2020 Skate America Recap

(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

THE FIRST MAJOR NORTH AMERICAN FIGURE SKATING EVENT OF THE SEASON WRAPPED UP SATURDAY NIGHT AS A NEW CLASS OF GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONS WERE CROWNED IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. To say it was a unique event is an understatement - in a year rife with disappointment, increased reliance on digital interaction, and of course a global pandemic, 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America was a welcome change in the often-depressing landscape that has been the last eight months.

Even with modifications - including turning the Orleans Hotel & Casino and connected Orleans Arena into a bubble, relying on Zoom mixed zones and press conferences, and having an audience of cardboard cutouts (and an applause track) in lieu of a real live crowd of fans - programs were skated, medals were won, and U.S. Figure Skating came out of the weekend with a fantastic blueprint for future competitions in this uncertain time.

Read on to see our recaps for each discipline and hear reflections from the skaters - what happened in Vegas definitely didn’t stay in Vegas during this historic weekend.

2020 Skate America ladies silver medalist Bradie Tennell, gold medalist Mariah Bell, and bronze medalist Audrey Shin
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Ladies Singles

The action at Skate America kicked off on Friday, October 23rd, with the ladies short program. Mariah Bell brought Pink’s sentimental “Glitter in the Air” to the Orleans Arena, dazzling the cardboard cutout crowd with her double axel, triple flip-triple toeloop combination, and triple lutz - and taking the lead with a score of 76.48. Bell always delights with every performance and is an all-around stunning skater, excelling in both the technical and artistic realms.

After realizing her original short program costume didn’t fit well in practice, Bell notably opted to wear her confetti-esque free skate dress for both programs, explaining, “I didn’t really have a back-up, so I thought well, you know what, my long program (dress) fits well, so I’ll just wear that for both. I was like, we’re in Vegas, we have cardboard cutouts, anything goes!”

Bell struggled in the following day’s free skate, coming in 4th after falling on her final jump, a triple lutz. Still, her ABBA medley had enough of an impact to help her clench the gold at Skate America, earning her a segment score of 136.25 and a total score of 212.73. The 2020 U.S. silver medalist shared, “I try not to look too much at outcomes, more (at) how I feel. I’m walking away from this performance a little disappointed. At the end of the day, regardless of the results, I want to walk away feeling really great at what I did.”

Coming up in 2nd after her edgy Florence + the Machine short program, 2018 Olympian Bradie Tennell - who recently switched coaches and now trains with Tom Zakrajsek in Colorado Springs - placed 1st in the free skate, despite receiving negative GOEs on three out of the seven jumps in her ethereal “Sarajevo” / “Dawn of Faith” program. Tennell seems to really be exploring the more dramatic, dark side of her on-ice performance ability, and it’s a thrill to see.

Tennell obtained 137.78 points in the free skate, which added to her 73.29 short program mark to give her a total of 211.07 - less than 2 points away from winning gold. Following the free skate, Tennell revealed, “I had some minor injuries that prevented me from jumping fully, right up until about, I want to say last Wednesday. Actually practice ice yesterday morning was the first time I did a plain triple toe in a very long time. And I also had some boot issues - I got new skates a couple weeks ago, and the sole was warped. So I then spent a whole week trying - and failing epically - to skate. Taking all of that into account, I’m really happy with what I put out today. Obviously there’s room to grow, and I’m very excited to go home and really start training.”

Bradie Tennell, Mariah Bell, and Audrey Shin perform their short programs at 2020 Skate America
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Making her senior Grand Prix debut, newcomer Audrey Shin surprised everyone with her strong programs and podium finish. Shin has a spirited way about her skating, effortlessly executing her jumps like she’s floating on clouds. Ranking 3rd in both the short and free - skating to Michael W. Smith’s “The Giving” and the Modigliani soundtrack, respectively - Shin racked up a total score of 206.15 to earn her the bronze medal.

Following the free skate, the 2020 Youth Olympian admitted, “Last year was sort of a difficult year for me because I had an ankle surgery on my right ankle. I took a few months off because of it, and then once I got back on (the ice), I had a lot of boot issues and blade issues. I kept trying to improve my jumps and consistency, and getting those clean jumps in competition was a big goal of mine. I’m so thankful I got to compete here at Skate America, I felt a little nervous before I stepped onto the ice today, but I’m glad I landed everything, and I put out a good performance today.”

2018 Olympian Karen Chen finished the event in 4th place after coming in 2nd in the free skate, three-time Grand Prix competitor Amber Glenn ended up 5th, and 2014 Olympian and two-time U.S. champion Gracie Gold finished in 12th place. Will the 2022 Olympics finally be the American ladies’ time to shine? With Mariah Bell and Bradie Tennell leading the pack - and with Audrey Shin on the rise - Team USA’s future looks hopeful.

