Suburban skaters fall short of goals at U.S. national championships

A pair of suburban skaters, who were in first place after their respective short programs at the U.S. Figure Skating Association's national championships in Detroit, wound up finishing short of their goals in the free skate events.

Danny O'Shea, who grew up in Gurnee and graduated from St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights in 2009, placed fourth overall with his skating partner, Tarah Kayne, after they failed to complete a lift sequence near the end of their program.

The pair had won the national title in 2016 and last year placed second, but with Team USA only able to advance one pair to the Olympics, they were the alternate.

O'Shea and Kayne held a narrow one-point lead over Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc going into Saturday's free skate, which was the first time they were in the lead since winning the title in 2016.

Yet, with the failed lift attempt, they lost five points and opened the door for Cain and LeDuc who went on to win the title and the only berth to the world championships in March.

Another local skater, Alexa Knierim of Addison and her husband, Chris — last year's Olympic bronze medalists — finished seventh overall on Saturday in pairs after making costly technical errors.

Bradie Tennell, the Carpentersville native now living in Cary, was the reigning senior ladies' national champion and a bronze medalist in the team event at last year's Winter Olympics. Yet, she too endured her own disappointment on the ice.

Known for her natural jumping ability and consistency, she fell during her triple Lutz, costing her the chance to win a second national championship. She placed second behind 13-year old Alysa Liu.

However, on Saturday, Tennell and Mariah Bell were selected by the U.S. Figure Skating Association to skate at the World Figure Skating Championships in March in Saitama, Japan. They also were selected to skate at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Anaheim.

At 13, Liu was too young to be considered, according to International Skating Union regulations.

Tennell and her longtime coach, Denise Myers, were disappointed but they remained focused. On Saturday, Tennell went from a news conference to an autograph session with her fans, assembled at Little Caesar's Arena.

“We'll go back to training and fine tuning some elements,” Myers said, indicating they would return to Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion in Buffalo Grove, where Myers has worked with Tennell since she was 9 years old.

Going into nationals, Tennell talked about the importance of ramping up her artistry and difficulty of her program, knowing that it was a risk.

“I wanted to make my programs harder in all aspects this year, to really show more maturity and growth,” she said.

That kind of attitude inspires up-and-coming skaters who share the ice with Tennell, including six who competed at nationals in younger levels.

Among them was Calista Choi of West Dundee, who won the novice ladies division, and Isabelle Inthisone of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, who trains at Twin Rinks. She earned the bronze medal in the same event.

“It was an extremely deep field of talented athletes,” said Myers, who coaches both skaters. “I think Calista's experience of being a third-time national competitor gave her the confidence she needed to stay focused.”