Best U.S. women are still 'juniors'
Top skaters too young for world event
Published: Mon, Jan. 28, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Mon, Jan. 28, 2008 01:43AM
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closeST. PAUL, MINN. -- The U.S. women are so strong, so talented, so far ahead of everyone else that they just might sweep the medals at the world championships.
That would be the junior world championships in February, though, not the big kids' version the following month that is the first step in determining how many women the United States can send to the Vancouver Olympics. At those worlds, the Americans will be, well, not nearly so formidable.
"I do trust our international committee to select the best team possible," said Ron Hershberger, president of U.S. Figure Skating.
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Yes, but put a big asterisk after that statement. Because of age restrictions, the United States can take only one medalist, Ashley Wagner. With new champion Mirai Nagasu, runner-up Rachael Flatt and fourth-place finisher Caroline Zhang all too young, the United States had to reach down to the fifth- and seventh-place finishers at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday night to fill out the world team.
Granted, one of those is Kimmie Meissner, but she's fallen far and fast since she won the world title in 2006. Meissner struggled all season, and is getting worse instead of better. She retooled her free skate after finishing dead last at the Grand Prix final, only to have another error-filled outing Saturday that left her in seventh place.
Meissner is the first U.S. woman since Tara Lipinski in 1998 who wasn't able to defend her title.
"The last two competitions haven't been her best," Hershberger said. "But she's got seven weeks to concentrate and get back to the form that we know."
He hopes. Though the next Olympics are two years away, what the Americans do at the world championships in Sweden could affect what they can do in Vancouver. The simple version is the Americans want to keep the three spots they've almost always had at the Olympics, and how they do at the next two world championships decides that.
The good news is if the United States does hold onto its three spots for Vancouver, there will be no shortage of talent to fill them. Nagasu was a delight this week, and just might be the new star skating has been desperately searching for.
She's a beautiful skater, and her performances have a grace and lightness that can captivate audiences.
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