1985 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Following the retirement of Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano landed seven triple jumps in the free skating to capture his first national title.[1][2] Mark Cockerell, appearing in his ninth nationals, finished a career-best second, and Christopher Bowman moved up from eighth to fourth with an outstanding free skating.Coming off a fourth-place finish at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Tiffany Chin was the heavy favorite and won all three phases of the competition to capture the crown.[4][5][6] Second place finisher Debi Thomas became the first black American singles skater to qualify for the World Figure Skating Championships.After her previous partner, Burt Lancon, turned professional, 1984 Olympian Jill Watson teamed with Peter Oppegard to take the pairs crown.