Men: Nathan Chen struggles and loses his winning streak of more than three seasons.
The men’s competition at Skate America had a shocking result for those who follow the sport. For the first time since the 2018 Olympics, Nathan Chen lost a competition. His winning streak included three World Championships, three National Titles, and two Grand Prix Finals among other smaller victories. He had won 14 straight competitions going into Skate America. It was the first time in several seasons that Chen looked mortal and was very reminiscent of his short program in PyeongChang. However, he could not put down the free skate he did at the Olympics, popping out of two of his quads.
It was Vincent Zhou who was able to claim the gold at Skate America this time. Zhou has been second-man in the United States for several years behind Chen due to inconsistencies in his skating. He is prone to under-rotations that have cost him in the past. However, this weekend, Zhou was able to put down two solid skates to top Chen and Shoma Uno, the silver medalist. He nearly hit his goal score of 300 in this competition, earning 295.56. This start for Zhou makes his outlook toward the Grand Prix Final promising.
Chen on the other hand is going to have to hope for a gold in Canada this week and a stroke of luck in order to make it to the Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will show whether this weekend was a fluke for Chen, or if fans of United States Figure Skating should have concerns about his ability to make the podium at the Olympics this winter.
Women: Russia is still dominant in ladies’ figure skating.
The women’s competition at Skate America was fierce. The point difference between first and ninth place was a little less than 44. To put that in perspective, the point difference between first and fourth in the men’s competition was 48.51. The competition wasn’t just close on the ladies’ side, but the scores were fairly high. The podium results were not too surprising, with Russian ladies once again taking over the competition.
World bronze medalist Alexandra Trusova put on a show at Skate America, besting her score at worlds by over 15 points. Trusova only attempted one quad in the free program, a quad lutz, but she landed it cleanly. She also did well in the component score, gaining 69 points. If Trusova continues to skate at this level, she might be able to beat some of the other Russian skaters who beat her last year.
The silver medalist, Daria Usacheva, is also from Russia. The 15-year-old scored 217.31 overall. She was second after the short program and was able to maintain that placement despite placing fourth in the free program. Usacheva did not have a quad in her program and received a negative grade of execution on her triple flip. While this is a great start to the Grand Prix season for her, it is unlikely she will be selected to the Russian Olympic Committee Team for 2022 if she does not have a quad in her arsenal.
The other Russian, Kseniia Sinitsyna, took fifth.
Pairs: Knierim and Frazier need to step it up.
It is an Olympic cycle, so it’s time to get nitpicky. Knierim and Frazier look like they will be the leading pairs skaters for the United States going into Beijing, and for them to be competitive, they will need to improve. While this is a big ask because the team has only competed one season together before this year, if there is any team that can do it, it is them.
They took fourth at Skate America with a score of 202.97.
It is not a bad score, but it will not be competitive at the Olympics. In 2018, Savchenko and Massot of Germany won the gold medal with a score of 235.90. All of the scores to make it to the podium were above 230. Realistically, there is no way Frazier and Knierim hit this score, but they could improve on the placement Alexa Scimeca-Knierim earned, with her husband Chris, in 2018. They placed fifteenth in PyeongChang with a score of 185.82. At this point, Knierim and Frazier could be looking for a top 10 finish, but with the other talent from around the world, they would still need to step up their game to get there.
Ice Dance: The fight for the top US team is as close as ever.
Unsurprisingly, the US teams took the top two spots at Skate America. The reigning US champions, Hubble and Donohue, took the gold by less than a point. Chock and Bates, who took the silver medal at the US championships, came in second in the competition. Chock and Bates found themselves a little over a point behind Hubble and Donohue after the short program. The difference in scores between the two was minimal and it was still either team’s competition to win going into the free.
The scores of the free program were even closer between the two teams. The pairs had the exact same base value score in their free programs, but Chock and Bates just edged out Hubble and Donohue in the technical score. However, Hubble and Donohue just overtook Chock and Bates with the component score, by all of 0.42 points. The difference between the pairs overall in the free program was 0.28 points.
The two US pairs were in a league of their own at Skate America, with Chock and Bates finishing a full 18 points ahead of the third-place team. It is possible for the teams to face off again at the Grand Prix Final and once again battle it out for gold. While the competition then will be more fierce overall, the US figure skating fans will have a close eye on the two US pairs to see which one comes out on top.