Four Continents a platform for Broadmoor pair to shine

Caydee Denney and John Coughlin have stated their case nationally. Now, they want to make a name on the international landscape. And what better place than their home rink?

The Broadmoor Skating Club pair carry a bunch of motivation into the Four Continents Championships this week at World Arena, fresh off an improbable win last month at the U.S. Championships, where they shocked Olympians Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig. They joined only in May, and in their previous three international events, they took third place at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fourth at Skate America and fifth at the NHK Trophy.

“There aren’t a lot of teams here, but they’re all very good,” especially the Chinese, said Coughlin, who split with Caitlin Yankowskas, then considered retirement before he met Denney. He noted that they typically “feel like if we skate well, then we’ll be happy. We just do what we can control, and hopefully, it will turn out the way we want it to.”

There wasn’t enough time after nationals for Denney and Coughlin to alter their routines, so their emphasis has been on “putting a lot of finish into our landings. We’re really just focusing on polishing” going into the world championships next month in Nice, France. “We’re looking forward to skating in front of the home crowd,” Denney added.

Zawadzki alters jump order

Broadmoor member Agnes Zawadzki has altered the sequence of her jumps in the closing portion of her long program, feeling the changes were necessary, despite a bronze medal at nationals. “I have more of my momentum doing my jumps in that order,” she said.

“It’s just a comfort factor more than anything else,” said David Santee, who has coached Zawadzki since she left Tom Zakrajsek last summer. “We were a little concerned about not getting any breathing room in the last minute, and she has three jumping passes there. So we try to give her a little bit of time to kind of catch her breath and then get home.”

Where were the ice dancers?

The first practice period Tuesday was a bust. None of the 11 ice dancing teams, including world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, showed up. So for 1 ½ hours, roughly three dozen fans gazed over an empty ice sheet, as warm-up tunes and routine music were played. The announcer even proclaimed the names of all the skaters as if they were there.

Finally, a woman with the microphone said, “We apologize for the lack of skaters. These practice sessions are elective, and since our ice dancers are not competing until Saturday, many of them have not yet arrived. … Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

A major boon for the Springs

This is the third time Colorado Springs has staged Four Continents, most recently hosting in 2007. More than 1,800 room nights were expected to be booked at Springs hotels, with Cheyenne Mountain Resort serving as the host hotel. Restaurants near World Arena also should see more business, and media traveled from Canada, China, Germany, Japan and South Korea. “We’re so experienced at this,” local organizer Carolyn Kruse said.

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com. Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazettehockey. Google+: Brian Gomez.