Championship-level competition got underway at the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships Thursday, with Mariah Bell and Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc leading after the ladies and pairs short programs, respectively.
Championship Ladies
Bell (Rocky Mountain FSC), who trains in Irvine, California, under Adam Rippon, Rafael and Vera Arutunian, earned a personal-best 75.55 points for an effortless performance to “River Flows in You” by Yiruma. After opening her short program with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, each element received positive grades of execution from all nine judges, with her spins and step sequence each earning a Level 4.
“I’ve never won the short at U.S. Championships, so that’s exciting for me,” Bell said. “But honestly, I’ve been in every position possible going into the long program, and the objective is always the same. I wouldn’t want to skate any worse or any better if I was lower or higher. I just want to do the best long that I can. But I feel like I have good confidence going into the free.”
Karen Chen (Peninsula SC) sits one point behind Bell with a personal-best 74.55. Her “Requiem for a Dream” program included a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and a triple loop, which she landed in the second half of the program for a 1.1-point bonus. Chen trains in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is coached by Tammy Gambill.
Two-time U.S. champion Alysa Liu (St. Moritz ISC) enters Friday’s free skate competition in podium position with 71.42 points. The 16-year-old’s short program featured a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination as well as three Level 4 elements.
Isabeau Levito (SC of Southern New Jersey) is in fourth place with 71.09 points.
Championship Pairs
Cain-Gribble (SC of New York) and LeDuc (Los Angeles FSC), coached by Nina Mozer, Darlene and Peter Cain, topped the previous U.S. scoring record (77.46) with a segment score of 79.39 points. The Euless, Texas-based team executed a high-quality performance to music from “The White Crow” by Ilan Eshkeri that included side-by-side triple loop jumps and a throw triple flip. They received positive grades of execution across the board en route to an impressive technical element score of 44.54.
“We’re really grateful to be here, grateful to have a U.S. Championships with fans, grateful to be doing something that we love amidst everything that’s happening with the pandemic,” LeDuc said. “We’re really pleased with our effort today. We feel like we did what we do in practice.”
Less than two points separate Cain-Gribble and LeDuc from Jessica Calalang (DuPage FSC) and Brian Johnson (SC of New York) (77.48) heading into Saturday’s free skate competition. Both teams posted scores that topped the previous U.S. record, topping their own personal-best scores by 8.92 and 6.18 points, respectively. Calalang and Johnson, who train in Irvine, California, under Jenni Meno, Todd Sand, Christine Binder and Nina Mozer, turned in a well-fought performance to “Come Together” by Gary Clark Jr. and Junkie XL, earning a Level 4 on each of their scored elements. Their triple twist was the highest-scoring element of the event, notching an impressive 8.49 points.
Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov (SC of Boston) round out the top three with 68.11 points. Their short program earned three Level 4 elements and featured all positive grades of execution.
Emily Chan and Spencer Howe (SC of Boston) are in fourth with 61.94 points.
Junior Ladies
The junior ladies free skate concluded the junior competition at the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Clare Seo (Broadmoor SC) captured the junior ladies title on Thursday with 185.53 total points. The 2021 U.S. junior bronze medalist opened her free skate with a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and earned Level 4 on all her spins to score 118.15 points.
Ava Ziegler (SC of New York) scored 175.50 total points to earn the silver medal. Opening with a double Axel-Euler-triple Salchow combination, Ziegler earned Level 4 on two spins and her step sequence to score 115.26 in her free skate.
Josephine Lee (All Year FSC) secured the bronze medal with 172.08 total points. Her 111.47-point free skate opened with a strong triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and featured two Level 4 spins.
Katie Shen (Glacier Falls FSC) earned the pewter medal with 170.77 total points.
Competition at the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships continues tomorrow with the championship rhythm dance. Full results from today’s events are available here.
