Elyce Lin-Gracey, whose skating has Olympian roots, takes breakout season to Skate America

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Elyce Lin-Gracey, whose skating has Olympian roots, takes breakout season to Skate America

Elyce Lin-Gracey’s skating career began with a persistence that impressed her mother.

The first time Rhoda Lin brought her daughter to an ice rink, the 4-year-old girl took the ice and fell. Then got up and fell again. Got up, fell again. Got up and ... well, you get the idea.

The one thing she didn’t do was give up.

“Wow,” Lin remembers herself thinking, “maybe this is something she could do. So, we started some lessons, and she grasped some skills pretty easily and would keep plugging away at those skills she found more difficult. She kept going and going and kind of became what she is.”

Lin-Gracey is, at age 17, one of the sport’s biggest surprises early in this season, the first she has begun as a senior-level international competitor. She makes her senior Grand Prix debut this week at Skate America in Allen, Texas.

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Amber Glenn makes personal and social history despite flawed performance

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Amber Glenn makes personal and social history despite flawed performance

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When eventual winner Amber Glenn finished her free skate, she was crestfallen, her head bowed, her eyes downcast as she kneeled on the ice.

When defending champion Isabeau Levito finished her free skate a few minutes later, she was despondent, her hands covering her face as she kneeled on the ice.

Rarely has a national championship had such a deflating ending, even if Glenn’s triumph after years of struggles deserves to be celebrated.

“It wasn’t exactly how I wanted to get my first national title,” Glenn said. “It was a mix of being extremely grateful for the results but also knowing I can do so much better.”

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Glenn wins fans, Levito judges in nationals short program

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Glenn wins fans, Levito judges in nationals short program

COLUMBUS, Ohio – There was no doubt who won the building.

But it was a bit surprising the judges didn’t agree with the crowd’s assessment of Amber Glenn, who earned a standing ovation for her high-energy short program Thursday night at the Prevagen U.S. Championships.

Despite a notable mistake on her final spin and unimpressive execution of another, defending champion Isabeau Levito managed first place (75.38 points) over Glenn (74.98). Both were comfortably ahead of third place Clare Seo (67.41).

Glenn’s fiery command of clean skating led to her best short program finish in nine appearances at senior nationals. Her previous best had been fourth, even though she had skated well in several others.

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Ilia Malinin’s first U.S. figure skating title came with rare ambition - and struggles

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Ilia Malinin’s first U.S. figure skating title came with rare ambition - and struggles

SAN JOSE, California – Ilia Malinin clearly will have mixed emotions when he remembers winning his first U.S. figure skating title.

That was apparent from his reaction after finishing Sunday’s free skate.

The 18-year-old with limitless potential and seemingly limitless confidence had been rattled by his worst free skate of the season.

He shook his head sadly. Then he shook it again.

“Of course, this wasn’t the skate I wanted, but there’s always ups and downs, and you just after get over it and move on,” Malinin said.

He planned the hardest technical program anyone ever had attempted, with six quadruple jumps and two challenging combinations in the second half of the four-minute program. And he gamely kept trying to execute it, even after significant mistakes that would leave him second to surprising Andrew Torgashev in the free skate.

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Futures unclear for top U.S. pairs and dance teams after clear-cut wins at figure skating nationals

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Futures unclear for top U.S. pairs and dance teams after clear-cut wins at figure skating nationals

SAN JOSE, California – They have both begun the new Olympic cycle as the undisputed national leaders in their figure skating disciplines, cementing that status with U.S. titles Saturday – the fourth for ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the second for the pairs’ team of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier.

At this point, their respective paths to the 2026 Winter Games seem free and clear of challengers.

The question for the dancers and the pair is how far down that road they intend to go.

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