Cancer.Net Skate America concluded Sunday in Lake Placid with the Free Dance and the Ladies Free Skating. Cancer.Net Skate America is the fifth of six events in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The skaters compete for a global prize money of US $ 180, 000 per individual event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and receive points according to their placements. The top six skaters/couples in each discipline advance to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Tokyo, Japan, in December.

Ladies, Free Skating
Yu-Na Kim of Korea won the Ladies event at Cancer.Net Skate America. Rachael Flatt (USA) earned the silver medal and Julia Sebestyen of Hungary took the bronze.

Overnight leader Kim skated last. She opened her routine to “Concerto in F” by George Gershwin with a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination, but run into trouble right away as she underrotated the toeloop and stepped out of it. Kim then fell on a triple flip that was downgraded as well before pulling off a double Axel-double toe-double loop, a double Axel-triple toeloop, a triple Salchow and a double Axel. The World Champion received a level four for two spins and the spiral sequence and a level three for the combination spin and the footwork. Kim collected 111.70 points (51.18 element score/61.52 program component score) and was ranked second in the Free Skating, but overall remained in first place at 187.98 points. “I was too nervous today. I skated last and I had a perfect short program, so I felt the pressure. My first two jumps were weird and my body got tense. When I miss a jump, I try to refocus, but I didn’t do it this time”, the 19-year-old explained.
Performing to “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Sergei Rachmaninov, Flatt reeled off a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a triple Lutz, loop, triple Lutz-double toe, triple flip-double toe-double loop and a triple Salchow and got a level four for two spins. Her last combination spin didn’t receive credit though as the caller identified two separate spins because the skater re-centred too far apart after a change of direction. Flatt scored a new seasons best of 116.11 points to win the Free Skating portion. Overall she totaled 174.91 points to finish second. “I skated a clean program except for the last spin, which I did not get credit for. But I landed all my jumps. It was a great program, and I enjoyed every minute of it”, the 2008 World Junior Champion told the press. “Going into my triple flip-double toe-double loop (combination) after the half way point, I was a kind of tired and I was thinking of giving up a little bit. But then I told myself, I have to do this. I can do a clean program, I do the all the time in training. So I went for it and I did it.”
Sebestyen gave a solid performance to a medley of music by Raul di Blasio that included four triple jumps and a double Axel as well as a flying combination spin that was graded a level four. However, she doubled the second Lutz and singled two Axels. The 2004 European Champion earned 100.49 points (47.13/53.36), which was a new seasons best, and accumulated 159.03 points overall. She returned to the podium at a Grand Prix event after three years. “I am happy that I was able to concentrate again after the good short program. After Moscow (Rostelecom Cup), I’ve worked a lot on my free skating. I was a little tired in the middle of the program, but then I pulled myself together, because I knew that the triple toe-double toe at the end is a bonus jump”, Sebestyen said.

Fumie Suguri (JPN) came in fourth. She landed a triple Lutz-double toe (but got an edge deduction), a triple flip and three double Axels (148.99 points). Elena Glebova (EST) finished fifth. The highlight of her performance was a triple toe-triple toe combination (148.71 points).

Kim took 15 points and now tops the Grand Prix standings with 30 points. Flatt (13 points) now has 22 and will have to see if that is enough to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. Sebestyen (11 points) got 16 points from her two events.

Ice Dance, Free Dance
Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto (USA) danced to victory. Below them, the standings shuffled. Italy’s Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte edged out Alexandra Zaretski/Roman Zaretski of Israel by less than one point to take the silver medal. Zaretski/Zaretski captured the bronze.

Belbin/Agosto turned in a solid performance of their lyrical dance to “Ave Maria” and “Amen” that was highlighted by beautiful lifts such as a serpentine lift and a curve lift. The current World silver medalists picked up a level four for all their lifts, the twizzles and the spin and a level three for both step sequences to earn 95.62 points (46.90 element score/48.72 program component score) which added up to a total of 195.85 points. “This has been a very exciting competition. It was a lot of fun to skate here in Lake Placid, so historic. Once again we felt like we were able to execute all three segments of the competition really well. Today was little bit hard. I think we put a lot of energy into yesterday and so it wasn’t our best skate today, but we felt really good about most of our elements. Obviously we want to have even higher scores, but that just gives us something to work on. But we have a long way to go until the end of the season and we have a lot of room to grow”, Agosto said.

Cappellini/Lanotte gave a passionate performance to “Requiem for a Dream” with him in the role of an addict. The Italians completed a dance combination spin, and difficult lifts including a straight-line lift in a low position with her balancing in front of him and a one-armed rotational lift. Their circular footwork was graded a level three while the diagonal footwork was a level two. Cappellini/Lanotte picked up 85.73 points (43.60/42.13), setting a new seasons best for themselves. They were ranked second in the Free Dance but overall moved up from third to second at 171.86 points, just 0.09 points ahead of Zaretski/Zaretski. The team took their second silver medal on the Grand Prix circuit this season and has most likely qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final for the first time in their career. “We are definitely excited about our result”, Cappellini noted. “We were not expecting this (to make the Final). We’ve worked hard this year and this is a reward for our work. I can’t even feel the happiness yet, it’s a big thing. (The Grand Prix Final) is a very special competition. We’ll be there for the first time and we want to be up for the challenge”, she continued.
Skating to “Schindler’s List”, Zaretski/Zaretski produced a technically demanding yet flowing dance. Their program featured a straight-line lift with changes of position, a curve lift and a curve rotational lift as well as smooth footwork. The brother-and-sister team was awarded a level four for all the lifts and the spin and a level three for the footwork sections to score 87.94 points (45.80/42.14), improving their seasons best, and pulled up from fourth to third at 171.77 points. “We skated very well. This was one of our best free dances”, Roman Zaretski commented. “This is our first medal (at the Grand Prix), so I have no words. We are still shocked! It was a big surprise”, he added.

Jana Khokhlova/Sergei Novitski (RUS) slipped from second to fourth. Several elements in their routine to “Meadowlands” received low levels (168.25 points). Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre (USA) finished fifth with an elegant dance to “One” by U 2.

Belbin/Agosto got 15 points and now proceed to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final with the maximum of 30 points. Cappellini/Lanotte (13 points) got 26 points which should be enough to make the Final. Zaretski/Zaretski (11 points) collected 18 points from their two events.

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series continues next week in Kitchener, Canada, with HomeSense Skate Canada.

Results