Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Read more about the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Monday's edition of The World-Herald.
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Quick, try to name a couple of the current top figure skaters in the United States.
OK, how about one.
Having trouble? You're not alone. While their skating is as impressive as ever, most of today's senior-level competitors lack the popularity and the name recognition of past stars like Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Brian Boitano and Michelle Kwan.
At the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, it's a big topic of conversation for just about anybody who follows the sport.
Enter Gracie Gold.
She's the 16-year-old skater from Springfield, Ill., who won, well, gold, last week in the Junior Ladies' division.
From regional to international competitions, she's on a winning streak — and she's gearing up for a move to the senior level later this year.
The expectations are high. There's talk about national championships and the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
"Right now the U.S. is pushing for a new ladies' figure skating champion," Gold said. "They're looking for that big star. And some people say that about me, which is exciting."
In between watching the action on the ice, Gold took a break to chat about her plans for the coming months and her expectations for nationals in Omaha — and beyond.
Her life is getting more complicated all the time.
There are the people telling her she's the next big thing. The fans who now stop her for her autograph.
And then there's schoolwork to be done; She attended a regular high school as a freshman but has spent the past two years taking classes online. (Gold says she's keeping up on her English assignments but she's a bit behind in history after the week at nationals.)
She says the attention is nice, but adds that right now, it's all just chatter. She's focused on doing well at the Junior World Championships in Belarus next month.
But it's clear Gold is confident about her ability to succeed in the sport.
"I'm relatively humble, but I think I have some small bragging rights with my recent successes," she said.
At the U.S. Championships in Omaha next year, Gold said she might face a bit of an uphill battle. First-year competitors at the senior level often don't get the highest scores.
But if she skates well, Gold thinks she could land in the top six.
"If I skate really well, maybe I could squeak onto the podium," she said.
By the time the Olympics roll around a year later, she'll be 18. And, she hopes, in a good position to land a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Whatever happens, Gold sees herself sticking around the sport for a long time. It's special, she said. It takes artistry and athleticism, combined while "skating in special boots with knives attached to them."
"There's sort of a passion to it you don't find in other sports," she said.
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Read more about the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Monday's edition of The World-Herald.
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