U.S. Figure skating team.

Warning: long, rambling post below

The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team was announced on last Sunday but it was not without some DRAMA! As to be expected in a sport that brought us the infamous Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding saga.

This Olympics, U.S. Figure Skating switched to a committee selection process to determine the athletes that will represent the U.S. in Sochi. It's important to remember that the national championships for skating is no longer considered the trials. This is unlike a typical racing sport (i.e. swimming, speed skating, track) where your performance at the Olympic trials, and at the trials only, determines whether or not you will compete in the Olympics. That also makes sense in an objective sport. But skating is a subjective sport. So what this meant was that the "trials"for Sochi were based on performances at major national and international competitions over the last two years to give the U.S. the best shot at winning medals. The most consistent and proven competitors would get the nod to go.

This is the same type of process that U.S. gymnastics has been doing since 2004. It's worked pretty well as the women's gymnastics team is basically the best and deepest program in the world and hasn't finished worse than second in the Olympics since then.

There are four disciplines in figure skating - mens, ladies, pairs and ice dancing. The amount of competitors/teams that the U.S. gets to send is based on the combined finish of the athletes at the previous year's world championships. In 2010, the U.S. got to send three men and two women to the games in Vancouver because at the time the U.S. men's field was deeper and more talented. That's shifted over the last four years and the two ladies competitors at worlds last year - Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner - finished well enough to gain the U.S. women a third spot for Sochi, while the men now only have two. The U.S. has three ice dancing spots and two pairs spots for Sochi (same as Vancouver).

As I talked about in this post, Ashley Wagner was the last one out of the Olympics in 2010 by finishing third at the national championship, while Mirai Nagasu finished second and got to compete. Nagasu finished fourth overall at the Olympics and there was no argument that the U.S. sent the right athletes four years ago. But over the last four years, Wagner has skated with a fire to get back to this point and earn herself a spot on the team. She won the 2012 and 2013 national championships and finished fifth at the world championships the last two years. She also won a Grand Prix event in the fall and was the only U.S. lady to qualify to compete at the Grand Prix finals. For those of you that don't follow figure skating, those are all pretty impressive notes.

Going into the national championships last week, everyone thought it would easily be Wagner and Gold with a fight to determine the third spot among a handful of skaters that have been good but not great over the past few years. There were about three to four people I thought could end up taking this spot. Gold skated great in both the short and free skate programs and easily won the competition. Pretty much assuring her spot on the team. Wagner had a mistake in her short program and struggled in the free skate to end up placing fourth. NOT what people were expecting. Then, this 15-year-old named Paulina Edmonds burst onto the scene in her first senior national competition and finished second! What?! And then you have Nagasu come back from finishing seventh last year to place third. Holy cow! Who do you put on the team?!

In the past, it was the top two or three finishers, no matter what. But now they have this selection process. So if you choose the girl who has been the stronghold for the U.S. in competitions the last four years, but finished fourth, who do you leave out? The 15-year-old with no experience but finished second? Or the one with Olympic experience? Or do you leave Wagner off for succumbing to the pressure and not performing to her best ability when it counted? The Olympics are only one competition after all. The gold medal is not awarded based on your body of work over the last year. Just ask Michelle Kwan.

But they decided on this selection process to pick the most consistent skaters to give the U.S. the best chance at winning medals. And every "expert" agreed that Wagner deserved a spot on the Olympic team. So then who gets the third spot? Being 15 and new to this level of competition can be a great or terrifying thing. You either compete with reckless abandon because you don't know any better and have nothing to loose (i.e. gold medalists Tara Lipinski and Sara Hughes) or you just fall apart. Well, the committee decided that Edmunds skated well enough to earn a spot, even at 15, and leave the experienced Olympian out of the games. One could also think they're trying to give her experience now if she's the future of U.S. Figure Skating.

