Event Recap News

• Bailey and Herring Take the Early Lead in Novice Compulsory Dance

• Tanovich and Chau in Driver's Seat in Novice Pairs

• Lady in Lavender Takes Lead in Novice Short

• Mahbanoozadeh Sails to Short Program Lead

• Nagasu Steals the Thunder in Junior Ladies Short

• Ann Arbor Training Mates Battle it Out in Junior Compulsory Dance

• Tanovich and Chau Prove to Be Class of Novice Pairs Field

• Armin Mahbanoozadeh Finishes Up With Novice Men's Gold

• Maxwell Rocks the House to Take Novice Ladies Title

• Shibutanis Claim Second Straight U.S. Title with Novice Win

• Hubbells Tango To the Junior Dance Lead

• Brubaker and McLaughlin Continue Impressive Inaugural Season

• Belbin and Agosto Lead After a Surprising Compulsory Dance

• Nagasu Steals the Thunder in Junior Ladies Competition

• Belbin and Agosto Remain in Control after Original Dance

• Halverson, Mroz Sit 1-2 after Junior Men's Short Program

• Samuelson and Bates Move Up to Take Junior Dance Gold

• Close Race in Pairs After the Short Program

• Triple Twist Highlights McLaughlin and Brubaker's Junior Pairs Gold

• Lysacek, Weir Live Up to Billing in Men's Short Program

• Meissner Takes First Step Toward U.S. Title

• The Dream Begins for Castile and Okolski

• No Nightmare for Halverson in Junior Men's Free Skate

• Amelie Proves To Be a Winner for Belbin and Agosto

• Czisny Wins Free Skate, But Meissner Wins Gold

• Lysacek Electrifies Spokane Arena to Win Gold

Skater News

• NHK Milestone Gives Confidence to Davis and White

• Belbin and Agosto Create a New Free Dance to "Amelie"

• Busy Season for Moyle and Seitz Continues at U.S. Championships

• Meissner Brings Spanish Flavor to Ice

• Carriere Hoping Hard Work Pays Off at U.S. Championships, and Beyond

Event News

• Spokane Selected to Host 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships

• Ticket Sales for 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships Set All-Time Record

• Spokane Begins Countdown to 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships

• U.S. Figure Skating and IceNetwork.com Announce Unprecedented Broadband Coverage of U.S. Championships

• 2007 U.S. Championships Set All-Time Event Ticket Sales Record

• U.S. Figure Skating State of the Union

• 2007 State Farm Scholastic Honors Team Announced

• International Team Selections

• 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Establishes All-Time Ticket Sales Record at 154,893, Sets Bar for Future Events

Bailey and Herring Take the Early Lead in Novice Compulsory Dance by Daphne Backman

(1/21/07) - In an event filled with new partnerships, Sara Bailey and Kyle Herring (Charter Oak FSC/University of Delaware FSC) skated a soft and elegant waltz and a fierce paso doble to finish first in both dances and take the lead in the novice ice dancing competition at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

The novice compulsory dance kicked off the week-long U.S. Championships in the Spokane Convention Center. Novice finals and the senior events will take place at the Spokane Arena. The novice dancers skated before a capacity crowd at the Convention Center, which holds 4,000.

Bailey and Herring, who formed their partnership in April 2006, were hoping to be near the top but not expecting it. The duo finished first in both dances with an overall score of 49.87 and

has built on confidence that their short but successful partnership has given them.

“That was our one goal after our results at sectionals; to come out today and really skate with some confidence,” Herring said. “We really tried to go out there and do what we knew we could do”.

The University of Delaware FSC has two additional teams in the medal hunt in the novice ice dancing event. The teams just happen to be training mates of Bailey and Herring. ”It’s a lot of fun because we’re a very close group of friends and we get along really well”, Herring said. “It’s good to have someone to not necessarily compare yourself to, but to motivate and push yourself. We all kind of keep each other going every day.”

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (SC of New York/Broadmoor SC), the 2006 U.S. intermediate champions, are taking in all of the experience in their first trip to the U.S. Championships. They are currently in second place with a score of 48.90, less than one point behind the leaders. The Shibutanis enjoy both dances because of their differences. Their goal coming into these championships was to skate well. ”I think everyone has a goal coming into nationals,” Alex said. “I know it sounds sort of corny, but our goal was to skate well, and that is what we try to do every time out.” Maia added, “We were really happy to make it this far and this is just a wonderful experience.” Both Maia and Alex felt the audience was supportive and were pleased to see the number of people in attendance for the event. They are also appreciative of the support fromtheir training mates from Colorado Springs. They look forward to supporting their teammates throughout the week once their event has concluded.

In third place after the compulsory dances are Anastasia Cannuscio and Dean Copely (University of Delaware SC/SC of New York) who finished third in both dances, scoring 46.26. Both were pleased with their performances in this round. Copely’s leap at the end of their paso doble gained applause from the audience. ”It’s famous at our rink,” Copely said. “I don’t have a name for it yet, but last week I made it a double loop and it was perfect.”

Cannuscio is part of three sets of siblings competing at the same level in the novice ice dancing event. Her sister, Isabella, is also competing at these championships. Some siblings can develop rivalries, but Anastasia Cannuscio doesn’t feel that she and Isabella have the sibling rivalry that some others may.

“We’re not really that competitive,” Cannuscio said. “It’s not really that awkward, though you would think it would be really, really weird.”

In fourth place scoring 44.96 are Isabella Cannuscio and Ian Lorello (University of Delaware SC). Cannuscio and Lorello finished fifth in the European Waltz and fourth in the paso doble. Lorello is part of the third set of siblings competing, as his brother, Alexander, skates with Genevieve Deutch.

Elyse Matsumoto and Andrew Skillington (43.64) are in fifth, with Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein (43.16) rounding out the top six.

The event concludes on Monday evening with the novice free dance event at the Spokane Arena.

Tanovich and Chau in Driver's Seat in Novice Pairs By Michelle Wojdyla

Sporting matching black pants and NASCAR-themed tops, Tracy Tanovich and Michael Chau (Southwest Florida FSC) brought the house down in the novice pairs short program Sunday afternoon at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Earning the highest technical elements and program components scores en route to a score of 45.47, the 2006 U.S. novice bronze medalists are a step closer to grabbing the top step of the podium.

“It was really exciting to have the crowd behind us,” the 16-year-old Chau said. “It’s definitely motivating. It’s great. Lots of fun. There was a nice uproar at the end.”

Despite their young ages, Chau and his 10-year-old partner were prepared for anything — even a standing room-only crowd.

“It’s good to practice distractions,” Chau said. “It helps me to keep it going.”

The uproar came at the end of a program packed with difficult elements, all of which garnered level threes and fours. Their only major error came when Tanovich took a tumble on the side-by-side double flips.

“I think I was just a little bit nervous about my jump, but other than that, it was fine,” Tanovich said. “I think if I (fall) then I have to make the rest better. I have to keep going and just ignore that.”

“We’re very happy with the component (scores),” Chau said. “We were going for all level fours obviously, because it’s more points. We missed out on a few; it might have been short rev(olution) stuff. Overall, things went pretty well.”

Back for their second year at the U.S. Championships as novices, the duo, which trains under Kerry Leitch, made an effort to step up their skills this season. Chau said they trained “harder elements, harder lifts. Just skating faster in general. Really improve overall in our abilities. I think we’ve accomplished that. We’ve been skating really well, so we’re very pleased.”

“I like this sport, and I feel if I like it, I should try my hardest, and then I do,” Tanovich said.

Standing in second with 42.74 points are 12-year-old Jaylyn Kelly and 23-year-old Gabe Woodruff (Lansing SC/Detroit SC). After placing eighth last year in St. Louis, the team is poised to move into the medals in Spokane.

“We skated great! That’s probably the best short we’ve ever done,” Woodruff said. “I think the audience got involved and really helped us out. If you feel like you’re being enjoyed, it makes you want to present even more. I heard them on every element. I could really hear the reaction and it helps so much.”

Skating to a modern arrangement of Mozart, the couple, which is trained by 2006 Olympian Aaron Parchem, sought to find that balance in their performance.

“We’re definitely a power team,” Woodruff said. “We have a size advantage. We’re looking to incorporate the grace with the power.”

Parchem had words of wisdom for his team before it took the ice.

“He just said to make sure I remember everything we worked on and to show it,” Kelly said.

“We had two small errors, but I think we made it up in the component marks,” Woodruff said. “Our big tricks helped us, too.”

The pairs event got underway with a bang as Minna Lee and Taylor Toth (Univ. of Delaware FSC/Pittsburgh FSC) drew first to skate and wound up less than a point out of second place with a score of 42.03.

“The short program, it was fun!” gushed Toth. “I felt like we started it off really well. Mr. (Ron) Ludington, one of our coaches, was like, ‘You guys are the first pairs team in 2007 to compete and skate a clean program. That’s kind of cool!’ Only he would think of something like that.”

The duo, which is in its first season together, handles the media like pros. When one reporter asked how they performed, Toth was happy to provide a summary: “It was ALL highlights! Since you missed it, I’m going to tell you how it went – it was really amazing. We were the crowd favorite. They were speechless. I think we left everyone in awe.”

“We had a nice lift today,” Lee added. “I felt like all of our elements felt really solid and (like) the way we do it in practice.”

With very few negative GOEs on their seven elements, the program seemed to fly.

“It’s really cool that (the Convention Center) is set up like this because we can sell it all out,” Toth said. “It’s exciting to skate with all the stands filled.”

The novice pairs event concludes Monday at the Spokane Arena.

Lady in Lavender Takes Lead in Novice Short

by Laura Fawcett

(1/21/07) - Carolyn-Ann Alba and Ellie Kawamura share the same coach and choreographer. They are both from the All Year Figure Skating Club in Los Angeles, Calif. They’re both 13. They both finished in the top 10 at the 2006 U.S. Junior Championships, with Alba finishing sixth and Kawamura in third.

But, please, don’t call them rivals.

They’re best friends.

Alba and Kawamura are in first and third place, respectively, after Sunday’s novice ladies short program at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash. Angela Maxwell (Dallas FSC), who finished 11th in this competition last year, is in second.

Alba used music from the movie “Ladies in Lavender” to collect 45.04 points, just less than two points more than Maxwell. Alba treated the 3,000 or so spectators to a steady and clean performance, featuring a triple Salchow-double toe, triple toe and double Axel.

She was exceptionally pleased with her triple toe, something on which she’s worked since the Pacific Coast Sectional in November.

“I had it at sectionals, but since then I’ve worked to improve it,” she said. “I also worked on my [overall] programs and stamina and to prepare for this exact moment.”

Like many of the novice competitors today, Alba has few experiences competing in front of a large crowd, like the one at the Convention Center. But she used it to her advantage.

“I went in with a smile and excitement,” she said. “I was nervous, but it was nerves of excitement.”

Kawamura used visions of following the yellow brick road to bring a little magic to her short program to “Over the Rainbow.”

“I have fun out there and try to be a little like Dorothy in the movie,” she said. “I try to bring in the audience.”

The 13-year-old scored 42.06 overall. She was second in program components but only seventh in technical elements, due mostly to a step between her triple toe-double toe combination. She earned just 1.57 points on the combo.

Maxwell, 14, is in the race for a medal after staying novice for a second year. Her opening level four layback earned plus 2 GOEs from the judges, and her subsequent spiral sequence was also a level four. Her jumps were solid, with a double Axel, triple Salchow-double toe combination and a triple toe.

The fact that the novice ladies event is packed with talented young women was not lost on Maxwell. With the likes of Alba, Kawamura, and reigning intermediate champ Kristine Musademba, it’s a tough field to break into.

“It’s such an honor to be anywhere near the top,” Maxwell said. “I’m proud to be here.”

Flexibility is one of Maxwell’s strong suits, but it doesn’t mean it comes naturally. She says she works hard on extensions, doing the splits every night and having her coach lift her leg over head in a spiral position.

Fourth place went to Caroline Ferris of the DuPage Figure Skating Club. She landed a double Axel, triple toe and triple Salchow-double toe.

The novice ladies competition concludes Monday at the Spokane Arena.

Mahbanoozadeh Sails to Short Program Lead

by Michelle Wojdyla

(1/21/07) - After the results were posted for the novice men’s short program at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Armin Mahbanoozadeh held the top spot. Despite being in the lead, he frowned at his cell phone after hanging up on some friends at home.

“They all know, since it’s live on the Internet. I haven’t gotten to tell anyone how I did,” Mahbanoozadeh lamented.

It’s tight at the top of the novice men’s leaderboard. Seven men all passed 40 points, and less than a point separate the top three after the short program contested today at the Spokane Convention Center. Fifteen-year-old Mahbanoozadeh holds the lead with a score of 45.50 with his “Beetlejuice” program. Scott Dyer, also 15, is close behind

with 45.43, and 16-year-old Alexander Johnson is third with 44.62.

“It is really close in the marks,” Mahbanoozadeh said. “There’s so much that can happen. It’s still anyone’s game, really.”

After fighting for the landing on his opening triple Lutz-double toe combination, Mahbanoozadeh went into his footwork and nailed his triple flip. He broke into a huge smile and sailed through the rest of his program, receiving all level 3s and 4s on his spins and footwork, and incorporating the most graceful arm movements of the event.

“I felt pretty good going into it,” Mahbanoozadeh said. “I was more nervous yesterday, actually. I didn’t really feel much pressure. I just went out there thinking I could do it. I’ve done it a million times in practice. I just really had a lot of fun. The biggest hurdle was the double Axel, which I’ve missed so many times this year. I was just really excited to get that done. I had some pretty bad falls on it.”

Last year in St. Louis, Scott Dyer also found himself in second place after the short program. This year, skating to “Espana Cani,” Dyer performed a near perfect program, earning only four negative GoEs out of the 54 possible marks.

“I didn’t think about the jumps, I just did them like I’ve been doing them in practice all week,” Dyer said. “It was automatic pilot for me. The last couple competitions it hasn’t been the whole package, and this one came together, so I’m really happy.”

After falling to fourth overall last year, Dyer comes into Spokane with a year’s worth of experience and knowledge on how to step to a higher spot on the podium.

“I know what’s going to happen. I know the pressure I’m going to be under,” Dyer explained. “Last year, it kind of came over me. [This year I need to] just stay calm between the warm-up and the program and just trust [my] training.”

The final skater of the night, Alexander Johnson, gave a mature performance to Saint-Saens’ “Cello Concerto #1.” He landed a triple Lutz-double toe and a triple flip, and his spins and footwork were all level 3. His only error came on his final move, popping his attempted double Axel into a low single.

“When I went to take off, I leaned way far forward and I kind of rushed the take off, so I couldn’t get into the air quick enough. It just was a mess,” Johnson explained. “At first I was really nervous, but once I got out there I was fine. There are a lot of people here, so that made me pumped up. I was really happy with how I skated.”

Johnson pulled the highest component scores among the 12 competitors.

“That’s a strong part of my skating,” he said. “My Lutz and my flip were really strong, and so were my spins. I thought I would be on the border (of being in podium contention,) but once my scores came up, I was really excited.”

The novice men conclude tomorrow at the much larger venue, the Spokane Arena.

“I really like skating in front of a lot of people because I thrive off that,” Johnson said. “It makes me want to do my best. I’m really, really excited for that because I really like my long. I’m just going to take one element at a time and hopefully it will go my way.”

Mahbanoozadeh has a strategy he learned after a problem in Saturday’s practice.

“Don’t look at the lights! They blinded me in practice and I forgot my program. I’m just going to try to stay calm and don’t try to think about it too much. That doesn’t really work too well. Just stay calm and in the moment.”

Nagasu Steals the Thunder in Junior Ladies Short

by Troy Schwindt

(1/21/07) - Mirai Nagasu admits she felt the butterflies when she took the ice Sunday night at the State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash.

But the 13-year-old from Arcadia, Calif., didn’t show it for a second.

“I turned my nervousness into gasoline to get me going,” said Nagasu, whose fun and upbeat performance to music from the “Swing Kids” soundtrack earned her the top finish in the junior ladies short program with a score of 54.26. “The audience was really behind me.”

Junior Grand Prix champion Caroline Zhang fell on her double Axel midway through her program but still managed to finish second with a mark of 53.87. Blake Rosenthal, of Radnor, Pa., placed third at 51.67, while

Ashley Wagner of Alexandria, Va., finished fourth with a score of 51.20.

The junior ladies free skate is slated for 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday.Nagasu entertained the audience at Spokane Arena with an energetic program that commenced with a triple Lutz-double toe combination followed by a triple flip.

“My choreographer (Susan Austin) chose it (music) for me because she wanted it to represent my personality,” said Nagasu, who added that she’s happy most of the time.

Her bright red- and pink-striped dress provided a perfect complement to her music.

“I just wanted to have fun and perform for the audience,” Nagasu said.

For Nagasu, this marks her second national competition. In 2005, she qualified as an intermediate for the U.S. Junior Championships but failed to get past the opening round.

“I didn’t do what I wanted to do and wasn’t as prepared as I was today,” she said.

Nagasu’s coach Charlene Wong had high praise for her star pupil.

“She’s incredibly disciplined, very driven,” said Wong, who recently coached retired skater Amber Corwin. “She has a passion for skating, and when you combine that with talent and discipline and determination, I think she has what it takes to make a good career for herself.”

