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 Friday, January 12, 2001
A great way to start the season
By Terry Gannon
Special to ABC Sports.com
The Keri Lotion Figure Skating Classic was in Kennewick, Washington for the second year in a row and it is always a great crowd. It is the only show in town. They always have traffic jams getting into the building because there are always people who want to come and see this event.
The Keri Lotion was a great way to start our season. As you look at our figure skating lineup it is the most comprehensive ever on ABC. It is the 39th consecutive year of figure skating coverage on ABC and before it is all over, we will have travelled approximately 60,000 miles covering the major events around the globe.
The Keri Lotion was not only a great preview for the season with the well-known U.S. stars, but also the next generation of skaters. It was a mix of the superstars and the future stars. From Michelle Kwan and Michael Weiss to names like Jenny Kirk and Ryan Bradley.
| |  | | | Michelle Kwan is a four-time national champion. |
For the first time, the Keri Lotion had a unique team competition that was a lot of fun. You had the veterans matched up with a rookie in each case and the rookies for the most part certainly held their own. Again, this was the first time that this format was held. There were seven teams of a female skater paired up with either a male skater, a pair or an ice dance team.
There was quite a bit of drama because the lead changed hands a number of times and it came down to the final team in Bradley and Kwan winning the event by the narrowest of margins.
We found out that Kwan, even at a time of year where she is not preparing to peak, (she certainly doesn't want to do that yet) is just a terrific artist and she once again had a terrific program. Bradley is a name we will hear a lot of in the future. He is a young kid, who just had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire time he was on the ice. I don't think there was one moment when he was on the ice that he didn't have a huge smile across his face. He just has an engaging personally on and off the ice. Fans are going to love him for a long time.
Weiss was solid, but he has announced that he has a stress fracture in his foot and will not be able to compete in Skate America. Last year, he dealt with an ankle injury throughout the season and once again he has to deal with a similar injury.
Todd Eldredge, in the beginning of his comeback bid to eligible skating, was sensational in all the practices and may have left his best skating on the practice rink because he was not able to do the quad jump in competition. Eldredge had performed the quad jump consistently throughout practice. If not in the competition, than at least in the practices, Eldredge has sent a message to the other skaters and to the judges that he is back better than ever.
| |  | | | Todd Eldredge strikes a pose for the "network of excellence". |
Timothy Goebel is going through a lot of change. He has moved to the Los Angeles area from Cleveland. He has changed coaches. He is working with Frank Carroll, who is also Kwan's coach, and it will take some time for this adjustment period to take hold. He is really trying to change his skating. He is known as the quad king, but now he is working with an acting coach and a number of people that are trying to improve his artistry. This is a positive step for Goebel.
Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev were also a part of a summer of change. They have changed coaches. They are now working with Alexander "Sasha" Julian who is a former World Champion in ice dance. They are really trying to improve their speed on the ice, but again they will be the favorite at the US championship.
Sasha Cohen, who is now old enough to compete at the World Championships on the senior level, will definitely vie for a medal, if not a gold medal, at the US nationals. Sarah Hughes is coming back off of a hand injury. She is almost 100 percent, but was not able to make it at the Keri Lotion, however she will be at Skate America.
The Keri Lotion was a great way to get a look at the present and the future of American skating and it is in very good hands.
Terry Gannon is a figure skating analyst for ABC Sports and is a frequent contributor to ABCSports.com.
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 Michelle Kwan is excited to win the first event of the season.
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 Ryan Bradley executes a triple lutz followed by a triple toe loop.
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Michelle Kwan gracefully lands a triple lutz then moves on to her trademark spiral.
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