BARRY WILNER
FILE - Vincent Zhou performs during the men's short program at the Skate America figure skating event Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, in Las Vegas. Zhou nailed just about everything at Skate America in October, the first of six Grand Prix series events, the main competitions leading up to February's Beijing Olympics. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
Vincent Zhou's rise coming at the right time in Olympic year

By Barry Wilner Nov. 11, 2021 11:24 AM EST
Vincent Zhou couldn't have had better timing. Not

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2021, file photo, Nathan Chen poses with his gold medal in the men's championship at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Las Vegas. Since his disappointing sixth-place finish at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the 22-year-old Chen has won three world titles, the last three of his five U.S. championships, and the two most recent Grand Prix finals. He enters Skate America this weekend as the overwhelming favorite to win his fifth consecutive gold medal. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Chen and winning streak in spotlight as Skate America begins

By Barry Wilner Oct. 21, 2021 12:46 PM EDT
Let this sink in: Nathan Chen has not lost a competition since February 2018.

FILE - Commissioner Roger Goodell gestures during the NFL Honors ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla., in this Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, file photo. The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games, as expected, and reducing the preseason to three games. Team owners on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, approved the 17th game, marking the first time in 43 years the regular season has been increased.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
NFL owners approve 17-game regular season, 3 preseason games

By Barry Wilner Mar. 30, 2021 03:22 PM EDT
The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games and planning to have full

FILE - In this Saturday, March 23, 2019 file photo, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan Chen from the United States display their silver and gold medals respectively during the men's free skating routine during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, north of Tokyo. As Nathan Chen seeks a third straight World Figure Skating Championships title, something no American has achieved since Scott Hamilton got his fourth in a row in 1984, he has two major challenges in front of him. One is two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, who Chen calls “the benchmark." The other is idleness in major competitions forced by the coronavirus pandemic. ((AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
US skating team stronger than most for recent world events

By Barry Wilner Mar. 23, 2021 02:38 PM EDT
Multiple medals at the World Figure Skating Championships are rare for the

Announcers Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski talk during the women's free skate program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Tara Lipinski, the 1998 Olympic gold medalist and now the top TV analyst in the sport along with NBC partner Johnny Weir, recognizes how jumbled the figure skating scene is. “The pre-Olympic season sets the tone of the Olympic season,” says Lipinski, who will anchor coverage of Skate America this week on NBC, NBCSN and the Peacock streaming service. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
In key pre-Olympic season, pandemic disrupts figure skating

By Barry Wilner Oct. 21, 2020 02:54 PM EDT
With the Summer Olympics in Tokyo delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic,

ISU downsizes Grand Prix Series to more localized events

By Barry Wilner Aug. 04, 2020 12:35 PM EDT
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating series is being downsized to more localized