Zhang, 13, of Irvine, Calif., turned in a polished performance to the music of “Olga” from the “Ladies in Lavender” soundtrack. She nailed her opening triple Lutz-double toe combination and displayed remarkable extension on her spins and spirals.

The only miscue came on her double Axel, which was an eye-opener for Zhang, who last year placed eighth at the U.S. Championships in the junior ranks. She received a one-point deduction for the fall.

“I was really surprised because I usually don’t fall on the double Axel,” Zhang said. “So, it was like, wow.”

Zhang said she is looking forward to the free skate.

“I want to do the double Axel and concentrate on doing a good program and not have any stupid falls,” she said.

In 2006, Zhang won both of her Junior Grand Prix events in dominating fashion before running away with the Junior Grand Prix Final by 20 points.

Rosenthal, second last year in the novice ranks, landed her opening triple Lutz-double toe combination and followed that up with a triple flip.

The performance was a personal best.

Ann Arbor Training Mates Battle it Out in Junior Compulsory Dance

by Daphne Backman

(1/22/07) - The junior ice dancing event at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships got under way in Spokane Monday with two teams from Ann Arbor, Mich., claiming the top spots after the compulsory dance.

The past few months have been leading to a showdown between training mates Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates, and Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell. Both teams were successful on the Junior Grand Prix circuit with Samuelson and Bates winning both of their events, and Hubbell and Hubbell winning silver and gold. A showdown in the Junior Grand Prix Final ended with Hubbell and Hubbell on top and Samuelson and Bates claiming the silver – a successful feat for two U.S. ice dancing teams.

Fast forward to the U.S. Championships where Samuelson and Bates finished first in both compulsory dances and now lead the event with 35.75 points, just 1.12 ahead of their training mates.

“We skated really well today, actually,” Bates said. “Both of our compulsories were well skated we thought for us. We felt strong, so it’s confidence we can take to tomorrow for our original dance.”

Samuelson and Bates normally train on an Olympic-size rink, but for the past few weeks cut the rink down to NHL size to train for this event. One pattern of the blues came a bit closer to the boards than expected.

“The corner came very quickly,” Bates said. “It was a little closer than where we would have been, but I think we handled it well.”

Samuelson and Bates appreciated the opportunities of traveling to different competition locations this fall. “It was really nice to have the practice skating in front of different audiences,” Samuelson said.

“We put our programs in front of the technical callers and technical assistants and get feedback on levels,” Bates said. “We learn how to compete overseas with time changes and you never know what to expect. It’s nice before nationals to see what elements work, and we were very fortunate to have these opportunities.”

The Hubbells were pleased with the way they skated today. Their favorite of the two is the Midnight Blues because they prefer the artistic factor of the blues. They also feel that the Midnight Blues highlights their height and matching lines. ”We skated well,” Keiffer said. “We’re proud of the way we performed”. Madison, though not a fan of compulsory dances, doesn’t feel they should be eliminated.

“I don’t think they should be eliminated because I feel like they’re really a true showing of how much technical ability someone does have,” Madison said. “I feel that in a choreographed program, [a team] can kind of hide [its] bad qualities, and compulsories just puts them (skills) out on display, so you really have to work on them.”

Pilar Bosley and John Corona are ecstatic to be in third place. Bosley suffered a severe bone bruise to her hip at practice on Sunday night while running through their original dance. At that time, they were unsure if they would be able to compete today.

“We were picking up after midline, and I do this move when I swing around him, and my left leg flew out right from underneath me and I ran into the wall right on my hip,” Bosley said. “It hurt, but our music was on so we went to pick it up at the stop before the spin. We went to our diagonal step sequence, and I do a twizzle on my left foot. It just kind of gave out and I flew right down on my hip. It was excruciating pain, but it’s better now.” Bosley is appreciative of the medical staff’s efforts to help her compete today. The team scored 29.89 overall and were third in the Silver Samba and fourth in the Midnight Blues.

Close behind in fourth with a score of 29.33 are Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux, with Piper Gilles and Tim McKernan in fifth with 29.08. Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt round out the top six with 28.45.

Less than two points separates third place and seventh.

The event continues with the original dance on Tuesday evening at the Convention Center.

Tanovich and Chau Prove to Be Class of Novice Pairs Field

by Mickey Brown

In the tunnel leading from the ice to the warm-up area, following the announcement of the marks for the last team, Daniyel Cohen bearhugged Michael Chau and hoisted him high into the air.

Not that Chau needed a lift at that point.

He and his diminutive, 10-year-old partner Tracy Tanovich had just won the 2007 U.S. novice pairs championship, a year after a third-place finish at this event in St. Louis, Mo.

Up by 2.73 points after the short program, Tanovich and Chau (Southwest Florida FSC) ran away with the title, beating runners-up Cohen and Caitlin Yankowskas by more than 11 points (128.76-117.02).

Their “Don Quixote” program was a hit with the Spokane Arena denizens, as many of the fans in attendance rose to their feet at its conclusion.

“(The best part of the program was) hearing the crowd at the end. They went nuts. It was great to hear that,” Tanovich said. “We had the crowd behind us the whole program.”

Chau revealed that he has done ballet to the same piece of music. He proved he knows his history, too, pointing out that Great Britain’s John Curry used the score for Cervantes’ timeless classic to win the gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Tanovich and Chau nailed both of their throws – a double Salchow and a double loop – and their spins were exemplary.

“Our component (scores) were all fives, which is very good for a novice pairs team,” Tanovich said. “We were trying to really work the new system to our advantage, and it really paid off.”

Though there are no records to support it, the possibility is strong that the Lilliputian-sized Tanovich could be the youngest person to earn a medal at a U.S. Championships.

“I’m proud of her,” Chau said. “For such a young age, she did so well.”

Yankowskas (Colonial FSC) and Cohen (Elite Training Academy) were not as pleased with their performance of “Swan Lake,” even though it moved them up from fourth after the short program to second overall.

“It wasn’t our greatest program, but we put out everything we had. A couple elements were shaky,” Cohen said. “Two of our lifts weren’t as great as they usually are.”

Their silver medal marks a huge improvement over their showing last year in St. Louis, where they came in 10th. Both they and Tanovich and Chau said they’re moving on to the junior ranks next season.

Third place went to the Aaron Parchem-coached team of Jaylyn Kelly (Lansing SC) and Gabe Woodruff (Detroit SC), who finished just .06 points (117.02-116.96) out of the second spot. They went through their “Corpse Bride” program relatively cleanly, but their program components score (36.10) lagged behind, as they posted just the sixth-highest mark in that area.

Kelly and Woodruff differ in age by 11 years (he’s 23, she’s 12), but their harmony on the ice – and rapport off it – is evident.

Asked what his feelings were after medaling at the U.S. Championships, Woodruff said, “Relief, pride. Pride in how we skated. Relief to be done.”

One interesting note is that the top three finishers in Spokane comprised the U.S. team at the North American Challenge Skate in Pittsburgh, Pa., Aug. 24-27, 2006.

Brynn Carman (Broadmoor SC) and Christopher Knierim (Broadmoor SC) rose from eighth place after the short program to take fourth overall.

Tanovich and Chau Prove to Be Class of Novice Pairs Field by Troy Schwindt

(1/22/07) - The first question from a reporter after Armin Mahbanoozadeh secured the novice men’s title at the State Farm U.S. Championships Monday afternoon had nothing to do with his electric free skate.

But it was a predictable one: “how do you pronounce your last name?”

“It’s Mah-ban-ooz-za-deh,” he said. “It’s pretty phonetic actually.”

In front of an appreciative crowd of 6,808 at Spokane Arena, Mahbanoozadeh put his name on the U.S. Figure Skating map. Performing last in the 12-man field, he reeled off a series of triples en route to the second-best free skate and novice crown. He finished seventh last year at the novice level.

His only miscue occurred near the end of his technically challenging performance to “Symphony No. 5” by Tchaikovsky when he fell attempting a triple toe. Mahbanoozadeh, however, regrouped with a level 4 combination spin to finish strong, scoring 138.77.

Alexander Johnson, 16, of Minnetonka, Minn., also showed dramatic improvement from last year – he placed ninth in the novice class – and earned the silver medal with a score of 135.90. Anchorage, Alaska’s Keegan Messing, who turns 15 on Tuesday, grabbed the bronze with a score of 135.01. He won the free skate thanks to superior technical marks.

Mahbanoozadeh, 15, of Fairfacx, Va., has spent countless hours at the rink to improve since last year.

“I’ve been practicing hard all year,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of my triples consistent, and at sectionals I had a really good skate and posted the highest score in the nation. So, I felt confident going into here.”

Mahbanoozadeh led after the short program and that put his mind more at ease during his free skate, he said.

“The short was probably my biggest hurdle, what I was most nervous about,” he said. “So once I got through that, I knew anything was possible.”

When asked about his fall, Mahbanoozadeh said he knew the moment he took off that landing the triple toe wasn’t in the cards.

“I think I might have been too in the moment to get to really focus on the toe,” he said.

Mahbanoozadeh also had a triple Lutz-triple toe planned as his first element but earned marks for a triple Lutz-double toe.

“The Lutz was a bit shaky on the warm-up so I really went for it in the program. It was sort of shaky on the landing, so I settled for the double toe because I knew I had a whole program left to go and didn’t want to risk it,” he said.

Mahbanoozadeh hopes to land assignments next season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit.

Johnson, skating to “Autumn” from “The Seasons” by Glazunov, took the lead from Messing late in the competition despite having a few miscues along the way.

He put his hand down on his triple toe-double toe-double loop, and instead of landing his last triple Salchow-double toe he did double Salchow-double toe.

“For me that was really good, and it was a personal best so I’m happy,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he worked hard following last year’s U.S. Championships to fine tune his loop, flip and Lutz, and it paid dividends in Spokane.

He said last year’s experience at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis served him well this week.

“I learned how to deal with the pressure there,” Johnson said. “Even though I didn’t place as well as I wanted to last year, I learned how to deal and feel the audience and emote to them, and it was a great experience.”

Messing, skating to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” soundtrack, ignited the crowd early in his performance. He hit a triple Lutz-double toe followed by a triple Axel in which he put his hand on the ice. A level four combination spin followed and Messing cruised from there.

He finished with the best free skate and highest technical marks. But his seventh-place short program finish only allowed him to move up to third.

“I really like that music and it’s easy to perform,” Messing said.

Scott Dyer was fourth in the free skate and fourth overall.

Maxwell Rocks the House to Take Novice Ladies Title

By Mickey Brown

In a competition filled with skaters making great leaps up the standings – as well as precipitous drops down them – it was Angela Maxwell’s consistency that paid off.

Maxwell, representing the Dallas Figure Skating Club, finished second in both the short program and free skate to take the novice ladies title Monday night at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash. She made her own great leap, of sorts, as she improved on her 11th-place finish in the 2006 version of this competition.

“I just wanted to do a little better than last year. I did not expect this,” Maxwell said. “I’m a little bit in shock right now.”

Skating first in the second and final group of skaters, Maxwell performed her “Children of Dune” program with ruthless efficiency. Her triple toe-double toe-double loop combination was the high point-earner of the evening, garnering her a whopping 7.77 points.

Maxwell made mention of some “ups and downs” in her training but did not go into any more detail than that. She did point out that not too long ago she switched coaches, from Alexey Letov to Ann Lewis, and credited Lewis with her recent success, which also includes first-place finishes at the Southwestern Regional Championships and Midwestern Sectional.

One of the day’s biggest movers was 2006 U.S. intermediate champion Kristine Musademba (Washington FSC), who went from fifth after the short program to winning the free skate (by .12 points over Maxwell) and taking the silver.

The second-place finish must have come as quite a shock to the soft-spoken, 14-year-old from Silver Spring, Md., as it snapped a streak of five straight wins for her: two regional championships, a sectional championship, the 2006 North American Challenge Skate in Vancouver, Canada, and the 2006 U.S. Junior Championships.

After stepping out of the first jump – a triple loop – in her “Malagueña” program, Musademba made virtually no errors. Her triple toe-double toe combination received positive GOEs from eight of the nine judges, earning her almost seven points. Musademba skated with a strength and speed that her peers simply could not match.

On the other side of the coin was Carolyn-Ann Alba (All Year FSC). The leader by 1.79 points after the short program, she ran into some problems in her Spanish medley free skate. Things were going fine until she fell on her triple toe about halfway through, and she seemed to lose focus after that, as the landings on many of her jumps were shaky. She settled for the bronze.

Alba’s greatest strength is her Sasha-esque flexibility, which was on full display Monday night. She wowed the crowd with her incredible Biellmann, in which she touches her blade to her chin.

Rocketing up the rankings was Deedee Leng (DuPage FSC), who was just edged out of the bronze medal by Alba, 124.75-124.51. Leng was in ninth after the short program, and after a botched triple Lutz-double toe sequence to start the program, it looked like she would stay back with the pack. But she regrouped and ended with the highest technical elements score (45.99) of the evening.

Without a doubt, though, the Courage Award goes to All Year FSC’s Ellie Kawamura, who was in third place heading into the free skate. While doing a spin during the warm-up, her nose started gushing blood. She immediately rushed off the ice and was tended to by four medical personnel, who held towels under her nose for several minutes, and then used silver nitrate as a cauterizing agent.

Her coach, Tammy Gambill, said there was never any doubt she would skate, but the scary incident clearly affected her performance, as she fell to fifth after a program that included two falls. Still, it was inspiring just to see her out on the ice after her ordeal.

Shibutanis Claim Second Straight U.S. Title with Novice Win

By Daphne Backman

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani captured the audience and the gold medal in the novice ice dancing event at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships Monday night at Spokane Arena, scoring 108.42 points for their “Memoirs of a Geisha” program.

The team was surprised with its win in its first U.S. Championships.

“Just being here is a privilege itself,” Alex said. “I’m really proud of the way we skated. This week has been a wonderful experience. Right now, I’m just in a little state of shock.”

The Shibutanis, who won the 2006 U.S. intermediate title, skated an elegant and technically sound performance that included effortless lifts and good speed.

The program had special meaning for Maia and Alex.

”We kind of tossed (the “Geisha” program idea) back and forth with Tom (Dickson),” Maia said.

”We were trying to come up with something that would be unique, something that we could really feel a connection to,” Alex said. “With our Japanese heritage, we thought we could make a connection to the audience – and between ourselves – that would really make the program something special for us.”

Winning the gold medal earned the Shibutanis an opportunity to skate in the Exhibition of Champions on Sunday. The duo said it is excited to be sharing the ice with so many of the athletes they have been watching on television.

Sara Bailey (Charter Oak FSC) and Kyle Herring (University of Delaware FSC) finished second with a score of 106.36. Their performance to “Harem” by Sarah Brightman was well choreographed and appealing to the audience, but was marred by an unexpected stumble by Herring just before the ending. The relatively new team had limited expectations heading into the season and was pleased with its results at these championships.

“At the start of the season, we really weren’t even thinking about nationals,” Herring said. “As our season progressed, we were hoping to skate our best and maybe be middle of the pack and

hope for good results.” Two additional University of Delaware FSC teams took the final two steps on the novice ice dancing podium. Anastasia Cannuscio and Dean Copely won the bronze (101.40) with their energetic performance to music from “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

Isabella Cannuscio and Ian Lorello finished third in the free dance and fourth overall, scoring 100.78.

Cannuscio and Copely watched “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and put themselves into character when skating based on the performances of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who portrayed assassins in the film.

Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein finished fifth with Canton, Mich., training mates Megan Evans and Nathan Truesdell rounding out the top six.

Bailey and Herring were proud of their accomplishments and those of their training mates at this event.

“It’s amazing,” Bailey said. “It’s very exciting. Through the whole year we help to motivate and also be supportive of each other.”

“I think it’s really helping to bring dance back to University of Delaware with some big name teams to look up to while we’re there, and now we have each other to keep pushing further,” Herring said. “There was a time period where there were only a few dancers, and now it’s starting to build back up again.”

Hubbells Tango To the Junior Dance Lead

by Daphne Backman

(1/23/07) - Teams from Ann Arbor, Mich., now occupy the top three spots in junior ice dancing after Tuesday’s original dance event at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell (Ann Arbor SC), second after the compulsory dances, moved up to take the top spot heading into Wednesday’s free dance. Their tango program showcased solid lifts and highlighted their matching lines. The duo received all level fours and one level three for their performance.

“I think we had really an all-around good skate today,” Keiffer said. “Everything went really well.

The midline step sequence was awarded a level four for the first time this season.”

“We’ve been really trying with the new system from last year to this year,” Madison said. “We understand it more, and we really feel comfortable with it at this point.”

In second place are training mates Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. Samuelson and Bates had an uncharacteristic fall near the end of their program which cost them two points in deductions. The team quickly recovered to finish the program.

“I think I hit my toe pick after the rocker,” Samuelson said. “It was just a freak accident that we didn’t expect to happen.”

Though their performance today wasn’t their best, Samuelson and Bates aren’t looking back; they’re looking ahead to tomorrow.

“We have the free dance competition tomorrow, and it’s another chance for us to show what we’re able to do,” Samuelson said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to skate well tomorrow.”

Though it appears a rivalry may be brewing between the two teams as they have exchanged places at various events, rest assured it is a friendly one.

“I think it helps us tremendously to have Madison and Keiffer next to us every day to push us,” Bates said. “I wouldn’t say there is a bitter rivalry brewing but more a friendly back and forth competition rivalry.”

