Trophee Bompard Concludes Saturday from Bordeaux, France

Trophee Bompard concluded today from Bordeaux, France with Team USA taking home bronze medals in ladies and ice dance. Ashley Wagner won her second medal of the Grand Prix season, adding to the silver she earned at Skate Canada last month. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue became bronze medalists for the second time after also winning a medal at Skate Canada.

NBC will broadcast competition highlights from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. Season Pass subscribers can watch the competition in its entirety on icenetwork.

Ladies:

Results

Ashley Wagner – 3rd place (61.35 + 116.39 = 177.74) FREE VIDEO from icenetwork
Courtney Hicks – 4^th place (55.70 + 116.88 = 172.58)
Samantha Cesario – 7^th (55.19 + 106.51 = 161.70)

WATCH: Elena Radionova’s short program for free

Men:

Results

Adam Rippon – 5^th place (76.98 + 148.44 = 225.42)
Richard Dornbush – 7^th place (80.24 + 139.03 = 219.27)
Douglas Razzano – 10th place (64.98 + 129.26 = 194.24)

WATCH Denis Ten’s short program for free

Pairs:

Results

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim – 4^th place (59.04 + 120.28 = 179.42)

Ice dance:

Results

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue – 3rd place (60.19 + 91.92 = 152.11)

From France on Friday

The first day of competition has wrapped at Trophee Bompard as the 2014 Grand Prix Series rolls through its fifth week in Bordeaux, France. Americans sit in medal contention in both ladies and ice dance. Ashley Wagner, winner of a Skate Canada silver medal earlier this season, sits in third behind Russians Elena Radionova and Julia Lipnitskaia. Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, bronze medalists at Skate Canada, are also in third after their short dance. Free skates in all disciplines are set for Saturday.

Ladies short program:

Results

Ashley Wagner – 3rd place (61.35)
Courtney Hicks – 6th place (55.70)
Samantha Cesario – 7^th place (55.19)

Men’s short program:

Results

Richard Dornbush – 4th place (80.24)
Adam Rippon – 7^th place (76.98)
Douglas Razzano – 11th place (64.98)

Pairs short program:

Results

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim – 4^th place (59.04)

Short dance:

Results

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue – 3rd place (60.19)

Saturday’s schedule (all times ET):

7:05 a.m. — Ladies free skate

7:51 a.m. – Cesario
8:07 a.m. – Hicks
8:30 a.m. – Wagner

9:20 a.m. — Pairs free skate

10:08 a.m. – Scimeca and Knierim

12:30 p.m. — Free dance

1:14 p.m. – Hubbell and Donohue

2:10 p.m. — Men’s free skate 

2:17 p.m. – Razzano
2:50 p.m. – Rippon
3:23 p.m. – Dornbush

2014 TROPHEE BOMPARD TELEVISION BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; subject to change; check local listings)

Broadcast Date	Event	Time (ET)	Network
Friday, Nov. 21	Men’s and ladies short programs	7-9 p.m.	Universal Sports
Saturday, Nov. 22	Pairs free and free dance	2-5 p.m.	Universal Sports
Sunday, Nov. 23	Competition highlights	4-6 p.m.	NBC

2014 TROPHEE BOMPARD ICENETWORK BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; subject to change; check local listings)

Broadcast Date	Event	Time
Nov. 21	Pairs short (LIVE)	9:30 a.m.
	Ladies short (LIVE)	11 a.m.
	Men’s short (LIVE)	12:55 p.m.
	Short dance (LIVE)	2:50 p.m.
Nov. 22	Ladies free (LIVE)	7:05 a.m.
	Pairs free (LIVE)	9:20 a.m.
	Free dance (LIVE)	12:30 p.m.
	Men’s free (LIVE)	2:10 p.m.

Fifth Stop on the Grand Prix Series Hits Bordeaux, France

Trophee Eric Bompard

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series makes its fifth stop this week with Trophee Bompard, Nov. 20-Nov. 23, at Meriadeck Ice Rink in Bordeaux, France.

NBC will air competition coverage from 4-6 p.m. (ET) Sunday, Nov. 23. In addition, Universal Sports will air same-day coverage throughout the weekend. Icenetwork Season Pass subscribers will have access to live video from both days of competition. To become a Season Pass subscriber, please visit www.icenetwork.com.

