Figure Skaters Online | 2008 U.S. Championships

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January 27, 2008 — It could not have been any closer between 2007 U.S. Champion Evan Lysacek and three-time national champion Johnny Weir at the U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn. The two tied with a final score of 277.44 points.

But it was Lysacek who came away with the gold medal. While Weir claimed the short program with 83.40, Lysacek won the tiebreaker because of his 162.72 point first place performance in the free skate.

"If you were scripting this whole deal, you probably couldn’t have done any better job than this," Lysacek said. He finished second to Weir at 2007 Cup of China and later won bronze to Weir's fourth place at the Grand Prix Final.

Lysacek started his Tosca program with a quadruple toe-triple toe combination though the first jump had a two footed landing. He also landed two triple Axels, a triple loop, a triple Salchow, a triple lutz and two other combinations, with the highlight of his program being a rare Level 4 step sequence, which helped him gain the technical edge.

"Last year, I was excited," he said. "I climbed on top of the mountain I wanted for so long. This year, I felt more relief. I’m sad to say that I’m a little bit happy that it’s over, and I rarely feel like that."

Weir's program to Love is War included his trademark artistry and presentation. And while he performed a two-footed quad toe along with a triple Axel-triple toe combination, he aborted two double jumps, which could have helped him win the gold.

"On my second [triple] Lutz, there was supposed to be a double toe and double loop on the end," Weir said. "I left off the double loop to save energy for my last combination, which was supposed to be a triple flip-double toe, but I two-footed the flip and didn't do the toe."

It was the little things that made a difference.

"First place, second place, last place, I'm just happy with the way I skated," said Weir. He finished third last to Lysacek season, prompting a coaching change, and won the national title in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

It was tied between Lysacek and Weir. But both men were far ahead of Stephen Carriere and Jeremy Abbott, who won the bronze medal and pewter medal to complete a Figure Skaters Online sweep of the men's podium.

"I thought Johnny was terribly straight and accurate and beautiful to watch," said Frank Carroll, who coaches Lysacek in Southern California. "I thought Evan was very exciting and very dramatic, I think it boils down to what you like, pie or cake."

Carriere did not attempt a quad or a triple-triple but his Triple Axel-double toe combination, triple toe-double toe-double toe and triple lutz-double toe him finish with 228.06, enough to secure third place and the third spot on the World Championship team.

"My goal was to improve on last year and I'm glad I did that," said Carriere, the 2007 World Junior Champion. "The world team and the medal are the icing on the cake."

Abbott secured a second consecutive fourth place finish with 221.85 points after landing his second quad toe of the competition, although it was slightly two footed. It was two other mistakes that may have cost him third place in his second senior nationals.

"I felt that on the two elements that I popped, that I could have given a little more, and I think that might have cost me a spot on the world team," Abbott said. He is the first alternate to both the World and Four Continents team, both which now include the top three finishers in the event.

Scott Smith finished sixth with a competition total of 210.55 points. "I'm thrilled with that program because I did every jump about as well as I could do it," he said after his performance, one of the best he has had in recent years.

Wesley Campbell (200.10) finished seventh. In 11th, 13th and 16th, Parker Pennington (188.82), Eliot Halverson (183.67) and Douglas Razzano (180.21), who received three madatory one-point deductions for falls.

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January 26, 2008 — Mirai Nagasu could not see the scoreboard after her Saturday free skate because she was not wearing her glasses. So until her coach Charlene Wong told her she won the U.S. Championship, she had no idea she did the almost impossible, winning back-to-back junior and senior national championships.

Nagasu (190.41) only finished third with her Coppelia free skate program because she fell on her opening double Axel and had the second jump in her triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination downgraded. But a 5.08-point lead into the free helped her keep her top spot on the podium.

"The fall on the double Axel was like a kick in the butt," said Nagasu, who is the Junior Grand Prix Champion and won silver at last years World Junior Championships, "and after that I just attacked and did the rest."

