Six Takeaways from 2018 Skate America

I came up with a half dozen of the happenings at this year’s Skate America that I found the most noteworthy. (Actually I came up with a longer list, but whittled it down for your sake and mine! Here’s what I’ve got, in no particular order:

+  East Coast Chen. There was plenty of noise made (at least on Twitter) about Nathan Chen’s mighty head of hair, but it’s just as well that Kevin Reynolds proved once again he forever wins that contest. For of course it was Chen’s jumping prowess and marvelously constructed/executed programs that deserved the most attention. His efforts at SkAM were about what I’d have counted on IF he was still training on the west coast, and IF he hadn’t fared poorly at Japan Open a few weeks ahead of SKam. But he’s Nathan, so I’m learning to expect the unexpected.

+  Fifth Place?? I’d picked Vincent Zhou to win bronze at SkAM, and IMHO he did at least that well. But as anyone knows that was watching, the newly-turned 18 year old got dinged HARD for jumps that were deemed underrated as per new standards laid down by the ISU. Despite landings that commentators and spectators alike insisted to be “clean”, Zhou got UR calls on SIX different jumping passes total (2 in the SP; 4 in the FS) and most calls came on his biggest point-getters. The result was a finish that was .06 away from 4^th, and .69 away from 3^rd. Yes, it’s only SkAM and not Nationals or Worlds, but in terms of racking up points in hopes of making the GP Final? He probably can’t now. No matter how well he might do at his next event (NHK), the likelihood of making the Final with a 5^th—worth only 7 points compared to 11 for a 3^rd and 13 for a 2^nd—is pretty low.

+  Now Hiring: One pairs coach. As SkAM unfolded we learned that current U.S. champs Scimeca-Knierim/Knierim had parted ways with Aljona Savchenko, who’d begun coaching them over the summer. How much that affected their overall performance is a matter of opinion I suppose; on the other hand, it’s a matter of fact that Cain/LeDuc were the U.S. team on the podium this time.

+  Podium so close… Senior GP rookie dance team McNamara/Carpenter finished only .05 (!!!) behind SkAM Bronze Medalists Zahorski/Guerreiro.

+  And podium so close… until it wasn’t. While it’s a shame that Julian Yee had a classic case of Coming Undone After Doing So Well—3^rd in the SP, but 9^th in the FS and 7^th overall—it’s exciting to know so early in the season what he’s capable of. He’ll get another chance to represent Malaysia to new figure skating heights at Rostelecom Cup in a few weeks.

+  Last but not least, some Notes of a Musical Nature…

-- The Good: Kaori Sakamoto’s SP, which is titled “From My First Moment” but is actually Eric Satie’s Gymnopedie #1 with lyrics and vocals (the latter courtesy of Charlotte Church). Can you name a U.S. champion figure skater that utilized Satie’s instrumental during her competitive career? (If so, leave a comment)

-- The Bad: Alexei Bychenko’s “Requiem for a Dream” FS. Because honestly, I could have gone the rest of my life without hearing that in competition again.

-- The HUH?: Michal Brezina, with a free skate that started with Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man” but jumped all too soon into ACDC’s “Thunderstruck”… definitely an oil/water combination to me, even though he came away with his first GP medal in four years.