US Figure Skating Championships 2015: Daily Results and Updated Schedule Info
The best American figure skating has to offer descended upon Greensboro, North Carolina, for the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Gracie Gold will be among the names to watch at the event. The 19-year-old is the defending champion in ladies' singles and a little less than a year ago helped the American team earned bronze in team figure skating at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Her toughest competition may be from Ashley Wagner, who was the U.S. champion in 2012 and 2013.
Scott M. Reid of The Orange County Register wrote that the competitive rivalry between Wagner and Gold could help spark interest in American figure skating.
"Two-time U.S. champion Ashley Wagner, 23, and reigning U.S. titlist Gracie Gold, 19, have the makings of American women’s skating’s first bona fide rivalry since Kwan and Tara Lipinski’s 6.0 showdowns in the late ’90s.
Even if Ashley-Gracie is only a PG version of Tonya-Nancy, the rivalry comes at a critical time for the two skaters and for an American sport on the brink of becoming a winter version of track and field, only relevant with mainstream America and Madison Avenue once every four years.
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"Right now the rivalry between Gracie and I is such a great thing for the sport," Wagner said. "It keeps things interesting. It gives fans something to get behind. People take sides. So I think entertainment-wise, I think it is really great."
The men's side isn't quite as compelling, with many favoring Jason Brown in what is a somewhat thin field. Defending champion Jeremy Abbott is back, but between age and a disappointing run of results, he's not heading into Greensboro on totally solid footing.
The odds are on Brown emerging as the top star. Should he do so, the 20-year-old could become the face of United States men's figure skating.
Updated Schedule
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Below is the full schedule for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships after Friday.
Saturday, Jan. 24
Session 17—Championship Rink: 10:45 a.m. ET
Championship Free Dance (Groups 3 and 4)
Championship Pairs (Group 3)
Session 18—Championship Rink: 2:30 p.m. ET
Championship Pairs (Groups 1 and 2)
Championship Free Dance (Groups 1 and 2)
Session 19—Championship Rink: 7 p.m. ET
Championship Ladies Free Skate
Sunday, Jan. 25
Session 20—Championship Rink: 2 p.m. ET
Championship Men Free Skate
Session 21—Championship Rink: 7:15 p.m. ET
Smucker’s Skating Spectacular
Note: Schedule courtesy of NorthCarolina2015.com.
Day 1
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Figure skating fans got their money's worth on the opening day of the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The action began at 9:35 a.m. ET and went well into Friday evening in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A dozen medals were awarded across three events throughout the day as some of the best juvenile skaters hit the rink.
Daniel Turchin of Skokie Valley Skating in Chicago earned first place in the juvenile boys free skate. With a score of 47.48, Turchin narrowly beat out Chase Finster of Louisville Skating Academy in Louisville, Kentucky.
His third element was among the best in the discipline. Turchin attempted a change foot combination spin 4, which carried a 3.50 base value. He earned a 0.71 grade of execution and final score of 4.21.
In the juvenile girls division, Sophia Chouinard outclassed the competition, breezing to first place. She will have done the Panthers Figure Skating Club in Coral Springs, Florida, proud with her performance. Chouinard earned big points for her double Lutz and double loop element, which was the biggest highlight of her routine.
Altice Sollazo and Paul Yeung, both of the All Year Figure Skating Club in Ontario, California, started strong and carried it through to a first-place finish in juvenile pairs. Their first two elements, a double flip and a group 2 lift 4, earned strong grades of execution and combined for 5.63 points. From there, Sollazo and Yeung avoided any critical mistakes.
Note: Results are courtesy of IceNetwork.com.
Day 2
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Day 2's accolades in Greensboro commenced with Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov of the Washington Figure Skating Club winning the juvenile dance.
After finishing atop the willow waltz and fiesta tango to build a sizable lead on Saturday, they only required a third-place effort in Sunday's free dance final to secure the top medal in representing Rockville, Maryland. A combination spin 4 helped the pair overcome a two-point fall deduction to still finish comfortably in first with a total score of 87.50.
The winning duo's teammates in Jordan Lin and Morgan Sletten fell from second to fourth in the free dance, allowing Byrdee Darling and Rebel Rodriguez Avellan (Memorial FSC Of Houston) to be runners-up with an 80.69 score. They were followed by Juliette and Lucas Shadid (All Year FSC) at 77.62 overall.
TJ Nyman of Space Coast Iceplex FSC in Rockledge, Florida, emerged as the next national champion in the intermediate men's free skate final.
Nyman managed to hold on to his overnight lead from the short program, executing a double Axel, single loop and double loop in a single element after pulling off a triple toe loop. Those two earned him 6.73 and 5.21 points, respectively, in the middle of his routine.
In the ladies' edition of the intermediate free skate, Kassandra Carpentier of Colonial FSC (Boxborough, Massachusetts) overtook All Year's short program leader Gia Kokotakis, who slipped to third. DuPage FSC's Maxine Marie Bautista was seventh in the short program, but staged a remarkable rally with a phenomenal 75.10 score in starting sixth.
