Event Recap News - US Figure Skating

Event Recap News
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No Longer the Bridesmaid, Sasha Cohen Claims Gold in St. Louis
Three Newcomers Head to Olympic Winter Games in the Men's Event
Belbin and Agosto on Their Way to the Olympic Winter Games as Champions
History Made for Inoue and Baldwin in Pairs Free Skate
Relaxed and Confident Hyatt Wins Junior Ladies Title
Cohen Takes First Step Toward U.S. Title
Weir Graceful and Excellent in Men's Short Program
Moyle and Seitz Claim Gold in Junior Pairs
Orscher and Lucash Take the Lead in Senior Pairs Short
Weir Talks About Difficult Season
Rachael Leaves Rest of Junior Ladies Field Looking Flatt
Davis and White Win Coveted Junior Dance Gold
Carriere Skates Away with Junior Men's Title
Belbin & Agosto Step Out to Early Lead
Davis & White Mambo Their Way to Lead
Belbin and Agosto Hold on to Lead with Fiery Original Dance
Butler and Jacobsen Lyrical in Junior Pairs Short Program
Varner Outpaces Field with Clean Short Program
Davis & White Take Lead in Junior Dance
A Winning Night for Rhianna Brammeier in Novice Ladies
Cathy and Chris Reed Capture Novice Dance Gold
Paetsch and Nuss Hold on for Novice Pairs Gold
Halverson Victorious in Novice Men
Two Pairs of Siblings on Top in Novice Ice Dancing
Brammeier Floats Through Novice Ladies Short Program
Brandon Mroz Leads The Way in Novice Men
New Partnerships Pay Off in Novice Pairs Short Program
Skater News
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Czisny Prepares For First Time in Spotlight at U.S. Championships
Evan Lysacek is Back on Track After December Injury
Timothy Goebel Looks Forward to Last U.S. Championships
Kwan Looks to Overcome Setback, Earn Olympic Spot
Michelle Kwan Withdraws From 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating
Championships Due to Injury; Will Petition For Spot On U.S. Olympic Team
Healthy and Prepared, Cohen Sets her Sights on State Farm U.S.
Championships
Naomi Nari Nam Returns to U.S. Championships as a Pairs Skater
Event News
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Judges Scores From All Events Available
Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, Michelle Kwan Nominated To 2006 U.S.
Olympic Figure Skating Team
International Competition Selections, Including 2006 Olympic Team
Slattery and Lee Withdraw From Free Dance
Round Two of 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Fantasy Challenge Now Open
Michelle Kwan Submits Petition to U.S. Figure Skating for Olympic Spot
Changes to Schedule for 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships
Sept. 10 Marks Big Day for 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships
No Longer the Bridesmaid, Sasha Cohen Claims Gold in St. Louis
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/14/06) - Since 2000, Sasha Cohen
(Orange County FSC) has been the bridesmaid at the State
Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Tonight in front
of more than 13,000 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo.,
Cohen skated off with the gold medal. In the past her
nemesis has been Michelle Kwan. This week she was
tackled by the flu, leaving her weakened, but she gained
strength as the week progressed. Performing to “Romeo and
Juliet,” Cohen showed she would not die in the end. With
the exception of falling out on both ends of the triple toetriple Salchow sequence, Cohen had a clean program that
scored 134.03, giving her 199.18 total.
“I was a little tired, a little crooked,” Cohen said of the stumble. “I tried to hold onto it, but I was
a little out of my circle.”
Cohen’s program opened with a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination that scored a
GOE of 1.0 and 9.8 points total, her highest scoring element. Her spins and footwork all received
level 3s and 4s, and she received multiple +3 GOEs. Her signature spiral that changed positions
from skid to fan to 180 to half-Biellmann was given six +3 and three +2 from the nine judge
panel.
“It was really nice, and I made it to the end and stayed on my feet,” Cohen said. “It wasn’t
perfect, but it was good. After I started getting into it I started to enjoy it. There are always so
many thoughts in the very beginning, and I just had to get them all settled down.”
Last year’s bronze medalist, Kimmie Meissner (Univ. of Delaware FSC), took home silver
tonight with 171.04 points. After being fourth in the short, Meissner took advantage of the bonus
for jumps landed in the second half of her program to Ottorino Respighl’s “Belkis, Queen of
Sheba.” Although she fell on her double Axel (which was downgraded to a single), she landed
two triple-triple combinations (triple flip-triple toe and triple Lutz-triple toe), although the first
was flawed and received a -.86 GOE.
“Everything went pretty well until the very end,” Meissner said. “That was about the only thing
that went wrong. The flip in the beginning was really shaky, but I was very determined to do a
triple-triple tonight. I had that mistake in my short and I wanted to try and overcome that tonight.
I was a little disappointed because I don’t generally miss a double Axel, but I was very pleased
with my performance because I feel like I gave it everything I’ve got. I am sort of relieved. But if
I could, I would like to do that last element again. Overall I am happy with nationals because I
feel like I did the best I could.”
Emily Hughes (SC of New York) made her first appearance in the final group at the U.S.
Championships. Skating to Glazunov’s “The Seasons” in robin’s egg blue, Hughes had an up and
down free skate. A hard fall on her triple loop—downgraded to a double—and a double Salchow
with a flip out, cost her 6.6 base points. Her 165.72 total was 5.32 behind Meissner.
“I think I just got ahead of myself and I tried to recover,” Hughes said. “I did the next jump.”
Hughes placed fourth in both the total element scores (52.40) and program component scores
(55.21).
“The program was pretty good,” Hughes said. “I got over 100, which is one of the goals that I
wanted to accomplish. It wasn’t as strong as yesterday, but it was stronger than the last time. I
think that there is an amount of pressure because this is an Olympic year. This is only my second
(senior) nationals, and I thought that this was a great experience for me for the future.”
Skating in the penultimate group, Katy Taylor (Texas Gulf Coast FSC) pulled up to fourth place
in the free skate and fourth overall to win the pewter medal with her delicate program to “Forrest
Gump Suite.” She had the third highest technical scores (56.21) and her spins and footwork
received level 3s and 4s.
Bebe Liang (All Year FSC) fell to eighth in the free and fifth overall when she suffered back-toback falls on her triple loop (downgraded to a double) and Lutz. She also popped her first Lutz
into a single. Alissa Czisny (DetroitSC) had three falls and an underrotated triple loop that scored
mostly –3 GOE. While she did receive level 4 on two spins and her spiral, it was not enough to
overcome the jump problems.
Cohen, Meissner and Hughes have been named to the World Championship team in Calgary.
Czisny, Taylor and Christine Zukowski (Univ. of Delaware FSC) will head to the World Junior
Championships in Slovenia
Three Newcomers Head to Olympic Winter Games in the Men's Event
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Louis, 1/14/06) - It’s been a long, tough season for
Johnny Weir, but all that is behind him now as he
draped another gold medal around his neck Saturday
night at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships. Weir
(SC of New York) captured his third straight U.S.
men’s title in St. Louis, Mo., and picked up a coveted
Olympic Team spot for next month’s Games in Torino,
Italy.
Evan Lysacek (DuPage FSC) finished second after
winning the free skate while Matt Savoie (Illinois
Valley FSC) pulled up from fourth in the short to
second in the free and captured the bronze medal.
Lysacek and Savoie have also been named to the
Olympic team. It will be the first appearance at the
Olympics for all three skaters. Michael Weiss
(Washington FSC) fell to fifth in the free and is first
alternate for Torino. Salt Lake City Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Goebel (Winterhurst
FSC) had an error-filled performace that dropped him to seventh overall.
Weir had a sizable lead heading into the free skate, so the field had to play catch-up, and they
almost did. But it wasn’t enough to overcome Weir’s superb short program performance.
“Being a third time national champion is really an awesome feat,” Weir said. “I wasn’t quite sure
how I would achieve that after the year I have had so far. I am really, really proud that I could
win again, but the program today definitely wasn’t up to par with my previous two wins. There
was a lot that I could have done better, but this was by far the hardest year for me to compete,
especially after having such a strong lead in the short and not letting that get to my head. I just
wanted to relax and get into the program, which I did pretty well, considering it was an Olympic
year and coming back as reigning U.S. champion and all these other things that went on as
opposed to just skating today. I am very proud that I got through it as well as I did, even if it
wasn’t the best that I could do.”
Weir was actually only third in the free skate, and a tactical error cost him. His second triple
Axel had a wild landing. Weir hopped out of it and added an unplanned double Salchow. While
this saved the GOE on the Axel (he received base), it gave him an extra combination. The new
scoring system allows for only three combinations in a free skate. Weir had a scheduled triple
flip-double toe combination near the end of his four and a half minute program to music by
Tonchi Huljic and Maksim Mrvica, which was supposed to be his third and final. Because he
added that double Salchow, he had maxed out his combinations. The triple flip-double toe was
therefore given zero points, instead of the 7.5 (base) it was worth. All of his spins and footwork
were given level 3, but he was only seventh in the technical segment scores.
Evan Lysacek’s “Carmen” program was making only its second appearance in competition.
Despite this newness, Lysacek was third in the technical segment (71.36) and first in the program
components (79.08). He fell out of a triple Salchow and turned his planned triple flip-double toe
into a triple-single. It was not the program he had hoped to have.
“[I have] mixed feelings a little bit,” Lysacek said. “I am so excited to come in second in the
competition, but if just one of those minor mistakes that I made would have not been there, it
would have made up that less than one point to first. But I am so honored. The Olympics has
been a life-long dream. So, I know that I have a ton of work ahead of me as far as improving
program components and technical aspects of the routine, but it is work I have been waiting for
my entire life to do. I am anxious to get home and get back on the ice and get some more
difficulty in my program.”
Matt Savoie’s afternoon was a study in suspense. Savoie was the second skater in the final group,
and he had to wait until Weiss had finished his program to discover his fate. He had the closest to
a hometown advantage, being from neighboring Illinois.
“It is great, especially since so many of my family and friends are here, because I live close by
(in Peoria, Ill.)” Savoie said. “It is great to be in front of a crowd that is open to you and
appreciates what you do. I think everybody enjoyed the crowd tonight.”
His performance of “The Mission” was gentle and lyrical, flowing from element to element in
measured, soft edges. His only major error was a fall on his triple Lutz in the second half of the
program. He was in third position with Weiss still to skate.
“I am pleased with that performance,” Savoie said. “Obviously, I made a mistake and there were
some unorganized parts of my program, but that is the best I have skated all season.”
Weiss’ outing was the crucial skate – would he make his third appearance at the Olympics, or
would Savoie be the first alternate for a second straight Games? Unfortunately for Weiss, a
singled Axel and a two-footed quad deducted enough points to cost him a ticket to Torino.
“Had I landed the second triple Axel I would have been fine,” a shocked Weiss said in a press
conference minutes after getting off the ice. “I did a single. Sometimes that happens at an
inopportune time, but what can you say? I am certainly disappointed.
“I’ve enjoyed these past four years,” Weiss added. “I won another national title in between the
last Olympics and this one. I got a silver medal here. The past two years I haven’t performed my
best but I know that I still can do it. Tonight just wasn’t my night.”
Not only will the men’s Torino squad feature three rookie skaters, but two of the coaches will be
making their first appearances as well. Weir’s coach, Priscilla Hill, and Savoie’s coach, Linda
Branan, have never appeared in the Games as either an athlete or a coach. Next month, this will
change.
“I think Priscilla is more excited than I am,” Weir said. “Pricilla
missed out on the opportunity to actually go to the Olympic
Games herself because of an injury that took her out for that
season. Being able to grow up with Pricilla and know how
much she wanted everything that she could give me for me, it’s
unreal and it’s something that I will always be proud of – that I
can take her to the Olympics. And hopefully give her a good
show at the Olympics. We’ve grown up together.”
Weir did not let sentimentality overpower him.
“When I met her, she was wearing a beaver fur coat and a
Dalmatian Disney hat. And now look at her!” he joked. “So,
just the fact that we are such good friends – she is like my
second mother - it’s unreal. I am so excited that we can go
together to our first Olympics.”
“I feel the same way about Linda,” Savoie added. “I don’t feel like I am carrying her to the
Olympics. We have been skating together for about 16 years, and I know very likely I would not
be in the position had I not been working with her and all of her support. In that sense it feels
great that we can share that experience together and the same thing with my family. They’re all
going to be able to enjoy this with me.”
Coach Frank Carroll has had success in multiple Olympic Games. This will be his first with
Lysacek.
“Frank is my family in Los Angeles because I am all of the way across the country,” Lysacek
said. “We go through everything together, and it is incredible. He always knows exactly what to
say, first of all. I think he has been through each and every situation probably twice over. So,
nothing surprises him and nothing shocks him. I couldn’t be any luckier to have someone like
that on my team. And, then Ken Congemi and Lori Nichol are incredible. It is an incredible team
of people, and I think I am just so, so lucky. I can’t think of any other words that describe it as
well as lucky to have them.
Belbin and Agosto on Their Way to the Olympic Winter Games as Champions
by Daphne Backman
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/13/06) - Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
(Arctic FSC) proved once again why they are two-time U.S.
champions and World silver medalists with an expressive
and authentic free dance to flamenco music that earned
them a third-straight title and a standing ovation. Belbin and
Agosto’s combination lifts were complex but controlled
with effortless transitions and precise positions, while the
rest of the program was filled with intricate choreography.
This is Belbin’s first title as a U.S. citizen (she was sworn in
on Dec. 31, 2005).
“The title actually feels different for a number of reasons,”
Belbin said. “Obviously, the biggest is that we can finally
complete as two American citizens. We felt a great
connection with the crowd tonight. It felt really amazing,
because it was the largest crowd that we have ever seen at a
national championship for ice dancing. The ice dancing was
just phenomenal tonight. I would like to applaud all of our competitors, because I think it is
phenomenal how far we have come.”
Belbin and Agosto were named to the Olympic Team, as were silver medalists Melissa Gregory
and Denis Petukhov (SC of New York) and bronze medalists Jamie Silverstein (Arctic FSC) and
Ryan O’Meara (Coyotes SC of Arizona).
Scoring a total of 107.49 in the free dance, Belbin and Agosto’s total score of 215.29 was more
than 30 points higher than Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov (SC of New York). Gregory and
Petukhov skated to Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” and Vanessa Mae’s “Art of War” for their
free dance. They had good unison on their twizzles, and their lifts were controlled and executed
well, but the program lacked the usual spark.
“I had a rough skate,” Gregory said. “The music for some reason felt like it was twice as slow as
it did on the practices. So, I think from the beginning that it threw us off a little bit. We had some
little mistakes here and there, stuff that normally doesn’t happen. Usually, free dance is our
strongest suit, but nobody’s perfect.”
Jamie Silverstein (Arctic FSC) and Ryan O’Meara’s (Coyotes SC of Arizona) choreography
highlighted Silverstein’s flexibility and expression. Several of the lifts included Silverstein in a
split or Biellmann position. They finished second in the free dance and third overall. Silverstein’s
last appearance at the U.S. Championships was 2000 where she finished second with partner
Justin Pekarek. O’Meara was the 2005 U.S. bronze medalist with Lydia Manon. Silverstein and
O’Meara have been partners less than a year, so their third-place finish is testament to their talent
and determination.
“We really, really wanted this,” Silverstein said. “We were kind of afraid to say how much we
wanted it. It was just a victory getting here for me. I have such a super star partner that believes
in me – and our coaches – and Tanith (Belbin) and Ben (Agosto) deserve so much credit, too –
they are part of the reason we get to go to the Olympics.”
Morgan Matthews and Max Zavozin, the 2005 World Junior champions, skated to “Tango de
Roxanne” from the motion picture “Moulin Rouge.” The difficult choreography and expression
of the program stood out but was marred by a fall by Matthews at the end of the serpentine
footwork. They finished sixth in the free dance and fourth overall.
Skating to a fun medley of music by Michael Buble, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre
received a partial standing ovation for their energetic performance. They finished fourth in the
free dance and fifth overall.
2005 pewter medalists Tiffany Stiegler (Los Angeles FSC) and Sergey Magerovskiy (Arctic
FSC) finished seventh skating to a dramatic piece of music, “Notre Dame de Paris.” Stiegler and
Magerovskiy changed training locations to work with Nikoli Morozov in Simsbury, Conn., just a
few months ago.
Jennifer Wester and Daniil Barantsev (Dallas FSC), who also train with Morozov, entertained
the audience with a lively program to Russian folk music.
2005 U.S. junior ice dancing champions Trina Pratt and Todd Gilles skated an innovative
program to “House of Flying Daggers” and moved up one spot to finish eighth in their senior
debut. They were seventh in the free dance.
History Made for Inoue and Baldwin in Pairs Free Skate
by Michelle Wojdyla
History was made this afternoon at the 2006 State Farm
U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Rena Inoue and John
Baldwin (All Year FSC) landed the first throw triple Axel
in history en route to winning their second U.S. title and
securing their place on the Olympic Team next month in
Torino, Italy.
Marcy Hinzmann (Winterhurst FSC) and Aaron Parchem
(DetroitSC) were second and were also named to the
Olympic team. Parchem also makes the history books as the
first African-American male figure skater named to the U.S.
Olympic squad.
2005 pairs champions Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash
(Charter Oak FSC) could not overcome a series of errors
and were fourth in the free skate and third overall, just 1.16
points out of contention for Torino. Tiffany Scott (Colonial
FSC) and Rusty Fein (Washington FSC) were third in the free skate and fourth overall, winning
a medal at their first U.S. Championships as a team. Although they skated beautifully, Naomi
Nari Nam (All Year FSC) and Themistocles Leftheris (Los Angeles FSC) do not yet have
enough difficulty in their program and placed fifth.
“For me, being at my 20th nationals I feel like I have been at school for 20 years and tonight I
graduated,” Baldwin said. “I am sharing that with Rena, and I love her so much for being there
for me.”
Inoue and Baldwin’s Shostakovich program brought the crowd to its feet for an extended
standing ovation that saw the couple embrace in a long kiss in celebration. The four and half
minute competitive program was packed with technical content highlighted by the throw triple
Axel.
“We were working on the throw triple Axel last year but took a few hard falls and opted not to
do it last year,” Baldwin said. “This year it was something we were determined to do mainly
because we wanted to make our mark on the sport of pairs figure skating.”
After Baldwin turned out of the opening side-by-side triple toes, they put the error behind them.
Their second jump element, the double Axel-double Axel sequence received mostly +1s.
Although none of the technical elements received a full point GOE bonus, the level 3s and 4s
gave them a 10+ point lead over the next highest score (66.89 over Scott and Fein’s 56.28). Their
58.68 program components were also top of the field.
“Rena and I knew what we had to do tonight, and we knew that it wouldn’t be easy,” Baldwin
said. “We knew that we had to pull off the best performance in our competitive careers.”
Inoue has previously competed in both singles and pairs in the Albertville (’92) Olympics and in
singles in Lillehammer (’94).
“When I think about it, it will be my third Olympics which I think is truly amazing,” Inoue said.
”It is not like I medalled before, but it is hard to explain how excited I am to be going to my third
Olympics.”