The silver medal went to Rachael Flatt (188.73) after she won the free skate with her Romantic Rhapsody program. Flatt landed seven triple jumps including both a triple-triple combination and one triple-double-double combination.

Ashley Wagner was second in the short program and the free skate but wound up third overall with 188.56 points, just .17 of a point behind Flatt. She landed an opening triple Lutz-triple loop combination and also landed a triple loop-double loop with a two foot landing, triple flip-double-loop-double loop, triple Salchow and triple toe.

Caroline Zhang moved up from a seventh place short program to win the pewter medal. Beatrisa Liang (164.87) finished fifth overall after landing her opening triple flip-double toe combination and a double Axel-double toe-double loop in her fifth place Yellow River free skate.

Defending U.S. Champion Kimmie Meissner (157.56) settled for seventh after opening her seventh place free skate with one of her three eventual falls. Alissa Czisny (146.38) finished ninth after a one-point deducation in her free skate.

In the pairs competition, 2007 World Junior Champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (190.74) followed their first place short program with a first place free skate to win their first senior national title. The couple, who were second at both their Grand Prix events this year, placed first in the junior event last season.

McLaughlin and Brubaker opened with a triple twist. They landed a throw triple toe loop and side-by-side double Axels before she fell on their attempted side-by-side triple Salchows. The team also landed another throw triple loop in addition to performing three lifts.

"I can't believe we're the national champions," McLaughlin said. "It's been a lot of hard work. Everything fell into place."

Two-time national champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin finished second with 183.17.

Defending national champions Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski won the bronze medal after sitting out the entire season because of various injuries. The team started their Scheherazade program with a triple twist and went on to perform a throw triple Salchow and side-by-side double Axels.

Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent (161.20) did not land the throw triple loop or throw quadruple Salchow, which they did at November's Trophee Eric Bompard, becoming the first pair to ever land a quadruple in an international competition. But they finished fourth in the free skate with help from a double flip-double toe combination to claim their first medal at nationals.

Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris (145.89) moved up one spot after the short program to clinch seventh place. Chloe Katz and Joseph Lynch, 10th at last year's nationals, improved their standing by finishing eighth with 142.29 points.

In their senior debut, Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen (136.65) finished ninth while Kaela Pflumm and Christopher Pottenger were 11th with 127.27. Butler and Jacobsen had a one point deduction while Pflumm and Pottenger received three deductions, one for a fall on a lift.

In ice dancing, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto claimed their fifth ice dancing title after finishing first in the compulsory, original and free dances for 216.07 points. Meryl Davis and Charlie White (206.82) were second in each dance to claim silver while Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (187.94) were third to claim bronze. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates held onto fourth with 175.16 despite a sixth place free.

The competition continues tomorrow with the men's free skate.

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January 25, 2008 — Three-time U.S. Champion Johnny Weir has a narrow lead on defending national champion Evan Lysacek after the short program at the U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn.

Weir scored 83.40 points, the highest-ever total for an American man's short program in national or international competition, for his fluid efforts to Yunona I Avos. The program did not include the much talked about quadruple jump but started with a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, then hit a triple Axel and triple flip to land Weir in first place with Lysacek yet to skate.

"I wanted to prove that the changes I made this season were the right ones," Weir said of his motivation going into the program. He left long time coach Priscilla Hill to train with Galina Zmievskaya, who coached both Oksana Baiul and Victor Petrenko to the Olympic gold medal.

Lysacek made it close with a passionate performance to selections from the Zorro movie oundtracks. Admitting later that he was "so scared" to skate, he two footed the landing of his quadruple toe before doubling the second jump in the intended quad-triple combination.

But despite the mistakes, Lysacek later won the crowd over with his Level 4 for his straight-line sequence that helped him earn 82.05 points, including a technical elements score of 43.38 and 38.67 for program components.

