2016 U.S. INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC
Jason Brown ‘A valuableexperience’
TEAM USA EARNS IMPRESSIVE MEDAL HAUL
Team USA secured seven medals from the
2016 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, held Sept. 14–18 in Salt Lake City. While Ja- son Brown and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue claimed top honors in the men’s and ice dance events, respectively, Team USA earned hardware across all disciplines, collecting multi- ple medals in three of the four events. Te com- petition, held annually since 2012, marked the second of 10 events that make up the 2016 Inter- national Skating Union (ISU) Challenger Series. Brown competed in his second Challeng-
er Series event in as many weekends, having earned silver at 2016 Lombardia Trophy. Al- though he fell on both quadruple toe attempts in Salt Lake City, Brown considers events like the International Classic valuable experience heading into the rest of the season. “Tat’s the great thing about Senior Bs,”
10 NOVEMBER 2016
Brown said. “Tey allow me to practice com- peting. I can practice the quad at home. I can practice the practice sessions and the six-min- ute warm-up at home, but I can’t compete un- til I’m at an event. I landed my quad in the six- minute warm up, which I didn’t do at Lombardia. I learn something every time I put it (the quad) out there, and I’m walking away so proud and excited for the steps I’m taking.” Second after the short program, Brown
turned in an exquisite free skate to music from Te Piano, landing seven triple jumps and earning the highest components score by nearly four points. His segment score of 170.86 lifted him to gold with an overall total of 254.04 points. U.S. champion Adam Rippon generated
the highest short program score of the event, but a rough free skate left him with bronze
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue
and a total score of 248.24. His compatriots, Ross Miner and Sean Rabbitt, finished sixth and seventh with 214.48 and 209.66 points, respectively. Te silver medal went to Japan’s Takahito Mura with 252.20 points. Hubbell and Donohue share Brown’s sen-
timents in regard to the value of Challenger Series events. “Tese competitions are so great to get
all the little bugs out and learn what you need to focus on when your nerves come into play,” Hubbell said. “You can’t make any mistakes at a Grand Prix event with a field so strong. Tese events show you what you need to do to make your new programs the best they can be in those important moments.” Hubbell and Donohue charmed the
crowd with a romantic free dance to a medley of love songs for a segment score of 102.08.
PHOTOS BY MELISSA MAJCHRZAK
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