Hinzmann and Parchem were first to skate in the final group. Their “Once Upon a Time in
Mexico” program—choreographed by Parchem’s wife, Zuzanna Szwed—was judged equal in
both technical elements and program components. Where most of the 18 teams had a large gap
one way or the other between the technical and component scores, Hinzmann and Parchem’s
were only half a point apart.
Hinzmann fell on their side-by-side triple toes, but the rest of the program was steady. Of the 117
remaining GOEs awarded, only two –1s marred the collection of +1 and base scores.
“Tonight felt wonderful!” Hinzmann said. “I was more than thrilled with our performance and
with our placement for Aaron. We just wanted to do what we had been doing in practice, and I
can honestly say we did that tonight.”
Twenty-eight-year-old Parchem was first alternate to the Salt Lake City Olympic team with his
former partner Stephanie Kalesevich. This quadrennium, he knows he will compete under the
five rings.
“I turned to our choreographer after we skated and I said, ‘I just don’t want Aaron to be the first
alternate again,’” Hinzmann said.
“All pairs go through ups and downs, and we’ve had our share,” Parchem said. “There have been
times when we have had to drag each other kicking and screaming through a season. But we
have stuck them out which is a real testament to Marcy with the injury she had, and I am just
very excited to be going to the Olympics.”
Leaders after the short program, Orscher and Lucash could not take advantage of the 3.24 point
lead they created Wednesday. Lucash doubled the planned triple toe in their opening
combination, Orscher put both hands down on the landing on the throw triple Salchow and
flipped out of the throw triple flip. Their planned base value of all the elements was 50.6, but
their score after deductions was 49.12, a loss of 1.48.
“We just did not perform to what we are capable of doing,” Orscher said.
“There are some days where you and your partner are just clicking together, but it has to be on
the same wavelength,” Lucash said. “For some reason we had to fight through every element
tonight.”
Four years ago Tiffany Scott made the Salt Lake Olympic team with then-partner Philip
Dulebohn. Now she skates with Rusty Fein, and Dulebohn stood at the boards to offer coaching
support.
“I actually did some research and wrote like a10-page essay titled, ‘How Tiffany can continue
her Success,’” said Fein about pairing up with Scott. “I was so nervous and embarrassed when I
handed it to her. I thought she would say no.”
“The main reason why I kept on skating and teamed up with Rusty was because I felt that there
were still things that I could improve in terms of my skating,” the 28-year-old newlywed said. “I
actually feel younger.”
The duo had a strong outing considering their short time together and Fein’s short time in pairs
skating, period. They placed second in technical elements, fifth in program components and were
third in the free skate.
“I think that we proved everybody wrong tonight,” Fein added. “They thought we were crazy
when we teamed up.”
The U.S. Figure Skating International Committee names Inoue and Baldwin and Hinzmann and
Parchem to both the Olympic and World teams. Orscher and Lucash join them on the Four
Continents roster.
Relaxed and Confident Hyatt Wins Junior Ladies Title
by Lynn Rutherford
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/13/06) - She trailed the leader by more
than nine points after the short program, but Megan Hyatt
(Wagon Wheel FSC) didn’t worry.
“I knew I could make up the points in the free program if I
went out there and landed my jumps,” said Hyatt, who
skated to a medley including music from the soundtrack of
“Mission Impossible 2.” “I felt very prepared. I just tried to
stay focused and relaxed.”
The Lake Forest, Ill., native dismissed all thoughts of her
disappointing fourth-place finish in the short program to
win the free skate with a sparkling, fast-paced performance
and win the 2006 U.S. junior ladies title with a total score of
139.96 points.
Hyatt nailed the jump she missed in the short, a triple Lutz,
which she did in combination with a double toe loop. The tough competitor added four more
triples and a solid double Axel, as well as a fine serpentine step sequence and a lovely layback
spin.
The 15-year-old skater wasn’t always so calm, cool and collected. A year or two ago, it might
have been a different story.
“In the past when I missed something, I would dwell on it. Then, as I got older, I learned that
doing that never helps. You can’t go back in time and fix mistakes. If you worry too much about
a fall, you’ll just miss more stuff,” explained the older and wiser Hyatt, who took up the sport at
age 3 after following her hockey-playing older brother to the rink.
Denise Myers, who coaches Hyatt with Alex Ouriashev in Vernon Hills, Ill., encourages her
pupil’s easy-going approach.
“We just try to get her to take one element at a time – not just the jumps, but the spins and spirals
as well,” said Myers, who has taught Hyatt for nine years. “If she just focuses on winning, or
racking up a lot of points, that will be less effective than concentrating on the overall
performance.”
One skater who always focused on her programs, rather than competitive results, was five-time
U.S. champion Janet Lynn, the Wagon Wheel club’s most famous competitor. In recognition of
her fine training attitude and strong competitive results - including a bronze medal at the 2005
U.S. junior ladies event - Hyatt was awarded Wagon Wheel’s Janet Lynn Award for Excellence
in Skating.
“I actually read Janet Lynn’s biography (“Peace and Love”) and was really inspired by it,” Hyatt
said.
Myers thinks her student’s award, as well as this junior title, is well deserved.
“I saw Megan’s desire and competitive fire at a young age,” Myers said. “Good things come to
those who work hard and show dedication.”
In keeping with her ongoing pursuit of excellence, Hyatt plans to increase the difficulty of her
programs next season.
“Right now, my triple flip comes and goes, and I would like to get it consistent so I can put it in
my programs,” she said. “I’m also capable of doing all level 4 spins, so I will also shoot for that
next season.”
The leader after the short program, Rachael Flatt (Broadmoor SC), settled for the silver medal
after a fifth-place free skate that earned 83.87 points. Performing to the familiar strains of Bizet’s
“Carmen,” the tiny (4’7”) 13-year-old hit a solid triple Lutz-double toe combination but fell on
the second jump in her triple toe-triple toe combo. Her large lead after the short enabled her to
hang on to second place with 137.45 points total.
“I felt comfortable with the triple-triple in practice here and was training it well at home, but
that’s the first time I’ve put it out there in competition and we all make mistakes. I’m OK with
it,” Flatt said.
Her coach, Tom Zakrajsek, said Flatt would definitely skate as a junior next season.
“Her placement here will allow her to get Junior Grand Prix assignments,” Zakrajsek said. “She
has to develop her skating skills. We want her to have a triple Axel before she moves up to
senior, and we will also be working on some harder triple-triple combinations.”
Melissa Bulanhagui (University of Delaware FSC) was third in both the short program and free
skate to take the bronze medal with 135.47 points.
The 15-year-old excited the crowd with her huge jumps and fast-paced footwork, which was
impressive despite an ill-timed fall that resulted in an automatic one-point deduction.
“I really enjoy doing the jumps more than the spins or choreography,” she said. “That’s why we
have the (triple) flip, Lutz and toe loop combinations in the second half of my program.”
“She’s a great talent,” said Bulanhagui’s coach, Ron Ludington, who laughed, “of course, she
has a little trouble doing her footwork; she thinks she’s swimming.”
Another strong jumper, Ashley Wagner (Anchorage FSC), was fourth in the free skate and fourth
overall with 132.45 points.
“I’m working a lot with a dance teacher to improve my (program components) score,” said the
14 year-old Wagner. “I’m also working on the triple Axel and I’d like to go for it next season,”
Juliana Cannarozzo (SC of Boston) climbed from 10th place after the short program to fifth
place overall with a second-place free skate that opened with a lovely triple loop-double toe
combination and included four more triple jumps and a strong double Axel.
Cohen Takes First Step Toward U.S. Title
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/12/06) - The largest crowd of the week so
far at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo., watched 19 ladies
fight for three spots on the 2006 Olympic Team next month
in Torino, Italy. With nine-time and reigning champion
Michelle Kwan sidelined with an injury, the possibility of
only two spots (Kwan has petitioned for one of the three)
available may have been too much pressure for many of the
ladies to handle. It was a sloppy event, with nearly as many
falls as triple jumps, but at the end of the night, three ladies
were the class of the field.
Sasha Cohen (Orange County FSC) was the star of the
night, scoring 65.15 points. Emily Hughes (SC of New
York) is second with 59.11 and Bebe Liang (All Year FSC)
third with 58.82. Kimmie Meissner (University of Delaware
FSC) received 55.03. Alissa Czisny (DetroitSC), 54.51, and
Christine Zukowski (University of Delaware FSC), 51.01,
round out the top six.
Cohen skated last year’s short program to “Dark Eyes” in a new gypsy-like costume. Her only
negative scores came on her triple flip, where she lost –1.43 due to a poor landing. She received
as high as +3 on her level 4 spiral and her level 3 straight-line step sequence. Her components
ranged from 6.75 for transitions to 9.0 for interpretation.
“I was pretty happy with that,” Cohen said “I really enjoyed the performance tonight, and I’ve
had a whole week of unknowns being in bed with the flu. So, I think I spent the majority of the
past five days in bed. I am really happy that I have been getting better, and I am really well
trained and this is definitely half as good as I have been doing in practice.”
The illness zapped Cohen in multiple ways.
“My transitions, my spins, my speeds were really suffering,” she said. “I just kind of wanted to
get from beginning to end. I have trained my jumps really hard. I am confident in them, and I just
didn’t really have the training and the strength to be 100 percent.
“When I came down with [the flu] on Saturday morning, I couldn’t even get out of bed. I
thought, ‘I have been taking every single vitamin and every single everything and I have been
going to bed at 9:30 every night – how is this happening?’ But, you can’t control what happens,
you only have the option of your reaction of what happens. Everyone deals with adversity, you
just have to handle it the best you can. From then on, I called every doctor, got every medicine,
vitamin, everything I could use – got to bed, had fluids and rested. Every single remedy, whether
it was folklore or medicine from the pharmacy. I tried everything – positive thinking – and I have
been getting better.”
With Kwan out, Cohen—who has placed second or third in every appearance at the senior level
of the U.S. Championships—is the heavy favor to finally take the gold. Cohen said it was odd to
compete without her main rival.
“It feels a little empty without her here,” Cohen admitted. “Ever since I have heard of figure
skating or been at nationals, Michelle’s always been a big part of the events. So, I definitely miss
competing here with her, and it doesn’t even quite feel like a nationals.”
Cohen was asked if she finally feels this is her time to shine.
“That is an interesting question and I have heard it quite a bit in the past few years,” Cohen said.
“It is an interesting answer to an interesting question. I have just kind of evolved in the way that I
think, and I have learned to enjoy it. I feel really lucky to do what I do and the situation that I am
in – I love it. And, I learned to become a better athlete off of the ice – that is where the real
training is. Ice is slippery; anything can happen to anybody; I have seen that at numerous events.
I am going to have fun out there and trust my training and not worry, because I have figured out
that the worry doesn’t help, and I hope my time is now. I just want to stay in the present and
worry about what I have to do.”
Emily Hughes skated about 8:00 p.m. and had to wait two and a half hours to see if her score
would hold up for second. It did, as Liang was short .29.
“That was a really good performance for me and really good that it happened today,” Hughes
said. “Since the Marshalls event in December I have really tried to step up my training because I
realized it was already December and nationals were so close. I felt confident coming into the
competition.”
Hughes gave a strong performance to her Gershwin concerto. Her only error was a wild triple
Lutz that she struggled to land before tacking on the double toe. She received level 3 and 4 for all
her non-jump elements, and all of them received a positive GOE.
“I just really wanted to skate two great programs because this season hasn’t been what I wanted
it to be,” Hughes said. “I wanted to try and skate two really good ones.”
The Hughes clan was in attendance to support the second youngest child.
“Five out of the six of us are here,” Hughes said. “Sarah is coming for the long program, then the
whole family will be here. I think it is great to have such a great support system.”
Bebe Liang was the last skater to take the ice and made it worth the wait. Of the 72 GOEs, she
received one lone –1. All the others were either base or +1. Like Hughes, her levels were all 3s
and 4s.
“This is such a big year. Obviously this is the right year to put it together,” Liang said. “It just
felt so good to have fun with this program.
“Having to wait (to skate) sometimes it can get hard, but it is good to get my focus and it trains
me to really keep my mindset,” she said. “I got to take a little break after my warm-up, but I felt
really good when I got back on the ice.”
Liang’s program to David Foster’s “Firedance” was a powerful outing that included a triple
Lutz-double toe, triple flip, and double Axel. Like in the short program, Liang drew the last
position to skate in Saturday’s free skate.
“I came into the competition just focusing on my goal to do my very best and I don’t have
control on what place that they give me,” Liang said. “I have control of what I do on the ice. I
know that I can do it. I think for the long (program), I am going to stay focused and not get
carried away with the short. I still have one more program to do. I will just ride on this and know
that I can skate this well.”
2005 bronze medalist Kimmie Meissner had a rough skate, overrotating and stepping out of her
opening move, the planned triple Lutz-triple toe. She was dinged –2.14 on the Lutz and given no
credit for the rest of the combination. She also received -.13 on her combination spin that had
messy transitions between the positions. Unlike the ladies above her, Meissner’s level of
difficulties were 2s and 3s, with a lone 4 for her flying sit spin. Meissner has been fighting a cold
that affected her performance.
“It is a little hard because I am pretty congested, so when I am breathing it is pretty nasty,”
Meissner said, “but tonight it was a lot better than in practice. I think overall it was pretty good,
but I can do it a lot better. I can do my spins a little bit better. But, I feel like overall it was pretty
good. I feel good going into the long (program).”
Alissa Czisny had two major mistakes in her program to Jesse Cook music. She fell on her
double Axel and it was downgraded to a single that received all –3s, giving her only .30. She
also fell on her flip.
“The program started out really good,” Czisny said. “I made the mistake on the double Axel and
that doesn’t usually happen. Then, I think I just didn’t trust the triple flip.”
The ladies competition concludes Saturday evening and will be aired live on ABC Sports.
Weir Graceful and Excellent in Men's Short Program
by Michelle Wojdyla
(1/12/05) - Two-time and reigning U.S. champion Johnny
Weir (SC of New York) distanced himself from the field of
17 skaters in the senior men’s short program Thursday night
at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships with a score of
83.28, a new personal best. Three-time champion Michael
Weiss (Washington FSC) is in second with 77.55. Current
World bronze medalist Evan Lysacek (DuPage FSC) stands
a point and half back at 74.03. Three other skaters are
within five points of the critical third position. Matt Savoie
(Illinois Valley FSC) has 72.50, Timothy Goebel
(Winterhurst FSC) 70.27, and Ryan Bradley (
BroadmoorSC) 69.33. Only three men will qualify for the
Olympic Team in Torino, Italy next month.
“I am very, very, very excited with how today went,” Weir
said. “With the way practice is going I thought I could skate
well, but not as well as I did. To score over 80 points is my
new personal best. I am just very elated right now, so thrilled with how I came out. It was lovely,
really. It’s me, so I skate however well it is going to go that day, and I never can predict
anything. But, I trained well. I trained well coming into this event and no matter how bad or
nervous I am feeling, I can still deliver a strong performance.”
Weir’s performance opened with a triple Axel with strong, fast flow out on the landing edge. All
his GOEs were positive, including one +3. He followed that up with a triple Lutz-triple toe that
gave him 11.43 points. His flying sit spin and circular step sequence both gained level 4s and his
straight-line step sequence received a +3. He received three negative 1s for his final level three
combination spin, but three other judges gave it a +1 and they mostly cancelled each other out,
giving Weir a +.01 GOE for the element.
The program components were varied, with different judges on the panel seeing the program in
extremely different lights. One judge gave scores in the 6.25 to 7.25 range, where another scored
Weir 8.5-9.0. The scores averaged just under 8.0, with the lowest being a 7.79 for transitions.
The audience in SavvisCenter was very receptive to Weir’s “The Swan” program by composer
Camille Saint-Saens, cheering him on throughout the nearly three minute routine.
“I can never really hear them, but I can feel it,” Weir said. “You can feel when the audience is
behind you. There is nothing like skating in front of a crowd that wants you to win."
Thursday’s short program sets Weir up well for Saturday’s free skate.
“Skating well in the short program always helps me feel good for the free program,” he said. “I
think when you skate bad in the short program you want to prove something in the free, and I
have proven that to myself a lot. When you skate a great short program, you want to keep the
same level and the same confidence level for the following program.”
Michael Weiss’ program to Verdi’s “La Donna e Mobile” proved the 29-year-old skater cannot
be discounted as a contender to make his third Olympic team. A two-foot landing on the first
jump of his quad toe-double toe combination netted him a –1.71 GOE, but the remainder of his
elements were either base or positive. His circular step sequence matched the music and was
rated a level 4. His final spin, a change-foot combination, was also rated level 4 and received
mostly +1 and +2 GOE. Weiss was thrilled with his outing.
“My goal was to enjoy this national championship,” he said. “I knew that this was my last short
program at the national championships. When I finished my program I just stood there for a
second and I found myself getting pretty emotional. I have been at this competition for a long
time and it has been a big part of my life. It was nice to skate that way with the situation we are
in. It is certainly a tight race for the Olympic team. I skated a solid program. It wasn’t perfect,
but I will certainly take it. It was just a great moment for me. It was enjoyable to be out there. I
have probably 20 members of my family here at the competition, and they have been with me
here for 10 years.”
Weiss cannot help but think about his chances for a third trip to the Winter Games.
“It is certainly in my mind,” he said. “The Olympics are the best athletes in the world. To be
related with all of those great athletes is certainly a great honor. If I get the opportunity to
represent my country again for the third time I will do so proudly. It is certainly going to be a
good long program. Everybody has been skating well this week and it is very competitive out
there.”
Evan Lysacek, who finished third at the 2005 U.S. Championships, had a fluke fall on his
footwork sequence. His level of difficulty was downgraded to a level 2, and he received the
required –3 GOE and the 1.0 deduction from his total.
“I am disappointed; it was uncharacteristic,” Lysacek said. “That was the first element that I
have missed all season in a short program, so, it is obviously very uncharacteristic. I can’t think
of another time this has happened. But, I guess it is part of the sport. That is something that is
exciting about skating, you never know what is going to happen – when your music is going to
skip or your costume falls apart.”
Lysacek also struggled with his triple flip out of footwork, receiving –1.29 GOE on the element.
“I got a little bit trippy and I couldn’t really recover from it. I just lost a little bit of speed I felt
like,” Lysacek said. “On the far end of the ice before that last jump I hit a piece of ice and kind
of lost a beat a little bit. I was trying to make up for it and I kind of lost my speed going into that
last jump and I was a little bit off.”
After skating to the Gipsy Kings this fall, Lysacek decided to return to “Espana Cani,” music he
has used for many seasons. This comes on the heels of him ditching his “Grease” program for the
more traditional “Carmen” in his free skate. All the changes and the problems in his short
program will not derail Lysacek’s preparation for the free skate.
“I am just going to go into it as if I did a perfect short program and keep the confidence that I
have had throughout this entire season,” Lysacek said.
Matt Savoie crashed on his triple Axel, receiving the mandatory –3 GOE and –1.0 off the total
score. He did not receive negative GOEs for any of his other elements.