Tweet @USFigureSkating and use the hashtag #TEB2014 to join the conversation on social media.

Team USA will be represented by 10 athletes:

Ladies:

Samantha Cesario
Courtney Hicks
Ashley Wagner

Men:

Richard Dornbush
Douglas Razzano
Adam Rippon

Pairs:

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim

Ice dance:

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue

Event schedule (all times ET) | LIVE RESULTS

Friday, Nov. 21

9:30 a.m. — Pairs short program

10:24 a.m. – Scimeca and Knierim

11 a.m.  — Ladies short program

11:54 a.m. – Cesario
12:07 p.m. – Hicks
12:20 p.m. – Wagner

12:55 p.m. — Men’s short program

1:02 p.m. – Razzano
1:15 p.m. – Rippon
1:55 p.m. – Dornbush

2:50 p.m. — Short dance

3:29 p.m. – Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue

Saturday, Nov. 22

7:05 a.m. — Ladies free skate
9:20 a.m. — Pairs free skate
12:30 p.m. — Free dance
2:10 p.m. — Men’s free skate

2014 ROSTELECOM CUP TELEVISION BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; subject to change; check local listings)

Broadcast Date	Event	Time (ET)	Network
Friday, Nov. 21	Men’s and ladies short programs	7-9 p.m.	Universal Sports
Saturday, Nov. 22	Pairs free and free dance	2-5 p.m.	Universal Sports
Sunday, Nov. 23	Competition highlights	4-6 p.m.	NBC

2014 ROSTELECOM CUP ICENETWORK BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; subject to change; check local listings)

Broadcast Date	Event	Time
Nov. 21	Pairs short (LIVE)	9:30 a.m.
	Ladies short (LIVE)	11 a.m.
	Men’s short (LIVE)	12:55 p.m.
	Short dance (LIVE)	2:50 p.m.
Nov. 22	Ladies free (LIVE)	7:05 a.m.
	Pairs free (LIVE)	9:20 a.m.
	Free dance (LIVE)	12:30 p.m.
	Men’s free (LIVE)	2:10 p.m.

Weiss Foundation’s Ice Champions LIVE! to celebrate 10th anniversary

The 10th anniversary Michael Weiss Foundation Ice Champions LIVE! will take place on Sunday, Sept. 14 at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Md.

The event, which starts at 4 p.m. ET, brings some of the brightest stars of figure skating to the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area for a great cause — to support scholarships for Olympic figure skating hopefuls.

Tickets are on sale at www.MichaelWeiss.org for this fundraiser, sponsored by Smucker’s and Pandora.

Weiss, a three-time U.S. champion and two-time Olympian, created this event a decade ago, each year bringing the most famous faces in figure skating to the Washington, D.C. region.

Some of the stars expected to participate are 2014 Sochi Olympic U.S. medalist Ashley Wagner, Olympic champion and TV star Brian Boitano, U.S. champions Mirai Nagasu, Alissa Czisny and Ryan Bradley, as well as Bel Air, Md., native Kimmie Meissner, former World and U.S. champion.

Also scheduled to perform are former U.S. medalists Adam Rippon, Richard Dornbush and Dan Hollander, as well as European medalists and Olympic ice dancers Sinead Kerr and John Kerr. Weiss’ daughter, Annie Mae, will sing.

Ice Champions LIVE! is like no other figure skating event, in large part due to the intimate setting of the venue. Weiss twists like a tornado in the air, landing in front of the on-ice seats. Each skater brings something different to the ice, providing an evening of chills and thrills, in a fun-filled atmosphere.

The Michael Weiss Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers scholarships to aspiring Olympians and is currently sponsoring 19 recipients. Knowing first-hand how much money it takes to get an athlete to the Olympics, Weiss gives young skaters this opportunity through his scholarships. He established the Michael Weiss Foundation as a way of giving back to the sport that his given him so much.

Limited on-ice seating is available. Ticket prices range from $30 to $50 with VIP opportunities, which include meeting and socializing with some of the biggest stars in skating.

In addition to the ice show, there will be a silent auction that features skaters’ personal memorabilia. This silent auction also has hundreds of items both from the world figure skating community as well as local artists, jewelers and restaurateurs.

The 10th anniversary Michael Weiss Foundation Ice Champions LIVE! will take place on Sunday, Sept. 14 at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Md.