"I give amazing props to Johnny," Lysacek said following his programs. "He's gone through (defending his national title) three times, and this is obviously my first. I was shaking. I owe everything to Frank. He sort of socked me in the face and said, 'Go!'"

World Junior Champion Stephen Carriere is in third place after a commanding short program that earned him 76.66—putting him less than seven points out of the gold medal position. He landed a triple flip-triple toe combination in the Stairway to Heaven program for the first time this season.

"My training at home has been consistently good," said Carriere, who also landed a triple Axel in his short. "I'm so happy I did the triple-triple. It's been a triple-double all season, and I've been kicking myself."

Defending silver medalist Ryan Bradley narrowly leads pewter medalist Jeremy Abbott, 74.20 points to 73.28. Abbott landed the quad toe loop for the first time this season but he stepped out on the landing and did not attempt the second jump in the combination. He went on to land triple Lutz-triple toe instead.

"I had planned a quad combination, and (the triple-triple) was my back-up plan," Abbott said. He also stepped out of the landing of his triple Axel and had his usually strong footwork downgraded to Level 1 after leaving out some steps.

A rejuveniated Scott Smith showed off a re-choreographed version of his short program for 66.34, which has him behind Abbott in sixth place. Wesley Campbell (65.53) is in eighth place after a fall. In 10th and 11th place, Parker Pennington (65.32) and Douglas Razzano (64.83).

Eliot Halverson is currently 17th after falling in his senior debut.

In the junior men's event, gold medalist Adam Rippon (203.63) used strong straightline footwork to win over the crowd during his top ranked free skate. His Moonlight Sonata program started with an impressive a triple flip-triple toe and continued with a triple Lutz, a triple loop, double Axel, triple Lutz-double toe-double loop, triple flip, double Axel-triple Salchow sequence and another double Axel.

"Being the champion in anything feels great," said Rippon, who is the Junior Grand Prix Champion. "But being the champion of such a strong event, where you could make one mistake and it would cost you a medal, feels great, especially to be part of a strong developing junior team for the upcoming years at the senior level and for the future of American figure skating."

Brandon Mroz (203.63) pulled up from third after the short program to finish with the silver medal, 10 points behind Rippon but more than 20 points ahead of bronze medalist Andrew Gonzales (182.27). Richard Dornbush, ranked 12th after the short program, placed third in the free skate to win the pewter medal with 179.27.

Junior Grand Prix bronze medalist Armin Mahbanoozadeh (167.76) finished eighth after a sixth place free skate. Austin Kanallakan finished seventh in the free skate but still place 10th overall, the same placement he had after the short program. Kanallakan earned 165.06 points.

The junior pairs championship went to Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss (143.19). Second after the short, the 2007 U.S. Championship bronze medalists Paetsch and Nuss won the free skate with help from a throw triple Salchow and a throw double loop. The pair also had a few mistakes, including Paetsch slipping on her double Axel and Nuss falling in the footwork, but the pair was unmatched.

"It's a great relief for us," said Nuss, who finished fourth at the Junior Grand Prix Final with his partner. "We've been working so hard the last couple months. It's nice to have it pay off."

The silver medal went to Tracy Tanovich and Michael Chau (137.36). Although they finished first in the short program, Chelsi Guillen and Danny Curzon (134.58) won the bronze medal after two mistakes in their fourth place free skate. Guillen stumbled on their double Axel-double toe combinations and also fell on the landing of the throw triple Salchow.

"I'm not disappointed at all by how we skated. I felt like we went out there and did the best we could," Guillen said. She landed a throw triple loop early in their The Legend of Zorro free skate.

"It felt amazing being on the podium," she said. "It feels nice to win my first medal at nationals."

Andrea Best and Trevor Young claimed the pewter medal with 129.75 points. In fifth place, last year's sixth place finishers Meg Byrne and Nathan Bartholomay, who finished sixth in the short program and fifth in the free skate for 124.71 total.

