U.S. Nationals Day 4: Pairs, Dance, and Ladies Free Skate
Saturday was a long day -- the first competitions began at 8:45 a.m. Between the Mens Short programs ending at 10:30 Friday, getting back to Afton even later, and not being able to sleep well, I wasn't in good shape for the early rounds of Pairs Free Skate. Between groups, I'd curl up in my seat (which wasn't my seat - I welcomed myself to a better spot in a vast open section near the judges), put my winter cap on, and try to rest my eyes for a few minutes. It helped a little, but as they day went on I didn't need any help staying awake.
Before I move onto the spoilers and actual news of the competitions, let me bring up something that happened during the Pairs competition... something that contradicts news I was given earlier this week. Following their Free Skate, John Baldwin and Rena Inoue took their bows... and more bows... and more bows. Finally Rena started to head towards the Kiss and Cry area when John got down on his knee at center ice. When she saw him, she skated over to him and hugged him in what seemed to be that "Yeah, we did a good job, congratulations, now let's go!" sort of way. But when she backed up to get him to come with her, he stayed put and began to propose. The crowd erupted in screams and cheers, the people next to me started to cry, and all I could think as I sat with my chin in my hand was, "What the crap? Isn't this old news?" I was always such a sap.
Seriously, I thought I read in IFS about a year ago that they were already engaged, which is why I didn't question earlier reports at Wednesday's competition that they postponed their wedding because they weren't getting along well. Anyway, as long as they're happy now...
I later spotted Rena and John enjoying the Ladies competition from Section 104, and afterwards they were dining in the window of Kincaid's on 5th Street. No, I'm not stalking them - the restaurant was on my way to the car.
I missed much of the first two groups of Dance teams because of ongoing autograph sessions in the lobby of the arena. Usually the lines whiz by but in one case in particular, Johnny Weir was there and EVERYBODY wanted his autograph. He was whisked away by Viktor Petrenko when I was just five places away. Oh well. I was more excited by the fact that Viktor was standing off to the side chit-chatting with another skater fella (whom I don't recognize and didn't see anywhere in the program). Nobody was bothering him, so I thought, "Why don't I?" Yes yes. He was very friendly and happy to step aside for a picture...
A few moments earlier, I spotted Rocky Marval hanging around the Reidell booth. I approached him just as he was a bit disoriented after helping with another signing session that Johnny had been doing. But he too gave me a bit of his time to take a picture. The picture below was taken by a boy who was probably about 11 or 12 years old. As soon as I thanked Rocky and turned away from him, the boy's mom came up to me and said in the most sincerely confused and unimpressed tone, "Who is that guy?!" I told her who he was and what he's known for... but it still didn't ring a bell. But that's what I like about this -- while the newer skaters are getting all the attention, I'm finally able to get to the skaters that most people have (sadly) forgotten. And those skaters are, in turn, even happier to oblige my requests.
During the Ladies free skate, I sat near the judges again, but closer to the ice. Just a few seats from me was Brian Boitano. Though approaching Viktor Petrenko and Rocky Marval is one thing, asking Brian Boitano for a picture would be Bad Idea Jeans. In fact, I watched the two girls sitting in front of me go and ask him for a picture/autograph, and they were de-nied by the man himself.
Me with Stephen Carriere
Jeremy Abbott (ohmygod, I look HUGE in this picture. Woof!)
Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker
Pairs Free Skate
The pairs competition wasn't too exciting. The scariest moments took place during the earlier groups (which probably weren't broadcast) when girls were losing their balance during the lifts and/or almost being dropped on their heads. The final outcomes were predictable, given the short programs, and there were no tight races to the top.
Click and drag below to see the final standings:
NAME_____________________ELEMENT____COMP.____SEG____FINAL
Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker 65.28__59.92 ____124.20___190.74
Rena Inoue & John Baldwin _____62.39 ______55.54 ____117.93 __183.17
Brooke Castile & Ben Okolski ____58.42______ 57.70 ____116.12 __175.07
Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent ______57.27_______51.96____107.23___161.20
Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig ___52.40 ______50.44 ____101.84 __158.94
Caitlin Yankowskas & John Coughlin 53.09____49.62_____101.71___153.80
Naomi Nari Nam & Themi Leftheris 50.30______47.08_____97.38___145.39
Chloe Katz & Joseph Lynch _____49.21 ______45.46 _____91.67___142.28
Bianca Butler & Joseph Jacobsen_49.23 ______43.09____ 91.32 ___136. 65
MeeRan Trombley & Laureano Ibarra 47.16____40.74_____85.90___130.29
Kaela Pflumm & Christopher Pottenger 45.04___38.50_____80.54___127.27
Katie Beriau & Alexander Merritt __41.56 ______ 37.87____ 78.43 __125.52
Amber Wehrle & Nicholas Kole __43.34 ______38.19______81.53___125.17
Laura Lepzinski & Ethan Burgess _40.16______38.35 _____76.51___119.40
Kendra Moyle & Steven Pottenger_43.74______(???)_____(???)____117.98
The Free Dance Competition
Again, I missed the first half of the Free Dance because of long lines in the lobby. I was sure to return to my seat before the final two groups. All the dancers in the final group were amazing, but Tanith and Ben were absolutely perfect, as far as I could tell. They remained in unison throughout their performance, and their steps and moves were so smooth across the ice.