 

 

NHK Trophy – Day 1 Recap

Useful Links

Twitter  #NHK2013 |  Competition Notes (PDF)

Official Event Page   |   icenetwork Event Page

Live Results/Starting Orders

The Grand Prix Series continued last night at NHK Trophy with the pairs, men’s and ladies short programs. While Team USA landed out of the top three, contenders in all three disciplines are within striking distance of the podium.

The event opened with pairs, where Russians Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov continued to dominate their competition with a score of 82.03 points. Settling for nothing less than gold at their last nine individual events, including a record-breaking win at Skate America last month and their first World title in March, Volosozhar and Trankov enter this evening’s free skate with an 11.90-point lead over their competitors, namely the Chinese teams of Wenjing Sui and Cong Han and Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang, who sit in second and third place, respectively.

Reigning World Junior champions Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier sit in fourth with 58.67, while 2013 U.S. champions Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir sit less than a point behind with 58.60.

The men took the ice next, with Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi leading the way. The 2010 Olympic bronze medalist leads the field heading into tomorrow’s free skate with 95.55 points, followed by Spain’s Javier Fernandez with 84.78. Takahashi’s compatriot, Nobunari Oda, rounds out the top three with 82.70.

Less than a point from the podium, 2012 U.S. silver medalist Adam Rippon earned 82.25 points for the segment. His performance opened with the debut of Rippon’s quadruple toe loop, followed by two Level 4 spins, a triple Axel and a triple flip-triple toe combination. Rippon opened his Olympic campaign with a second place finish at Skate America last month. His teammates, three-time U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott and 2013 U.S. champion Max Aaron, sit in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Aaron, who found himself in sixth after the short program at Skate America, came back to earn the bronze medal in his Grand Prix Series debut last month.

Japan delivered another one-two punch when the ladies took the ice, with 2010 Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada and 2012 World bronze medalist Akiko Suzuki earning the top spots. Asada, who topped the field at Skate America last month, earned an impressive 71.26 points for her performance, which featured a triple Axel, worth a program-high 6.64 points. Suzuki, who earned silver at Skate Canada, sits second with 66.03.

In a battle for third place, 14-year-old Elena Radionova of Russia and reigning U.S. silver medalist Gracie Gold both earned 62.83 points for the segment. Gold enters the event on the heels of a bronze medal finish at Skate Canada, while Radionova continues her first Grand Prix season after a bronze medal finish at Skate America. Rounding out Team USA’s placements for the day, 2008 U.S. champion Mirai Nagasu enters the free skate in eighth place with 51.01 points.

Icenetwork’s live coverage of Friday’s action will begin with the short dance at 10:05 p.m. ET, where two-time reigning World champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White will begin their campaign to claim their 14th-straight Grand Prix Series title.

For full event coverage, visit www.icenetwork.com.

 

Friday’s Schedule (all times ET)

Short Dance – 10:05 p.m. (LIVE)

Shibutani/Shibutani – 10:44 p.m.

Davis/White – 11:04  p.m.

Pairs Free Skate – 11:55 p.m. (LIVE)

Castelli/Shnapir – 12:27 a.m.

Denney/Frazier – 12:43 a.m.

 

Saturday’s Schedule (all times ET)

Men’s Free Skate – 2:05 a.m. (LIVE)

Aaron – 2:28 a.m.

Abbott – 2:37 a.m.

Rippon – 3:09 a.m.

Ladies Free Skate – 5:10 a.m. (LIVE)

Nagasu – 5:29 a.m.

Gold – 6:08 a.m.

Free Dance – 10:00 p.m. (LIVE)

 

2013 NHK TROPHY UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; subject to change; check local listings)

Friday, Nov. 8
Pairs dance – 6 p.m.
Men’s short – 7 p.m.
Ladies short – 9 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Short dance – 10 a.m.
Pairs free – 11 a.m.

Sunday, Nov. 10
Free dance – 10 a.m.

Third annual “An Evening on Ice” set for July 20 at the Toyota Sports Center

An all-star cast of athletes is scheduled to perform at “An Evening on Ice,” including 16 U.S. champions, six Olympians and five World and World Junior champions. Two performances are set for Saturday, July 20, at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif., with all proceeds benefiting the U.S. Athletic Foundation.

Douglas Razzano, a recipient of U.S. Athletic Foundation funding, is set to skate in this year’s performance.

