I was less excited about the Senior men than any other event in this competition. Did you feel me? However, after so many relatively clean shorts, I was actually looking forward to this free! Though the judging left us asking questions, the competitors were at their best!
- Without Jason Brown or even Joshua Farris in the competition, any win almost seems…..less than. Nevertheless:
- Boy was I wrong! Adam won this event, but he had heavy competition, from his training mate Nathan Chen in particular.
- Can Max Aaron, the clear favorite, land his jumps and win outright?
- He landed the jumps and had some semblance of performance quality, but with so much two-foot skating his program didn't hold a candle to Adam. Adam leads in artistry and Chen leads in athleticism, which leaves Max Aaron just hanging out in the middle.
- Will Nathan Chen, the once novice and junior phenom, improve upon last year’s 8th place finish in his Senior debut and threaten for the podium?
- Did he ever! In my opinion, he should have won. I am a dance teacher and theatre nerd, so I of all people appreciate performance quality, but this is in fact a sport and athleticism should prevail.
- Can dark horse candidate and twitter-verse favorite Grant Hochstein make a statement after his impressive 4th place finishes at Cup of China and NHK Trophy?
- Johnny and Tara would not agree, but Grant pulled at the heart strings in his free and earned the fabulous pewter. With Chen's health uncertain, he has a strong shot at the world team.
- If Hochstein skates cleanly, will he have a moment with his Les Miz free skate and bring the crowd to its feet?
- He did indeed! Dell Pelligrini also had a moment when he skated over to her after the skate. Again, Johnny and Tara threw shade, but the real skating fans know better and appreciate a true "Nationals moment" when we see one.
- Is Ross Miner still relevant?
- He was indeed relevant in the short program, but without the quad or the unmatched artistry of Rippon, he will have difficulty making a world team.
- Will Adam Rippon’s jumps fail him yet again, but wow us with his artistry?
- Yes and yes!
- Who will be the surprise member of the final group in the free?
- Ladies and gentlemen, meet Tim Dolensky! I hated how Tara called him a "practice skater" just because he doesn't train at a big fancy rink. This kid has talent and I don't think this showing was a fluke.
- Who will make the biggest jump from the short to the free?
- He only jumped from 7th to 6th, but Alexander Johnson gave the free performance of the event for me after forgettable short. He is a true artist. His edge work is stellar and he makes this incredibly difficult sport look effortless.
- And finally, the question is not if, but who, will the selection committee screw out of an International assignment?
- The answer as of now is "nobody". However, if Chen cannot attend Worlds, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if USFS reconsiders Brown's petition over 1st alternate Hochstein.
