U.S. Skaters Come Away with One Silver, Three Bronze at Skate Canada

(Ottawa, Ont.) - Team USA has secured a medal in each of the three disciplines decided Saturday at Skate Canada, the second event on the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. With the ice dancing competition to be decided Sunday, and two dance teams in position for medals, the American contingent has one silver and three bronze medals.

Men, Free Skating

Skate Canada 2008 was the breakthrough that American Ryan Bradley has been waiting for since he made his Grand Prix debut with a sixth place showing at 2002 Skate America. In the time that has passed since that competition, he has experienced an array of accomplishments but never a medal on the Grand Prix, until now.

The natural showman from St. Joseph, Mo., claimed his first career medal on the Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit, silver, with 212.75 points while bronze went to two-time U.S. Champion Evan Lysacek (209.27). Patrick Chan, the 2008 Canadian Champion from Ottawa, claimed the gold medal with 215.45 points.

Bradley wowed the crowd with an opening quadruple toe. He went on to perform a triple axel-double toe combination and rattle off a series of solo jumps: triple Salchow, triple Axel, triple Lutz and triple Loop, two of them receiving bonus points for taking place in the second half of his program.

Only fifth at the 2008 U.S. Championships after winning silver the year previous, Bradley also landed a triple Lutz-double toe and triple Flip-double toe. It was one of the most technically sound programs of his career.

The crowd rewarded Bradley's energized Latin themed program with a standing ovation. The judges rewarded him with the second highest marks in the free skate, only behind eventual fifth place finisher Shawn Sawyer of Canada.

Bradley could barely contain his excitement during the medal ceremony, smiling throughout. Afterwards he reveled in the moment as he skated from section to section with the other medalists, signing autographs and taking photos with fans.

Lysacek had problems in his George Gershwin themed free skate for the second consecutive week. He started solidly with a triple Lutz, taking out the opening quadruple toe he attempted and fell on at Skate America. He then landed a triple axel and triple Salchow.

But the triple Axel in his planned triple Axel-double toe-double loop combination was downgraded to a double because of under rotation. His next jump, a planned triple loop, was also under rotated.

After the two under rotations, he was back on track. Lysacek executed a triple Flip-triple toe, triple Lutz-double toe and a double Axel. His step sequences were judged Level 2 last week at Skate America but were upgraded to a Level 3 in Ottawa.  He finished fourth in the short program and free skate but mustered enough points for the bronze.

American Brandon Mroz served notice that he is ready to compete in the senior ranks. En route to a personal best 192.23 total points, which put him into seventh place overall in his first senior competition, he landed an opening quadruple toe in his free skate. He received full credit for rotating the jump although his hand touched the ice when he landed.

His free skate also included a triple axel-double toe, a triple flip-double toe-double loop, a triple axel, a triple Lutz-double toe, triple Salchow and a triple Lutz. He received Level 4 and Level 3 on his spins.

Skate Canada concludes Lysacek's regular appearances on the Grand Prix, although his two bronze medals may give him enough points to qualify for the December Grand Prix Final. Both Bradley and Mroz will compete at Paris' Trophee Eric Bompard in two weeks.

Ladies, Free Skating

Alissa Czisny has already had a stellar season, winning the U.S. Collegiate title and the Nebelhorn Trophy. Now she has a bronze medal from her opening Grand Prix assignment.

Joannie Rochette scored 188.89 total to take the gold medal. More than 25 points behind the Canadian was two-time World Championship bronze medalist Fumie Suguri of Japan with 163.86. Czisny was third with 157.92  It is the first Grand Prix medal for Czisny since winning 2005 Skate Canada.

Caroline Zhang (150.80) dropped from third after the short program to fifth overall. Her American country mate Beatrisa Liang (142.12) also slipped from fifth to sixth overall.

Czisny was sixth in the short program but received a standing ovation for her second place Dr. Zhivago free program, scored at 108.26 points. She landed four clean triple jumps including a triple Lutz-double toe combination and a triple toe-double toe, along with a solo triple Flip, triple loop, double Axel and double Axel.

The 2007 U.S. Championship bronze medalist received high levels for her spins and spirals.

Zhang won two silver medals on the Grand Prix circuit last season. But at Skate Canada, she fell in the short program and also fell in her fifth place free skate, where she also popped a plan triple Lutz into a single and under rotated other planned triple jumps, only receiving credit for doubles.