Scoring 75.36 thus far, Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt (All Year FSC/Stars FSC of Texas) are surprised and happy to be sitting in third after two phases of the competition. The team has only been training together since mid-July and is hoping to continue its success in the free dance.

”I think we have to lay it all out tomorrow” Giulietti-Schmitt said. “We’re confident in our free dance and we just have to make sure we don’t give the judges an excuse to (give us deductions.)” Having the top three teams heading into the free dance from Ann Arbor is a testament to the training location.

“I think it says a lot about our coaching,” Bates said. “Yasa (Netchaeva) and Iouri (Tchesnitchenko) are really good. Even our fourth team, Brooke Huber and Karl Edelmann, are in seventh place and three points out of third. I think it’s great for Ann Arbor and our coaches especially because it really shows the dedication and hard work the coaches put in and the skaters put in.” ”I’ve nothing but positive things to say about our training environment,” Madison said. “We just love being there and the environment. We have four junior couples training there and we push each other. Yasa and Iouri have really brought up a great situation for our training.”

“It’s great to have everyone at the rink together,” Giulietti-Schmitt said. “Everyone drives each other.”

Close behind in fourth are Piper Gilles and Tim Mckernan (Broadmoor SC), who scored 75.14 and Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux (Arctic FSC/Coyotes SC of Arizona) with 75.00. Pilar Bosley and John Corona (Peninsula SC/Individual Member), third after the compulsory dance, dropped to sixth overall and are still in the hunt (73.83).

Brubaker and McLaughlin Continue Impressive Inaugural Season

by Troy Schwindt

(1/23/07) - When searching for a pairs partner last year for Rockne Brubaker, coach Dalilah Sappenfield made a single phone call.

That was to then 12-year-old Keauna McLaughlin.

Now almost a year later, that decision has proven to be a wise one.

McLaughlin and Brubaker continued their sizzling inaugural campaign together by winning the junior pairs short program at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships on Tuesday in Spokane, Wash.

In front of a capacity matinee audience of 4,000 at the new Convention Center arena, the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based tandem put together a personal-best program that earned them

61.76 points, about six points better than their previous-best mark. Longtime partners Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen of Aliso Viejo, Calif., finished second at 54.48, while last year’s novice champions, Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss, were third with marks totaling 53.93.

The junior pairs free skate is slated for Thursday at 11:10 a.m. at Spokane Arena.

“Once we had the trial (February 2006) we knew we had a good thing right off the bat,” said the 20-year-old Brubaker, who is a college student and works in the lumber and materials department at Home Depot.

“It just clicked,” added McLaughlin, an eighth-grader at Cheyenne Mountain Middle School.

Sappenfield, who also coaches Paetsch and Nuss, said the skating styles of McLaughlin and Brubaker matched well.

“Both are very classical, very lyrical type skaters,” she said. “We’ve really tried to focus on getting the program to show that off while working on their connection together as a team. We are really looking at the big picture and not just one season’s success. So, we are working toward looking like seniors and that maturation.”

McLaughlin, Sappenfield added, “is one tough cookie. She’s come a long way. She had to learn how to do throw triples; she’d never done them before. Skating with someone like Rockne, who is a very powerful skater, she was able to pick it up. She’s fearless. She’s had some bumps along the way and she’s just worked through them. It makes her a great pairs skater.”

McLaughlin’s talents undoubtedly in part come from her mother, who skated in Disney on Ice during her career.

In Spokane, the duo kicked off their short program to music from the “Somewhere in Time” soundtrack by John Barry with a level four lift. A throw triple Salchow and level fours on their combination spin, spiral sequence, and pairs combination spin sent the crowd into a virtual frenzy.

The pair had been training hard the last few weeks leading up to the competition, and they put it all together when it counted most.

“Each competition we’ve gotten better,” McLaughlin said. “We fed off the audience, it was amazing.”

The short program victory is the latest in a perfect season together. They won both of their Junior Grand Prix events and captured the Junior Grand Prix Final in December in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Butler, 17, and Jacobsen, 19, have skated together since 2000 and it showed in Spokane.

Their throw triple Salchow and level fours on their lift, spiral sequence and pairs combination spin won the hearts of the judges and fans.

“I thought that was one of our best performances of the year,” Butler said. “We’ve been working really hard on our short and long programs.”

Jacobsen jokingly said he didn’t feel any nerves heading into the short program because of a fluke accident involving his coach, three-time U.S. pairs champion Todd Sand.

“I asked him to tighten my blade because my blade was loose before I got on the ice,” Jacobsen said. “The screwdriver slipped and he cut his hand, so he’s at the hospital getting stitches.”

According to Sand’s wife, co-coach Jenni Meno, Sand cut a tendon and may likely required stitches.

“I felt pretty horrible,” Jacobsen said, “but it kind of took my nerves off the short program. I was ready to go.”

Paetsch, 13, and Nuss, 19, turned in a solid program to music from the movie “Anastasia.” They had one miscue on their throw twist.

“I caught her a little high on her torso and it slipped off, so I couldn’t stop the rotation very well and she slipped out of it,” Nuss said.

Other than that, they enjoyed level fours on their spiral sequence, lift and pairs spin, along with their throw triple Salchow.

The top finish by two of her teams, Sappenfield said, was especially satisfying.

“Having teams that are very competitive with each other is very positive for us,” Sappenfield said. “They push each other in a healthy way. They are each other’s best friends, so they support each other. They competed with each other internationally this year and were usually in the same warm-up. In this system you are competing against yourself.”

Kaela Pflumm and Christopher Pottenger are in fourth.

Belbin and Agosto Lead After a Surprising Compulsory Dance

by Michelle Wojdyla

(1/23/07) - Ask ice dancers how they feel about the Golden Waltz compulsory dance and expect some wry smiles.

“Can you bleep out expletives?” replied Brent Bommentre. “It’s definitely tough. It’s a challenging dance.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever said this is our favorite dance,” added partner Kim Navarro. “Not even close to that.”

Known as the most difficult compulsory dance, the Golden Waltz kicked off the senior events this afternoon at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. As expected, reigning Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (Arctic FSC) have more than a three-point lead after the Golden Waltz with a score of 39.43.

Perhaps not as expected is the team in second, Meryl Davis (Arctic FSC) and Charlie White (Detroit SC), who earned 36.18. Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov (SC of New York) stand

third with 34.65, and Navarro (Santa Rosa FSC) and Bommentre (Philadelphia SC & HS) round out the top four with 32.43.

Belbin and Agosto floated through the two patterns of the waltz, earning only three base grades of execution among the 1s and 2s. With program components as high as 8.25, the dynamic duo is still the class of the field, despite a rough autumn. After missing the Grand Prix Final in December due to a lower back injury Agosto suffered in practice, the three-time U.S. champions showed no signs of rust.

“Unfortunately this pattern is a little too familiar,” Belbin said. “We missed the Grand Prix Final last year, too. We just did this, it feels like. Hopefully next year we’ll get through a whole season without missing anything. Actually, when we [received our credentials], it felt like we were just here. I don’t think we’ve missed a beat. It feels nice to be back on the ice in a comfortable setting in our first competition since the injury.”

The Spokane Arena held a boisterous 6,300+ spectators, something not lost on the competitors.

“It’s great to see so many people coming out to see ice dancing,” Agosto said. “The crowd here in Spokane is so warm. It’s a very nice atmosphere for us to come and compete in. You feel at home here.

“It feels like a little Olympic village, because the whole city is so involved,” Belbin added. “I got that impression right away. Even the bars have figure skating on their marquee. It’s so cool to be in a town like this where everyone is so involved and knows what’s going on. It’s everywhere; it’s all around you. It really makes you feel like you’re part of something really special. It’s great for all of us. We work so hard and this is such a big deal to us. It means a lot to see it’s a big deal to other people, too.”

Last year’s junior champions, Davis and White, made the leap into second with a fluid, graceful dance that wowed the judges. Of the 72 GOEs, Davis and White received a single negative score. Still, standing in silver medal contention was not at the front of their minds.

“Our expectations for placement, we really didn’t talk about it that much,” White said. “We talked mostly about coming in and performing well. We did exactly that. It’s a very good placement and we’re very pleased. Anything would be good after that dance.”

That dance.

Davis and White went 2 for 2 in their first two encounters with the Golden Waltz this season. White face planted in the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships and both skaters fell at Skate Canada. Would Spokane be the event that breaks the streak?

“We had to get past it,” White said. “Coming in to this competition, we couldn’t worry about what had happened in the past. It’s been a tumultuous compulsory for us, so it’s good to get over that bump. You don’t want to worry about it when you go out there to impress the judges. You think about how much you want to skate well (and) the expression, not ‘don’t fall on your face!’”

Together longer than any other dance team in the U.S., Davis and White, now college students at the University of Michigan, have been competing since they were children. This is their first season as seniors, and their successes over the Grand Prix circuit were a change from the past.

“We’ve said before we’re used to climbing the ranks each level we move up,” Davis said. “We’re used to starting at the bottom and slowly working our way up from year to year. This year’s been all new to us.”

One of the challenges facing the Canton, Michigan-trained dancers is White’s asthma.

“Usually I have it under pretty good control,” he said. “The problem is it’s aggravated by cold. Exercise and cold. So figure skating isn’t at the top of the list I should be doing. But I’ve been with a doctor a really long time, so as long as I keep up on my medications. I have an inhaler and a few other things I have to take. It really helps and I can barely notice it out there.”

2006 silver medalists, Gregory and Petukhov, had the second highest component scores, but were behind Davis and White by 1.67, a large gap in compulsories.

“We’ve only competed this dance one time before. We’re happy with the way we skated,” Gregory said. “It’s not one of our favorites. It’s a beautiful dance, we’d have to say. A challenging dance. When it’s done right, it’s exquisite. It’s like doing a free dance.”

Gregory and Petukhov were asked how hard it is to beat Belbin and Agosto.“Well obviously we haven’t yet, so it’s quite difficult,” Gregory laughed. “If it was easy we would have done it, right? We’re both in the race. They’re obviously racing other people as well, and they’re not our only rivalries or competitors. We have other people we can think about. But it is nice to have somebody in the U.S. that you are in pretty close competition with. That’s good. It always keeps us on our toes.”

Navarro and Bommentre skated a near flawless dance to capture fourth place. Only one judged dinged them with two –1s throughout the 72 marks.

“We usually started our [practice] day with Golden,” Bommentre said. “It’s a hard way to start at 7:00 in the morning. But we persevered. We definitely persevered through it, and I think it paid off. We skated great.”

While most of the ladies wore white dresses, Navarro looked exquisite in a buttery gold. But why go golden?

“I’m an English major. I like that symbolism,” Navarro explained. “I like to keep it all in theme.”

Last year’s fourth-place finishers, Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin (SC of New York), stand in fifth after Zavozin stumbled in the first pattern of the dance.

The competition continues tonight with the original dance.

Nagasu Steals the Thunder in Junior Ladies Competition

by Laura Fawcett

(1/23/07) - Thirteen-year-old Mirai Nagasu (Pasadena FSC/Arcadia, Calif.) stole the thunder from Junior Grand Prix Final champion Caroline Zhang Tuesday night, winning the junior ladies gold medal at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships.

In front of more than 6,000 fans at the Spokane Arena, Nagasu landed five triples and combined that with spectacular spins to capture the free skate with 155.46 points. Zhang fell on a triple flip midway through her program and finished second. Last year’s fourth-place finisher, Ashley Wagner, moved up one spot to claim the bronze medal.

Although Nagasu’s win was a surprise, considering Zhang dominated the Junior Grand Prix circuit, she didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Anyone who watched Nagasu’s lyrical performances on IceNetwork.com at both the Southwest Pacific Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional knew she had

what it took to challenge Zhang. What’s not clear, however, is whether Nagasu knew she had it.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” she said after the event. “I wasn’t expecting to win.”

Coached by Charlene Wong, Nagasu won both the regional and sectional titles this year after a disappointing 2005-06 season. She finished fifth as a novice at the 2006 Southwest Pacific Regional, failing to qualify for the ensuing sectional competition.

“Last season was a disaster because I didn’t make it out of regionals,” she said. “I was one of the people who expected to go, and that maybe made me overconfident … this year I worked to live up to my potential.”

Nagasu’s jumps included a triple Lutz-double toe combination and a triple loop-double loop combination. She attempted a second triple Lutz late in the program, but it was downgraded to a double. On her level three layback spin, she earned six +2 grades of execution and a rare +3. She also earned level fours on her spiral sequence and final combination spin.

Nagasu had less than a half point lead heading into the free skate after Zhang fell on a double Axel in the short program.

Zhang’s fall in the free skate sealed the deal for Nagasu. But Zhang, also 13 and one of Nagasu’s best friends, put her placement in perspective.

“It’s great to be able to medal,” she said. “Last year I was eighth, so this is a big step.”

Zhang (All Year FSC/Irvine, Calif.) opened with a smooth triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination and then did a back spiral into a double Axel. After falling on the triple flip, she went on to land a triple loop, triple Lutz, a triple flip-double toe, and triple toe-double toe combination.

“It was OK, besides the flip,” Zhang said about her performance. “I could have landed it, because I landed them all in warm-up today … it was just a stupid thing. I wasn’t paying attention much on it.”

She also admitted to maybe feeling a little bit of the stress with so much attention on her this year.

“I think I just felt the pressure because every year at nationals I screw up, because I always have the worst luck at nationals.”

Skating last, 15-year-old Ashley Wagner (Washington FSC/Alexandria, Va.) also made only one mistake in her program … falling on a triple Lutz near the end of her program. She earned 145.86 total points. She was pleased she moved up in the standings this year, albeit only one place over last year’s fourth-place finish.

“It might not seem like that big, one placement up, but I feel like I’ve grown so much in my skating this past year with all my international experience.”

And despite the fact that at 15, she is the eldest of the three medalists, she certainly doesn’t feel old.

“At 13 I was definitely not at this (Zhang and Nagasu’s) level in my skating,” she said. “I don’t think you should look at skating as age but experience … I just have great respect for how they are handling this whole experience…”

Blake Rosenthal (SC of Wilmington, Radnor, Pa.) finished fourth with 130.99 points.

Belbin and Agosto Remain in Control after Original Dance

By Daphne Backman

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto remain steadfast and in the lead after the senior original dance Tuesday night at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash. Their fiery tango, which showcased deep edges and an innovative rotational lift at the end of their program, earned 61.41 points, and they lead the competition with a score of 100.84.

“Really, I think it was a relatively solid performance,” Belbin said. “It wasn’t our best, but it’s been a long day and I think we did a good job. Now we’re excited to debut our new free dance. That’s been where our focus has moved on to.”

”It felt really good out there and it felt like we made a good connection with the audience tonight,” Agosto said. “They really seemed to get into the program and that really helps

us get through the program and enjoy it the most. It felt good tonight.”

The team changed part of their tango music between the Grand Prix series and these Championships.

“We did change the first piece of music in our OD since the Grand Prix to try to find something that would connect better,” Belbin said. “I think we have really good music selections and that “Oblivion,” the middle piece, the slow part, which we wish we had more time to use, is the most powerful single piece. I do think it’s important to put the time in to try to find a piece that’s different. You just try to create your own story, and I think that “Oblivion” sets us apart.”

Belbin and Agosto are looking forward to debuting their new “Amelie” free dance on Friday.

“Actually, it’s a new program, but we feel very comfortable with it and we’ve been working very hard leading up to this competition,” Agosto said. “We feel confident in all of our new elements. The program is much more artistic than our old one, not necessarily more carefree, but more lyrical and has a lot more feeling to it and more room to express a different side of ourselves.”

In second place are 2006 U.S. silver medalists Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov. Their spirited and passionate tango earned 56.45 points. They moved ahead of 2006 US junior champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who scored 54.72 and received a deduction for a stumble on their twizzle sequence. Just 0.2 points separate the second- and third-place teams in the standings.

“We were really happy with the way we skated,” Gregory said. “We thought that we really went out and attacked it, and we had a great skate. It was much improved from the last time we skated it, which was at the Grand Prix Final. We’re really looking forward to the free dance.”

Davis and White had a successful debut on the senior Grand Prix circuit, finishing fourth in both of their events and receiving all level fours on their elements at the NHK Trophy for their free dance. They had no expectations coming into these Championships.

“Coming in we didn’t have a lot of expectations for placement,” White said. “Instead we were focusing on skating well. Unfortunately, we didn’t skate our best for this OD, but we can’t be too upset. Other than the one fall that I had on the twizzle, everything went really well, so were going to build on the second half of that program going into the free dance.”

Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre finished third in the original dance and are in fourth overall, scoring 55.05 on their original dance. Navarro and Bommentre continue to build on their solid connection to each other and engaging the audience in their performances.

Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin’s tango was going well until a stumble by Zavozin on the twizzles interrupted the program. The team was able to quickly recover and finish the program with strong lifts and spins. “It felt really good, and then I guess I thought it was going too well,” Zavozin said. “Other than that, it felt like a pretty strong performance.”

The event concludes with the senior free dance on Friday evening.

Halverson, Mroz Sit 1-2 after Junior Men's Short Program

By Mickey Brown

Their styles couldn’t be more different. Eliot Halverson is all fluid grace and eye-popping flexibility, while Brandon Mroz’s power and speed are something to behold.

