have a triple Axel in his arsenal, but compen- sated with strong triple-triple combinations in both of his programs as well as good speed, fine spins and a strong sense of style. Te 2010 U.S. junior champion earned the highest program component scores of the event and won bronze with 214.90 points. “I just felt really confident the whole
event,” Brown, 17, said. “My practice group with the U.S. men and the Chinese team, that was amazing. “It’s been really exciting to have the judges’
recognition for my skating skills, separate from the technical [mark]. For sure, the triple Axel is something I need if I want to be competitive at the senior level, and it’s something I’m going to work on the whole off-season.” Timothy Dolensky, the U.S. junior silver medalist, had hoped for a top-10 finish, but af- ter a solid opening to his free skate, he turned an intended triple Lutz into a single and placed 12th with 169.94 points. “Tere were a lot of good things in my pro- gram, and if I had hit that second Lutz, I might have achieved my goal,” Dolensky said. Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton
fought for every step, turn and twizzle of the way in a tough ice dance event, and brought the bronze medal home to Detroit.
Te U.S. junior champions climbed from fifth after the short dance to third overall with a rousing Irish step dance routine to Lord of the Dance that featured five level four elements. Overall, they earned 141.14 points. Junior Grand Prix Final winners Victoria
Sinitsina and Ruslan Zhiganshin, and fellow Russians Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, won gold and silver, respectively. “Going to Belarus was definitely some-
thing we’re so glad we had the chance to do,” Eaton, 19, said. “As far as the free dance goes, it was probably the most fun we’ve ever had with
Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton
the program. We knew this was the last time we were going to perform it, so we might as well let everything out.” Te 17-year-old Aldridge credited the coaching team at Detroit Skating Club, headed up by Pasquale Camerlengo and his wife, two- time World ice dance champion Anjelika Kry- lova.
“We love training there,” she said. “We
have been skating with Anjelika since we were novices. She pushes us to the limit and is always full of good ideas. Tere is always a great atmo- sphere in the training group.” U.S. junior silver medalists Lauri Bona-
corsi and Travis Mager, eighth after the short dance, moved up to seventh place after a fine free dance. Rachel Parsons and Michael Par- sons, the young siblings who placed fourth at the Youth Olympics, were 15th. Tree pairs teams from Colorado Springs,
all coached by Dalilah Sappenfield and Larry Ibarra, took on powerhouse teams from China and Russia.
As expected, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China won their third straight World Junior crown, hitting a quad twist in their free skate. Teir teammates, Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin won silver, and Russians Vasilisa Davankova and An- drei Deputat took bronze. After a clean short program to music from
Chicago, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier hit both triple throws, plus a fine triple twist, in their free skate to the Pearl Harbor soundtrack. Te U.S. junior champions placed fourth with 150.55 points. “We’re so happy we skated a clean program
and we can be proud of ourselves,” said the 16-year-old Denney, whose older sister, Caydee, is U.S. pairs champion with John Coughlin. “We did everything we could, and we
reached our personal best with more than 150 points, which was our goal,” added the 19-year- old Frazier. Kylie Duarte and Colin Grafton showed
fine lifts throughout the competition and suc- cessful side-by-side triple Salchows in their free skate, but lost points when Duarte stumbled on the landings of a triple toe and throw triple Sal- chow in their free skate. “We put a lot of energy and power into the
program,” Duarte said. “Obviously, there were a few mistakes, but I am happy that we pushed through the program after those mistakes.” “Overall, we are happy with the place-
ment,” Grafton said. “We’re looking forward to competing in seniors next season.” U.S. junior silver medalists Britney Simp-
son and Matthew Blackmer began their free program with a double twist, but Simpson fell on the throw triple loop and the double Axel. Tey placed 10th. “It was a very intense competition,” Simp-
son said. “It was not our best performance to- day, but mistakes happen even to the best pairs, and we will learn from them.”
SKATING 11
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