The US Figure Skating Championships are nigh. Elsewhere on the figure skating internet 1 the hype train is revving up and the speculation mills are turning, but here at The Finer Sports, I’m reserving my opinions on whether this season’s ladies’ National Champion will even be old enough for Junior Worlds and previewing every competitor in the field. With several perennial big names taking the year off (and, let’s be realistic, probably done for good), American figure skating is hunting for stars to headline the next four years – and to win back a third Worlds slot. Each of the 19 contenders falls into one of five major categories:
- Front Runners. The handful of athletes most likely to win a medal of any color – a group that, this year, includes recent Olympians as well as pint-sized preteen upstarts.
- Dark Horses. Athletes whose technical and artistic abilities make them reasonable, albeit less likely, contenders for a medal. With most of the field battling consistency issues and several lesser-known skaters showing big improvements from last season, this is a year when the Dark Horse cavalry could really shake things up.
- On the Bubble. Skaters who are unlikely to threaten the podium, but might have a breakthrough performance in other ways, whether it’s a top-ten placement that earns them a spot on the National Team or an engaging performance that catapults them to social media fame.
- Just Happy to Be Here. For many athletes, getting to Nationals was the biggest accomplishment they could imagine this season. They’re unlikely to place high in the standings, and they’re not expecting to. Cleanly skated programs and new personal bests, on the biggest stage in American figure skating, are the goal for these skaters.
- Why I Drink. The few, the mighty, the wild cards so unpredictable that I have invented cocktails in their honor. They might win; they might come in 17th; they might withdraw after the short program in a blaze of glory. They are my favorite thing about this sport.
In addition to assigning each skater one of the above categories and explaining the rationale for my choice, I will provide some basic information, a video of a recent performance, and a summary of her season so far. These are not predictions, so please don’t blame me when your fantasy bracket goes kaput.
With no further ado, here are the first 9 of the 19 athletes competing in the Championship Ladies event at 2019 US Nationals.
Starr Andrews
The Basics: Andrews is 17 years old and represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. She is the 2017 junior National silver medalist and placed 6th in her senior debut in 2018.
Season So Far: In her first full international senior season, Andrews has experienced some growing pains. She field-tested her short program at the California Championships over the summer before heading to Bangkok for the Asian Open, where she shined in the short program, but dropped to fifth overall after a hard fall on a triple Axel attempt seemed to knock the wind out of her. She attempted the jump again at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic and again was unable to rotate or land it; in the more difficult field, she placed seventh. In her senior Grand Prix debut at Skate America, Andrews chose a safer layout but continued to struggle with her jumps, finishing in 10th place. A week later, at Skate Canada, Andrews looked refreshed, especially in her clean and breezy short program, and placed a respectable seventh.
Outlook for Nationals: After years of flying just below the radar, Andrews has made a huge impression at the past two National Championships. She hasn’t yet figured out how to skate with a similar confidence internationally, but that doesn’t matter here – it’s increasingly clear that Nationals is her element. In part, that might be because the domestic judges are more willing to shrug off her underrotation errors and to reward her in components for her charming, girl-next-door presence on the ice. Even with those advantages, Andrews will have to prove she can stay focused in her free skate, and she might need to test drive the difficult jumping passes that are clearly no problem in practice but get the best of her in competition. She’s a solid Dark Horse, but the kind I’m inclined to watch with a cocktail in hand.
Mariah BEll
The Basics: Bell is 22 years old and represents the Rocky Mountain Figure Skating Club in Westminster, Colorado. Originally from Tulsa, she now lives and trains near Los Angeles. This will be Bell’s sixth senior-level appearance at Nationals; she has placed as high as 3rd, in 2017, and came in 5th in 2018.
Season So Far: Bell began her season with a huge personal best, breaking 70 points in the short program for the first time at the Nebelhorn Trophy. It was only enough for 4th in a tough field, but her accomplishment set the tone for the rest of her season. She performed above expectations at both of her Grand Prix events, finishing 4th at Skate Canada and 5th at the NHK Trophy. She continued to look poised and well-trained at Golden Spin, where she earned a bronze medal.
Outlook for Nationals: Bell’s scores are among the highest for an American lady this season, but that’s not the only factor leading some fans to predict that this will be her year for a national title. While she still mistimes her jumps every so often, her technique is as secure and consistent as it’s ever been, with fewer deductions for rotation or edge errors than in the past. She also boasts some of the most challenging choreography in the field, with programs that showcase her emotional intensity and range as well as her fine skating skills and ability to navigate difficult transitions. Above all, it’s that program components advantage that makes Bell a Front Runner.
