U.S. Nationals (Day Four)

Scheduled Events for Today:

Novice Ladies Short Program
Novice Pairs Free Skate
Novice Men's Free Skate
Junior Pairs Free Skate

Check this post for results and musings.

Results for the Novice Ladies Short can be found here and Novice Pairs Free here.

The junior pairs have yet to take the ice but I wanted to talk a little about the Novice Men's Free Skate. The talent level we had in that field of men was astounding! The Champion, at only 10 years old (10!), Nathan Chen, put down a program that, as far as components go, I've seen seniors at international events not be able to touch. He skated to "Peter and the Wolf" and did it proud. Despite a few technical mistakes (and I will forgive a 10 year old that misses a triple or two) he received a rosuing ovation from the crowd. Outstanding! Behind him in second was an equally talented young man, Emmanuel Savary. Skating to the theme from "The Simpsons" he dazzled the crowd with tremendous energy, great jumps, and a dash of speed! And he is only 12! The bronze medalist, Timothy Dolensky, who skated in the first group but had a tremendous performance, was the only teenager amongst the top three!

The junior pairs competition is over and Zhang and Toth won with an impressive free skate. Simpson and Miller took the silver and Smith and Bartholomay moved up to take the bronze. Full results are here.