(14 February 2026) Since it was first introduced in
2025, the IJS scoring method has undergone many changes, mostly
for the better. Unfortunately, its original sin and the fundamental flaw in the system remains,
the more than 20 year old festering cancer which is the calculation method for the
order of finish. The controversial results of the 2026
Olympic Winter Games Ice Dance event has laid this bare for all to see.
<more>
US gold medal team: Evan Bates, Madison Chock, Danny O'Shea, Elly Kam, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Illia Malinin
Team Competition Recap on YouTube
With Three U.S. Titles, Glenn’s Not “faking it” Anymore
by Lynn Rutherford
On Friday evening, in front of a packed
Enterprise Arena, Amber Glenn skated a mature and compelling
free skate to defeat Alysa Liu by 4.64 points and become the
first woman to win three consecutive U.S. titles since Michelle
Kwan (1998-2005).
Isabeau Levito, the third woman in an
acclaimed trio expected to contend for an Olympic medal in
Milano-Cortina, Italy next month, captured bronze.
“My stomach's been bothering me all
day, like it was, yeah, so fake it till you make it, as Isabeau
says all the time,” Glenn, 26, said. “I took that to heart, and
I was just trying to get in touch with my body and get a feel of
the ice. And I think my years of experience kicked in, and I was
really happy I was able to get through it on my feet, both the
warm-up and the competition.”
Following a record-breaking short
program on Wednesday, Glenn entered the free skate with less
than a two-point lead over Liu. Skating her free to a
contemporary medley from Audiomachine and CLANN, the Colorado
Springs-based skater opened with her signature jump, a triple
axel (rated “q” by the technical panel), before hitting a superb
triple flip, triple toe combination.
The routine
was clear sailing until her final jump, an under rotated second
triple loop, which Glenn had to fight to land. After that, the
Colorado Springs-based skater cut loose with an inspired chore
sequence, including a spiral into a split jump and Ina Bauer.
Glenn
placed first in the free skate with 150.50 and first overall
with 233.55.
“We're kind
of having a timing issue going into that loop the last couple
competitions,” Glenn, who trains under Damon Allen at World
Arena, said. “So, we just need to go back and fix that, because
lately it had been either get the level of my combination spin
(preceding element) or be on time going into that loop. So today
I chose to get the level, so we're going to go back and fix
that.”
For years –
really, ever since her emergence as a top junior more than a
decade ago -- the skating world viewed Glenn, now 26, as a
potential powerhouse, a versatile athlete with the style,
technique and speed needed to compete with Japanese and Russian
skaters on the world stage. The problem? Glenn didn’t believe it
herself.
“I just always feel like I could have
done something better,” Glenn said. “As soon as I got done
today, I was like, ‘Oh my God, there's so many things that I
want to fix.’ I think that going forward, I just need to embrace
that nothing's going to be perfect all the time. As long as I
keep that in mind, then I should be able to go forward without
feeling too ‘impostery.’”
Psychology Today
defines imposter syndrome, in brief, as feeling like a fraud,
despite having abundant evidence of talent and success. It’s a
feeling Glenn is only now, after three U.S. titles, a Grand Prix
Final win last season and a top five finish at the 2025 world
championships, sometimes able to push aside. Still, she admits
it takes a near-flawless routine – like her superb short program
on Wednesday -- to overcome doubt.
“I think it
stems from the overwhelming anxiety that I naturally have,” she
said. “I have found ways to cope with it, and I think whatever
points or placement that I'm given, I am not in control of that.
I am only in control of what I can do. And I think at the end of
the day, if I go out there and have a performance like I did in
both of my programs, then I wouldn't feel that way.”
The 20-year-old Liu is in many ways
Glenn’s polar opposite: optimistic, confident and
preternaturally unbothered.
“I think I
liked it,” the world champion said of her re-vamped Lady Gaga
free skate, performed here in St. Louis for the first time. “I
have to watch it back. I'm a visual critic of myself, but it
felt pretty good.”
While not
as rich in choreographic nuance as Glenn’s program, Liu’s
routine capitalized on her ability to skate with freedom and joy
since returning to competition last season after a two-year
break. Like Glenn, she landed seven triple jumps, although the
tech panel saddled two of them with a “q.”
“I was really confident out there, and
I did see the protocol,” Liu said, then added with a laugh, “I
need to get those rotations, man, so I'm gonna work on that.”
The Bay Area skater’s 147.80 points put
her third in the free skate, less than a point behind Levito,
but second overall with 228.91 for her second consecutive silver
medal. She won the U.S. title in 2019 and 2020.
If power and technique are Glenn’s
greatest assets, and sheer abandon sets Liu apart, Levito’s
skating is marked by musicality and charm. She was at her very
best on Friday, skating
a relaxed and graceful program to a romantic medley from "Cinema
Paradiso," delivering seven triples including a triple flip,
triple toe loop (<). Like Glenn and Liu, she gained Level 4 for
all of her spins. Her 148.73 points put her ahead of Liu in the
free skate, due mainly to a point higher composition score, but
she placed third overall with 228.91.
While the 18-year-old New Jersey native, winner of the U.S.
title in 2023, sometimes felt pressure early in her career, it
didn’t bother her on Friday.
“I’m very satisfied with my performance today,” Levito said. “I
feel like it reflected the training I put in prior to this
competition, and it was – I’m trying to find the right words –
not difficult, but yes, maybe difficult – (because) I had to do
it right here, right now for this moment and first time to
compete at nationals on the Olympic year, being age eligible for
the Olympics.”
If Friday night’s free skate was Bradie Tennell’s final
performance at the U.S. Championships, the two-time U.S.
champion (2018, 2021) went out with one of her finest programs,
a heartfelt and near-flawless performance to Morricone’s “The
Mission” soundtrack that highlighted her spins, long some of the
best in the world.
The 27-year-old received a long, loud standing ovation from the
Enterprise Center crowd as she kneeled down and kissed the ice.
She placed fourth in the free skate and fourth overall with
211.48 points.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment for four years, and it was just
every hardship, every struggle, every moment where I doubted
myself, sitting there at center ice after having done a program
like that,” Tennell, who has struggled with severe foot injuries
the past several seasons, said. “I just felt so much pride and
was so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, and so
much love for the sport.”
Improved Rhythm Dances Prove Grand Prix Lessons Learned
by Lynn Rutherford
(Jan 9, 2026)
With a convincing win in the rhythm dance event at St. Louis’
Enterprise Arena on Thursday afternoon, Madison Chock and Evan
Bates are halfway to a record seventh, and perhaps final, U.S.
ice dance title.
A partnership that began in July 2011 has withstood injury –
particularly, Chock’s ankle surgery following the 2017-2018
season – and its share of tough losses, often at the hands of
U.S. rivals, to blossom in recent seasons with three world
titles, two Grand Prix Final crowns and Olympic team gold. Ever
exploring, they’ve won with signature programs ranging from the
avant-garde “Alien and the Astronaut” to this season’s
contemporary flamenco.
“We’ve tried not to get too emotional, with the nostalgia of
this event and the 15-year journey we’ve been on,” Bates, 36,
said. “We took a little moment at the end of the five-minute
warm-up. It was so hectic out there, we were like, ‘Let’s just
glide around for a laugh, just look out into the crowd.’ You see
so much support. You see your families, and it’s incredible.”
On Thursday, Chock and Bates, and the other top teams, showed
their finest rhythm dances of the season, taking full measure of
technical panel deductions during the Grand Prix and making
fixes where needed.
Performing to a Lenny Kravitz medley including “American Woman,”
the world champions were speedier and more dynamic than in the
fall.
“It really felt like we were very present and grounded and able
to enjoy the energy of the arena and the energy between the two
of us,” Chock, 33, said. “We felt like this was a great skate
and a good steppingstone towards Milan (Olympics).”
They earned 91.70 points, nearly six points over the field.
At Skate America in mid-November, the technical panel assigned
several of their elements Level 1 or 2, unusual for a team of
their caliber and reputation. They took the critique to heart.
