LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Team competitions growing in popularity
This month’s inaugural KOSÉ Team Challenge
Cup in Spokane, Washington, is the latest interna- tional event to showcase fi gure skating in a team competition. This trend of annual team events started in
April 2009 when the United States traveled to To- kyo for the fi rst ISU World Team Trophy. The con- cept of the World Team Trophy was announced at a news conference during the 2008 World Cham- pionships, in the hope of encouraging countries to develop top fi gure skaters in all disciplines. Representing the U.S. at the inaugural event
against teams from Canada, China, Russia, France and Japan were Evan Lysacek, Jeremy Abbott, Caroline Zhang, Rachael Flatt, Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett, and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. With wins from Lysacek and ice dancers Bel-
bin and Agosto, the U.S. fi nished fi rst, with Can- ada second and Japan third. The U.S. team split $200,000 of a record $1 million purse. “I think this is going to be a memorable com-
petition for everyone who participated, because it was the fi rst of hopefully many,” Lysacek, who had won a World title just weeks earlier, told ice- network. Lysacek’s optimism that the World Team Tro-
phy would continue on its planned two-year cycle hit a major hurdle in March 2011 when the event in Yokohama was postponed due to an earth- quake and tsunami that infl icted devastation on Japan. Those natural disasters led to the event be-
ing moved to Tokyo in 2012. That year, the U.S. placed a close second to Japan. Meryl Davis and team captain Charlie White won the ice dance event. “Obviously, we were going for fi rst and trying
to repeat,” White said of Team USA. “It’s a diffi cult competition and we showed grit and supported each other. We’re going to be going for fi rst next year.”
White’s prediction for U.S. gold was realized
at the 2013 World Team Trophy in Tokyo. Chants of USA!, USA!, USA!, red, white and blue confetti and noisemakers fi lled the air in the team box next to the kiss and cry as the United States emerged victorious. Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates fi nished fi rst, while Ashley Wagner won the silver medal. “It’s unlike any other competition I’ve expe-
rienced ever, in a good way,” Bates said. “The at- mosphere is infectious fun. It’s not like a normal skating competition in the way that everyone is cheering for each other. Everyone is happy to be here and going through their programs one last time for the fans. It’s the last hurrah.” The model of the World Team Trophy laid the
foundation for the fi rst Olympic Team Event at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. Gracie Gold, Ashley
4 APRIL 2016
Wagner, Jeremy Abbott, Jason Brown, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, and Meryl Davis and Charlie White combined to earn the United States the bronze medal. Brown, who skated in the men’s fi nal group
in Sochi and placed ninth overall, said standing on the medals podium with his teammates was the highlight of his Olympic experience. “It wasn’t because we got a medal,” he said.
“It was just that moment when you fi nally got to sit back, in one place, with your teammates, and take everything in. “It was dark outside, the Olympic torch was
glowing right in front of me,” he added. “It was one of those moments when they put the medal on us and I started crying.” “We really bonded as a team,” White said.
“We put our hearts on the ice and we came away with a bronze, which was fantastic, and it’s going to keep us together as a team for the rest of our lives.”
The United States made it three out of four
titles at the World Team Trophy in 2015. This vic- tory, though, came down to the wire with the U.S. edging Russia by a single point. The event, held in front of 25,000 people at the Yoyogi National Sta- dium in Tokyo, came down to the announcement of Gold’s free skate score. Her fi fth-place fi nish earned the team eight points and the title. “My feelings were a mixture of relief and ju-
bilation,” Gold said. “It’s the perfect fi nish to the competitive season.” Arguably the biggest points for the U.S.
came from the pairs team of Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim. The 2015 U.S. champions fi nished third in the free skate to claim 10 points, ahead of Russia’s standout team of Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov. “Their long program today was phenome-
nal,” team captain Bates said. “I think their perfor- mance made the diff erence for us.” The KOSÉ Team Challenge Cup promises to
deliver all the great skating and excitement of the previous team events in a unique format that features skaters representing Team North Ameri- ca, Team Europe and Team Asia. A preview of this event appears on page 14. Icenetwork will show the event for a member subscription fee of $9.99, while CBS will air the competition on Sunday, April 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. ET. “I’m so excited about this event, since a team
competition is diff erent from an individual com- petition especially concerning the festive and friendly atmosphere during the performances,” Russia’s Elizaveta Tuktamisheva said. “I really love the team event and I think the Americans will or- ganize it at a very high level and won’t be inferior in anything to Japan.”
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