Rejuvenated Czisny takes Skate Canada title

It was only 10 months ago that American Alissa Czisny delivered two disastrous programs en route to a 10th place finish at the U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

Figure skating message boards were ablaze with posters recommending that Czisny, the 2009 national champion, hang up her skates and move on in life. After years of underperforming in the "big events," they suggested that she find another career path and skate in shows instead.

Well I, for one, am glad she's chosen to stick it out. This weekend in Kingston, Ontario, the 23-year old Czisny delivered an electric free skate to vault herself from fourth place after the short program to first place overall and win her second Skate Canada title (her first coming in 2005).

Armed with new coaches -- 1994 World Champion Yuka Sato of Japan and her husband, former U.S. pairs champ Jason Dungjen, new jump technique and a new competition mindset, Czisny's skating has never looked better. Yes, her free skate wasn't perfect, as she fell on her final triple toe loop, but the confidence she displayed throughout the event and the authority with which she delivered her performances were more than enough to distance her from the field of challengers.

It will be interesting to see if Czisny can carry this momentum to her second Grand Prix event next month, as well as to the 2011 U.S. Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. She often falters when the biggest titles are on the line, but the form and poise she displayed this week in Canada were nothing short of magnificent.

Kudos, Alissa, on a job well done.

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In other Skate Canada news, home-country kid Patrick Chan took gold in the men's event, with Japan's Nobunari Oda winning silver and American Adam Rippon claiming the bronze. Canada was also golden in ice dance, with Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier clinching gold over the British team of Sinead Kerr/John Kerr, with young Americans Madison Chock/Greg Zuerlein winning a surprise bronze medal. The Russian duo of Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze won the pairs title, while Canada's Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch and Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers went 2-3, respectively.

The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series continues this week with the third event, Cup of China. American star Mirai Nagasu makes her season debut after being sidelined by a stress fracture in her foot this summer. Japanese vet Miki Ando is the favorite to take the ladies title here, and teammate Akiko Suzuki should round out the podium.