WICHITA, Kan. — Amber Glenn faced disappointment following her short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, having previously held the title. Undeterred, she promised to return to the ice with a fighting spirit for the free skate scheduled for Friday night.
In the free skate, she fulfilled her vow by executing a strong opening triple axel and concluding her performance with a graceful layback spin. The 25-year-old skater, hailing from Plano, Texas, achieved a total score of 216.79 points, surpassing Alysa Liu, who was leading after the short program but faltered slightly during her free skate, finishing with 215.33 points. Liu, a two-time national champion making a comeback after a two-year hiatus, was just behind Glenn.
“I wasn’t at my best today, but I’m proud of how I managed to tap into my mental strength and make significant progress,” Glenn remarked after her performance.
Bradie Tennell, a two-time champion who held second place following the short segment, encountered difficulties during her free skate, including a fall on her triple Lutz. As a result, she was overtaken by Sarah Everhardt, an 18-year-old sensation from Haymarket, Virginia.
Entering the nationals with an unbeaten record this season, Glenn had notably become the first American woman in nearly 15 years to clinch the Grand Prix Final title. However, after a shaky short program that left her in third place and nearly six points behind Liu, expectations were tempered. Her initial triple axel was potentially the best she had ever performed, effectively establishing the rhythm for the rest of her routine. Glenn successfully completed six additional triple jumps, including three in combinations, with her only significant error being a fall on a triple loop late in the program.
“I still can’t believe I’ve won. It’s a genuine surprise,” Glenn expressed.
Alysa Liu, who made history as the youngest U.S. champion at the age of 13, aimed to secure her third title five years after her last victory. However, minor mistakes, including one on her layback spin at the end of her program, may have cost her the championship. “I didn’t think I won,” Liu said with a chuckle. “I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d even medal.”
In a related competition earlier that night, two-time reigning ice dance world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates charmed the crowd with their dynamic performance, which drew from three decades of popular American music. They scored an impressive 92.16 points, almost ten points ahead of the second-place duo, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko. In a tightly contested field, the next three teams were separated by just under a point, with both Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik and Caroline Green and Michael Parsons earning 82.13 points, but Zingas and Kolesnik were placed higher based on technical scores.
Chock and Bates were unavailable for immediate interviews following their performance due to Chock experiencing a food-related illness. The pair is pursuing a fourth consecutive national title and a sixth overall, seeking to match the U.S. record held by Meryl Davis and Charlie White, which would be particularly significant as it comes 11 years after they first took the gold.
The ice dance finale is set for Saturday, alongside the men’s short program featuring world champion Ilia Malinin. The theme for this season’s rhythm dance revolves around social dances and styles from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. While many teams opted for classics like Elvis Presley or disco hits, Chock and Bates delivered an energetic mashup that spanned these decades, including music from “Hawaii Five-O,” a rendition of “Let’s Twist Again,” and even the Village People leading an arena-wide “YMCA.”
This performance not only underlined their status as favorites for the upcoming world championships in Boston this March but also as top contenders for the Winter Olympics in Milan next year.
In addition, Carreira and Ponomarenko scored 82.86 points for their playful homage to the 1950s sock hops. The reigning silver medalists committed a slight error during their twizzle but excelled with a well-choreographed rhythm sequence. Zingas and Kolesnik, who originally placed fourth a couple of years prior, impressed the audience with their Bee Gees medley. Meanwhile, Green and Parsons, despite matching scores with Zingas and Kolesnik, were placed fourth due to lower technical scores.
“We’re thrilled to be here and are proud of the effort we’ve put in since our last competition,” Zingas reflected. “I think that hard work really shone through tonight. We loved our performance.”