Now in its third year, “An Evening on Ice” strives to raise funds to support top competitive skaters who have demonstrated financial need, have a track record of success but who do not have other funding avenues available to them through the U.S. Athletic Foundation.

This year’s event, hosted by five-time U.S. pairs champions Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, will feature performances from 2006 World champion Kimmie Meissner, two-time U.S. champion Alissa Czisny, 2010 U.S. champion Rachael Flatt, 2012 U.S. champions Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, World Junior champion Joshua Farris and 2012 U.S. silver medalist Adam Rippon. Also scheduled to take the ice are 2006 U.S. bronze medalist Emily Hughes and eight-time British champion Steven Cousins, among others.

The U.S. Athletic Foundation is a non-profit, donor-funded organization that offers financial management services to nationally and internationally competitive figure skaters. The foundation was envisioned by 2002 U.S. junior champion Nicholas LaRoche and his sister, Tricia. Working together, they created a training assistance fund to help promising athletes who are held back from their potential due to financial hardship. Among the beneficiaries of the fund are Czisny, two-time U.S. pairs silver medalist Mark Ladwig, Ice Challenge silver medalist Douglas Razzano and U.S. pewter medalist Courtney Hicks.

Tickets range from $35 to $105 and are available at the door or online at http://www.usathleticfoundation.org/events.html. Donations to the U.S. Athletic Foundation can be made online at http://www.usathleticfoundation.org/donations.html.

Team USA Earns Five Medals, Davis and White Earn Grand Prix Final Berth at 2012 NHK Trophy

Saturday, Nov. 24 – Miyagi, Japan

Useful Links

icenetwork.com | Notes

Starting Order/Results Page | Twitter

Event Page | Fantasy Skating

Team USA has four medals, including one gold and three bronze, to its credit with only the pairs free skate to go from 2012 NHK Trophy in Miyagi, Japan.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White earned their 11th straight Grand Prix Series gold medal, dating back to 2009, with a top performance in Japan. Their nine-point lead heading into the free dance grew to nearly 22 points total after earning 108.62 points for their Notre-Dame de Paris free dance. The performance included four level 4 lifts and level 4 twizzles that earned 7.07 points. They earned 178.48 points for the week. With the win, Davis and White became the one-seeded team headed into the 2012 Grand Prix Final, an event at which they are three-time reigning champions. Teammates and training mates Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani earned their first medal of the season, the bronze, with a total score of 154.56 points. Their Memoirs of a Geisha free dance netted 93.72 points, over 10 points more than their score at Rostelecom Cup two weeks ago when Alex was battling leg cramps. Their program was highlighted by level 4 twizzles and three level 4 lifts. The silver medal and a spot in the Final went to Russia’s Elena Ilinykj and Nikita Katasalapov with 156.62 points.

Mirai Nagasu earned the bronze medal behind teammates Mao Asada and Akiko Suzuki of Japan. Nagasu, who was competing at this event for the first time since 2008, totaled 176.68 points. She began the event by earning 61.18 points for her “Downhill Special” short program after executing elements including a triple toe-triple toe combination and two level 4 spins. The “Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78” free skate, for which she earned 115.50 points, began with a solid triple Lutz followed by a pair of double Axels, one done in combination with a triple toe, and two level 4 spins. Asada barely edged Suzuki to win her second gold of the season. She totaled 185.27 points while Suzuki totaled 185.22 points after winning the free skate. Suzuki, the reigning World bronze medalist, set a personal best score of 126.62 points for her Once Upon a Time in Mexico free skate. Agnes Zawadzki, who won the bronze at Rostelecom Cup for her first Grand Prix medal, moved up from seventh place after the short program to finish the event in fifth position. She earned 160.37 points overall. With the conclusion of the qualifying events for the Grand Prix Series, reigning U.S. champion Ashley Wagner secured the No. 1 seed heading into the Final.