Click and drag below to see who made the podium:
DANCE MEDALISTS
1. Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto (216.07)
2. Meryl Davis & Charlie White (206.82)
3. Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre (187.94)
4. Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (175.16)
Ladies Free Skate
As in the short program, Kimmie wasn't herself in the Long. You could see it on her face. She was preoccupied or something. There were definitely some breakthrough performances for some skaters.
Click and drag below to see the final standings.
NAME _____________ELEMENT ____COMP ____SEGMENT ____FINAL
Mirai Nagasu _________63.35 _______57.83 _______120.18 _____190.41
Rachael Flatt _________69.38 _______56.44 ______125.82 _____188.73
Ashley Wagner ________67.86 _______55.55 _______123.10 _____188.56
Caroline Zhang ________65.84 _______53.83 _______119.67 _____173.16
Bebe Liang __________56.39 ________53.38 ______109.77 _____164.87
Katrina Hacker ________51.56 _______49.85 ______101.41 _____158.28
Kimmie Meissner ______49.76 _______53.22 _______99.98 ______157.56
Melissa Bulanhagui ____51.43 ______45.02 _______96.45 ______149.22
Alissa Czisny _________44.41 _______52.39 ______95.80 ______146.38
Becky Bereswell ______46.84 _______44.29 _______91.13 _____137.65
Tenile Victorsen _______45.42 _______44.52 _______87.94 ______132.80
Danielle Kahle ________39.14 _______43.62 ______81.76 ______132.22
Megan Williams-Stewart _41.46 _______40.71 _______81.17 ______130.40
Chrissy Hughes _______42.81_______ 41.67 ______83.48 ______126.84
Molly Oberstar ________35.63 _______42.03 _______75.66 ______125.13
Karen Zhou ___________33.80 _______35.88 _______73.68 ______116.30
Angie Lien ___________30.10 _______38.73 _______64.83 ______112.25
Megan Hyatt __________35.28 _______39.09 ______73.37 ______108.69
Stephanie Roth _______31.73 _______35.00 ________66.73 _____107.49
Laney Diggs _________33.00 _______34.98 _______65.98 ______99.20
Emily Hughes _________N.S. _________N.S.______ N.S. _________N.S.
As you can see, Meissner didn't even make the podium, but she'll still be going to Sweden for the World Championships because most of the medalists aren't old enough to compete! Flatt, Nagasu, and Zhang will all compete at Junior Worlds.
Ashley Wagner will be going to Senior Worlds, along with Bebe Liang. The Four Continents Competitors will be Katrina Hacker, Bebe Liang, and Ashley Wagner.
Sunday's post is still to come. Stay tuned!
Before I move onto the spoilers and actual news of the competitions, let me bring up something that happened during the Pairs competition... something that contradicts news I was given earlier this week. Following their Free Skate, John Baldwin and Rena Inoue took their bows... and more bows... and more bows. Finally Rena started to head towards the Kiss and Cry area when John got down on his knee at center ice. When she saw him, she skated over to him and hugged him in what seemed to be that "Yeah, we did a good job, congratulations, now let's go!" sort of way. But when she backed up to get him to come with her, he stayed put and began to propose. The crowd erupted in screams and cheers, the people next to me started to cry, and all I could think as I sat with my chin in my hand was, "What the crap? Isn't this old news?" I was always such a sap.
Seriously, I thought I read in IFS about a year ago that they were already engaged, which is why I didn't question earlier reports at Wednesday's competition that they postponed their wedding because they weren't getting along well. Anyway, as long as they're happy now...
I later spotted Rena and John enjoying the Ladies competition from Section 104, and afterwards they were dining in the window of Kincaid's on 5th Street. No, I'm not stalking them - the restaurant was on my way to the car.
I missed much of the first two groups of Dance teams because of ongoing autograph sessions in the lobby of the arena. Usually the lines whiz by but in one case in particular, Johnny Weir was there and EVERYBODY wanted his autograph. He was whisked away by Viktor Petrenko when I was just five places away. Oh well. I was more excited by the fact that Viktor was standing off to the side chit-chatting with another skater fella (whom I don't recognize and didn't see anywhere in the program). Nobody was bothering him, so I thought, "Why don't I?" Yes yes. He was very friendly and happy to step aside for a picture...
A few moments earlier, I spotted Rocky Marval hanging around the Reidell booth. I approached him just as he was a bit disoriented after helping with another signing session that Johnny had been doing. But he too gave me a bit of his time to take a picture. The picture below was taken by a boy who was probably about 11 or 12 years old. As soon as I thanked Rocky and turned away from him, the boy's mom came up to me and said in the most sincerely confused and unimpressed tone, "Who is that guy?!" I told her who he was and what he's known for... but it still didn't ring a bell. But that's what I like about this -- while the newer skaters are getting all the attention, I'm finally able to get to the skaters that most people have (sadly) forgotten. And those skaters are, in turn, even happier to oblige my requests.
