U.S. thrives in inaugural Olympic Team Event by KIMIYA SHOKOOHI
When the beat in his music increases and the violin begins to play, Jason Brown knows it’s time to “Riverdance.” He skates to the boards and pivots around the edge. He fi xes his gaze down the center of the rink, as his teammates watch from the other side.
T e 19-year-old from Highland Park, Ill., launches into the footwork of a free skate set to Irish composer Bill Whelan’s “Reel Around the Sun.” He darts down the middle of the ice, on a surface bearing the emblem of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. His teammates, and the Russian crowd, clap along. At the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston, Brown earned a silver medal with that free skate and a viral hit on You- Tube with more than 4.3 million views. In Sochi, Brown’s skate contributed to a bronze medal for the United States in the inaugural Olympic Fig- ure Skating Team Event. T e best part of the new event, said Brown and his teammates, was that it allowed another opportunity for fi gure skating to be seen. “It brings another dynamic to the sport and another feel to the athletes watching and everyone at home watching,” Brown said. “We’re all working together and coming together to win a medal.” Leading the way, Meryl Davis and Char-
lie White secured fi rst place in the short and free dance segments to help cement the bronze-medal fi nish for Team USA. Russia claimed gold with 75 total points and Canada silver with 65. T e
14 APRIL 2014
The U.S. celebrates after receiving bronze medals for the Olympic Team Event. Team USA members who competed in the inaugural event are (l-r) Ashley Wagner, Jeremy Abbott, Jason Brown, Marissa Castelli, Simon Shnapir, Gracie Gold, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.
U.S. notched 60 points. Two-time U.S. champi- on Ashley Wagner and reigning U.S. champion Gracie Gold split the ladies segment, while two- time Olympian Jeremy Abbott skated the short program on the men’s side. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir represented the team in pairs. “We really bonded as a team,” White, the team captain, said. “We put our hearts on the ice and we came away with a bronze, which was fan- tastic, and it’s going to keep us together as a team for the rest of our lives.”
Davis and White held the U.S. fl ag for their teammates in the kiss and cry. Skaters and coaches cheered rinkside from designated seating positions, boxed and divided for each of the 10 participating countries. “Standing on the Olympic podium together
is pretty amazing, too,” Davis said. T e International Olympic Committee an- nounced in 2011 the decision to add a team event to the Winter Games roster. T e event combined scores from both segments of the four traditional
PHOTO BY RENEE FELTON
PHOTO BY JOSH ELLIS
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