Julia Biechler
The Basics: Biechler is 20 years old and represents the Colonial Figure Skating Club in the Boston area. She’s originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania. This will be her first appearance as a singles skater, but she’s competed at Nationals in ice dance six times with former partner Damian Dodge; they were 10th in 2018.
Season So Far: Biechler has been working hard throughout the season to establish herself as a singles skater, starting with several club competitions. She skated only her short program at Skate Wilmington and placed second in the segment, then placed 3rd in both segments at the Cranberry Open. In September, she won gold at the Challenge Cup in Philadelphia. From there, Biechler shifted her focus to qualifying competitions, taking 4th place at New England Regionals and, with a pair of blockbuster performances that seemed to exceed even her own expectations, a bronze medal at Eastern Sectionals.
Outlook for Nationals: Biechler’s decision to shift her training focus from dance to singles sounded like a doomed enterprise, but she’s emerged as one of this season’s biggest surprises. Her technical content is perhaps the least challenging in the entire field – she only competes two types of triple jump, a salchow and a lutz – but she compensates with exceptional skating skills, musicality, and non-jump elements. These strengths probably won’t be enough to push her into the top ten, but stranger things have happened, especially since she’s such a seasoned competitor. Biechler is Just Happy to Be Here, but she’s also been overachieving all season long – why stop now?
Ting Cui
The Basics: Cui is 16 years old and represents her hometown club, the Baltimore Figure Skating Club, although she now trains in Colorado Springs. She was the National junior bronze medalist in 2018 and will compete as a senior lady for the first time this year.
Season So Far: Cui began her season at the Broadmoor Open, where she placed a disappointing 6th. She looked much better a few weeks later at the Glacier Falls Summer Classic, where she took silver. She gave solid performances at her first Junior Grand Prix assignment, in Austria, for a fifth-place finish. At her second Junior Grand Prix, in the Czech Republic, she skated the lights out in her short program but crumbled in the free skate, dropping from 2nd in the short to 7th overall. Cui struggled with her difficult jump combinations at Eastern Sectionals, but her technical abilities put her in a class by herself; she won gold by a margin of almost 14 points. A week later, at the Tallinn Trophy, Cui skated internationally as a senior for the first time and took home a silver medal after a pair of strong performances.
Outlook for Nationals: Cui is an exceptional jumper, capable of massive triple lutz-triple toe loop and triple flip-half loop-triple salchow combinations. 2 She’s not consistent on her hardest jumps, though, and often looks like she throws so much power into them that she can’t control her landings. She’s also a less expressive and dynamic performer than other top American ladies, with less speed and polish in her fundamentals, factors that disadvantage her on the components side. If she hits those jumps in both programs, though, the top tier had better watch their backs, because this Dark Horse has a clear shot at the podium.
Amber Glenn
The Basics: Glenn is 19 years old and represents the Dallas Figure Skating Club, in her hometown and current training location of Plano, Texas. She is the 2014 junior National Champion. Since then, she has competed nationally at the senior level three times, placing 8th in both 2017 and 2018.
Season So Far: Glenn workshopped her programs throughout the summer at club competitions, notching easy wins at Skate Dallas and the Memorial Trophy. In a more challenging field at Skate Detroit, she won her qualifying group and took bronze in the final round. She struggled more at the Philadelphia Summer Championships, settling for fifth place. Things picked up for her at the Lombardia Trophy, where she finished 6th in a difficult field. At Midwestern Sectionals, she skated an exceptionally strong short program and a solid free skate on her way to a decisive gold medal.
Outlook for Nationals: Glenn is a strong jumper with a powerful triple flip-triple toe loop, and her emotionally resonant programs are among my favorites this season. She struggles with consistency, though, sometimes nailing all the hard stuff only to suffer from lapses in focus or stamina later in her programs. While her musicality and energy make her a pleasure to watch, she doesn’t have as much difficulty baked into her choreography as many of her competitors do. That means she’ll have to work harder than the big names to make an argument for herself, but also that she has everything she needs for a Dark Horse podium finish.
Hanna Harrell
The Basics: Harrell is 16 years old and represents the Dallas Figure Skating Club, in her hometown of Plano, Texas. She placed fourth at the junior level at 2018 Nationals and will be competing as a senior for the first time this year.
Season So Far: Harrell began her season close to home, finishing second in the short program and first in the free skate at Skate Dallas. She won silver at two highly competitive club meets, the Broadmoor Open and Skate Detroit. After a summer of senior-level success, she went to Armenia for her sole Junior Grand Prix event and finished a respectable seventh. At Midwestern Sectionals, Harrell weathered some technical wobbles but did more than enough to earn a silver medal.