During the Ladies free skate, I sat near the judges again, but closer to the ice. Just a few seats from me was Brian Boitano. Though approaching Viktor Petrenko and Rocky Marval is one thing, asking Brian Boitano for a picture would be Bad Idea Jeans. In fact, I watched the two girls sitting in front of me go and ask him for a picture/autograph, and they were de-nied by the man himself.
Me with Stephen Carriere
Jeremy Abbott (ohmygod, I look HUGE in this picture. Woof!)
Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker
Pairs Free Skate
The pairs competition wasn't too exciting. The scariest moments took place during the earlier groups (which probably weren't broadcast) when girls were losing their balance during the lifts and/or almost being dropped on their heads. The final outcomes were predictable, given the short programs, and there were no tight races to the top.
Click and drag below to see the final standings:
NAME_____________________ELEMENT____COMP.____SEG____FINAL
Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker 65.28__59.92 ____124.20___190.74
Rena Inoue & John Baldwin _____62.39 ______55.54 ____117.93 __183.17
Brooke Castile & Ben Okolski ____58.42______ 57.70 ____116.12 __175.07
Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent ______57.27_______51.96____107.23___161.20
Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig ___52.40 ______50.44 ____101.84 __158.94
Caitlin Yankowskas & John Coughlin 53.09____49.62_____101.71___153.80
Naomi Nari Nam & Themi Leftheris 50.30______47.08_____97.38___145.39
Chloe Katz & Joseph Lynch _____49.21 ______45.46 _____91.67___142.28
Bianca Butler & Joseph Jacobsen_49.23 ______43.09____ 91.32 ___136. 65
MeeRan Trombley & Laureano Ibarra 47.16____40.74_____85.90___130.29
Kaela Pflumm & Christopher Pottenger 45.04___38.50_____80.54___127.27
Katie Beriau & Alexander Merritt __41.56 ______ 37.87____ 78.43 __125.52
Amber Wehrle & Nicholas Kole __43.34 ______38.19______81.53___125.17
Laura Lepzinski & Ethan Burgess _40.16______38.35 _____76.51___119.40
Kendra Moyle & Steven Pottenger_43.74______(???)_____(???)____117.98
The Free Dance Competition
Again, I missed the first half of the Free Dance because of long lines in the lobby. I was sure to return to my seat before the final two groups. All the dancers in the final group were amazing, but Tanith and Ben were absolutely perfect, as far as I could tell. They remained in unison throughout their performance, and their steps and moves were so smooth across the ice.
Click and drag below to see who made the podium:
DANCE MEDALISTS
1. Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto (216.07)
2. Meryl Davis & Charlie White (206.82)
3. Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre (187.94)
4. Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (175.16)
Ladies Free Skate
As in the short program, Kimmie wasn't herself in the Long. You could see it on her face. She was preoccupied or something. There were definitely some breakthrough performances for some skaters.
Click and drag below to see the final standings.
NAME _____________ELEMENT ____COMP ____SEGMENT ____FINAL
Mirai Nagasu _________63.35 _______57.83 _______120.18 _____190.41
Rachael Flatt _________69.38 _______56.44 ______125.82 _____188.73
Ashley Wagner ________67.86 _______55.55 _______123.10 _____188.56
Caroline Zhang ________65.84 _______53.83 _______119.67 _____173.16
Bebe Liang __________56.39 ________53.38 ______109.77 _____164.87
Katrina Hacker ________51.56 _______49.85 ______101.41 _____158.28
Kimmie Meissner ______49.76 _______53.22 _______99.98 ______157.56
Melissa Bulanhagui ____51.43 ______45.02 _______96.45 ______149.22
Alissa Czisny _________44.41 _______52.39 ______95.80 ______146.38
Becky Bereswell ______46.84 _______44.29 _______91.13 _____137.65
Tenile Victorsen _______45.42 _______44.52 _______87.94 ______132.80
Danielle Kahle ________39.14 _______43.62 ______81.76 ______132.22
Megan Williams-Stewart _41.46 _______40.71 _______81.17 ______130.40
Chrissy Hughes _______42.81_______ 41.67 ______83.48 ______126.84
Molly Oberstar ________35.63 _______42.03 _______75.66 ______125.13
Karen Zhou ___________33.80 _______35.88 _______73.68 ______116.30
Angie Lien ___________30.10 _______38.73 _______64.83 ______112.25
Megan Hyatt __________35.28 _______39.09 ______73.37 ______108.69
Stephanie Roth _______31.73 _______35.00 ________66.73 _____107.49
Laney Diggs _________33.00 _______34.98 _______65.98 ______99.20
Emily Hughes _________N.S. _________N.S.______ N.S. _________N.S.
As you can see, Meissner didn't even make the podium, but she'll still be going to Sweden for the World Championships because most of the medalists aren't old enough to compete! Flatt, Nagasu, and Zhang will all compete at Junior Worlds.
Ashley Wagner will be going to Senior Worlds, along with Bebe Liang. The Four Continents Competitors will be Katrina Hacker, Bebe Liang, and Ashley Wagner.
Sunday's post is still to come. Stay tuned!