“We made a lot of enhancements to our program and put a lot of
focus on our technical turns and technical elements,” Chock
said. “We’ve been homing in on all the details and refining all
our movements, so when we step on to the ice at competition,
there’s not a lot to think about. We can be very present and
just enjoy the moment …. Staying present is the number one thing
we’re focused on.”
Rising stars Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, who placed sixth
at the Grand Prix Final in December, earned 85.98 points for a
fast, high-octane routine set to a Bell Biv Devoe medley,
notable for its crisp movements and precision. Fourth in the
U.S. last season, and with the Ukraine-born Kolesnik’s U.S.
citizenship granted in August, they are poised to gain one of
the three U.S. ice dance berths.
“We made a few adjustments after the Grand Prix Final,” Kolesnik,
24, said, referring to a two-point deduction taken to one of
their step sequences for an “illegal” move. “I was just praying
to God that we don’t get exclamation marks or letters (“S”) on
the protocol. Maybe (not getting that) was a win already. But
for the step sequence, we just wanted to do clean turns.”
Defending silver medalists Christina Carreira and Anthony
Ponomarenko sit third with 83.29 points after
an elegant routine set to "Sweet Dreams" that featured
challenging steps in close hold positions, and good speed
throughout.
The performance was dramatically better than their disappointing
fifth-place finish at Skate America in mid-November, where some
of low levels assigned by the tech panel took them by surprise.
“We left quite a few points on the table at our Grand Prix
(events),” Carreira, 25, said. “We really wanted to clean up our
turns and make sure the tech side was well taken care of.”
“We were fortunate to have seven full weeks before U.S.
nationals (after Skate America), and we did a lot of reflecting
ourselves with our coaching team (Scott Moir and Madison
Hubbell) and our mental coaches,” Ponomarenko, 25, said. “We
figured out what made us, us, and we did a lot of good changes
…. (it was about) finding that confidence again and figuring out
why do we compete? And someone told us, ‘Skate for your
10-year-old self.’”
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, the 2025 U.S. bronze
medalists, delivered a playful, quirky routine to a medley
including Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy." The high-energy
dance, complete with inventive, 90's style highlight moves
courtesy of choreographer Jean-Luc Baker, earned
80.55 and put them fourth entering the free dance.
“I mean, it’s basically the culmination of a four-year Olympic
cycle, and it’s a big skate,” Parsons, 30, said of the pressure.
“If we want to make it to where we want to go (Olympics), we’re
going to have to put down a really good skate.”
Returning to the U.S. Championships after an eight-year absence,
two-time U.S. champions Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, the
2018 Olympic bronze medalists, debuted a new rhythm dance,
choreographed just six weeks ago to Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat."
The siblings' famed sophistication and precise steps were
intact, as was their deep connection to each other. But with
little time to train the new routine, they looked a bit slow and
uncertain, and made an uncharacteristic mistake on the timing of
their twizzles. Their 71.24 points put them in 10th place
heading into the free dance.
Glenn Leads Liu by 1.94 Points After Record-Breaking
Short
by Lynn Rutherford
(Jan 8, 2026) Two-time defending champion Amber Glenn set
a U.S. record 83.05 points for her short program at St. Louis’
Enterprise Center on Wednesday night, minutes after two-time
U.S. champion Alysa Liu, the reigning world champion, had set a
new standard of 81.11 points.
Liu’s performance followed that of Isabeau
Levito, the 2023 U.S. champion, who notched 75.72 points for one
of the finest short programs of her career.
One night, three U.S. champions, three
extraordinary performances: Glenn, commanding and intense; Liu,
relaxed and radiant; Levito, loaded with charm. The golden trio
sitting atop U.S. women’s figure skating has made an Olympic
medal next month -- perhaps more than one -- more possible than
any time since 2006, when Sasha Cohen won silver in Torino,
Italy.
“I just think we are all trying to lift
each other up, and in doing so, it just pushes people to the
top,” Glenn said. “I think it’s all about doing that, and doing
it in a healthy way, and that’s the future of our sport.”
The near-capacity crowd in the large arena,
home to the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, added to the excitement.
Saturday’s free skate is expected to be a sellout.
“More people are coming in to watch us, and
that fuels our performances,” Liu said.
The 20-year-old, who took a two-season
break from competition after winning bronze at the 2022 World
Figure Skating Championships, agreed that her compatriots had
pushed her to up her game.
“I get to learn a lot. I’m a very visual
learner, so getting to skate with (Glenn and Levito) is really
weird for me,” said Liu, who trains in Oakland, California.
“Back at home, there’s not really many people at my level, so I
don’t get to see or learn as much.”
Glenn, who attacked her “Like a Prayer”
short with a ferocity rivaling Madonna herself, won largely due
to a perfectly executed triple axel that earned 10.51 points
from the nine judges, with grades of execution ranging from +2
to +4. In contrast, Liu’s double axel earned 4.43 points.
Liu, who regularly included triple axels in
her programs early in her career, had hoped to show the
three-and-a-half revolution jump in St. Louis, but it wasn’t to
be.
“No triple axel because I didn’t realize
how close nationals was,” she said. “I wanted to train it, but
it didn’t occur to me. I would’ve done it if I had trained it.”
The rest of Glenn’s program was also
stellar, including a triple flip, triple toe loop combination
and triple loop that earned +3 and +4 grades of execution across
the board, plus intricate Level 4 spins and steps.
“I think that’s the most intense I’ve
reacted to any skate ever, there was just a feeling today that
was so different,” the Colorado Springs-based skater, who trains
under Damon Allen, said. “The stress coming into this after
(missing the Olympic team in 2022) was immense, but I felt so
much support from my team, from my family, from my fans and my
fellow competitors, that it made it to where I felt like I was
able to just go out there and do what I do every day.”
Liu executed the event’s most difficult
combination, a triple lutz, triple loop that netted 13.65
points. She also received slightly higher PCS than Glenn (37.43,
vs. 36.91) for her liquid program to Laufey’s “Promise.” It
still wasn’t enough to overcome the power of Glenn’s triple
axel, but the skater was anything but disappointed.
“I feel over the moon right now, I’m so
happy with that short program,” Liu said. “I would say that’s
the best short program I’ve ever performed for an audience.”
Levito, too, had a great night, opening her
quirky “Zou Bisou Bisou” short with a clean triple flip, triple
toe combination and staying in character throughout her steps
and spins. Her elements’ technical base value, 31.49, was a bit
lower than Glenn’s and Liu’s, as was her PCS. But like Liu, she
was thrilled with her performance.
“I feel really happy with myself, that I
did my job, and I’m satisfied,” the 18-year-old said, adding,
“This character is really close to my own character, so it’s
like second nature for me. Especially as a child, I was such a
diva. It’s a lot of fun to portray this confident diva, because
I really believe in a ‘fake it until you make it’ kind of
thing.”
The evening’s great programs extended
beyond the top three.
Sarah Everhardt, a training mate of Ilia
Malinin’s in Reston, Virginia, shone in her short to “Reel
Around the Sun,” choreographed by Shae-Lynn Bourne. Her clean,
energetic skate featured a triple lutz, triple toe combination
and sharp Level 4 spins, earning 71.10. Two-time U.S. champion
Bradie Tennell also showed a triple lutz, triple toe (saddled
with a “Q” by the technical panel) as well as superb Level 4
spins in her ethereal program to Lana Del Ray’s “Young and
Beautiful,” choreographed by Benoit Richaud. She is close behind
Everhardt with 69.53.
Efimova and Mitrofanov Lead, but Olympic Dream is in
Doubt
by Lynn Rutherford
(Jan 8, 2026) Alisa Efimova and Misha
Mitrofanov were a cut (or two) above the field in Wednesday
afternoon’s short program at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating
Championships, held in a half-full Enterprise Arena in St.
Louis, Missouri. But will their brilliance bring them one of the
two U.S. Olympic pair spots?
A dramatic, near-clean program to a medley
including “Cloak and Dagger,” choreographed by Renee Roca, gave
the defending champions a solid eight-point lead.
“We trusted each other, we trusted our
training,” Mitrofanov said. “I was a little more nervous than
normal, to be honest. And I’m really proud of Alisa for holding
my hand very strong throughout the program.”
