Winning the pairs short program was enough for Emily Chan and Spencer Howe at the US Figure Skating Championships.
The duo, who had been sidelined all season while Howe recovered from a torn shoulder, scored 65.86 points Thursday to sit atop a crowded leaderboard in Columbus, Ohio. But just hours later, Chan and Howe decided to withdraw from the rest of the competition so he could continue his recovery from surgery last May.
“Tonight was a huge success for us and a huge milestone in our return,” Howe said in a statement, “but we feel like we want to use this time to continue recovering and setting ourselves up for success.”
Chan and Howe could still compete at the world championships in March in Montreal, where the United States will send three teams. But they will have to file a petition, and US Figure Skating said they have expressed their intention to do so.
Their withdrawal from nationals means that Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, who were just behind with 64.57 points, moved into first place heading into Saturday's free skate. Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman follow closely with 64.21 points.
“I've been recovering for quite some time now and we've had a lot of challenges leading up to this competition, and we weren't even sure if we were going to be in it,” Howe said, “So for us to be here and sitting where we are, it's definitely “A great blessing for us. It's been a long time for us and we feel very good.”
In rhythm dancing, four-time American champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates showed exactly why they are also the defending world champions. Their show, featuring music by rock band Queen, scored 92.17 points, leaving them well ahead of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko in second place and Caroline Green and Michael Parsons in third.
“Queen is such a legendary band. So incredible,” Chock said. “We love their music. It's the closest thing we could get to that concert feeling. It gives me chills to hear how amazing they are. We love that music.”
The first day of the US championships concluded Thursday night with the women's short program, where 16-year-old Isabeau Levito began her title defense. The men's short program and women's free skate are on Friday night.
The American tag team contingent has been on the rise after years of battling on the international stage, and that culminated with Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier winning the world title two years ago and a silver medal last season.
But with Knierim and Frazier taking the year off and their futures uncertain, that paved the way for a pitched battle at nationals.
McBeath and Parkman claimed their first U.S. championship since becoming a team last year, holding on to a triple lutz to end their short program with “Requiem for a Dream” and achieve the opening high score. It held up until the final group, when Kam and O'Shea pushed them aside despite a fall on their triple throw loop.
But it was Chan and Howe, who were coming off a fifth-place finish at the Worlds and had momentum on their side before their injuries, who bested them all. His show, featuring music by Elvis Presley, wasn't his best performance, but it still garnered an appreciative response from a large crowd inside Nationwide Arena.
Turns out, that was the only chance fans would have to see Chan and Howe this weekend.
“When we got here,” Chan said, “it was a reminder of what it's like to be in a competitive environment. It's been a while since we've been in a big arena. So it was really nice to be here and feel ourselves.” the energy of the crowd, and when we came out for our performances, we were both very supportive of each other. We knew we would be there together, so we sat in each other's comfort and did it. our best to work together at this time.”