The action continues tomorrow with the pairs free skate, ladies free skate and free dance. On Sunday, the event concludes with the men's free skate followed by the event exhibition, featuring all gold medalists and the bronze, silver and pewter medalists from the senior events.

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January 24, 2008 — Mirai Nagasu could not sleep Wednesday night because she kept "mentally visualizing the program" in her head, the 2007 U.S. Junior Ladies Champion said.

But she probably did not visualize what actually happened Thursday night in the senior ladies short program. Skating to I Got Rhythm, Nagasu scored a historic 70.23 points, the highest-ever total for a ladies' short program at the national event.

Nagasu's program was highlighted by a triple Lutz-triple toe combination, which she landed for the first time in St. Paul. She was also awarded Level 4 difficultly for four non-jumping elements.

"My goal right now is just to skate my best and have fun," said Nagasu, who is too young to compete at the World Championships. She leads World Junior bronze medalist Ashley Wagner by 5.08.

Wagner was "hoping to do a nice, clean program" in the short program. She went above that by landing a triple Lutz-triple loop en route to 65.15 points in her senior national debut.

"I've been doing the triple-triple at home, and I figured I would see how it felt here in practice," Wagner said. "I had nothing to lose. It was my national senior debut and I figured I might as well put on a show."

Rachael Flatt (62.91) landed a triple Lutz-triple toe loop to help secure a third place finish. She leads defending national champion and 2006 World Champion Kimmie Meissner (57.58), who fell on the opening triple flip in her The Feeling Begins short program.

Pewter medalist Beatrisa Liang is in sixth place after popping her opening jump brought her score down to 55.10. A fall brought defending bronze medalist Alissa Czisny, who competed with a cast on her wrist, down to 9th place with 50.58 points.

In the junior pairs short program, Chelsi Guillen and Danny Curzon (53.65) moved past last year's bronze medalists Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss (52.13) with a double twist, side-by-side double Axels and a throw triple toe.

"We feel really confident with that program so we knew if we skated well, we could be up there," said Curzon, who was eighth with Guillen at last year's national championships. "Tomorrow we are going out there to do our job."

Paetsch and Nuss' program included a double twist, a throw double toe and side-by-side double Axels. They lead third place finishers Tracy Tanovich and Michael Chau (50.83), the 2007 U.S. Novice Pairs Champions, and fourth place finishers Lisa Moore and Justin Gaumond (47.14).

Meg Byrne and Nathan Bartholomay are sixth with 45.56.

The ice dancing competitions continued with Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell winning the junior ice dancing event with 167.48 points. Piper Gilles and Timothy McKernan (161.66), Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein (161.40) and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (157.80) took silver, bronze and pewter after going two, three and four in the free dance.

The senior ice dancing results remain the same after the original dance. Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are on their way to a fifth national title with 106.15 entering the free dance, which is Saturday. Last year's bronze medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White are second with 103.28, the pewter medalists Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre are third with 94.09 and U.S. Junior Champions Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates are fourth with 91.62.

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January 23, 2008 — Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker won the senior pairs short program with a stellar performance to Moonlight Sonata that earned them 66.54 points, their best-ever short program total.

McLaughlin and Brubaker may not be able to advance past the U.S. Championships because of age restrictions—she's too young for Worlds and he's too old for Junior Worlds—but that did not stop them from hitting their opening triple twist or side-by-side triple Salchows.

"Any competition we go to, we're not skating for second place," Brubaker said. "You have to believe you can be the best, or you've already lost."

The only mistake came on the throw triple Salchow when McLaughlin's hand skimmed the ice during the landing. Everything else was in the same fashion that has helped them build a two-year career made of nothing but gold and silver medal performances.

"We want to make a big bang on the senior circuit next season," McLaughlin said. "In a way, [missing worlds] is a blessing in disguise. It gives us another year to grow."

Two-time national champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin took the Grand Prix season off to refresh her mind, Inoue said. They picked up right where they left off last year by finishing second in the short with 65.24.

