Don't Expect U.S. Figure Skaters to Perform Well at 2010 Olympics

Well, I'm rooting for Canadian figure skaters to do well in here as it is their turf. Read on.

April 09, 2009 by Arlene Miles 

Don't expect the United States to have its customary shine in figure skating at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Unless something drastically changes between now and next February, the best the American team can hope for is to not mop up the ice with inconsistent performances.

Unlike previous most recent Winter Olympics, the US will only field three skaters or teams in two events—men's singles and ice dance, thanks to the respective gold and silver medal finishes of Evan Lysacek and Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto at the recent 2009 World Championships in Los Angeles. Olympic berths are predicated on the previous season's placement at the World Championships. Thanks to Lysacek's gold medal finish and the overall standings of US ice dancers at worlds, both disciplines will field three entrants.

Particularly disappointing is the women's singles event, long considered the Cadillac draw of the Winter Olympics. Since the retirement of Michelle Kwan, the US has not been able to field a consistent cadre of female athletes. Instead, what has passed for top-level athletes have been a revolving door of generally unremarkable skaters such as Kimmie Meissner, Alissa Czisny and Emily Hughes, who have the ability to do the jumps and spins, but are lacking consistency and artistic flair.

Also disappointing in 2009 is the performance of United States Pairs Champions Keana McLaughin and Rockne Brubaker. Considered to be the best American hope for a pairs medal since Jenni Meno and Todd Sand won a silver in 1998, the pair finished a disappointing 11th, following a season plagued by injury and illness.

What is plaguing United States figure skating is two-fold. One is the emergence of top programs and consistent skaters in China, Korea, and Japan. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the absence of go-to coaching here in the United States. During figure skating's heyday in the 1990s, there were a number of prominent coaches on the scene, whether it was Christy Kjarsgaard-Ness, Carol Heiss-Jenkins, Kathy Casey, or Mary and Evy Scotvold, as well as Frank Carroll.

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