US Figure Skating Nationals at Spokane Washington

The U.S. Figure Skating Nationals are always filled with high drama, tension and surprises - especially when it occurs in an Olympics year! The U.S. Figure Skating Nationals were shown live on NBC last night and this article will touch on some of the highlights and give you a preview of the 2010 Winter Olympics Figure Skating events.

Watching the U.S. Figure Skating Nationals gives a viewer a chance to see the top American figure skaters at their peak. I love watching the Olympics, especially the men's and ladies figure skating. The broadcast was shown last night from Spokane, Washington.

Providing color commentary were Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic. I love Scott Hamilton's excitement and flare. Sandra Bezic is kind of annoying to me. At first, I thought it was Peggy Fleming, who was a fabulous skater, but a monontous commentator. Bezic's comments during the U.S. Nationals were boring (to me). I like to hear comments on workouts, pre-competition jitters, and predictions.

The broadcast included a few of the first round skaters, including Alexe Gilles, who was 9th after the short program. She wore an ice blue sparkly outfit and was striking with her pretty blonde hair woven into a smart twisted ponytail. She skated to up-tempo music, "On the Town". She faltered a few times, falling on a triple flip and putting her hand down on a lutz. She fell a third time, prompting Sandra Bezic to say the altitude at Vancouver could be hurting her.

Also skating in the first round was Allisa Cizny. She is the defending US Champion and came into the US Nationals at 7th place after a "heartbreaking" short program (which I did not see). She stumbled a few times and I liked Scott Hamilton's phrase that she had a problem "staying vertical".

Emily Hughes skated in the first round. She was wearing a splashy red skating dress. She took a couple of huge spills, even landing into the boards at one point. Her music was "Gone With the Wind" and she lost the war. Scott Hamilton blamed her troubles on taking a year off. Her sister, Sarah Hughes, was shown rooting on her sister in the stands.

The Top 5 U.S. Figure Skaters Take The Stage

As the final skaters did their warm-up, Dick Button added some interesting and insightful comments. He said that the scoring system was very complicated and explained a little bit about it. I learned that if a skater saves her jumps until after the two minute mark, they will be awarded with an additional 10% bonus. He also explained that of the six who would perform at Nationals, only two would be selected to represent the U.S. at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

The first skater was Amanda Dobbs, sporting a red with silver decorations skating dress. The commentators said she needs more technical ability. She did throw a really cool three jump combination. Unfortunately, she fell a couple of times and stumbled out of a double axel. The commentators said that they had heard from her coach that she was "exhausted" after skating in the pairs competition.

The next skater was Christina Gao. She was 5th coming into the finals. She wore an expensive looking three-tone blue/lavender outfit with a flowing skirt. She had excellent flexibility and extension and was wonderful to watch. She made the jumps look easy, but unfortunately, it was not her night as she fell a couple of times, including on a double axel right at the end of her program. She ended up with a score of 156.53.

Following her was Ashley Wagner, a skater who was touted as one to watch in the Olympics. She had apparently had a disastrous short program, and this put her into 4th place coming into the finals. She skated a very nice program with no falls, although she had a couple of double footed landings. I liked the way she ended her jumps with her arms flared out each time. She had her brown hair in an updo with decorations that matched her skating dress, which was purple with cut-out effects and a low-cut back. I think she was one of the better skaters, with her fast spins, complicated dance steps, and fairly clean performance. She was awarded a 122.15 and ended up with a 184.70 total.

Next in line was Sasha Cohen, a skater that many hoped would be in the Olympics. She had taken four years off from competitive skating, but she must have been busy doing skating tours, because she looked to be in top form physically. Unfortunately, she fell several times and had several two-footed landings. She skated to slower music and her performance had an elegant feel to it. Cohen wore a dark skating dress with long transparent sleeves and turtleneck with a jewel at the bodice. She received a score of 104.65, bringing her total to 174.28.

Rachel Flatt was next to skate. She wore a red skating dress decorated with gold metallic at the top. A blonde, 17 year old from Colorado, she looked a bit substantial when compared to the very slim Sasha Cohen, who had skated before her. Scott Hamilton quipped that "you don't worry when you watch her" because she is typically pretty solid. She had a strong and bubbly performance. She received a total score of 200.11.

Last up was Mirai Nagasu. She wore a red and black outfit with a giant black flower at the hip. She was a beautiful skater and I really thought she had won. However, the judges downgraded some of her jumps (why?) and she ended up with a total score of 188.78.

Rachel Flatt won, followed by Mirai Nagusa and then Ashley Wagner and Sasha Cohen. The top two do not automatically advance to the Olympics. The two skaters which will be sent to Vancouver will be chosen by a committee and should be announced soon per the NBC announcers.

The 2010 Winter Olympics start on February 12th - make sure you mark you calendars and watch your favorite skaters compete for the U.S.A.