Reigning national champions Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski (58.95) are in third place, the same position they were in before winning the free skate at last year's event. Both skaters had problems on the side-by-side double Axels but despite spending the fall season out with an injury, their lifts, throws and twists were among the best in the event.

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig, fourth at the 2007 U.S. Championships, find themselves in fourth place after a 57.10 performance to Stray Cat Strut. Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent (53.97) are in fifth after she struggled on the landing of her throw triple loop.

"It wasn't the best skate that we have had all season," said Vise, who landed a throw quadruple Salchow at Trophee Eric Bompard earlier this season. "I was disappointed with the throw, but what can you do? Everyone has their bad skates."

Chloe Katz and Joseph Lynch (50.62) are on their way to improving on their 10th place finish from last season after a seventh place short program. They came in ahead of Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris (48.51). In their first performance since returning from Nam's hip surgery, Leftheris fell on the opening side-by-side jumps and Nam fell on the throw.

In their senior debut, 2007 junior pairs pewter medalists Kaela Pflumm and Christopher Pottenger placed 10th with 46.73 points. They came in ahead of junior pairs silver medalists Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen (45.33).

Adam Rippon started toward his third gold medal of the season by winning the junior men's short program. Already the the Junior Grand Prix Romania and Junior Grand Prix Final Champion, Rippon erased the personal bests he set at those events by scoring a new personal best 71.33 with help from triple flip-triple toe combination, double Axel and triple loop.

Last year's pewter medalist Curran Oi is second with 68.15. In third and fourth, Brandon Mroz (65.89) and Andrew Gonzales (60.01). Armin Mahbanoozadeh placed ninth with 53.29, Austin Kanallakan took 10th with 53.02 and Richard Dornbush is 12th with 52.46.

In other action, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto started their route to a fifth consecutive U.S. Championship by winning the Yankee Polka compulsory dance with 41.86 points. Defending bronze medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White (40.59) are second, pewter medalists Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (35.38) are third and U.S. Junior Dance Champions Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates (34.00) are fourth.

Yesterday, Alexe Gilles finished with 156.17 points to win the gold medal in the junior ladies competition. In her free skate to Oceanic by Vangelis, which earned 103.54, she landed a triple Lutz-double toe combination, triple Lutz from footwork, triple loop, triple Salchow-double toe and a triple toe-double toe-double loop.

The silver medal went to 2007 U.S. Novice Ladies Champion Angela Maxwell. Leading after the short program, she finished third in the free skate to claim second place overall with 150.11 points. In third and fourth, Brittney Rizo (149.60) and Kristine Musademba (143.86).

Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein won the junior original dance with 53.03 points. In second, brother and sister team Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, who finished with 52.32 after placing only seventh in the compulsory dance. Compulsory dance winners Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell (50.66) edged out Piper Gilles and Timothy McKernan for third (50.24).

The competition continues Thursday with the junior free dance, junior pairs short program, senior original dance and senior ladies short program. The senior men take the ice for the first time Friday.

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January 21, 2008 — Brynn Carman and Chris Knierim are the 2008 U.S. Novice Pairs Champions. The Colorado Springs, Colo., based skaters were the first national champions crowned at this week's event in St. Paul, Minn.

Carman and Knierim entered the free skate in second place after two falls in the short program (37.01). But the team, which had a combined 120.53, bounced back from their disappointing short to win the free skate (83.52) with a dynamic performance to the City Slickers soundtrack.

"We chose the theme because it plays off of our strengths," Carman said. "We are a very fun team, and it's fun to have an interesting program that plays to the audience."

The audience especially enjoyed the pair's sky-high twist.

The silver medal went to short program winners Brittany Chase and Andrew Speroff (116.99). In their third place free, Chase fell on the for a mandatory one point deduction that brought their free skate score to 79.64.

Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir (116.42) won the bronze medal after placing fourth in the short program and second in the free skate. Also making the podium with a pewter medal finish are Kloe Bautista and Galvani Hopson (113.80), who were third in the short and fourth in the free.

