MILAN \u2014 Amber Glenn rarely masks what she\u2019s feeling on the ice. The reigning U.S. champion can\u2019t help but let her emotions play out all over her face, whether elation or desolation. She\u2019s\u00a0 probably a terrible poker player, but a magnetic presence as a skater.<\/p>\n
Skating in Thursday\u2019s free skate, starting from 13th position after a disastrous short program<\/a>, Glenn strode toward the ice the moment her predecessor\u2019s notes faded away. Wearing her Team USA warmup, she looped around the ice as the many United States fans in the crowd rose to their feet and waved American flags above her. And while her poise communicated confidence, her eyes looked more than a little nervous.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Still, she tamped down whatever anxieties were within. She handed her coach Damon Allen her jacket, clasped hands with him, and then skated to center ice. And then her music \u2014 a medley of \u201cI Will Find You\u201d by Audiomachine and \u201cThe Return\u201d by CLANN \u2014 began, and there was no more time for second thoughts or anxieties.<\/p>\n The moment she landed her first jump \u2014 the triple axel, one that virtually no other female skater even attempts \u2014 the crowd at Assago Ice Skating Arena exploded in delirious joy, as if exhaling in relief. Glenn went on to skate a strong routine worthy of her skills. Not the routine of her life, not a perfect routine \u2014 \u201cthis close,\u201d she said to herself over a slight bobble late in her program \u2014 but a redemptive one.<\/p>\n She finished with a free-skate score of 147.52 to give her a total of 214.91, good enough to claim the leader\u2019s couch with 12 skaters left to go. And then she was left to wait to see if somehow, some way, it would be good enough to land her on the podium. It wasn\u2019t, as a flawless Alysa Liu took gold<\/a> with a score of 226.79 and Japan\u2019s Kaori Sakamoto (224.90) and Ami Nakai (219.16) won silver and bronze, respectively. Glenn finished in fifth place.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of what-ifs,\u201d she said of her thoughts while sitting on the leader\u2019s couch. \u201cI didn’t want anyone to make a mistake, but I don’t want to go back (stage, off the couch), so it’s very conflicting. I was just glad I was able to see such a fantastic event up close.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Glenn and her Team USA teammates Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito arrived in Milan two weeks ago riding a surge of nationwide popularity. The \u201cBlade Angels<\/a>,\u201d as they dubbed themselves, were a perfect trio \u2014 the heartfelt Glenn, the quirky Liu, the understated Levito. They\u2019d shown so much talent, so much promise \u2014 all three are national champions \u2014 that talk of a podium sweep even took flight. At the very least, one of them would almost surely break the American medal drought that\u2019s existed in women\u2019s figure skating since 2006.\u00a0It ended up being Liu after a flawless routine.<\/p>\n For Glenn, the first cracks started to show in the team event. Tasked with handling the free skate element \u2014 Liu had handled the women\u2019s short program \u2014 Glenn was uncharacteristically tentative, ending her routine in third place.<\/p>\n “If an average person were to watch, they’d probably be like, ‘Oh, it’s fine. Just a few little things (went wrong), but as skating people we know, there were many, many, many points left out on the table,\u201d Glenn said afterward. \u201cI did not feel or perform the way I wanted to. I physically didn’t feel great. My legs were feeling heavy, I was tired, I just didn’t feel my best, and I’ve been practicing here incredibly.\u201d<\/p>\n