2020 Skate America men’s silver medalist Vincent Zhou, gold medalist Nathan Chen, and bronze medalist Keegan Messing (of Canada)
(Photos courtesy of Jay Afeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Men’s Singles

It came as no shock to anyone that two-time world champion Nathan Chen earned his fourth Skate America title this weekend, winning the competition with a little over a 24-point margin. Chen’s flamenco-themed short program to “Asturias” and “Canción del Mariachi” was a success, producing all level 4s on his spins and step sequence, in addition to featuring a clean quad toe-triple toe combo, triple axel, and quad flip. Chen’s skating style is best described as striking and buoyant with a hint of rebellious energy.

With a short program score of 111.17, Chen entered the free skate with high hopes, but ended up popping his triple axel into a single and quad salchow into a double. However, the 2020 U.S. champion still managed to post a score of 187.98 with his minimalistic Philip Glass program, winning the free skate and the competition overall.

Chen acknowledged the major difference in this year’s Skate America, expressing, “As soon as you step on the ice, I think you notice the lack of audience. I think the cardboard cutouts actually do help, although a little bit eerie, it does help. That being said, typically there is some audience reaction, and that aspect being gone is a little bit unique, as well as in the middle of the program slash at the end of the program, I think that the skaters feed off the energy of the audience and not having that sound just feels a little bit strange.”

Trailing behind Nathan Chen in both segments was 2019 world bronze medalist Vincent Zhou, who polished off his second Skate America with a silver medal. Zhou is a very strong skater, and you can truly sense his passion on the ice. Prior to receiving 175.74 for his endearing free skate to Muse’s “Algorithm,” Zhou picked up 99.36 in the short program, skating to Josh Groban’s cover of “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night).” In a performance highlighted by a quad lutz-triple toe combo, triple axel, and level 4 flying camel spin, the music was also the star.

Speaking on his namesake program, Zhou said, “Honestly from start to finish, it’s such a beautiful, enchanting song, and every single one of the lyrics paints such a vivid picture. Even the instrumental part, it holds you in rapture. Lori Nichol did such an incredible job with the choreography, helping accentuate the nuances and hit the big moments, and honestly, it’s an Olympic-worthy program I think.”

Vincent Zhou, Nathan Chen, and Canada’s Keegan Messing perform their short programs at 2020 Skate America
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

The bronze medal went to the Canadian Keegan Messing, who - due to the pandemic and subsequent cancellation of Skate Canada International - is now Team Canada’s sole entry on the 2020-21 Grand Prix circuit. The Alaskan-born skater, who previously represented Team USA until 2014, collected a score of 92.40 in his short program, set to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Messing ranked 2nd after his delightful performance, which displayed a strong triple axel, quad lutz, and the energetic footwork and robust artistry the 2018 Olympian is known for.

In the free skate, Messing was downgraded on his triple flip and lost points on his triple axel-euler-triple salchow combo, but showed off a clean quad toe-double toe, triple axel, and triple lutz-triple toe. The real highlight, however, was his choreographic sequence, which included a split jump, cantilever, and a hydroblade so low he had ice on his face afterwards. With a 174.02 in the free, the 2018 Olympian clenched the bronze, earning him his second-ever Grand Prix medal. Just before last year’s Skate America, Keegan’s brother passed away, but he still competed anyway in his memory, coming in 4th and skating a beautiful tribute to him at the exhibition gala.

In a particularly touching moment, Messing confessed he would like to be remembered in the sport as either “the sportsman” or “the showman,” elaborating, “I really feel like being a true team player, a true sportsman - not just to your teammates but to your fellow competitors from different nations - is something very important. Of course we all want to win at the end of the day, but at what cost, really? Honestly, if I ever make it to the top of that podium, I want every one of my competitors to be able to leave everything out on the ice. I think that would be the best way to win a competition, is to have everybody happy with how they competed.”

2019 junior world champion Tomoki Hiwatashi finished in 4th after his jazz standard-filled free skate wowed the judges. 15-year-old Ilia Malinin moved up from 7th to 5th place after landing a quad toeloop and quad salchow - and subsequently changed his Instagram username from @lutzboi to @quadg0d. 32-year-old Alexei Bychenko of Israel took Pirates of the Caribbean to the ice to finish in 6th place.

