Broadmoor skaters struggle

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA • Turns out, Jeremy Abbott isn't perfect every time he slips on a pair of skates.

The Broadmoor Skating Club member stumbled back to reality Thursday at the Four Continents Championships, placing fourth in the short program with a sloppy, technically flawed routine.

Abbott got big points for an opening triple flip, triple toe loop combination. He followed with a triple axel, but crashed into the boards on a triple lutz and touched the ice on a circular step sequence.

Canadian Patrick Chan leads a 26-person field, 13 points ahead of Abbott. Evan Lysacek is second. Broadmoor member Brandon Mroz is fifth.

"A bit of a loss of focus," Abbott said of the lutz. "I felt really fatigued. No excuses. My mind just wandered."

On the circular step sequence, Abbott said, "I was trying to make up all the points I could. I put a little too much into it."

Broadmoor pair Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker finished fifth, 30 points behind winners Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China. Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett took sixth. Rena Inoue and John Baldwin were seventh.

In ice dancing, Meryl Davis and Charlie White remained second, two points in back of Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates jumped to third. Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre stayed sixth.

No skater has matched Abbott's accomplishments this season.

Eighth in the International Skating Union world standings, Abbott, 23, of Aspen, claimed gold medals at the Cup of China, Grand Prix Final and U.S. Championships and placed fourth at the Cup of Russia.

He became the first U.S. skater to win the Grand Prix Final, posting the highest score (237.72) by an American man in ISU history. At nationals, he routed Lysacek and Johnny Weir - both 2006 Olympians - minus a quad toe loop, a jump with four rotations.

"You have to be with your program the entire performance," Broadmoor coach Tom Zakrajsek said.

Zakrajsek maintains the flair in Abbott's skating can negate mistakes.

"He has always had an inclination that way," Zakrajsek said. "He appreciates the detail. He takes pride in it."

Long odds for Flatt
Broadmoor Skating Club member Rachael Flatt needs a near-perfect long program tonight for a podium finish at the Four Continents Championships.

Flatt took eighth in the short, 17 points behind leader Yu-Na Kim of South Korea. She was docked for minor mistakes, including the wrong takeoff edge on a triple lutz.

"I need to make sure I do the components to the best of my ability," Flatt said. "I don't have anything to lose. I need to go for everything."

Sudden heat on pair
In their senior-level international debut, Broadmoor pair Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker admitted feeling pressure.

It showed Thursday during a sub-par free skate that led to a fifth-place finish. Brubaker had lots of energy in jumps, but McLaughlin fell on a landing.

"It has really been new for us," Brubaker said. "It's a different kind of feeling. Sometimes we put too much expectations on ourselves, and sometimes we get into that mechanical-type mode."

Same place as Olympics
During the Olympics, figure skating and short-track speedskating will be contested at Pacific Coliseum, the former home of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL.

The 41-year-old arena, 4 miles from the Olympic village, holds 14,239 spectators and 700 media members. A $16.5 million renovation in 2007 included replacement of seats and upgrades to concessions and bathrooms.