Sound like another pair of elite U.S. men?

The parallels between Halverson and Mroz, and Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek are striking, and the latter two will soon have to content with the former two, who stand in first and second, respectively, after the junior men’s short program at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash. The event took place Wednesday afternoon at the Spokane Convention Center, the final one to be held at that venue before the action switches full time to Spokane Arena.

Halverson’s score of 65.12 was a personal best by more

than five points. His previous high of 59.91 was set at his Junior Grand Prix event in Hungary in the fall.

Halverson (St. Paul FSC) and Mroz (Broadmoor SC) faced off in the novice division a year ago at this event in St. Louis, with Halverson moving up from third place after the short program to overtake Mroz and win the title. That was Halverson’s second U.S. title, as he also captured the intermediate crown in 2004.

Friday morning, at the junior men’s free skate, he’ll go for No. 3.

“Coming in, I knew I had a difficult task ahead of me. I’ve been competing against a lot of these guys for a long time, and a lot of them are very talented,” Halverson said. “To be at the top feels really good.”

Halverson, who began skating in 1998 after watching the World Championships in his (almost) hometown of Minneapolis, Minn. (he lives in St. Paul), skated to the slow, soft “Hana’s Eyes” by Maksim Mrvica, a piece that is perfectly suited to his elegant style. His flexibility was on full display, as he was the only person in the competition to perform a Biellmann, which he did right before his triple Lutz-triple toe combination.

“(The Biellmann) makes the triple Lutz better,” Halverson said. “It relaxes me.”

Except for a shaky landing on his triple flip, Mroz skated clean, earning him 61.76 points for his effort.

“(The program) turned out strong. It gradually got better, but there were a few flaws,” Mroz said. “I could have attacked it better, especially that flip.”

Mroz’s length and expressiveness is strikingly similar to that of the two-time World bronze medalist. The sweeping arm swings and assertive footwork he showed off while skating to Nino Rota’s “Improviso” made the resemblance all the more glaring.

The skater in third is a mild surprise. Douglas Razzano (Coyotes SC of Arizona) followed up a fourth-place finish at the 2005 U.S. Championships with a 12th last year. That came around the time his parents were going through a divorce, which he said affected his mental state.

But he looked focused Wednesday, landing all of his jumps cleanly in his program set to Peter Gabriel’s “The Feeling Begins,” a song with a Middle Eastern flavor. He finished with 58.31 points, .04 more than Curran Oi (SC of Boston).

Razzano admitted he’s not much of a fan of the short program, but this was one of his better ones, except for one aspect.

“I’m surprised I got level twos on my footwork because I was slipping all over the place,” he said.

Samuelson and Bates Move Up to Take Junior Dance Gold

by Daphne Backman

(1/24/07) - Ann Arbor, Mich., is officially the home of rising U.S. dancers. Couples from Ann Arbor occupied the top three spots on the podium after the junior ice dancing event concluded Wednesday afternoon at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Just .17 points separated the gold and silver medalists.

Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates, in second after the compulsory and original dance event phases, earned all level fours for their elements in route to winning the gold. Their program to “Thalia’s Hits Remixed” maximized the technical difficulty while also showcasing Samuelson’s flexibility and their expression, creating a fun performance for the audience. The team had some ground to make up after their mistake in the original dance. ”We were definitely a little nervous, but I’d say we were

excited,” Samuelson said. “We just wanted to show what we could do in the free dance – that’s all that really mattered. The fall in the original dance – it’s unfortunate, but those things happen. We just had to bounce back.”

Samuelson and Bates are the first team to be rewarded all level fours at the U.S. Championships since the international judging system was introduced at the 2006 event. ”It feels sweet,” Bates said. “That hasn’t happened yet this season, at all. We’ll definitely take it as encouraging.”

Training mates Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell, the leaders after the first two phases, drew the audience in with their performance to "Canto Alla Vita" by Josh Groban. The program has been successful for the duo this season. The team received mostly level fours and two level threes for their elements.

“This time we had a little more difficulty in the footwork and we didn’t get the kind of levels that we wanted, but we are happy with our performance,” Madison said. “We’re aware that Evan and Emily are amazing skaters and we expect to be competing with them no matter what. It could go either way. We’re just happy it was close.”

Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt finished fourth in the free dance but were able to retain third place. Words can’t describe how they feel about their U.S. Championships moment. ”It didn’t really hit me until the end of the free dance,” Kriengkrairut said. “I was sitting there and I looked around and just went ‘Wow.’”

“We couldn’t even have expected anything close to this,” Giulietti-Schmitt said. We’re just thrilled. We’ve only been skating together for five months, so it’s amazing. There have been little ups and downs with getting used to a new partnership right from the beginning, but things have been great overall. We couldn’t have expected more for our skating and our chemistry on the ice.”

The fourth step on the podium belongs to the Broadmoor SC’s Piper Gilles and Tim McKernan (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Gilles and McKernan skated an aggressive performance to finish third in the free dance; just .39 from the bronze medal. The team finished seventh at the 2006 championships on the novice level and moving to junior was a risk that paid off.

“Moving up to from novice to the junior level was a good decision,” McKernan said. “Taking the pewter medal is really good. At junior, you just have more opportunities to do international events. It took us to the next level.”

“We weren’t expecting to get fourth,” Gilles said. “We thought maybe sixth or seventh.”

Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux finished fifth, with Pilar Bosley and John Corona placed sixth.

Close Race in Pairs After the Short Program

by Troy Schwindt

(1/24/07) - For Naomi Nari Nam, it’s been “a long time” (eight years to be exact) since she stood next to Michelle Kwan on the medal stand at the U.S. Championships in Salt Lake City.

A serious hip injury ended Nam’s singles career and sidelined her until she put her skates back on in 2005 for a pairs tryout with Themi Leftheris.

Just two years later, Nam is once again realizing her dreams at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash. On Wednesday night, she and Leftheris turned in a personal-best short program that earned them second place by less than a half a point behind teammates and defending champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin.

Nam and Leftheris, skating to the music “Jealousy,” generated 62.29 points, while Inoue and Baldwin

racked up 62.73. Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski finished third at 59.77.

Nam displayed heartfelt emotion when asked about her career plight.

“Yes, it was a long time ago,” said Nam, 21. “In between that time and now I’m a completely different person, and I enjoy and appreciate the sport a lot more. I think it’s very rare for people to understand that. To be able to come back…I just appreciate it so much more.”

Nam said she doesn’t regret anything in her career and is happier now sharing the experience with Leftheris, 25.

Their performance to the tango offered seamless transitions and was virtually error free. They started well by executing their side-by-side triple toes and throw triple Salchow.

After their performance, their scores were announced and subsequently booed by the Spokane crowd of 7,632.

“This is actually the third time our marks have gotten boos,” Leftheris said. “It was great that we earned our personal best score. We are happy with how we skate no matter how the marks end up, but to have that kind of affirmation is good for us.”

Nam said the U.S. Championship is their favorite competition. Last year, they placed fifth at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis. This year, a berth on the World Team is in the cross hairs for the team that trains in Artesia, Calif.

“You come out and want to skate your best and I think we really enjoyed ourselves out there,” Nam said. “Gosh, it would mean the world to us to make the World team. We’ve worked really, really hard. We’ve done everything so I think we would deserve a World Team spot.”

Training alongside Inoue and Baldwin, Leftheris said, provides a boost to their training.

“They are awesome and a huge inspiration for us,” said Leftheris, who with Nam won their first international medal earlier this season at Skate America. “I think we are just as happy for them as we are for ourselves.”

Inoue, 30, and Baldwin, 33, turned in a personal-best performance as well but had a couple of hiccups along the way. The landing on their signature throw triple Axel wasn’t smooth, and Baldwin struggled with a lift.

Still, the two-time U.S. champions were satisfied.

“We left a couple of points on the table,” Baldwin said. “I had a little bit of a struggle with a lift so that’s uncharacteristic for me, but our goal is to come off the ice being happy and we did.”

When asked if their performance to “Soul of Spain” was better than their short program at the Olympic Winter Games, Baldwin said no.

“It wasn’t better because we had a little bit of a step-out on the triple Axel and the lift was a little bit shaky, but I think we were rewarded more on our second marks here just because it’s a year later and we are that much further along in our careers.”

Inoue said the throw triple Axel remains a strong emphasis for them. Last year in St. Louis at the U.S. Championships, they became the first team to ever successfully land the difficult element in competition during the free skate.

“Going through the Grand Prix season, we didn’t see any other teams trying it,” Inoue said. “It’s risky but it’s worth the try for us. I feel like it’s getting a lot better and we have more confidence with that element.”

Inoue and Baldwin have earned four U.S. pairs medals as a team: one bronze in 2003, one silver in 2005 and two golds in 2004 and 2006.

Peter Oppegard, who coaches Inoue and Baldwin as well as Nam and Leftheris, said his two teams turned in workmanlike performances, and he expects both to shine during the free skate on Friday night.

“I felt both teams tonight went out and did real comparable jobs,” Oppegard said. “A national short program is always a pressure-cooker and they didn’t hurt themselves at all. I think both teams have about 20 percent more to give in their performances and that’s what I’m looking forward to Friday, stepping up their attack a bit.”

Nam and Leftheris, Oppegard said, have elevated their game this season and gained a lot of confidence.

“They are really starting to become pretty exciting and more toward of what I’m used to seeing from them,” he said. “John and Rena skated a little bit conservatively from the midpoint of their program on, but they are aware of that and with the training that they’ve done in the last two weeks – I think it’s been absolutely exceptional – I think the training will prove itself on Friday. They should gain a lot of confidence with the work they’ve done.”

Michigan’s Castile, 20, and Okolski, 22, said a change in coaches and rinks has elevated their performances over last year.

They turned in a solid program to “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd, including their incredible triple twist. Their only negative grade of execution came on their double Axels.

“It’s a lot more comfortable where we are now (Arctic FSC),” Okolski said. “We have a lot of skaters who skate at a very high level, and it helps us to train harder and more consistently than we have had in the past.”

Castile said she and Okolski have worked hard and are expecting success.

Derek Trent and Tiffany Vise are also in the hunt for a medal, standing in fourth place with 58.44 points. Their triple toes were downgraded, but they landed a great throw triple loop.

Triple Twist Highlights McLaughlin and Brubaker's Junior Pairs Gold

by Laura Fawcett

(1/25/07) - Rockne Brubaker (Broadmoor SC/Colorado Springs, Colo.) became a two-time U.S. junior pairs champion Thursday, as he and new partner Keauna McLaughlin (Los Angeles FSC) ran away with the title at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships.

Brubaker, 20, won the U.S. junior title with Mariel Miller in 2005, but after their split shortly before the 2006 U.S. Championships, Brubaker had to watch the national event from the stands.

In February 2006, he paired up with McLaughlin, and with only a few months training, they won two Junior Grand Prix Series events and the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Now, they’re U.S. junior champions.

“This year has probably been my favorite year,” Brubaker said. “We have an awesome relationship and have so much fun.”

McLaughlin, 13, and Brubaker had the most ambitious free skate, including two throw triples for the first time in their careers. Brubaker said they wanted to try the throw triple loop because if they made the World Junior Team, they didn’t want that competition to be the first time they attempted it.

“Probably about seven months ago, Keauna hadn’t even tried a throw triple, and here we are at nationals doing two of them,” Brubaker said.

The team opened their free skate to a mix of “Romeo and Juliet” music with their magnificent triple twist – something not many of the U.S. senior pairs skaters are doing. Brubaker said they moved from double to triple twist in practice quickly because of McLaughlin’s solid technique, and because, it’s her favorite move. They received five +3 grades of execution and four +2s for the move.

Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen (All Year FSC, Calif.) capped off what could have been a disappointing season with a comeback and the silver medal. In early fall, Butler suffered a concussion during the short program at Norway’s Junior Grand Prix event. They withdrew from the event and did not receive a likely second assignment.

Butler said they considered it a bump in the road, and she didn’t let it hold her back too long.

“Actually right when we got back from Norway she went out there the first day and tried it (the throw jump they fell on) again,” said Jacobsen. “I’m very proud of her. She was very brave about it.”

They also had a triple twist and landed a throw double loop and double Lutz-double flip sequence. She fell late in the program on a throw triple Salchow.

Although they finished fourth in the free skate, reigning novice champions Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss (Broadmoor SC/Colorado Springs, Colo.) won the bronze medal by a mere .20 points. A triple twist opened their program as well, and they followed it up with a throw triple Sachow, side-by-side double Lutzes and a throw double loop. Their one major error was Nuss’ fall on the pairs combination spin.

“It wasn’t our strongest performance of the year, but overall I thought it was pretty good,” Nuss said.

Kaela Pflumm and Christopher Pottenger (University of Delaware FSC/Dallas FSC) finished fourth with 90.75 points.

Three of the top four teams (excluding Butler and Jacobsen) qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final and will be fighting for a spot on the World Junior Team (to be announced later this week). However, two teams competing as seniors nationally, Kendra Moyle and Andy Seitz, and Bridget Namiotka and John Coughlin, are also eligible for the World Junior Championships.

Lysacek, Weir Live Up to Billing in Men's Short Program

By Mickey Brown

The marquee read “Weir vs. Lysacek” and the headliners didn’t disappoint.

The two dominant names in U.S. senior men’s figure skating put on a dazzling show Thursday afternoon at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships, wowing the crowd with two near-perfect short programs to position themselves for a classic showdown in the free skate Saturday night.

Both men withdrew from their last competition, the 2006 Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg, Russia, after hurting their hips, Lysacek during the warm-up for the short program and Weir on the morning of the free

skate. But they showed no ill effects of the injuries on Thursday.

Looking for his first U.S. gold medal after capturing a silver and a bronze each of the last two years, Lysacek skated first. With the shadow of past substandard short programs – namely the ones at last year’s U.S. Championships and the 2006 Olympic Winter Games – hovering over him, it was vital for Lysacek to come out and make a statement, which is just what he did.

He landed four clean triples, including a triple Lutz-triple toe combination and a triple Axel. The only negative GOEs he earned were for his spins.

“(Today) was this weight lifted off of my shoulders, and I think this was my goal today — to show anyone that has criticized my short program skating that when I’m really well trained and prepared and want to win something, nothing can stop me,” Lysacek said.

He credited the fact that he has been moving the past week, from his old residence to a place in the Hollywood Hills, with being more relaxed going into the competition.

After the conclusion of his “The Last Temptation of Christ” program, Lysacek put his head in his hands, the emotions rushing over him. The crowd at the Spokane Arena rose to its feet, and he reciprocated by doing a victory lap.

“It’s big to get a standing ovation skating in the first group, when people are still eating their nachos and popcorn, and they’re not that into the event yet,” Lysacek said. “To me that was great.”

It was a very cathartic moment for everyone involved.

Lysacek earned 78.99 points in the short program, easily the highest mark of his career. His previous best was 74.03, set, surprisingly, at the 2006 U.S. Championships.

Weir has owned this competition in recent years, winning his last three times on the national stage. The man known as much for his balletic skating as his flamboyant personality was all business once he took the ice. His program to “King of Chess” (the DeBeers diamond song) was equally good as Lysacek’s; he even earned more points for the Axel and the triple-triple combo than Lysacek did for his.

Weir’s score of 78.14 was well short of the mark of 83.28 he received last year in St. Louis, but it was good enough to put him less than a point behind Lysacek, setting the stage for a drama-filled free skate, beginning at 5:40 p.m.

“A lot of people are counting me out of this championship. I hadn’t competed all season and with all the pressure being three-time champion, I’m trying to keep the title,” Weir said. “I’m so happy that I didn’t fall on my butt and I was able to get through it.”

With all the talk about the top two, it is easy to forget that there is another medal up for grabs, and long-time U.S. Championships competitor Ryan Bradley staked his claim to it by smashing

his personal best by more than four points with a score of 73.58. This is Bradley 10th appearance at the U.S. Championships and his seventh as a senior, where his highest previous finish is sixth (2004).

Dressed in a hideous outfit consisting of a bright yellow shirt, blue pants, orange suspenders and green tie with black polka dots, Bradley appeared to enjoy himself the most of all the competitors, smiling and playing to the crowd throughout his upbeat program.

The ugly attire is intentional, of course. He went to a local costume maker to have it made.

“I said I want the tackiest, brightest colors you can find. I want it to be a normal suit, but in awful colors that should never be near each other,” Bradley said. “I look in the mirror and it just makes me laugh. You have to squint to look at it. How can you not enjoy something like that?”

Parker Pennington is in fourth with a career-best 68.56.

Meissner Takes First Step Toward U.S. Title

by Troy Schwindt

(1/25/07) - With a World title already on her resume, 17-year-old Kimmie Meissner took a major step Thursday night toward securing a U.S. gold medal by winning the short program at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

Meissner, who has skated in the shadows of Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan the past two years at the U.S. Championships, seized the spotlight at Spokane Arena by earning a personal-best score of 65.69 points.

Bebe Liang, 18, also performed a career-best short program and collected a second-place finish at 62.66, while Emily Hughes, who turns 18 on Friday, placed third, also with a personal-best mark of 62.32.

The ladies free skate is slated for 10:40 a.m. on Saturday.

“It’s really different because there is no national champion here, so it’s up in the air,” said Meissner, who is considered the favorite to win the competition. “That’s why this year it’s really exciting, and it will be interesting to see what happens on Saturday.”