“I am happy with the scores,” Savoie said. “It is hard to get truly excited about it. I am
disappointed in the way I skated.”
Savoie was asked whether he thought his scores were higher than he expected.
“It is hard for me,” he said. “I have never been scored under this system at nationals. I think
everybody is scored a little bit higher at nationals than in international competitions, so my frame
of reference is not the biggest. I don’t think anybody’s is.”
Timothy Goebel made two mistakes in his short program. He put his hand down on the quad in
his quad toe-double toe combination, and he overrotated his triple Axel.
“Obviously I was disappointed to make two mistakes in a short program,” Goebel said, “but, I
am four points out of third. Four points is basically nothing. It is certainly not over yet. The long
program is really the main program. It is very easy to make up four points.”
Ryan Bradley’s performace to “Zorba the Greek” earned him a standing ovation from the crowd
and a place in the final group in Saturday’s free skate. He had only three –1s throughout the 72
GOEs awarded, one +2 and the balance +1 and base. He had no level 4 elements, and only a
level 1 on his straight-line footwork sequence. Bradley was happy with his performance.
“It is really fun to be a part of this,” said Bradley, who was scheduled to have surgery on his
ailing ankle after the sectional qualifying competition but delayed it to compete in St. Louis.
“When the competition is this good you have to bring your best. I love that part of the sport.”
It has been a challenging season for the 22-year-old from Colorado Springs, but the U.S.
Championships brought out the best in him.
“I’ve had ups and downs regardless of the competition,” Bradley said. “I enjoy it more when the
skaters are better because it is do or die. If you make a mistake out there, you are toast. That kind
of pressure is hard, but I love it. Sometimes you hate it, but when you do succeed you love it
even more.”
The men’s free skate takes place Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CST and will air live on ABC Sports.
Moyle and Seitz Claim Gold in Junior Pairs
by Alexandra Stevenson
St. Louis – The junior pairs gold medal at the 2006 State
Farm U.S. Championships came as a delightful surprise to
Kendra Moyle & Andy Seitz (Arctic FSC), who, skating
last of the 15 teams, advanced from second after the short to
take first place by a sizable 8.89 points.
Moyle and Seitz finished fourth in the Junior Grand Prix
Final last year, behind Julia Vlassov & Drew Meekins
(Colonial FSC), who were second, and Bianca Butler &
Joseph Jacobsen (All Year FSC), who were third.
Their expectations were for a repeat of those standings.
However, halfway through their four minutes, they sensed
victory was possible.
“After the second triple throw (loop and Salchow),” Seitz
said, “we could relax a little, but we didn’t want to let our
guard down.”
Their coach knew the gold was possible. As they came off the ice, Adrienne Lenda was jumping
up and down in a frenzy of joyful emotion.
Their win is the highlight of Lenda’s career.
She explained, “I’ve trained Kendra for five years, through a series of partners. She’s a very hard
worker.”
In February, Moyle teamed up with Seitz when his long partnership with his sister dissolved.
“We’ve been training all year for this,” said Moyle.
When asked whether they would now move up to seniors, both partners looked blank. “We
haven’t even thought about that,” said Moyle.
After the short, they were a mere sliver – 0.03 points – behind the leaders, Butler and Jacobsen,
and were the same amount ahead of Vlassov and Meekins in what was a virtual three-way tie.
“Everyone is doing the same elements in the short,” explained Moyle. “The long is where we get
separated.”
Moyle and Seitz’s four-minute routine was built around the famous “Jealousy” and “Nu” tangos,
the former of which was used by Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier on their way to
Olympic gold in 2002.
M oyle & Seitz’s version was choreographed to snag the greatest number of points without
pushing their abilities over the limit, which happened to some of their rivals.
They opened with a double twist, which concluded with Moyle’s arms over her head on the
landing. That move was deemed a level 3 and awarded a +0.5 grade of execution, meaning they
earned 4.5 points in the first few seconds.
Six of their other eight moves that were awarded levels gained a 3. Their forward inside death
spiral was a 4. The only area screaming for improvement was the spiral sequence, which
garnered a 1.
This was true of several of the other pairs, including silver medalists Bridget Namioka & John
Coughlin (University of Delaware FSC/Silver Blades FSC of Greater KC).
Only three of their 13 elements were given less than the base value of the moves, and those three
negative GOEs were for minimal amounts. Their solo jump elements were a double Axel-double
toe sequence and a double flip.
Namioka and Coughlin, who took fifth in the Grand Prix final, climbed from fifth after the short
to take the silver by only 0.07 points over Vlassov and Meekins.
“This was a lot better than we expected,” said Coughlin. Her partner added, “I was so happy after
the short to be lying fifth. Our goal was to make the top five.”
Using music from “The Prince of Egypt” soundtrack, they opened the routine with a tap lasso,
which morphed into a carry lift that delighted the audience.
“It was a group 5A lift, which is the highest level possible, and we got level 4 for it, which is the
highest level,” Coughlin explained. “It’s the first time we’ve gotten a level 4 for this move.
We’ve been working on it so hard.”
Namioka added, “You have to hold the carry position for five seconds. We’ve been trying so
hard, but we kept coming down after 4.75. This was so great to actually do what we wanted.”
In addition to the 6.5 base value, they were awarded an extra +1.29 for their GOE. That pushed
their reward for this element up to an amazing 7.79.
That helped counter the deficit caused by Namiokta’s fall on the double Axel and a slightly
negative GOE on their triple twist.
They ended with a great flourish in which Coughlin lifted his partner up, presenting her to the
audience in a stag position.
Vlassov and Meekins were saddled with a 1.0 penalty because Vlassov fell badly onto her hip on
their third move – the throw triple loop – which cost them second place. They used music from
the soundtrack “Paycheck,” a movie they had seen on one of their many long distance flights to
her father’s home in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Kaela Pflumm & Christopher Pottenger (SC of NY/Dallas FSC) used dramatic music from
Camille Saint-Saens’ “Samson & Delilah” to retain the fourth-place finish they had established
in the short.
Butler and Jacobsen dropped out of contention after a series of errors put them in seventh place
in this section and dropped them to fifth overall. The mistakes were emphasized by their wellknown music, the “Warsaw Concerto,” which has served many skaters well in the past.
Orscher and Lucash Take the Lead in Senior Pairs Short
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Louis, Mo. 1/12/06) - A large roster, 18 teams in total,
took the ice for their pairs short program at the 2006 State
Farm U.S. Championships Wednesday night. Two berths are
available for the Torino Olympic Winter Games next month.
Reigning champions Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash
(Charter Oak FSC) were first with 60.65 points. Marcy
Hinzmann (Winterhurst FSC) and Aaron Parchem (DetroitSC)
are second (57.41) and new team Naomi Nari Nam (All Year
FSC) and Themistocles Leftheris (Los Angeles FSC) are third
(56.63). 2003 champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin (All
Year FSC) had two major errors and are fourth (55.48).
Orscher and Lucash are coming off a disappointing autumn
following Orscher’s broken left foot in July. They were forced
out of Smart Ones Skate America and finished sixth at Cup of
China. Tonight they showed no signs of the injury in their
“Egyptian Disco” program, hitting all of their elements except
for the side-by-side spins, which were off unison. They scored 31.51 for their technical score,
receiving multiple +2s on their double twist, throw triple flip, and overhead lift.
“I think Katie and I really skated well together tonight,” Lucash said. “Of course, every time you
skate out there you are together, but you are not always on the same plan. I think our minds were
in the same place tonight. I felt very comfortable on the ice with her. I thought Katie was
awesome.”
“I enjoyed skating today,” Orscher said. “I had a lot of fun. Our performance out there was really
good. Overall, we are really happy with how we skated.”
The duo isn’t thinking ahead to Torino yet.
“We have our title from last year, and we will always have that,” Orscher said. “Our minds right
now are focused on this week.”
Hinzmann and Parchem skated to Yo-Yo Ma’s “The Mission.” They received a majority of
positive GOEs with the exception of the side-by-side triple toes, where Hinzmann fell, cutting
her hand. Their lift received a level 4, the straight-line footwork a 2, and the remaining elements
level 3.
“It feels good,” Parchem said. “I am glad it is over with. The short is always a little nervewracking. In the long you can let it all hang out and just go for all of the points. You have eight
elements to do in the short, and if you miss one or two, you are in trouble.”
“We are really excited with our performance tonight,” Hinzmann added. “We just wanted to
skate for the crowd, and put together as nice of a program as we could. I am really thrilled with
everything and I couldn’t be happier with the placement and being in the final group again.”
The duo was pleased with their position going into Friday’s free skate.
“It is a great feeling,” Parchem said. “Even though she fell down, we skated well tonight and that
is what makes us feel good. We have another shot at it in the long, but overall I am really happy
with what we did tonight.”
One of the surprises of the night was the third place finish of Nam and Leftheris. Nam last
competed at the U.S. Championships in 2000 as a singles skater and won the silver in 1999
behind Michelle Kwan. She only recently turned to pairs nine months ago, and the team made
their first national championship appearance together this week in St. Louis. Skating to music
from “Xena, Warrior Princess” choreographed by 1998 Olympic pairs champion Oksana
Kazakova, Nam and Leftheris opened the competition with a strong program that showed a lot of
attack in the choreography. They received a negative GOE on their final three elements (the lift,
pair combination spin, and circular footwork sequence).
“It felt so good to be back out there,” Nam said. “I missed it.”
“We were definitely proud of our performance,” Leftheris added.
“We worked really, really hard in the eight or nine months that we had,” Nam said. “We
definitely pulled it together tonight and did the same thing that we do in practice.”
Nam said she had “unfinished business” that brought her back on the ice.
“I have a strong love for figure skating,” she said. “That is what brought me back. I took a lot of
time off and did the normal teenage girl stuff and I missed it.”
Her transition from singles to pairs was a challenge.
“It was a long--but short--nine months,” Nam said. “I knew we had our work cut out for us. I
didn’t want to come back into figure skating as a junior skater. I wanted to compete as a pairs
skater and be good enough to be one of the top. At first I thought it was going to be easier, but I
can tell you now, it is not. I have muscles that I never thought I had before. In singles you learn
your jumps and choreography. Here you have to be strong for the other person. The other person
has to be strong for you too. So, you have someone else to think about, too -- mentally,
physically – everything.”
“I think that is what is so remarkable about pairs, is that there is someone out there with you
feeling the same experience – the same moment,” Leftheris said. “You can look over and you
don’t even have to say anything. You can read each other’s minds.”
Inoue and Baldwin had a rough night. Skating second, Baldwin botched the side-by-side triple
toe, underrotating it and falling on the landing. The element notched only .53 out of the planned
4.0 base points.
“I wasn’t close to going down, I just lost my confidence,” Baldwin said. “It was the perfect jump
all of the way through and I just pulled out of it.”
Inoue and Baldwin have been trying side-by-side triple Lutzes for the past few seasons, so it was
odd to find the pair lowering their planned degree of difficulty.
“I have to do a triple toe, because I have a hematoma in my right toe,” Baldwin explained. “I
haven’t been able to jump off of it for two weeks. So we switched to triple toe, which is an easy
triple for us. But, not for me tonight, I guess.”
“It is always disappointing if you can’t skate the way you have been training at home,” Inoue
said, “but, at the same time, that is why it is called competition. Something different can always
happen. You don’t plan to do that, but you cannot go back to the past, so all we can do is move
forward. It is all a matter of how we can switch our minds and get ready for the next event.”
While the fall on the jump was damaging enough, Inoue and Baldwin knocked themselves out of
the top three when Inoue fell on the landing of the throw triple loop, sliding towards the boards
and losing time in returning to the Albinoni’s “Adagio” choreography.
“Everything was good, but I overrotated on the triple loop,” Inoue said. “I tried to stay, but I
slipped off my blade and I fell, so that is an automatic one point deduction. I am looking forward
to see how we can perform on Friday.”
Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent (BroadmoorSC) are in fifth, and 2003 U.S. champion Tiffany
Scott (Colonial FSC) and her new partner Rusty Fein (Washington FSC) are in sixth after a freak
fall at the end of their footwork sequence.
“We have the highest expectations for ourselves,” Fein said. “We both decided that we really
wanted to focus on the program performance aspect. We are pleased with our performance but
not so much with the fall.”
“It felt good,” Scott, a 2002 Olympian, said. “I think we are in a good place. For me, I feel like
our long is our strength, so makes me feel good going into the long.”
Weir Talks About Difficult Season
by Michelle Wojdyla
St. Louis -- Johnny Weir met with members of the press
Wednesday afternoon at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure
Skating Championships. Weir held court with two of his
coaches, Priscilla Hill and Sergei Astashev. The
atmosphere was light, with Weir putting on part comedy
show, part information session.
After his introduction, Weir gave a summary of the
troubles he’s had over the last few months.
“The season so far hasn’t been my best by any means,”
Weir said. “I’m looking forward to improving
everything. It’s not about perfection now. It’s just about
getting back into my comfort zone and feeling really
good when I’m on the ice.
“I’ve sort of had an impenetrable shell around me for the
past couple seasons. This year I started to let things off the ice affect my on-ice behavior and
personality. I wasn’t clicking every day the way I should have been.”
After spending the summer in Simsbury, Conn., working on his new programs with Tatiana
Tarasova, Weir returned to Newark, Del., and met with judges who critiqued his program. They
told him that his levels were not high enough and that he would not have success in competition.
Weir was forced to strip down the program and rebuild it to maximize his score potential.
A week and a half later, he headed off to Japan for an invitational event and followed that up the
next weekend at the Campbell’s International Figure Skating Classic in St. Paul, Minn. Two
weeks after that he was in St. John’s, Newfoundland, for Skate Canada.
“I never really had time to sit, relax and train,” Weir said. “I was just constantly playing catchup. That’s not an ideal situation for any skater to be in, just because you want to feel
comfortable.”
His second Grand Prix event in St. Petersburg, Russia, was better but not perfect.
“Finally, at Cup of Russia, I started to feel a little bit better about my program and the way I was
skating, but still not to the level I believe I am (at).”
Hill agreed.
“I think the hardest thing for Johnny at that point was he had no time to train,” she said. ”This
new system – all the elements – it’s probably the hardest it’s ever been on any of our athletes.
Not just Johnny, any of them. A week and a half of actual training did not cut it. Then, knowing
on top of it he couldn’t get comfortable or get ready, it made it more difficult.
She continued, “Before Cup of Russia he started to get more comfortable. After Cup of Russia he
didn’t have to do anything else, so he had the time.”
This being an Olympic season just added to the challenge.
“I think in such a pressure-filled year, every federation wants its skaters to do their best,
naturally, and bring home as many medals as possible,” Weir said. “They were pushing me for
my own good and for their medals. I don’t appreciate it on a personal level, but on a professional
level, it is constructive.”
Soon after, Weir said, he went into a tailspin, one that carried over and swept up his personal life,
too.
“Because my skating was going bad, I would come home and I’d be angry and I would not
connect with people the way I usually would. It wasn’t something I felt good about,” Weir said.
“I really got to see people’s real colors as well as my own this year, and I got to grow up as a
person. But to grow as a person, you can’t grow as a skater.
“It’s just been a real learning experience for me. I thought being at the level that I’m at, I’d be
past all that. It’s opened my eyes to the fact that there is always something that can tear you
down…and also something that can always build you back up.”
Weir’s long relationship with Hill helps gives them a special perspective on each other.
“Probably the most challenging thing is that he is as much a perfectionist as I am, and we both
want him to do his best all the time, and that’s not always realistic. I think that’s probably one of
the hardest things,” Hill said. “The best thing is that he’s such a great person. He’s really funny.
The opportunity to have been with him as long as I have, I’ve seen him grow up, not just as a
skater, but as a person. I will never be able to have that again, and it’s something very special.”
Thursday, Weir and Hill take will draw from their shared experience and aim toward a three-peat
at the U.S. Championships.
“I don’t shoot for just a medal; I shoot for being the best, and I shoot for being the best I can be
at that time,” Weir said. “If I’m first, second, 11th here, as long as I’ve done the best I can and
done everything I can at that moment, I’ll be pleased. It would be great to go to the Olympic
Games and the World Championships.
“As I’ve said a lot this season, I’m not placing all of my work and skated all of these years – the
blood, sweat and tears – on one event to make it to one other event. I’ve come back to be the
third-time national champion. I haven’t come back to be a two-time champion and a one-time
bronze medalist. That’s not how I play this game."
Rachael Leaves Rest of Junior Ladies Field Looking Flatt
by Alexandra Stevenson
St. Louis -- Skating first in the junior ladies short program
at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships, Rachael Flatt (
BroadmoorSC) got the event off to a terrific and graceful
start. She completed all eight required elements with a
softness and pizzazz perfectly suited to her Nessun Dorma
music, the famous “No One Sleeps” aria from Puccini’s
Opera “Turandot.”
Unfortunately for the other 11 competitors, she set a
standard no one else could match.
Flatt, who performed in a light pink sleeveless outfit, lies
7.73 points ahead of Ashley Wagner (Anchorage FSC), who
is second going into Friday’s free skate.
Skating first did not faze Flatt.
“I’d rather skate first than last,” she said. “I don’t like waiting around. I’ve skated first a lot.”
Flatt, who, at 13, is the second-youngest entry, confidently performed her jumps. Her triple flipdouble toe combination received the base value for the move (6.8 points), while the triple Lutz
got a slightly negative (-0.29) grade of execution (GOE) from the panel of judges.
Her double Axel, from an outside spread eagle, a move first performed by the incomparable
Peggy Fleming, was rewarded with a slightly positive GOE (+0.14).
Flatt gained the maximum – level 4 – for both her spins, and level 3 for both her circular-step
and spiral sequences.
Asked what she will be working on after doing so well, Flatt said, “Polishing moves and trying
for level 4 in the other two moves.”
The blonde, 4’7” Flatt, who was U.S. novice champion last year, attends school full-time, which
is unusual for this level of competitor. Her mother is a molecular biologist and her father a
biochemical engineer, and both place great importance on education.
Flatt’s coach, Tom Zakrajsek, explained, “Rachael does two sessions before school, starting at 6
a.m., and two after. Fortunately, the school is close to the rink.”
He also said that Flatt’s high levels were “a testimonial to her attention to detail, making sure she
does the required number of revolutions in each position in the spins and holding the spirals for
the required length of time. In competition, sometimes competitors’ adrenaline starts racing, and
they speed up their counting.”
Most impressive was the combination spin, which has countless positions and ends with what
they call a “victory” position.
“It’s the held-foot, high-kick position that Rudy Galindo finished his program with when he won
the U.S. title,” Zakrajsek said. “It’s just so associated with that incredible moment that that’s
what we always call it.”
Flatt said that competing under the new system is harder than the old one.
“I, personally, have to think about each part of each move,” Flatt said. “You can’t stop counting
or concentrating for one moment.”
Her closet rival, Wagner, is just 0.36 points ahead of the third-place skater, Melissa Bulanhagui
(University of Delaware FSC).
