Evora & Ladwig on the fast track to Vancouver

Will this finally be the year that U.S. pairs skaters Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig step out of the shadows and into the spotlight?

As one of the older and more experienced teams in the world of American pairs skating, Evora and Ladwig have yet to establish themselves as legitimate contenders for a National title or a World team spot.

They appeared to be on the right track in 2007 with a 4th place pewter medal finish at the U.S. Championships. After solid showings at international events in the fall of '07, they succumbed to pressure and dropped to 5th - and off the podium - in 2008. A shaky Grand Prix Series campaign last fall had many (including myself) doubting they could regain a spot on the national podium. However, a breathtaking free skate last January in Cleveland erased those doubts, and now it seems as though they are truly on the "up and up."

So far this season, the team has competed at both the Liberty summer competition and the Indy pairs challenge. At Indy, the team skated two outstanding programs to finish a strong 2nd behind former U.S. champs Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski, but ahead of '09 silver medalists and Worlds 9th place finishers Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett.

Ironically, it could be Denney/Barrett motivating Evora and Ladwig to be better this season. Both teams train under Jim Peterson in Florida, and watching Caydee and Jeremy shine in their Worlds debut last March just might light a fire under Amanda and Mark.

Armed with two fantastic programs, innovative lifts, and more confident side-by-side triple jumps, Evora and Ladwig are also getting the nod from the judges with very strong Program Component Scores (they scored 54.32 for PCS in their Indy free skate). It could very well be these elements that help them clinch one of the two available Olympic spots.

The American pairs scene could get very interesting this season. Two-time and reigning National champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker are adjusting to a new coaching situation and recovering from surgery (Brubaker), and '06 Olympians Rena Inoue and John Baldwin seem to be on the decline. I'm not counting anyone out yet, but if Amanda and Mark can stay healthy, focused, and consistent, they could be the surprise champions in Spokane come January.

And plus - Mark is a fellow Minnesotan, so I have to root for the "home team!"

Watch Evora/Ladwig's short program from Indy here thanks to HeatherC from FSU!