Denney, Barrett surprise leaders at AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships

(CLEVELAND) - Favorites wavered on the second day of championship level action at the AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, giving a virtually unknown team the lead in the pairs competition while an inconsistent star took the lead in ladies.

In the only junior competition of the day, Madison Chock (Novi, Mich.) and Greg Zuerlein (Northville, Mich.) won the ice dancing competition over Maia Shibutani (Greenwich, Conn.) and Alex Shibutani (Greenwich, Conn.).

Pairs, Short Program
"Have a great first showing at the U.S. Championships" was the goal Caydee Denney (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Jeremy Barrett (Venice, Fla.) had coming into Cleveland. And what a great showing it was Thursday afternoon for the Florida pair, who rejoined in June after a brief partnership in 2006.

"As soon as we started to skate together again, things just clicked," Barrett said. "Caydee is the best partner anyone could ask for. She makes it pretty easy."

Denney and Barrett won the championship pairs short program with an effortless performance to "James Bond" that scored 61.51 points. Their program was so spectacular that not even a revolution of their side-by-side spins was out of synch.

Denney is only competing in her first U.S. Championships [A1] but could be four minutes from making the World Championship team. The pair maintains a small lead over reigning champions Keauna McLaughlin (Los Angeles) and Brubaker (Algonquin, Ill.), and two-time U.S. Champions Rena Inoue (Santa Monica, Calif.) and John Baldwin (Santa Monica, Calif.).

"The short program has been our biggest challenge this year," said Brubaker, who turned out on the landing of a triple jump. "This program is difficult. We're trying to pull our skating in a different direction."

McLaughlin and Brubaker came into the competitions as the clear favorites after two medal-winning performances on the fall Grand Prix circuit. But the problems started early in the "Malaguena" program with Brubaker's side-by-side jump and her two-footed landing on a throw.

"It could have been better," said a coughing McLaughlin, who had a 102-degree fever until Tuesday.

They have 61.12, giving them the narrowest of leads over the third-place finishers. Inoue and Baldwin have 61.11 after a spot-on performance that showed four-time Olympian Inoue and her fiancé, Baldwin-who is making his 23rd appearance at the national event-can still compete with younger skaters.

"You don't shoot the horse if it can still run," Baldwin said. "We're like the horse and we can still run."

Caitlin Yankowskas (Pelham, N.H.) and John Coughlin (Kansas City, Mo.) hold the fourth spot after the short program with 56.09. Earlier this season, Yankowskas and Coughlin made their Grand Prix debut with a sixth place finish at Skate America.

"Skate America was such a blessing for us," Coughlin said. "To have our first [Grand Prix competition] be at home in the United States with a hometown crowd, it felt more like...national championships with everybody being American fans and wanting to see great American skating. It gave us that first step toward nationals."

Making their first appearance this season because of her ankle injuries, U.S. Champions Brooke Castile (Grosse Point Woods, Mich.) and Ben Okolski (Ann Arbor, Mich.) are fifth with 54.46.

"I'm really unhappy with that skate...I can't really explain," said Castile, who fell on a jump in their "Memoirs of a Geisha" program. "We worked really hard this year and this is just a huge disappointment. I can't even put it into words."

The free skate is Saturday. Pending selection from U.S. Figure Skating, the top two teams likely will represent the country at March's Worlds event in Los Angeles.

Ice Dance, Original Dance
Meryl Davis (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and Charlie White (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) increased their lead in ice dancing with a spectacular original dance to "Happy Feet." The team received all positive grades of execution for all of their elements, which were valued at Level 3 and Level 4.

They lead the competition with 101.86 points after first-place performances in both the compulsory dance and the original. Emily Samuelson (Novi, Mich.) and Evan Bates (Ann Arbor, Mich.) were second in both parts of the competition for a total score of 93.25.

"Overall, it felt like a strong performance," Samuelson said about the original dance. "We wanted to present the program the best that we could, and we wanted to portray the characters of the '20s, '30s, and '40s the best we could, and I think we did that." 

Kim Navarro (Santa Rosa, Calif.) and Brent Bommentre (Horsham, Pa.) were crowd pleasing in their original, but they were not technically sound. They remain in third place with 89.52 despite only finishing sixth in the original dance.

"I think we were really happy with how we skated tonight," Navarro said. "We lost a lot of points technically but that was not our focus tonight. We were focused on the performance." 

Madison Hubbell (Okemos, Mich.) and Keiffer Hubbell (Okemos, Mich.) are fourth with 87.03. Jane Summersett (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Todd Gilles (Colorado Springs, Colo.) are fifth with 86.91.

The free dance is Saturday.

Ladies, Short Program
Alissa Czisny (Bowling Green, Ohio) took a break from skating after a disastrous performance that placed her ninth at the U.S. Championships last season. Instead of choosing retirement, Czisny opted for a new outlook.

"I decided to continue and just enjoy skating rather than focus on the outcome," Czisny said after skating a first-place short program in Cleveland. Her new approach has helped her earn a 5.56-point lead heading into Saturday's free skate.

The Bowling Green University student dazzled in her performance to Saint-Saens' "The Swan," which drew the only standing ovation of the evening at the Quicken Loans Arena. Czisny nailed a triple Lutz combination, triple flip and double axel to put herself ahead of World Junior Champions Rachael Flatt (Del Mar, Calif.) and Caroline Zhang (Brea, Calif.).

"I'm really excited to have skated that well here at nationals," said Czisny, who has never won the nationals short program in her eight years as a senior. "I've done a lot of work so I expected it from myself."

Flatt turned in a solid but conservative performance void of her triple flip-triple toe loop combination.

"I think I did pretty well in the program but it wasn't my best," said Flatt, who has been the strongest American skater on the international scene this season.

Zhang finished third with a good performance that included a triple flip-triple toe combination.

"There were a lot of things I could have done better but overall it was a better performance than at my Grand Prix [events]," she said.

Britney Rizzo (Braintree, Mass.) made a stellar senior debut with a fourth place short program. Katrina Hacker (Cambridge, Mass.) was fifth.

Defending U.S. Champion Mirai Nagasu (Arcadia, Calif.) held back tears after her short program. "I know this may sound a little pessimistic but I think that this will probably be my last competition [of the season]," she said.

Already disappointed by her fifth-place showing at Skate America and eighth-place showing at NHK Trophy, where she competed with an ankle injury, Nagasu faced more frustration when she crashed into the boards on the landing of the opening jump in her short.

"I think the competition is very tough and I said that I'm not giving up yet but you never know what the results will be," she said.

Last year's bronze medalist, Ashley Wagner (Alexandria, Va.), took 12th.

Jamie Blanchard is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.