Meissner, a high school senior in Bel Air, Md., said she misses competing against Kwan and Cohen, but added that there remains plenty of competition in Spokane.

When asked if she was comfortable with her new role as the favorite, she said yes.

“I’m getting used to it,” she said. “It’s exciting when you go out there people recognize your name and they cheer for you, which is good because it helps me get into my program and get pumped up. I’m enjoying it right now.”

In front of 8,010 boisterous fans, Meissner followed a dynamic skate by Hughes. She zipped through her “Snowstorm” program, opening strong by landing her triple Lutz-triple toe, followed by a triple flip.

Executing a solid short program has been a difficult chore for Meissner this season, and she was glad to put a clean one in the books.

“The crowd was amazing,” Meissner said. “I felt a lot of energy from them, and it really helped me perform pretty well, especially after Emily – she skated so well – it was nice to have them energetic.”

Meissner owns a U.S. bronze medal (2005) and a U.S. silver medal (2006). She was the U.S. junior champion in 2004.

“A national title would be great,” Meissner said. “Now that the short is over with, it’s one more step.”

Liang delivered a crowd-pleasing performance to “Firedance” by David Foster.

She earned big points for the deliverance of her triple Lutz-double toe and triple flip.

This competition marks the seventh senior U.S. Championships for Liang, who is a student at Santa Monica City College. Liang said she appreciates success more now than she did when she was 12, competing for the first time on the biggest U.S. stage.

“When I was younger I didn’t realize how much it took to be on top and I took a lot for granted,” Liang said. “Now, I know how much work it takes and how much I want to be successful.”

Her best finishes at the U.S. Championships occurred in 2005 and 2006 when she placed fifth.

Hughes got the crowd reved up while skating her “Carmen” program. A successful triple flip-double toe and triple Lutz ignited an energy-charged program that captivated the audience.

“I felt really good out there,” said Hughes, who last year skated at the Olympics and World Championships. “After the music started, I was just really into it.”

After coming off the ice, Hughes hugged her short program choreographer Mark Mitchell, who was thrilled with the performance.

“I was at Skate America, I was at Cup of China, and I was here and this was by far the best,” Mitchell said. “This is kind of the vision I had in my head when I picked it for her last year, so it was great to see her skate it that way. I knew (coach) Bonni (Retzkin) and Emily would pull it off. I was really hoping that that program would build to that big finish at the end and that the crowd would be responding exactly the way it did at the end. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Hughes said she feels confident going into the free skate, and that the experience she received at the Olympics and World Championships has her motivated.

Katy Taylor, who finished fourth last year at the U.S. Championships before winning the 2006 Four Continents title, placed fourth in the short program with a score of 58.72.

Skating to music from “Legends of the Fall,” Taylor shedded her demons from earlier in the season when she finished near the bottom of her two Grand Prix events.

A new trainer, adjusted school schedule and a new short program, Taylor said, helped her return to competitive form.

“Katy Taylor was wonderful because she changed her persona, she changed her style and that’s a thing many skaters don’t always understand they may have to do, and she did understand it and attacked it and it was such an improvement over (former short program) ‘Happy Feet,’ it was a joy to see,” said ABC skating analyst Dick Button.

Taylor said she is much more emotional on the ice and the hard work in training paid off.

“I was going through a rough period at my Grand Prix events, but I feel if I hadn’t gone through that I wouldn’t be the skater I am today,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s longtime coach, Jana Conter, said it was extremely hard watching Taylor go through that early-season setback.

“We have a strong bond and our entire team worked through it together and got her back in shape,” Conter said. “She showed everyone tonight she’s back.”

The Dream Begins for Castile and Okolski

by Troy Schwindt

(1/26/07) - Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski arrived in Spokane, Wash., earlier this week for the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships without much notoriety.

The Michigan-based pairs team had finished eighth last year at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis and placed second in their qualifying sectional for this year’s event in Spokane, Wash.

Defending champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin had understandably grabbed all the pre-event press.

But when it was over, it was Castile, 20, and Okolski, 22, standing on top of the podium. Their solid free skate to the “Requeim for a Dream” soundtrack vaulted them from third after the short program to first place with a personal-best score of 178.40. Their previous best mark was 145.16, which came at the 2007 Midwestern Sectional.

Inoue, 30, and Baldwin, 33, each had a fall in their free skate. Leaders after the short program, they finished second with a score of 178.15. Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris, who also experienced falls in their free skate, earned the bronze medal with a score of 168.49.

Castile and Okolski, and Inoue and Baldwin will represent the United States at the World Championships in March in Tokyo, Japan.

“This is unbelievable,” Castile said. “It feels great.”

“It still hasn’t sunk in” Okolski said.

The champions set the tone early in their free skate by nailing their split triple twist. The only negative grade of execution came on their level four combination spin.

“It was everything we wanted to do today, and we skated nice and strong,” Castile said. “It felt great to skate like that at nationals. It’s like my dream, it felt really good.”

Okolski said it was the best the duo skated all season.

“It’s kind of hard to describe because you hope to skate well but it all goes by so fast that you don’t pay attention,” Okolski said. “It just happens and you feel good afterward.”

Their coach, Johnny Johns, said he was in shock after the final scores were posted. Johns, who coached Danielle Hartsell and Steve Hartsell to the U.S. pairs title in 1999, began coaching the young tandem last spring.

“We were obviously extremely pleased with how they skated,” said Johns, who works with choreographer Marina Zoueva. “We figured this was good enough to get a medal. We weren’t expecting to get this at all. I am still in shock. Usually this is a two or three year project when you prepare a senior team. We were just trying to lay some groundwork, but they laid it pretty quick.”

Johns said he developed a game plan last spring. and Castile and Okolski followed it perfectly.

“They believed in me and I believed in them, and this is like crazy,” Johns said. “They were coming here just trying to get a medal and set the groundwork for next year. They were focused all week. We talked about it last week, just to stay focused that anything can happen, especially with the new system. This is just the beginning for them.”

Inoue and Baldwin followed Castile and Okolski with their free skate to a selection by G. Puccini. Things started badly when Baldwin fell attempting a triple toe.

They regrouped until Inoue failed to land the team’s signature throw triple Axel.

“After a fall at the very beginning of the program it’s a bit of a letdown, but instead Rena and I were really determined to do the rest of our elements really well,” Baldwin said. “I think we did. Even the triple Axel was good; she just slipped off her heel a little bit. It’s no problem, it’s very consistent for us.”

Baldwin said he may have been too confident before attempting his triple toe.

“I didn’t check out hard enough and I slipped off my heel,” he said.

Despite not repeating at U.S. titlists, Baldwin said he was proud of the way they competed in Spokane.

“We skated well,” he said. “We just missed a couple of our elements and that was the key to winning tonight, but I’m actually pretty happy with the performance considering what we have been through.”

Baldwin said that the victory by Castile and Okolski is a good sign that U.S. Figure Skating pairs is on the rise.

“They are a great team and I think the U.S. is looking really strong,” he said.

After Inoue and Baldwin skated, the door was left open for Nam, 21, and Leftheris, 25, and their free skate to the music “Caravan.”

They busted out by landing their triple toe-triple toe sequence and triple twist. But moments later Nam fell on their throw triple Salchow and throw triple loop.

“We had a great opening and I just think from experience we need to stay focused throughout the whole thing,” said Nam, who with Leftheris placed fifth at last year’s U.S. Championships. “It’s just another lesson learned, and we’ll take it all in and be back next year.”

Leftheris agreed. He said they have been skating clean programs in practice and just lost some focus. He added that they are still learning and gaining experience with each program and event.

“They usually obviously skate a lot better than that, but it’s nationals and you have to do it when they say your name, so sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t,” said Karen Kwan-Oppegard, who with her husband, Peter, coach Inoue and Baldwin and Nam and Leftheris. “It’s all a learning process. You take what you learn today and make it work for you tomorrow. That’s the name of the sport. It’s all a process.”

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig placed fourth with a score of 158.66. They landed a throw triple Lutz, triple twist and throw triple loop to music from “West Side Story.”

No Nightmare for Halverson in Junior Men's Free Skate

by Laura Fawcett

(1/26/07) - It started with a scream and ended with a bang.

But there was definitely nothing scary about it.

Reigning U.S. novice champion Eliot Halverson (St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul FSC) won back-to-back U.S. titles Friday morning by securing the junior men’s gold medal at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash. The last man to pull the out the double victories in consecutive years was Evan Lysacek, who won the novice title in 1999 and followed it up with

junior gold in 2000.

“I feel incredible,” Halverson said just after stepping off the ice. “That was definitely the program I wanted to do. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Halverson’s program combined music from “Beetlejuice” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” While he was solid in his jumping technique, landing six clean triples (the back end

of a triple Lutz-triple toe combination was downgraded), it’s his smooth as butter presentation that sets him apart.

“I think that it’s (presentation) really important for me, and it’s always been something that I concentrate really hard on doing in practice,” he said. “I don’t think about it during competition. In practice I will work on that a lot and when it comes to competition I can just focus on the jumps.”

With two U.S. titles under his belt, Halverson now will focus on the next step in his career. One of his goals will be working on the triple Axel. Although he has landed them in practice, Halverson and coaches Ted Engelking and Ann Eidson chose not to include it Friday’s program. Landing that, and continuing his success internationally, will be part of his future plans.

“I’m so excited about everything that will come with my skating career and with my life,” he said. “I think as I get older I think about how much I’ve changed just from a couple years back, and it gets me so excited for what’s going to happen in the next 10 years, 20 years. So this is just another stepping stone in my long career plans.”

American junior men, including Halverson, had extraordinary success on the international circuit this year. The 16-year-old, who was adopted from Bogota, Colombia as an infant, won two medals in the Junior Grand Prix Series but failed to qualify for the JGP Final.

Brandon Mroz (St. Louis, Mo./Broadmoor SC) did qualify and finished with the silver medal in Bulgaria. He collected the silver medal Friday as well, collecting 116.80 points in the free skate and 178.56 overall.

Mroz’s only major error was a bad stumble out of the double Axel, but he had a few bobbles throughout.

“Going in second, you have that feeling of you’re up there but if you want to move up you’ve got to throw down the gauntlet,” he said. “I’ve been in this situation before. I’ve been in better and worse spots, so I know how to deal with the pressure. I’ve gone through that all season.”

Mroz’s training mate in Colorado Springs, Austin Kanallakan, found himself in sixth after the short program and skating seventh overall on Friday. Maybe that took some of the pressure off, because he managed to win the free skate by a sliver over Halverson, 122.90-122.67. His element score of 68.04 outpaced the field but the deficit was too much to overcome the leaders. He won the bronze.

He landed seven triples, including an opening triple flip-triple toe combination that received all positive grades of execution. For the first time, he also landed both double Axels in his program.

“I just took everything one step at a time and took my time in everything,” he said. “I didn’t get into the choreography as I usually do, but it was still pretty good.”

Fourth place went to Curran Oi (Sc of Boston), with 170.50 total points.

Amelie Proves To Be a Winner for Belbin and Agosto

by Daphne Backman

(1/26/07) - In a press conference last week, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto announced they had decided to scrap their free dance to “That’s Entertainment” in favor of a new program to music from the “Amelie” soundtrack. Since that announcement, fans of the team have been anxiously awaiting the free dance event at these championships for the program debut. Belbin and Agosto did not disappoint Friday night at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships.

To a crowd of more than 10,000 at the Spokane Arena, the duo scored 102.04 for their performance, receiving level fours on all of their elements except for their diagonal and circular step sequences and received no negative GOEs. The audience responded well to the program which highlighted Belbin and Agosto’s edge quality and expression, and featured innovative new lifts. The couple

acknowledged that it was ambitious to create an entirely new free dance at this point in the season.

“We’re so pleased with the change we made,” Belbin said. “I think it was a gutsy move on our part, and it was the right one. I think tonight we did a great job with it being so new and I think it has limitless potential. We just feel so proud to be able to put out a program we feel is more true to what we’re capable of.” “It’s been a really good learning experience for us as well,” Agosto said. “We had to get ourselves together and dig down and really just do our job well, and we knew we had a very short amount of time. It came together so fast and I think it’s a great accomplishment for us as a team.”

With four straight U.S. titles, Belbin and Agosto are moving closer to the record books for U.S. ice dancing gold medals.

“We’re only at four, and Naomi (Lang) and Peter (Tchernyshev) had five, and “Liz (Punsalan) and Jerod (Swallow) had three in a row and five total. I’m going for six!” Belbin laughed.

Finishing second and receiving a standing ovation for their program to music by Yoav Goren were the three-time U.S. silver medalists, Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov. The duo started strong and continued the energy and speed throughout the performance. They received all level fours, with the exception of a level three on their circular step sequence.

“We felt really good,” Gregory said. “The audience was great. We love this program. It’s really special to us; the music, the choreography, everything about it. We really feel it every time we perform it.”

Gregory and Petukhov, who relocated to Newark, Dela, last year, attribute much of their success to the support of their new coaches, Natalia Linichuk and Gennadiy Karpanosov.

“They’ve been wonderful for us and pushed us further than we thought we could go,” Gregory said. “There is still more time between now and Worlds, and we feel we can improve more and more.”

2006 U.S. junior champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, finished third in the free dance and overall. Davis and White finished third at the 2006 World Junior Championships and will compete along with Belbin and Agosto, and Gregory and Petukhov at the 2007 World Championships in March.

“It’s an honor to be with the two U.S. superpowers of the past couple of years,” White said. “They’ve done a great job of making a name for the U.S. in our sport, and it’s phenomenal just to be here with them. We’re really looking forward to going to Worlds and learning from them and hoping to follow in their steps.”

Although Davis and White did not repeat their milestone at the NHK Trophy, which saw them receive all level fours, they did receive level fours on seven elements and had no negative GOEs.

Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, skating to a medley of music by the Beatles finished fourth. Their crowd-pleasing performance earned level fours on seven elements, although they received a couple of negative GOEs on their dance spin.

The couple had an interesting inspiration for their program, which included “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “End.”

“We saw a pretty famous juggler who juggled to these three songs, and there’s a clip going around the Internet of it,” Navarro said. “The way he juggled really brought out the music. We hoped to do the same thing with our skating.”

In fifth place were the 2006 fourth-place finishers, Morgan Matthews and Max Zavozin, who skated a spirited performance to music from “The Piano” soundtrack. Despite having level three and level four elements, Matthews and Zavozin received negative GOEs due to mistakes on their twizzles and step sequences.

Jennifer Wester and Daniil Barantsev round out the top six.

Czisny Wins Free Skate, But Meissner Wins Gold

by Troy Schwindt

(1/27/07) - Maryland’s Kimmie Meissner typically gives the morning announcements at Fallston High School, where she’s a senior this year.

When the 17-year-old returns to class on Monday or Tuesday, she’ll be introducing herself as the 2007 U.S. ladies champion. Meissner overcame an early wobble in her free skate to edge Emily Hughes by less than a point at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

Alissa Czisny captured the free skate and claimed the bronze medal.

“My friends at Fallston all knew I was going to nationals,” said Meissner, the 2006 World champion who led after the short program by three points. “I expect when I go back there will be some talk. I do the announcements, so I’ll probably be

announcing (my title).

“(I’ll probably) say something like, ‘Kimmie Meissner is back in school today after winning nationals, so if you see her tell her congratulations.’”

The victory caps a run for Meissner at the U.S. Championships that has included a bronze medal in 2005 and a silver medal last year.

“I’m very happy that I was able to keep a hold on the lead,” said Meissner, who recorded a score of 181.68. “It was a tough competition tonight. I’m pretty excited.”

Meissner skated fourth in the final group of six skaters. Czisny kicked off that final segment with a stunning and personal-best performance to music from “Sabrina.” Her score vaulted the Bowling Green State University student to the top of the leaderboard with a mark of 177.74, and the audience responded with a standing ovation.

Skating to “Galicie Flamenco,” Meissner put a hand down on her opening triple Lutz, failing to follow through with the combination. She rallied to finish the program strong, hitting six triples in all.

She said overcoming a setback during a performance is something she practices at her rink in Delaware.

“I train my programs to be perfect and I train them with little mistakes, so I’ve learned over the years to keep going,” she said. “In this system you can miss one thing and still be able to accumulate more points.”

Meissner said she fell forward on the landing of the triple Lutz, which is a “different mistake. Normally I’m back, but forward is a lot better because I was able to save it.”

The third-place finish in the free skate – Hughes placed second – was a bit disappointing but winning the title means a lot, she said.

“I was just getting used to the World champion thing, now this is going to be something new to get used to,” Meissner said.

Jeff Schneider, Meissner’s strength coach, said it’s been a tough road for Meissner in terms of pressure and expectations coming into the event. A big cheering section, however, from the University of Delaware where she trains helped her cause.

Schneider said Meissner is happy with where she’s at but added she wants to get even better and evolve as a skater.

Meissner plans to attend the University of Delaware next fall as a part-time student.

Hughes, the 2006 U.S. bronze medalist, followed Meissner on the ice. An 18-year-old as of Friday, Hughes was cruising during her free skate to music from the ballet “Sylvia” when she fell on her triple flip. Hughes, like Meissner, regrouped and finished strong.

Her free skate score – featuring six triples – of 118.54 was nearly enough to overtake Meissner. Hughes finished with a total score of 180.86.

