Lysacek Makes His Way Through Some Thin Ice

Evan Lysacek’s mood a month ago was as dark as the bruise on his right hip, his heart and body aching as his dream of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic figure skating team seemingly receded.

“I was freaking out,” said Lysacek, who has trained in El Segundo with Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi for three years.

“Things got really bad, and now, they’ve gotten really good.”

His problem was initially thought to be a ruptured tendon, “which would have been a nightmare, because I would have needed surgery,” he said. It turned out to be bursitis and tendinitis and he was ordered to rest for several days, which prevented him from competing in the Grand Prix Final.

That respite proved enough to clear up the swelling and discoloration, though, and put his dream back on track.

“I’m in the best shape of my life,” he said, “and I’m skating the best I’ve ever skated in my life.”

That’s saying a lot. The 5-foot-11 Chicago native has risen rapidly through the ranks since he won the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2003. He finished fifth at the 2004 U.S. championships and third in 2005, a season he capped in March at Moscow by winning a bronze medal in his debut at the senior-level world championships.

He finished second in his two Grand Prix assignments this season before his hip flared up, the second time with a “Carmen” long program he had rehearsed for only a few weeks after deciding his “Grease” routine didn’t reflect his emotions. Newly fit -- and intent upon landing a quadruple jump in his free skate -- Lysacek is positioning himself for a run at the U.S. title next week in St. Louis and a berth on the Turin team.

“I see a lot of growth in Evan, having worked with him the past few years,” Congemi said. “He’s very adult, mature. He understands that he has to stay strong through any bad moments that he has and stay on his path and do his work.

“We just tell him, ‘Go out and be the Evan Lysacek we see every day, a consistent skater, and that’s going to reward you handsomely.’ ”

Lysacek joked that his life “perpetually runs 10 minutes late,” but he’s “always business” on the ice. Moving to California to work with Carroll and Congemi, he said, was a turning point for him.

“My life in Chicago was geared around school, around my classes and trying to balance a normal social life with tons of homework,” he said. “I knew I wanted to give skating a shot, and I’d already dedicated six or seven years to it and had given up traveling basketball so I could skate. My parents were pro-education and were skeptical, but I met Frank, and right from Day 1, I felt comfortable and knew it was the right thing to do.

“The last couple of years, my career in skating has rocketed to where all of a sudden I’m considered one of the elite skaters. I didn’t think that would be true for another decade, so I’m going to try to take this as far as I can.”

He should be among the top contenders for the U.S. title, based on his results and the struggles endured by defending champion Johnny Weir and Salt Lake City bronze medalist Tim Goebel. The winner will get a Turin nomination. The two other men’s berths will be filled by U.S. Figure Skating’s competition committee and probably will go to the runner-up and third-place finisher at St. Louis.

“It’s really important, if I go to the Olympic Games and would like to medal, I have to go in as the national champion,” Lysacek said.

Second to None?

After two consecutive runner-up finishes at the U.S. figure skating championships and four in six years, Sasha Cohen of Corona del Mar is ready to move up a step on the podium.

“I’m really trying to make sure I haven’t left one stone unturned,” said Cohen, who has finished second in the last two world championships.

Cohen, 21, did not participate in the Skate America Grand Prix event because of a back problem, which she said is no longer bothering her. She said she has been “pushing myself to a new level of training,” and spending more time on the ice to refine her footwork, spins and other moves that will score well under the new judging system.

The winner of next week’s U.S. championship will get an automatic nomination to the Turin team. The other two women’s berths will be chosen by U.S. Figure Skating’s International Committee and probably will go to the runner-up and third-place finisher.

Nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan of Manhattan Beach is the defending title holder, but she has been hampered by a hip injury and has competed only once this season. Cohen said she doesn’t think her path will be smoother because of Kwan’s uncertain prospects.

“I don’t consider myself to have anything on a platter,” Cohen said. “Nationals are really important to me and a title would be very fulfilling for me, as well as the fact that I’ve never skated my best at nationals, and I’d like to do that this year.”

Here and There

More than 300 athletes are expected to compete at the L.A. Lights Rhythmic Gymnastics Invitational, Jan. 20-22 in Culver City. Competition is scheduled for gymnasts from Level 4 through Level 10. Details: www.lagymnastics.com.

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Pair skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who finished second at the Salt Lake City Olympics but got duplicate gold medals after a judging scandal was exposed, were married Friday at Banff, Canada. No, Russian pair skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze didn’t get duplicate rings.

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World figure skating champion Irina Slutskaya did not compete in the Russian national championships last week because she had flu, one of her agents said.