Ross Miner moved up from fourth place after the short program to edge Spain’s Javier Fernandez for the bronze medal with a total of 235.37 points. He performed the best international free skate of his career, crushing his personal best score set at 2012 Four Continents by 12 points. The “Captain Blood” free skate earned 161.96 points. The program began with a perfect quad Salchow that, with a GOE of 1.29 points, totaled 11.79 points. The performance continued in impressive fashion with 12 of 13 elements receiving positive GOEs. In the skate’s second half, Miner executed a triple Lutz-loop-triple Salchow jump sequence that earned 13.07 points. Like Nagasu, Miner was joined on the podium by a pair of Japanese skaters. Both Yuzuru Hanyu, who earned his second career Grand Prix gold with 261.03 points, and Daisuke Takahashi, who totaled 251.51, will skate at the 2012 Grand Prix Final. Also representing Team USA, Richard Dornbush placed fifth and Adam Rippon finished eighth. The field was depleted by one skater after Japan’s Daisuke Murakami dislocated his right shoulder in the short program and withdrew.

The pairs competition, featuring three U.S. teams, concluded Sunday from Miyagi with Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir becoming first-time Grand Prix Series medalists. The veteran team earned the bronze medal with a total score of 174.51 points. Their tango inspired free skate received a career mark of 112.66 points and featured a trio of level 4 lifts, side-by-side triple toes and a throw double Axel. Entering NHK Trophy, Castelli and Shnapir had competed in five Grand Prix events and recorded their best finish, fourth, at 2010 Skate Canada. Their short program also earned a career-best mark of 61.85 points. The short earned positive GOEs on each of its seven elements, including the triple twist, side-by-side triple Salchows and throw triple Salchow. Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim, in their career debut on the Grand Prix Series, moved up from fifth after the short program to finish fourth overall with a points total of 163.10 points. Their free skate, set to music from The Last of the Mohicans and 500 Nations, was clean and included five elements that earned more than six points each. They closed the show with a group five lift scored as a level four that netted 7.85 points. Lindsay Davis and Mark Ladwig finished sixth with an career-best of 143.70 points. Russia’s Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov earned the NHK Trophy title with 192.02 points, while silver went to Canada’s Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch with 180.63. Both the gold and silver medalists earned spots in the Grand Prix Final.

Complete coverage of NHK Trophy is available on icenetwork.com.

2012 NHK Trophy Under Way from Japan

Friday, Nov. 23 – Miyagi, Japan

Useful Links

icenetwork.com | Notes

Starting Order/Results Page | Twitter

Event Page | Fantasy Skating

Fifteen members of Team USA are competing this weekend at 2012 NHK Trophy, the last of six events that make up the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.

Team USA sits 1-2 going into the free dance with Meryl Davis and Charlie White in position to take their 11th straight Grand Prix gold medal dating back to 2009. Davis and White, despite seeing a one-point deduction for an extended lift, the veteran duo earned 69.86 points for their Giselle short dance and have a nine-point lead over teammates and training mates Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani with 60.84 points. With a win, Davis and White will earn a spot to December’s Grand Prix Final, an event where they are three-time reigning champions. Shibutani and Shibutani look for their first medal of the season after placing fourth at Rostelecom Cup a few weeks ago.

Mirai Nagasu, a late addition to the competition, sits in second place behind Japan’s Mao Asada. Nagasu earned 61.18 points after executing elements including a triple toe-triple toe combination and two level 4 spins. Asada earned 67.95 points as she saw her program components best the field by over nearly four points. Agnes Zawadzki, who won the bronze at Rostelecom Cup for her first Grand Prix medal, sits in seventh place with 55.02 points. However, she is only four points out of bronze medal pace set by China’s Zijun Li.

Three men represent Team USA in Japan. Ross Miner is in fourth place followed by Richard Dornbush in sixth and Adam Rippon in eighth. A pair of home country skaters, Yuzuru Hanyu and Daisuke Takahashi, lead the pack while Spain’s Javier Fernandez will enter the free skate in third place. Hanyu, the 2012 World bronze medalist, set a new short program world record score with 95.32 points.

The pairs competition, featuring three U.S. team, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, Lindsay Davis and Mark Ladwig and Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim, begin competition on Saturday. Following the pairs short program, all three free skates will take place for singles and ice dance.

Complete coverage of NHK Trophy is available on icenetwork.com.

Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Eastern)

Pairs Short Program – 10 p.m. Friday

Free Dance – 11:50 p.m. Friday

Shibutani and Shibutani – 12:50 a.m.

Davis and White – 12:57 a.m.

Men’s Free Skate – 2 a.m. Saturday

Rippon – 2:15 a.m.

Dornbush – 2:32 a.m.

Miner – 2:56 a.m.