Highlighted by Efimova’s elegant positions,
the performance – featuring the highest-scoring lift, death
spiral and step sequence of the event – earned 75.31 points. The
only obvious flaw was Mitrofanov’s hand down on the landing of a
triple toe loop.
“We’ve skated so many short programs, so
it’s hard to tell if this is the best one (ever),” Efimova said.
“We still made little mistakes that we know about.”
Mitrofanov was a bit more definite.
“This has been by far our best program so
far, but we’re still continuing to strive for a better score,”
he said.
While a second consecutive U.S. title would
be a major accomplishment for the Boston-based skaters, it may
not be enough to get them to the Olympic Games in Italy next
month.
The Finland-born Efimova, who moved to the
U.S. in the spring of 2023 to skate with Mitrofanov, is not yet
a U.S. citizen. The skaters, married for nearly a year, are
pinning their hopes on some last-minute lobbying by members of
the Skating Club of Boston, as well as help from Massachusetts
Senator Ed Markey. Time is running out: to qualify for a spot,
Efimova must be a citizen by January 11th.
“We’ve had a lot of papers to sign,”
Mitrofanov said. “I know people from Skating Club of Boston have
been working on it …. We’re still hoping to have a last-minute
miracle. There has been a great push for it, but it is out of
our control.”
TThe remaining contenders are tightly
bunched. Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy skated their finest short
of the season to place second with 67.67 points, while Ellie Kam
and Danny O’Shea, despite errors on their side-by-side triple
jumps and throw triple loop, sit third with 67.13 points.
Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez, with 67.07, and
Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, at 66.81, are well within
striking distance.
A gamble by
Shin and Nagy – getting a new short to “Tango de Roxanne” in
November – paid big dividends. The theatrical music lit a fire
in the skaters, who performed it with flair and attack, landing
triple toes and a throw triple loop before cutting loose in a
level 4 step sequence.
“I think we were definitely a little
nervous, but I felt as the program went on, we got into our
feet, we kind of settled into the program,” Nagy said. “I think
we were able to build on our training and each other to get
through the program.”
The team began the season with a
“Godfather” short, choreographed by John Kerr. After
disappointing marks at Ice Challenge, held in Graz, Austria in
early November, they decided to make a change.
“It felt like a couple competitions passed,
where they skated better than they were scored,” Meagan Duhamel,
who coaches the pair with husband Bruno Marcotte, said. “And I
was like, ‘Something’s not lining up because you’re skating
better than your scores are dictating, so I don’t think we’ve
hit the mark with the program.’ And I was a little hesitant to
bring it up to Audrey and Balazs, but I thought if I don’t bring
it up, I’m going to regret it.”
“The (“Godfather”) program was beautiful to
watch,” Marcotte said. “We tried to modify the music, tried to
upgrade the footwork. But at one point I said to Meagan, no
matter what we’re trying, it doesn’t fit their style.”
Shin and Nagy agreed with their coaches,
and Nagy quickly proposed “Tango de Roxanne.” At Duhamel’s
request, Tessa Virtue – who, with Scott Moir, won a second
individual Olympic gold in PyeongChang in 2018 performing a free
dance to “Roxanne”– visited the group to help create their
vision. Building on Kerr’s original choreography, Virtue, with a
major assist from Nagy, created the new routine. A few weeks
later, they used it to win Golden Spin of Zagreb.
“I would say it’s been a dream of mine to
skate (to this music) since I was young, and when we made the
change and Balazs suggested this, I was really excited,” Shin
said. “I think it’s really easy to tap into the character for
this piece of music.
When I skated singles, that was kind of my thing, performing to
music this way.”
Kam and O’Shea, the 2024 U.S. champions who
won two bronze medals on the Grand Prix circuit this season, sit
just 0.60 points behind Shin and Nagy. Their short,
choreographed by their coach, Drew Meekins, to k.d. lang’s
rendition of “Hallelujah,” saw Kam fall on an under rotated
triple toe loop and turn out of the landing of a throw triple
loop, but other elements – including an inventive lift, fine
death spiral and strong step sequence – made up the slack.
“I’m a little disappointed in how I skated,
we’ve been really practicing well all week,” Kam said. “But I’m
also proud of how we were able to get every single point out of
all the elements we had left, and we got all the level (4’s) we
were looking to get, except for the twist (which was level 3).”
Like the two leading pairs, Plazas and
Fernandez had their best short of the season, a clean and
flowing effort to the classic “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”
After landing triple toes and a throw triple loop, the
Michigan-based skaters shone in their side-by-side spins, death
spiral and signature “Militano” closing lift.
“I’m a perfectionist, so I think it could
be better, but it was good,” Plazas said.
The skaters, who are coached in Canton by
Jim Peterson and Amanda Evora Will, also worked with five-time
U.S. ice dance champion Tanith Belbin to polish and add detail
to their programs.
“We’ve never, in our five years (in
Canton), worked with her (before),” Fernandez said. “She works
on the other side of the rink, where Caroline (Green) and
Michael (Parsons) work. We’ve never really connected with them.
We decided to make that leap this year, and Tanith has just been
night and day for us. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to
work with her …. It made this program come alive more.”
Skating a cerebral, sophisticated short to
a contemporary violin concerto, McBeath and Parkman opened
strong, with a solid triple twist, side-by-side triple toes and
the event’s only throw triple lutz. They lost ground when
McBeath stumbled slightly on the dismount of their lift, helping
to drop it to Level 2; the technical panel also dropped their
death spiral to Level 2.
“I think we did pretty good,” Parkman said.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to show all of the possibilities
today. Especially, we are a little bit upset and disappointed we
missed the levels in some of the elements.”
Efimova and Mitrofanov’s citizenship issue
adds a dash of intrigue to the event. Kam and O’Shea, seventh at
the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, had the strongest
Grand Prix season; it is generally assumed they will gain one of
the two Olympic spots. If efforts for Efimova are in vain, it
opens the door for Shin and Nagy, or Plazas and Fernandez, to be
considered. (The Ukraine-born Parkman also lacks U.S.
citizenship.)
Heading into this short program, Emily Chan
and Spencer Akira Howe were firmly in the running for an Olympic
nod, but an error-filled effort – including a one-point
deduction for starting the program late, a fall from Chan on a
triple toe and a second fall on the entry to a throw triple loop
-- may have doomed their chances. They sit eighth with 59.29
points.
“Definitely not our best skate,” Howe said.
“Weird mistakes. We had to replace the throw because we fell on
the entry before, which is something that is probably the worst
nightmare. But at the end of the day, we’re out there, we’re
trying to adjust, and we recovered the way we did (by trying the
throw a second time). I think that’s the one positive we can
take from the day.”
Novice Events Lead Off US Nationals Week in St Louis
(Jan 8, 2026) US Nationals week in St Louis began on Monday
and Tuesday with the Novice and Junior events. For the
singles skaters the top six Novices and the top twelve Juniors
compete together in Women and Men's Singles events with 18
competitors each. The Novice and Junior Pairs and Ice
Dance couples complete in separate events.
The competition took place at the Centene Community Ice
Center, some 20 miles from downtown St Louis and the Enterprise
Center, where the Senior events begin on Wednesday. It's a
2500 seat venue, clean, with good lighting, and mediocre food at
obscenely high prices.
The Junior Women made a credible showing, as did the men.
Patrick Blackwell was a standout, with two quads in the free
skate and a triple Axel - Triple Axel sequence, the second being
called at the quarter, though high resolution photography shows
it was under rotated.
Of the Junior Pairs, only the winners looked close to being
ready to move up to senior. The rest, overall, were
generally mediocre. The Junior Ice Dance was a different
story, with at least a third of the group showing engaging
programs with good technique. The pipeline in Ice Dance
remains flowing nicely.
The four Novice Pairs were a stark reminder of how the US
pairs program remains critically ill. They were all slow
an cumbersome, showing little promise. The Novice Ice
Dancers skated with the ability expected for their level.
It was stark how much the skating skills of the dancers exceeded
that of the pairs.
