Nashville Holds the U.S Figure Skating Championships
By Britton Headden
It’s early in the year, and Nashville has already enjoyed hosting a major sporting event, the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. In one of the most competitive skating events of the year, athletes from all around the country have tried their best to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Here are your 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Champions.
Ashley Cain-Gribble (Texas)
& Timothy LeDuc (Iowa)
Ashley Cain-Gribble was on the verge of her skating retirement in 2016 debating whether to skate, coach or return to school when she got the call to try out for pairs with Timothy LeDuc. She must have made the right decision because the two have become U.S. Champions six years later. They landed the most challenging pair jumps of the short programs, including a side-by-side triple loop in the U.S. Championships. The pair ran away with the free skate finishing over fifteen points away from the next team.
Mariah Bell (Colorado)
Ladies Championship Score: 173.04
Mariah Bell followed her older sister’s footsteps getting into skating, and in time she has exceeded all expectations. Mariah stunned the night of her short program with a graceful skate that included the first triple triple of the week for the ladies and later a triple lutz. In addition, she managed to outscore Karen Chen by just over a single point in total becoming the oldest champion in the class in ninety-five years at twenty-five.
Nathan Chen (Utah)
Men Championship Score: 328.01
Since childhood, Nathan Chen has been in the figure skating spotlight, landing triples in national competitions since he was ten years old. With lots of work and a great team around him, Nathan has grown into one of the greatest figure skaters in the world. Nathan was the first skater to have landed five types of quadruple jumps and holds several skating records. Nathan started his week with a record-breaking short program. He finished with a dominant free skate separating himself from the rest of the skaters. This was Nathan’s sixth national title. He has been referred to as the Michael Jordan of figure skating.
Britton Headden, Keeping Score
Britton Headden is a born-and-raised Franklin local and Broker/Owner of Headden Home Real Estate. Britton has a lifetime love of basketball and other sports, including playing and coaching experience on all levels elementary through college.
