credit Nikolai for helping me to feel my body more so that I can do more creative things and more difficult footwork."
Rippon scored an amazing 213.76 points in the competition, easily eclipsing the junior national record at this competition, and he did it with an element in his free skate that was not scored.
"I actually don't know what caused that," confessed Rippon, regarding his flying sit spin not being scored, "but I will review that with my coach."
Brandon Mroz (Broadmoor SC) earned the same result this season with a technically demanding and clean performance that pulled him up from third place after the short program.
"My goal today was to approach my long with a new intensity, and I think that I did that," said last year's silver medalist. "I am pleased with what I did today, and I am happy with a new personal best."
Mroz opened his King of the Forest routine with a triple Axel, a jump that Rippon opted not to attempt, and landed seven other triples to edge Rippon's technical score by .33 of a point. However, Rippon outscored the 17-year-old on the program components by five points to relegate Mroz to second place once again.
"Maybe I'm a little disappointed," admitted Mroz. "I think that if anything, I am disappointed with my short. I think that I did a great job today, and I don't have a problem winning silver again. It just shows that I am consistent."
Finishing with a surprise bronze medal, Andrew Gonzales (All Year FSC) barely qualified for this competition after a poor showing at the Pacific Coast Sectionals, but proved that he belonged with a great performance here in Saint Paul.
"After [Pacific] Coasts [sectionals], I sat down and realized that I really needed to step it up," shared the Californian. "And I just did program after program because I knew that I was going to be competing against some of the best. So I knew that I had to get some programs under my belt so that I could compete."
Gonzales landed six clean triple jumps, including a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination, to move up eight places from last year.
"I knew that I had to put two good programs together which I accomplished today," continued the 17-year-old. "My long program went really well, and I am very pleased with my score, and with being able to compete with some of the best junior men in the country."
Training mate Richard Dornbush (All Year FSC) skated early, but landed six clean triple jumps to catapult from 12th place in the short program to win the pewter medal after other skaters struggled with their programs. The 16-year-old placed third in the freeskate, and included a beautiful triple Axel in his arsenal.
Keegan Messing (Anchorage FSC), a crowd favorite, landed the most difficult combination in the competition. His triple Axel-triple toe combination earned him 11.93 points on his was to finishing fifth in his first appearance at the junior level at the U.S. Championships.
"I was very happy with my skate," said last year's Novice bronze medalist. "The one thing that I wish I would have done would have been to land my second (triple) Axel, but I just got too tired going into it."
The always entertaining Messing had a different approach to the competition than most of his peers.
"This is to show what we've got," boasted the 16-year-old. "Sectionals is the hard competition, and Nationals is the reward. We should just go out and give everyone a show!"
Sitting in second place after the short program, Curran Oi (SC of Boston) struggled with his jumps today, and could only manage a sixth place finish. Last year's pewter medalist received credit for only one clean triple jump, but was able to stay in the top six based on his score from the short program.
 Johnny Weir, 23, performs to Yunona I Avo by Svetlana Pikous for his Short Program. |
Tension was in the air at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the championship men opened their chapter of these championships with their short programs.
The stage was set from the start with both the reigning champion Evan Lysacek (DuPage FSC) and three-time champion Johnny Weir (SC of New York) drawing to skate in the first warm-up group of the event. Weir would skate second, his favorite place to skate in a competition, while Lysacek was the fifth skater to take the ice. Both men seemed so into their own warm-up that they barely noticed that anyone else was on the ice with them.
Weir got the competition off to a great start, skating an elegant program to Yunona I Avos by Svetlana Pikous. The 2007-08 Grand Prix finalist used his hypnotic presentation style to put a trance over the audience, who watched with baited breath as he effortlessly ticked off the required elements of the short program.
Lysacek conversely, took the opposite approach to his Zorro program, showing a passion in his larger-than-life choreography that inspired the audience to their feet when he took his final pose.
Instead of a planned quad combination, Weir opted to open with a safer triple Lutz-triple toe combination that earned him 11.86 points. The 23-year-old then skated into a triple Axel that showcased his textbook air position and easy ride out. Weir got his jumps out of the way immediately as he then landed a sold triple flip to throw down the gauntlet at the rest of the field.
"I was pleased that I could turn in a clean performance and get the monkey off my back," said a relieved Weir. "I just floated through the program today, and I was very happy that it went smoothly."
Weir is philosophical heading into the long program, opting to focus on nothing other than himself and trust that he can get the job done.
"It's always so relaxing to do a long program," Weir said with a devilish smirk. "And to do it on television and in front of an audience is even more relaxing. But having the short program out of the way is a big hurdle, and I am excited to do the long program. I want to be happy with skating at a national championship, and be in the hunt for another title."
Weir takes a lead of 1.35 points into the freeskate, and was pleased with scoring a personal best of 83.40 points for his efforts.
"Getting a personal best is great," Weir announced. "It's always great to get rewarded when you skate well."
Lysacek admitted to being terribly nervous as he took the ice, and felt the pressure of being a defending champion throughout the day.
"I don't even know how to explain it," said the unusually vulnerable Lysacek. "I was shaking. I was nervous. I owe everything to Frank (Carroll) because he sort of like slapped me in the face and said, 'Let's go.'"
The Grand Prix Final bronze medalist opened with a two-footed quadruple toe-double toe combination that earned him fewer points than Weir's jump combination.
"I struggled a little but with the quad today," the defending champ admitted, "but I was happy to stay on my feet throughout my performance. It was not my best, but considering the circumstances, I will definitely take it."
