First Part of Kwan’s Solo Act Is Successful

Michelle Kwan made mistakes during the decade Frank Carroll was her coach, and she will make mistakes without him by her side.

Her first performance since parting company with him was flawed, but that was more a sign that it’s early in the long competitive season than any meltdown caused by her stunning decision to coach herself.

In her short program at Skate America on Thursday, her first competition since their split, Kwan reduced the difficulty of a planned triple flip to a single flip and skated without the passion that helped her win four world championships and three U.S. titles.

But because Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen made mistakes on their required combination jumps, Kwan found herself in a familiar position: first place.

“I would not say this is a victory,” said Kwan, whose “East of Eden” routine was ranked first by four of the seven judges, second by two and third by one. “I don’t think I skated to my potential. I’ve been through a lot of things in the last several weeks. Actually, the last several months. There’s a lot of things going on in my head. I have to take time and make decisions. I felt good.”

Hughes was second, Viktoria Volchkova of Russia was third, followed by Cohen of Laguna Niguel. The short program is worth one-third of the final score; the long program, which the women will perform Saturday, is worth two-thirds.

“I think everyone has jitters. It’s a big year for us,” said Kwan, a four-time world champion and five-time U.S. champion. “The whole year is like a countdown.”

Without Carroll to help her count the days and competitions until the Olympics, Kwan sought the company of her father, Danny. He had supervised her practices Wednesday and Thursday from a front-row seat, and he watched her skate Thursday night from the skaters’ entrance in a corner of the World Arena.

But there are some places he won’t go.

After she skated, he didn’t join her in the “kiss and cry” area, where skaters relax and listen to their marks. Wendy Weston-Enzmann, a competition team leader, asked Kwan if she wanted some company, and Kwan agreed. “My dad said, ‘I can’t sit there,”’ she said, laughing.

Cohen had been told by her coach, John Nicks, that Kwan and Hughes hadn’t skated cleanly. She knew the judges had left room in their marks for her, but Cohen couldn’t capitalize.

She two-footed the landing on the first part of her combination jump, singled a planned double on the second part and stepped out of that landing, giving the judges ample excuse to award technical marks that ranged from 4.9 (out of 6.0) to 5.3. She also had one 5.0 for presentation, but two 5.6s.

“I thought, ‘This is a chance for me to do my best,”’ Cohen said. “Everyone is always trying to do their best but it doesn’t always happen.”

Hughes, the runner-up to Kwan at this year’s U.S. championships and third at the world competition, also had trouble with her required combination jump.

She did the first part, a triple lutz, but finished with a single loop instead of a double. That cost her some points on her first set of marks, for the required elements, but her grace in skating to “Ave Maria” earned her presentation marks that ranged from 5.5 to 5.7.

“The first event is always a little nerve-racking for everybody,” Hughes said.

Even world pair champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada felt some first-night jitters. Skating to “Jalousie,” choreographed by Lori Nichol, they performed a well-paced short program that was ranked first by all seven judges. Except for a break when their unison was off on their change-foot spins, they skated well and earned two 5.9s for presentation to lead the field.

U.S. pairs champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman skated a clean program to bluesy music and were second. Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin of Russia were third.

In ice dancing, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz of Canada were the leaders after the compulsory dance, worth 20% of each duo’s final score. Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas of Lithuania were second, followed by Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky of Israel.

Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto of the U.S. were fifth, and Jessica Joseph and Brandon Forsyth of the U.S. were eighth.

The men’s competition begins today with the short program.

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Skate America

* When: Through Sunday.

* Where: Colorado Springs, Colo.

* Today’s schedule: Original Dance, Men’s Short, Pairs Free.

* TV: Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Ch. 7.

* Top men: Timothy Goebel, Matt Savoie, Michael Weiss.

* Top women: Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes and Michelle Kwan.