“I’ve learned a lot over the last season, and I’ve had some good skates and bad skates and I realize that even if I fall if I get up and keep going I can still do well, and I was really proud of myself that I did that,” Hughes said.

Hughes’ longtime coach Bonni Retzkin said Hughes was coming off an ankle injury that occurred around the holidays, and she hadn’t been able to train her free skate as aggressively as she normally does.

“She wasn’t able to do a spread eagle, which we left out,” Retzkin said. “We had to change the program around because of the ankle, so with that said, she really only started training this program three weeks ago, but delicately in the beginning and last week she started getting through it. This week, her training really peaked. I couldn’t be happier.”

Hughes experienced a bit of a scare just prior to the competition when she realized that she forgot her raspberry dress at the hotel.

Retzkin, though, sprinted to the van, raced up the hotel stairs and returned with the dress just five minutes before the start of the event.

Czisny turned in the most electric performance of the day. She landed five clean triples (a sixth was downgraded), and her signature spins and spirals left the crowd in awe. Czisny’s coach, Julie Berlin, erupted with joy after watching her skater land a triple Lutz toward the end of the four-minute free skate.

“I knew then that she had it,” Berlin said.

Both Czisny and Berlin had tears while waiting for their scores in the kiss and cry.

For Czisny, it was her personal-best score by nearly 10 points and redemption of sorts from last year when she placed seventh at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis.

“Last year I had so many competitions before nationals it was really hard,” said Czisny, 19. “This year I just had a couple and I didn’t do the greatest, but it was kind of a warm-up. I went back and worked hard and trained hard and had a lot of time for training. It felt good.”

The crowd, she said, was something special.

“I really wasn’t thinking about it until my last jump and I was like, ‘I’m doing it,’ it’s actually happening,’” Czisny said. “Then I tried to focus on my last jump and after that the whole crowd was lifting me up.”

Berlin called the performance, “the greatest coaching moment in my life.”

Meissner, Hughes and Czisny will represent the U.S. at the World Championships in March.

Lysacek Electrifies Spokane Arena to Win Gold

by Michelle Wojdyla

(1/27/07) - Johnny Weir probably said it best.

“Well, he beat me by 30 points. He didn’t just beat me, he kicked my [butt].”

“He” would be Evan Lysacek, and Weir was showing respect for the guy who skated lights out.

Lysacek didn’t just win the men’s title. He trounced the competition with his “Carmen” program. Actually, he didn’t just trounce the competition. He rocked the near-sellout crowd at the Spokane Arena with probably the most

electrifying free skate at the U.S. Championships since Rudy Galindo’s upset win in San Jose 11 years ago.

The men’s free skate at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships started at 6:15 p.m. Skater after skater fell. The crowd saw more pops than a Midwest 7-11. Visions of Dallas were dancing in their heads.

At 8:05 p.m. Jeremy Abbott skated the third-best program of the night to take him to fourth overall.

The crowd waited for another skater to step up.

And waited.

And waited.

At 9:27 p.m. Lysacek took the ice in his black outfit with thin red scarf. “Carmen” again, not the new program he promised earlier in the season. Carmen. Again.

Right off the bat, Lysacek opened with a huge quad toe-triple toe combination.

This is not your 2006 “Carmen.”

Lysacek had never landed a clean quad in competition, let alone a quad-triple combination. But this is Carmen ‘07. With a +2 GOE, 15 points racked up. Element after element followed, two triple Axels (one in combination with a triple toe) and eight triples overall. Positive GOEs tacked on to all.

The scoreboard flashed the technical score: 91.13.

Pandemonium shook the arena and continued to grow as the component scores were flashed. 78.76. 169.89 total. 248.88 grand total.

“Basically what I tried to do was totally shut my brain off,” Lysacek said. “It was a little bit surreal. I was kind of out of body, and I could almost hear my heart beating. And it was so strange. And I kept fading in and out. I would do something and I would be like ‘Oh my God this is so cool, but then I would go back to my super-mental zone. So it was weird, but I definitely enjoyed it and I think that I can do better, presentation-wise, than that, but technically, that’s my best performance that I’ve given.”

After winning the junior title in 2000, Lysacek’s skating life as a top-level competitor came as a challenge.

“I’ve been like a sponge for the past three years,” he said. “I was kind of pushed onto the senior circuit, and the first year I was the third in the world… and then it’s like ‘Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I think I came here prepared, and I came here with very little doubt, and I knew

I wanted to win more than anything. I mean, it’s hard to put into words how badly I wanted to come and claim that title here in Spokane.”

Following the posting of Lysacek’s scores, the cheers and shouts and applause grew to a deafening proportion.

Next to skate, Johnny Weir.

“I heard ninety-something for the first mark, and I’ve never heard that before,” Weir said. “I was really shocked, and like, ‘What the hell?’ I didn’t really know what to expect as far as what Evan had done, but I knew he must have done fantastic. So going in and having to wait so long, and be prepared for that, and have all of this extra chatter coming in. The pressure and stress is very difficult to deal with, and I knew I would have to be fight hard and be perfect if I was going to win.”

Soft and fluid movements calmed the audience as Weir set up for a triple Axel. The Axel, however, wasn’t perfect but Weir saved it. He flew down to the other end of the ice for a quad toe. Two footed. The gold was gone.

The second triple Axel was doubled. The triple loop? A hard fall.

Was the silver gone?

A popped Axel.

It was not looking good.

“When I went to the quad and I was still standing at the end I was happy,” Weir said. “In general I was happy with that, that’s one thing that stands out for me.

“I fought for every inch of that program, and that’s something that I am very proud of. I know I fought for this day, and I’m very proud that I could be a fighter.”

Last to skate, 23-year-old Ryan Bradley …who had not stood on a national podium since he was a junior in 1999.

Opening triple Axel-triple toe? Fought and complete. Five triples followed. Bradley danced and smiled and winked throughout his Latin program, flirting with the audience and making them an integral part of the four and a half minutes.

The scores came up.

Silver.

The skater who quit the sport a couple years ago came back in a very big way.

“I just took some time, finished high school, got into college,” Bradley said. “My goal at that point was to take the stress off of skating, so that I wasn’t just a figure skater. I wanted to be just a good kid as well. I’m so stoked that I did that. It was hard to come back after that time off, but just getting into school made skating so much more fun, and so much easier.”

Bradley had always been known as a great show skater, silly and fun but not very serious.

“We wanted to tone down the program this year,” Bradley said. “Go for skating skills, go for high components, kind of control things and not be out there and skate for the crowd and instead of just for the judges and the points... But I threw that to the wind and started having fun and got caught up in the moment. I didn’t want to leave. They had to yank me off the ice.”

When Bradley was finished, he turned to face the 10,000 + people on their feet. He called it chaos.

“It was like a swirling bubble. I got so happy,” Bradley said. “Everything I’ve been trying to do all season long and every time I went out this summer when I wasn’t quite ready and I was pushing myself. It’s just so good to have everyone behind me. It’s such an amazing feeling I can’t even explain it.”

He even was allowed back on the ice to do a backflip.

Abbott, who placed third in the free skate ahead of Weir, was fourth overall. It was a remarkable comeback for a guy who didn’t make it out of sectionals last year. But he stormed back to win the Midwestern title this year and make the most out of his national appearance.

NHK Milestone Gives Confidence to Davis and White by Sal Zanca

(1/9/07) - To hear Meryl Davis tell it, she was relieved when she heard that her partner Charlie White broke his ankle two years ago, effectively putting them a year behind in their ascension the U.S. ice dancing ranks. White broke his ankle in a hockey tournament in Canada two weeks before the 2005 Midwestern Sectional in November 2004 and caused them to miss the 2005 State Farm U.S. Championships.

“His mom called me. She was extremely upset,” Davis recalled. “I was freaking out because I thought someone died or Charlie lost his feet or something.

“Then when she told me he broke his ankle, I was relieved.”

They have since bounced back to set a world record - of sorts - receiving all level fours for their free dance at the 2006 NHK

Trophy last month.

That's right. The detailed scoring sheet read like this:

CuLi4+RoLi4 STw4 CiSt4 SlLi4 SeLi4 CoSp4 DiSt4 RoLi4

“All level fours,” White said.

Not even the Olympic or World champions could do better.

“The hard work pays off,” White said. “You go out there and hope you are going to get level fours, but when it turns out you do it, it's fantastic.”

“And no minuses,” Davis said, who is usually in the habit of following up things her partner says.

The back-and-forth repartee for the now 20-year-old Davis (she's a New Year's baby) and the 19-year-old White (turning 20 next October) is something they have had for a long, long time.

Pairing up in late 1997, Davis and White have the longest partnership of any American ice dancing team, skating in more than 20 national and international competitions together.

“Charlie and I take it year by year, and slow,” Davis said.

They remember their first international event that spurred them on, a novice event in Austria in 2002.

“It seems going to Vienna, as our first international competition, opened my eyes to different parts of the world,” White said. “It was just so out of the ordinary, a fantastic European city. Not that Detroit isn't nice but...(long pause)...it's not Vienna.

“On top of that it was our first international competition, so we got a taste of the competitors and judges,” White continued. “And all the little things that go along with all these international competitions - being off your sleep schedule, being comfortable in your comfort zone.”

They understand each other's ups and downs, like when White admitted that telling Davis about his broken ankle wasn't high on his list of priorities.

“Usually when you break something in your body you don't think of the future,” Davis said. “You are thinking of the present pain, the present anguish. So I don't blame him for his basic human instincts.”

They recovered to finish a stellar junior career and now enter the U.S. Championships with a chance to go from the World Junior Team to the senior World Team if they place third or better in Spokane.

Last year they won the U.S. junior title with a free dance that was originally scheduled for 2005, but it was put on hold due to White's injury. They went on to place third at the World Junior Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

They jumped to the senior ranks this year and finished fourth at both Skate Canada and NHK Trophy, placing them 10th overall in the Grand Prix standings.

Davis and White outscored the likes of Great Britain's Sinead Kerr and John Kerr, who placed 11th at the 2006 World Championships in Calgary.

It still has not been easy for them. Both have moved from Bloomfield Hills to Ann Arbor where they are attending the University of Michigan, taking two classes each in the fall. Then there are the four hours training on the ice and sometimes an hour or two of ballet and conditioning off the ice.

Is it worth it?

“Absolutely,” White said emphatically.

He's had to make sacrifices. White gave up hockey, in which he helped his team to the state championship, and singles

skating, where he was a national competitor in novice and junior.

“The hardest (to give up) was hockey because it was just more of a personal choice,” White said. “With freestyle I felt it was like I just didn't have any energy.”

But he remembers the broken ankle.

“I got stuck in a rut. When this guy came and checked me, instead of going back this way my leg stayed that way and my body went (this way). I went to skate off the ice and my ankle kind of went over, and I knew it wasn't a good sign.”

Now he worries about swinging Davis around in their free dance to music from the Russian opera “Prince Igor,” which has the familiar theme “Stranger in Paradise” from Kismet.

It is the same music of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, the Russians who finished third at the Grand Prix Final. Davis and White have seen the Russian version of it.

“They just show a little more aggressive skating, and we keep it a little smoother,” White said.

But their version of the “Polovetsian Dances" earned them all fours, something Domnina and Shabalin couldn't do - although the Russians outscored them in the program component marks.

“It is a long progression for the program as the year goes along, and it is great to see we are doing so well,” White said. “But there is a lot to be done.”

Belbin and Agosto Create a New Free Dance to "Amelie" by Laura Fawcett

(1/17/07) - Three-time U.S. champions Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto announced Wednesday that they have scrapped their free dance to “That's Entertainment” and will debut a new free dance at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships to the soundtrack from “Amelie.” The team made the announcement during a pre-championships media teleconference.

After an exhausting Olympic season and summer touring schedule, Belbin and Agosto were looking for a free dance that was fun and light-hearted – something that could represent their love of performing.

“We are looking for something that we connect with and enjoy skating to,” Belbin said before they debuted the free dance at Cup of China. “Obviously that will be

the music that we grew up with, that we hear on the radio, that we like to move to.”

However, the program didn't resonate with fans and judges. At Cup of China, Belbin and Agosto lost to Russians Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, who were only seventh at the 2006 World Championships. They beat Domnina and Shabalin at Cup of Russia but still finished second in the free dance.

Both Belbin and Agosto quickly realized a change was in order.

“We had trouble with our free dance to the music of ‘That's Entertainment,'” Belbin said Wednesday. “We really felt in the beginning that it was a great concept and that we really could do something new and different with it. For the first time ever in our careers it didn't work out the way that we thought it would, or hoped it would. Oftentimes we find a key to our programs and direction that we want to take it, and this time we just couldn't find the key to making this program work. Ben and I decided that if we didn't feel emotionally invested in this program or proud of it that we needed to step it up and do something better.”

They started from scratch to create the new “Amelie” program. The music, composed by Yann Tiersen, is from the 2001 French movie of the same name about a young woman who finds ingenious ways to help other people.

“It's much more lyrical,” Belbin said. “It's an entirely different style from what Ben and I typically skate to. It's much more dramatic and emotional. We've created all new lifts and elements and footwork, and we haven't repeated a single element from any of our past programs … Hopefully it will be better received than the last one on the international scene.”

The team withdrew from the Grand Prix Final due to a back injury to Agosto, which kept him from doing any lifts for about a week. He's healed now, and the time off between recovery and the U.S. Championships gave them ample time to create a new program. After the debut in Spokane, Belbin said they plan to get the new program in front of international judges at the 2007 Four Continents Championships, Feb. 7-10, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Busy Season for Moyle and Seitz Continues at U.S. Championships

by Sal Zanca

(1/19/07) - It was a hectic season for Kendra Moyle & Andy Seitz, and probably a bit confusing. If it was Norway or the Czech Republic that would be a junior pairs competition. Canada or Russia? That meant senior pairs.

Then there was Bulgaria...uh ...junior pairs and the Junior Grand Prix Final. Spokane coming up? That must mean senior.

Then it will be perhaps Germany – junior – or maybe even Japan – senior – depending on how they do in Spokane. In all they had five events from Sept. 29 to Dec. 9 – four trips to Europe, a trip to Canada, and a lot of stamps in their passports.

The pair spent their second season going back and forth between the junior and senior ranks.

“We wanted it,” said the 16-year-old Moyle from Chelsea, Mich.

“We wanted the experience of senior and wanted to do well at junior,” said the 21-year-old Seitz, originally from Bettendorf, Iowa, and now attending Eastern Michigan University.

“It was a way to get our feet wet in the senior circuit, so we can also keep our points up by doing junior as well for next year,” Seitz said.

It has been busy since they teamed together in 2005. Seitz skated with his sister Lindsey from 1996 to 2004 but went to college in Michigan while she stayed home. Seitz was looking for a new partner and found Moyle's profile on a partner-search site.

Seitz called and the rest...well, it isn't history but it's a lot of success. They were junior champions at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships and silver medalists at the 2006 World Junior Championships.

They finished no worse than a second in four regular season Junior Grand Prix events, including victories in Norway this season and Japan last season. They've had two straight appearances at the Junior Grand Prix Finals. Just over a year after getting together, they were competing in senior events, too, finishing sixth at both Skate Canada and Cup of Russia.

“It has been rough,” Moyle said.

“It has been really hard,” Seitz added. “A lot of trips, a lot of long flights.”

After the JGP Final they were looking forward to more than a week in Michigan to train.

“It will be nice to have the time,” Moyle said while still in Bulgaria.

But there are benefits to the long year.

“It was definitely worth it,” she said. “We had a lot of fun this season.”

The highlight was at Skate Canada.

“It [was] our first senior Grand Prix and not really knowing what it was like, it was incredible,” she said. “The crowds were amazing.”

It was quite a difference from the Junior Grand Prix events in places like Liberec, Czech Republic, and Oslo, Norway, that had just a few hundred fans in the stands. But it was good to have the junior events early in the season.

“It was kind of nice because we had two junior, then two senior, then one junior,” Seitz said. “They were clustered together.”

But they both said there isn't much difference in the skating except for an extra lift and 30 seconds longer in the senior events.

“Same competition but maybe different skaters,” she said. There was more pressure in the junior competitions since they came in as the World Junior silver medalists.

“Competing in junior was more nerve-racking,” Seitz said. “In senior we didn't have anything to prove. We just go out and do what we can do.”

Now it's off to the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane, beginning Sunday, Jan. 21. If they are competing against Rena Inoue & John Baldwin that must be seniors...right?

Seitz thinks there is a chance for a high placing and perhaps another trip to the World Junior championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. A second-place finish in Spokane could get them to Tokyo for the senior World Championships. However Seitz admits it would be difficult.

“I really think the (top) two are going to be pretty tough to crack. Those are pretty much sealed,” Seitz said. “But I actually think anywhere from third place down to seventh or sixth is wide open. It can go anyway.”

The senior pairs event begins Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the Spokane Arena.

Meissner Brings Spanish Flavor to Ice

by Emily Feltes

(1/19/07) - Kimmie Meissner intends to chassé her way to the top of the podium at this year’s 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash. The 17-year-old reigning World champion is not content to simply get the job done — she’s going to do it with the style and finesse of a flamenco dancer.

With “Galicie Flamenco” as her free skate music, Meissner will bring the Spanish fever and triple-triple combinations to the Spokane Arena ice on Saturday, Jan. 27. She plans to execute seven triples (two in combination), high-level spins and connecting step sequences, as well as a couple double Axels during her free skate.