Like Weir, Lysacek chose to execute his triple Axel as the second element in his program, but his landing was not as solid as the leader's. Lysacek regrouped and then completed a nice triple Lutz. The highlight of the program was the Los Angeles-based skater's level 4 straightline steps, a rarity in figure skating, that drew the crowd deeper into Lysacek's performance.
Lysacek earned 82.05 points for his short program, and outscored Weir on program components to stay close to his rival heading into the freeskate.
"I love my freeskate, and I love the music," Lysacek announced. "I am actually looking forward to it, and hopefully I feel the same way on Sunday."
Finishing in third place with an inspired performance to an instrumental version of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, was Stephen Carriere (SC of Boston), who placed eight in his first appearance in this competition last season.
"I feel like have another loop hole on my belt now," said the current Junior World champion. "It helps me to be really sure of myself to get out there and do it again. So that gives me confidence."
Carriere earned high marks for each of his spins, and was rewarded with positive Grades of Execution (GOE) on both of his level 3 step sequences. The 18-year-old was satisfied with how he performed his program.
"I always like to rely on my training, and it has been really good," admitted the 2007 NHK Trophy bronze medalist. "The jumps felt good, and I was really happy to do the triple-triple because the whole season I have been doing triple-double or double-triple."
Carriere executed a triple Axel with a slightly flawed landing, as well as a textbook triple flip-triple toe combination. The young college student rounded out his jumping requirements by landing a beautiful triple Lutz, and was rewarded with a person best 76.66 points for his short program.
Crowd favorite Ryan Bradley (Broadmoor SC) also skated a great short program en route to a fourth place finish, using his trademark flirtatious style to have the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
"I knew I needed to go out there and do something great," Bradley said confidently. "I just really tried to have fun and let my personality come out in this program more than it has earlier in the season."
The reigning silver medalist portrayed Mafioso Michael Corleone to the soundtrack from The Godfather with a verve that only he can get away with.
"The whole focus on this program was about the internal struggle that (Corleone) is having between being in love with Kay and being a top mafia leader," explained Bradley. "This is one of my favorite movies."
The 24-year-old opened with a controlled triple Axel, and followed it up with an impressive triple flip-triple toe loop combination. He didn't earn the high levels for his other elements that the leaders did, but he was happy with his performance nonetheless.
"Doing a clean program with a quad would have been greater," Bradley lamented. "But this is also an achievement in itself. I'm pretty excited about that."
Bradley's rink mate Jeremy Abbott (Broadmoor SC) skated a flawed short program with two minor jumping errors, but used his superior skating skills to finish in fifth place.
Abbott opened his Treat routine with a quadruple toe attempt, but he stepped out of the landing, which prevented him from completing a planned combination. On his next element, a triple Axel, Abbott again stepped out of the landing, and it looked as if his chances of placing well were all but gone.
But the 22-year-old had a back-up plan. After entertaining the audience with a high scoring camel spin and step sequence, Abbott changed his program to add a triple toe on the end of his planned triple Lutz. The quick thinking earned the 2005 Junior champion 10.43 points, over four points more then he would have scored for a solo triple Lutz.
"It was a planned back up plan," admitted Abbott. "You always want to execute your first plan, but I stepped out of the quad, so I wasn't able to get the combination. I knew that I had a chance to do it on the end of the Lutz, and I fought tooth and nail for it."
Abbott is a tall, lean skater who uses his long limbs to his advantage, and has an innate talent for interpreting music. In addition, the 2007 Four Continents Championships bronze medalist skates with a lot of speed and has command of his blade in most of his moves. As a result, he was rewarded with high program component scores that boosted his lead over sixth place finisher Scott Smith. Abbott also scored a personal best in this competition, and heads into the freeskate with 73.28 points.
Smith (SC of Boston) skated the most technically watered down program of the night, but was able to complete each element cleanly when others failed to do the same. Though he opened with a nice triple Axel, the 26-year-old completed an easy triple toe-triple toe as his combination instead of a planned quad-triple. Last year's fifth place finisher also only managed a triple Salchow out of footwork as his solo jump.
However, Smith did perform with a new panache that has been long missing from his programs, and his mid-season coaching change seems to be agreeing with him. After training in Boston for the past several years, he moved to Utah to train with Stephanie Grosscup.
Smith earned 66.34 points for his Night Train short program; less than a point off of his personal best.
The elder statesman of the competition, 29 year-old Derrick Delmore (Washington FSC) is competing in his 13th senior nationals, and is currently in seventh place.
Delmore skated to Malaguena, landing a triple Axel to open the program. The Stanford graduate then landed a clean triple Lutz, but could only manage a triple flip-double toe as his combination. The former Junior World champion scored 65.67 points in this phase of the competition.
"I'm fairly satisfied with my performance," confessed Delmore, "but I wish I had placed just one spot higher so that I could be in the final warm-up group. But last year I made a big pull when I was in the penultimate warm-up group, and I am hoping to do the same."
Delmore planned to stop skating singles after last season, but decided to compete again when he couldn't find a pairs partner to skate with this season.
Wesley Campbell (Nashville FSC) returned to the U.S. Championships this year after a two-year break, and is currently in eighth place. Campbell was pleased with his comeback performance, and says that he is now happy in his own skin.
"I'm just so happy with my life right now," said Campbell with a smile. "I'm teaching and I'm skating, and just being back here is the icing on the cake, honestly. Of course I want to improve more and work my way up the rankings, but I have a fresh attitude and am really enjoying myself."
The 22 year-old heads into the freeskate with 65.53 points.
Geoffry Varner (Peninsula SC) and Parker Pennington (Washington FSC) round out the top ten placing ninth and 10th, respectively.
The men's freeskate competition will take place on Sunday afternoon just before the Exhibition of Champions. If the short program is any indication of what is yet to come, it should be a great way to close out these championships.