2. Caleb Farrington 1. Patrick Blackwell 3. Louis
Mallane 4. Nicholas Brooks
Junior Pairs Medalists
2. Reagan Moss & Jakub Galbavy 1. Sofia Jarmoc &
Luke Witkowski 3. Milada Kovar & Jared McPike 4. Alena Kerr
& Sam Herbert
Junior Ice Dance Medalists
2. Jasmine Robertson & Chase Rohner 1. Hana Maria
Aboian & Daniil Veselukhin 3. Jane Calhoun & Mark
Zheltyshev 4. Aneta Vaclavikova & William Lissauer
Novice Pairs Medalists
2. Amelia Chen & Tristan Yacktman 1. Olivia Jung &
Laz Lune 3. Tiffany Kim & Ian Spencer 4. Lauren Ji &
Luciano Chen
Novice Ice Dance Medalists
2. Katherine Li & James Zhu 1. Rylen Lukanin &
Patrick O'Brien 3. Sophia Kartashov & Nicholas Kartashov 4.
Natalie Leitan & Nathan Leitan
Chock and Bates Set to Continue Their Remarkable Story
Together in St. Louis
by Liz Leamy
(Jan 7, 2026) Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the
three-time World champions, three-time ISU Grand Prix Final gold
medalists and six-time U.S. titlists, are looking forward to
writing another exciting chapter in their remarkable story as
they head to the U.S. Championships in St. Louis this week.
“We’re really excited for the U.S.
Championships coming up in St. Louis,” said Chock, who, along
with Bates, are 2022 Winter Olympic team event champions as well
as the 2015 World silver and 2016 and 2022 World bronze
medalists. “Training has been going really well and we’re really
happy with where we’ve progressed our programs leading into the
second half of the season. We feel like we’re in a really good
place.”
This duo, who immediately established
themselves as a formidable force of this intriguing skating
discipline from the time they first started training and
competing together back in 2011, certainly seem to have the
formula, all the while expressing their deep gratitude,
appreciation and joy for the sport through it all.
“We’ve learned from every experience and
putting that all together, I feel like we could write a novel,
like a huge book,” said Chock.
At the same time, Bates elaborated on how
much he and Chock are looking forward to competing at the U.S.
Championships.
“I think when we get to the U.S.
Championships and see so many friendly faces, it will certainly
be exciting, especially with all the feelings of nostalgia,”
said Bates, who, along with his talented and effervescent
partner, has medaled or claimed gold at every U.S. Championships
since 2013, with the two having never missed a season since
first starting out together. (The duo had placed fifth at the
2012 U.S. Championships.) “I think just to have such an
appreciation to have had a long career and to have had so many
wonderful experiences and just have been on this journey
together for 15 years and now culminating what could be the last
few competitions it’s going by so quickly and we want to really
stop and enjoy it as best we can.”
Chock and Bates, who have, to date,
competed together at three Olympic Games together in 2014, 2018
and 2022, it’s all learning and evolving through experience.
“Something we really value is that learning
experience. It has been so valuable to us because we love being
students of the game,” said Bates, whose storied Hawaiian with
Chock in June 2024 represents the stuff of a classic Hollywood
movie. “There are a lot of privileges that frankly, we are
grateful for, but it can also pull you away from what’s most
important and what got you to that point of being a favorite in
the first place, which was years of hard work, dedication,
consistency and working on the little stuff as well as having
the right environment for us to skate well and being process
oriented.”
Clearly, their approach has been most
effective, especially in noting the duo has racked up some of
the most stellar results of any dance team ever in the history
of the sport.
At the same time, they have competed every
single season since first having joined forces in 2011,
something that is quite a feat for any athlete, especially
skating at the world level, to say the least.
For Chock and Bates, having a routine has
been a key factor in their skating.
“When we get to competition, we have our
set routine and just to be able to go through each of those
checkpoints as we’re preparing for the day really gives us a lot
of mental clarity,” said Chock, who has been training with Bates
under the tutelage of Marie France-Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and
Romain Haguenauer in Montreal since 2018. “So when we step on
the ice, it feels almost the same every time, but maybe not
exactly the same because every rink has a different energy and
every competition is slightly different but the internal
environment that we bring with us remains the same and that’s
what we focus on because that’s within our control.”
With the Milan Olympics kicking off in
February, the duo, an Olympic gold medal favorite being the
reigning World champions and current number one team according
to the current ISU dance point rankings, are just focused on
doing their best.
“We are just feeling confident and capable
in ourselves to execute what we’ve trained for and what we’ve
mentally prepared for and that’s the main goal,” said Chock.
“The biggest thing is to just be grounded, be present and not
get pulled to the future or pulled to the past. It’s just about
staying present and like Evan said, enjoying the moment and the
only way you can enjoy the moment is to be present for it.”
Ultimately, their motivation is derived
from their love of skating.
“It’s fun to see old photos [of when I
skated growing up] and just kind of reminisce about that little
girl and her experience and how much I loved skating and how it
has really changed my perspective and my outlook on life,” said
Chock, referencing how she had recently been sent some photos
from her mom, Barbara, from when she had competed in Lake
Arrowhead, California as a young girl. “I couldn’t have possibly
imagined I’d meet my husband. Finding my niche in this sport has
been so fulfilling and to meet all the wonderful people that
figure skating has attracted has just been such a highlight of
my life and something I really cherish and will never take for
granted.”
Chock, meanwhile, also spoke about how she
views skating as a privilege.
“It’s such a privilege to do what you love
and do it with a passion,” said Chock. “To do it every day with
someone you love, I feel so fortunate and so happy to look back
at that little girl and know she is going to accomplish so much
more than she ever could have possibly dreamt. It’s really
exciting and just makes my heart feel very full.”
Amber Glenn Ready to Soar in St.
Louis
by Liz Leamy
(Jan 7, 2026) Amber Glenn, the remarkable 26 year-old
skating sensation whose trademark triple Axel has helped
make her one of the sport’s contemporary figureheads, is
geared up to seek gold at the 2026 U.S. Championships in
St. Louis, Missouri.
Glenn, who hails from Plano, Texas and is
the 2024 and 2025 U.S. champion and 2024-2025 International
Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix Final titlist, is primed to
catapult, once again, to the top of the leaderboard at the U.S.
Championships, something that seems most feasible based upon her
stellar library of explosive triples and high-charged spins,
among other notable things.
For Glenn, who trains with Damon Allen and
Tammy Gambill in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it’s all about
striving to show her true self in everything she does,
especially out on the ice.
“It’s just a joy to still be doing what I
love,” said Glenn. “I want to enjoy my next few performances
because they’re going to be some of the most important and most
memorable of my career.”
In preparing for the U.S. Championships,
Glenn spoke about how well training has been going for her over
the past few weeks, having been working as hard as ever since
arriving home from the 2025-2026 ISU Grand Prix Finals held in
early December in Nagoya, Japan, where she scored a solid
fourth-place finish.
“I’ve been training exactly how I need to
with my coaches and with my team,” said Glenn. “I feel like I’m
in a good place mentally, I’m in a good place physically and I
just want to go out there and really take it all in at
Nationals.”
Glenn, who clinched her first U.S.
championship-level medal, a silver, in 2021 at the age of 21,
the same time when she first began attempting and landing the
triple Axel in practice (an element she learned and began
working on during the 2020 pandemic year), has been on a
remarkable trajectory ever since that season, having scored
bronze at the 2023 U.S. Championships and then the U.S. crown in
2024 and 2025.
Notably, it was prior to the 2020 period
when Glenn had decided to take some time off to reflect on her
life and figure out her dreams and goals in life, especially in
regard to skating, a chapter that has since gone on to serve as
a powerful and life-changing springboard for her life, that is
for certain.
“I’ve had to work very, very hard for a
long time to just slowly build to get to where I am today,” said
Glenn. “I mean, I didn’t win an international competition at all
until I was 24. It has been a slow rise that I’m very proud of.”
At the same time, Glenn’s undeniable
fighting spirit has been paramount in regard to her stunning
success over the past few years while she is steadfast about
taking everything step by step.
“I just try now to take it in and enjoy and
focus on what I’m doing in that moment rather than think ‘ok,
what’s the next hard thing.’ There are so many things that go
through an athlete’s brain then just trying to put out a
technically good performance that sometimes it’s really hard to
stay present in what you’re doing.”