The 14-year-old Wagner was attired in black with silver trimming. She accomplished the same
jumps as Flatt, receiving the base value for the double Axel and triple Lutz but getting a slightly
negative GOE for her combination because the landing on the triple flip was a little scratchy.
The step sequence was executed with an exuberant bounce, with Wagner’s ponytail bouncing in
time to her music selection, which was a combination from the “Henry V” soundtrack and
Prokofiev’s “Romeo & Juliet” ballet.
The exhausting travel demands often placed on skaters are no problem for Wagner, who is an
experienced traveler. She was born in Germany. Her father, recently retired, was in the military.
“We moved nine times in 14 years,” said Wagner. “I think it’s better for my whole entire
experience because I’ve gotten to train with so many coaches.”
Although she lists her hometown as Eagle River, Alaska, when her father was assigned to work
at the Pentagon, she moved to Alexandria, Va., four years ago and has since been coached by
Shirley Hughes.
Hughes said, “She has done extremely well in that time because she’s a hard worker. She’s won
PacificCoast and Northwest regionals, this season as a junior and last as a novice, and the North
American Challenge (Skate). She does a lot of Pilates and a lot of dance in the summer, but when
she came to me she already could do the Biellmann position.”
Bulanhagui got third despite falling on the first jump of what was to be her combination, the
triple flip. She received credit only for a double and was saddled with both the mandatory minusone point for the fall and minus-three GOE.
“I was surprised I was third after falling,” admitted the 15-year-old Bulanhagui.
Her high place was earned by her high component scores and her final move, the change foot
combination spin, which was awarded a level 4 with a +0.29 GOE. That earned her a total of
3.79. That same move for Wagner was only level 2 and got a slightly negative GOE (-0.17).
Wagner received only two level 3’s, and her serpentine step sequence was deemed a level 1.
Bulanhagui’s high component score resulted from her interestingly choreographed, high-energy
routine set to music from the martial arts movie “House of the Flying Dragons.”
Bulanhagui went as far as copying the green forehead tattoo that marks the star female fighter
who wins against all odds. (Bulanhagui’s was a temporary tattoo.) There were lots of arm
punches and kicks, perfectly matching the intent of the music.
“One of the skaters (Traighe Rouse) at my rink is very into that, and he worked with me to make
it look realistic,” Bulanhagui added.
Megan Hyatt, representing the Wagon Wheels FSC, is fourth after falling on her triple Lutz.
Taking off the compulsory one point for the fall and the minus-three GOE, Hyatt still earned
three points for this move because she did complete the rotation.
Her combination was a smooth triple Salchow-double toe, and her double Axel was done from
an Ina Bauer. Decked in black and silver, Hyatt performed to “Canvas” by Keiko Matsui,
choreographed by Oleg Epstein and polished by Susie Wynne Barth.
Asked what took the most amount of energy in the program, Hyatt said neither the spins nor
jumps but “the footwork, because you have keep going all through it. You can’t slack off at all if
you want to get a high level.”
Skating after the ice resurface, Molly Oberstar (Duluth FSC), performing in a green-yellow getup, is fifth, only 0.02 behind Hyatt. Although she did it well, her solo jump was only a double
Lutz, and her spiral sequence was only level 1.
Katrina Hacker (Rye FSC), interpreting the soft “Illumination” by Secret Garden, also presented
a double Lutz and a level 1 spiral sequence, and is currently in sixth place.
Davis and White Win Coveted Junior Dance Gold
by Lynn Rutherford
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/11/06) - It pays to stay
together. Just ask Meryl Davis & Charlie White
(Detroit SC), the winners of the 2006 State
Farm U.S. Championships in junior ice dancing
Wednesday afternoon at the Savvis Center.
“We’ve been skating with each other since late
1997, longer than any other U.S. dance team,”
White said. “That’s how we’ve gotten to where
we’ve needed to be.”
All of the couple’s years together culminated in
a near flawless free dance to the dramatic strains
of G.F. Haendel’s “Sarabande (Prayer in the Night),” a program that started out at full throttle
and grew beat by pulsating beat. Neither skater put a foot wrong during any of the complicated
lifts, twizzles or footwork sequences.
The thrilling routine earned Davis & White a personal best 85.45 points, and the couple ended
the competition with 178.86 points overall, some 7.65 points more than their previous highest
total score.
“It felt really good from beginning to end,” said the 18 year-old White, who also placed ninth in
the junior men’s event. “The music is so powerful; we put as much expression into it as we
possibly could. Those were our themes for this nationals – expression and power.”
“We like the music because we can show emotion with it,” explained the 19-year-old Davis.
“That’s why we chose it last season, to prove we were mature and powerful on the ice. When we
didn’t make it to the U.S. Championships because of Charlie’s broken ankle, we decided to keep
the music this season.”
The next major step in their career will likely be the 2006 World Junior Championships, to be
held March 6-12 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The couple has competed at World Juniors once before,
in 2004, when they placed 13th.
“Going (to World Juniors) will be different this time,” Davis said. “The first time, we were just
gaining experience. Now we’ll be going to really attack our programs and show what we’ve
learned.”
Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (Ann Arbor FSC), who were second behind the champions in
both the compulsories and the original dance, were second in the free dance with a clean, fastpaced routine to the driving techno music of “Electric Samurai” from the soundtrack of “Kill
Bill.”
The creative free dance, which featured an exciting highlight maneuver with Samuelson
“hydroblading” under Bates, earned the 2005 U.S. novice champs 76.23 points. They took home
the silver medal with a total score of 160.24.
“It was a very good program. We kept our energy up from beginning to end, which is hard to
do,” said the 15-year-old Samuelson.
“This music is different from any we’ve ever skated to before,” added the 16-year-old Bates.
“Each season, we like to do something different and find new characters for ourselves to
portray,”
Unlike the two top couples, bronze medalists Jane Summersett & Elliot Pennington (New
England FSC and SC of Boston, respectively), were not happy with their free dance to "La
Danza Delle Streghe," Italian for “The Witches’ Dance.”
“Our performance was not so great; actually, it was pretty shaky,” Pennington said. “We just
weren’t connecting well with each other. We didn’t feel it today.”
“We were maybe a little bit too loose,” said Summersett. “But we’re very happy with our
medal.”
The couple placed fourth in the free, earning 64.88 points, bringing their total score to 145.02.
Kaitlyn Weaver & Charles Clavey ( Charter Oak SC and Texas Gulf Coast FSC, respectively)
placed third in the free dance with an elegant program to lyrical selections from Vanessa Mae
and Bond. They were fourth overall with 139.83 points. Skating to music from “Phantom of the
Opera,” Kimmerly Lauten & Augie Hill (Stars FSC of Texas) finished fifth in the free dance and
fifth overall with 135.91 points.
Carriere Skates Away with Junior Men's Title
by Alexandra Stevenson
St. Louis – Stephen Carriere (SC of Boston) gave a
glorious, vibrant, energetic showing of his four-minute free
routine to “Once Upon A Time in Mexico” to claim the
first gold medal awarded at the junior level at the 2006
State Farm U.S. Championships Tuesday evening at Savvis
Center.
His beaming smile at the end of his routine said it all. This
was his evening, and he rose from second after the short to
win with a huge 12.72-point lead over Jordan Miller, who
also advanced a place to finish with the silver medal.
“The whole week I have just been having so much fun,”
said the 16-year-old Carriere, who is from Wakefield,
Mass. “I think you have to have fun when you come to these things.”
Carriere was at the U.S. Championships last year at this level, but finished seventh.
“On Christmas Eve 2004, I developed an infection in my ankle, a bursa, so that was hard.
“Coming into it – as a second-year junior – I was saying to myself, ‘It has to be a good
experience second year’. I was just a little hesitant in the short program. I did my best, but I
really wanted to go for it in the long program, and I did that just the way I practice it.”
A factor in getting his stamina up is his running. Carriere’s time for the mile is 5:40.
“You have to slog through it, and it builds strength.”
Miller (SC of New York), 21, was delighted with his silver medal.
“I think (my age) takes the pressure off,” he said. “Because I was the oldest and this is my first
trip (to nationals), we didn’t have any expectations. There was no pressure for me to go out there
and perform. The entire goal all year was just to get to nationals and enjoy my time here. I think I
was able to do that. With the proper training, it all just came together.”
Miller is in his eighth season as a junior, but it was his first time qualifying for the U.S.
Championships.
His flamboyant showing, in an unusual spider’s web costume, to “Green Tomatoes” by Rick
Braun and “One More Night” by John Tesh and Phil Collins had lots of showmanship but less
difficulty than Carriere’s.
Miller is nothing if not persistent. He stuck with the sport even though he broke his right elbow
when five years ago he landed wrong trying to perform a double Axel. The injury left him with a
huge scar and a plate and a screw in his arm.
“My coach then, Peter Burrows, stayed with me, even tying my shoes,” Miller said. “In the
airport, even now if they have the security sensors set high, I set the alarms off.”
He has one ambition now.
“I want to do pairs again. So, I’m looking for a partner to do juniors.”
Geoffry Varner (Peninsula SC) sacrificed his initial lead of 4.18 with an ambitious routine set to
“Conquest” and “The Last Samurai” that contained mistakes. He dropped to third overall but
took his defeat well.
“I have never gone into the long being in first place. I have always been second or third. I usually
skate really well,” Varner said. “It was just a little different feeling going into it being on top.
“I take this as a learning experience. I always learn from everything, even if it is great, even if it
is horrible.”
The most stunning leap was staged by Daisuke Murakami (All Year FSC), who will be 15 five
days from now. He advanced from 10th after the short to finish fourth overall with an enjoyable
performance to “West Side Story.”
Craig Ratterree (Washington FSC), who came into the event as one of the favorites after a
second-place last year, was fourth after the short but dropped to fifth overall.
Austin Kanallakan (Broadmoor SC), who, at 14, was the youngest competitor, was also expected
to fare well, since he won a silver medal in this season’s Junior Grand Prix Final. He was fifth
after the short but had one of those nightmare performances where just about everything seemed
to go wrong and dropped to 13th.
Charlie White (Detroit SC) had to rush the 33 miles from the secondary Family Arena, where he
and partner Meryl Davis took the lead after the original program, to SavvisCenter to skate in this
event. He rose from 12th after the short to seventh overall.
Belbin & Agosto Step Out to Early Lead
by Michelle Wojdyla
St. Louis – Senior events began Tuesday afternoon at the
2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St.
Louis with the compulsory dance competition, and Tanith
Belbin and Ben Agosto (Arctic FSC) got off to a typically
strong start.
The reigning two-time U.S. champions finished first in the
event with a score of 41.57. Behind them are Melissa
Gregory and Denis Petukhov (SC of New York) with a total
of 35.76. Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin (SC of
New York) are third with 34.03, while Jamie Silverstein
and Ryan O’Meara (Arctic FSC/Coyotes SC of Arizona)
fourth with 32.26.
“I think the polka is one of those dances that requires a lot
of time,” Belbin said. “It’s difficult, especially being tall.
It’s difficult to get that quickness and that sharpness down,
and it’s just a matter of repetition. We could have had more ideal circumstances in preparation.
We were obviously limited because of Ben’s injury, but I think we did the absolute best we could
today.”
Agosto said that his groin pull is much improved.
“My injury is healing really well,” he said. “It’s almost completely gone. It’s a very long process
to heal that kind of an injury, and I still feel it every now and then, but it’s doing great. I can do
everything I need to do. It’s not holding me back.”
Of the 72 individual technical element scores, Belbin and Agosto only five were scored at base
value. They received two +3s and the balance +2 and +1. Their components scores were as high
as 9.0 for timing, and they received nothing lower than 8.0.
“It felt pretty good today,” Agosto said. “Of course, if we have to compete it again we’ll know
what we need to work on.”
“We really like taking the ice at nationals every year,” Belbin added, “but this year in particular
we feel like the fans have gone through something together with us, something very personal to
us. The phone calls that they made and letters that they wrote were invaluable in the entire
(citizenship) process, so we definitely feel a deeper connection with them, and it helps us every
time we take the ice now to know that there are so many people on our side.”
Belbin was happy to not have to once again face media questions about skipping the Winter
Olympic Games.
“It is certainly a relief not to have the discussion, at least to discuss it in the terms that we had to
in the past,” she said. “It is nice to discuss it now that it is all over with, and I can say that I am
finally an American citizen. It certainly is a cloud lifted off of our heads. We are glad that we can
now be identified with other things besides the citizenship issue.”
“I think that we are very lucky that we put our focus on things beyond the Olympics,” Agosto
said, “and the fact that we are eligible now to be on the team is such a bonus for us. It is really
the icing on the cake. We are just really looking forward to be able to qualify for the team and to
really go ahead and make the most of this experience.”
Gregory and Petukhov also received no negative grades of execution on their Yankee Polka
routine, and their program components ranged from 6.75 to 7.75.
“We did much better compared to the rest of the season,” Petukhov said.
Gregory was pleased that their scores were much higher than during their Grand Prix events.
“It showed that we are still improving,” she said. “They would have kept it the same if we
weren’t.”
Matthews and Zavozin performed in new Yankee Polka costumes, as this was the first time they
had performed the dance. They received only four -1s, with the rest of the scores going as high as
+2. Components ranged from 6.00 for skating skills to 7.50 for timing.
Zavozin stressed that the duo did not feel extra pressure now that they were eligible to compete
in the Olympics after he received his citizenship Dec. 30.
“You can’t think about it,” Zavozin said, “and we’re not the only ones who have it. We are here
to have fun competing.”
Silverstein and O’Meara had only two -1s in their technical elements, with components ranging
from 5.50 to 7.25. Both skaters said they like performing the Yankee Polka.
“You either have fun or go nuts,” Silverstein laughed. “The polka’s fantastic. You can’t do it and
not have a big smile on your face.”
Tuesday afternoon’s performance was a comfortable one for O’Meara.
“It felt calm,” he said. “Usually it’s such a frantic dance and it never settles down, but it felt very
settled and calm and relaxing. It felt like we could do eight more patterns. It felt great.”
O’Meara didn’t dwell on trying to qualify for Torino next month.
“We just came here to do what we did at Skate America,” he said, “just skate our best and do
what we’ve been practicing. Of course, everyone’s thinking about that third spot. Everyone
wants it. It’s going to be a fight for it, which is good because no one wants it given to them.”
Fifth place went to the new team of Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (Santa Rosa
FSC/Philadelphia SC & HS). Loren Galler-Rabinowitz and David Mitchell (SC of Boston) were
sixth. Galler-Rabinowitz and Mitchell were asked if it was more difficult to compete with three
teams being Olympic eligible.
“It’s a competition just like it’s always been,” Mitchell said. “We’re out here trying to do our
best, to beat as many people as we can.”
“I think part of the reason we skated together for so many years is our ability to work with each
other and focus on each other and try to the best of our ability to block out what’s going on with
other people,” Galler-Rabinowitz added. “We can only control our skating. We feel like we
worked hard, and we’re excited to show our stuff and, hopefully, this will be a good week."
Davis & White Mambo Their Way to Lead
by Lynn Rutherford
St. Louis, Mo.— Decisions, decisions. To samba or cha
cha? Rumba, mambo or a little of both?
This season’s original dance competition offered
couples a selection of spicy Latin rhythms. For Meryl
Davis & Charlie White (DetroitSC), who won
Tuesday’s competition at the Family Arena by a healthy
seven-point margin, the choice was clear.
“Our free dance is so classical, we really wanted to get out there and shake it up for our OD. The
rumba is great, but it’s kind of slow, so we are focusing more on the faster rhythms,” Davis
explained.
She and her partner were true to her words. They opened their program with an energetic mambo
to Tito Puente’s "Ran Kan Kan, ” then segued gracefully into a sensuous rumba to the classic
“Besame Mucho” before picking up the pace and finishing things off with another up-tempo
mambo.
“It felt great today. That was our best OD so far this season. Everything felt on: the footwork,
spins and especially the lifts,” said White, who spoke for many of the dancers when he added,
“The Latin rhythms made it really easy to get into the ballroom spirit this season. We practice
them on and off the ice, and they’re just a lot of fun.”
They’re also very adult, which might seem to pose a challenge to some of the teens in the junior
competition.
“We’ve both grown up a lot since last season, when our quick step OD had us out there being
more playful. Fortunately, Charlie is 18 and I just turned 19 a few weeks ago, so it’s legal,”
Davis said with a laugh.
The couple earned 58.06 points and enter tomorrow’s free dance with 93.48 points, widening
their lead over the field to more than nine points. Immediately after drawing the skating order for
the final, White hustled over to the competitors’ bus to catch a ride to SavvisCenter for his
singles’ practice. (He placed 12th in Monday’s junior men’s short program.)
“It’s still fun for me to compete in two events. Unfortunately, I made some mental errors in my
short program, but I’m hoping to come back strong in the free,” said White.
Davis supports her partner’s singles’ career.
“I think it’s great. I competed myself in singles for years, so I understand how it is. Charlie loves
doing it, and I encourage him,” she said.
Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (Ann Arbor FSC), second after the compulsories, maintained
their place with a sparkling OD to cha cha and rumba rhythms that earned 51.07 points.
“It all went well out there today. Our footwork was very good in both the diagonal and straightline sequences, and our lifts were clean. It felt good to execute everything,” the 16-year-old
Bates said.
The 2005 U.S. novice champions are especially pleased with their point total (84.09) and
placement heading in to the free dance competition.
“We didn’t really know what to expect this season since it’s our first on the junior circuit. We’re
still getting the feel of doing an OD and a longer free dance, so we weren’t thinking about our
placement here. We just wanted to skate well,” the 15-year-old Samuelson said.
Third place went to Jane Summersett & Elliot Pennington (New England FSC/SC of Boston),
who also chose to skate the cha cha and rumba. The couple maintained their energy throughout
the fast-paced program but encountered some trouble on several of their more difficult elements
to take 80.17 points into the free dance.
“We did fairly well, but our spin was a bit messed up, so it dropped down from a Level 4 to a
Level 3. We also held our (straight-line) lift a tiny bit too long, so we got a (one-point)
deduction. It’s hard to count during the lifts; we have to get used to practicing with a stopwatch,”
the 18 year-old Summersett explained.
Elizabeth Miosi & Dimitry Ponomarev (SC of New York), seventh in the compulsories, placed
fourth. Their steamy program of mambo and samba rhythms earned 43.78 points, and they head
in to the free dance in sixth place with 70.98 points overall. Kimmerly Lauten & Augie Hill
(Stars FSC of Texas) placed fifth in the OD but climbed to fourth place overall with 72.44
points.
Kaitlyn Weaver & Charles Clavey ( Charter Oak SC and Texas Gulf Coast FSC, respectively)
dropped from fourth place after the compulsories to fifth place overall (71.47 points) after they
hit the boards at the end of their diagonal step sequence and Clavey fell, causing an automatic
one-point deduction.
Belbin and Agosto Hold on to Lead with Fiery Original Dance
by Daphne Backman
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/10/05) - Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
(Arctic FSC) added to their lead with an original dance
performance that moved quickly right from the start with
intricate choreography and fiery expression. Near the end of
the program they charged into their straight line footwork
with confidence and precision, reminders of why they are
the two-time U.S. champions.They lead the event with a
total score of 107.8.
