(l-r) Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Elena Radionova, Gracie Gold
Madison Chock and Evan Bates (l-r) Jason Brown, Tatsuki Machida, Nam Nguyen
U.S. earns medals across the board For the 10th time in 12 years, a U.S. ice dance team finished on top at
2014 Hilton HHonors Skate America. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the two-time U.S. silver medalists and
(l-r, pairs) Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier, Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang
Olympians from Michigan, collected their first Grand Prix Series title at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois., near Chicago, where more than 17,000 people skipped through the turnstiles Oct. 24–26. Skate America served as the kickoff event for the 20th annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. Te top six point-earners in each discipline will compete this month at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, Spain. Chock and Bates, who followed Olympic champions Meryl Davis and Charlie
White’s run of four consecutive Skate America titles and five by 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, led a strong U.S. showing, which included medal-winning performances in each of the four disciplines. Standing next to Chock and Bates on the ice dance podium were two-time
U.S. bronze medalists and Olympians Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. In the ladies event, U.S. champion and Olympian Gracie Gold returned to
her training roots and claimed the bronze medal. Another skater from the Chicago area, U.S. silver medalist and Olympian
(l-r, ice dance) Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin
14 DECEMBER 2014
Jason Brown, secured the silver medal, as did the Florida-based pairs team of Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier, the best finish by any U.S. pairs team on the Grand Prix circuit since 2008. Te finish marked the first time that ice dance teams from the U.S. won gold and silver at the same Grand Prix event.
PHOTOS BY JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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