"One of our best elements this year was our full triple loop, which we added right before sectionals," Bautista said. "We landed it here. We were the only ones to land it here at nationals, so we are pretty glad about that."

Despite deductions for stumbling on her double Axel and falling on her triple Lutz, Marissa Secundy (110.38) also took home the novice ladies crown following her first place free skate (73.12). Her triple toe, triple Salchow, triple loop-double loop combination and triple loop-double toe-double loop combo helped keep her ahead of short program leader Sophia Lamay (108.41).

Silver medalist Lamay lost her shot at the championship when she fell on the triple Salchow-double toe, which brought her down to fourth place in the free skate. The bronze medal went to Felicia Zhang (106.02) with Agnes Zawadzki (104.18) fourth.

In the novice men's event, Daniel O'Shea maintained his lead after the short program by landing landed five of his six planned triples in the free skate (99.03). He not only landed his first Lutz and flip in competition but he also helped rack up his 145.92 overall points with two combinations.

And not only did O'Shea win but he also earned himself a puppy. After finishing eighth at nationals last year, his dad said that if he won the 2008 U.S. Novice Men's Championship, he would buy him a puppy—O'Shea wants a golden retriever to match his new gold medal.

Silver went to Ross Miner (135.81) although he was fourth in the short program and third in the free skate. Daniel Wang edged out Alexander Zahradnicek, second after the short, for the bronze medal with 133.70 to 133.24.

The ice dancing gold medal went to Chloe Wolf and Rhys Ainsworth (110.69), who led after the two compulsory dances and then took first in the free dance (61.17). The silver medal went to Kilian compulsory dance winners Megan Evans and Nathan Truesdell (106.27).

Una Donegan and Andrew Korda won the bronze medal with 103.85 points after taking fifth in the tango, fourth in the Kilian and second in the free dance. Pewter medals went to Anastasia Olson and Jordan Cowan (103.15) after they finished second, fifth and fourth.

The junior ice dancing competition got underway with last year's silver medalists Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell taking a commanding lead in the compulsory dance. Despite missing the entire fall season leading up to their win at the Midwestern Sectional Championships because of an injury, they scored 34.61 points.

Also at the top of the junior ice dancing standings are Piper Gilles and Timothy McKernan (30.97) in second, Pilar Bosley and John Corona (30.07) in third with Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein (29.92) in fourth.

The competition continues Tuesday with the junior original dance and junior ladies free skate.

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January 20, 2008 — Brynn Carman and Chris Knierim kicked off the U.S. Championship action for the Figure Skaters Online athletes by finishing second in the novice pairs short program. The competition is Jan. 20-27 in St. Paul, Minn.

Last year's U.S. Championship novice pairs pewter medalists Carman and Knierim finished with 37.01 points despite two mandatory one-point deductions for falls. Carman fell on the side-by-side double loop before taking a tumble on the straight line step sequence.

Their Broadmoor Skating Club teammates Brittany Chase and Andrew Speroff (37.35) lead the event. Third place belongs to Kloe Bautista and Galvani Hopson (35.93) with Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir (35.62) in fourth.

Sophia Lamay took the novice ladies short program with 38.86 after completing a double Lutz-double loop combination, followed by a triple Salchow and a double Axel. Second, third and fourth belong to Marissa Secundy (37.26), Gretchen Donlan (36.12) and Felicia Zhang (35.83).

In the novice men's short program, Daniel O'Shea took the lead with 46.89. Alexander Zahradnicek edged out David Wang for second place with 46.59 points to 45.03. Fourth place belongs to Ross Miner (44.85).

The lead in the novice dance event belongs to Chloe Wolf and Rhys Ainsworth (49.52). The team took the lead over Megan Evans and Nathan Truesdell in tango dance, the first of the two compulsory dances, and then maintained first place after the Kilian dance, despite their third place finish in the second compulsory dance.

