Ameena Sheikh & Aaron VanCleave - Junior Pairs free skate

I remember watching both of these skaters compete at Liberty a few years ago as singles skaters, but had never seen them perform together until Nationals. They are the definition of true pair skating to me - elegant and full of emotion. Their free skate to Somewhere in Time was mesmerizing. I hope to see more of them in the future - they have great promise!
 

Tracy Tanovich & Michael Chau - Junior Pairs Champions

I became a fan of these two after their spectacular silver medal finish last year, so I was thrilled to see them skate well again and win the gold. Their technical skills and flair make them so unique from other pairs. Their winning programs were a a joy to watch!
 

Junior Ladies - Award Ceremony

While none of the junior ladies medalists skated a clean long program, that didn't stop them from celebrating and having such a great time together on the podium. Their giggles were contagious and I couldn't help but smile when they all declared that their medals did not taste good while posing for photos!
 

Andrea Best & Trevor Young - Senior Pairs Short Program

Watching Andrea fall from at least eight feet in the air onto the hard ice during a lift (yes, the exact lift pictured here...this was taken a moment before) was definitely not a highlight, but seeing her get up seconds later and go on to finish the program, landing a throw jump to boot, was an amazing feat. She burst into tears at the conclusion and I tried to hold back some of my own. It just goes to show how dangerous this sport can be, but how tough these athletes are. I was amazed at her strength.

Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett - Senior Pairs Short Program

While I had seen these two compete years ago when they first teamed up, I had yet to see them skate since their recent team-up. I knew they could place high if they skated well, but to be in first place after the short was beyond my imagination. I was completely delighted with the results. Her landings on throws are so solid and I don't think I've ever witnessed such unison on side-by-side spins before. Sure, they may need a little more time to work on their artistry and bring their levels up, but their basics are unmatched. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Emma Cyders & Ievgenii Krasniak - Senior Dance Original Dance

They may have finished in last place in the dance division, but Emma and Ievgenii still made a splash - literally. Their original dance, complete with swimming attire, was so creative and brought many cheerful laughs to the audience. Their bows at the end featured her holding her nose as if going underwater and him pretending to get the water out of his ears. They even continued their act into the kiss and cry when they toweled off. I very much appreciate a little fun in the sport and they definitely provided it!

Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig - Senior Pairs Long Program

I have always been a fan of Amanda and Mark's intricate skating. The subtle choreographic elements they add to some of the basic moves is sublime. I'm so happy they were able to pull it together and skate well in Cleveland to win the pewter medal. Amanda was in tears of joy for almost the entire long program it seemed and that was fun to see. I also have to mention that their exhibition to "Your Song" was gorgeous.

I couldn't help but feel the joy that Parker did after he skated to a third place finish in the short program for his hometown crowd. His intensity and spins were the most memorable to me. His coach, Carol Heiss-Jenkins, could not have looked any more proud to see her pupil pull off such a performance.

Jonathan Cassar - Senior Men Short Program

Jonathan is a skater that I've always heard so much about, but had yet to see skate until now. All the hype about his inside edge spread eagle is completely true. It is to die for! He has amazing musicality and artistry.

I can't express enough how much I enjoy programs skated to a theme. So, when Katrina Hacker skated her short program to "On Golden Pond" with the theme of a girl seemingly just going for a joyous skate on a cold winter day, I was enthralled. Her simplicity and beauty on the ice is top-notch. Both her short and long programs were about as perfect as she could skate them. What better way to end your career? She is off to Princeton in the fall and this was her last competition (note: she later was named to the Junior World team after Mirai Nagasu's withdrawal).
 

Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre - Senior Dance Free Dance

I always appreciate what Kim and Brent bring to the ice. While their technical elements may not be as difficult as their competitors, their enthusiasm is captivating. I love that they try different things, shown by skating to Fatboy Slim in the free dance. Their expression is phenomenal.
 

Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell - Senior Dance

Wow - a brother and sister team that skate with maturity and elegance. They definitely don't "look" like a brother-sister team, which is good. They seem to have improved just since I saw them last year at Nationals and being so young, they can only improve more from here. Keiffer is a real exotic animal enthusiast and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him talk about his pets with a group of us after the awards ceremony. I had to turn away when he showed us a picture of his tarantula though...*shudder*
 

Meryl Davis & Charlie White - Senior Dance

While I appreciate Belbin & Agosto's skating, I was thrilled to see new National champions crowned this year. Meryl and Charlie are some of the best ice dancers to come around in a long time I believe. They improve drastically every season and they truly deserved to be on top of that podium. Their "Happy Feet" OD and "Samson and Delilah" free were near perfection. The emotion they convey in their free just drew me in.

Laney Diggs - Senior Ladies

What a difference a year makes! After finishing last at Nationals last year, she skated two brilliant performances here and finished a remarkable 10th (although I felt she should have been a bit higher). Her expression from her face down to her fingertips is breathtaking and that smile never came off of her face once.

From tears of fear and sadness to tears of indescribable joy - Mirai's long program was a tearjerker in both ways. She took the ice wiping away tears and you could see the look of defeat on the reigning champion's face. Her face remained stone cold for the first half of her program, but then in the middle when she realized how wonderfully she was skating, a smile appeared and lasted until the end. Her program, although marred with some under rotation calls, was a phenomenal victory for a girl who has had such a rough season. 

Alissa Czisny - Senior Ladies Champion

Can you say finally? After so many seasons of disappointment at Nationals, she finally pulled it off! Alissa is such an exquisite skater, but it is usually heartbreaking to watch her skate, because you almost expect her to crumble. Not this time! Her short program brought everyone in the arena to their feet and her long, even though it contained some mistakes, was breathtaking. I'm so happy that she did it and hope that she can continue to skate this way.

Brandon Mroz - Senior Men Long Program

Talk about coming from nowhere. In all the speculation about who might be on the men's podium, I don't remember Brandon's name coming up once. He skated lights-out in both the short and the long and deservedly won the silver medal and a trip to Worlds. His jumps are first-rate and his quad looked way too easy.

Johnny Weir - Senior Men

I felt for Johnny all week in Cleveland. I don't think anybody ever expected the reigning World Bronze Medalist to finish off the podium at his own Nationals and I can't imagine how he must be dealing with the shock of that. However, I think he redeemed himself when he appeared during the exhibition to accept his trophy for Skating Magazine's Reader's Choice Award. I'm proud to say that I voted for him (after the tie last year and his world bronze, I thought he had a phenomenal season) and was glad to be able to see him one more time before the week ended, even if he wasn't wearing skates.

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates - Senior Dance Exhibition

While all of Emily and Evan's programs this week were fabulous, I must say that their exhibition was my favorite. Who knew Evan had those dance moves in him? Their personalities are so charming. Their line and toe point is unbeatable.