On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the 2026 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships began in earnest as the women took to the ice in the Short Program segment in their crusade to make the podium and qualify for the Milano-Cortino Olympic Games.
The field was extremely deep, with the elegant Isabeau Levito placing third in the Short Program, followed by the sublime Alysa Liu (sporting striking adjustments to her signature striped hair highlights).
But, on this night, these women were divine postulants. It was the final skater, queer Amber Glenn, who skated her way to the role of Mother Superior.
Glenn opened her program with a heavenly trademark triple axel, and the audience all but bowed to her majesty. She followed with an outstanding triple-triple jump combination and a huge solo jump, and the audience became a congregation. Cheering, waving of Pride flags and, yes, genuflecting, were evident in the crowded Enterprise Center.
Not only will this competition give us our 2026 U.S. medalists, it is also the final qualifying event for the U.S. Olympic Team, which will be announced in a special presentation on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. at Enterprise Center.
Ice is slippery and you never know what might happen, but Amber Glenn seems anointed to make the Olympic team. Her Short Program Wednesday night inspired worship. And the music she used? Madonna’s gay anthem “Like a Prayer.”
Amen.
— Coy Covington