Team USA earned four medals – one gold, two silvers and a bronze – at the French Cup in Rouen, France, Feb. 3-4.
Bringing home a medal in every discipline the United States competed in,
Teams Elite led the way for Team USA, winning gold in the senior division. Both U.S. senior elite 12 teams brought home medals as
Hayden Select earned silver and the
Crystallettes claimed bronze. In the junior event,
Fond du Lac Blades secured silver in the international debut this season.
Teams Elite started off strong in the senior short program with a score of 66.54. Their hypnosis-themed program began with their two highest scoring elements – a Level 4 twizzle element and a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection – earning them the top spot going into the free skate.
The team kept their lead through the free skate after scoring a season's best 134.64 to their performance to a Britney Spears medley. Their program included a Level 4 pair element as well as a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection. Their two successful skates resulted in 201.18 points, their highest total score internationally this season.
Nova of Canada and Les Zoulous of France also stood on the podium with silver and bronze.
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In the senior elite 12 discipline,
Hayden Select and the
Crystallettes both earned a spot on the podium, winning silver and bronze, respectively.
Hayden Select won the short program skating to "Out of Sight" by Yello. The team earned Level 4 distinctions on their first two program elements, including their pivoting lines as well as their intersection and point of intersection. They topped the field after the short program with 63.02 points, a new international season's best.
They opened their free skate to "New World Coming" by Nina Simone with three Level 4 elements: a circle, group lift and synchronized spin. Their performance earned positive grades of execution for each element, finishing with a score of 124.14 and 187.16 points overall for the silver.
The
Crystallettes also shined in France, earning a bronze medal. Skating to "Never Tear Us Apart" by Bishop Briggs in the short program, their highest-scoring element was a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection, helping them earn a score of 59.45 and a third-place spot.
The
Crystallettes maintained their spot in third place after the free skate thanks to three back-to-back Level 4 elements – a synchronized spin, group lift and a pair element. The team earned 124.31 in the free skate and 183.76 overall, securing new international season's best in the short program, free skate and total score, to take home the bronze.
Team Lumineers of Finland earned the top spot in the senior elite 12 division with a score of 190.32.
In the junior division,
Fond du Lac Blades took home the silver while DC Edge finished fourth.
In their first international competition of the season,
Fond du Lac Blades came out ready to compete, skating to the
Star Wars theme song. The team earned all positive grades of execution and dazzled with a Level 3 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection followed by a Level 4 twizzle element to earn a score of 63.39, ranking them third.
During their free skate,
Fond du Lac Blades earned the second-highest score with 110.23. The team's Backstreet Boys medley skate included a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection, a Level 4 move element and a Level 4 synchronized spin to earn them the silver overall with 173.62 points.
DC EDGE opened their short program to "Never Enough" with a Level 4 twizzle element and later followed with a Level 3 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection, resulting in the second-best short program with a score of 63.84.
In their murder mystery-themed free skate, the team cleanly executed four Level 4 elements, but faltered on their intersections for a score of 102.47 in the free skate and 166.31 overall.
Nova Junior of Canada won the event with 181.25 points while Finland's Ice Steps earned bronze with a score of 169.48.
Team USA travels to Gdansk, Poland next weekend for the Hevelius Cup Feb. 9-11.
