by LYNN RUTHERFORD At first glance, Evan Lysacek and Max Aaron have little
in common. Te Olympic champion is renowned for his style and finesse, while the hard-charging Aaron banks on athlet- icism and big jumps. At age 28, two-time U.S. champion (2007‒08) Lysacek is seven years — a full skating generation — older than reigning U.S. champ Aaron. Lysacek has a storied history, including the 2009 World
title and two World bronze medals. Aaron is just starting to make his mark. Tis is Lysacek’s seventh Skate America; he won in 2011 and took home silver three times. It is Aaron’s first-ever Grand Prix event. What the skaters do share is competitive fire and a bru- tal work ethic. “All of the hours I practice, how hard I train, is like my secret weapon,” Lysacek said. “I’ve always practiced more than most other guys. It helps me feel confi- dent and retain my edge.” When it comes to training, Aaron — a former junior ice hockey star — could be Lysacek’s twin.
“Te countdown
to the Olympics pushes me a little bit harder each day,” Aaron said. “I’m looking forward to the chal- lenge of
doing three quads in my long program, with a quad in the second half. It’s going to take a lot of training time and I’m willing to put that time in.” Few can ever forget the striking figure the tall, black-clad
Lysacek cut at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, when he skated two near-perfect programs to narrowly defeat Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko. To win here at Skate America, he will likely need something he did not try in Vancouver: a “quad” jump. He thinks he is up to the challenge. “Tere is no room in skating for timidity,” Lysacek said.
“Tese are warriors getting out there. Tey are fearless, and that is what I strive to be in competition.” Lysacek and Aaron are joined by two-time World Junior
champion Adam Rippon. Te 23-year-old from Scranton, Pa., is gunning for his first Skate America medal. Japanese skaters swept the medals here last year, and this season they look even stronger. Tree-time Skate America champion (2006, 2008 and 2010) Daisuke Takahashi, who claimed Japan’s first-ever men’s figure skating Olympic med- al when he won bronze in Vancouver, leads the charge. He is joined by defending Skate America champion Takahiko Kozu- ka and last season’s bronze medalist, Tatsuki Machida. Khazakstan’s Denis Ten emerged from the middle-of-the- pack last season to win his country’s first-ever World figure skat- ing medal, a silver, with two near-flawless programs including a quad toe. Was it a fluke or the start of a brilliant career? Skate America will help tell.
ICE DANCE What more can be said about Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who headline the ice dance event? Te Detroit skaters have won two World championships, five U.S. crowns and the last four Grand Prix Final titles. Te only hardware they lack is an Olympic gold medal, to go with the silver they won in 2010. Still, they’re not getting ahead of themselves. “We’re focusing on the work, improving every step of our
programs,” Davis, 26, said. “Tat’s something we focus on with our coach [Marina Zoueva] every single day. We want to make sure we capture those moments.” “We have the experience of one Olympics,” White, 25, said. “I think the last Olympic cycle was ‘Oh my God, the
34 OCTOBER 2013
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