(22 January 2015)  The one major title that seems to definitely be up for grabs this week at the U.S. Championships is that in the men’s event.

As it stands right now, the top three contenders in this event, Jason Brown, the 2014 U.S. silver medalist who rocked the public with his winning Riverdance free skate in Boston last year, Jeremy Abbott, the reigning U.S. titlist and long-time veteran championship contender and Max Aaron, the 2013 U.S. champion, are all fantastic technicians as well as superb performers when on their game and are neck-and-neck in terms of how the dice might roll.

This showdown ought to be particularly interesting due to the fact that each of these athletes is varied in terms of their skating style, manner and personality.

Brown, who turned 20 last December, is a huge crowd pleaser who is as exceptional at spinning and skating as he is at jumping.

At the same time, Abbott, 29, a four-time U.S. titlist, is also a fantastic spinner and skater as well as jumper who skates with an intrinsic connection to his music.

Aaron, 22, is more all about the athleticism of the sport and usually hooks the crowd with his explosive jumps, especially his quads.

Interestingly, all three skaters share the experience of having had training roots in the Colorado Springs area.

Abbott, 29, who since 2009, has been based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where he has trained with Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen, spent nearly 10 years at the Broadmoor World Arena, where he skated with Tom Zakrajsek, who helped him clinched the first of his four U.S. titles.

Nearly two years ago, Brown had relocated to Monument, near Colorado Springs, from Highland Park, Illinois, to work with Kori Ade, his long-time coach with whom he has been with since age five at the Colorado Sports Center.

Rounding out this Colorado Springs training connection is Aaron, a Scottsdale, Arizona native, who has been living and training in Colorado at the Broadmoor World Arena with Tom Zakrajseck and Becky Calvin since 2008.

Coincidence? Most likely not, since the high altitude of this locale has always been ideal for strength training and that, along its breathtaking scenic beauty, is why it has attracted scores of top competitors for so decades.

Getting back to the storyline, this showdown ought to be dramatic since each of these skaters seems to delight in the idea of being in the ‘arena’ and just like the top U.S. women, are fierce competitors.

In looking at so-called issues, the one thing to consider among these three skaters is whether they are able to put together two perfectly clean technical programs, a feat that is not exactly easy when you’re putting out quads and triples.

Still, when any one of these skaters throws out their top game, it can be a mind-boggling experience, no doubt.

In 2014, Abbott’s stunning short program or Brown’s fantastic free skate at the U.S. Championships were moments in time, for sure.

At the same time, who can forget Aaron’s short and long program that helped him clinch his first U.S. title in Omaha back in 2013?

Without question, these performances are all standout memories for the sport and definitely worth viewing on YouTube repeatedly, as they each capture the essence of elite competitive skating.

Like any main event, though, how the stats end up depend upon who can deliver the goods when it counts.

With any of these guys, the sky is certainly the limit, especially on a good day, just ask Brown, who is as excited as anyone to get out in Greensboro and compete.

“My goal is to go out there and do what I do everyday,” he said.