Despite having competed at the U.S. Championships for the
past six years, Belbin and Agosto admit they still get
nervous.
“I feel nervous every single time I have to compete, because
ultimately, our greatest competitors are ourselves and we
want to please ourselves – we want to please our coaches –
we want to please everyone who has invested so much time
into our skating,” Belbin said.
Agosto gets nervous even while practicing at home.
“Honestly, I get nervous before every run-through that we do back home in our practice rink. It
doesn’t matter for me – I always get those butterflies,” he said.
“We are learning with more and more experience how to use that nervous energy to create a
more positive performance. So, we are learning from that, but there is certainly no lack of nerves
here at nationals,” Belbin added. In second place, Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov (SC of
New York), skated a sultry dance to cha cha, rhumba and mambo rhythms. Their straightline
footwork sequence was fast with synchronized twizzles. They received mostly level 4s for their
elements, with the exception of diagonal and midline step sequences which received level 3s.
Gregory and Petukhov were pleased with their performances.
“I’m happy that we skated really well,” Gregory said. “Sometimes when you are sick I think you
concentrate twice as much because you don’t feel 100 percent. I think it worked today.”
A collision after the first warm-up group took the ice between Elizabeth Palmer (Portland ISC)
and Jonathan Toman (SC of Southern New Jersey), and Kate Slattery (Philadelphia SC & HS)
and Chuen-Gun Lee (All Year FSC) resulted in Lee leaving the ice shortly after the warm-up
began. Lee disappeared backstage and emerged just in time to take the ice with Slattery, They
performed second of the 16 teams.
“We had just finished an exercise, and I don’t believe Chuen and I were connected, and his back
was to another team and they were going by and the boy’s elbow hit Chuen in the face. When he
got up he was a little dizzy, so I had to help him up and I got blood on my hands and stuff
because his nose started bleeding upon impact, and then his nose was huge,” Slattery said, “So I
warmed up alone. I didn’t know what was going on, but I just waited. Valter, one of our coaches,
came out and said ‘We’re going to wait until the marks come up, we’re going to wait until they
announce you, and then you have two minutes, and if he can, he’ll come.’ I don’t know how he
did it because--He’s incredible.He did it! I’m amazed.”
Slattery and Lee finished 12th in the original dance and are in 12th place overall. Lee fractured his
nose but has been cleared to skate in the free dance.
Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin (SC of New York), remain in third place despite a fall by
Matthews near the end of their original dance. Their straightline sequence was perfectly timed
and the program was well skated except for the fall. Matthews and Zavozin finished fourth in the
original dance.
“We felt really good in the beginning of the program and actually throughout, even though I fell
down. Besides that, we felt really strong. We loved the Latin (music) – it was really fun and
everyone loved it,” Matthews said.
In fourth place overall by just .09, Jamie Silverstein (Arctic FSC) and Ryan O’Meara (Coyotes
SC of Arizona) finished third in the original dance. Silverstein looked incredibly happy to be
back on the ice and competing at the U.S. Championshisp after a five-year absence. Silverstein
and O’Meara skated a strong program with good speed to salsa, rhumba and cha cha rhythms
scoring 54.46 for their original dance.
Kimberly Navarro (Santa Rosa FSC) and Brent Bommentre’s (Philadelpha SC & HS) music
miscued, and they had to restart their program. Navarro took the opportunity to quickly grab her
earring that had fallen onto the ice and reinsert it into her ear. Their performance to Debella
Morgan’s “Dance with Me” became a playful seduction full of chemistry between the two and
included clever choreography. A loss of unison on their twizzles was the only problem marring
the performance. They finished sixth in the original dance and are fifth overall.
Tiffany Stiegler (Los Angeles FSC) and Sergei Magerovskiy (Arctic FSC) moved into sixth
place (fifth in the original dance) despite a slight foot down by Magerovskiy in their
synchronized twizzles. Their performance was otherwise expressive and captured the rhythms
well.
The event concludes with the free dance on Friday night.
Butler and Jacobsen Lyrical in Junior Pairs Short Program
by Sandra Stevenson
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/10/06) - A fierce battle is taking place
in the junior pairs championship with only six one
hundredths of a point between the top three after the short
program, promising a very exciting free skate on
Thursday.
Last year’s silver medalists from the novice championship,
Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen (All Year FSC) hold
the lead after a superbly graceful presentation to the “Pas
de Deux” from Tchaikovsky’s dulcet ballet music for “The
Nutcracker.”
The 5’3” Butler, 16, & 6’1” Jacobsen, who will be 19 on
February 9, said they had benefited greatly from their
international Junior Grand Prix assignments.
“It was a great experience,” Jacobsen said. “We went to
Andorra and Japan and won medals and then were sixth in the final. That took some of the
pressure off this event.”
Their coaches, former U.S. pairs champion Jenni Meno and her husband Todd Sand, said they
had pushed their students to work on their posture and stretch.
“We want them to stand up and show off their line,” Meno said. “The program is not about one
element. It’s about the overall impression.”
That certainly produced results.
But Kendra Moyle (Arctic FSC) & Andy Seitz (OnyxSkatingAcademy) are snapping at their
heels in second after giving a slightly flawed presentation to “Rhapsody on a Theme by
Paganini” by Rachmaninov.
Unlike the leaders, who played safe with a throw double loop, which earned a plus 0.50 grade of
execution, Moyle and Seitz dared the fates with a triple, and her skid landing was punished with
a minus 1.40 GoE taken off the higher base value.
That meant Butler & Jacobsen earned 3.50 points for this element, while Moyle & Seitz received
3.60. But what if they had fallen? Then the risk of doing a triple would not have been worth it.
Coaches are now having fierce debates over whether the system should reward playing it safe.
The blonde 5’1” Moyle, 15, has adapted well to her 5’8” partner, who turned 20 in December.
They only teamed up last February after the dissolution of Seitz’ partnership with his sister
Lindsey.
Undeterred, Lindsey found herself another partner. She and R.J. Westfall lie 11th of the 15 pairs.
“I wanted to go away to school and move away from home and spread my wings a little,” Andy
said. “But I was out there today cheering for my sister.”
In third place are the most experienced team, Julia Vlassov & Drew Meekins
(EliteTrainingAcademy), who were second in this event last year and gained the silver medals
behind a Russian couple in the recent Junior Grand Prix Final.
“We’re not disappointed,” Meekins said. “It’s virtually a tie.”
They were very pleased they received a level 4 for their lift in which they rotated first one way
and then the other. How had they got the idea to do this unusual and extremely difficult move?
“We read the rulebook,” Meekins said. “It’s down there in black and white. We’ve been working
on it for quite a while.”
The only other pair to get a level 4 was Aaryn Smith & Will Chitwood (BroadmoorSC) but they
sabotaged their hopes with a fall on what was classified as a single Lutz which resulted in a
compulsory deduction of 1.0.
Smith & Chitwood are sixth. Kaela Pflumm (SC of New York) & Christopher Pottenger (Dallas
FSC) are fourth, and Bridget Namioka (University of Delaware FSC) & John Coughlin (Silver
Blades FSC of Greater KC) are fifth.
Varner Outpaces Field with Clean Short Program
by Lynn Rutherford
St. Louis , Mo. – The often unpredictable junior men’s
event began Monday with the short program competition at
SavvisCenter. While first and second places are no surprise,
the skater sitting in third confessed to be “in shock.”
Expected to be one of the most competitive events at the
2006 State Farm U.S. Championships, three of the junior
men competing here placed among the top six in this fall’s
Junior Grand Prix Series, qualifying for December’s Junior
Grand Prix Final in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Two of them
medalled -- Austin Kanallakan (Broadmoor SC) brought
home silver, while Geoffry Varner (Peninsula SC) took the
bronze -- while a third, Stephen Carriere (SC of Boston),
placed sixth.
It is the third-place finisher in Ostrava, 18-year-old Varner,
who grabbed the lead here with a clean and commanding
performance to music from the soundtracks of “The Sculls” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon.”
Varner landed a solid triple flip-triple toe loop combination, as well as a triple Lutz and double
Axel. While his step sequences and spins were not as strong as his jumps, he earned a total
segment score of 57.58 and carries a 4.18-point lead into tomorrow’s free skate.
“I felt like I had great flow in my performance today. I’ve been training well, and I’ve kept up a
positive attitude. That was my best short program of the season,” said Varner, who relocated to
Newark, Del., from Discover Bay, Calif., in July when his father, a systems engineer, got a new
job. Once there, he joined long-time coach Barbara Roles-Williams and began training at the
University of Delaware.
“My short is to the same music as last season, but it’s a completely different program. I love
martial arts, and I’ve always loved this music. Since I usually skate well to it, we decided to keep
it,” said Varner, who added that he has been spending 40 minutes a day practicing his spins.
“Spinning has always been hard for me, but you need good spins under the new judging system.
Working on them so much – even as much as my jumps – is a big change for me,” he said.
Another goal, to gain a consistent triple Axel, remains elusive.
“I have landed (the triple Axel) in practice, but it’s not worth the risk to try it in a program. I’ve
been sticking with the triple-triple combination in the short and a three-jump combination at the
end of my free instead. That way, I earn more points,” Varner reasoned.
Less than 1.5 points separates the skaters placing second through fifth, promising an exciting
conclusion to the competition.
Carriere, a 16 year old from Wakefield, Mass., coached by Peter Johansson and Mark Mitchell,
sits in second with 53.40 points. Skating to Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn,” he put a hand down
on his triple flip, done in combination with a double toe loop, but landed a strong triple Lutz and
earned Level 3’s on two of his spins.
“It didn’t go as well as I had planned. I did a double toe in my combination, and I wanted to do a
triple toe. Otherwise, it felt good,” said Carriere, who called himself “a perfectionist.”
“I got the feel of the ice and the audience. Now that I have that, I think I will skate better in the
free,” he added.
The surprise of the event was unheralded Jordan Miller (SC of NY), the 21-year-old Eastern
Sectional champion making his first-ever appearance at the U.S. Championships. He took third
place with 52.67 points.
“I’m in shock. This is the culmination of a 17-year journey in figure skating,” said Miller, who
landed a clean triple flip-double toe loop combination as well as a triple Lutz and double Axel.
But it was his spins – two of which were designated Level 4 – that helped him stand out from the
pack.
“I’ve begun judging, which has really helped me learn about my own skating and figure out what
the caller and the judges are looking for under the new system,” said Miller, who has several
fifth-place finishes at sectionals the past few years.
“I also have to give a lot of credit to my head coach, Jeff Digregorio, as well as Ron Ludington
and my other coaches at the University of Delaware. They have me very well prepared,” Miller
said. “The program I did out there was exactly what I do in practice every day.”
Craig Ratterree (Washington FSC), one of only two skaters in the competition to attempt a triple
Axel (he stepped out of the jump, done in combination with a double toe loop), is fourth with
52.07 points. Kannallakan opened his program with a clean triple flip-triple toe loop combination
but popped his double Axel into a single and placed fifth with 51.93 points.
Davis & White Take Lead in Junior Dance
by Lynn Rutherford
St. Louis , Mo. -- Sometimes, disappointment is a powerful
motivator.
That’s certainly the case for Meryl Davis & Charlie White
(Detroit FSC), who took the lead in the junior dance at the
2006 State Farm U.S. Championships by winning the
compulsory portion of the event Monday at the
SavvisCenter.
“Last year, we couldn’t qualify to compete at nationals
because I broke my ankle, but you can only move forward,”
the 18-year-old White said. “It was disappointing, and we
are using that experience to spur us on this year
The injury, suffered while White was playing hockey, also
cost the couple the chance to compete at the 2005 World
Junior Championships
“All those tribulations last season have made us stronger this year,” said Davis, who turned 19 on
New Year’s Day.
Unlike senior ice dancers, juniors perform two compulsory dances at the U.S. Championships.
Those selected this year -- the Austrian Waltz and the Paso Doble – are worlds apart. The first is
a light, elegant waltz in three-quarters time, the second, a dramatic Spanish dance that has its
origins in the music of bull fighting.
“It’s enjoyable that they’re so different. You get the opportunity to change characters. It helps
keep your interest up,” Davis said.
“First I was out there in (black) tails, like I’m in a ballroom. Then I put on a big, shiny matador
costume, like I was going out to fight a bull. So, there was a big change of characters,” White
agreed.
He added, “My (paso doble) bolero jacket was (five-time U.S. ice dancing champion) Jerod
Swallow’s. We had to take it in a bit, but once I put it on, I felt like he took over out there.
Davis and White – who train at The Arctic Edge in Canton, Mich., under Igor Shpilband and
Marina Zoueva – placed first in both dances and handily won this portion of the competition with
a combined overall score of 35.42 points. Their paso was marked by crisp unison and good
speed.
“We had never heard the music for the Austrian before, so that kind of took us by surprise. We
started our introduction a little early, and that threw us off a bit. The paso felt strong and solid,”
said White, who is also competing in the junior men’s event here.
Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (Ann Arbor FSC) took second place with 33.02 points. The
2005 U.S. novice champions are stepping up to the junior ranks for the first time this season.
They are coached by Iaroslava Netchaeva and Iouri Tchesnitchenko in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“Both of the (compulsories) went really smooth. They were two good skates for us,” the 15-yearold Samuelson said.
“With the jump to juniors, we didn’t know how we would place. It’s our first year doing the
Austrian Waltz, so it’s a little tough for us. But we worked hard on it and felt really prepared for
this event,” the 16-year-old Bates added.
Jane Summersett & Elliot Pennington (New England FSC/SC of Boston) placed third with 32.03
points. The two 18 year olds, who finished fifth in this event last season, are coached by Iveta Ice
and Dmitri Boundoukin in Marlborough, Mass.
“Our paso was better than our Austrian, but we did a good job on both,” Pennington said.
His partner begged to differ.
“Actually, I thought we did better in the Austrian, but I agree that both dances went well. It’s
such a strong field, it’s very good to place third,” Summersett said.
Kaitlyn Weaver & Charles Clavey (Charter Oak FSC/Texas Gulf Coast FSC) placed fourth with
29.31 points, and Kimmerly Lauten & Augie Hill (Stars FSC of Texas) finished fifth with 29.01
points.
A Winning Night for Rhianna Brammeier in Novice Ladies
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/9/06) - A new novice ladies champion was crowned Monday afternoon at
the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Rhiana Brammeier (St. Paul FSC) won
the title with a commanding lead of more than 11 points. Blake Rosenthal (SC of Wilmington)
pulled up from fifth to win the silver. SC of Boston’s Brittney Rizo was third. Michaelee
Scarincio ( Saratoga SpringsSC) was fourth.
“I consider the short and long program completely different competitions because I do get more
nervous for certain ones, depending on how they went,” Brammeier said. “I took the ice and I
felt very confident because I’ve worked so hard on this program, but I was also very nervous. I
was like, ‘This is nationals! Come on, you can do it!’ I think definitely that I was peaceful out
there and it was really fun.”
Brammeier won both the technical score and the program components in her “Scent of a
Woman” free skate. Of the 90 grade of execution scores from the judging panel, only two of
those were –1. She received base or +1 for the other 88. She completed three combination jumps,
a triple Salchow-double toe, double Axel-double toe, and double flip-double loop. She and Rizo
were the only ladies to complete a triple loop, Brammeier receiving .29 GOE for the move. Her
other triple was a solo Salchow. Her levels were high, with three 3s and a level 4 layback spin
that pulled up into a Biellmann. Brammeier has focused a lot of attention on her spins.
“I’ve worked really hard all year,” she said. “When you’re in competition and the adrenaline’s
going, you always want to count faster. I’m like ‘1-2---hold, hold a little longer—OK, go!’ You
kind of learn with the music, too, where the spin should end. You have to keep counting.”
Rosenthal had a busy day. This morning she competed two junior compulsory dances with
partner Calvin Taylor over at SavvisCenter and then made her way to Family Arena to win the
silver in novice ladies with her “Scheherazade” program.
“She did great!” Taylor, who attended the ladies event, said. “I was hoping she was going to
medal and place well, but this is awesome! She had both events today but she had her times
arranged. Everything was separated. It didn’t make anything complicated on us. We met up
when we had to meet up. We got everything done. Obviously she did something right!”
“Something right” included four triple jumps, two of them in combination. Her triple Salchow
and triple toe both received base scores. Her triple flip-double toe took a slight hit of -.29 and
hopping on the end of a triple Salchow-double toe-double loop lost her a full point. Her spins and
footwork levels ranged from 2 to 4. Rosenthal was pleased with her effort.
“It [doing dance and singles] was kind of hard, but I do both every day, and I do runthroughs of
all of everything everyday so it isn’t really that bad,” she said.
But second place was not expected.
“I just wanted to skate my best and whatever would happen would happen. I thought it was really
good. I was really happy during it. I was just excited to be here. It felt good. I felt ready. I
probably could have gone a little faster, but it was still good.”
Karl Kurtz, her coach, had praise for his skater.
“I was thrilled,” he said. “I thought she paced herself really well through the program. We had
talked about that, and I thought she just took one thing at a time and finished it off really well. It
just kind of flowed element to element. I thought it was a really nice performance. I was
extremely pleased as a coach.”
Although Rosenthal wasn’t sure if she would call it a personal best, Kurtz thought it was.
“I would say that [it was] because we put the double Axel-double loop and the triple Sal-double
toe-double loop in the second half of the program, and those were upgrades from Easterns, from
sectionals. So we challenged and she stepped up,” he said.
Pulling double duty in ice dancing and singles is a plus for Rosenthal.
“I think dance helps a lot because it’s good to get into your knees and especially with the new
judging system, with the footwork you really have to be on edges and it’s good because I know
what to do,” she said. “I know how to be in all the right positions.”
Brittney Rizo pulled up to third with her “Don Juan DeMarco” program.
“I just tried to do the best I could that day,” Rizo said.
She had been struggling with a sinus infection and just had gotten her voice back today.
“I felt awesome,” she said. “Because I got the first few jumps down, I was like all right. And
then going into my last jump, I was like OK, you can do this. And this was *thump* NO! But I
was like, whatever, I’m just going to have fun the rest of the time.”
After completing four clean triples (loop, toe, Salchow-double toe, and triple toe-double toe),
Rizo headed down the ice for her final triple. Her Salchow went up, but she missed the landing
and fell.
“I was thinking ahead of myself,” Rizo said.
Scarincio had multiple errors in her free skate that place her in sixth in that portion and fourth
overall.
One of the perks of being U.S. champion is participating in the exhibitions live on Sunday.
“That hit me a little while ago,” Brammeier said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, going out
there and being in spotlights and being on TV. It’s just everything that I’ve worked so hard for.
I’m really excited.”
Brammeier has never performed in front of such a large audience, but she’s attended shows and
draws her inspiration from a former novice silver medalist, Olympic champion Tara Lipinski.
“Going to Stars on Ice and seeing Tara Lipinski out there and seeing all the people and how she
relates to the audience, it’s so incredible. I really want to portray that and really do that also. I
think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m still deciding if I want to do my short program or if I just
want to make it up. I’m kind of leaning toward making it up.”
