1972 United States Figure Skating Championships
| 1972 United States Figure Skating Championships | |
|---|---|
| Type: | National Championship |
| Date: | January 13 – 16 |
| Season: | 1971–72 |
| Location: | Long Beach, California |
| Venue: | Long Beach Arena |
| Previous: 1971 U.S. Championships |
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| Next: 1973 U.S. Championships |
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The 1972 United States Figure Skating Championships was an event organized by U.S. Figure Skating to determine the U.S. national champions and the U.S. teams for the 1972 Winter Olympics and 1972 World Championships. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing – across three levels: senior, junior, and novice. The event was held from January 13–16 at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California.
The competition opened with the ladies' compulsory figures, in which Julie Lynn Holmes took the lead over Janet Lynn. But Lynn easily won the free skating with a faultless performance while Holmes skated cautiously. Second place in the free skating went to Dorothy Hamill, who probably performed the most difficult program but nonetheless could not overcome her deficit in the figures to reach the podium. Suna Murray captured the bronze medal.
The previous years' champions in the pairs and dance events, JoJo Starbuck / Kenneth Shelley and Judy Schwomeyer / Jim Sladky, respectively, easily defended their titles without serious challenge. The pairs competition this year was notable for the new and innovative lifts performed by the second-place team Melissa and Mark Militano as well as by Starbuck / Shelley. The Militanos also included a throw double axel and side-by-side double axels in their program, elements that only a few top pairs in the world were attempting in this era, but they could not match the speed and unison of the champions.
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