U.S. Skating Championships Preview

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships get underway later this week in Spokane. Typically, in the first post-Olympic competitive season, the level of talent at Nationals can be somewhat thin due to retirements from the top skaters in each discipline. But that really hasn’t been the case this season. The ladies’ competition is probably most affected with Sasha Cohen taking time off to pursue her acting career and Michelle Kwan recovering from hip surgery while she attends college. That leaves current world champion Kimmie Meissner as the favorite to win gold. Because this is expected to be a wide open competition, it’ll be interesting to see how some of the younger skaters perform. Are they ready and willing to make that next big step forward?

In ice dance, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto should repeat as national champions after winning silver at the Torino Olympics and third at Worlds in 2006. Ditto for Renee Inoue and John Baldwin in pairs.

The most compelling competition should be among the men where three-time U.S. champion Johnnie Weir will be challenged by current U.S. silver medalist Evan Lysacek. Weir is not having a good season so far. After finishing fifth at the Olympic Games in Torino and seventh at Worlds, his programs during the Grand Prix this past fall have been sloppy. If it weren’t for Jeffrey Buttle and current world champion Stephan Lambiel withdrawing from the Grand Prix series, Weir would not have made it to the GP final at all. Even then, Weir withdrew from the competition, claiming he had injured himself on a fall in his short program. Lysacek, on the other hand, finished the 2006 season with a bronze medal at Worlds and was skating well during the Grand Prix before a hip injury sidelined him from the finals. It will be interesting to see how both skaters will prepare for this competition, and if either of them is physically well enough to attempt a quad jump during their programs. Lysacek has the better free skate program and if he’s healthy, he should be the new U.S. men’s champion.