318.47! When the score was posted on the
Sprint Center video board, the rafters shook.
318.47 points. Fans jumped out of their seats. Re-
porters slapped each other on the back. Kansas City’s Power & Light District felt a surge of energy.
Sitting in the kiss and cry, Nathan Chen simply mouthed the word wow. The new U.S. men’s champion didn’t
just make U.S. history, he obliterated it by more than 43 points. Nathan Chen’s five quadruple jumps on the final day of the 2017 Prudential U.S. Championships (Jan. 14–22) quickly became the talk of figure skating — all of figure skating. As the Canadian Champi- onships ended, and with Europeans set to begin, all eyes were on the 17-year-old American, who served the world notice by earning silver at the 2016 Grand Prix Final in December. The Salt Lake City native led the youth
movement as one of three first-time U.S. champions. Karen Chen, also 17 (and no relation to Nathan), skated two clean programs to
the U.S. Figure Skating pipeline. “We have a really strong group of
Nathan Chen’s heroics leave K.C. in awe BY BARB REICHERT
end the Gracie Gold–Ashley Wagner five- year tussle for the ladies crown. And fit- tingly, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier came back from extensive knee surgery to win the gold amid an injury-riddled pairs field.
Maia and Alex Shibutani defended
their ice dance title, narrowly defeating U.S. and World rivals Madison Chock and Evan Bates by 1.01 points. The Shibutanis are the reigning World silver medalists, while Chock and Bates own the World bronze medal. It was a special week of skating, and not just on the big stage. The juvenile- through junior-level
skaters heated things up earlier in the week, competing at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in nearby Independence, Missouri. The smaller venue hosted some big performances as juvenile, intermedi- ate and novice skaters reaped the rewards of a bonus system that awards extra points for double Axels, triple-triple combina- tions and triple jumps. In its second year, the bonus system
has increased technical levels to help ath- letes achieve more as they move through
young athletes who are meeting and pushing the technical demands of the sport,” said Justin Dillon, U.S. Figure Skat- ing’s director of high performance devel- opment. “I’m very encouraged by their progress and commend their coaches for raising performance levels.” Kansas City proved to be the perfect
host. Behind the efforts of the Kansas City Sports Commission, Sprint Center and Visit KC, fans and athletes were treated to a first- rate experience in a city both vibrant and welcoming. The sport gained some fans, too.
“Many local fans commented on how
excited they were to witness in person the power and grace of this sport,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission. “We have not hosted a figure skating championship of this level since 1985, almost skipping a generation of fans. Many were thrilled to experience this sport up close. I think we have converted many local fans to be- come passionate figure skating fans who might consider traveling to other cities to follow the sport.” And while Nelson raved about the
friendliness and fan accessibility of such stars as Scott Hamilton, Meryl Davis, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, one name con- tinued to be on everyone’s mind. “Of course, everyone, including our
staff, is still talking about witnessing histo- ry with Nathan Chen,” Nelson said. “We’re proud that Kansas City will always be home to Nathan’s first senior title.”
(l-r) Ice dance champions Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani take a bow following their record-breaking short dance. Karen Chen and her coach Tammy Gambill bask in the moment upon finding out her record short program scores. Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier salute family and friends after winning the U.S. pairs title.
10 MARCH 2017
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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