Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 4 Days!

Alexe Gilles (Broadmoor SC)

• 2007 US Novice Nationals 5th
• 2007 Jr. Grand Prix Final 6th
• 2008 Jr. Nationals 5th
• 2008 Jr. Grand Prix Final Bronze Medalist
• 2009 Jr. National Champion
• 2010 US Nationals 8th
• 2010 Four Continents 9th
• 2010 Skate Canada 11th
• 2010 Skate America 12th

Alexe is one of those skaters who really showed so much promise as a junior but can't seem to get out of her own head enough to have success on the senior level. She is so beautiful to watch when she is doing well but she seems to struggle with self-confidence issues, especially this year on the Grand Prix. It was sad to see her meltdown at Skate Canada when her programs were so gorgeous. She showed us glimpses of what she can do at Skate America with a lovely triple-triple in her short program, but seemed to doubt herself again and suffered a few falls in the short and the long. For her sake, I would love to see her pull off an excellent short program in Greensboro, make the final warm-up group for the free skate, and pull out a top 6 finish. She recently graduated from high school and I don't know what her future plans are, but with her grace and elegance, she would make an excellent show skater as well.

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 5 Days!

Britney Simpson & Nathan Miller (Broadmoor SC)

• 2009 US Junior Pewter Medalists
• 2009 Jr. Grand Prix Final 6th 
• 2010 US Junior Silver Medalists
• 2010 Skate Canada 6th
• 2010 Cup of Russia 7th

This team actually made quite a senior Grand Prix debut for a young pair team, finishing 6th and 7th respectively at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia. Though they are currently ranked only 26th in the world, that is not terribly shabby for a senior debut season. I like their youthful energy and exuberance, which really shows in their Pink Panther short program. I am not crazy about their selection of Moonlight Sonata for the free skate because I think they lack the maturity to play to its nuances and I will always believe that that piece belongs to Gordeeva and Grinkov. Their scores place them 5th among US pairs who have competed on the Senior Grand Prix Circuit this seasons, but we must not forget Marley and Brubaker who also outscored them with their Nesquik Cup performance. Their goal for this season was to receive International assignments and they achieved that by competing in two Grand Prix events. Their next goal should be a top 6 finish in Greensboro which should be easily achievable for them if they have put in some hard work in the past two months.

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 19 Days!

Ryan Bradley (Broadmoor SC)

• 2006-08 US Collegiate Champion
• 2007 US Silver Medalist
• 2008 US Nationals 5th 
• 2009 US Nationals 4th
• 2010 US Nationals 4th
• 2010 Four Continents Championships 5th

Ryan is one of those skaters who seems like he has been around for years just waiting to strike but unfortunately he has never been able to peak at the right time. His best national finish was 2nd in 2007, and he has finished just off the podium many times but unfortunately never qualified for the Olympics. He was so close last season too, finishing 4th and just a hair behind Johnny Weir. He has not had a lot of international success with disappointing 15th and 18th place finishes at his trips to senior worlds. He did not compete on the Grand Prix circuit this season so I'm assuming that his return to Nationals this season is an attempt to qualify for the World team and redeem himself from those low finishes at past Worlds. I've always enjoyed Ryan's skating, but I am afraid that it may be time for him to move on as the next generation is moving up the ranks and Ryan will have his work cut out for him if he wants to make the World team. I do wish him well though in Greensboro and maybe he will prove me wrong. 

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 36 Days!

Now that the ISU Grand Prix series is over, I can devote my attention to my favorite competition of the year, the US Nationals! Saturday January 22-Sunday January 30, 2011 baby! I have always wanted to see Nationals live and maybe some year I will (Washington, DC or Baltimore please) but for now, I will be live-blogging every minute! In preparation for the event, I will be doing a post each day where I discuss a major contender and how I expect them to factor into the competition.

Rachael Flatt (Broadmoor, SC)

• 2005 US Novice Champion
• 2008 World Junior Champion
• 2010 US Senior National Champion
• 2010 Olympian
• 2010 Grand Prix Finalist

The US Nationals has always been a very strong competition for Rachael. Since rising to the senior ranks in the 2006-2007 season, she hasn't placed now lower than 5th and has twice been on the senior world team. She has always been known for her consistency, but in the 2009-2010 season, she began to fall out of favor with international judges. She has always scored higher on her technical elements than program components, but at the 2010 Olympics, Rachael began to see some downgrades on her triple jumps, which hurt her usually strong technical numbers. After graduating from high school in 2010, Rachael deferred from Stanford for a year to focus on skating. A nagging injury this season has left her unable to train to her fullest potential and while she picked up two silver medals on the ISU's Grand Prix this season, she was devastated with her sub-par performance at the Grand Prix Final last week which resulted in a 6th place finish. A disappointment like that would be enough for a lesser athlete to give up, but in Rachael's case, I suspect it will light a fire under her to push herself beyond her limits and deliver a spectacular performance at Nationals. The US has not had a repeat National champion since the reign of Michelle Kwan from 1998 to 2005 and now Rachael has the chance to do that and solidify herself as the top US senior lady. Her biggest competition will be Alissa Czisny, Mirai Nagasu, and Ashley Wagner, all of whom struggle with inconsistency and often meltdown in high pressure situations. Youngsters Christina Gao and Agnes Zawadski, who is one of Rachael's training partners, will also be nipping at her heels as she tries to repeat as National Champion. However the chips fall, drama is certain to ensue!