For Glenn, the key is to stay in the
present.
“I’m trying to be just in the moment the
best I can in my ability,” said Glenn in her pre-U.S.
Championships conference call that drew nearly 50 media members.
“I’m trying to enjoy the experience [of being out on the ice and
give a smile and take a breath because if you do, those are the
moment you’re going to remember years and years later.”
In reflection, Glenn recalled a moment
during one of her programs at the 2018 U.S. Championships (where
she placed eighth) that left a lasting and impactful imprint in
her memory.
“I remember a certain moment where I took a
deep breath then gave a fierce look and I remember how that
felt,” said Glenn. “That was a great feeling.”
As a child, Glenn began skating at age five
at a rink near her home and instantly took to the sport.
By age 14, Glenn had established herself as
one of the country’s most promising up-and-coming contenders,
having claimed the U.S. junior title in 2014.
The next season, in 2015, Glenn began her
foray into the formidable Championship realm and soon began
making a mark.
In 2015, Glenn placed 13th at
that year’s U.S. Championships, then scored eighth at the 2017
and 2018 U.S. Championships, seventh at the 2019 U.S.
Championships and fifth at the 2020 U.S. Championships.
No doubt, throughout her journey so far,
Glenn has managed to remain grounded, humble and gracious,
designating her as endearing and relatable to so many of her
thousands of fans and peers as well as a beloved member of the
whole skating community.
For Glenn, it’s all about being honest and
real with everyone and everything.
“I’m at a good healthy point now, but it’s
not always like everything’s perfect,” said Glenn. “We’re just
human and trying to do our best and we’re just kids who had a
dream.”
Based on her story so far, Glenn clearly
knows how to navigate the pursuit of her dreams, especially out
on the ice, that is for certain.
“It’s my story that I’m writing right now,”
said Glenn. “I just want to go out and have two performances
that I enjoy and that I’m proud of and wherever that lands me, I
know that I’ll feel good and as long as I stay true to myself, I
think I will be satisfied with whatever result I end up with at
Nationals.”
Glenn, meanwhile, will be joining Alysa
Liu, the 2025 World champion, 2022 World bronze medalist,
2025-2026 ISU Grand Prix Final gold medalist and two-time U.S.
titlist who hails Clovis, California, Isabeau Levito, the 2024
World silver medalist, 2022-2023 Grand Prix Final second-place
finisher and 2023 U.S. champion, among other uber-accomplished
contenders in this much-anticipated showdown.
Malinin Seeks Fourth National Title in St. Louis
by Liz Leamy
(Jan 7, 2026) Ilia Malinin, the reigning World and U.S.
champion from Vienna, Virginia who is globally renowned for his
extraordinary technical as well as artistic skill, is poised
to make another indelible mark at the 2026 U.S. Championships
that will be held January 4th-11th at the
Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Malinin, who recently celebrated a
birthday, having turned 21 on December 2nd, just days
prior to clinching gold at the 2025-2026 International Skating
Union (ISU) Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan (held December 4th
through 7th) where he executed a record-breaking
seven quads to further continue raising the already staggeringly
high technical bar of the sport, seems as amped as ever for this
year’s U.S. Championships.
Maintaining what could best be described as
a mysterious, steely and magnetic air about him, Malinin is the
2024 and 2025 World champion, 2023 World bronze medalist,
three-time U.S. titlist in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and ISU Grand
Prix Final victor in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and maintains a
philosophy of just taking things one step at a time.
“I am feeling really good going into the
U.S. Championships,” said Malinin in a pre-U.S. Championships
press teleconference that drew nearly 60 media members, a nearly
record-breaking crowd for this type of situation. “I think
Nationals this year is going to be a fun experience, especially
with the Olympics coming up in a few months.”
With this being an Olympic year, Malinin is
certainly in optimal form going into the U.S. Championships as
well as the rest of the season with his current ISU men’s
singles standings being number one for the 2025-2026 season with
1,500 points, rendering him at a 110-point lead over Yuma
Kagiyama of Japan, who is seeded second with 1,390 points and
167-point lead over Adam Siao Him Fa of France who is ranked
third with 1,333 points.
For Malinin, this chapter in his skating
represents yet another exciting and much-anticipated moment in
his already storied career.
“I think the Olympics are going to be a
whole different experience to really embrace and I’m excited,”
said Malinin, who made history a few years ago when he became
the first skating to land a fully rotated quadruple Axel in
international competition at the 2022 U.S. International
Classic, having executed it multiple times since then. “I’ve
been really confident in all my training.”
True to form, Malinin has been preparing as
he always has, with good old-fashioned hard work and strategic
training, a formula that he learned and developed from years of
being guided by his parents, Tatiana Malinin and Roman
Skorniakov, both who are former Olympians and have been his
coaches since he first began skating at age six.
“My parents tell me a lot about the
Olympics and the way that they view it is to train how I would
for any other competition,” said Malinin, who was the 2016 U.S.
Juvenile champion (at age 11), 2017 U.S. Intermediate champion
(at age 12) and 2019 U.S. Novice bronze medalist (at age 14).
(In the early 2020s, Malinin catapulted from the novice level to
the Championship/senior division to in turn, having foregone
competing at the U.S. Championship junior level.)
Malinin, who also works with Raphael
Arutyunyan, the esteemed Olympic and World coach based in
Irvine, California who will be inducted into the U.S. Figure
Skating Hall of Fame at the 2026 U.S. Championships, explained
how, in terms of training, he tries to adapt to however he might
be feeling on that given day.
“It’s different days, different ways,
depending on how I feel,” said Malinin. “I’ve learned how to
manage how I feel but also not overdo myself.”
Meanwhile, on a random but illuminating
note, Malinin, happens to be a fan of the stunning iconic
supercars, the Ford Mustang and Ferrari, both of which he has
built small-scale Lego true-to-life models displayed on a wall
in his home, a sidenote indicating his affinity and connection
to things that are all about power, speed and craftsmanship as
well as artistry and beauty.
“I always grew up as a person who wanted to
push myself to every limit possible and really just see where I
can push my body and my physical and mental limits on the ice or
off the ice,” said Malinin, who attends George Mason University
in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Clearly, Malinin is someone who is all
about striving to constantly evolve, a theme that is the
narrative in both his short and long programs this year,
fittingly.
“I’m really just trying to become a better
version of myself,” said Malinin, who is skating to ‘The Lost
Crown’ for his short and ‘A Voice’ for his free skate (in which
he does some of the speaking vocals in tandem with the music)
this season. “The short program is a representation of the
battles that you might have in life. It’s very dramatic, almost
like battle-type music, while the long program is more about the
internal and really just stuff you know you have to think about
to process on your own and think about in reflection.”
For this driven and super-accomplished
athlete, it’s all about reaching for the stars despite facing
challenges along the way.
“I feel like I’m a lot more confident in
myself, a lot more aware of what I’m doing on the ice and you
know, maybe something that I haven’t achieved that is still
being at my very top level,” said Malinin, who’s planning to
compete for many more seasons, with the idea he would be part of
the Olympic experience through 2034. “I think there’s a lot more
progress that I can do especially in the next let’s say three
Olympic cycles. I still want to skate and you know, hopefully in
those years, I’ll be able to become the full skater I can be.”
Certainly, Malinin’s story has been a
fascinating one so far and is one with so much more to be
written, particularly with the U.S. Championships right on the
horizon as well as the Olympics.
Brown is Reelin’ in the Years
by Lynn Rutherford
Jason Brown launched his senior Grand Prix career in 2013, when
he replaced an injured Evan Lysacek at Skate America in Detroit,
Michigan.
The earnest, pony-tailed 18-year-old won the hearts of fans at
Joe Louis Arena with his blurred spins, musical steps, and
guileless personality. More than a decade later, Brown’s
countenance has matured, the ponytail is long gone, but his
command of an audience has only grown stronger.
“I am so proud of my longevity, and I am so grateful for all of
the support over the years,” Brown, now 30, said. “I’m doing
this for you (the fans), so thank you so, so much for sticking
with me all of these years. That was amazing.”