Tune into your local ABC station Sunday afternoon to find out!
Cathy and Chris Reed Capture Novice Dance Gold
by Daphne Backman
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/9/05) - Cathy Reed and Chris Reed (SC of
Morris) performed an innovative program to the music
“Concierto de Aranjuez” to win the gold medal in novice ice
dancing Monday afternoon at Family Arena.
Their performance included intricate choreography and several
lifts in which Cathy held her skate blade to her head. The Reeds
training environment contains several senior teams including
the reigning World silver medalists, Elena Grushina and Ruslan
Goncharov.
“It’s a great opportunity to train with all those senior teams,”
Cathy said. “We see them and train with them every day, doing
their compulsories. They’re so fast. It’s a great opportunity.”
Reed and Reed are excited to be able to attend the Team 2010
novice training this week and to take part in the championships
exhibition.
“We will be skating our free dance at the exhibition,” Cathy said.
Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell (Ann Arbor FSC) skated a strong, expressive program to
a tango medley and missed the gold by just more than one point, possibly due to a problem on
their dance spin. Their tango music was dramatic and powerful.
“We always really like dramatic music,” Madison said. “Our coaches picked it out and we liked
it.”
”Our coaches spend a lot of time looking for music to find something original,” said Keiffer.
Samantha Tomarchio (Columbia FSC) & Nicholas Sinchak (Bowie FSC) skated a dramatic
interpretation to “Carmen.” This program was special to them as their coach, Genrikh Sretenski,
had skated to this music when he was competing.
“Even though I try my hardest to portray it like he did it, but I mean he took the play from
beginning the end,” Sinchak said. “The beginning with love and then when they got in a fight
and until he killed her.”
Tomarchio agreed.
“He (Sretenski) really made the story come alive and when I’m doing it, I feel, especially the last
part of our free dance I get chills. It feels like I’m Carmen.”
As for next season, Tomarchio and Sinchak will move up to junior and are looking forward to
creating a new free dance and for the first time an original dance, with their coach.
Finishing in fourth, Michelle Pennington and Brad Coulter, a new team this season, performed to
music from Cirque du Soleil. Pennington moved to Dallas to train with Coulter under Warren
and Olivia Maxwell. Pennington and Coulter’s free dance was choreographed by Ruslan
Goncharov.
“It was amazing," Coulter said. "Just wearing their costumes and having lessons from them was
just incredible."
“We’re so excited to be here at this competition,” said Pennington.
Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux finished fifth. Wingle last competed at the U.S.
Championships in 2003, when she and then partner, James Warren, won the bronze medal.
Devereaux finished fifth at the 2005 U.S. Junior Championships at the juvenile level with
Elizabeth Susko.
Paetsch and Nuss Hold on for Novice Pairs Gold
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/9/06) - Novice pairs concluded today at Family Arena at the 2006 State
Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Twelve-year-old Jessica Rose Paetsch and 18-yearold Jon Nuss ( BroadmoorSC) extended their lead after the short program to capture the title.
Andrea Best and Trevor Young ( Detroit SC) remained in second. Tracy Tanovich and Michael
Chau (Southwest Florida FSC) moved up one spot for bronze. Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay
( Univ. of Delaware) fell one spot to fourth.
Paetsch and Nuss had the highest technical score, 42.30 and were the only team to reach the 50s,
receiving 52.66 for components. Their total 94.92 – combined with their short program score for
139.39 – established the inaugural novice championship pairs benchmark at the U.S.
Championships under the new judging system.
“I thought it went great,” Nuss said. “The twist I guess just set the tone for the rest of the
program.”
Skating to “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Paetsch and Nuss opened with high energy and excellent speed.
Their double twist looked high enough to have room for a triple, and it received all +1 and +2.
Both throws, the double loop and double Salchow, were big with good flow on the landings and
received positive GOEs of .5 and .36, respectively. They chose the unusual side-by-side double
Lutz-double Salchow sequence as well as side-by-side double flips. A star lift that saw Paetsch
rotate until her back was parallel to the ice drew gasps from the crowd and a level 3 from the
judges. Their forward inside death spiral was rated a level 4.
With the exception of their spins, which still don’t have the unison they need, the program
looked secure. The duo skates with confidence and nonstop attack.
“I bugged him [Nuss] for about two years and finally I said I have this little girl, she’s a
dynamite skater, great singles skater, just try her out for a week,” said their coach Dalilah
Sappenfield. “And he loved it. The rest is history. They have great chemistry and are great to
work with.”
Best and Young, 17 and 18, respectively, were third in the free skate. They scored 39.10 for
technical elements and 44.38 for components, with a –1 deduction for her fall on the second half
of their double Lutz-double toe combination, giving them 82.48 total.
“We got all three lifts in the program, which is something we’ve struggled with in the past,”
Young said. “One of the worst things we did was our side-by-side jumps, which are usually
really good, but we struggled today.”
Performing to “Mask of Zorro,” Best and Young did attempt the most difficult side-by-side jump
in the event, the double Axel, but he fell out and she touched down. She two-footed the throw
triple Salchow, but the throw double flip was clean, receiving the base mark of 3.3. The
highlights of their performance were the straight line footwork sequence, done very close to each
other and in good unison, their level 3 twist and the level 4 death spiral.
Tanovich, only 9 years old, and her 15-year-old partner, Michael Chau, were second in the free
with 38.29/47.74 for 86.03. This pulled them up to third overall. Their program to “SwanLake”
came complete with delicately flapping arms by the precocious Tanovich, who doesn’t let age
stand in the way of selling the ballet on ice.
The couple had high levels of difficulty, pulling 4s on their pair combination spin and forward
inside death spiral, and level 3s on the majority of the remaining elements. The only major flaw
was the side-by-side double loop-double loop sequence being downgraded to two single loops
because of her cheated technique. Their highest single element was the level 3 lift that opened
the program, receiving 5.93 points.
The pair joined forces about 18 months ago and are under the watchful eye of Kerry Leitch.
Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay tried the most difficult program of all the teams, but miscues
cost them. A fluke fall on their death spiral netted zero points, and half the elements received
negative GOEs.
Halverson Victorious in Novice Men
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/9/06) - Once in a while, a novice
program will be performed with such quality of technique and
unabashed enthusiasm and grace that the audience will be
brought to its feet. Today at the Family Arena outside St.
Louis, Mo., Eliot Halverson (St. Paul FSC) did just that.
Skating the performance of his life, Halverson captured the
first gold medal awarded at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure
Skating Championships, taking the novice men’s title.
“I’ve been giving 100 percent all year,” Halverson said. “I
don’t know if I’m surprised, I’m just happy and excited.”
Halverson (pictured), who was born in Bogota, Columbia, but
calls St. Paul, Minn., his home, performed a technically
excellent and energetic program to Hungarian and Russian
folk music. He opened with a triple Lutz-triple toe
(downgraded by the judges to a double toe) that was followed
by a huge smile. Halverson was on, completing triple flip-double toe, and the triple loop-double
loop-double loop combination, the latter being his highest scoring element, gaining him 8.0
points. His solo triple jumps included the Salchow and flip, plus a back Biellmann spiral into
triple Lutz. At times his feet seemed to skip across the ice as he rounded out the program with
fleet footwork and a final Biellmann combination spin. He scored the highest technical element
score (52.65) and combined with 51.68 for program components, his 104.30 in the free gave him
150.99 overall.
“I paced myself really well, took breaths when I needed to, and I was definitely happy
throughout the whole thing. Every thing went exactly as planned,” Halverson said. “I was really
relaxed and not as nervous as yesterday. I took my time and couldn’t have asked for a better
outcome.”
Skating under the new judging system is a plus for Halverson.
“I think I’m real lyrical skater,” he said. “I like to get into the music and the new system honors
that and acknowledges that, so I think it’s benefited me a lot. That’s what I really love about
skating, getting into the character of the music and telling a story when I’m on the ice. I hope the
judges and audience can see that.”
Halverson looked forward to seeing what the future holds.
“We’ve paced my training throughout my whole career. We are on track,” he said. “I want to go
much further and this is just the beginning. I’m going to move up to juniors and planning on
making it to nationals again.”
St. Louis’ own Brandon Mroz, who trains in Colorado Springs at the Broadmoor, won the silver
medal with 51.42/47.63/99.05 in the free and 148.73 overall. Dressed in black with bright
lightning bolts, Mroz performed to music from “The Incredibles.” His tight, quick rotations
helped him turn two triple-triple combinations, triple Lutz-triple toe (gaining a +.86 GOE) and
triple flip-triple toe (downgraded to a double toe). His third combination was a triple Salchowdouble toe, and he performed a hydroblade into triple loop.
His second spin was given no credit because it was called as a second combination spin. Mroz
did his flying spin as his final element but did not perform his required one position spin.
“I might have done better with my spins, keep those a little bit faster,” Mroz said. “I’m a little
disappointed, but it gives me things to work on.”
Overall, Mroz was happy with his competition.
“I like the support from everyone,” he said. “I had family and friends out there. Felt really good.
Personal-best score, so I was pleased.”
Curran Oi (SC of Boston) pulled up from fifth in the short to second in the free and third overall.
Skating to music from the “Robin Hood” soundtrack, Oi opened immediately with a triple loop
but then struggled on the triple Lutz-triple toe combination, falling on the toe.
“I was just trying to get back on my feet and keep everything else strong in the program,” Oi
said.
His edges and extension were smooth and held, showing the influence of coaches Mark Mitchell
and Peter Johansson. In the middle of the program, Oi showed off a series of spread eagles on
deep edges. His awareness of the choreography showed in moves like a split jump on the
crescendo of the music.
Oi felt it was a satisfactory way to end his season.
“I feel very good,” Oi said. “I’ve had a tough, tough past year, and it’s been great to go out and
give a great performance.”
The pewter medal was won by Scott Dyer (Columbia FSC of Maryland) who interpreted Grieg’s
Piano Concerto in A Minor. Dyer set the mood from the opening note, using a series of
edgework to show his control. His first jump was a big double Axel followed by a triple Salchow
with a flowing exit. Popping his Lutz and bailing forward on another triple cost him on his
technical mark (37.35), but his components were the highest in the event (54.65). His 92.00 free
skate gave him 140.20 overall. Brian Simm (Los Angeles FSC) fell from fourth after the short to
fifth overall.
Two Pairs of Siblings on Top in Novice Ice Dancing
by Daphne Backman
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/8/05) - Novice ice dancing at the 2006
State Farm U.S. Championships quickly became an episode
in family feud as two pairs of siblings set themselves apart
from the pack and into position to battle for the gold medal.
Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell (Ann Arbor FSC)
and Cathy Reed and Chris Reed (SC of Morris N.J.) tied in
the first dance, the blues, with 19.50. Since Hubbell and
Hubbell’s total element score (TES) mark of 18.01 was
higher than Reed and Reed’s (17.91), Hubbell and Hubbell
went into the lead.
On the second dance, the starlight waltz, Hubbell and
Hubbell broke the numeral tie and currently hold an
extremely narrow lead of 38.73 to 38.44.
Hubbell and Hubbell (pictured) felt good being in the lead
after the compulsory dances. Both prefer to skate the starlight but enjoy the expression of
moodiness in the blues.
“We’ve always been better at the free dance than the compulsories, but I felt this year that we’ve
improved on the compulsories a lot and I’m glad it showed off,” Madison said.
Reed and Reed made a coaching change this season to Nikoli Morozov and Shae-Lynn Bourne
in Connecticut, and it seems to have paid off. After narrowly missing qualifying for the U.S.
Championships in 2005, they find themselves as the second pair of siblings battling for the gold.
“The move really changed us,” Cathy said. “It’s a great opportunity to train with all of those
senior teams in Simsbury. We see them and train with them every day. Their compulsories are so
fast.”
In third place, Samantha Tomarchio (Columbia FSC) and Nicholas Sinchak (Bowies FSC) are
excited to be at their first U.S. Championships. They too narrowly missed competing at the event
last year. They are solidly in third with 33.67.
It’s a close contest for the fourth spot and final podium medal. New team Michelle Pennington
and Brad Coulter (Stars FSC) are in fourth (30.99) but are closely followed by Katie Wyble
(Center Ice & Blades of Western Pennsylvania) and Chad Reinhold (All Year FSC) in fifth
(30.10) and 2005 U.S. intermediate champions Piper Gilles and Timothy McKernan
(BroadmoorSC) in sixth (29.34). Shannon Wingle (Arctic FSC) and Ryan Devereaux
(CoyotosSC of Arizona) with 29.15 round out the four teams who are competing for the final
medal.
Brammeier Floats Through Novice Ladies Short Program
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/8/05) - The novice ladies short program
took place this afternoon at the 2006 State Farm U.S.
Championships. The top three ladies come from
Minneapolis, New York and California, demonstrating
talent from all across the country. Rhiana Brammeier (St.
Paul FSC) stands in first with 47.98 points, taking the
highest scores in both technical elements and program
components. Michaelee Scarincio ( Saratoga SpringsSC) is
in second with 45.54 (the second highest scores in both) and
Victoria Rackohn (All Year FSC) is in third with 43.22.
Rhiana Brammeier’s performance to “On Golden Pond”
was simply stunning. Dressed in a hand-cut, faux feather
dress created by her mother, Brammeier’s arms mimicked
the loon’s call, accenting the music and creating a mood.
“I’m not so much telling a story as I’m trying to portray a
character,” she said. I’m trying to portray a loon. It’s Minnesota’s state bird. I’m just trying to be
the loon and be very relaxed during the program and be very mellow and peaceful. You know,
when you are watching a pond and it’s a sunrise, where you’re very relaxed and calm.”
Woven throughout the Minnesota zen were jumps including a triple Salchow-double toe
combination, a triple loop and a double Axel. Brammeier (pictured) put her hand down on the ice
on the Axel but saved herself from sitting down.
“I was really relaxed and I just pulled in a little too tight and overrotated just a little too much,”
she said. “Sometimes when I get too relaxed it tends to happen. I saved it so I was really excited
about that.”
Brammeier’s skating is the complete package, doing all facets well. She received level 4s on
both of her spins.
“I think my spins are one of my stronger points because I worked so hard on them … on just
perfecting and getting the bullets for the new points system,” Brammeier said. “I also work really
hard on my edge quality and basic stroking.”
She credits three people with inspiring her on this.
“I think Kurt Browning is very, very good at his edge quality and he is incredible. And my coach
Ted Engelking - he’s coached me since I was really little - just working edges every day. That’s
really who’s introduced me to the edge world. And (coach) Ann [Edison] has also really worked
on no wiggles and just smooth, straight edges.”
Scarincio laid down a beautiful, soft program to “Secret Garden.” A former dance champion and
a current performer with the New York City ballet, Scarincio’s light style perfectly
complemented the delicate music. Her arms are mesmerizing, leading her from element to
element. She fought for her triple toe and made the triple Salchow-double toe look easy.
Maximizing the Biellmann’s impact on her scores, she used two in her spiral sequence and
another in her spin. Adding difficulty to her double Axel, she preceded it with a split jump and
spread eagle entrance.
“My short program I usually skate clean, but I was really excited because this is my first time at
novice ever and my first time ever at nationals,” Scarincio said. “It was my goal to make it here,
and I’m just really excited that I’m second going into the free skate.”
Scarincio laughed when it was suggested she may be missing a few vertebrae.
“I’ve been dancing since I was two and a half. It comes naturally,” she said. “I’m flexible, I
guess. I stretch every day to make sure I keep it up.”
Rackohn’s interpretation of “Samson and Delilah” showcased her stretch and control. Her spins
were perfectly centered, the layback gaining a level 4 with mostly +1 for GOE. She was the only
skater to do a clean double loop as the second jump in her combination, tacking it on to her
double Lutz.
“I thought I skated really well,” Rackohn said. “I came here and I was determined. I did what I
wanted to do. My goal is to skate a lot better than last year (12th in the SP), and I did.”
Rackohn is a fan of the new judging system.
“I’m really happy because I can do the spins and spirals,” she said. “I love the jumps, but I also
like to try new positions in the spins and spirals.”
Also of note in the competition is local skater Debbie Knubley of St. Louis. Knubley was struck
down with food poisoning yesterday, receiving IVs to help rehydrate her and prevent her from
having to withdraw. She turned out of both jumps in the triple Salchow-double loop combination
and had to put her hand down on her triple toe, but she fought through the program.
“I didn’t get out of bed until an hour before I skated,” Knubley said. “I was just trying not to fall
over. My legs were really weak and wobbly. It was awful last night. I didn’t sleep. That wasn’t
so much fun.”
Despite being in 11th after the short program, Knubley remains optimistic.
“Right now I’m trying to stay positive, keep my focus, and skate the best that I can. I was pretty
proud of myself for not being able to stand up not too long before [the competition, and then]
coming and skating.”
The novice ladies conclude tomorrow with the free skate.
Brandon Mroz Leads The Way in Novice Men
by Michelle Wojdyla
(St. Charles, Mo. 1/8/05) - Competition opened this
morning at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating
Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Novice men took the ice
for the first U.S. championship competition scored under
the new ISU judging system in the United States. Brian
Simm (Los Angeles FSC) was the first skater to perform.
When his score of 44.95 appeared, no one was sure where
that would place him. After the 12 men had skated, Simm
found himself in fourth. He asked if he thought he made
history today.
“In a way,” Simm said. “I was anxious to get out there and
test my new program. I thought I did well, but I guess I
could have done better. We’ll see how tomorrow goes. We
changed how I would gain points. Instead of trying to go for
a new level footwork, we figured to get a plus (GOE)
because that seems like a safer way to go. At sectionals I
had a very sub-par program, and with my spins and components I made it to nationals.”
Standing in first after the short program is St. Louis native Brandon Mroz with 25.59/24.09 for
49.68 total. Mroz (pictured) moved to Colorado Springs two years ago and now skates for the
Broadmoor Skating Club, but today he was Missouri’s own.
“It felt really good being here in my hometown and having my family watching,” Mroz said. “A
little bit (of nerves) coming back, having my hometown crowd routing for me. There was a little
pressure there.”
Mroz appreciated the altitude training he gets in Colorado Springs.
“It’s harder when you’re there, trust me, but it’s really worth it when you come down here,” he
said.
Skating to “Montoona Clipper,” Mroz opened strong with a triple Lutz-double toe combination
and a sharp triple flip, both of which received a positive GOE. The only negative marks came on
his level three combination spin, which got a little clunky in the transitions between positions. A
spread eagle into his double Axel received a .71 GOE, tying his flip with the highest quality
element.
“It felt really good,” Mroz said. “I was happy with how I performed. I talked to myself while I
was out there and kept it all together. I have my key words we were working on. It keeps you
focused. I didn’t expect any certain placement. I just went out there to skate my personal best.”
“It’s about five or six points higher than he’s achieved,” coach Tom Zakrajsek said. “That’s a
huge increase.”
Scott Dyer (Columbia FSC) attacked his “El Cid” program, scoring 21.50/26.70 for a 48.20 total.