Carpentier, starting 10th, then overtook Bautista and wound up with a superior total of 112.24 to 105.84. In Carpentier's routine, she landed a double Axel, single and double loop for an apex element score of 6.37. That provided a necessary boost, culminating in a strong, triumphant finish and high factored program component marks totaling 35.75.
Note: Results are courtesy of IceNetwork.com.
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Day 3
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The U.S. Figure Skating Championships had a jam-packed day of action on Monday, as five premier events either concluded or got underway.
The premier event was the conclusion of the Novice Ladies competition, as Emily Chan built upon her excellent performance in the short program with a dominant 98.28 performance in the free skate that saw her easily take first place overall.
Her score of 149.25 easily surpassed runners-up Akari Nakahara (134.63) and Nina Ouellette (128.55). Chan left little doubt that she would win the event when she landed the incredibly difficult triple toeloop, double toeloop, double loop combination. For good measure, she flawlessly added a triple Salchow and double toeloop combination.
Elli Kopmar and Jonah Barrett came into the day in fourth place in the Intermediate Pairs competition after the short program, but their 64.70 score in the free skate catapulted them to first place. They flipped spots with Jasmine Fendi and Joshua Fendi, who came into the day in first place but slipped to fourth overall after finishing in fourth on Monday.
Sophia Elder and Christopher Elder finished off a dominant display in the Intermediate Dance by winning the free dance, following up their victories in the Rocker Foxtrot and European Waltz. No team came close to their combined score of 103.53, as the second-place team of Jillian Moyer and Jarred Druzynski finished with an overall score of 89.25.
Meanwhile, the Novice Pairs competition kicked off on Monday, as Darbie Burke and Griffin Schwab finished the short program in first place with a score of 37.22. The Novice Men also began with the short program, as Justin Ly scored a 47.47 to slide into first place, highlighted by a brilliant triple lutz and double toeloop combination.
Note: Results are courtesy of IceNetwork.com.
Day 4
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Tuesday began with the conclusion of the novice dance competition.
Caroline Green and Gordon Green, who established a big lead with first-place finishes in the Starlight Waltz and U.S. Paso Double, again took first place in the free dance portion, securing a gold medal with a total score of 111.30.
Katherine Grosul and Cameron Colucci, who entered the day in fourth, took silver with an impressive effort, while Emma Gunter and Caleb Wein nabbed bronze.
Next up was the novice men's free skate final.
A day after being crowned champion in the intermediate pairs competition, Jonah Barrett put forth a huge performance to capture another gold.
"I love the piece so much, it makes it so much easier to skate," Barrett told IceNetwork.com's Lynn Rutherford. "It feels like a show program. It goes by so quickly. I feel like I'm doing an exhibition now, not a novice free."
Justin Ly, who led after the short program on Monday, fell to silver, while Kendrick Weston took bronze.
Finally, in the junior pairs competition, Caitlin Fields and Ernie Utah Stevens took a lead with a score of 57.18 in the short program. They'll skate for gold on Thursday, with Chelsea Liu and Brian Johnson (54.96) not far behind.
Note: Results are courtesy of IceNetwork.com.
Day 5
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Only one event was fully decided on Wednesday in Greensboro, as the novice pairs free skate final saw Kate Finster (Louisville Skating Academy) and Eric Hartley (Queen City FSC) triumph.
The winners rallied from third place in the short program to edge out Southwest Florida FSC's Sarah Rose and Joseph Goodpaster with a total of 112.91 points, compared to the latter pair's 109.66.
Finster and Hartley were the last of 12 to go out for the free skate, and used superior scores in the program components to secure the top prize. That created plenty of drama during the final routine.
In the other action from Day 5, Bradie Tennell of Wagon Wheel FSC opened up a sizable lead in the junior ladies short program, while the men's rendition saw Panthers FSC's Andrew Torgashev dominate the competition himself.
Torgashev enters the free skate with a double-digit advantage after a superb 75.61 score. He hit the ice with fervor in executing an element that featured a triple flip and triple toe loop combination, netting 9.90 points off the bat.
Washington FSC will be proud of its initial results in the junior dance. One of its skaters, Quinn Carpenter, teamed with Lorraine McNamara (Peninsula SC) to for a high score of 64.16. That's just ahead of the Rockville, Maryland, club's tandem of Rachel and Michael Parsons (60.61).
Note: Results are courtesy of IceNetwork.com.
Day 6
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After grabbing a sizable lead in the short program on Wednesday, Caitlin Fields and Ernie Utah Stevens delivered another stellar performance in the free skate to take home gold in the junior pairs competition.
Chelsea Liu and Brian Johnson grabbed silver, while Olivia Allan and Austin Hale earned bronze.
In the championship pairs portion, Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim put forth an excellent score of 74.01 in the short program. The bronze medalists from the Four Continents Championships last year have plenty of breathing room going into the free skate on Saturday, as Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier finished second with 68.38.
Finally, it was time for the most anticipated event of the evening: the championship ladies short program.
Ashley Wagner, who finished seventh at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, stole the show. With a marvelous routine highlighted by a triple lutz plus triple toeloop, she scored 72.04, which was easily a personal best and just shy of the national record, per the IceNetwork Twitter feed.
