GREENSBORO, N.C. — The new-look Rachael Flatt threw herself out in front of her country here Thursday night. Armed with new hair, new music, a new program and new emotion, the Cheyenne Mountain High School graduate put herself in position for something old.
Another national title.
The defending champion skated a clean, inspiring short program that had the small crowd at the Greensboro Coliseum screaming before she even finished at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
She’s in third place, but her 62.32 is within easy striking distance of the 63.35 from leader Mirai Nagasu, last year’s runner-up, and the 62.50 of Alissa Czisny.
“That’s a very strong showing,” Flatt said, “right off the bat.”
Keep in mind Flatt’s short program is only a month old. Under the strong recommendation of judges, Flatt junked her old program for the more emotional “East of Eden.” Except for the opening triple lutz-triple loop that turned into a triple-double, Flatt had the best component scores of the night.
It all happened after the Cup of China in Beijing, when she flew home to Colorado Springs just long enough to do laundry. She then flew to Toronto and huddled with choreographer Lori Nichol.
They came up with the new short program in two days, and the crowd reception confirmed it was a good change. This could be a great end to a season plagued by a bad start with injuries to her calf, foot and knee.
“I was really frustrated with my career in general,” Flatt said. “It was a tough time for me emotionally. But going up to Toronto helped me get through this. This music is so inspiring, and it helped me find that emotional connection with skating again.”
Nagasu was sharp as ever, skating a clean if not overpowering program. She’d have reason to stumble. A stress fracture in her right foot kept her off the ice from July to September and she failed to win in Grand Prix stops in Beijing and Paris.
“It was a big blow to my confidence,” Nagasu said. “I’ve competed like a chicken all year except for in France. I was able to step it up.”
A bigger story than Nagasu may be Cheyenne Mountain’s Agnes Zawadzki. Just one year removed from winning junior nationals, the 16-year-old is in contention for a podium finish as she’s fourth at 61.54.
“I’ve been working on my mental toughness,” said Zawadzki, who moved to Colorado Springs three years ago from Chicago. “Even when I make mistakes in my program, I’ve been doing real well with that.”
Czisny’s experience at nationals has been about as consistent as the bounce of a football. In five years she has gone from seventh to third to ninth to first to 10th — in an Olympic year.
In her 10th nationals, Czisny’s history says she’ll be there in the end Saturday. She’s not only due, she also won the Grand Prix Final in December.
“Going to nationals has always been a little scary for me,” she said. “Being able to come back after last year’s performance was a little bit emotional.”
As for other Colorado skaters, Morgan Bell of Westminster, in her first senior season, is ninth at 49.73; Alexe Gilles, the 2008 national junior champion and Flatt’s former classmate at Cheyenne Mountain, is 11th at 47.75. Katy Jo West of Arvada is 21st at 40.07, and Tatyana Khazova of Colorado Springs is in last, 23rd at 26.58.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
