When the US National Championships in Spokane concluded, the exhbition of champions included a special ceremony introducing the 15 members of the 2010 US Olympic Figure Skating team. They were preceded by all twelve Americans to have won Olympic Gold; Dick Button, Hayes Alan Jenkins, Tenley Alrbight, Carol Heiss, David Jenkins, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes.
It was a wonderful moment, hosted by Bob Costas, in a collaboration between the USFSA and NBC. Figure skating is a sport that does a great job at embracing its history. The ceremony also magnifies the gap between gold and silver at the Olympics. The ceremony did not include Tim Wood, Linda Fratianne, Rosalynn Sumners or Michelle Kwan. All World Champions and Olympic silver medalists. Great skaters, but not in the select pantheon celebrated in Spokane.
Do any of the Americans have a chance to join that group in Vancouver? Evan Lysacek is the defending World Champion, but defending Olympic Champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia has returned from a four year retirement skating better than even and establishing himself as the favorite to retain his gold medal for the first time since Dick Button in 1952.
Ice Dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto and Meryl Davis and Charlie White are both serious meal contenders. Davis and white are on a roll having recently won the Grand Prix Final and the US National Championships over Belbin and Agosto.
The two pairs for the US will do well to to finish in the top eight at the Games.
The two ladies, Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu are outside medal contenders should the Japanese skaters falter.
Figure Skating begins on Sunday with the pairs short program.
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