2017 US Figure Skating Championships Latest News, Photos, and Videos

Congrats to Nathan Chen — the new Men’s US National Champion!

The 17-year-old shattered records while going to the top of the leaderboard, earning 318.47 points total for both of his short and long programs over the weekend at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

He performed FIVE quadruple jumps in his long program! A first ever!

Nathan is being name dropped all over as the skater who will be changing the face of men’s figure skating.

“That’s what I’ve strived for my whole life,” Nathan shared ahead of the long program about earning the title of champion. “I don’t think it’s necessarily something I should be afraid of.”

He adds, “It’s something I’ve wanted my whole life. It’s definitely a good step for me and I’m really happy to be where I am tonight and hopefully to continue with this in the free skate.”

Vincent Zhou, Jason Brown, Grant Hochstein and Ross Miner followed behind Nathan on the leaderboard.

Learn more about Nathan right now! Check out 10 Fun Facts inside right now along with his performance! More Here! »

Love Meryl Davis and Charlie White? You’ll love these two Ice Dance teams even more!

Madison Chock and Evan Bates and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue have been on the scene for years, but definitely need so much more love because both teams are amazing!

The two ice dance teams placed second and third, behind champs Alex and Maia Shibutani for the second year at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships this weekend — and their programs were just as cool.

Need proof? We’ve got videos and pics! Check them out below:

More Here! »

Let’s get real here — Ashley Wagner is one of the greatest figure skaters in the United States right now. We’ll go as far to say that she IS the greatest.

When you have three national titles, and are the current US National Silver Medalist, you can definitely say that you are on the top — so why is Ashley having to still answer questions about her age in this sport?

“I’m so sick of hearing about my age,” she shared during a press conference during the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships this weekend. “I’m so sick of it.”

She’s 25, which for some, is considered old in the sport of figure skating. But it shouldn’t be. It should be fierce, and amazing, and magnifying.

Ashley added, “You guys, if anyone asks me one more question about my age, I’ll just stop talking to them. It’s ridiculous.”

This isn’t the first time age has come up for women, especially, in sports. Ashley has fought back numerous times and even Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas tackled it when they were selected for the Final Five Gymnastics team for Rio.

“When a football player wins a Super Bowl, no one asks them why they come back. When the swimmers win, they don’t ask them,” Aly said then. “With gymnastics they always say it can’t be done but Gabby and I are trying to disprove that…I think you have to be a little crazy. Me and Gabby are a little bit nuts.”

Watch both of Ashley‘s programs from nationals below!

More Here! »

Karen Chen is the new ladies national champion!

The 17-year-old figure skater reigned at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas City, Miss., last night (January 21) for the long program, beating out favorites Ashley Wagner and Mirai Nagasu.

“I’m just in complete shock,” Karen shared after her amazing win. “All of this just came together for me. It was a rough season. I spent the first couple months working out my boot problems and working with a new boot company trying to work out all the kinks. I’m happy with the progress and hope to keep getting better.”

She adds, “I think it’s very exciting. It was definitely one of my goals and this is what I wanted to do when I came here. I’m just so thrilled with how everything went.”

Mariah Bell, who finished 3rd, and Gracie Gold, who finished 6th, are also pictured below.

More Here! »

Maia and Alex Shibutani are still the national ice dance champions!

The brother and sister skaters were back on top of the leaderboard, earning a 200.05 total for both of their programs combined at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas City, Miss.

“It’s really special for us,” Maia said after the program. “This is exactly where we want to be.”

You can watch Maia and Alex‘s short program now on JJJ. Stay tuned for pix soon!

Congratulations to Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier — the 2017 US Pairs National Champions!

The longtime figure skating team earned the top spot at this weekend’s 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, beating Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran (2nd), and Ashley Cain and Tim LeDuc (3rd) for the gold medal.

Haven has been battling a severe knee injury for the past year, so this win is huge!

But who are Haven and Brandon? Check out our Five Fast Facts about the team below:

• Haven is 21 and Brandon is 24. They’ve been partners since 2002, when they were a roller skating team.
• Haven’s older sister is Caydee Denney. She and Caydee (with partner John Coughlin) shared the title of US Champions in 2012. Caydee was at the senior level, while Haven and Brandon won the junior title that year
• They were also the 2013 World Junior Pair Champions
• Brandon and Haven took most of 2016 off, because of her injury. She had torn the anterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, and bilateral and lateral meniscus in her right knee
• They’re perfectionists. Brandon shared, “Haven and I, we’re perfectionists. You should see us training. Today was all about going out and doing what we can. We had to fight. The result is always a bonus for us. We’re excited to be out here again. We’re back. This whole season has been a comeback season.”

Get used to seeing Nathan Chen‘s name everywhere.

The 17-year-old figure skater just shattered records everywhere last night (January 20) at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships — including the high score for the short dance at nationals. He scored 106.39, demolishing Jeremy Abbott‘s score of 99.86 back in 2014.

“Throughout my skating career, nerves have always been there,” Nathan revealed about his nerves going into the performance. “It’s something that I’ve just tried to distract myself from and push that aside as much as I can.”

He adds, “At the same time, where I am now and where I’m pushing to go is what I’ve strived towards my whole life, and I don’t feel like that’s something I should be afraid of. It’s something that I’m really excited for, actually. It’ll bring more energy and more excitement to my skating versus pulling me down.”

Following Nathan on the leaderboard were Ross Miner, Just JaredVincent Zhou, Jason Brown (the 2016 champ), and Max Aaron.