Team USA clinched four of the six podium spots on the final day of competition at 2022 Skate America, the first stop of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned their third Skate America title on Sunday, continuing a streak of dominance of U.S. ice dance teams at the event that dates back to 2009. Standing next to them on the podium were
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, who earned silver and their fourth Grand Prix medal. Plus,
Isabeau Levito and
Amber Glenn each earned their first Grand Prix medals with silver and bronze, respectively.
Despite leaving out a choreographic step element, Chock and Bates' free dance to "Fem III" and "Tectoniques" was enough to earn the gold medal with 120.17 points for an overall score of 202.80. Their spin and curve lift elements were called Level 4s.
"Performing our free dance was a joy," Chock said. "We had a few technical details that need some work, and addressing, as far as a missing element. But we will put that element back in and be on our way. Overall, it was wonderful. The crowd was amazing. And we're so happy to debut our free dance here in Boston."
"This rink is bigger than our rink at home," quipped Bates, who with Chock earned the couples' 15th Grand Prix medal on Sunday.
Silver medalists Hawayek and Baker, who train with Chock and Bates in Montreal, won the free dance with their "Requiem" and "Sofia" performance, earning 122.95 points and Level 4s on their twizzles, curve lift and straight line lift. Their total score was just 0.73 behind Chock and Bates, making international personal bests scores in both the free dance and overall score.
"We felt very grounded, very focused and in the zone," Hawayek said. "We did what we set out to accomplish, especially for this time of the season. We trusted our material to the most we ever have this season and I think that's showing through in the way we're performing the programs. We're really excited for the way things went today."
Rounding out the American trio in the dance event was
Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov, who performed their free dance to "Rain, In Your Black Eyes" by Ezio Bosso. They earned 100.98 points and for a total score of 167.05 points, good enough for seventh place.
"We've gotten a few comments this season in regards to the difference between last season and this season," Spiridonov explained. "We were unrecognizable and we want to make that same big step because we're here to stay for a long, long time. We want to be winning competitions."
"When the judges and the crowd see us in San Jose, it's like they're looking at a brand-new team when it's really the same season, same programs, but they look totally different," McNamara added.
Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain le Gac of Canada earned the bronze with 178.30 points.
Also Sunday, Levito, making her senior Grand Prix debut, earned 135.36 points in her "Dulcea Si Tandra Mea Fiara" free skate and the silver medal with 206.66 points. Levito executed six triple jumps, including a triple Lutz-triple toe and triple flip-double toe-double loop combinations in the second half of the program.
"This is my first Grand Prix and it's really cool that it was here, with a home crowd, in America," Levito said. "I feel like I did pretty good in my short program. My long program was definitely not good as good as my short program in my opinion, but I made some mistakes here. I'm still pretty happy with the experience."
Levito continued her winning streak, having now medaled at every senior event she has competed in.
Glenn earned the bronze medal, her first on the Grand Prix circuit. She opened her "Without You" free skate with a triple Axel attempt, though it was called underrotated. She scored 129.19 points for the program and tallied 197.61 overall points.
"I feel like I left a lot on the table in the free skate," Glenn said. "There were some obvious mistakes, and some not-so-obvious ones. I felt like I really held back and played it safe. But I'm very happy with the end result and I'm proud to have my first Grand Prix medal."
Gracie Gold finished sixth in her return to the Grand Prix series for the first time since 2018 (discounting the domestic, pandemic-altered 2020 Skate America). Gold earned 109.91 points in the free skate for a total score of 174.09 points. She landed her triple Lutz-triple toe combination, a double Axel and a triple Salchow in her Rachmaninoff program.
"It started off well; it didn't end that strong," Gold said. "There were really good and then really catastrophic moments."
Kaori Sakamoto of Japan won gold with 217.61 points.