In perhaps his final competitive season, the two-time Olympian
(2014, 2022) and longtime collaborator Rohene Ward revisit the
roots of Brown’s renowned performance quality with a reimagining
of his “Reel Around the Sun (Riverdance)” free skate. Introduced
in 2013, it became a viral sensation early in 2014, when Brown
won silver at the U.S. Championships. He competed it at the
Sochi Games, where it helped Team USA to a team bronze medal; a
year later, he used it to win the 2015 U.S. title. This time
around, it is a short program.
“It’s so exciting to be able to, 12 years
later, bring back something that really launched my career,”
Brown said. “People still come up to me and ask, ‘Would you ever
consider bringing it back?” So it’s really my way of saying,
‘Thank you.’ It’s about that kind of relationship with the
audience.”
Brown is still very much a competitive force, so while his
electric performance on Thursday at Lake Placid’s legendary Herb
Brooks Arena captivated the crowd and earned a standing ovation,
he wanted a bit more.
“I wish it was a cleaner skate,” he told reporters in the mixed
zone. “Every time I go out on to the ice I know that to be up
there with the best I have to be as perfect and as clean as
possible. So those marks are frustrating when those Q’s or under
rotations add up.”
Brown’s triple axel, while landed cleanly, was a quarter turn or
so short, earning a < from the technical panel that cost at
least two points. A bigger problem was a turnout on the landing
of his triple flip, triple toe loop combination that yielded -4
and -5 across the board GOE’s. The revamped “Reel” earned 82.69
points, putting him fifth heading into the free skate.
The skater arrived in Lake Placid well prepared, with medals at
two ISU Challenger events, the Denis Ten Memorial in
early October and Trialeti Trophy, both held the first half of
October.
“Those little technical things added up,”
he said. “Obviously, nerves are still huge in that, as much as I
wish as an athlete I could nail (each element) and check it off
…. The nerves get me. It’s all about working with them, learning
from them.”
“He’s getting dinged (by tech panel) a
little bit,” Tracy Wilson, Brown’s primary coach in Toronto,
said. “I think it’s about him trying to find the right line with
this program, because the tendency is to get excited so its
about finding that place of aggression, but also calm. And
that’s why he’s really pushing, (doing more) competitions this
year to kind of get used to that.”
Immediately following this event, Brown
will head to Finland for the final Grand Prix of the season.
After that, it’ home in Chicago, to work with Ward and polish
“Reel Around the Sun” still more.
“Hopefully I can take what I did today,
learn from it, and make sure that the long is that much cleaner,
and then have the opportunity to compete back-to-back weeks and
get another short program under my belt next week.”
Japan qualified three men for the upcoming
Games, and Yuma Kagiyama, winner of NHK Trophy, and Shun Sato,
who qualified for the Grand Prix Final with gold at Cup of China
and silver at NHK, are near locks for Milano. With his
near-flawless short on Thursday, Kazuki Tomono strengthened his
bid for the third spot.
Tomono equal parts showman and technician
in his program to “That’s It (I’m Crazy)” by electronic duo Sufi
Tukker, choreographed by Shae-Lynn Bourne. After hitting a quad
toe, triple toe combination and quad salchow, the skater took
flight with a soaring triple axel and crowd-pleasing steps,
punctuated by a split jump and cartwheel. His season’s best
95.77 points gave him a 2.19-point lead over Frenchman Kevin
Aymoz.
“The ice was tricky; I found I was
over-rotating due to spring back, so I kept my (power) down to
80%, and that ratio worked,” Tomono said through an interpreter.
“I was a bit cautious in the (L3) steps, because my jumps were
done and the audience was really fired up. So that backfired and
made me nervous.”
He can’t pop the champagne cork yet. At
Skate Canada last month, he placed second in the short, only to
fall twice in the free skate and drop to fourth overall.
“I’m sure I’ll be nervous,” he said. “There
is no doubt about that. I’ve never won a Grand Prix until now,
but I am here to fight.”
With silver medals the last two seasons,
Skate America is practically a home competition for Aymoz. His
dramatic, intense short to Lady Gaga’s “Judas,” complete with a
pristine quad toe, triple toe combo and triple axel, now puts
him a third of the way to a third straight podium.
A tearful Aymoz considered his 93.56
performance here redemption of sorts for his 10th
place finish at Skate Canada, where painful tendonitis in his
toes made jumping difficult.
“I am not working every day to finish 10th
at a Grand Prix,” Aymoz said. “You cannot imagine how much power
I had to put in my head to get back the strength and the
confidence, to tell myself I could do it, even if it was
difficult,” Aymoz said. “You have to fight even if you fail. You
fail six times, you have to stand up proud …. It’s your
journey.”
World silver medalist Mikhail Shaidorov
arrived in Lake Placid favored for gold, but the high-flying
Kazakh fumbled slightly on a flying camel spin and gained just
Level 2 for his energetic step sequence. Although he landed the
most difficult combination of the event – a quad lutz, triple
toe combination – the technical panel saddled it with a “Q,”
costing another two or three points. His 89.67 points put him
third entering the free skate. Shaidorov, who won bronze at Cup
of China, must produce a great free skate for any chance at
making the Grand Prix Final.
“I don’t know about the score, I have to
look at the (protocol),” Shaidorov said. “Maybe I did mistakes,
I don’t know where, but I will work on it.”
Italy’s Daniel Grassl also intended to do a
quad lutz, triple toe, but turned out of the first jump and
could not complete the second. He substituted a triple loop,
triple toe; excellent, unique spins helped keep his score at
83.68 and put him in fourth place. With a silver medal at Cup of
China in hand, a medal here gives the Italian a shot at
qualifying for the Grand Prix Final.
“I really like spinning, I like to do
innovative positions and innovative things,” Grassl said. “I’m
very happy now with how I invented my spins. There’s also the
Grassl spin (variation on a camel) or some so, so that’s nice. I
always try really to work on that.”
Liam Kapeikis, eighth in the U.S. last
season, returned to the Grand Prix circuit for the first time
since 2023 with a solid short to the romantic classic “Unchained
Melody” that put him ninth with 74.28 points. Although he had to
fight a bit for his opening triple axel and triple lutz, triple
toe combination, the program had an open, lyrical quality and
Kapeikis gained Level 4’s on all three of his spins.
“That short program, was actually a bit
harder than it normally is at home,” he said. “Even yesterday, I
ran a full short program here, and I didn't have to work for
anything. All three jumps were very easy. I think there was just
a little bit of nerves today.”
Kapeikis, who had solid programs placing
sixth at Nebelhorn Trophy early this season, was especially
gratified to be awarded a home country spot in Lake Placid.
“I feel like the last few years, U.S.
Figure Skating hasn’t totally trusted me to be able to go out
there and perform the way they know I can in practice,” he said.
“They’re starting to put their trust in me again, which is
amazing.”
Jason Brown Returns to Lake Placid in 6th Skate America
Appearance
by Liz Leamy
Jason Brown, the vivacious and accomplished
athlete who is the 2015 U.S. champion, seven-time U.S.
medalist and 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist, is as amped as
ever to jump into center ring at the 2025 Saatva Skate America
International Skating Union Grand Prix Championships in Lake
Placid in his thrilling quest for a
third U.S. Olympic team berth this season.
The Highland Park, Illinois native who
represented the U.S. at the 2014 and 2022 Olympics and is known
to be one of the finest skaters to have ever emerged from the
sport, is thrilled to have an opportunity to compete for his
first time ever at this event in Lake Placid, site of the
storied 1980 Olympics, that is slated to be held from Friday,
November 14th through Sunday, November 16th
at the famed Herb Brooks Arena.
“I’m so excited. I’ve never been to Lake
Placid and I just cannot wait to compete at such an iconic rink
that has so much history,” said Brown, who trains at the Toronto
Cricket Skating and Curling Club with Tracy Wilson and Brian
Orser. “This will actually be my Grand Prix ever at Lake Placid
so it’s like a cool full circle.”
Brown, a nine-time Grand Prix medalist who
scored eighth at the 2025 World Championships last March (having
ranked fourth in the men’s free skate with the highest component
scores of any contender of that portion of the competition) will
be skating to ‘Reel Around the Sun,’ the electric Riverdance
overture he triumphantly used to claim silver at the 2014 U.S.