Dressed in brown with gold accents, Dyer fought for the landing on his opening triple Salchow,
reaching for the ice but not touching it before he added the double toe. His triple toe had a turn
out, but after those glitches, the program’s highlights came. His double Axel was big and his
spins were world class. Dyer had countless changes of position and edge, yet the spins never
dropped speed. His presentation did not appear as an afterthought, as the character and posture of
the music was clear throughout the program.
Dyer said he wasn’t exactly sure what went wrong with the triple toe.
“I guess I was leaning too far back. It was a silly mistake,” he said. “I thought I did very well. I
was really happy with my performance, especially with the big arena. This is my first nationals.
It’s very nerve-wracking.”
Dyer’s nerves certainly didn’t show on his spins. His final spin combination received one of the
only level 4s of the event.
“I love spinning,” Dyer said. “I’ve been working really hard to make sure all my spins are a
high level.”
Ellot Halverson (St. Paul FSC) showed not only does he have the technical goods, but also he
knows how to skate with the music, not just to it. Performing a paso doble, Halverson scored
23.86/22.83 for 46.69 total and third place. He opened with a triple Lutz and followed that with a
triple flip-double toe combination and his double Axel. A back spiral was in the Biellmann
position, and he did a full Biellmann spin to conclude his program. Halverson was still beaming
after the competition.
“I thought it went perfectly,” Halverson said. “I had a goal to do a clean program and try my
best, and that’s exactly what I did. I’m very satisfied.”
Halverson has been doing the Biellmann for four years, and said it takes “a lot of stretching to
get it where it is right now. I’d say I’m naturally flexible, but I still have to work on it every
day.”
He considers himself well-rounded.
“I can do the jumps I need to be doing right now,” Halverson said. “I think what sets me apart is
my artistry. I like to get into the music and tell a story when I’m on the ice.”
The novice men’s free skates take place tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
New Partnerships Pay Off in Novice Pairs Short Program
by Daphne Backman
(St. Charles, Mo., 1/8/05) - The novice pairs event at the
2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships got
underway with the top two finishers in the short program
each being together only eight months - which could be the
reason the common element problem was unison on the
side-by-side spins.
Jessica Rose Paetsch (pronounced “Paych”) and Jon Nuss
(Broadmoor Skating Club) took the lead skating to “King
Herod’s Song” and scoring 44.43. Their death spiral, pairs
spin and double twist were graded level three, with the
death spiral receiving +2 GOE and the twist, +1 GOE.
Paetsch and Nuss (pictured) are coached by Dalilah
Sappenfield and teamed up eight months ago. Rockne
Brubaker, the 2005 U.S. junior pairs champion, works with
the team and was present in the mixed zone during the postshort program question and answer session.
“She (Sappenfield) is really excited, and she feels like they did a really good job, especially for
this being their first nationals,” Brubaker said.
Sappenfield coaches several other pairs who are competing at the event, so she left Family Arena
after the conclusion of the novice short.
Though Paetsch is new to pairs, Nuss competed with his sister several years ago. Without a
partner last season, Nuss skated singles at the novice level. After teaming with Paetsch, he now
focuses solely on the pairs discipline.
The team will do nothing different heading into the free skate.
“They’ve competed their long program pretty well all season,” Brubaker said. “They are
comfortable with it, and they’re ready to go.”
In second place, Andrea Best and Trevor Young (Detroit Skating Club) skated a bluesy short
program to “Pink Panther.” Their score of 44.25 puts them just .18 behind the leaders. They
received level 3s on their double twist, pairs spin and side-by-side spins, though like Paetsch and
Nuss, they lost lost unison on the spins.
To develop unison in pairs skating takes time.
“We didn’t start out having [good unison],” Best said. “It took a lot of work.”
Neither is new to the U.S. Championships scene. Young competed at the 2005 U.S.
Championships with his previous partner, while Best competed at the U.S. Junior
Championships with her brother several years ago.
Meg Byrne and Nathan Bartholomay (University of Delaware FSC), who skated to Edvin
Marton’s “Art on Ice,” are in third place with 42.59. Byrne and Bartholomay received level 3s on
their circular footwork and double twist.
Byrne and Bartholomay are veterans compared to many of the other teams competing in this
event. Having won the U.S. juvenile and intermediate pairs titles in 2004 and 2005, respectively,
Byrne and Bartholomay are no strangers to being in the hunt for the top spot.
“It (winning at juvenile and intermediate) helped us a little bit in confidence, but from junior
nationals to this it’s a huge step, and it’s kind of another ballgame,” Byrne said. “You kind of go
into it like, ‘we won last year,’ but you can’t always expect to win this year because it’s all new.”
The youngest team at the championships, Tracy Tanovich, 9, and Michael Chau, 15 (Southwest
Florida FSC), are in fourth place and skated a spirited performance to music from the “Kill Bill”
soundtrack. Tanovich and Chau finished ninth at the 2005 U.S. Junior Championships at the
juvenile level. They scored 40.19 in the short program.
The event concludes with the free skate tomorrow at 1:20 p.m.
Czisny Prepares For First Time in Spotlight at U.S. Championships
by Troy Schwindt
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/12/06) - Alissa Czisny said she’s
simply focusing on her own skating this week at the State
Farm U.S. Championships in St. Louis, but she admits
Michelle Kwan likely will receive one of the three ladies
berths into the Olympic Winter Games.
Czisny, 18, arrives in St. Louis as one of the favorites to
earn an Olympic berth. She’s coming off an ISU Grand
Prix season that included a second-place effort at Smart
Ones Skate America and a gold medal at Skate Canada.
“I think Michelle Kwan has done so much for this sport
and she has been a champion for so many years,” said
Czisny during a Wednesday afternoon press conference
at SavvisCenter. “I’m guessing they (U.S. Figure Skating
International Committee) will give her the spot on the
Olympic team. I just think it’s important for us to focus
on our own skating.”
On Jan. 4, Kwan, a five-time World and nine-time U.S. champion, withdrew from competing at
the U.S. Championships because of a pulled right groin muscle. She submitted a formal petition
to the international committee for one of the three ladies spots on the 2006 U.S. Olympic Figure
Skating Team.
That decision is expected after competition ends on Jan. 14.
Outside of the Kwan questions, Czisny said she feels ready to compete.
“I’ve been training very well this season,” Czisny said. “I feel like I’ve gotten more comfortable
competing on the ice. I think in prior seasons I’ve practiced very well but gotten on the ice and
been afraid and a little bit nervous. I think this season I’ve felt more comfortable competing and
have been able to focus on my own skating.”
The only snag in Czisny’s current campaign came at the Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, where she
finished a disappointing fifth.
Skate problems, she said, contributed to her woes there.
“For the Grand Prix Final I had a little bit of trouble training because I had some skate (blade not
aligned properly) problems,” Czisny said. “It was a new event for me and I think I learned a lot
of things. I skated well, just not my best.”
Evan Lysacek is Back on Track After December Injury
by Laura Fawcett
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/11/05) - It was supposed to be a press
conference with World bronze medalist Evan Lysacek, but
with the always charismatic Frank Carroll on the podium,
along with choreographer Lori Nichol, Lysacek had to
compete for the attention of about 50 media members.
But the always-affable Lysacek was able to get his points
across when it counted.
“I’m so thrilled to be here,” he said. “I’m coming in with
lots of confidence. I’ve worked extremely hard … to cover
all the basis. I have had a strange sense of calm this whole
week, and I hope that’s a good thing.”
This season so far has been a good thing for Lysacek, at
least for part of the time. After a dismal start at the
Campbell’s Classic, where he finished sixth, he rebounded
to win the silver at Smart Ones Skate America. He nevertheless scrapped his free skate to
“Grease” in favor of the more traditional “Carmen.”
“The free skate is so modern,” he said, disagreeing that it has the same sort of Latin feel as his
short program. “It’s more of a tragic opera than a matador. The main themes are power, passion
and truth. These were the themes we (he and Nichol) were looking to find.”
Speaking of matadors, Lysacek has gone back to his “Espana Cani” short program of previous
years, ditching his 2005 Gipsy Kings program. However, it’s a totally revamped program
choreographically with higher levels incorporated. His free skate has only experienced minor
changes since the NHK Trophy, where he finished second.
As for his health, there’s good news and bad news. Although the tendonitis and bursitis affecting
one of his hips is healed, he’s still limited by the stress fracture he suffered in his other hip more
than a year ago.
“The tendonitis and bursitis was a minor setback,” he said. “It was an inflammation from a
tremendous increase in work … mostly hours. It was an overuse injury that required rest. I gave
it that and the pain is gone.”
He doesn’t think the “stress fracture” hip will affect him this week. He has a quad planned in the
free skate and feels ready to go.
As for Carroll and Nichol? Well, they offered opinions on Michelle Kwan and the Olympics
(Carroll said, “I’m sure the powers that be will want her to be there, but I’m also sure [they] will
want her to be ready to [compete].”); to the new system (“It’s like paint by numbers with a
straight jacket on,” Nichol said, and “We’re seeing bloody ugly spins,” Carroll said.).
Can’t argue with quotes like that.
Timothy Goebel Looks Forward to Last U.S. Championships
Troy Schwindt
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/11/06) - 2002 Olympic bronze medalist
Timothy Goebel told reporters today that his long career
holds many special memories, but he’s looking forward to
a post-skating life that hopefully won’t begin until after
next month’s Olympic Winter Games.
Goebel, 25, is competing this week in St. Louis at the State
Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, vying for one of
three Olympic men’s berths.
“I’m feeling better than I have all season,” Goebel said
during the afternoon press conference at SavvisCenter.
“I’ve had some really good weeks of training at home and
have been skating really well. I’m healthy and in one
piece, and I’m hoping to have a really good week here.”
The men’s short program begins Thursday at 3:15 p.m. at SavvisCenter.
Goebel has competed in 13 U.S. Championships dating back to 1994. He said the plan since
1999 was to “hopefully make the (Olympic) team in 2002 and then stay around for 2006. I never
planned on skating competitively past that.”
Goebel, known historically as the “Quad King,” said he’s incorporated a quad in the short
program and a quad in the free skate this week, and two triple Lutzes in the free.
“I didn’t want to throw my first quad in during the Olympic short,” he said. “Strategically I don’t
think that would be a very good move. I really want to go after it this week.”
In looking back on his career, Goebel said his first U.S. Championships experience in 1994 was
“very memorable. “ I won and that was a good start to my career. It’s been a pretty methodical,
steady trip up. I made the World Team in 1999 for the first time, and then Salt Lake City. I have
pretty much been able to hold on to that status ever since. It’s been a wild ride.”
Experiencing the Olympics one more time has been a goal, he said.
“It was a huge honor taking part in the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics and just everything
about it,” Goebel said. “I wanted to experience that again.”
After his skating career, Goebel wants to take some time off to rest and plan out his future, which
will include a college career.
Kwan Looks to Overcome Setback, Earn Olympic Spot
by Mickey Brown
(1/4/06) - Michelle Kwan will not be competing at this year's
State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and although
her absence will be felt throughout the skating world, no one
is taking her withdrawal harder than the woman with whom
the event has been most closely identified over the last
decade and a half.
“Nationals is one of my favorite events,” she said. “I'm very
disappointed.”
The five-time World and nine-time U.S. champion pulled
herself out of this year's event in St. Louis because of a groin
injury, but she announced she will petition the U.S. Figure
Skating International Committee for one of the three ladies
spots on this year's Olympic team.
“I'm capable of being 100 percent for the Olympics,” Kwan
said in a teleconference Wednesday afternoon. “That's why I put the petition in, because I think I
have a chance to win.”
Kwan's medical issues began prior to the start of the 2005-06 competitive season when she
strained a hip ligament, causing her to miss the Campbell's Classic and Smart Ones Skate
America. She was cleared to return to the ice on Oct. 25, but the lingering effects of the injury
and lack of preparation forced her to also skip her other scheduled ISU Grand Prix Series event,
Cup of China.
After an almost nine-month layoff from competition, Kwan made her 2005-06 debut Dec. 11 at
the Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge in Boston. Despite the apparent rust, she came out
on top in the event, the results of which were decided by fan voting.
“I'd been skating two weeks prior to that competition. I didn't have enough time to get my short
program together,” Kwan said. “I wanted to get out and perform in front of people.”
Soon after that, on Dec. 17, Kwan pulled her groin during practice and has since been cautious in
her training. Her physician, Dr. Leisure Yu, told her the hip and groin injuries were unrelated and
believed the latter will improve with the proper treatment.
She has not been practicing jumps or spins since the injury, but she has been on the ice every day
working on other elements.
“Athletes do run into injuries,” Kwan said. “You have to nurse them and listen to your body. “I
feel I was on my way back before this injury.”
Kwan finds herself on the other end of an all-too-familiar situation. In 1994, after finishing
second at the U.S. Championships, she was bumped off the Olympic team in favor of Nancy
Kerrigan following her infamous attack.
Kwan is now in the unenviable position of potentially taking an Olympic spot from a competitor
who finishes in the top three in St. Louis.
"It is sort of ironic that the last person bumped off the team was me, in '94," Kwan said. "But
they do have a rule for special circumstances. I want to petition, because I feel I will be 100
percent by the time the Olympics rolls around."
As per the U.S. Figure Skating athlete selection procedures, the U.S. champion automatically
receives a spot on the Olympic team. The remaining members of the team are chosen by the U.S.
Figure Skating's International Committee based on the organization's Olympic selection
procedures. The team will be named following the ladies free skate on Jan. 14 in St. Louis, Mo.
There are 36 voting members of the International Committee, and a simple majority is needed to
decide on the team. Any committee member with a conflict of interest in the decision will recuse
him or herself from the vote.
Kwan has only competed under the new judging system once, at the 2005 World Championships,
finishing fourth.
Since then, she has attempted to cater her programs more to the new ISU judging system, and
has even brought in two international judges to give her feedback on what she's doing well and
what she still needs to work on.
“I've made adjustments myself,” Kwan said. “I feel my levels are up to par.”
Kwan has accepted much of the responsibility for assessing her health. She will have to prove
that she will be physically ready to compete by the start of the ladies figure skating competition
in Torino, Italy.
“I'm my own worst critic," Kwan said. "If I don't feel 100 percent, I'll pull myself off the team.”
Asked if, at any point during her ordeal, she has ever considered retirement, Kwan spoke frankly,
saying the thought has crossed her mind a few times, but that something keeps her from hanging
up her skates for good.
“My love for competing and skating is always pulling me back.”
Michelle Kwan Withdraws From 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Due
to Injury; Will Petition For Spot On U.S. Olympic Team
(1/4/06) - Five-time World and nine-time U.S. champion
Michelle Kwan announced today her withdrawal from the
2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in
St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 9-15, due to a pulled right groin
muscle. Kwan, however, plans to submit a formal petition
to the U.S. Figure Skating International Committee for
one of three ladies spots on the 2006 U.S. Olympic Figure
Skating Team.
“I am deeply disappointed that I will not be at nationals,”
Kwan said. “It's always been my favorite event, especially
in an Olympic year, and I was really looking forward to
competing. I had been skating very well before the injury,
and both my doctor and I feel that I can get back to that
level and be completely ready for the Olympics. For that
reason I am petitioning for a spot on the team.”
Kwan sustained the injury during practice on Dec. 17 and, at her doctor's request, has limited her
ice time and skating activities since that time. She is expected to resume her normal training
schedule on Friday, Jan. 13.
Kwan is being treated by Dr. Leisure Yu of Loma Linda, Calif., an orthopedic surgeon who
specializes in sports medicine. Dr. Yu is currently a team physician for U.S. Figure Skating and
has served in that capacity for more than 10 years.
“This is a very common injury among athletes and is unrelated to the strained ligament in her
right hip that Michelle sustained in September, which is now doing very well,” Dr. Yu said. “I
examined Michelle last Friday (Dec. 30) and found that the condition of the groin pull has
greatly improved. There have been no complications, and there is no reason why it shouldn't
fully heal. I have recommended that she not return to full skating activities until Friday, Jan. 13.
At the current rate of improvement, I feel that she will be completely recovered by that time, and
I'm confident that she will be in top physical condition for the Olympics.”
Kwan has won the last eight consecutive U.S. titles and nine overall, tying her for the most U.S.
titles in history with Maribel Vinson Owen of the 1920s and ‘30s. Her first appearance at the
U.S. Championships was as a 12-year-old in 1993, and she has appeared in every U.S.
Championships since then. She has won five World titles and two Olympic medals: a silver in
1998 and a bronze in 2002.
The U.S. Figure Skating athlete selection procedures for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games state
that the champions in each discipline at the 2006 U.S. Championships automatically be
nominated to the team. The remaining spots will be determined by the U.S. Figure Skating
International Committee following the conclusion of each discipline, and are based on placement
at the following events: 2006 U.S. Championships, 2005 Grand Prix Final, 2005 World
Championships, 2005 Four Continents Championships, 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final and 2005
World Junior Championships. Skaters who do not compete at the 2006 U.S. Championships due
to injury or illness may petition for nomination to the Olympic Team by submitting a written
petition to the U.S. Figure Skating International Committee by the conclusion of their discipline
at the 2006 U.S. Championships. The U.S. Figure Skating International Committee will
determine whether to grant or deny the petition based on results from the previously mentioned
events, excluding the 2006 U.S. Championships.
Prior to the date of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team nomination, Jan. 16, 2006, U.S. Figure Skating
medical personnel must verify that the athlete(s) will be physically ready to compete at the 2006
Olympic Winter Games. The USOC must then approve the nominations no later than its final
required submission date of Jan. 30 to the Torino Organizing Committee.
“In accordance with our established rules, any championship-level athlete who has qualified for
the 2006 U.S. Championships has a right to petition for an Olympic spot due to injury or illness,”
said Ron Hershberger, president of U.S. Figure Skating. “We trust the outcome will be the
naming of the best possible U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team.”
Healthy and Prepared, Cohen Sets her Sights on State Farm U.S. Championships
Laura Fawcett
(1/2/06) - Reigning U.S. and World silver medalist Sasha
Cohen doesn't know what the outcome will be when the
ladies take the ice next Thursday and Saturday at the 2006
State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis,
Mo. With a number of talented skaters vying for an Olympic
berth, there's no telling what twists and turns the
competition may take.
But at the very least, Cohen is confident about one thing –
her preparation and training leading up to the big event.
“I've been preparing physically much harder,” she told the
media during a pre-championships teleconference Monday
afternoon. “I've been pushing myself to a new level of
training. I'm more confident.”
Cohen said she's left no stone unturned in preparing for the
U.S. Championships and a possible spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. She's been reviewing her
programs, reading rules and working with technical specialists to ensure her programs take full
advantage of the new judging system. She's also made some changes to her free skate to “Romeo
and Juliet.” Cohen flew to Canada this fall to work with choreographer David Wilson.
“He tried to get a theme going in the program,” said Cohen, who added that Wilson changed the
opening music and choreography of the program. “He created suspense, and it gives the program
a little more variation and depth.”
