Last weekend, top skaters from around the United States descended (safely, I guess) onto the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas to repeat a slightly enlarged version of October's Skate America. Since Beijing 2022 is only 12 months away, this nationals reaffirmed likely olympic picks for 3 disciplines, and complicated choices for 1 other. At least it was nice to finally watch a live competition in my own timezone...
Instead of doing my typical top 3, I figured I'd just write about some of the best moments from each discipline. Unfortunately, some videos are not included due to NBC's ridiculous content control that continues to hurt the sport and all of those involved :) I've included the videos I was able to find...
US Pairs
As usual, I was fairly...uninterested by the pairs competition here. There were really no surprises, and after so many months of watching Russian pairs compete during the pandemic, it was frustrating to see continued mistakes from the US teams. Cain-Gribble and LeDuc redeemed their status somewhat with a solid free skate, but had falls in both programs. Calalang and Johnson, like usual, had some beautiful moments, but continue to struggle with every side-by-side jump sequence. It was the new partnership between Alexa Scimeca-Knierim and Brandon Frazier that came out on top, with two impressive, clean skates. It was very bizarre to hear Alexa's name announced with someone other than her husband, Chris (at some point, some announcer is going to make the mistake and we're all going to laugh). Alexa's energy was...intense...and it was wholesome to see Brandon so excited by the level of scores that he had never received with his last partner. Next steps? Getting Alexa to not smile so enthusiastically through emotional, dark programs.
US Ice Dance
#3: Chock and Bate's Renewed Short Dance
As someone who has played in a production of Kiss Me Kate, this "Too Darn Hot" dance has always been a favorite of mine, and that did not change here at nationals. Madison got herself a new costume, and they came out looking very precise and edgy, garnering an enormous (and ridiculous, but hey it's nationals) score that put them ahead of Hubbell and Donohue after the short program. Definitely worth a watch!
#2: Hawayek and Baker's Free Dance
Something about this program is very haunting to me. I haven't been the biggest fan of Hawayek and Baker's free dances the last few years, especially last year's dramatic Beethoven piece that I thought came across very awkward. But the costuming and whole energy of this dance is enchanting and emotional, and I'm happy to see them doing so well.
#1: Hubbell and Donohue's Free Dance
Hubbell and Donohue are such a powerful skating team but, similar to Hawayek and Baker, their last few years of free dances have really turned me off. The Romeo and Juliet dance from 2018-2019 was bizarre and unflattering, and the Star Is Born dance from last year was supposed to be a viral moment...that ended up seeming childish and messy. This hallelujah dance was just that...A HALLELUJAH! Very pretty and definitely deserved the gold medal here.
US Men's
#3: Vincent Zhou's Vincent Program
I am a sucker for a Vincent program (the song, not necessarily him), and this one does not disappoint. What made this program so exciting was the jump stability. I was NOT expecting that huge 4Lz3t off the start, and for him to come to nationals with such strong technical content in the short program, and nail it like he did, is an improvement from when he would underrotate every jump earlier in his career. His speed and edges and overall vibes are nowhere near Nathan's, but his technical content makes up for it and made this a really great watch!
#2: Nathan Chen's Long Program
I'm not a big fan of either of Nathan's programs this year. Yes, he does a million beautiful quads, but I don't find myself wanting to watch the performances again and again like some of his pieces in the past. However, I thought this performance of his long program, which is quite different and more classical (even though it's not really classical) compared to his usual modern/pop programs, was SO much more engaging than his performance of it at Skate America. And the jumps are always impressive, which automatically makes him exciting. It is important to note though that these landings were much messier than preferred, and he will need to clean these elements up tremendously if he wants any shot at beating Yuzuru Hanyu in the Beijing olympics. The bright side? Nathan seemed to recognize that this was not a strong performance (despite what the scores would suggest), so hopefully he will continue to power through into 2022. Now he just needs AN ACTUAL COSTUME! YOU'RE A WORLD CHAMPION! STOP WEARING RANDOM SHIRTS FROM YOUR CHOREOGRAPHER'S CLOSET, NATHAN!
#1: Jason Brown.