Second belongs to Kilian dance winners Evans and Truesdell (49.44), who were third in compulsory dance two. Third belongs to Katie Wyble and Justin Morrow (48.80) with Anastasia Olson and Jordan Cowan (46.62) fourth.

In the last event of the day, 2007 U.S. Novice Ladies Champion Angela Maxwell (54.91) took the lead in the ladies short program with help from a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination. Second place belongs to Brittney Rizo, who also landed a triple toe-triple toe for 54.59.

Junior Grand Prix Final qualifier Alexe Gilles landed in third place with 52.63 after performing a triple Lutz-double toe loop. Fourth place belongs to Victoria Rackhohn (49.50).

The U.S. Championships continue Monday with the novice pairs free skate, novice ladies free skate, junior compulsory dance, novice men's free skate and novice free dance. The senior action gets underway Wednesday with the compulsory dance.

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January 18, 2008 — Four Figure Skaters Online skaters are participating in an autograph session during the senior free dance at the U.S. Championships on Jan. 26.

Stop by the main concourse near section 124 between 5-6:30 p.m. to meet Jeremy Abbott, Eliot Halverson, Parker Pennington and Johnny Weir. Riedell Skates is sponsoring the special meet and greet with the four Figure Skaters Online athletes as well as Angie Lien, Kristen Olson and Brittney Rizo, who all wear Riedell brand skates.

Photos will be provided for the skaters to sign. However, to ensure the skaters get to meet as many fans as possible, only one item or photo per-person for each skater.

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January 14, 2008 — Olympian Emily Hughes, second at last year's U.S. Championships, withdrew from the U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 20-27, because of a hip injury.

"I'm extremely disappointed to have to miss the U.S. Championships," said Hughes, who finished fourth at Skate America and Skate Canada this year on the Grand Prix circuit. "This is a competition I've been looking forward to all season."

The injury has prvented Hughes, a full-time freshman at Harvard, from training full time leading up to the event in St. Paul.

"This injury is just really bad timing," two-time World Championship competitor Hughes also said. "I hope to be able to begin serious training again in four to six weeks."

Hughes is the second reigning silver medalist to withdraw from the event. Last week, six time U.S. Championship medalists Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov withdrew because of injuries sustained by both during the free dance warm-up at Skate Canada.

The 2008 U.S. Championship will still feature all four reigning U.S. Champions including Evan Lysacek and pairs team Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski. The event also features 25 other Figure Skaters Online athletes and teams like currrent senior medalists Jeremy Abbott, Alissa Czisny, Beatrisa Liang, Johnny Weir and pairs team Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris.

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January 11, 2008 — Six time U.S. Championship medalists Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, runners-up for the past four years in ice dancing, withdrew from the U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 20-27, because of an injury sustanied during the free dance warm-up at Skate Canada.

The husband and wife team were executing a rotational lift when they lost their grip and she flew into the air landing on her chest, an official statement said in November. Petukhov also hit the boards.

"It is with great regret that we have to withdraw from this year's nationals," Gregory said. “When we had our accident at Skate Canada, everyone focused on my injuries, but Denis also suffered injuries when he hit the boards."

The injury required the team to take time off from practice. Gregory and Petukhov, the 2006 Skate America silver medalists, also withdrew from Cup of Russia because of the injuries sustained in Canada.

"The loss of practice time at this crucial juncture, combined with my unsuccessful efforts to rehabilitate my injured knee, have left us unable to compete at the highest level," Petukhov said. "Our doctor has strongly recommended that we take the time to heal so that we may be back at 100 percent for next season."

"We wish every skater at this year's U.S. Championships the best of luck," Petukhov said. "We will continue our physical rehabilitation and look forward to returning for the 2008-09 competitive season."

Figure Skaters Online's Guide to the 2008 U.S. Championships is
written and produced by Figure Skaters Online in cooperation with the athletes and staff.

Photographs are courtesy of Leah Adams unless otherwise noted.