Jumping has always been the area in which Meissner has excelled, and now she is working to strengthen her inventiveness on the ice.

She finds her inspiration close to home, drawing on her great aunt’s flamenco dancing experiences.

“She showed me the style,” Meissner said. “The big thing is to use the hands and the wrists because there’s a certain way to do it. I watched lots of dancers. It’s very interesting to see them and then use some of the same moves in my program.”

Flamenco, a type of music accompanied by dancing and brightly colored, feathery costumes, originated in the Andalusian region of Spain. Flamenco involves using the eyes, wrists and a

variety of carefully choreographed dance steps to create a sultry rhythm that accompanies guitar music and hand clapping.

This year, Meissner focuses on elevating the artistic component score of her program.

“My jumps have always been my strong point, and now I’ve been focusing on presentation,” Meissner said. “I’m really trying to make everything bigger — I’m just trying to become more comfortable with myself, to release my inhibitions on the ice. I’ve worked to polish my program and fine tune it. This year for me, the Spanish music really brings a style and attitude which wasn’t there last year.”

Meissner will tango with the likes of Emily Hughes, Katy Taylor, Alissa Czisny, Bebe Liang and Christine Zukowski, among others, for the gold. Those five skaters placed third through seventh, respectively, at the U.S. Championships last year in St. Louis, Mo. Meissner finished second to Sasha Cohen, who is taking the year off from competitive skating.

When asked in a recent teleconference whether or not Cohen’s decision to take a break would affect her actions leading up to the U.S. Championships, Meissner said, “As far as Sasha making the decision not to compete here, to me it wasn’t that big of a shock. It was such a long year last year. I’m still going into the U.S. Championships the same way — I haven’t changed the way I think about it. I like competing against Sasha. I wouldn’t mind if she came back. As far as taking a long break, I don’t know if I would. I like to be on the ice all the time.”

Carriere Hoping Hard Work Pays Off at U.S. Championships, and Beyond

By Amy Rosewater

(1/20/2007) - When Stephen Carriere was just 13 months old, doctors had to repair the tubes in his ears. The procedure was supposed to improve his hearing.

Little did anyone know at the time that it would help launch his skating career.

“When he got his hearing back, he was afraid of motion,’’ said Carriere’s mother, Patti. “Someone suggested getting him involved in a sport with motion, like gymnastics or figure skating. I was going to put hockey skates on him, but he saw everyone jumping in figure skates and said, ‘I want to do that.’ ’’

His mother signed him up for an eight-week session at a small local rink near his hometown of Wakefield, Mass., outside of Boston. He flew through the lessons, rising

quickly through group lessons. Ultimately, a local coach named Sue Hamill noticed his talent and offered free private lessons.

This week, Carriere enters the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships as the reigning junior men’s champion and is making his senior-level debut at the event.

“My goal at nationals is to make my mark and have a great debut at seniors,’’ Carriere said. “The transition between junior and senior is really about creating your own style. Hopefully, my choreography will become more fluid. It’s not like in juvenile, when you’ve got to land a double Axel to win.’’

True, Carriere, just 17, has his work cut out for him at the senior level. He will be facing the likes of more seasoned skaters such as three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir, two-time World bronze medalist Evan Lysacek and longtime U.S. Championships participant Scott Smith, with whom Carriere trains in Boston.

But Carriere is a dogged competitor, having won all but one event he has entered this season, including two Junior Grand Prix stops and the Junior Grand Prix Final. The only competition he didn’t win was the World Junior title. He was fourth, but even there he won his qualifying round.

Carriere has been training with Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson at the Skating Club of Boston. Mitchell was a three-time medalist at the U.S. Championships; Johansson is a former Swedish national champion.

Hamill worked with Carriere in Stoneham, Mass., where Nancy Kerrigan trained. Hamill once worked with Johansson and upon her urging, Carriere made the move to the SC of Boston. Hamill remains close to Carriere, and he even arranged for her to be the surprise of his mom’s 50th surprise birthday party.

But there’s no doubt the move to Mitchell and Johansson has been a good one for the growth of his skating.

“What I really like about them is they were both amateur skaters and they have that experience,’’ Carriere said. “They’ve been around and they’ve had good coaches, too.’’

Carriere is even working with choreographer Jamie Isley, who crafted some of Mitchell’s competitive routines. Carriere’s short program music is “Stray Cat Strut;” his long program is to a medley of jazz music by Buddy Rich.

When asked to describe Carriere’s look on the ice, Mitchell said, “He’s not trying to be a mini someone else. He’s trying to develop his own style, his own look. It’s exciting, kind of a cool look.’’

Technically, Carriere has already proven himself a formidable competitor.

A very determined skater, Carriere was landing single Axels when he was about 8. He landed his first triple jump, a

Salchow, at 13. While most young men dream of driving on their 16th birthday, Carriere had a different goal: he wanted to land a triple Axel. He fell short of that goal, landing his first triple Axel about two months later. All of this made him that much more determined to land a quad before he turned 17.

“June 2nd,’’ Carriere said. “I remember the day.’’

Carriere was referring to June 2, 2006 – 13 days before his 17th birthday and the day he first landed a quadruple toe loop.

“I was really pumped up by another kid’s music and I said to myself, ‘Let’s go do it.’ ’’ Carriere said. “I came back the next day and landed more. I had to do a show in Maine over the weekend, and I remember doing it in practice there.’’

He landed his first quad in competition in July at the Liberty Summer Competition held outside of Philadelphia. He didn’t attempt one in the Junior Grand Prix series and, chances are, he won’t try one this week in Spokane, Wash. But fans might see some in practices.

“I’m training them, but I want to skate a good clean program,’’ Carriere said.

Part of his motivation to land quads stems from watching his rink mate Smith practice. When Smith first came to Boston a few years ago, he was landing quadruple Salchows and triple Axels.

“He was a mentor to me,’’ Carriere said. “It’s kind of weird now competing with him. I’ve gained a lot from him at the rink and his attitude. I really wanted to be like him.’’

But Carriere didn’t really need much outside motivation to push him.

“He’s a perfectionist,’’ Mitchell said. “Even as a little kid, he was like that. I have to tell him to slow down sometimes.’’

Carriere is that way off the ice, too. He is a senior at Wakefield Memorial High School, where he takes a full course load, including an advanced placement biology class. He leaves school around 2 p.m., and then heads to the rink for three consecutive sessions. He follows that up by working out and doing his homework. It’s little wonder that he’s a member of the National Honor Society.

“He has to have straight A’s,’’ Patti said. “It’s got to be A’s or he’s not happy.’’

The stress of skating and school is equally high. While he is focusing on the U.S. Championships – his most important competition of the season – he is also awaiting word from Harvard, Northeastern, Tufts and Boston universities. Once this season, he practiced for a show, then took his SATs and performed afterward.

In the midst of it all, he’s competed internationally, in Hungary, The Netherlands and Bulgaria.

“I don’t know how he’s made it through this season,’’ Patti said.

Perhaps the drive is in the family genes. One of Carriere’s cousins is Caroline Hallisey, a U.S. speed skater who competed at the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Halissey is – follow this now – the daughter of Carriere’s dad’s sister. Over the years, she has sent Carriere trinkets from speed skating competitions, including the Olympics.

Said Carriere, “My goal is to have two Olympians in the family.’’

Spokane Selected to Host 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships

(2/20/04) - U.S. Figure Skating today announced the selection of Spokane, Wash., as the host city for the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The competition will be held January 21-28, 2007. The selection of Spokane was announced by Larry Kriwanek, chair of U.S. Figure Skating's Events Advisory Board, following the approval of U.S. Figure Skating's Executive Committee. The 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be hosted locally by the Lilac City Figure Skating Club, Inland

Northwest Figure Skating Club, Spokane Figure Skating Club and Star USA. The same group successfully hosted 2002 Smart Ones Skate America, attracting a record attendance of 28,664 for the four-day event. All-event ticket packages for the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships will go on sale beginning March 12, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at www.spokane2007.com (to be launched soon). The all-event ticket package will guarantee you great seats for all of the sessions during the eight-day competition. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships annually attract more than 1,500 figure skating athletes, coaches and officials to the host city. This is the first time that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships have been awarded to the city of Spokane. The state of Washington last hosted the U.S. Championships in 1987 when the city of Tacoma served as the host.

The Spokane Arena, a 10,500-seat multi-use facility that opened in 1995, will serve as the main venue for the event. The arena has hosted a number of major sporting events including 2002 Smart Ones Skate America, the 1996 U.S. Olympic wrestling trials and the 1998 Memorial Cup. The secondary venue will be the Spokane Convention Center, which will undergo a major expansion prior to the 2007 U.S. Championships. With the U.S. Championships as the first major event in the new Spokane Convention Center, the community will be invited to a grand opening of the facility with figure skating as the main attraction. As with 2002 Skate America, the historic Davenport Hotel will serve as the headquarters hotel for the championships. "It is only fitting that the grand hotel that was built in 1914 host the event that began in 1914,"

said Walt Worthy, owner of The Davenport Hotel. "We are honored to be the headquarter hotel for U.S. Figure Skating's most prestigious competition." The Davenport Hotel is one of only two hotels in Eastern Washington to receive the AAA Four-Diamond Award. Washington Trust Bank will be the local presenting sponsor for the 2007 U.S. Championships. "Washington Trust is pleased to be involved with an event that will have such positive impact on our community," said Jack Heath, president of Washington Trust Bank. "We look forward to having the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane

Ticket Sales for 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships Set All-Time Record

(3/16/04) - Since going on sale March 12 at 10 a.m. PST, ticket sales for the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships have set an all-time event record for first reported ticket sales. As of Monday, March 15, at 10 a.m. PST, 2,335 all-event tickets have sold and 4,059 Exhibition of Champions tickets have sold. This brings the total first-weekend sales for the event, which takes place January 21-28, 2007, to $1,399,365.

“We are extremely pleased with the success of the ticket sales for the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships,” said U.S. Figure Skating President Chuck Foster. “This is a strong indicator that the U.S. Championships are a hugely significant sporting event. Spokane and the figure skating community nationwide are showing their support for the sport of figure skating.”

Ticket sales for the event are on pace to set the total ticket sales record for a State Farm U.S. Championships as well. The current all-time record is held by the 2002 State Farm U.S. Championships held in Los Angeles, Calif., which reached a total ticket sales mark of $3,622,000. First reported ticket sales for that event were $68,000.

The previous record for first reported ticket sales was held by the 2005 State Farm U.S. Championships to be held in Portland, Ore., with $349,715 in sales.

Ticket Sales Comparisons - State Farm U.S. Championships

LA 2002

Portland

2005 Spokane

2007

*First reported ticket

sales $68,000 $349,715 $1,399,365

Total ticket sales $3,622,000 TBA post event

TBA post event

*First reports to U.S. Figure Skating on opening ticket sales are not based on any date or lapsed

amount of time. Local organizing committees are able to submit their first ticket sales report on

their own schedule.

"Since being awarded the bid, the local organizing committee has been hard at work to make the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships a success,” said Toby Steward, president of STAR USA and head of the local organizing committee. “We are thrilled with the response from the community of Spokane and the national figure skating community. The level of support shown this weekend in ticket purchases supports our belief that the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships will be a huge success.”

All-event and Exhibition of Champions tickets to the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships are still on sale. The ticket price for an all-event ticket is $495 and the Exhibition of Champions ticket is $60. The all-event ticket package guarantees access to a minimum of 13 competition sessions. The package does not include admission to the Exhibition of Champions, which may be purchased separately. These are the only tickets available at this time. Limited individual session tickets will go on sale just a few months prior to the competition.

To order all-event or Exhibition of Champions tickets: CALL: 1-866-USA-2007 (or within Spokane, 325-SEAT) CLICK: www.spokane2007.com VISIT: The Spokane Arena or Opera House Box Office

UPCOMING U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships — Portland, Ore., January 9-16, 2005 • 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships — St. Louis, Mo. , January 7-15, 2006 • 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships — Spokane, Wash., January 21-28, 2007

The 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be hosted by the Lilac City Figure Skating Club, Inland Northwest Figure Skating Club, Spokane Figure Skating Club and Star USA. The same group successfully hosted 2002 Smart Ones Skate America, attracting a record attendance of 28,664 for the four-day event.

The State Farm U.S. Championships annually attract more than 1,500 figure skating athletes, coaches and officials to the host city. This is the first time the State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships have been awarded to the city of Spokane. The state of Washington last hosted the event in 1987 when the city of Tacoma served as host.

Local sponsor Washington Trust Bank is proud to welcome the event to Spokane. The Spokane Arena, a 10,500-seat multi-use facility that opened in 1995, will serve as the main venue for the event. The secondary venue will be the Spokane Convention Center, which will undergo a major expansion prior to the event.

The 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships web site, www.spokane2007.com, will be the one-stop shop for the most up-to-date information regarding the event. Visitors can book hotel rooms, purchase tickets, reserve rental cars and scout the best restaurants and entertainment.

Spokane Begins Countdown to 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships

(1/31/06) - The local organizing committee for the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which will take place at the Spokane Arena and the newly expanded Spokane Convention Center, Jan. 21-28, 2007, held a “One Year Out” celebration last week in Spokane, Wash.

Included in the celebration was the hanging of giant figure skating banners in the Atrium of River Park Square; unveiling of a countdown clock showing the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the start of the event; and cutting and serving of a giant cake with life-size figure skates and the event logo.

In addition, a special grant totaling $1,000 was presented to Chris Anders and Kalie Budvarson, a local novice pairs team. Anders and Budvarson qualified for the last two U.S. Championships.

Mayor Dennis Hession and his wife, Jane, made a surprise announcement during the celebration. After attending the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Hession and his wife were so inspired that they decided to become pairs skaters. They conducted their first

training session Saturday, Jan. 21, at Riverfront Park's Ice Palace to the delight of a number of cheering fans.

For those interested in purchasing tickets to the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the All-Event Ticket Package and the Exhibition of Champions tickets are available. The All-Event Ticket Package is a book of tickets, one for every session of the competition, and includes a minimum of 13 individual tickets. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1-866-USA-2007 or logging on to www.spokane2007.com.

Photo: Spokane Mayer Dennis Hession, with his wife, Jane, speaks during the "One Year

Out" celebration.

U.S. Figure Skating and IceNetwork.com Announce Unprecedented Broadband Coverage

of U.S. Championships

(1/22/07) - U.S. Figure Skating and Icenetwork.com announced today details regarding first time behind-the-scenes broadband coverage of the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, taking place in Spokane, Wash., Jan. 21-28. Available free of charge to all fans, the coverage is a sample of in-depth news coverage Icenetwork.com will provide in the future.

Fans can log on to www.icenetwork.com throughout the week to watch free video clips, including practice footage, exclusive interviews, mixed zone highlights and more. For the first time ever, U.S. Figure Skating athlete press conferences will be aired in their entirety beginning Tuesday evening, Jan. 23 (see below for full schedule). In addition, Icenetwork.com will produce exclusive behind-the-scenes special reports beginning Wednesday, Jan. 24.

U.S. Figure Skating and Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, announced their new partnership and the unveiling of Icenetwork.com in October of 2006. The web site currently features webcasts of U.S. Figure Skating qualifying competitions from the juvenile level through adult, with the exception of competition footage from the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships. At just $29.95, a subscription to Icenetwork.com allows fans to watch all broadband coverage on the site until June 2007.

Today’s announcement marks a sampling of future news feature coverage coming to the site. Broadband coverage of the 2007 U.S. Championships will not require a subscription.

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

Broadband coverage on Icenetwork.com will be available a few hours after the conclusion of each press conference. All times are local.

DATE EVENT APPROX. START TIME

Tues., Jan. 23 Junior ladies free skate 8:15 p.m.

Tues., Jan. 23 Senior original dance 11:00 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 24 Johnny Weir event preview 12:30 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 24 Evan Lysacek event preview 1:00 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 24 Junior free dance 6:30 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 24 Senior pairs short program 11:15 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 25 Junior pairs free skate 2:00 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 25 Senior men’s short program 5:00 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 25 Senior ladies short program 9:15 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 26 Junior men’s free skate 12:30 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 26 Senior pairs free skate 5:00 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 26 Senior free dance 11:30 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 27 Senior ladies free skate 3:15 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 27 Senior men’s free skate 10:15 p.m.

2007 U.S. Championships Set All-Time Event Ticket Sales Record

(1/24/07) - U.S. Figure Skating announced today that the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash., Jan. 21-28, has set the all-time ticket sales record, surpassing the previous record set in Los Angeles in 2002 of 125,345. Ticket sales for the 2007 event to date are at 146,311. Walk up ticket sales will be added to that number throughout the week, and the final number will be available Sunday, Jan. 28.

“This is a sure sign that interest in figure skating is high and on the rise,” U.S. Figure Skating President Ron Hershberger said. “This year’s U.S. Championships really illustrate that a top-notch, well-run event will tap into figure skating’s huge fan base, as well as introduce new people to the sport. This event shows us the true potential and reach of figure skating moving forward. The Spokane local organizing committee and the entire community deserve a standing ovation for their efforts in truly embracing this event and the sport of figure skating.”

