Hicks Overtakes Gold for Gold in U.S. International Classic

1.   Overall 171.88; 1.FS 117.08 (61.48+55.60) Courtney Hicks, USA, from Chino Hills, who trains at the All Year FSC in in Paramount, CA, overtook Gracie Gold, the Short Program winner, with a very promising, fire-y routine set to music from “Evita”, which gave her first place by a wide margin of 7.20.

She began with a triple flip to triple toe loop followed by a triple Salchow and a Level 3 flying camel spin which banked her collectively, 18.80 points. The spin was so good one of the five judges punched in the maximum Grade of Execution, +3. But demonstrating how subjective this decision is, although three others gave +2, one thought the spin was worthy only of +1.

Her steps were Level 2 with +1.0 and a double Axel earned an extra 0.50. Then came her only mistake, made as the 10% bonus clicked in. She got -0.70 removed from the base value of her triple Lutz to double toe loop. That was immediately followed by a second, great triple Lutz which was rewarded with +1.27 GoE.

Hicks’ triple loop to double Axel sequence received +0.47 extra. Her flying change foot camel spin was Level 4 with +0.67. Then she did “only” a double flip. After the choreographed sequence, she concluded with a Level 3 +0.50 change foot combination spin. Her component score ranged from two 6.25s up to two 7.75. One judge gave the lowest marks and another the highest.

She said, “I think it went really well. For my Short Program, I got a little nervous and I kind of let that get the best of me. I think with my Free Skate, I was a lot more focused and I’m definitely happy with my skate. I think I just realized that I don’t need to give it anything extra. I’ve already done the work. I’ve done the practices and the training and my programs. I don’t need to try harder in competition, I just need to do what I do in practice. I really like the choreography after the first Lutz. It’s a good breathing moment for me, but it also really helps me connect with the character.”

Asked about her rivals in the quest for one of the three U.S. ladies berths in the Olympics, Hicks said, "It’s more about, I have to compete with myself to skate well. This boosts my confidence. I had a lot of fun out there. I wasn’t too happy with my short program yesterday, but I felt like I fought a lot harder today. My perfomance wasn’t perfect, but I’m happy with the overall result. I worked so hard on this free skate, so I really wanted to give it the chance that I feel like it deserves. I didn’t want to let whatever little mistakes I made yesterday alter what I did today. I just left it in the past and made today a new day.”

2. Overall 164.68; 3.FS 106.19 (49.05+58.14 -1 for a timing violation, going over the maximum three minutes forty seconds), Gracie Gold, USA, from the Wagon Wheels FSC, performed to music from the beloved ballet “Sleeping Beauty”.

Gold was in the planning stage of moving from Michigan to California to coach Frank Carroll. This news was tweeted, not by her, but by an outside source during the event, and might have troubled her by its premature timing. But she refused to blame that. Instead, she cited nerves related to the start of "such a big season" for her struggles in the middle of the program. “I made myself nervous. The pressure never comes from anyone else."

Men's Free Skate

1.  Overall 239.21; 1.FS 157 (81.88+75.84)  Max Aaron from the Scottsdale, Ariz. and Colorado Springs, Broadmoor SC) did not skate as well as in the SP, beginning his “Carmen” routine off key with a double toe loop. His second move was a Quad Salchow to single toe loop. Then came a +0.70 triple loop but only a base value flying camel combo spin.

His straight line steps were Level 3 with +0.50. After another spin, which was given only the basic Level B, he got credit for the rotations on his second quad Salchow, but with a -2 taken off the base value.

Then he seemed to pull himself together: With the ten percent late bonus having clicked in, he did a triple Axel to double toe which gained an extra +1.67, and a triple Lutz-loop-triple Salchow was awarded an extra 1.17. His second triple Axel got a full point extra. After the choreographed section, he got an “e” for a triple flip and he closed with a change foot combination spin which was only Level 1 but earned an extra.+0.83.

About his performance, he said: “This is the first time I’ve competed this program with the tricks in it and I’ve gotten really good feedback based on what I did. Now I’m going to get back to work and get ready for Skate America. I wanted to see what it would take to do three quads in a program and now I know that I’ve got my hands full.”

“For Skate America, I’m going to keep training everything the same way. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to compete in this event. I’ve got to get ready and test the programs. Right now all I can do is keep training and figure out how to make these clean performances.”

2.  Overall 225.54; FS 148.06 (76.88+73.18) Stephen Carriere from the SC of Boston skated to Don Quixote, falling on his first move a Quad toe loop, then brought off a +1.33 triple Axel to double toe loop. But then he fell again, on his second triple Axel. After Level 2 steps, he presented a Level 4, +0.67 change foot combination spin. A triple Salchow combined with two double toe loops was good but then his triple Lutz to triple toe loop got an arrow for under-rotation on the second jump. His triple loop made its base value, but the triple flip got an “e” for wrong edge take-off. The last four moves were good: Level 3 flying sit spin with +0.67; +0.93 triple Lutz; the choreographed section; and a Level 4 flying change foot combination spin which received an extra +0.50.

Of his performances, he said, “As tired as I am, I’m really happy. I’m glad I went for the toe and I’m glad that I fought and I got through it - especially in September. This week I learned that I’m much more mentally tough than I thought I was. That’s the biggest thing, just giving myself more mental strength. I know that I was tired today, but I think if I was in tip-top mental shape, that wouldn’t have mattered. It’s something that I need to work on and this competition definitely helped me with that.”

3.  Overall 206.56; FS 134.71 (57.37+78.34); Joshua Farris (Colorado Springs, Colo. & the, Broadmoor SC) said about his performance, which was set to the poignant music, “Schindler’s List, “It’s September, it’s early. Can I blame it on Friday the 13^th ? Please? I definitely haven’t been training my best or as hard as I possibly can and I think that definitely caught up with me here. I won’t make that mistake again.

“It’s a brand new program for me and because I can connect with it so well, especially the beginning, which is so intense, I definitely want to bring that out in my skating. I might focus on the choreography just a little bit too much.”

4.  Overall 191.91; FS 128.62.(60.94+69.68 -2) Grant Hochstein from Detroit, Artesia, Calif., and the SC of New York, skated to “Trio Elegiaque No.2”, Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No.3” and Dvorak’s “Dumky Trio”. He fell twice - on first two moves, both quad toes. He also was given no credit for his choreographed section.

On his performance, he said, “I think as the week went on, I got better. There were some little silly, shaky things, but I thought that today, I definitely didn’t hold back. I think what I did was the smart thing to do and I’m really proud of myself for going for the second quad, especially after missing the first one. I really have nothing to lose and everything to gain from this event.”

About competing in this event, he said,“I feel like I’ve really gained a sense of self and I feel like I belong here. I had a really solid free skate and I did a nice quad-triple. I felt a little bit tight, but I think I’ve been out of the international scene for a long time and this really showed me that I can be here and do what it takes.”