That would be the junior world championships in February, though, not the big kids' version the following month that is the first step in determining how many women the United States can send to the Vancouver Olympics. At those worlds, the Americans will be, well, not nearly so formidable.

"I do trust our international committee to select the best team possible," said Ron Hershberger, president of U.S. Figure Skating.

Yes, but put a big asterisk after that statement. Because of age restrictions, the United States can take only one medalist, Ashley Wagner. With new champion Mirai Nagasu, runner-up Rachael Flatt and fourth-place finisher Caroline Zhang all too young, the United States had to reach down to the fifth- and seventh-place finishers at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday night to fill out the world team.

Granted, one of those is Kimmie Meissner, but she's fallen far and fast since she won the world title in 2006. Meissner struggled all season, and is getting worse instead of better. She retooled her free skate after finishing dead last at the Grand Prix final, only to have another error-filled outing Saturday that left her in seventh place.

Meissner is the first U.S. woman since Tara Lipinski in 1998 who wasn't able to defend her title.

"The last two competitions haven't been her best," Hershberger said. "But she's got seven weeks to concentrate and get back to the form that we know."

He hopes. Though the next Olympics are two years away, what the Americans do at the world championships in Sweden could affect what they can do in Vancouver. The simple version is the Americans want to keep the three spots they've almost always had at the Olympics, and how they do at the next two world championships decides that.

The more complicated explanation is that the top two Americans have to finish with a combined placement of 13 (fifth and eighth, for example) to preserve three spots at the 2009 worlds, which are in Los Angeles. If the Americans can only send two women to L.A., there's no leeway. Both will have to finish with the combined 13 to get back to three spots for Vancouver.

And forget about the International Skating Union giving the young Americans waivers for worlds. Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, the new pairs champions, are also ineligible because she's too young.

"At the Grand Prix events we brought this up and we were told flat no," said David Raith, U.S. Figure Skating's executive director.

The good news is if the United States does hold onto its three spots for Vancouver, there will be no shortage of talent to fill them. Nagasu was a delight this week, and just might be the new star skating has been desperately searching for.

She's a beautiful skater, and her performances have a grace and lightness that can captivate audiences. She's got the jumps, too, as well as a fierce competitiveness. After falling on her opening double axel Saturday night, she came right back and landed her triple-triple combination.

"Honestly, I had no idea what she was going to do," said her coach, Charlene Wong. "But I knew that whatever she went for was going to be a defining moment in her career. Either she was going to be a fighter or she was going to buckle."

Only 14, Nagasu's personality is equally charming. She had no idea she'd won because she didn't have her glasses with her in "Kiss and Cry," and gasped and clapped her hands when Wong told her. She still goes to school full-time (ninth grade), and is wonderfully grounded in a sport where skaters are often old beyond their years by the time they get their driver's licenses.

She freely admitted she doesn't feel ready to go to the senior worlds, and was still agog over a good-luck fax she got from Japanese star Mao Asada.

"Over the summer, my parents took me to Lake Arrowhead to skate there to be able to skate with her. It was really exciting," Nagasu said. "I was just wowed. I said hi."

And Nagasu isn't the only up-and-comer. Flatt's skating was as bright as the smile on her face from the moment she stepped onto the ice. Her routine had playful footwork, and she did seven nice triple jumps.

Wagner exudes power and confidence, and she's got the performance art down, too. Her ponytail was both costume and prop Saturday, as she swung it in perfect sync to the music several times.

Don't forget about Zhang, either. The reigning world junior champion wasn't exactly inspiring this week, but she's a lovely skater who will benefit from more experience.

"It's insane," Wagner said of the talent depth. "The next two years are going to be exciting for everyone to watch. That really helps us all because it pushes us. There's always somebody on your tail and we can never let down.

"Coming up to the Olympics, that's really what we need."