|  Wys³any: 2019-01-18 04:37:17 Temat postu: n status as the favourite.Don
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Gracie Gold practiced making eye contact with the audience. She did so many spins it drove me nuts.What the reigning U.S. figure skating champion couldnt do for nearly all of December was jump. Shes now had 3 1/2 weeks to work on her triples to try to defend her title when nationals open Thursday.I still feel almost as if Id been training the whole time, Gold said Wednesday.Gold and Ashley Wagner were the only Americans to qualify individually for the Grand Prix Final. Gold had to pull out because of a stress fracture in her left foot, while Wagner went on to win bronze.Wagner will be seeking her third U.S. title, winning two straight before Gold broke through last year. So both know they can thrive on the national stage. This weeks competition is also a chance to show they can put together the kind of program to win a medal at the world championships. No American woman has accomplished that feat since Kimmie Meissner won gold and Sasha Cohen took bronze in 2006.Before last years U.S. Championships, Wagner, now 23, figured the 2014 Games would be her last chance for an Olympic medal. In Sochi, she decided shed progressed so much in six months with coach Rafael Arutyunyan that she wanted to see what they could achieve together in four more years.A win this week to open the cycle before the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Wagner said, would mean starting in the right direction to the Olympic podium.Wagner was seventh in Sochi. Her solid performances were redemption for last years nationals, where she fell twice in her free skate to finish a distant fourth, earning one of the three Olympic spots based on her previous successes.Polina Edmunds was ninth in Sochi at age 15, competing in her first international competition at the senior level.Gold, now 19, was fourth, though well out of the bronze position. She thinks she initially dislocated a bone in her foot during off-ice training this fall — an injury thats common among runners but not figure skaters — which led to the stress fracture. So Gold isnt allowed to run right now, but she can cleanly land a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination. Gold has needed to limit the number of triple toes she attempts in practice, but otherwise shes been pleasantly surprised at how quickly her jumps came back.Now shell try to land them in competition starting with Thursdays short program at the Greensboro Coliseum, best known for hosting college basketball during the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The pairs short program is earlier Thursday, with the competition wide open after two-time defending champs Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir split in the spring.In ice dancing, which opens Friday, Olympic gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White are taking a break, leaving Madison Chock and Evan Bates as the favourites.The mens short program follows later Friday. Jeremy Abbott won his fourth U.S. title a year ago at what was supposed to be his last nationals before retirement. Then he rethought those plans, still seeking to match his success at U.S. Championships at a major international event. The 29-year-old Abbotts father, who suffered from Parkinsons disease, died earlier this month.Jason Brown joined Abbott as the two American men on the 2014 Olympic team. Brown, who turned 20 last month, still isnt ready to add a quad, which is all but a prerequisite to win major international medals. For the first time, Brown doesnt come into nationals as an underdog.His frenetic Riverdance long program that went viral after last years U.S. Championships has been replaced by a more sombre piece, a chance to challenge himself in a new way.Max Aaron, the 2013 U.S. champ, is back, while big-jumping 15-year-old Nathan Chen will be competing at his first senior nationals.They could all be chasing Brown, who can find a positive spin for practically anything, including the pressure of his sudden status as the favourite.Dont come in and think I have to be any different than I was the year before, he said of the advice hes received. Just being myself through thick and thin, through the good and the bad, being that genuine same person that I am no matter what success I have. Hydro Flask Cheapest . Barnard, 28, was 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, with San Angel o this season. He struck out 19 batters and walked just one in 17 innings pitched. He has previous American Association experience with the Lincoln Saltdogs, El Paso Diablos and Amarillo Sox. Wholesale Hydro Flask Online . PAUL, Minn. http://www.wholesalehydroflask.com/. Portland won Game 4 Sunday night at the Moda Center and are now up 3-1. The last time the Blazers won a playoff series came in the 2000 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz. Wholesale Hydro Flask Authentic .Y. - OK, it is done. Wholesale Hydro Flask Water Bottle .J. -- Tom Coughlin doesnt have many options at halfback for the winless New York Giants.Does Alastair Cook have designs on winning back his place in Englands one-day setup? It looked that way at Lords as the Test skipper went into limited-overs mode shortly before declaring against Sri Lanka with his charges having carved out a lead of 361.First, Cook swatted Shaminda Eranga over midwicket for his 11th Test match six and then unfurled a Jos Buttler-esque scopp shot that looped just out of reach of wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal. Alastair Cook unleased a scoop at Lords Hoowever, it probably wont be enough to convince Trevor Bayliss and his fellow England selectors to break up the Jason Roy-Alex Hales opening partnership for the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka!Cook is highly unlikely to be in that squad but you can find out who is when the names are released on Monday.ddddddddddddThen catch each of the five ODIs, plus the sides T20I clash, live on Sky Sports, starting with the opening ODI at Trent Bridge from 1.30pm, Tuesday, June 21 on Sky Sports 2. 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n status as the favourite.Don