Ladies Free Skate – 5 a.m. Saturday

Zawadzki – 5:31 a.m.

Nagasu – 6:18 a.m.

Pairs Free Skate – 12:05 a.m. Sunday

NHK Trophy Competition Notes

Click below to read competition notes for 2012 NHK Trophy

2012 Cup of China – Recap

Saturday, November 3, 2012 – Shanghai

Useful Links

icenetwork.com | Notes

Starting Order/Results Page | Twitter

Photo Gallery | Fantasy Skating

Four Team USA athletes took to the ice in the third ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event of the season, 2012 Cup of China, for day two, and each earned a fourth place finish.

Ladies

Mirai Nagasu entered the free skate on Saturday in third place and earned the fourth-best score to end the competition in fourth place.  Her performance included attempts at six triple jumps as well as a double Axel in combination, however, five of her jumps during the free skate were judged to have been under-rotated or were downgraded. Nagasu put her classic spins on display during the performance though and received Level 4 on three of them. She earned 103.70 points for her free skate and 163.46 overall.

Entering the free skate in second place, reigning Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada provided the form that placed her at to top of the podium at two World Championships. Asada opened with a strong triple loop and had three Level 4 spins throughout her program. What set Asada apart from the field, however, was the 64.34 points she received from her program components. Her Component Score was more than five points higher than anyone else. She finished with 181.76 points and earned her eighth gold medal on the Grand Prix circuit.  Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia, in her Grand Prix debut, finished in second with 177.92 points and Kiira Korpi of Finland finished in third with 169.86 points.

Men’s

During the warmup prior to the men’s free skate, Adam Rippon and Nan Song of China were involved in a collision. While Rippon is OK (As reported by his mom, Kelly, on Twitter), Song was forced to withdraw and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Rippon, who entered the free skate in fourth, earned 133.67 points on Saturday for a total of 205.48 and a fourth place overall finish. His skate was highlighted by two Level 4 elements and a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop jump sequence that occurred in the second half of the program and earned 10.81 points. Rippon will compete next at NHK Trophy.

A surprise medalist at Skate America, Tatsuki Machida of Japan will be a surprise entry at the Grand Prix Final as he upsets his teammate Daisuke Takahashi and wins gold at Cup of China. Machida opened with a strong triple Axel and later executed a triple Lutz-triple toe which earned him 10.40 points. Despite a fall on his quad toe, Machida still earned more than 11 more points for his elements than Takahashi to earn gold with an overall score of 236.92. Takahashi earned 231.75 points overall for the silver and Sergei Voronov of Russia earned his third Grand Prix medal, bronze, with 217.61 points.

Ice Dancing

In their third Grand Prix event together, Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned their second fourth place finish, tying for their best finish together on the circuit. Entering the free dance on Saturday in fourth, Chock and Bates earned 90.28 points for a total score of 149.54. During their Doctor Zhivago skate, the duo performed five Level 4 elements, including a Level 4 serpentine lift which earned a GOE of 2 and the highest point total of any element in the event.

With high expectations on their season, Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat delivered on their word as they collected the gold medal at Cup of China. In a skate composed of songs by The Rolling Stones, the French Champions earned more than five more points than second place en route to a total competition score of 169.73. Péchalat and Bourzat were lifted by six Level 4 elements and the highest Component Score of the event, which included a 10.0 from one judge on their performance. Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia overtook second place from Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada with 159.46 and 158.97 points respectively.

Pairs

Pillars of the sport, and despite their age and the fact that they missed the Grand Prix season last year, Qing Pang and Jian Tong continue to rise to the top. They did so in their home country, earning 188.82 points and the gold medal at the Cup of China. Overcoming single Axels at the beginning of their program and an invalid element on a spin, Pang and Tong skated to such high quality that they received  66.51 points from their components, nearly four more than second place. They earned 120.25 points for their free skate. In second after the short program, Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia earned silver and their teammates Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Kilmov earned bronze.

Americans Caitlin Yankowskas and Joshua Reagan were scheduled to compete in this event but withdrew due to a rib injury to Reagan.

Next week, Team USA will send 11 athletes to Rostelecom Cup in Russia.

Ladies: Gracie Gold, Agnes Zawadzki, Caroline Zhang

Men: Richard Dornbush, Johnny Weir

Pairs: Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, Tiffany Vise and Don Baldwin

Ice dancing: Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani