2000 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Senior Ladies

Final Standings

        J1:  Richard Perez
        J2:  Kimberly Heim
        J3:  Robert Rosenbluth
        J4:  Joseph Inman
        J5:  Tamie Campbell
        J6:  Joseph Driano
        J7:  Kathaleen Kelly Cutone
        J8:  Lorrie Parker
        J9:  Larry Kriwanik

Michelle Kwan	Sasha Cohen	Sara Hughes

Notes after the long program.

Michelle Kwan skated like the champion she is to repeat as ladies champion but was given a good run for her money by Sasha Cohen. Kwan had only one technical error in her program, a fall on triple loop, landing a total of six triple in the process including two in combination, triple Lutz - double toe and triple toe double toe.  Although she did not accomplish the triple-triple combination she set out to do here, she said she was satisfied overall with her performance. Kwan, as usual, was stellar in her presentation.  Nevertheless, despite her deserved win here it is clear that she has a pack of talented skater nipping at her heels and she must move forward in the technical area if she expects to stay on top.

Sasha Cohen gave a dynamic, exciting performance with five triple jumps, including triple Lutz - double toe loop and triple flip - double toe loop.  She fell on an attempt at triple toe loop.  With one less triple but a more difficult combination, and great spins Cohen and Kwan were fairly close in the first mark with five of the nine judges giving the edge to Kwan.  Cohen ended up second in the long and second overall to earn her first trip to Worlds - if she medals at World Juniors.  Cohen is three months younger than the age eligibility requirement for Worlds.

Sara Hughes gave a strong performance also landing five triples of her own, including triple Salchow - triple loop.  On her attempt at a second triple-triple combination she popped the second jump ending up with a triple toe loop - single toe loop combination.   She attempted a second triple Salchow but fell in the attempt.  Hughes has significantly improved since last year.  Her presentation is more mature, the wrap is not nearly as bad, and the Lutz in not so badly flutzed as previously.  Her performance here was strong and she ended up trailing Cohen by only one judge, earning one first place ordinal in the process.

Angela Nikodinov skated a fine long program with four triple jumps.  Overall at this competition she has skated more consistently than she has in several years; and although she dropped compared to last year, this was a more difficult competition and it was a respectable result.  Naomi Nari Nam had a difficult time in the long program dropping to ninth in the long and eighth overall.  She two footed or fell on seven of eight triple attempts, landing only a triple toe loop.

Notes after the short program.

It was widely expected that Sasha Cohen would do well in her first senior Nationals, perhaps the top five; but few would have predicted that she would be leading after the short program; and not only that, would be leading with the stellar performance of the short program of the evening.  Few pundits, however, were surprised to find Michelle Kwan in trouble after the short and in the position of having to fight back in the long.

Of the favorites and top placed skaters of the event, Nikodinov led off with one of her best skates in the past few years.  She skated a clean program landing a triple flutz - double toe loop, a triple flip, and the double Axel.  She attacked the program more than she has in the past, but not as much as was needed in this strong group of ladies.   Nevertheless, in placing fourth in the short program she still is in a reasonable position to challenge for a medal and make the World team, though her work is cut out for her given the abilities of the three ladies ahead of her.

Second to skate was the much hyped Naomi Nari Nam whose performance is pretty much summed up by the comment her coach John Nicks made after the event, remarking "I had two guns today.  One fired and one didn't."

Nam stepped out of the first landing on triple Lutz - double toe loop and doubled a planned triple flip.  On a spiral step sequence there was a stop in the sequence as she brushed the wall.  Double Axel was well done as were the spins and she moved well with good speed.  She placed fifth in the short and still is in the running for a medal and a World Team spot but she is now even more of a long shot than Nikodinov.

Two warmup groups later Michelle Kwan was the twelfth skater of the evening.  She landed triple Lutz - double toe loop and the double Axel, but fell on triple flip - a jump she considers one of her easiest, and one she has not missed in a short program for nearly four years.  The remainder of the program was well done and received the high second marks it deserved ( 5.7 to 5.9) but nonetheless also illustrated that Kwan has been treading water since the 1998 Olympics, and if anything has back-slid with a loss of height in her jumps, lack of speed, and a lack of the killer instinct to dominate the ladies event as she has the potential to do but has not achieved.  Despite the 0.4 deduction for the fall her performance was good enough to place her first at that point in the skating order.

In the last of the four warmup groups Sasha Cohen skated first.  She landed triple flutz - double toe loop, triple flip, and the double Axel.  Her spins were outstanding and the final forward Biellmann position held the free leg in the most vertical position seen from among the skaters using that position.  Similarly in her spiral sequence she used an inverted vertical split position also among the best around.   Skating to music consisting of the Albinoni Adagio and parts of Vivaldi's the "Four Seasons" she was dead-on and the performance brought the audience to their feet.  Despite the great affection shown Kwan when she skated, the crowd roared their approval when the results came up showing that she had displaced Kwan.

Next to skate was Sarah Hughes.  She also skated a clean program with triple flutz - double toe loop, triple flip, and a solid double Axel.  Her spins and presentation were also top quality, and clearly improved not only since last year's Nationals, but over the four months since the Champions Series.  Hughes blew past Kwan with three first place ordinals.  If the short program is any sort of indicator, it looks as though the final warmup group of the free skate will be a thriller.

Free Skating

Short Program

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