Outlook for Nationals: Technically, Harrell is on par with the best. Her triple lutz-triple toe loop is majestic when she lands it – which, unfortunately, is not quite often enough. She has nagging technique problems in general, and her short rotations are often an underlying cause of her troubled landings. She’s a well-rounded athlete with beautiful spins and a uniquely sassy presence on the ice, which she channels smartly into energetic programs. Her expressive quality and strong fundamentals help her components scores, although her choreography is a bit simple beneath the stylistic flair. She’s On the Bubble for now, but with loads of promise.
Courtney Hicks
The Basics: Hicks is 23 years old and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club. She’s originally from Placentia, California, but now lives and trains in Colorado Springs. She is the 2011 junior National Champion and has placed as high as 4th at Nationals, in 2013; she was 9th in 2018.
Season So Far: Hicks only skated her short program at the Broadmoor Open, for a 4th-place finish in the segment. At a more relaxed club event, the DuPage Open, she performed both programs, finishing 2nd behind Bradie Tennell. She struggled with jumps at both of her international competitions this season, placing 7th at the US International Classic and 8th at the NHK Trophy.
Outlook for Nationals: Hicks made a big coaching change this season, moving to Colorado to work with Kori Ade. As Hicks has long struggled to earn components scores that keep pace with her technical power, this sounds like a smart move. However, this type of change in training style and focus often requires an adjustment period, and Hicks’ efforts this season have reflected that challenge. Sometimes, a skater in the middle of a rebuilding year can translate her newfound confidence into peaking at the right moment, and Hicks certainly has the jumps – and, increasingly, the finesse – to reach the podium on her best day. But I’m hesitant to bet on that after the season she’s had so far, and that’s Why I Drink.
Rena Ikenishi
The Basics: Ikenishi is 18 years old and represents the Skating Club of New York. She was born in Japan but has been living in New York and competing for the United States since 2015. This will be her first time competing at a National Championships for any country at any level.
Season So Far: Ikenishi won gold in the domestic division of the Philadelphia Summer Championships, then silver at the Middle Atlantic Championships. After winning North Atlantic Regionals in a 25-point blowout, Ikenishi gave back-to-back performances of her life at Eastern Sectionals. She finished 4th, ahead of several more prominent names, to qualify for Nationals for the first time in her career.
Outlook for Nationals: Ikenishi might not be a household name, but she has the technical goods to overachieve at Nationals as she did in her qualifying events. She competes two kinds of triple-triple combinations, plus a double Axel-triple toe loop, and she can also pick up points for her difficult and well-executed spins. However, her relatively simple jump entrances and intermittent problems with underrotation and takeoff edges can cut into the value of her most difficult elements, and her components scores trend low because her engaging performance style can’t compensate for relatively simple choreography. Ikenishi has a lot of potential – and a fun short program that could attract attention – but she’s Just Happy to Be Here.
Pooja Kalyan
The Basics: Kalyan is 16 years old and represents the Ozark Figure Skating Club. She’s from Fayetteville, Arkansas, but she now trains primarily in the Chicago area. She is the 2018 junior National silver medalist and will be competing as a senior for the first time this year.
Season So Far: Kalyan began her season on a high note: she skated only her short program at Broadmoor Open, and placed a surprise first in that event. She also took gold at Skate Milwaukee. She had more trouble standing out in the crowded field at Junior Grand Prix Slovakia and came in 8th despite a strong skate. Kalyan followed a killer short program with a disastrous free skate at her first senior international event, the Finlandia Trophy, and placed 9th. At Midwestern Sectionals, Kalyan rebounded from short program trouble with a lovely free skate and won a bronze medal.
Outlook for Nationals: Kalyan’s unique style, graceful and a bit cerebral, sets her apart from others in her generation of teenagers trying to break into the senior ranks. She’s capable of big jumps, too, including a powerhouse of a triple flip-triple toe loop. When she lands them, her technique is excellent, with speed to spare, but she seems to have trouble keeping her head in high-pressure situations. Her fundamentals have improved markedly since she began training with Alexander Ouriashev last summer, but her components scores haven’t risen to reflect those gains yet. It’s hard to say how the stars will align for Kalyan, but since this seems to be a growth year for her, she’s On the Bubble at her first senior Nationals.
Next on The Finer Sports: More Nationals Previews!
2 thoughts on “2019 US Nationals Preview: Championship Ladies Part 1”