2020 Skate America pairs silver medalists Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson, gold medalists Alexa Scimeca Knierim & Brandon Frazier, and bronze medalists Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Pairs

After recently partnering up in the off-season, Alexa Scimeca Knierim & Brandon Frazier won their first Grand Prix medal as a team with two breathtaking performances. A 74.19 in their short program - set to “In the End” by Tommee Profitt - catapulted them to 1st place heading into the free skate. Highlights from their “Fall on Me” free included a massive triple twist right on the lyric “fly like a cannonball,” throw triple loop, and throw triple lutz. Scimeca Knierim’s incredible height on twists and throws was always a strength of hers, even back when she competed with husband Chris Knierim until last year. After a 140.58 in the free skate, the pair finished the competition with a total score of 214.77.

The Irvine, California-based duo, who train under coaches Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, have been a great match right from the start. Scimeca Knierim laughed and noted, “I made a joke to Brandon when we got our scores that this partnership is gonna work! But I really didn’t have any doubts prior. I mean, it’s always great to have a successful event and to place well, but more than anything I think inside we’re pleased with the progress, and we feel like our hard work is being validated, and we’re just excited for what’s to come and excited to keep improving.”

Training alongside the Skate America champions are 2020 U.S. silver medalists Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson. After receiving a 71.08 from their haunting Games of Thrones short program, the pair racked put out a solid performance in their free skate, which was skated to The Tenors’ spine-tingling cover of Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever.” Calalang & Johnson lost points in the side-by-side jumps but really shined in their intricate lifts, all of which received a level 4. Their connection on the ice and incredible technique further solidifies them as top contenders for the 2022 Olympic Games.

With a 136.32 in the free skate, the couple maintained their 2nd place position to capture the silver medal - a good ending to a mixed bag of a weekend. Both skaters have an obvious passion for their sport, with Calalang describing, “The great thing about the pairs discipline is that we’ve all known each for so long, and we basically grew up in the sport, starting in novice and all the way up to the senior level. It’s great that we are such good friends off the ice, like we can chat backstage, we can chat in the locker room, but when we get on the ice, we’re competitors, and as soon as we get off the ice we’re back to being friends again. And I think that is just the greatest part about pairs in general.”

Jessica Calalang & Brian Johnson, Alexa Scimeca Knierim & Brandon Frazier, and Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov perform their short programs at 2020 Skate America
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Rounding out the pairs podium were 2018 U.S. junior champions Audrey Lu & Misha Mitrofanov. Both their short program and free skate were very theatrical in nature, set to “The Show Must Go On” from Moulin Rouge and a Charlie Chaplin medley, respectively. Due to a fall on the throw triple loop and a touch-down on the throw triple lutz, the pair slipped from 3rd to 4th in the free skate. But luckily, their strong lifts, spins, and performance quality carried them through to win the bronze with a total of 189.65 points. Lu & Mitrofanov are always charming on the ice, sprinkling their programs with emotion and nuance.

Mitrofanov stated that they were “very happy, very excited, we’re still trying to process it right now. Going into the Grand Prix, we didn’t expect it, we just wanted to put down two solid performances.” He also talked about training in The Skating Club of Boston’s brand-new facility, proclaiming, “It’s like skating in an Olympic-sized rink every day, it’s like preparing for Nationals every day, and it’s helped us get a feel of a big rink and to stretch ourselves more, get more speed in the elements. And everyone there, like Doug (Zeghibe), the director, has been really, really helpful helping us get ice time.”

2019 U.S. champions Ashley Cain-Gribble & Timothy LeDuc landed in 4th place, after losing major points on a downgraded triple salchow in the short program - however, it should be noted that their outstanding artistry and inventive choreography (like side-by-side spirals that highlight LeDuc’s unbelievable flexibility) really set them apart from the crowd. 2016 U.S. champions Tarah Kayne & Danny O’Shea placed 5th, and Israel’s Anna Vernikov & Evgeni Krasnopolski placed 8th.

2020 Skate America ice dance silver medalists Kaitlin Hawayek & Lean-Luc Baker, gold medalists Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue, and bronze medalists Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko
(Photos courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Ice Dance

The American ice dance field is one of the strongest in the world, and that excellence was in the spotlight this weekend as two-time world medalists Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue captured the gold. With level 4s in their Finnstep, sequential twizzles, and rotational lift, the expressive couple picked up 85.30 points in their Burlesque rhythm dance. Hubbell & Donohue are consistently excellent in every way and have become an inspiration to young ice dancers all over the world.

The following day, they put out a heavenly performance of “Hallelujah” when they earned 126.09 in the free dance, highlighted by strong component scores and a musical prowess not seen often enough in their field. A total score of 211.39 solidified their third consecutive Skate America title.

Montreal-based Hubbell & Donohue collaborated with Canadian Olympic champion Scott Moir for the free dance. Depicting the story behind the skate, Hubbell reflected, “Looking back on our career, it’s true that we’ve used ‘Hallelujah’ from the first year that we moved to Montreal, and it felt like, really a way of restarting our career. We used it kind of as like a moment of forgiveness to each other and all of the things we went through as a team, and it felt really hopeful when we did it in 2015. And we kept coming back to that music for exhibitions because in monumental moments of our career, that song feels like it’s us.”

