Adam Rippon goes through everything that a figure skater has to pay for, from skates to coaching. USA TODAY
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The audience knew the performance it had just witnessed at the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships wasn’t very good and certainly wouldn’t lead to any kind of a medal. Nonetheless, the spectators cheered warmly. Some stood and applauded. Their ovation lingered.
Gracie Gold knew what was happening.
“I just think it was the story,” she said minutes later. “They weren’t standing for the skating.”
A comeback in figure skating is a rare occurrence, if only because careers are usually so short that they often end even before a skater gets that second chance.