Championships and also a 2014 U.S. Olympic team spot for his
short and to ‘Say Something’ by A Great Big World and Christina
Aguilera as performed by Jacob Banks for his long program.
“I really wanted to definitely bring two
programs this year that really feel like they embody my career
and are really important to me,” said Brown. “This is truly like
a tribute and pure opportunity to say thank you to the fans for
all their years of support.”
In regard to his season so far, Brown
certainly seems to be on another viable competitive quest,
having recently clinched bronze at the Denis Ten Memorial
Challenge and silver at the Trileti Trophy ISU Challenger Series
events this past October, respectively.
“I’m really proud of my consistency and I’m
really proud of my longevity,” said Brown, 30. “There have
definitely been so many times in my career where I felt like I
was at a breaking point even though I felt like as an athlete,
as a skater and as a person evolving, I was getting stronger and
leaning into that finding different ways to be successful.”
Known for his textbook-like jumps that
famously reach lengths of more than 25-plus feet, spectacular
spins and superb edges, Brown is focused on constantly pushing
himself to achieve higher levels in regard to all aspects of his
skating, with the main goal being to improve every day.
“It’s like I go back in there day in and
day out and sharpen my skills as sharp as I possibly can to show
people not only do I have what it takes but that you can also be
successful in the sport doing it differently,” said Brown. “I’m
so proud of having a top-10 finish or going after to be that
second guy to help my counterpart so that we can have three
spots and get another spot of a U.S. member on a World or
Olympic team.”
Brown also elaborated on what success means
to him at this juncture of his remarkable skating career.
“I definitely have shifted the narrative
and have shifted what being successful is,” said Brown. “Often
we define success by medals. I really want to be able to help
shift that narrative for the next generation coming up because I
think having so many different types of athletes in this sport
makes the sport so much more special.”
According to Brown, figure skating, for
virtually everyone, most importantly represents the opportunity
to have an impact on others.
“I just want people to feel like they’re
bringing their best forward,” he said. “They’re all making an
impact on the sport and making a difference and inspiring
somebody else to do the same.”
All the while, Brown said he loves the
whole experience of getting in the ring and competing, an
endeavor in which he has always demonstrated great mastery and
proficiency, that’s for certain.
“I
do not take a single minute or moment for granted when I’m out
on the ice and I really feel like that shows and really that’s a
huge part of my competitive edge,” said Brown. “I just think
it’s about the love that I have for the sport. I didn’t get to
where I am not only because of longevity, but because I love it
so much.”
Alysa Liu Seeks to Qualify for Grand Prix
Final at Saatva Skate America
By Liz Leamy
Alysa Liu, the effervescent elite skater from Richmond, California who triumphantly scored gold
at the World Championships in Boston last March, is as fired up
as ever to make another indelible mark at the 2025 ISU Saatva
Skate America Championships that will be held at the Herb Brooks
Arena in Lake Placid from Friday, November 14th
through Sunday, November 16th.
Liu, 20, who is the 2019 and 2020 U.S.
champion, 2025 U.S. silver medalist and 2022 World silver
medalist, has been training as hard as ever in preparation for
this year’s Olympic season, something she said is very much
looking forward to.
“I’m really excited,” said Liu, 20, a
student at the University of California/Los Angeles (UCLA).
For this Grand Prix event, Liu will skate
to ‘Promise’ by Laufey and Dan Wilson for the short and Donna
Summer’s ‘MacArthur Park Suite’ for the free skate, the same
programs with which she achieved so much success last season.
“The music, for me, allows me to bring joy
to the ice,” said Liu, who trains with Philip DiGulielmo and
Massimo Scali who are based at The Rinks at Lakewood Ice in
Lakewood, California. “As long as it speaks to me, I’m going to
skate to it.”
Liu, who enjoys hanging out with her
friends and family as well as traveling when she is off the ice,
it’s all about staying busy and having fun.
“I just always want to do something or I’ll
be bored, but I also do whatever it takes to make sure I’m
grounded,” said Liu.
Liu also spoke about how being around her
friends and family helps to keep her grounded, particularly in
relation to her skating.
“Human connection is so important,” said
Liu. “When I go hang out [especially with her friends and
family], I’m like ‘everything is good in life’ and ‘everything’s
great.’”
Liu further elaborated about a recent ‘hang
out’ with her friends saying how much they all support one
another and just enjoy just being together.
“I think just the fact that my friends are
all on the same wavelength as me and we all have the same values
and are all passionate about something, it’s just really
perfect,” said Liu. “We have so many dreams we talk about.”
Teamwork certainly helps make the dream work as evidenced by
Liu’s accomplishments and pursuits on and off the ice, with so
many individuals continuing to be inspired by her journey,
especially as she continues to embark on this exciting Olympic
season.
Premier U.S. Skaters Wow Crowd at Summer
Sizzler
by Liz Leamy
(25 August 2025) Nearly 25-plus premier
U.S. skaters, including the trio who struck gold at
the World Championships in Boston this spring, Alysa Liu, Ilia
Malinin and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, convened at the
Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts to perform in
the second annual Summer Sizzler as a celebrated wrap-up of
their week at 2025 U.S. Figure Skating’s Champs Camp.
This much-anticipated event drew a sold-out
crowd of more than 2,000 spectators and featured some of the
sport’s most illustrious stars such as Malinin, the 2024 and
2025 World titlist and three-time U.S. champion, Liu, the 2025
World champion, 2022 World bronze medalist and two-time U.S.
gold medalist, Chock and Bates, the 2023, 2024 and 2025 World
victors and six-time U.S. champions, Isabeau Levito, the 2024
World silver medalist and 2023 U.S. champion, Jason Brown, the
two-time Olympian and 2015 U.S. titlist and Amber Glenn, the
2024 and 2025 U.S. champion and 2024-2025 ISU Grand Prix Final
gold medalist, among many other top American skaters.
Notably, Liu, in her program to ‘Slow
Dancing in the Dark’ by Joji, knocked out a lightning-quick
triple Lutz, triple flip and Double Axel, among other elements
while Malinin, with his electric performance to NF’s ‘Running’
did a triple flip, triple Lutz and triple Axel (with a slight
step out) along with incredible footwork and spins.
Meanwhile, Chock and Bates’ breathtaking
program to Melody Gardot’s ‘Once I Was Loved’ featured their
stellar collection of lifts, turns, edges and steps to further
illustrate some of the many golden moments of this memorable
show.
Along with the world class level of
skating, it was also fun to watch so many of the skaters,
spectators and organizers interacting with one another
throughout the day and at the conclusion of the show, with many
who could be seen chatting, laughing and taking pictures with
one another to further validate the night as a golden one on all
fronts.
The Summer
Sizzler lineup consisted of:
-Tomorrow’s Champions Group
-Sarah Warden
-Starr Andrews
-Caroline Green & Michael Parsons
-Jimmy Ma
-Katie McBeath & Daniil Parkman
-Sarah Everhardt
-Andrew Torgashev
-Emily Chan & Spencer Howe
-Elyce Lin-Gracey
-Bradie Tennell
-The Haydenettes
-Jason Brown
-Alisa Efimova & Misha Mitrofanov
-Amber Glenn
-Maxim Naumov
-Isabeau Levito
-Madison Chock & Evan Bates
-Alysa Liu
-Ilia Malinin
Several performers appeared in press conferences prior to the
performances.
Alisa Efimova & Misha Mitrofanov
On preparing for the upcoming season:
Misha Mitrofanov
“We’re taking it all step by step. We’ve
been training hard during the summer. In terms of goals for the
season, we definitely want to be back on the World team and as
National champions we want to defend that title.”
“We know the big question of the Olympics
circles us and, in all honesty, that’s something that’s out of
our control right now. We have a lot of amazing people who have
reached out to the Skating Club of Boston and they have offered
their support and help, so a lot of that behind the scenes is
happening so for us, Alisa and I, we’re just trying to focus on
our skating.”
“It would be nice to be on the podium at
Worlds. That’s something we definitely have talked about and
that’s something we’re going to strive for.”
