CLEVELAND — Alissa Czisny finally has something to show for all that potential: a national title.
Czisny made a rebound for the ages Saturday, winning the women’s title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships one year after a dismal ninth-place finish had her re-evaluating herself. When the final results were posted, tears filled Czisny’s eyes and a grin spread across her face as longtime coach Julianne Berlin hugged her.
“Throughout the years, there’s been a lot of disappointments and hard times,” Czisny said. “I think I’ve been able to take all of them and learn from them. It’s made me a better person, it’s made me a better skater and I think I’ve learned a lot, a lot about life.”
Her program was far from perfect — she fell on one jump, watered down another and wound up doing only three triples. But the 21-year-old’s elegance and maturity were far superior to the up-and-comers who were supposed to turn nationals into their coming-out party. Czisny finished with 178.06 points, more than four points ahead of reigning world junior champion Rachael Flatt, a junior at Cheyenne Mountain High School.
Czisny has long been considered the most talented skater in the nation. She skates with the beauty of stunning lines and a smoothness that masks the difficult tricks she’s doing. She seems to float across the ice when really her blades are carving it with precision.
Earlier Saturday, Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker powered through her bad case of the flu and two errors to win their second straight pairs title, edging newcomers Caydee Denney and Jeremy Bennett. McLaughlin and Brubaker are the first couple to defend their title since Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman won three straight from 2000-02.
Meryl Davis and Charlie White wrapped up their first ice dance title, overwhelming the rest of the field in the process. No surprise, considering their only competition in the United States is Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, and the Olympic silver medalists are back home while Agosto recovers from a back injury.
