January of 2017 will likely go down in history as the month where millions of people across the globe protested Donald Trump’s inauguration, or the month in which Trump restricted travel and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, or — let’s be real — the month leading up to Beyonce’s February pregnancy announcement.
For U.S Figure Skating, however, January represents one of the most iconic national championships in history. The 2017 U.S. Prudential Figure Skating Championships took place in Kansas City, MO, from Jan. 14 – 27, and produced a series of record-breaking, breath-taking performances from skaters across the country. Some of the most memorable include:
1. Nathan Chen
Nathan Chen is going places — after undergoing a serious hip surgery in 2016, the 17-year-old managed to make an incredible comeback, completing a jaw-dropping five quadruple jumps in his long program: a quadruple-lutz triple-toe, quadruple-flip, quadruple-toe double-loop, quadruple toe, and an unexpected quadruple salchow. He also threw in a triple axel and a triple lutz. If you’re not familiar with skating terminology, this means that Chen completed a total of 33.5 revolutions in the air, all within the first three minutes of his program. His short program score of 106.39 (the highest U.S. men’s short program score in history) and his long program score of 212.08 (the highest U.S. men’s long program score in history) combined for the highest overall U.S. men’s score in history: a whopping 318.47 points. If you still don’t understand the sheer ridiculousness of this feat, reigning men’s Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu scored a technical score of 120.92 at Sochi. Chen’s was 121.80. In other words, if Chen stays injury-free, the 2018 Olympic podium is not far from reach.
2. Maia and Alex Shibutani
Among the favorites were senior ice-dance gold medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani, a sibling duo who stopped the show with their short program. Their performance ranked as the highest US Championship ice-dancing short program score ever —82.42 points — and with good reason. Skating to a crowd-pleasing remix of “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra and Jay Z, the brother and sister dazzled the audience with series of entertaining choreography sequences, lifts, and twizzles. The team’s short program score, combined with a 117.63-point long program, resulted in a grand total of 200.05 points and a first-place finish.
The International Skating Union, or ISU, only recently began allowing skaters from all disciplines to use music with vocals instead of classical tunes, so the Shibutani’s decision to go with Jay-Z was both unconventional and innovative.
Despite their record-breaking score, the team showed no signs of complacency in an post-program interview with IceNetwork: “We’re so confident in the concept of our program, so it’s really just about continuing to improve the performance.”
3. Ashley Wagner
The words “slay,” “fierce,” and “diva” are all frequently used to describe Team USA veteran Ashley Wagner, and it’s not difficult to see why. Wagner has become notorious for her powerful, expressive performances, and her 2017 U.S Championships short program was no exception. Skating to a remix of “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics, Wagner immediately captured the attention of the crowd with her facial expressions and body movements. Attacking her jumps with conviction and ferocity, she managed to land everything despite having to fight for a double axel in the last minutes of the program. Though she was the pre-event favorite, her combined scores kept the gold medal out of Wagner’s reach, resulting in a second-place podium finish.
At 25, Wagner is older than the typical competitor. However, age is an advantage when her competitive incredible performance ability is taken into account. Her experience has also allowed her to grow from negative experiences. After a disappointing Grand Prix performance, Wagner successfully regained her footing at nationals.
“To be able to come out and show people I am a fighter, I’m really proud of that,” said Wagner in an NBC interview.
4. Karen Chen
Karen Chen was quoted by the announcers as stating earlier in the competition, “If the U.S. Championships were a movie, I’d be the quiet assassin.” Indeed, Chen proved herself to be the biggest underdog of the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. After a disappointing eighth-place finish at last year’s nationals, few expected the 17-year-old to snag a gold medal. After executing two beautiful performances, however, Chen emerged victorious. Her short program to the music “On Golden Pond,” was lyrical, graceful, and featured soaring jumps and fast, compact spins. Her long program to the passionate “Jealousy Tango” was just as stunning, and contained a maturity not often seen in skaters so young. The speed and coverage of her edgework, combined with her elegance and technical strength, earned her a standing ovation. Chen also choreographed both of her programs, which is a rarity in figure skating.
Though the U.S. Championships are always filled with inspiring performances, many of this year’s programs demonstrated new levels of artistic and technical discipline across the board. The show-stopping talent exhibited this year will hopefully continue into next season’s highly-anticipated 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, and we’re already on the edge of our seats.