On their ‘Love Story’ free skate for the
upcoming season:
Alisa Efimova
“We’re very lucky we were able to continue
working with Renee Roca (one of their choreographers) this year.
Also, Katya (Gordeeva) helped us a little bit with our free
skate and it’s a dedication to Katya (Gordeeva) and Sergey
(Grinkov). It’s a story of life and their love story.”
“We are skating to ‘Love Story’ and with
Katya’s permission and blessing, we are using some inspiration
from their programs and also in the costumes. So it is a very,
very special program and we’re really excited to skate to this.”
Misha Mitrofanov
“This marks 30 years since Sergey passed
away so we think it’s a very special year and we’re trying to
highlight that for the program.”
-On their short program to ‘Cloak and
Dagger’ by Eternal Eclipse for the upcoming season:
Alisa Efimova
“We were preparing one short program from
the beginning of summer, but then, after getting some feedback
from officials and just everyone seeing the program, we felt
it’s really not our style and we ended up changing it actually a
couple of weeks ago.”
“We have been training, maybe one week, the
music of ‘Cloak and Dagger’ and the main theme of that program
is creative breakthrough or how a creative idea is trying to get
out and find a realization in the world.”
Goals in terms of performance for the
season:
Misha Mitrofanov
“[Last year] we definitely felt a lot of
emotion and passion on the ice and during the performances, when
we had great skates, it definitely sparked something in us and
that’s something that we want to not just relive, but we want to
ignite even further.”
“We want to be able to show more emotions
and more passion toward each other, toward the audience, toward
the judges and really bring programs to life and not just have
them as a performance, but something that’s lighted up in a
sense.”
“Of course, technically there’s the
technical part and there is no limit of mastering the elements
and making them even better, having more speed and consistency.”
“There is no such thing as a completely
flawless element, so we keep working on the things we know how
to do, but just do them also better.”
“Footwork is something we’re really working
on, the step sequence and also in terms of relating toward one
another and also being able to show power and better skating
skills.”
On working with Katia Gordeeva:
Alisa Efimova
“She has a very special way of skating and
even the way she talks kind of reminds me of how she skates with
such a calmness and knowing that you can achieve such power they
had together skating with such a calm mood, mindset and voice
also brings another perspective. It’s not necessarily like
always attacking, but you can achieve much power with just being
very subtle and very intimate in the moment.”
“I’ve always looked up to her and I know
that she’s a champion. There’s a huge way for me to go there,
even just to achieve her way of skating and the cleanness of her
elements, but it motivates me to strive for that.”
Misha Mitrofanov
“I was very lucky to be able to do a couple
of movements with her and describing how she would hold my hand
in a soft, but at the same time, it was very firm, in the sense
like we could gain power immediately without having to tense up
or anything like that, and that was very eye opening and very
cool to experience. It’s something we continue to chase.”
Ilia Malinin
On his new programs for the season:
“The first competition will be the
Lombardia Trophy (that will be held in Bergamo, Italy September
11th-14th), so that’s where I’ll be
performing (the programs) first.”
On this being an Olympic season:
“It’s kind of still the beginning of the
season and I always have the mindset of trying to break things
in once every time. So I’m really just kind of taking it month
by month just to see where it goes, but of course, I am thinking
about the Olympics and yes, I know that there is still that
pressure that will be there, but I think I’m ready to be able to
manage it.”
On social media:
“I think I’ll start doing more live streams
just for fun and really kind of also force myself to post more
on social media. I always have an idea of what I want to post
and if I’m like ‘I don’t feel like it’ I think that I feel like
it’s an Olympic season and I’ve really just tried to post as
much as I can, just different kinds of content, different
things.”
On his strategy for the fall season:
“I found that last year, doing the first
two Grand Prixs were really comfortable for me. They weren’t
travel heavy and it was just really easy to kind of get those
out of the way and then be able to take a little break and kind
of prepare myself for the Grand Prix Final.”
“It was kind of the same idea going into
this season, but since they kind of moved around the Grand Prix
this year, I had to kind of decide whether I wanted to go to
Skate America, which is later in the Grand Prix series or try to
do the ones in the beginning just to kind of keep that same
scheduling.”
On his family and friends:
“I’m just really happy that all my friends
and family are supporting me and it really means a lot,
especially for this season that they’re going to be there by my
side and I always want all the support and all the help I can
get.”
On doing seven quads in competition:
“I think that it’s really possible for me,
especially last year having the first year, kind of trying it at
all the competitions and kind of seeing how it works.”
“I think especially with how this year’s
program is laid out, it’s really been a lot easier to skate it.
I’ve already done a few run throughs and I’ve
basically did a clean run through each time.”
“So it’s set up a lot differently this year
and I think that will help me have a more consistent program.
With that, everything is a lot more complex and also a lot more
comfortable and efficient for me to get things done.”
On dealing with pressure:
“I think it’s just a natural thing to be
nervous because you have all this pressure, this whole stadium
watching you and you’re out there and you really want to compete
your best because that can determine how you place and kind of
your status in skating.”
“But in the end, really it just comes down
to how you feel and trying to be able to manage those nerves.
For me, what helps is just kind of taking advantage of seeing
the crowd, seeing the audience and understanding ‘why are they
here?’”
“They’re here because they want to support
you. They’re here because you interest them in your skating and
all the other skaters and they’re here to support us.”
“They take a lot of hours, a lot of
dedication, a lot of time to really just get here and watch us
and support us in person. So I think that’s really helped me and
be like ‘okay, they came here and they don’t expect you to be a
perfect robot.’ So they want you to do well and they want to see
figure skating, so that’s what I think of.”
On being in Boston:
“I think Boston is a very cool place,
especially to hold the Champs Camp and Summer Sizzler.”
“This is a really nice facility and
everything’s very convenient here and there are many ice
surfaces. There’s always ice you can skate on when you need it
and I always like this environment.”
“There are a lot of other skaters here and
a lot of skaters from other countries here as well, so you can
talk to them, get to know them and catch up on things, so it’s a
very fun place and I really like it.”
Jason Brown
On the upcoming 2025-2026 season:
“It’s an insane privilege that I somehow
got here. For any skater in this sport, to say this is your
fourth Olympic cycle is so rare and something I do not take for
granted and I just think it speaks to the love of the sport that
I have and just that determination to keep trying to reinvent
myself, keep pushing myself, keep striving to be better and just
that hunger to constantly give more.”
“I think it also speaks to the audience and
the fans and the fact that I have been so fortunate to be
supported by so many people for so many years. I feel that when
I’m out on the ice, I’m just so overwhelmed with support.”
“Each year, I set some different goals to
keep me motivated, to keep me inspired. I’m constantly inspired
by this next generation coming up. What they’re doing is just
out of this world and it’s incredible to be part of that. I
think it’s just step by step, staying in the moment and taking
it each year as it comes.”
On working with coaches Tracey Wilson and
Brian Orser in Toronto:
“[They] continued to push me in so many
different ways. They never, ever, for a split second, made me
feel like I was defined by a jump. They just constantly helped
me improve in so many different aspects of the sport and always
kept my head on the big picture.”
On doing quads:
“When it comes to the quad, just first and
foremost, it’s not something that I just gave up on. I still
train that and work on it, you know, because I’m always pushing
myself, but I don’t let it define me or I don’t stress over it
in a way that it’s all consuming. When I work on it and I push
myself, it’s like I know in my heart that I’m giving it my all.”
“I watch other people do it and just in awe
of them and have so much respect for them but simultaneously,
I’ve learned to respect what I bring to the sport and I’ve also
learned how to advocate for myself and how to keep getting out
there and pushing the sport in ways in which I hope the next
generation can be inspired to do the same.”
“I want people to know every single year I
go into the events determined to still get on the podium,
determined to maximize every single skate and I am striving to
win. You know I am a competitor through and through and it’s
been, for me, overwhelming to see the shift, even with the media
when I talk to them that they’ve seen that and they’ve noticed
it over the years and they recognize that consistency and that
I’ve pulled through time and time again.”
On the Summer Sizzler:
“We have seasoned veterans, rising stars
and the best of the best in this country in the show tonight.”