I have to admit, I watched the live official announcement, which was live streamed, with my heart beating so fast. I really wanted Wagner to make it. Just from watching on my couch the past few tears, I think she deserved it. They announced the names alphabetically, so it was...Edmunds...Gold...and....Wagner. I gave a little clap and cheer for her from the hotel room I was sitting in.

Ok, moving on. Can you believe there's more?!

The two pairs teams selected were the teams that finished 1-2. This wasn't that controversial because no one really knew who would rise to the occasion in the pairs competition. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, won the championship again this year and secured themselves a spot. The second-place team, Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay, did well, but honestly, no team from the U.S. has been that impressive in years. The team that everyone would have bet on two years ago, Caydee Denny and John Coughlin, missed last season to injury and just came back on the scene this season. They ended up finishing third after a fantastic free skate, but it just wasn't enough to give the committee faith in them for the games.

There were only two spots available for the men this time around and it was wide open for anyone. There hasn't really been two or even one American male to make a big enough impact recently to have a spot secure prior to nationals. So every male finish in this competition was important. I think the three that ended up finishing in the top three probably would have been the safe bet, but it really was so up in the air.

Jeremy Abbott ended up winning the title, his fourth, and was selected to his second straight Olympics. He was a really strong contender four years ago, he beat Evan Lysacek in the national championships prior to Vancouver, but just buckled under the pressure of the games. He's struggled since then and didn't even make the world championships last year after a terrible free skate. He had to prove at this nationals that he could skate two clean programs. He did that and even set a new U.S. record with his score in the short program. If he skates his absolute best in Sochi, he could be a medal contender.

The other spot was between Max Aaron and Jason Brown. Aaron won the U.S. title last year and has been the international face for the U.S. the last year but was not a sure bet. He's a fantastic jumper, that's how he won his title, but lacks a little in the artistic department. He's worked hard in that area and has gotten a lot better, but it's clear his strong suit is the athleticism and the jumps. Brown, an 18-year-old, does not compete a quad jump, which is pretty much something you have to have to be able to win internationally these days. Lysacek won without it in 2010 but that wouldn't be possible now.

What Brown does have is a performance quality that can't be matched. He just brings you in and you wonder all the sudden how it happened. So when the "jumpers" fall, he's there with his solid triples, performance and technical quality and can pick up the points the others lost out on. That's pretty much what happened this year at nationals. He ended up winning the free skate with an absolutely amazing performance. And that was against people that landed quads. So in the end, Brown got the second spot over Aaron, who finished third, and I think will be a good experience for someone who should be one of the top Americans over the next few years.

I like Brown. He is a beautiful skater. Like I said, he can really draw you in. But what I can't handle is his hair. It's probably shoulder length but he keeps it pulled back in a slick ponytail for competitions. I'm sorry, but it is so ugly and it does not compliment him. But hopefully with time will come more maturity for him, a quad jump and a hair cut.

Prior to nationals, there was one couple that could do absolutely terrible and still not have to worry about not making the team. Nationals was merely a formality for them. And that would be ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White. But they are perfect and amazing and won their sixth straight national title and extended their two-year undefeated competition streak. They are the (slight) favorites to win gold in Sochi and I can't wait to watch!

The other two spots went to the couples that finished second and third. These selections were not at all controversial and exactly what everyone thought would happen. The second couple is Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Bates competed in the 2010 Olympics with a different partner. Now Bates and Chock skate together and they are really lovely to watch. They skate with such a mature elegance. The other couple is Maia and Alex Shibutani, a sibling combo also known also known as the Shib Sibs. They are fun, vibrant and bring a young excitement to the ice.

Davis and White will either win gold or silver with the Canadian couple of Virtue and Moir taking the other color. But one of the other U.S. couples has a really good shot a bronze. The ice dance competition will be really fun to watch. Trust me!

I know many people don't think ice dancing is enjoyable (if they even know what it is), but just watch Davis and White below. They are so incredibly amazing. Look at the stuff that they do and then think about the fact that they're doing that on skates...moving across the ice...at that speed. It's really unbelievable.