What happened to Belbin and Agosto for the 1st time?
SPOKANE, Wash. — Charlie White said he and Meryl Davis wanted to go into the Olympics as “top dogs” in U.S. ice dancing. Mission accomplished. White and Davis, both University of Michigan students, won their second consecutive title Saturday at U.S. nationals. They defeated five-time national champions and 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. “To come out at nationals and beat such an amazing team (Belbin and Agosto) with the credentials that they have, it’s huge for us, especially leading to the Olympics,” said White, who at 22 is a year younger than his partner. Saturday’s event was the free dance (50 percent of the total score). Skating to music from Phantom of the Opera, Davis and White won that, just as they had the two earlier phases of the competition: the compulsory dance (20 percent) and original dance (30 percent). With 108.76 points in the free dance, the winners had a total score of 222.29. Belbin and Agosto were second with 218.51 points (106.60 in t
Ch-ch-ch-changes: Davis and White beat Belbin and Agosto for 1st time, win 2nd US dance title Davis-White win dance title, beat Belbin-Agosto By NANCY ARMOUR | Associated Press Seems hard to believe, but it was only about a decade ago that cracking the top 10 was a monumental achievement for a U.S. dance team. Now the Americans are sending not one, but two medal contenders to the Vancouver Olympics. Meryl Davis and Charlie White won their second straight ice dance title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday, beating Olympic and world silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto for the first time in their careers. Long overshadowed by Belbin and Agosto _ at home and internationally _ Davis and White left little doubt they are now equal to their friends and former training partners, as well as the other top teams in the world. “It’s important in our home country to come out on top,” White said. “What we want to do at the Olympics is win.” Davis and White finished with a
Davis and White beat Belbin and Agosto for 1st time, win 2nd US dance title Meryl Davis and Charlie White have won their second ice dance title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, upsetting Olympic and world silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. Davis and White won all three segments of the competition, capping it with a magical and theatrical free dance Saturday. They finished with a U.S. record 222.29 points to notch their first victory ever over Belbin and Agosto. That’s no small matter in a discipline where past accomplishments are often taken into account. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates were third, likely clinching a spot on the Olympic team. The United States can send three dance teams to Vancouver. Sources: http://www.newser.com/article/d9ddnrro0/ch-ch-ch-changes-davis-and-white-beat-belbin-and-agosto-for