The 23-year-old looks to be a lock for gold, but she has two fellow Olympians chasing her.
Gracie Gold sits in second after a score of 67.02, while 16-year-old Polina Edmunds is in the third with 66.04. They'll look to make up the ground in the free skate on Saturday afternoon.
Note: Results are courtesy of IceNetwork.com.
Day 7
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Day 7 opened with the completion of the Junior Men competition. Andrew Torgashev, who led after the short program on Wednesday, was once again the best skater on the ice. His free skate score of 149.63 was nearly 20 points better than anybody else as he easily claimed the top spot.
Aleksei Krasnozhon, who was a distant sixth following the short program, rebounded nicely with a second-place showing in the free skate. It moved him up to fourth in the final standings behind Kevin Shum and Paolo Borromeo, the second and third place finishers overall respectively.
The story was much the same in the Junior Dance category. The tandem of Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter dominated the short dance on Wednesday and backed it up with another terrific showing in the free dance to win.
Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons finished second in both disciplines. Elliana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit came in third in each to make the overall standings plain and simple. Julia Biechler and Damian Dodge made the biggest jump, going from 11th in the short dance to seventh in the free dance.
Bradie Tennell was the star of the Junior Ladies. Her performance in the short program gave her a sizable advantage heading into Friday's free skate and she didn't let it to slip away. In fact, she increased it to finish with a 176.36 score, 16 points better than anyone else.
Paige Rydberg, who was the closest competitor after the short program, struggled on Friday and slipped in the standings. That opened the door for Olivia Serafini to move into second and Vivian Le into third. Rebecca Peng also shined, posting the third-best score after a lackluster short program.
In the Championship Dance competition, which will conclude on Saturday with the free dance, it was Madison Chock and Evan Bates grabbing a narrow lead in the short dance. Their score of 73.95 was just a tenth better than Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani.
Those two pairs will probably battle for the top spot. No other team is within eight points. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue are in third place. There are two other groups above the 60-point threshold heading into the final round.
Moving to the Men's Short Program, Jason Brown was the star of the show. He got a total score of 93.36 with a masterful performance that included a gorgeous spiral into a triple Axel right out of the gate. The California native wasn't quite in rhythm with the music, finishing a final spin just after it finished, but his score didn't suffer too much.
Joshua Farris was the closest competition for Brown, finishing with a score of 90.40, and he was followed closely by Jeremy Abbott at 89.93. The top three really wasn't in doubt, as they finished more than four full points ahead of everyone else.
Note: Results are courtesy of the Ice Network.
Day 8
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The penultimate day of competition at the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships featured three events, including the Championship Free Dance, Championship Pairs and Championship Ladies Free Skate.
In the Championship Free Dance competition, Madison Chock and Evan Bates were able to secure their first ever ice dancing national championship. The duo put up a tremendous score of 111.11 on Saturday, giving them a final score of 185.06.
Chock and Bates held a slight lead over Maia and Alex Shibutani coming into the day, thanks to a score of 73.95 in the short dance. The problem is the Shibutani siblings left them virtually no breathing room with a score of 73.84.
A dazzling free dance routine left Chock and Bates in the winner's circle by more than five points.
Also walking away with gold medals were Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim, who made history along the way. They finished with 210.49 points, well ahead of Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier. Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea took home the bronze.
According to Rachel Cohen of The Associated Press, via The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Scimeca and Knierim became the first American pair to successfully land a quad twist in competition.
In the same AP report, Scimeca noted that "U.S. pairs need to be more competitive with the international teams." This is likely a comment on the fact that no American woman has been able to medal in an individual event at the Olympics or world championships since 2006.
The final event was the Ladies Free Skate, which was won by Ashley Wagner in convincing fashion with a final score of 221.02, which was more than 15 full points ahead of silver medalist Gracie Gold.
Karen Chen became one of the biggest stories at this event, especially on Saturday, winning a bronze medal at the age of 15. Per Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports, Chen is the youngest to medal in this event since 2008.
That's not a bad way to close out the last full day of events at the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in 2015.
Day 9
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All that was left on Sunday was the final of the men's championship competition, where Jason Brown emerged as the winner with a total score of 274.98.
Brown carried over his momentum after registering the top score in the short program with a spectacular routine in the free-skate finale. The Skokie Valley SC star executed a triple axel and double toe loop element combination to start his routine on a high note.
The best element came when Brown pulled off a triple lutz and a single loop followed by a triple salchow for a score of 13.37. That was good enough to remain ahead of Adam Rippon (SC of New York).
Four of Brown's five scores in program components were better than nine, which shows just how well he executed the routine. Rippon vaulted from fifth to runner-up in the free skate on the strength of four elements that scored above 11 points, putting his total at 272.48.
Broadmoor SC teammates Joshua Farris and Max Aaron placed third and fourth respectively to round out the top finishers.
Sunday's competition showed off an exceptional display of talent from this group of figure skaters. However, Brown's triumph was a huge achievement and a big breakthrough for the 20-year-old rising star as he continues a promising trajectory in his senior career.
Note: Results are courtesy of the Ice Network.
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