2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Returning to my neglected skating blog to dish about the recent 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships that took place in Spokane. At one point I thought about attending the championships in person, but the event was spread across two weekends, and I didn't want to be away for quite that long. :P

Anyway, onto the skating... I'm pretty happy with how the results turned out for the most part. In pairs, Denney and Barrett were rocks. They still need some finesse, but have come a long way since last season. I could see how Inoue & Baldwin may have had a case for finishing 2nd overall and making the Vancouver Olympic team. (although I do like Evora & Ladwig who did come in 2nd). In dance, I actively disliked Belbin & Agosto's free dance, and I hope they can tweak it to make it more compelling before the Olympics (less-distracting costumes would help) because I think they have the goods to medal there. Davis & White were marvelous, and I especially like their Bollywood-theme OD. I was rooting for Navarro & Bommentre to take the third Olympic spot, but Samuelson & Bates came through with a really solid FD and deserved the third spot.

In the ladies' event, it was extremely frustrating to see Sasha Cohen blow another long program to finish 4th. Sadly, those who have followed Sasha's career could have predicted that she'd miss at least one or two jumps... she ended up making errors on at least four, and her overall program suffered greatly as a result. Meh. I like Rachael Flatt (moreso her competitiveness than her skating quality, although her programs this year are much-improved over previous seasons', particularly her SP) so I am glad she took the title. Mirai Nagasu is a spitfire, and definitely one to watch in the next few years. Too bad for Ashley Wagner; she skated a great LP but that fall in the SP really hurt her chances to make the Olympic team.

Kudos to Jeremy Abbott for successfully defending his title; I love his easy flow across the ice. I wish I liked Evan Lysacek's skating more, since he's from around here, but I really haven't enjoyed his programs for the last few seasons (he did deserve the world title last year though). Along with Jeremy and Johnny Weir, he's a definite podium threat in Vancouver. Really strong men's team this year.

Overall, I thought it was a solid event. No issues at all with the winners of each event, and while Olympic medal chances in pairs' and ladies' will be iffy, I think a U.S. medal (or even two) is likely in the mens' and dance. We shall see in a few weeks!