I love Jason Brown. I could watch Jason Brown skate laps and I would thank him. Both of his programs this season are such a delight, but the short program ("Sinnerman") at this competition was STUNNING. No, he doesn't have a quad. But the step sequences and skating skills were MAGICAL. I have watched this over and over again, and I think this performance will turn out to be a classic Nationals moment that skating fans continue to watch into the future.
US Ladies
#3: Karen Chen is finally back
Karen Chen is probably the best female ~skater~ the US has right now. She has such pretty spins and crossovers and an impressive spiral that always draws wows from the crowd (when there is a crowd...), but she has continually struggled with the jumps, especially the under rotations. Those struggles were not missing here- multiple jumps in the short program and long program were called under, but, unlike other competitions, she did not have any disastrous falls that often accompany those under rotations. I like both of her programs this year, and I think she should keep both for the olympic season, but the short program specifically stuck out here as a dramatic piece and set her apart from her competitors. I think she was significantly underscored artistically for this program, and should have ended up a spot or two higher going into the long program. Overall, I'm really happy for her placing 3rd here, happy for her to be named to the World team, and excited to see how these programs improve over the next year.
#2: Alysa Liu (I know...I'm shocked too)
In the past, I've been someone who really knocked down Alysa's special treatment at Nationals. She is a two-time National Champion (2019, 2020), and yet in both of those competitions, was the slowest and most junior skater in attendance. She's still a junior- she won't be eligible to compete on the senior level internationally until next year. And this season has been a disaster for her- since growing and moving coaches, she's lost her triple axel and quad that had become her signature shiny elements that convinced judges to put her in placements above what she deserved. Not to say she isn't incredibly talented...but I think this scoring has created a mindset that she's better than she is, and that she doesn't have a lot to work on, which she does. However, Alysa Liu was one of the more surprising and enjoyable appearances this year for me...because she has ~actually~ improved. No, she didn't bring any triple axels or quads, but the overall speed and skating skills were vastly better than anything I've seen from her, which made her much more watchable amongst her elder peers. I think the long program is a really good vehicle for her to keep learning those skills, while keeping the tried-and-true triple elements that she is capable of performing. Overall, I'd say that her new ice dance coach is worth every penny...now she just needs a jump coach to try and get back to where she was technically as a younger kid.
*Note: The title of NBC's video below is absurd. She wasn't aiming for a three-peat, nor was this performance a derailment, nor should you be using words like that when you've manipulated her success as a child for 3+ years.
#1: Amber Glenn!
I LOVE Amber Glenn! She is probably the most likable and relatable female skater in the US- she has a tiktok, posts very candidly on instagram, and has advocated for the LGBT+ community, coming out as bisexual/pansexual, making her a very important role model in the figure skating community where there are little-to-no out LGBT+ women. She has such powerful skating skills, and shows her emotions prominently during her performances, which in the past has contributed to her missing a lot of elements. She's a skater who can typically do really well in the short program, and then will tank in the free program and miss out on medal positions that she is capable of earning. This was the first time I've EVER seen Amber Glenn skate a clean long program, and I was jumping out of my seat for her. She's also currently the only US ladies skater openly attempting triple axels, which is what the US needs going forward to be competitive. GO AMBER!
As I said at the beginning of this review, 2021 Nationals reaffirmed olympic choices for 3 disciplines: Pairs, Dance, and Mens. Alexa and Brandon are shooting their way to the top, the top 3 dance teams in the US have not shifted over the last 3 years, and neither have the overall mens results. However, the ladies competition has planted doubt, at least for me, on who the US will get behind for the games. Alysa, who US Figure Skating has previously suggested could win a medal in Beijing (that's not going to happen lol), is struggling to maintain that same footing. And Mariah Bell, who has been the second leading lady behind Bradie Tennell for the past 3 years, had a DISASTROUS nationals and ended up in 5th place. Bradie Tennell won the ladies competition this year by a HUGE margin, but I didn't include her in my top 3. Why? Because both performances were uninspiring and boring. And that might sound harsh, but it's just the truth. And she was over-scored hugely, considering that many of her jumps were under rotated. So now I think those two US ladies olympic spots are really anyone's to grab....should make for an interesting year.
Comments