Tennell, who skating here in Skate America in 2017 and Stars on Ice in 2018, performed two of her entertaining Stars on Ice numbers: “This is Me” from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman and a newer program “Stay/Diamonds” by Rihanna.

Tennell inspired her fellow skaters with her powerful song choices, soaring jumps, and effortless speed and grace.

Appropriately enough, Tennell’s entry into Senior level Grand Prix competition came in the 2017 Lake Placid Skate America, where she was the third U.S. woman in the competition, alongside teammates 2017 National champion Karen Chen and 2016 world silver medalist and then-reigning Skate America champion Ashley Wagner. While most anticipated Chen and Wagner to be on the podium, Tennell skated two clean programs to win bronze, launching her from the role of underdog to a contender in the Olympic season.

Tennell delivered again at the 2018 U.S. National Championships, winning the competition, and was named to the 2018 Olympic team alongside Chen and 2010 Vancouver Olympian Mirai Nagasu. Tennell’s personal best score of 68.94 in the short program at the Olympic Games helped the United States win bronze in the team event. She rounded out the season with an impressive sixth-place finish at the 2018 World Championships.

Tennell said this past season was “full of ups and downs.”

She started strong with a win at the 2018 CS Autumn Classic International, besting two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia. A bronze medal at the 2018 Internationaux de France was followed by her second win of the season at the 2018 CS Golden Spin in Croatia, where she set a new season’s best in her short program.

At the National Championships, Tennell placed second by only a few points behind 13-year-old Alysa Liu, who landed eight triple jumps, including two triple axels, in the long program. After that, Tennell placed fifth at the Four Continents Championships and seventh in the World Championships in Saitama, Japan. The season ended on a high note with a win at the 2019 World Team Trophy, also in Japan, when Tennell was a part of the gold-medal-winning Team USA.

It bears saying that Tennell’s “downs” in competition are arguably better than most skater’s “ups,” and she seems poised to learn from her experiences.

“This past season went well overall, and ended on a strong note,” Tennell said. “There were definitely lessons to be learned.”

Tennell’s next appearance is in a St. Louis, Missouri ice show July 26. She is scheduled to compete in two Senior Grand Prix events next season, Skate America in Las Vegas, Nevada and Skate Canada, located in Kelowna, British Columbia. She will resume training at Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with coaches Denise Myers and Jeremy Allen, training her new programs for the upcoming season.

“My long program will be to ‘Cinema Paradiso,’ which is more elegant and softer music than last year. It’s a different choice for me,” Tennell said. “The short program is a surprise.”

Overall, Tennell aims to feel more confident and skate up to her formidable abilities.

“It’s a new season, and all I want to do is skate for myself and how I know I can skate,” she said.

The next major figure skating event in Lake Placid is the 2019 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships and Ice Dance International from July 30 to Aug. 2. For more information on Lake Placid figure skating, including ice shows and events, visit www.lakeplacidskating.com.