2012 PRUDENTIAL U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS NOVICE - MEN
ZHOU DYNASTY BEGINS WITH
YEAR OF THE DRAGON by KRISTIN ZINSMEISTER
W
hen Vincent Zhou of Palo Alto, Calif., stepped onto the ice for his free skate, he had a feeling luck was on his side. Jan. 23 is the first day of the Year of Dragon, according to the
Chinese calendar, and the dragon symbolizes luck. Zhou, who was born during the previous Year of the Dragon and
was wearing a costume adorned with a dragon, capitalized on the Chi- nese zodiac meaning. Skating to music from Iron Monkey and Rising Sun, the 11-year-old dominated the field, cleanly landing five triples, including a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop and a double Axel-triple toe loop that added up to 18.71 points. “It took a lot of concentration and a lot of effort,” Zhou, of the
Peninsula SC, said. “I had to really try hard and I couldn’t let anything go.”
His performance earned the young skater his first “partial standing
ovation.” “Not that I’ve lived very long,” he joked. Zhou, who trains in Riverside, Calif., under Tammy Gambill, nev-
er trailed during the competition. He placed first in the short program with 52.45 points and was first in the free skate with 112.51 points for an overall score of 164.96, more than 25 points better than the silver medalist. At 4-feet-8-inches tall, the tiny fireball can barely see over the
boards, yet tackles triples with the proficiency of someone twice his size and age. Te air time on Zhou’s jumps indicates that he is capable of adding an extra rotation for quads and triple Axels, but he and Gambill are holding back. “I’ll definitely be working on triple-triples because that’s some-
thing I’ll need for next year,” Zhou said. “Tammy says that we can’t start triple Axels until I physically mature more, but it’s always good to try new things.”
Zhou, who is the 2011 intermediate champion, said his mom
drives about 1,000 miles a week in support of his skating. Zhou looks up to several skaters, including rinkmate and 2011 U.S. silver medalist Ricky Dornbush. “When I go home, almost every night I watch his free skate from
last year’s nationals,” Zhou said. “Tat gives me motivation.” He also likes World champion Patrick Chan. “Not because he got the big points, but because he has a sunny
personality, he’s always smiling.” Vincent Zhou
Zhou comes to the rink each day with a fun fact for Gambill. “He used to come in when he was really young and tell me a joke
before we would start training,” Gambill said. “I’ve run out of jokes,” Zhou said. James Schetelich, representing the Skating Club of New York, also
benefited from some luck. He rebounded from a fourth-place finish after the short program to finish second despite taking a hard fall just hours before his free skate that sent paramedics running to his side. “During my warm-up this morning, I was skating at full speed, slipped off my heel and slammed into the wall on my back. I’ve never done anything like that. But as the adrenaline kicked in, I could barely feel it [during my free skate],” Schetelich said. Skating to West Side Story, the 15-year-old from Scotch Plains, N.J., completed five triples, earning 139.77 points overall. “Just as I did in the short, I made every jump the best it could be,” Schetelich said. “Tis was the first time I’ve actually said that to myself the entire way [through the program]. I was positive.” From Woodland Hill, Calif., Spencer Howe, representing the Los Angeles FSC, moved up from fifth to third with a strong free skate to Te Phantom of the Opera. Although he bobbled on his opening triple Lutz, he recovered quickly, making sure the rest of the program was seamless. “As I was going into [the Lutz], I was a little bit nervous and
I just didn’t get the reach-back and timing that I usually get, so I ended up whipping it around,” Howe said. “So, I sucked it up and pretended like it never happened and [the program] turned out good.” He earned 134.22 points overall, completing a triple toe
James Schetelich 42 MARCH 2012 Spencer Howe
loop, a triple loop and a level four straight line step sequence. Kevin Shum, of Piedmont, Calif., was second after the short, but after a shaky free skate, finished the competition in fourth place with 132.68 points. Highlights of his program included a triple Lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination and a level four spin. Shum represents the St. Moritz ISC.
PHOTOS BY JAY ADEFF
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