What to Watch: 2024 Skate America
by Brendan Rourke
A handful of the world’s top senior elite figure skaters will kick off the winter sports season this weekend. The 2024-25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating will begin its six-leg circuit with 2024 Skate America at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. From October 18-20, medals will be awarded in men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance, and skaters will be awarded points toward qualifying for the ultimate event, the 2024-25 ISU Grand Prix final. Fans will be able to watch all three days of competition on NBC Sports and Peacock.
Below are a few reasons why fans should tune in:
Ilia Malinin Is Planning To Attempt A Backflip #
In November 2023, the International Skating Union released its final 106-page agenda for its congressional meeting during the offseason. While most of the document presented standard discussion topics, game-changing skaters like Ilia Malinin, who completed the first and only fully-rotated quadruple axel in an international competition in 2022, took a liking to page 101.
In the middle of a paragraph on banned moves, the words “somersault-type jumps” were written in strikethrough font. This indicated to skaters that the ISU was planning to legalize the backflip, a move banned for the previous 48 years. Previously, skaters who attempted this trick after the 1976 season were given a point deduction regardless of the outcome of the landing.
The motion passed, as the ISU utilized sports fans’ favorite fictional rule, the “rule of cool,” for its reasoning. Under the font, the ISU wrote “Reason: somersault type jumps are very spectacular and nowadays it is not logical anymore to include them as illegal movements.”
"I think that I can find a way to make it really cool and kind of scare the audience a little bit," Malinin said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. "You know, give them that really unknown vibe in a way."
Malinin also has a chance to become the second men’s skater to win three consecutive Skate America titles since 2000.
Levito’s Leaps, Lin-Gracey’s Grace and Tennell’s Tenacity #
The three American women slated to compete in the women’s singles discipline all have their own unique storylines. For the 17-year-old Levito, it’s a chance to prove that her 2024 world championship silver medal is not a fluke and that she is here to stay for the long term. For Elyce Lin-Gracey, it is a chance to prove that she can compete at the highest level. Finally, and perhaps the most thrilling storyline, it is a chance for Tennell to showcase her constant love of the sport. The team event bronze medalist from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games has battled countless injuries, setbacks and other hardships throughout her career. However, Skate America 2024 provides the Illinois native another platform to show the world that she can compete against other elite figure skaters. After undergoing two surgeries during the 2023-24 season, Tennell made her return at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy, where secured a silver medal. The achievement gives her the most momentum out of the three Americans going into Skate America 2024.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea Seek Pairs Podium #
This is the third season that Kam and O’Shea will be skating together, and the 2024 U.S. national champions are looking to make an early statement this season. This the duo have already finished on the podium twice in the ISU Challenger Series, claiming gold at the 2024 CS John Nicks Paris Competition and bronze at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Kam and O’Shea are one of the top contenders to make the American figure skating roster for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Chock and Bates’ Twizzles #
Other than Malinin’s backflip attempt, if fans could only choose one thing to tune in for during 2024 Skate America, it must be for the routines of one of ice dancing’s legendary duos, Madison Chock and Evan Bates. The newly married couple are the first American duo to win back-to-back world championships, and are also looking to take home back-to-back Skate America titles. Although they won team gold during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the duo are now hungry for the elusive ice dancing gold in 2026.
Brendan Rourke is a Digital Media Assistant for the USOPC. Previously, he spent three seasons writing for the NBA's Indiana Pacers (2018-2021) and holds a Bachelor's from UCF and a Master's from IU-Indy's Sports Capital Journalism Program.