Cohen skated a modified version of her free skate at the 2005 Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating
Challenge last month in Boston. It was only the third time she performed a version of her free
skate this season (Campbell's Classic and Trophee Eric Bompard being the others). A hip injury
forced her to miss her opening Grand Prix assignment at Smart Ones Skate America.
The injury appears to be a thing of the past, judging both by her performance at the Marshalls
Challenge and her confidence.
“I'm feeling really good right now,” she said. “I'm not concerned with the past. I've put my short
program and long program out there, and I've gotten the feedback I needed.”
Cohen told reporters that she has been doing a lot more on-ice training over the last couple of
months. But instead of doing full run-throughs, she has been doing parts of her programs over
and over in an effort to make every element shine. Cohen admitted she may not have put as
much effort into her training in previous years.
“I feel like I've never been as prepared as I could or should have been,” she said, adding that the
lack of preparation was one of her weaknesses. “[I didn't have] enough confidence and was
afraid of making mistakes. I always tried to be perfect … now I'm not going to let the fear of not
being perfect [hurt me].”
Cohen returned from Trophee Bompard determined to make some changes in her training. She
wanted to improve her grades of execution on her jumps, get both of her footwork sequences up
to level 3 and make sure all her spins were level 4.
While many eyes are already on the Olympics, Cohen has her sights set on the U.S.
Championships.
“Nationals are important to me for two reasons,” she said. “One, a title would be very fulfilling
for me, and I've never really skated my best at nationals.”
However, even with nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan recovering from injury, Cohen
does not consider a U.S. title a lock for her.
“I don't really take anything for granted at the national championships,” she said. “I have a lot of
silvers and would like a gold. Michelle is a strong skater and you can't count anyone out. I don't
consider myself to have anything on a platter.”
After the U.S. Championships, Cohen could face the world's best in Torino, Italy. But she knows
even if she goes, she won't be facing one of this year's hottest skaters, Mao Asada, who has been
knocking off triple Axels with ease. Asada did not meet the age deadline to be eligible for the
Olympics.
“I think the age restriction is unfortunate,” Cohen said. “People are at their best at all different
ages in a career. It [Asada's ineligibility] makes it easier for the rest of us, but for Mao it's hard to
miss the Olympics when you are at your peak. Everyone has a different window of opportunity.”
For Cohen, that window of opportunity may be just around the corner.
Naomi Nari Nam Returns to U.S. Championships as a Pairs Skater
Jake Duhaime, Special to U.S. Figure Skating Online
(12/14/05) - Naomi Nari Nam could go to the 2006 State
Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships with partner
Themistocles Leftheris, skate two decent programs and
leave St. Louis, Mo., proud that she had the opportunity to
skate again.
But that isn't her style.
“I've wanted to go to the Olympics since I was 6 years old,” Nam told U.S. Figure Skating in
early December. “It's something that still inspires me when I get on the ice.”
It has been a long and winding road to St. Louis for Nam. It's a journey that's included a
devastating injury, a tumultuous comeback and a switch from singles to pairs. It's also given her
a chance to enjoy life as a teenager, get her high school diploma and discover that her true
calling is on the same ice she's been skating on since she was a child.
It was nearly seven years ago, at the 1999 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Salt
Lake City, Utah, when Nam started to draw comparisons to Michelle Kwan and Kristi
Yamaguchi. The then 13-year-old landed five triple jumps, electrified the crowd and won the
ladies silver medal, finishing behind Kwan.
“I was just so excited to be competing against Michelle,” said Nam of that performance. “I didn't
think of her as a competitor. Actually, I didn't think of anything. I just skated. There was no
pressure, no anything.”
In the eyes of many Nam was the complete package, the future of U.S. Figure Skating. She had
the jumps, spins and the gold-medal-winning smile. Her future was bright, and her potential was
seemingly endless.
But fate has a way of toying with Olympic dreams.
In July of 2000 Nam started to experience tendonitis in her hip. At the time she thought nothing
of it and gave the hip some rest before the 2000-01 season. A few months later, as she was
training for a Junior Grand Prix event, she tried to do a triple Lutz, heard something pop and
quickly fell to the ground in pain.
“I didn't know what happened,” Nam said, “But I knew it was bad.”
She went and saw two doctors, both of whom diagnosed her with a fracture in her growth plate.
She had no choice but to rest and let the injury heal. Though sidelined, Nam hoped to still make
it back in time for the 2001 U.S. Championships later that season. As the injury healed and her
training progressed, Nam headed to the U.S. Championships in Boston hoping that the injury
was behind her.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't. She was forced to pull out of the event when her hip started to
act up again the day before the competition.
“I was crushed,” Nam said. “Things were going really, really well. Then the day before nationals
it started hurting again. I was just devastated.”
Upon the recommendation of 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski, she went to Florida and
saw the same doctor who operated on Lipinski's hip just a few months earlier. Nam was
diagnosed with the same exact injury, torn cartilage in her hip joint. The next day she underwent
surgery at Holy Cross Hospital in Florida. Her dream of competing at the 2002 Olympic Winter
Games in Salt Lake was dead. Her future in the sport was very much uncertain.
During the 2002 Olympics, Nam was trying to avoid the action as much as she could. She knew
that she very well could have been there if her body had cooperated.
“It was the hardest thing about being injured,” Nam said. “I knew what was going on, but I just
remember that I just really didn't want to watch it.”
As Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen basked in the spotlight following the 2002 Olympic Winter
Games, Nam tried her best not only to recuperate but to live a normal teenager's life. She focused
on graduating high school, going to her prom and landing her first job.
“I worked at a Coffee Bean near my house,” Nam said. “My cousin was the manager. I made
espresso drinks and blended coffee. I wanted to work; I wanted a job. I wanted to go to high
school and be relatively normal.”
She didn't want any special treatment when it came to her education. She describes herself as a
procrastinator who ends up getting all of her work done. She enjoyed the friends she made and
the fact that she got to be Naomi instead of “Naomi the Skater,” with a few exceptions.
“You know what high school's like…things travel quickly,” Nam said. “I had teachers ask me
questions about skating, but that was about it.”
Though she kept on skating, she was consistently frustrated with her body's inability to keep up
with her desire to get better.
“It was very hard emotionally,” Nam said. “I thought I was going really slow and at the doctor's
pace, but I was actually going too fast. I kept focusing on what I needed to do to get back to
competing, where it hurt my recovery.”
In addition to trying to come back, she also ventured into the world of coaching. The majority of
her young students (ages 3-13) knew nothing about her talents and her accomplishments on the
ice. They just appreciated her as their teacher, friend and big sister.
“I love little kids,” said Nam of her coaching experience. “It's
an awesome feeling having them look up to you.”
She has no desire to become a full-time coach, but her
experiences coaching have changed her life. She says she
wants to become a third-grade teacher when she's done
skating. But her coaching experience also sparked her desire to
get back into the competitive aspect of the sport.
“I was coaching one day and thought ‘I love coaching, but I
can't do this the rest of my life,'” Nam said. “I was still young.
I could still have a career if I worked at it, so I decided to start skating again.”
When she tried out with Leftheris last year, she had no experience skating pairs. She had always
been interested, yet her rapid ascent through the ladies ranks kept her from making the switch.
She felt so comfortable and safe with Leftheris that she knew it was the right move.
Like Nam, Leftheris was a good jumper. He was also local and lived only 20 minutes away from
the rink, meaning they could train together without having to move.
During the summer of 2005 Nam passed all of her pairs tests. She'll be the first to point out that
making the adjustment isn't as easy as it seems.
“I had a lot to learn,” Nam said. “For girls (in pairs), you have to be so strong. You're getting
thrown, getting lifted. You have to not only worry about yourself but the other person as well.”
The quick-gelling pair found its stride at last month's Pacific Coast Sectional Championships,
winning the event by nearly 23 points with a score of 150.06 points. She'll head to her first U.S.
Championships in six years next month as an older, more mature and grateful skater -- grateful
that a second opportunity presented itself, and that her Olympic dreams are still very much alive.
“I feel like I've gotten a second chance from God,” she said. “I feel so blessed that I have the
ability and love to skate. I just feel blessed.”
Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, Michelle Kwan Nominated To 2006 U.S. Olympic Figure
Skating Team
St. Louis -- The U.S. Figure Skating International
Committee announced today the nomination of Sasha
Cohen, Kimmie Meissner and Michelle Kwan to the 2006
United States Olympic Team, pending USOC approval.
Cohen and Meissner placed first and second at the 2006
State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis,
Mo., respectively.
“The International Committee considered all of the relevant
information and picked the best possible U.S. Olympic
Team to represent the United States in Torino,”
International Committee Chair Bob Horen said. “We
believe that Sasha, Kimmie and Michelle will compete in a
manner that will make our country proud.”
Cohen won her first U.S. title at the 2006 State Farm U.S.
Figure Skating Championships Saturday night.
“I made it to the end and stayed on my feet,” Cohen said after getting off the ice. “It wasn't
perfect, but it was good. After I started getting into it I started to enjoy it.”
Meissner finished second at the 2006 U.S. Championships, her best placement at the event.
“It's just crazy,” said Meissner about earning an Olympic Team berth. “I've been dreaming about
this for a very long time. It's just awesome.
Kwan submitted a petition in accordance with the 2006 U.S. Olympic Athlete Selection
Procedures to request the nomination, as she was unable to compete at the event due to injury.
The International Committee made their decision based on the 2006 U.S. Olympic Athlete
Selection Procedures and the information submitted in Kwan's petition. They considered all of
the relevant information at their meeting following the conclusion of the ladies free skate
Saturday night, including the information submitted in Kwan's petition. In the petition, Kwan
stated:
“I would be pleased if representatives of USFS attended and observed my practice session in Los
Angeles, California on or about January 20th and a run through of my short and long programs,
again in California, on January 27th or 28th. The purpose of the latter would be to assure the
USFS observers that my programs contain the technical elements necessary for an Olympic level
performance, and to give further assurances to the USFS that my prior injury will not prevent me
from being physically ready to compete at the highest level at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games
on February 21, 2006. Should those USFS representatives, after observing my short and long
programs on January 27th or 28th, determine, in their sole discretion, that my programs do not
contain the technical elements necessary for an Olympic level performance, or that my prior
injury will prevent me from being physically ready to compete at the highest level at the 2006
Winter Olympic Games on February 21, 2006, I will withdraw from the team. Thank you for
your consideration.”
The committee granted the petition on this basis: U.S. Figure Skating will name a five-person
monitoring committee that will have sole discretion and make a final determination on Kwan's
status no later than Jan. 27. The petition states she will withdraw from the team if the monitoring
committee determines she is not ready to compete. The final submission of the entire 2006 U.S.
Olympic Team roster must be made by the USOC no later than Jan. 30.
Also considered by the committee was a two-page letter by Dr. Ronald S. Kvitne of the KerlanJobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif., who rendered a second opinion on Kwan's
physical fitness on Thursday, Jan. 12. He was selected to render a second opinion of Kwan's
condition by U.S. Figure Skating. The letter stated that in his opinion her recent injury would not
“prevent her from participating in the upcoming Olympic program.”
The monitoring committee will include Horen, 1 athlete representative from the International
Committee and three international judges, one of which must be a technical controller or
technical specialist.
Kwan will be available via a 10-minute telephone call in the press room at the Savvis Center
Saturday night. The time is to be determined but will be as close as possible to 12:30 p.m. CST.
U.S. Figure Skating International Committee
Voting members regarding the selection of the 2006 U.S. Olympic ladies figure skating team:
Bob Horen, chair
Sharon Wiggins
Lucy Brennan
Anne Cammett
Wendy Enzmann
Joan Rozolis
Todd Bromley
Roger Glenn
Steve Winkler
Charlie Cyr
Janis Engel
Linda Leaver
Doug Williams
Brittney McConn Bottoms
Danielle Hartsell-Minnis
Ryan Jahnke
Ryan O'Meara
Scott Smith
Robert Kaine
Mark Mitchell
Mitch Moyer
Will Smith
Gale Tanger
2006 Olympic Winter Games Ladies Nominations to the USOC
1. Sasha Cohen
2. Kimmie Meissner
3. Michelle Kwan
1st alternate – Emily Hughes
2nd alternate – Katy Taylor
International Competition Selections, Including 2006 Olympic Team
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/14/06) - The following selections have been made for upcoming international
competitions.
2006 Olympic Winter Games Men’s Entries
1. Johnny Weir
2. Evan Lysacek
3. Matt Savoie
1st alternate – Michael Weiss
2nd alternate – Scott Smith
2006 World Figure Skating Championships Men’s Entries
1. Johnny Weir
2. Evan Lysacek
3. Matt Savoie
1st alternate – Michael Weiss
2nd alternate – Scott Smith
2006 Four Contintents Figure Skating Championships Men’s Entries
1. Evan Lysacek
2. Matt Savoie
3. Michael Weiss
1st alternate – Scott Smith
2nd alternate – Ryan Jahnke
2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships Men’s Entries (listed in alphabetical
order)
Stephen Carriere
Daisuke Murakami
Geoffry Varner
1st alternate – Tommy Steenberg
2nd alternate – Craig Ratteree
2006 Olympic Winter Games Ice Dancing Nominations to the USOC
1. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
2. Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov
3. Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O’Meara
1st alternate – Morgan Matthews and Max Zavozin
2nd alternate – Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre
2006 World Figure Skating Championships Ice Dancing Selections
1. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
2. Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov
3. Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O’Meara
1st alternate – Morgan Matthews and Max Zavozin
2nd alternate – Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre
2006 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Ice Dancing Selections
1. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
2. Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov
3. Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O’Meara
1st alternate – Morgan Matthews and Max Zavozin
2nd alternate – Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre
2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships Ice Dancing Selections
1. Meryl Davis and Charlie White
2. Trina Pratt and Todd Gilles
3. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates
1st alternate - Jane Summersett and Elliot Pennington
2nd alternate – Kaitlyn Weaver and Charles Clavey
2006 Olympic Winter Games Pairs Nominations to the USOC
1. Rena Inoue and John Baldwin
2. Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem
1st alternate – Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash
2nd alternate – Tiffany Scott and Rusty Fein
2006 World Figure Skating Championships Pairs Selections
1. Rena Inoue and John Baldwin
2. Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem
1st alternate – Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash
2nd alternate – Tiffany Scott and Rusty Fein
2006 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Pairs Selections
1. Rena Inoue and John Baldwin
2. Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem
3. Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash
1st alternate – Tiffany Scott and Rusty Fein
2nd alternate – Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris
2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships Pairs Selections
1. Kendra Moyle and Andy Seitz
2. Bridget Namiotka and John Coughlin
3. Julia Vlassov and Drew Meekins
1st alternate – Kaela Pflumm and Christopher Pottenger
2nd alternate – Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen
Slattery and Lee Withdraw From Free Dance
(St. Louis, 1/12/06) - Kate Slattery and Chuen-Gun Lee announced today their withdrawal from
Friday’s free dance at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships due to an injury
Lee sustained in a collision during the warm-up before the original dance Tuesday evening. He
collided with Jonathan Toman, partner of Elizabeth Palmer. Toman was uninjured. Lee suffered
a broken nose and slight concussion after Toman’s elbow hit his face. Lee went on to skate in the
original dance but will not continue for the free.
“It was just an accident – it happens,” Lee said. “It was just an unfortunate collision. Yes, I am
disappointed we can’t compete in the free dance, but it is very, very difficult to breathe through
my nose, because it is so swollen. My appearance is not that great either! It was just an accident,
but I don’t want anything bad to happen (in the free dance). Our coaches said it wasn’t a good
idea, because we don’t want to push it and risk an accident on a lift or a spin or any of our
skating."
After the collision Lee left the ice to be examined by onsite medical personnel. It was determined
he could skate the original dance if he chose, and he made it to the ice just seconds before his
name was called. He and Slattery were in 10th place following the compulsory dance, and after
the original dance they were 12th. Following the event Lee was again examined by medical
personnel.
“I’m feeling much, much better, because I got some medicine,” Lee said. “I was in a bit of pain
(during the original dance), but I was just happy to be skating. It is my job, and I just love
skating. It is a competition; it happens.”
Slattery added: “I didn’t want to do anything that would make him feel uncomfortable. I
wouldn’t want to put him in a compromising position, so I support him 100 percent. We’re
planning on going to the Lake Placid competition next summer and making next season our best
ever.”
Lee is not expected to need surgery, but will be seen by a doctor next week as a precautionary
measure.
Michelle Kwan Submits Petition to U.S. Figure Skating for Olympic Spot
(St. Louis, Mo., 1/11/05) - U.S. Figure Skating announced today the receipt of a petition from
nine-time U.S. and five-time World champion Michelle Kwan requesting one of three spots on
the U.S. Olympic Team for ladies figure skaters. The petition will be reviewed by the U.S.
Figure Skating International Committee at their meeting following the ladies free skate at the
2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, Jan. 14.
The committee will make a decision and announce its nominations to the USOC for the 2006
U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team following the conclusion of the meeting.
No further information will be released regarding the petition until after U.S. Figure Skating’s
International Committee meets on Saturday night.
Sept. 10 Marks Big Day for 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships
(8/23/2005) - On Sept. 10 the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure
Skating Championships swing into full gear with the
kickoff of individual ticket sales and the appearance of
2002 Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Goebel as a
celebrity judge at the sweeper auditions in St. Louis, Mo.
The 2006 U.S. Championships will take place Jan. 7-15,
2005, in St. Louis. Placements at the event will be one of
the factors in determining the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team.
Individual tickets for the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure
Skating Championships go on sale Saturday, Sept. 10, at
10 a.m. The 2006 U.S. Championships will feature
competition in ladies, men's, pairs and ice dancing.
Approximately 250 skaters competing at the novice, junior
and senior levels are expected to participate in the
weeklong event. All senior events, as well as some junior
events, will take place at the Savvis Center. The remaining
events will take place at the Family Arena.
Goebel will be in St. Louis on Sept. 10 to appear at the sweeper auditions as a celebrity guest
judge and to meet with the media. Sweeper auditions, a longtime tradition for major figure
skating events, involve local children between the ages of 7-13 participating in an on-ice tryout
to join the volunteer staff of the 2006 U.S. Championships as an official sweeper. During the
event sweepers gather items such as stuffed animals and fake flowers thrown from fans onto the
ice after each performance, and the sweepers collect them for the competitors. The sweepers
selected at the audition will receive an official team costume, credentials to the 2006 U.S.
Championships and the opportunity to watch the skaters compete rinkside.
Sweeper auditions will take place Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Webster Groves Ice
Arena in Webster Groves, Mo. Media wishing to attend should contact Lynn Plage
at mailto:lplage@lpcpublicity.com or 303.716.9500.
Expected to compete at the 2006 U.S. Championships are Goebel, five-time World and nine-time
U.S. champion Michelle Kwan, two-time World silver medalist Sasha Cohen, two-time U.S.
champion Johnny Weir, three-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss, and two-time U.S. ice
dancing champions Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto.
Tickets to the event, ranging in price from $10-$85, are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket
Centers, by phone at 314.241.1888 (automated) or 314.421.4400 (sales rep), and online
at http://www.ticketmaster.com.