Ashley Wagner set a new personal best in the free skate under the International Judging System.

Technical Element: 60.47
Presentation Component: 54.58
Total Score: 115.05

Wagner was 12th after the short program, but pulled off an incredible free skate. She had a step-out on her triple Lutz, but other than that, the program was just about flawless. Ashley skated with incredible power and speed, much more so than most of the other senior ladies skaters did in this competition. The crowd really got into her performance, and even she knew it was good, based on her exclamation of, "Yes!" at the end of her free skate.

Ashley Wagner won the senior ladies free skate, but her 12th place short program landed her in the 4th place spot overall.

Awesome job, Ashley! You rock!

Novice Men

I first Joshua Farris skate at the Colorado Springs Invitational back in October. Ever since, it seems like he's everywhere. He's definitely a rapidly rising men's skater, and one to watch in the next few years as he advances to junior and senior levels.

Junior Ladies

I had high hopes for Marissa Secundy, given her past successes and recent performances. Her 12th place finish this year, following her gold medal finish as a Novice at 2008 Nationals, is something that I hope doesn't set her back. She's a strong skater and a joy to watch compete and train.

Junior Pairs

In many ways, the Junior Pairs competition seemed like the Broadmoor SC show. Brynn Carman and Christopher Knierim won the silver, while Britney Simpson / Nathan Miller and Brittany Chase / Andrew Speroff placed 4th and 6th, respectively. I had seen all these pairs practice, but hadn't seen them compete, so it was a real treat to be able to watch them perform their full programs.

Senior Pairs

The short program first place finish by Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett was a surprise to many folks. Reigning champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, however, came back strong in the free skate to best Caydee and Jeremy by a mere 0.49 points overall, to repeat their national championship.

Rachael Flatt Short Program

Rachael Flatt skated a nearly flawless, yet somewhat slow and conservative, short program at the U.S. Nationals. She didn't have the triple-triple in her short program, but will likely have it in her free skate.

Technical Elements: 34.02
Program Components: 26.17
Total Segment Score: 60.19
Place: 2nd after short program

No matter how many times I see her skate, I never cease to be amazed by Rachael's prowess on the ice. She's an incredibly consistent jumper, and her artistry is unmatched.

Rachael Flatt Free Skate

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! It is impossible to use the word "awesome" enough when talking about Rachael Flatt. Her free skate was the cleanest I've seen it this season, and believe when I say that I've watched her skate a LOT compared to all the other elite skaters. She was rock solid, right on tonight.

Whenever the camera crew cut to her in the athlete lounge after she skated, you could tell she knew she nailed it, and was fully expecting to win the national championship.

So, why didn't she? It was the short program. The almost five points that Alissa Czisny beat her by came from the short program. Rachael skated her normal consistent self, and Ashley Wagner skated a stellar free skate to win that segment. Rachael beat Alissa by almost a point in the free skate, but it just wasn't enough to make up for the deficit in the short program. This scenario at Nationals bears similarities to other competitions that Rachael Flatt skated in this season, including Skate America and the Cup of Russia on the ISU Grand Prix Circuit.

Congratulations to Rachael Flatt on her silver medal at the US Figure Skating Championships, and to Alissa Czisny for finally achieving what she's been chasing for years - her first national championship!

New fan site for figure skater Ashley Wagner. 2008 U.S. National Bronze Medalist.