chock and Bates Lead at Skate America, Eyeing Historic Fifth Title
Lake Placid, NY – November 11, 2023 – Madison Chock and Evan Bates delivered a commanding performance Saturday at Skate America, posting a score of 84.77 and positioning themselves too perhaps tie a record with a fifth Skate America title. The American duo leads Canadian pair Marjorie LaJoie and Zachary Lagha, who scored 77.42.
Chock and Bates first won Skate america in 2014, adding victories in 2015, 2022, and 2023, demonstrating their consistent dominance in ice dancing. A strong showing here bolsters their chances of qualifying for the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya,Japan,reserved for the top six teams in each discipline.
Their rhythm dance, set to a medley of Lenny Kravitz’s music, earned them top marks in both technical and artistic components. “We’ve made a lot of improvements since Cup of China,” said Chock, 33, after their performance. “We performed those really well today, and so I’m just really proud of how we skated and how we enjoyed the moment together.”
The pair previously won the Cup of China three weeks ago,adding to their career total of eight Grand Prix gold medals.
France’s Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud currently hold third place with a score of 76.72.American team Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, considered podium contenders, are currently in fifth place with 72.74, and rank seventh overall in technical marks, facing pressure to improve their position in the competition.