Liang was sixth in her free skate. Like Zhang, she had trouble on her jumps including the triple Lutz, for which she received a one point deduction for falling.

Czisny did not receive a second Grand Prix assignment but if a skater withdraws from one of the four remaining events, she could be added as a replacement athlete. Both Liang and Zhang are scheduled to compete at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris, France, Nov. 15-18.

Pairs, Free Skating

U.S. Champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker also claimed a bronze medal in the pairs competition. The medal marks their 10th career medal, one from each the team has competed in since forming a partnership prior to the 2006-07 season, and fourth Grand Prix medal.

Russia's Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov finished second in the free skate but won the competition overall with 176.97. The World Championship bronze medalists from Canada, Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison (176.54), narrowly missed out on the gold medal despite winning the free skate.

Americans Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent were fifth with 148.52 points. Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig (138.14) moved from last place to seventh overall with a seventh place free skate.

In their third place free skate set to the music of Westside Story, McLaughlin and Brubaker started with a solid triple twist but had uncharacteristic difficulties on other program elements. On the second element of their program, planned side by side triple Salchows, she popped it into a single. He later doubled their planned side by side triple toe loops.

Brubaker put his foot down in the middle of the pairs combination spin, which meant they received zero points for that element. Other pairs elements including the throw triple Salchow and throw triple loop received positive grade of execution marks from the judges.

McLaughlin competed with a sore back, at least partially because of a collision with Kawaguchi in the free skate warm up. She said any mistakes in the program were the fault of her and her partner not being completely focused.

Vise and Trent are the first team in the world to land a throw quadruple jump in an International Skating Union competition. However, in their fifth place free skate to "Heroes" and "Return with Honor" by William Joseph, the pair unsuccessfully attempted the throw quadruple Salchow, which received all negative grade of execution marks. The fall also garnered a one point deduction.

The U.S. Championship pewter medalists did perform side by side triple toes, side by side double Lutz-double toe combinations and a throw triple loop. They also received mostly Level 3 and Level 4's for their elements.

Evora and Ladwig, fifth at the 2008 U.S. Championships, started their program with a solid triple twist that received no deductions from the judges. They also performed double toe-double toe sequences, side by side triple Salchows and a throw triple lutz.  She fell on the landing of the throw triple loop.

The Skate Canada bronze medal ends the regular Grand Prix season for McLaughlin and Brubaker, who could qualify for December's Grand Prix Final based on their Ottawa bronze and silver at last week's Skate America.

Next week, Nov. 6-9, Evora and Ladwig return to Grand Prix competition at Cup of China in Beijing. Vise and Trent compete next at Trophee Eric Bompard, Nov. 15-18, in Pairs. Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard are the third and fourth competitions on the Grand Prix.

Neither pair has ever medaled at a Grand Prix competition.

Ice Dancing, Original Dance

Toes were tapping in Ottawa as eight couples performed original dances to music from the World War eras. Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White added to their overall lead by winning with a solid program to Jack Yellen and Milton Ager's "Happy Feet" and an original composition by Joe Laduke.

The U.S. silver medalists Davis and White earned 56.36 points in the second portion of the competition. Russians Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov edged out Canada's Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier for second place in original dance, 49.82 to 49.13.

U.S. Championship bronze medalists Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre were fourth. France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat were sixth, ahead of Americans Jennifer Wester and Daniil Barantsev, who scored 43.70 for seventh place.

The top three overall remain unchanged despite the original dance. Davis and White are on track to capture their first Grand Prix gold medal by carrying 90.65 into Sunday's free dance competition.  Pechalat and Bourzat (81.27) are less than a point ahead of Navarro and Bommentre (80.35).

Skate Canada is the second event in the six-event Grand Prix series that concludes with the Grand Prix Final in Goyang City, Korea, Dec. 10-14. The other events are Skate America in Everett, Wash., Oct. 24-26; Cup of China in Beijing, China, Nov. 6-9, 2008; Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris, France, Nov. 15-18; Cup of Russia in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 20-23; and NHK Trophy in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 27-30.

The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, now in its 14th season, consists of six international events in a cumulative, point-scoring format. The top six scoring athletes in each discipline move onto the Grand Prix Final, which will be combined with the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.