By Abby Farrell
The March issue of SKATING magazine hit mailboxes this past weekend. Here are five stories to check out.
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Champions Crowned in Columbus
Relive all of the excitement of the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio. The competition featured a mix of veteran and first-time champions competing in front of electric crowds. Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their fifth ice dance title and Ilia Malinin was victorious for the second consecutive year in the men’s event. Standing on the senior women’s podium for the first time, 10 years after winning the junior title was Amber Glenn, and Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea took home their first pairs title since teaming up in 2022. Leah Neset and Artem Markelov secured a third junior ice dance title, while emerging talents Logan Higase-Chen, Lucius Kazanecki and Olivia Flores and Luke Wang earned the top spot on the junior women’s, men’s and pairs podiums, respectively, for the first time.
McMillans Help Figure Skaters Flourish
Meet Friends of Figure Skating members Sharon and Bob McMillan of Sarasota, Florida, who have taken their casual love of figure skating to new heights through financial contributions toward developing pairs and ice dance teams, and exciting technology designed to elevate skaters’ training. As a thank you for their continued support, U.S. Figure Skating invited the McMillans to Champs Camp in Las Vegas in August 2023 to get a behind-the-scenes look at all of the different components necessary for a Team USA athlete to be successful. The McMillans also attended the 2024 U.S. Championships with the hope of encouraging others to support skaters through U.S. Figure Skating’s various giving programs.
Synchronized Skating Offers Welcoming Community
Hayden Select’s Elissa Kempisty and Skyliners’ Cassady Konu both had very different paths leading them to synchronized skating. Kempisty had dreamed of being a Haydenette, while Konu grew up as a singles skater but was later convinced to give synchro a try. But both skaters, now college students, quickly discovered that the camaraderie and support system of synchro has allowed them to find success both on and off the ice. Through the help of teammates, Konu was given the support needed to successfully balance school, training and career planning, and Kempisty found a home away from home when she wasn’t able to make the six-hour commute back home during school breaks.
SkateSafe: U.S. Figure Skating’s Commitment to Sportsmanship
U.S. Figure Skating’s goal is to create an environment free of misconduct and harassment for all. Athletes, coaches and club leaders play an important role in making sure everyone feels safe and welcome when they step into the rink for practice or competition. In order to do that, U.S. Figure Skating’s knowledgeable SkateSafe® team shares a few best practices to consider to ensure that everyone prioritizes sportsmanship.
Sports Science: Measuring Workload in Figure Skating
Did you know that in order to execute a triple or quadruple jump a skater can rotate in the air up to 2,500 degrees per second? To learn this information, Dr. Lindsay Hannigan, in partnership with 4D Motion, official supplier of U.S. Figure Skating, created a wearable sensor that can track rotational speeds in figure skating. Not only that, but by monitoring the angular velocity of jumps and how many jumps a skater is attempting in one training session, the technology can identify and prevent patterns that may lead to injury. Read to learn more about the technology and how the data can help skaters reach their full potential.
