Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc took the 4th place position at the podium for the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This year, their hopes are to improve their score and perform a better free skate for the nation to see. They have only been working together as a team for a few years, so it is important they do their absolute best in their free skate. Especially because other teams have been together for decades, so they can be truly in sync with their partners. They have been performing together for three seasons. Their music selections are from W.E. Abel Korzeniowski. They chose passionate music to compliment their skating. She is 23 years old and he is 28. After the short program, Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc are in 2nd place and they need 131.17 points to win.
Every move they make together is completely in sync and executed with grace. The first jump they completed was a throw triple flip, which was landed beautifully. Next jump pass is the most difficult seen from every team, which is a side by side triple loop. They both landed this with ease and stepped into an intricate series of steps. This team is always in character, and listening to their music to match every beat. Their next element is a throw triple lutz which took enormous height. However, she ended up being slightly forward on the landing which caused it to have a slight two foot. This will be a deduction in points and the jump pass will be taken a closer look at with the technical specialist. The judges on the panel will be examining the element and putting it under review. Following this element, they had triple salcows, double toe, double loop combinations. They matched the music to each beat for the landings of every jump. They both landed the last jump being the double loop, at the same time. Timing is everything with pairs skating, because the tempo of your partners skating should match your own. If the skating does not look in sync, points will be deducted by the judges. Their throw triple salcow was huge and she snapped quickly in the air to get the rotations done quickly. It was landed beautifully, and her expression said it all at the end of this element. She had her mouth wide open in disbelief, it is evident to say that she was extremely proud of herself in this moment. Their spin combination was held in every rotation and their positions aligned with one another.
At the end of their beautiful program, it was priceless to see their reactions. Ashley Cain lowered herself to the ice in disbelief. They were both extremely proud of themselves for this free skate, and hugged each other in excitement for the results. Each series of steps and moves they made across the ice had elegance and flow. They have matching lines that lengthen their bodies on the ice. They create the illusion that they take up so much room on the ice from skating big. Each lift that they executed was held in the amount of rotations required, and had great extensions accompanying the transitions. Their short program score is 70.49, and their free skate total is 141.89. Their total score is 212.36 and that puts them in 1st place!
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