Skate America 2025 Day 1 Recap

We got to see the short programs for the pairs and the men, the latter of which produced a surprise leader.

Despite there only being two sets of programs on Friday at Skate America, it was a busy day for me. I made it to Herb Brooks Arena for the pairs practice session at Noon, then did a Book Talk with “The Favorites” author Layne Fargo at the Lake Placid Public Library, then after a brief break, I was back at the arena for the short programs for the pairs and the men. Let’s break down the action, starting with the pairs.

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Pairs Short Program

There are three U.S. pairs competing in this event, but few expected them to be in the mix for a medal. After Friday’s short program, they sit fifth, seventh and eighth among the eight teams.

The two teams everyone expected to battle for the gold medal are in position to do just that, with Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia (by way of Russia in Anastasiia’s case) leading Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan by more than four points.

Based on the social media reaction I saw, people don’t seem to like the team of Metelkina and Berulava, but I’m not people. I find them so interesting to watch skate, and not just because of Anastasiia’s unhinged starting position — or the fact that she spray-dyes her hair for her short program because brown hair fits better with “Bolero.”

The pairs will be back in action Saturday afternoon, when the medals will be decided.

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Men’s Short Program

The highlight of the night, for me at least (and for everyone in the arena, based on the reaction) was Jason Brown. But you’ll have to head over to my Instagram account for that video. I’ll focus on the men who landed the top three spots after tonight’s action.

3. Mikhail Shaidorov, Kazakhstan

Speaking of reactions in the arena, everyone seemed to think Shaidorov was surprisingly underscored. That first jump combo in his program is incredible. He’s six points off the lead, but that can easily be made up in the free skate.

2. Kevin Aymoz, France

While Brown was the expected crowd favorite, Aymoz was a close second, and seeing him break down emotionally after nailing his program was a thrilling moment in Lake Placid. He’s been dealing with so many issues this year, so for him to put together a clean program and vault into medal contention was incredible.

1. Kazuki Tomono, Japan

Tomono was second after the short program in his previous GP assignment this season at Skate Canada and one-upped that here in Lake Placid, posting his best short program score (92.07) in more than two years, and his best at a Grand Prix event since the 2021 Rostelecom Cup.

The men will close things out Saturday night, so stay tuned to see if this will remain the top three, or if we’ll get some classic “menning.”

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The schedule of events for Saturday is:

Session 1
2:03-3:21 p.m.: Rhythm Dance
3:39-4:55 p.m.: Pairs Free Skate

Session 2
6:17-7:46 p.m.: Women’s Short Program
8:04-9:51 p.m.: Men’s Free Skate

Both sessions feature a reigning world champion (Madison Chock/Evan Bates in the early session, Alysa Liu in the night session) so there should be plenty of exciting action. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for live updates!