The 2007 event started strong with a sold out crowd of 4,000 at novice compulsory dance at the event’s secondary arena, the Spokane Convention Center. In fact, every session taking place at the Convention Center sold out and most were standing room only. At the Spokane Arena, the junior ladies short program on Sunday, Jan. 21, was welcomed by a crowd of 6,865, with all subsequent events through Tuesday evening tallying ticket sales above 6,000.

“Our goal from day one was to set a new attendance record, and we’re ecstatic and very proud of the community here in Spokane to have done so,” Team Spokane 2007 Chairman Toby Steward said. “I really believe that you get out of an event what you put into it. We’ve had a strategy and a plan from the time that we put the bid together in the spring of 2003. It comes down to the people involved and the pride they’ve taken in hosting this U.S. Championships; we have a phenomenal team.”

The senior ladies free skate on Saturday, Jan. 27, is sold out, as is the Exhibition of Champions on Sunday, Jan. 28, which sold out in May 2006. The senior free dance and senior pairs free skate are both nearing capacity, which at the Spokane Arena is 10,095.

Potential factors contributing to the 2007 event’s success are numerous. The local organizing committee, headed by STAR USA, Inc., has organized events in Spokane for 17 years, creating invaluable relationships throughout the business community. Among STAR USA’s events was U.S. Figure Skating’s 2002 Skate America international Grand Prix event, which holds the record for Skate America ticket sales at 28,664 over the four days of competition.

Spokane was one of the first sites chosen after the creation of the U.S. Figure Skating Events Advisory Board (EAB) in 2003, which seeks out and examines bids submitted to host U.S. Figure Skating events. Spokane showed success with 2002 Skate America, had an excellent

infrastructure in place, demonstrated organizational skills, enthusiastic volunteers and a true interest in hosting the best event possible. In addition, the EAB decided that a mid-size market with considerable community support would be a good fit for the year after the Olympics, when new stars are emerging and the sport embarks on a new Olympic quad.

In building community support, Team Spokane gave local sponsors the opportunity to activate on multiple platforms, encouraging them to brand their businesses with the event and the sport of figure skating. Options included engaging local nonprofits and schools, sponsoring a specific day of competition, hosting special events, participating in FanFest, decorating store fronts and other opportunities to build ownership.

The LOC began marketing initiatives immediately after receiving the event in 2004, traveling to the Olympic Winter Games, World Championships and three other U.S. Championships to drum up awareness and interest. Special marketing efforts included everything from a one year out celebration to a Zamboni parade to creating a “Figure Skating Friendly” campaign with local restaurants and shops. Also new this year was the creation of a FanFest at the secondary arena, a lounge for fans to meet and get autographs, watch live interviews, check results and receive free samples from local sponsors. As interest continued to climb, so did local media coverage, which has been unprecedented for this event.

“We shared our vision with the community very early on,” Team Spokane 2007 Executive Director Barb Beddor said. “We’ve worked hard to keep the event fresh and in the forefront of people’s minds. We looked at the fact that we were hosting the year after the Olympics, and rather than seeing it as a setback, we seized the opportunity to use the Olympics as another marketing tool to drum up interest right on through.”

The 2008 U.S. Championships will be in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 20-27. The 2009 U.S. Championships will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, Jan.18-25.

U.S. Figure Skating State of the Union

by Troy Schwindt

(1/24/07) - U.S. Figure Skating President Ron Hershberger opened Wednesday afternoon’s annual president’s address by

announcing a new State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships attendance record of 146,311. Walk-up tickets here in

Spokane, Wash., are expected to drive that figure even higher as the event hits its stride this weekend.

The previous record was set in Los Angeles in 2002 of 125,345.

“I have a big smile on my face this morning,” said Hershberger, who addressed a room full of media covering the event at Spokane Arena. “This has been an enormously welcoming city from

the moment we arrived. Everything has been perfect. The community spirit and involvement has been tremendous.”

Hershberger said he knew something special was happening when he witnessed a capacity crowd of 4,000 at the new convention center to watch novice compulsory dance. That scene, he said, has repeated itself every day since.

Hershberger and U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith addressed a variety of issues during the 45-minute press conference.

In looking at the state of U.S. Figure Skating, Hershberger reported that interest in the sport is high and cited the Basic Skills Program’s record-breaking figures over the last year.

Raith said the success of the U.S. juniors during the international season is proof that many more good years are ahead for U.S. Figure Skating. At the Junior Grand Prix Final in December, the U.S. won nine of 12 medals, including all four golds.

“On the senior Grand Prix circuit, we won more medals than any other country (15),” Raith said. “I think it just shows that we are working hard with our athletes. We’ve hired Olympic coach Mitch Moyer to be our senior director of athlete high performance to ensure that our athletes are getting all the attention and programs that they need to excel at their highest level.”

Hershberger made mention of the memorable performances by junior gold medalist Mirai Nagasu and silver medalist Caroline Zhang, as well as the reported historic triple Axel performed by novice men’s bronze medalist Keegan Messing during his free skate.

The future of U.S. Figure Skating on television was addressed by Raith.

U.S. Figure Skating is nearing the end of its current 10-year-contract with ABC and is evaluating its options.

“I’m confident that we will be on television on a broadcast network next season,” Raith said. “We are doing our due diligence to make the best arrangement possible for this organization before we announce anything.”

Moving forward, Raith said U.S. Figure Skating will take ownership of the marketing of its events that it has shared with ABC.

“We’ll work with strategic partners to make that happen,” Raith said. “I think that’s probably the ultimate way to go to control your own destiny - that you need to do it yourself.”

Raith also talked about IceNetwork.com, which is a new joint venture between U.S. Figure Skating and Major League Baseball (MLB) Advanced Media.

Figure skating fans have been able to watch all qualifying competitions this season. Beginning next summer, Raith said Icenetwork.com will be a much more robust site that will feature news,

results, photos, merchandise and more. It will be a place to go to find out what’s going on in the world of figure skating.

In regards to the selection process to determine future U.S. Championships sites, Hershberger said an Events Advisory Board is in place to evaluate which cities can best meet the necessary criteria to hold such an event.

Raith said a city which has hosted a U.S. Figure Skating major event would be looked at more favorably during the selection process.

2007 State Farm Scholastic Honors Team Announced

(1/27/07) - The 2007 State Farm/U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team proves that success breeds success. In this year’s class, all 10 scholar athletes have been named to the honor roll and/or won academic honors. All 10 have extensive volunteer experience, four are members of the National Honor Society, and their average grade point average is 4.04. Seven team members have created, organized or lead charity or school programs.

This year’s team will be honored during an on-ice ceremony at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, Jan. 27. The program was created by U.S. Figure Skating to recognize high school athletes who excel in the classroom and on the ice.

The award is available to U.S. Figure Skating members of all disciplines who are juniors or seniors in an accredited high school. They must be full-time students with a GPA of 3.4 or higher and have competed at the novice, junior or senior level within the past two years. Candidates submit an application and an essay, which are reviewed by a panel that selects the team.

This marks the third year of State Farm’s involvement with the program, which was started in 1997. In conjunction with U.S. Figure Skating, State Farm provides $25,000 in scholarships to team members, as well as team jackets. State Farm has a long history of supporting education and is proud to be the sponsor of this award.

“Being named to the State Farm/U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team is a tremendous accomplishment,” State Farm Vice President of Public Affairs Mike Fernandez said. “State Farm is honored to sponsor and recognize these student-athletes for their academic excellence and athletic achievements. As recipients of this scholarship, these student-athletes have shown the commitment, dedication and discipline needed to succeed not only as a student-athlete but in future endeavors as well.”

This year’s team members are:

Jennifer Barnes – Barnes, captain of the Team Braemar junior synchronized skating team, is a versatile student-athlete. She is a National Merit commended scholar, the design editor of her high school yearbook and the captain of her junior varsity lacrosse team. She is also an active volunteer at her church. With Team Braemar, Barnes competed at the 2006 World Junior

Qualifying Competition, where her team placed fifth, and the 2006 Midwestern Sectional Championships, where it placed first.

Kara DeFreitas is ranked in the top 10 of her class and is a straight-A student at Chelmsford High School in North Chelmsford, Mass., from which she will graduate in 2007. On the ice, her team, The Colonials Junior Synchronized Skating Team, placed first in the junior level at the 2005 Eastern Sectional Championships. In 2006, she and her team were second in the short program at the World Junior qualifier. DeFreitas is a member of the National Honor Society and French Honor Society. She is a Basic Skills coach and has been the captain of The Colonials.

Kylie Gleason is a standout skater, finishing sixth in the junior division at the 2005 Eastern Sectional. She is a straight-A student at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Mass., and will graduate in 2008. At school, she is a cofounder of the “Tree Talk” newsletter, a Helping Hand elected representative and a ninth grade mentor. Gleason also went on a 20-day service trip to Romania to work in an orphanage and hospital.

Emily Hughes is an Olympic and World Team skater, who also excels in the classroom at Great Neck North High School. A 2006 Presidential Scholar, Hughes has been given the Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from Great Neck public schools. In between the classroom and the ice rink, she has worked with many charities, including Victims of Hurricane Katrina, the National Center for Disability Services, UNICEF and Skate for Hope. The day of April 5, 2006, was named Emily Hughes Day in her hometown of Great Neck, N.Y.

Princeton Kwong is a repeat honoree of the Scholastic Honors Team. He again demonstrated excellence on the ice and in his studies at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, Calif. Kwong placed seventh in the junior division at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships. Academically, he is in the top 10 percent of his class and will graduate in 2007. Kwong excels musically and is a standout flute player. He is a Christian Club leader at his high school, as well as the Praise Worship leader at Tri-City Chinese Baptist Church.

Emily Samuelson is a straight-A student at Novi High School in Novi, Mich., and will graduate in 2008. Samuelson is also one of U.S. Figure Skating’s rising stars in ice dancing. With partner Evan Bates, she placed second in the junior level at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships. Outside the classroom and rink, Samuelson is a Sunday school teacher and treasurer of Interact Club. She is involved in the high school volunteer program. Working with Teens Aiding the Cancer Community, Samuelson has volunteered at different fundraisers to help children with cancer.

Katy Taylor is the 2006 Four Continents champion and placed fourth at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships. The Houston-area skater will graduate in 2008 from Mayde Creek High School. Taylor has earned a place in the National Honor Society and won the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. She has been on student council and has helped with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Taylor helped clean up a nearby beach and lent her talents to a breast cancer benefit as well as a tsunami relief effort.

Taylor Toth returns to the State Farm Scholastic Honors Team. He will graduate in 2007 from Kittanning Senior High School. He has enjoyed success as a pairs and singles skater. Toth placed fourth and fifth at two Junior Grand Prix events in 2005 and was 10th in singles at the 2006 Eastern Sectional. Toth’s many academic achievements include winning first place for computer design at the State of Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition. He’s been a distinguished honor student throughout his academic career. He has volunteered at animal shelters and at his church. One of his accomplishments outside the classroom was creating and directing the “It’s GR8 to SK8” program for the mentally challenged students in his school district.

Q. Kelvin Vu is a straight-A student who placed sixth at the 2006 Eastern Sectional in the novice class. Set to graduate from high school in 2007 from Algonquin Regional High School, Vu has earned numerous school honors and awards. He was a National Merit qualifier (semifinalist) and was on the Principal’s List during each year of high school. His leadership experience includes serving as chairman of the New England FSC Skater Representative Committee and being the president and founder of the KidCare organization. Vu is also a Basic Skills coach and judge.

Stephanie Zastrow returns to the State Farm Scholastic Honors Team. She is a straight-A student and finished 11th at the 2006 Midwestern Sectional. Zastrow will graduate in 2007 from Forest Lake Senior High School. A National Honor Society member, she is an accomplished student in many areas, including math and science. She was a 2006 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad competitor and earned the 2006 Society of Women Engineers Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Achievement in Science and Mathematics. She has served as an English tutor for junior high students and has been an off-ice stretch class instructor. Zastrow organized a fundraiser to purchase electronic equipment for the St. Paul FSC as well as a blanket drive for the Ramsey County Nursing Home.

International Team Selections

(1/28/07) - The following are the selections for 2007 winter/spring international assignments.

Ladies

World Championships

Kimmie Meissner Emily Hughes Alissa Czisny

Alternates Bebe Liang Danielle Kahle Juliana Cannarozzo

Four Continents Championships Kimmie Meissner

Emily Hughes Alissa Czisny

Alternates Bebe Liang Danielle Kahle Juliana Cannarozzo

World Junior Championships

Mirai Nagasu Caroline Zhang Ashley Wagner

Alternates Rachael Flatt Danielle Kahle Juliana Cannarozzo

Men

World Championships Evan Lysacek Ryan Bradley Johnny Weir

Alternates Jeremy Abbott Scott Smith Derrick Delmore

Four Continents Championships Evan Lysacek Ryan Bradley Johnny Weir

Alternates Jeremy Abbott Scott Smith Derrick Delmore

World Junior Championships Stephen Carriere Eliot Halverson Brandon Mroz

Alternates Austin Kanallakan Tommy Steenberg Curran Oi

Pairs

World Championships Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski Rena Inoue and John Baldwin

Alternates Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent

Four Continents Championships Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris

Alternates Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent Kendra Moyle and Andy Seitz

World Junior Championships Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker Kendra Moyle and Andy Seitz Bridget Namiotka and John Coughlin

Alternates Bianca Butler and Joseph Jacobsen Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss Kaela Pflumm and Christopher Pottenger

Ice Dancing

World Championships

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Alternates Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre

Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin Jennifer Wester and Daniil Barantsev

Four Continents Championships Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Alternates Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin Jennifer Wester and Daniil Barantsev

World Junior Championships Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt

Alternates Piper Gilles and Timothy McKernan Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux Pilar Bosley and John Corona

2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Establishes All-Time Ticket Sales

Record at 154,893, Sets Bar for Future Events

The 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships came to a close Sunday afternoon in Spokane, Wash., with a sellout crowd for the Hormel Skating Spectacular. Throughout the course of the event, 154,893 tickets were sold, beating the previous record of 125,345 set in Los Angeles in 2002. The future of U.S. Figure Skating is bright in more ways than one: the level of talent and quality of skating at the event was as high as it’s been in years, with countless personal records set,

difficult jump combinations achieved and new stars emerging.

“This U.S. Championships was one of the most successful in history in several respects,” U.S. Figure Skating President Ron Hershberger said. “Not only to set the attendance record but to smash the previous high proves that well-marketed figure skating events have limitless potential, and that the sport is vibrant and popular among fans of all ages. Beyond that, fans were treated to some of the best figure skating and most exciting competition in all four skating disciplines and at all levels: novice, junior and senior. Spokane has truly set the bar for the future of U.S. Figure Skating events.”

Kimmie Meissner landed a triple-triple combination in both her short program and her free skate on the way to winning her first U.S. title in a deeply talented pool of ladies, which included Emily Hughes and Alissa Czisny. Next year her competition will be even steeper, as young phenoms Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang – who finished 1-2 on the junior level – potentially move up to the senior ranks.

Evan Lysacek made a career breakthrough in winning the men’s event Saturday, nailing a quad toe-triple toe combination before cleanly landing every element in his program to bring down the house at the Spokane Arena. Though it wasn’t Johnny Weir’s night, the rivalry will be back on at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo, Japan, this March. And who could forget the inspiring performance of Ryan Bradley, the last skater of the night, who capped off the competition with a triumphant backflip to celebrate his silver medal. Knocking at their door soon enough will be the new U.S. junior champion Eliot Halverson, whose lyrical skating will be on display at the World Junior Championships next month.

In pairs, two new faces emerged: those of new U.S. champions Brooke Castile & Ben Okolski. Their spectacular triple twists brought Spokane Arena to its feet and established them as the team to watch in the future. Rena Inoue & John Baldwin’s signature throw triple Axel wasn’t solid in Spokane, but it will be in full force at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships next week in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the World Championships. Newcomers Naomi Nari Nam & Themi Leftheris will also compete at Four Continents, the home of talented U.S. junior champions Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker.

And while ice dancers Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto won their fourth U.S. title, more and more talented U.S. ice dancing teams continue to gain notice, including their training mates, Meryl Davis & Charlie White, who won the bronze medal. Before long, the two teams, along with silver medalists Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov, will be competing against the top two U.S. junior teams from this year’s U.S. Championships, Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates, and Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell.

New initiatives introduced at this year’s U.S. Championships included the Windermere Real Estate FanFest at the secondary arena, a “Figure Skating Friendly” campaign with local restaurants and shops, a one-year out celebration, numerous special events and increased opportunities for local sponsor activation.

Local media coverage of the event was unprecedented. The Spokesman-Review, a local sponsor, produced a special section for five days of the event that included a wrap-up on Sunday. KXLY-TV, a local sponsor and ABC affiliate, created a full studio set at FanFest and broadcasted live every day of the event for more than 15 hours of live coverage. The station did a special 90-minute preview show and featured “Hot Seat” interviews with 15 of the top senior competitors aired throughout the week and on the JumboTron at the primary arena.

National media coverage was strong for this post-Olympic year as well, as more than 20 major daily newspapers sent writers, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Denver Post, San Diego Union-Tribune and more. U.S. Figure Skating’s IceNetwork.com featured free behind-the-scenes

broadband coverage of the event for the first time, including airing press conferences in their entirety.

The 2008 U.S. Championships will be held in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 20-27, 2008.