(21 January 2015)  This week, as the U.S. Championships continue to get underway, one of the biggest storylines that has emerged is the pending faceoff between between Gracie Gold, the reigning U.S. champion and Ashley Wagner, the 2012 and 2013 American titlist who was fourth in Boston last year.

This much-anticipated showdown, scheduled to kick off Thursday at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in North Carolina and wrap up Saturday, could very well be the carrot that draws fans and viewers from the ‘outside’, something that would be good since American figure skating has suffered from of a bit of an infamous media lull over the past decade.

This rivalry is particularly enticing because it features some interesting parallels among the two skaters that could perhaps capture a great deal of attention of the mass public.

For one, Gold, 19, a Chicago native and Wagner, 23, who is originally from Alexandria, Virginia, both live and train in Los Angeles, yet, over the past year, have not run into one other outside of the rinks they train at, not even once.

Coincidence? According to both skaters, yes, which would actually make sense considering the intensity of each of their training schedules.

Still, it’s a little odd that they haven’t crossed paths at all in their travels at someplace like a local Starbucks, Panera or mall.

On the outside, both Gold and Wagner appear to be ‘typical’ young gals who seem to enjoy spending free time hanging out with their family and friends, listening to music, driving, shopping and relaxing at the beach.

Once either of these two athletes set foot on the ice, however, they are anything but ordinary.

The two, both known to be fierce competitors, are extraordinary in terms of their skating acumen due to their terrific jumping ability, finesse and performance prowess.

At the same time, they both possess that indefinable star quality that catapulted them to the pinnacle of the sport, a package of great looks, skill and personality, which largely the reason why they have attracted serious sponsorship from corporate giants such as Cover Girl, Visa, United Airlines, Smuckers and the Procter and Gamble Family, among others, over the past few years.

“The rivalry is such a great thing for the sport, especially entertainment wise,” said Wagner in a pre-Nationals conference call last week. “It’s a gift for me, it pushes me and it’s good to have.”

Last year, Wagner, who trains with Rafael Artunian in the Los Angeles area, wasn’t exactly at the top of her game at the 2014 U.S. Championships, yet had the criteria to be selected by American figure skating officials and board members as part of the U.S. Olympic team over Mirai Nagasu, the U.S. bronze medalist, which caused a slight media uproar.

Rather than be deterred by this negativity, however, Wagner proved her competitive worth by putting out some solid performances in Sochi, helping the U.S. earn bronze in the Olympic team figure skating event.

“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” said Wagner. “[Nationals] is what it is and I’ve learned from it and have moved on.”

This certainly seems to be the case, especially in looking at the stats Wagner had accrued at competitions earlier this season.

Last October, Wagner placed second at Skate Canada and then in November, was third at the Trophee Eric Bompard in France, which helped her earn enough points to earn the sixth (last) spot at the Grand Prix finals, where she scored bronze.

During the Grand Prix final medal ceremony, Wagner stood alongside two Russians, both of who belong to a contingent that is said to be dominating the sport right now.

“[The Grand Prix Finals] were awesome for me, they gave me a boost going into Nationals,” said Wagner, adding that she feels the Americans can give the Russians a run for their money moving forward.

“Now the U.S. just has to deliver under pressure,” said Wagner. “It’s going to be about us pushing through and [continuing to make] a name for ourselves, [especially] with the Russians.”

Gold, meanwhile, appears to be fired up about facing Wagner and confident at the prospect of claiming her second consecutive U.S. title.

“I’m not trying to defend anything, I’m just trying to win another one,” said Gold in a conference call last week. “I just want people to watch [me] and to smile.”

Without a doubt, this should be the case, especially considering the Chicago native seems to have gotten the whole ‘golden girl’ thing down pat at this stage.

At the same time, Gold has also earned accolades in regard to how she has handled a recent foot injury, a situation that caused her to drop out of the Grand Prix Finals.

At this stage, Gold appears to be fully recovered and ready to skate at full throttle.

“I’m happy, feeling strong and totally healthy,” she said, adding, “I’m prepping all of my triples and it’s not like the fracture is even there.”

Over the past six weeks, Gold, who trains with Frank Carroll at the Toyota Sports Center, has worked on gaining back her jumping acumen as well as on speed, flow and the overall emotional content of her programs.

“I’m ready to go win Nationals,” she said.

She also discussed the rivalry with Wagner, a situation she describes as completely ‘non hostile.’

“It’s just pushing me harder to go to Nationals,” she said.

This past year, Gold has also attracted some major media attention for the friendship she has struck up with the superstar singer, Taylor Swift, whom she had met via Twitter last February during the Olympics.

“Taylor had sent out a Tweet after the [team event], I followed her and we started to message each other,” said Gold. “Then she sent me her number.”

From there, a friendship ensued and the two started to regularly chat and also hang out together.

Last summer, the two met up, hung out and baked cookies at Swift’s New York home. Then earlier this month, Gold and Swift met up at Catalina Island and Dana Point outside of Los Angeles where they ate lunch, chatted and went for ice cream.

“She is very real, so sweet and really funny,” said Gold.

Somehow, in life, like seems to attract like, as evidenced in this very situation, one that also seems to be occurring out on the ice with Gold and Wagner.

Certainly, U.S. Figure Skating ought to be grateful for this week’s ensuing drama, as it could very well provide the fuel to help make magic happen so the sport starts to soon experience yet another serious media heyday, like it did during the 1990s and early millennium.