Figure Skating is the oldest sport to be included in the Olympic Games. Until 2014, there were four disciplines in the event: Pairs, Men’s, Ice Dancing, and Ladies. This year, a fifth discipline was added: the Team event. The team figure skating event, which is similar to the gymnastics team event at the summer Olympics, will involve teams of skaters from 10 countries performing their short programs in their respective fields. After the scores are added up, the final five teams advance to the free skate. The United States competed in the team event, qualified for the free skate, and won the bronze medal. The United States Figure Skating Team is unique this year because it is composed of both fresh faces and respected veterans of the sport. This combination is sure to make these upcoming events much more interesting. As a figure skater myself, I plan on watching all these events (and playing the Figure Skating drinking game: take a shot every time Scott Hamilton laughs when someone lands a jump) and cheering on Team USA as they go for the gold in Sochi, Russia.
Image courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating
Ladies
Gracie Gold: Before the 2013 National Championships last year, I had no idea who Gracie was. She was in ninth place after her short program making her senior debut. After her free skate, her name was all over my Facebook and Twitter feed because she put on the performance of her life and won the free skate, which put her in second place overall. She is now the 2014 National Champion and has punched her ticket to Sochi. She is expected to win a medal and hopefully Gracie will go for the Gold (pun fully intended).
Polina Edmunds: At fifteen years old, Polina Edmunds is the youngest member of Team USA. In her senior debut, Edmunds skated her way onto the team and could possibly be the next Tara Lipinski. She is small yet powerful in her skating and if she plays her cards right, could possibly win it all.
Ashley Wagner: Wagner, or as I like to call her “Swagner,” is going to her first Olympics after not making the team in 2010. She’s going to Sochi amid controversy over whether or not she should’ve made the team over Mirai Nagasu, who came in fourth place at the Vancouver games in 2010. Wagner made the team because she is the reason the United States is able to send three female skaters. Also, she’s done better than Nagasu internationally in the past year. She deserves the spot on Team USA because she’s shown in past competitions that she can handle international pressure and amaze the audience as well as the judges.
Men’s
Jeremy Abbott: The four-time national champion and Olympian has what it takes to dominate in domestic competitions, not so much internationally though. He can also land a quadruple or quad jump consistently enough to put in his programs. He’ll have to work hard if he wants a medal.
Jason Brown: When Jason Brown took to the ice for his free skate at nationals, he was in third place after the short program. Before his music ended, he had the audience on their feet and won the free skate. This put him in second place overall and onto the Olympic team. With almost four million views on his river dance free skate on YouTube and a Twitter profile dedicated to his signature ponytail (@2014PonyPower), Jason Brown is going to do great things in the years to come.
Pairs
Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir: Two-time National champions have a secret weapon that could give them an Olympic medal in Pairs skating, something the United States hasn’t had since 1988. Their secret weapon is the throw quad Salchow, which has never been landed at the Olympics before. Another factor that could help them is their height difference: Castelli is 5 ft. and Shnapir is 6 ft. 4. This difference enables them to do more complex lifts and throw jumps.
Felicia Zhang/Nathan Bartholomay: After teaming up in 2011, this pair became the silver medalists at nationals and earned the second Pairs spot for team USA at the Sochi games. They had one of the cleanest programs at nationals and were a few points away from beating Castelli and Shnapir.
Ice Dancing
Meryl Davis/Charlie White: Before I talk about this pair of ice dancers, I’m going to tell you about the history of U.S. Ice Dancing at the Olympics. Before 2006, the U.S. hasn’t had a medal in this discipline since 1976. At the Torino Winter Games that changed when Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won silver. Since then, the U.S. has become a powerhouse for the discipline, winning multiple Grand Prix and World titles. Meryl Davis and Charlie White are six-time national champions, two-time world champions, and the 2010 Vancouver silver medalists. They are poised to become the first Americans to win Olympic Gold in ice dancing.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates: These ice dancers are the national silver medalists. Their passionate free dance to music from Les Miserables brought the audience to their feet. Scott Hamilton, the 1984 gold medalist in Men’s figure skating, described their performance as intense. Chock and Bates, like their teammates Davis and White, are going to be tough to beat when they take to the ice in Sochi.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani: The brother and sister team, commonly referred to as “The Shib Sibs,” are the national bronze medalists as well as 2011 world bronze medalists. They are students at the University of Michigan and train alongside Davis and White. The Shib Sibs are also famous for their YouTube videos (ShibSibs).
Now that you know who will be representing Team USA in the figure skating events in Sochi this month, you can sit back, relax and let the games begin.