Hubbell continued, “So this off-season, we looked at different music, but inevitably, we were drawn to the idea of marrying the two versions - the version by k.d. lang and the version that Zach used to sing to me, which is by Jeff Buckley. I think it really shows a different side to ‘Hallelujah,’ something that maybe hasn’t been explored as much on the ice, kind of a raw, intimate quality, and that’s something that definitely is part of our partnership.”

Winning the silver medal were Hubbell & Donohue’s training mates at the Ice Academy of Montreal, the inimitable Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker. The former junior world champions showed off their range with an unforgettable Saturday Night Fever rhythm dance and poignant Philip Glass free dance, earning them 81.15 and 121.32 points, respectively.

With level 4s in both their Finnstep and pattern dance type step sequence, the discoing duo showed off their strong skating skills, Broadway-worthy performance quality, and flawless interpretation of their much-loved music.

Going into more depth on the emotions behind their rhythm dance, 23-year-old Hawayek articulated, “Honestly the word that we’ve used is joy. We always say that we want to spark joy with our program, and I think that is the essence of disco. It’s abandon, it’s a little bit carefree in the sense that when you watch people disco, they don’t look around and judge each other. It’s just a matter of being 100% authentic and joyful.”

Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker, Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue, and Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko perform their rhythm dances at 2020 Skate America
(Photos by Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

Earning their second Grand Prix bronze and first Skate America medal were Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko, who continue to display their growing maturity as ice dancers and storytellers. The duo placed 3rd in both segments, earning a 78.63 for their “Too Darn Hot” rhythm dance and a 107.15 for their Doctor Zhivago free dance.

Free dance highlights included a particularly inventive choreographic character step sequence and creative entry into their stunning level 4 curve left. Elaborating on the lift, Ponomarenko said, “It’s funny, this lift is probably version number four or even five - we would create a lift, we would do it on the ice. We would scratch it, and this one in particular, we were at a different rink, we were with our lift coach, and all of a sudden we were like, let’s just try this once, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll forget about it, but it worked, and then from then on, we tried it and tried it, and we decided to stick with it.”

Remarking on the universal theme of Doctor Zhivago, Carreira noted, “It’s a love story of two people who love each other so much, but life circumstances get in the way, so it never ends up working out, they never end up together. I think that’s timeless, it will continue to happen with certain people, and I think a lot of people can relate to that story.”

Other ice dance standouts included Caroline Green & Michael Parsons, who put out an entertaining Prince free dance and placed 4th. Making their senior Grand Prix debuts were Molly Cesanek & Yehor Yehorov and Eva Pate & Logan Bye, both with two very strong programs, coming in at 5th & 7th, respectively. Emily Monaghan & Ilias Fourati were Hungary’s only entry at Skate America and came in 8th.

Ladies silver medalist Bradie Tennell in the kiss & cry after her free skate
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

A Weekend to Remember

2020 Skate America was a unparalleled event from start to finish and an important first step in bringing back major skating competitions to North America. But why are sporting events important in a time like this? Pairs bronze medalist Misha Mitrofanov best summed it up in the press conference when he said this:

”We believe that it is very important to continue these sporting events because this definitely helps a lot of people, that they’re able to still enjoy sports. That’s what I believe sports have always been - a source of entertainment to help the audience escape from reality for a second. I believe (Skate America) is definitely helping everyone just, you know, kind of cope with COVID-19.”

Stay safe, and tune in for more skating in this nontraditional pre-Olympic season! For full results and protocols, click here.

2020 Skate America champion Nathan Chen in the virtual press conference following the men’s free skate - will digital everything be the norm going forward?
(Photo courtesy of Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating)

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CATEGORIES: 2020-21 SEASON, RECAPS, COMPETITIONS, GRAND PRIX, USA, SINGLES, PAIRS, ICE DANCE

TAGS: SKATE AMERICA, 2020 SKATE AMERICA, ORLEANS ARENA, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA, AUDREY SHIN, BRADIE TENNELL, MARIAH BELL, KEEGAN MESSING, NATHAN CHEN, VINCENT ZHOU, ALEXA SCIMECA KNIERIM, BRANDON FRAZIER, AUDREY LU, MISHA MITROFANOV, JESSICA CALALANG, BRIAN JOHNSON, CHRISTINA CARREIRA, ANTHONY PONOMARENKO, KAITLIN HAWAYEK, JEAN-LUC BAKER, MADISON HUBBELL, ZACHARY DONOHUE