2012 Four Continents In Colorado Springs, USA:
The 2012 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships was held at the Colorado Springs World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This was the first time that the Four Continents competition had been held in the United States in five years. The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships was also held at the Colorado Springs World Arena in 2006 and
2007.
Men - Patrick Chan Easily Wins:
World Figure Skating Champion
Patrick Chan won his second Four Continents Figure Skating title. He also won the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in 2009.
Chan's final score was 30 points higher than 2010 World champion Daisuke Takahashi's score. Chan began his program with a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop jump combination and also landed another quadruple toe loop. He landed five more clean triple jumps.
Ladies Event Upset:
It was assumed that World and Japanese Figure Skating Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist,
Mao Asada, would win the ladies event, but
Ashley Wagner of the United States skated a "personal best" and won. Wagner had just won the U.S. Ladies figure skating title at the
2012 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships, only two weeks before.
Wagner was in second place after the short program. She successfully landed six triple jumps and skated with confidence in the free skate and won the free skate. Her total score put her ahead of Asada, and she won the event.
Pairs - Chinese Pair Did Quads:
The 2010 and 2011 World Junior Pair Skating Champions, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China, did a quadruple
twist lift and also a
throw quadruple Salchow in their freeskate. The quadruple twist was completed successfully, but Sui two-footed the landing on the quadruple Salchow. That error didn't seem to matter, since the pair's total score was 16 points higher than silver medal winners,
Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, the 2012 United States Pair Skating Champions. US pair skaters Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brukbaker won bronze.
Dance - Olympic Ice Dance Champions Win:
The ice dance event was perhaps the most exciting part of the competition for local fans since the top four teams were from United States and Canada and train in Michigan. In addition, all the 2011 World Ice Dance medalists train together under
Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband. Seeing the best ice dancers in the world together in one place was a thrill for ice skating fans.
Four-time US Champions and 2011 World Ice Dance Champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White were in second place after the short dance, and they earned a higher component score in the free dance, but Canadian and Olympic Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir earned a higher technical score in the free dance to pull up an win the 2012 Four Continents ice dance title.
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada, the 2010 Four Continents Champions, won the bronze. Maia and Alex Shibutani, the 2011 World Bronze Ice Dance Medalists, came in fourth. Both the third and fourth place finishers skated strong programs. Alex Shibutani was sick when he performed, but somehow skated with energy.
Which Countries Compete In the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships?:
Origins:
For many years, there has been a European Figure Skating Championships, so it was decided by the
International Skating Union to hold a similar event for all other countries outside of Europe.
Colorado Springs Is Home For Some Four Continents Competitors:
Although Patrick Chan is from Canada, he lives and trains in Colorado Springs. Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, the 2012 US Pair Skating Champions, and Agnes Zawadzki, who placed 6th overall in the Four Continents Ladies event, also train at the
Colorado Springs World Arena Ice Hall.
Those who live and train in Colorado Springs not only performed for a cheering and enthusiastic hometown crowd, but they did have another advantage. Several of the competitors from lower elevations had a very difficult time adjusting to Colorado's high altitude.
More About the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2012:
