US Figure Skating Championships 2018: TV Schedule, Top Contenders and Event Info

The world's finest figure skaters will descend on San Jose, California, in the coming days for the United States Figure Skating Championships.

The event is the culmination of months of graft for the competitors, although it's potentially the start of an exciting spell. Performances at the SAP Center will count towards qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February.

It means it will be make or break for many in action in San Jose. Here's a look at the full broadcast schedule for the event and a preview of what to expect from the Championships.

Schedule

Wednesday, January 3 - Ladies' Short - NBCSN

Thursday, January 4 - Pairs' Short - NBCSN

Thursday, January 4 - Men's Short - NBCSN

Friday, January 5 - Short Dance - NBCSN

Friday, January 5 - Ladies' Free - NBC

Saturday, January 6 - Pairs' Free - NBC

Saturday, January 6 - Men's Free - NBC

Sunday, January 7 - Free Dance - NBC

For the schedule in full visit the USFSA website.

Preview

As we can see here, the United States Figure Skating Twitter account has been looking forward to this for a while:

The competition is always an intriguing way to begin the New Year, and for a lot of the stars set to take to the ice, this environment is ideal to sharpen up their skills ahead of the the Winter Olympics.

One of those is Nathan Chen, who is set to be a part of the three-man team headed to South Korea in February. The 18-year-old finished 2017 as the only unbeaten male figure skater this season and added victory in the World Grand Prix final to his impressive haul of titles.

The man himself said he's keen to keep getting better in what promises to be a defining year in his career.

"I made a couple mistakes and a lot of things to work on, but I'm happy," he said of his performance in the Grand Prix, per Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports. "Throughout the season I've been able to prove myself. I've got to continue doing that at the U.S. Championships."

Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

There will be stiff competition for Chen to retain the prize he won a year ago, though. Jason Brown, third a year ago, always finds a way to put himself in contention, as will the 2016 champion Adam Rippon.

The latter posted the following clip of his preparations for the competition as he seeks to get back to winning ways:

Karen Chen, the women's national champion, will be a major draw whenever she takes to the ice in San Jose.

While she's been unable to secure any victory since her triumph here a year ago, Chen will be determined to shine on the big stage again. A fourth-place finish at the World Championships in March was another indicator of her pedigree.

Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

Mariah Bell also went to the Worlds, but she appeared to lose some momentum after a 12th-place finish.

She was ninth at the recent NHK Trophy, and journalist Maggie Hendricks expressed her disappointment at the routine:

In the pairs competition, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier will be back to defend their national title, while siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani will want to continue their recent dominance of the ice dance category.