Photo Credit Getty Images
By Troy Schwindt
Isabeau Levito and Bradie Tennell finished first and second after the short program Friday night at 2024 Skate America in Allen, Texas, the first of six stops in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea are also in medal position with a second-place finish in pairs.
Skating to Henry Mancini’s “Moon River,” Levito captured the vulnerable sophistication of Holly Golightly, the heroine of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany's, right down to the pearl necklace draped on the back of her black costume — a replica of the “little black dress” worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film.
“I'm enjoying it a lot, dressing up as Audrey Hepburn and feeling like a movie star in my short program this year,” Levito said.
The 2024 World silver medalist landed a triple-Lutz-triple toe combination and triple flip en route to a score of 68.43.
“I felt pretty satisfied with my performance today,” Levito said. “I really like this program and it’s one of the first times I’m competing it for the season, and I’m excited to continue skating to this music.”
Levito arrived as the two-time reigning silver medalist at this event and will vie for her first gold at the event on Saturday.
On the comeback trail from a broken ankle last season, Tennell looked in fine form.
Her Lord of the Dance short program was dramatic and commanding at the start, then shifted to a light, quick pace with sprightly steps and fast spins.
“It was worth every day of doubt, every small setback, every moment of ‘Can I ever get back to this level again?’” Tennell said. “Just to come out and skate like that, it felt really good.”
Tennell, skating at her fifth Skate America but in Texas for the first time, credited the crowd for giving her that extra boost.
“It felt amazing,” she said. “It’s always an honor to skate in your home country and to hear the crowd, especially in my step sequence and toward the end. The clapping and cheering meant a lot to me and fueled my performance.”
Tennell said she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to compete again after her latest injury.
“It was a long road and intense recovery process, but I’m so proud of myself and grateful to my support system and people around me and my recovery team that helped me every step of the way,” Tennell said.
Dressed in shimmering, pale pink, Lin-Gracey floated through her step sequence and closed her program with strong back-to-back spins, but struggled on two of her jumps. The 2023 U.S. junior bronze medalist placed seventh in the segment with 60.22 points.
“Tomorrow I am going to come back fighting strong,” said Lin-Gracey, who is making her Grand Prix debut. “What I made today were silly mistakes that I don’t usually make which was a surprise to me, but tomorrow I’m going to fight to the end of the program and hopefully pick up the missing points.”
Competing at their first Skate America as a team, 2024 U.S. pairs champions Kam and O’Shea overcame some nerves to place second in the short program, posting a score of 70.66.
The Colorado Springs, Colorado-based team’s performance to “Rain, in Your Black Eyes” by Ezio Bosso included an opening Level 4 twist and Level 4s on their lift, death spiral and spin.
The beautifully constructed program, choreographed by their coach, Drew Meekins, built speed and intensity as it went along. The only flaw was Kam's touch down on the throw triple loop.
“It’s good when you start skating well and putting out performances that you are proud of,” O’Shea said. “But then trying to live up to them time after time adds a different type of pressure and a different type of stress. We were both feeling that a little bit coming off a good performance in the short program at Nebelhorn, trying to replicate it while keeping ourselves growing in our own ways. We were just laughing about it. It was a good program, a little bit off here and there but we made it through the stress and fought through.”
The program’s structure caught the attention of 2022 Olympian Ashley Cain, who lived and trained in the Dallas area during her career.
“This program is so smart,” Cain said. "All of their elements are strong, but they've placed their very strongest elements at the end. It has really helped the way the judges perceive them, and their scores show it.”
Making their Grand Prix Series debut, U.S. silver medalists Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov placed fifth in the segment with 63.05 points.
The Boston-based team skated to Spanish-themed music, which was highlighted by the skaters' speed and Efimova's supple elegance. Their highest-scoring element was their opening triple twist at 6.92 points.
“It was very nice to be here because it was my hometown,” Mitrofanov said. “I used to live 10 minutes from here so to be on the ice it’s an absolute honor. I had an amazing time skating with Alisa in making the crowd enjoy the program.”
Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman also made their Grand Prix Series debut, placing eighth with a international personal-best score of 56.59.
The debut of this performance, they skated to soulful, gritty music; their program was highlighted by superb Level 4 triple twist. However, McBeath doubled an intended triple toe but recovered with well-landed throw triple Lutz.
“The good news is that there were improvements from the last competition,” McBeath said. “It was a silly mistake by me on the toe. I’m a very competent jumper but competitions are like big games - so it’s fun. Just a silly mistake. I, though, was happy with the recovery. There was no way I was missing that throw. I just let it go and we did the best that we could on the rest of the elements.”
Competition continues Friday with medals being awarded in the pairs and women’s events. The rhythm dance and men’s short program will also be held.
For full results, visit the Skate America Competition Central.
