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Last night, the top American ladies took competitive ice for the last time before the Olympics. With only two spots available on this year's team and arguably at least six skaters who could place in the top ten in Vancouver, it was all about who would skate cleanly, perform her best and rack up the most points. And as always, the unpredictability kept the audience on their feet.
I was glad to see Dick Button and his descriptors back on TV. In his first couple minutes, he used the words 'effervescence' and 'buttercup.' Scott Hamilton was also on the air sharing his thoughts on the performances. NBC always brings the Olympic champs back to be commentators every four years, which I like. Unfortunately they delay the TV coverage, so we get all of the event results online hours - if not days - before we see them on TV. I can only hope they don't try to pull that stunt from Vancouver or things could get ugly.
On the ice, Caroline Zhang, who finished 10th in the Short Program made characteristic errors on both her initial jumps with a telegraphing leg going almost into a spiral position before toeing into the ice, giving her unstable leverage when vaulting up to rotate. Bebe Liang skated well, but missed her highest point jump. Last year's national champion, Alissa Czisny looked tired and just didn't have the energy for her tough jumps. Veteran Emily Hughes fell on two of her triples. The event didn't begin well for the ladies.
In the final group of skaters, Amanda Dobbs skated well for her first time at the senior level, but she missed several jumps. For Sochi 2014 though, look for Christina Gao to make that team. She sparkled in her first visit to U.S. Nationals, finishing fifth after landing a beautiful triple-triple and a triple-double-double. (It might be worth noting that she trains with Brian Orser along with Yu-Na Kim.) She did miss two jumps toward the end, but the rest of her program was excellent for a fifteen year-old.
Ashley Wagner took the ice looking determined and she skated a perfect program. Lacking the artistry of the three remaining skaters, her jumps were powerful and she seemed happy with her performance. It as enough to win her the bronze medal, but she'll be the alternate on the Olympic and World team. She looked disappointed at the end - she held onto hope until the last skater's scores came in, but it wasn't enough to make it onto the Olympic team.
Finally Sasha Cohen took the ice looking exquisite (that word chosen in honor of Dick Button), but she two-footed her first three jumps, pretty much ending her chances right there for making the Olympic team. Then she followed with a fall on another jump. Still, as wobbly as she was, her program was elegant and captivating. And she smiled genuinely at the end, without any pouting or frustration shown. Clearly she was disappointed, but she definitely had fun out there and her score was respectable at 174. She put the lady in ladies figure skating for the event - elegant and graceful. She did what she came to do and proved she's still one of the best in the sport.
Next up, Rachel Flatt took the ice. She had a little trouble on the second jump in her triple-triple combination, but she pulled it out. Her combination spin was also a bit slow and weak on the positions, as was her spiral in comparison with some of the other ladies, showing room for improvement. But her jumps were huge and her final spin looked good. She earned a standing ovation and looked really happy with how she skated. Overall, she scored over 200 points due to loading jumps toward the end of the program and she looked ecstatic. Really, it cannot be emphasized enough how giant that score was compared with the other top contenders at the world level.
Mirai Nagasu followed with an excellent start to her program including a fine triple-double-double. She traveled a bit on her first spin, but her layback combination was very good, as was her extension on her spiral sequence (okay, more than good.) She really had a spectacular performance and landed all of her jumps, but at least one wasn't fully rotated. Her music was inspiring and she
