U.S. JUNIOR CHAMPIONS—P AIRS
FEELS SO RIGHT DENNEY, FRAZIER MAKING MOST OF A SECOND CHANCE by SONJA BJELLAND
When Colorado Springs-based
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier reteamed last spring after three sea- sons apart, it just felt right. Less than a year after reuniting, they won the junior pairs title at the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed fourth at the 2012 World Junior Figure Skat- ing Championships. “When we got back together it
felt natural,” Frazier, 19, said. “Tis season has been great for us and we’re ready to start the next one.” Te two have come a long way
from the Florida roller-skating rink where they first met, when Denney was 3 and Frazier was 6. Skating on wheels came natu-
rally to Denney. Her parents were national and world champion roller skaters, and older sister Caydee was a national juvenile gold medalist in singles and pairs before she switched to figure skates.
“I was kind of a rink rat,” the
now-16-year-old Haven said. Inspired by Tara Lipinski’s
Olympic gold, Caydee took to the ice at age 9, and Haven followed when she was 8. Te siblings have been going strong since then, with Caydee winning her first U.S. title in 2010 with former partner Jeremy Barrett, and then placing 13th at the 2010 Olympics.
Tis season, Caydee and Haven
became one of very few sister acts to win gold medals at the same U.S. Championships, with Caydee cap- turing her second senior crown with John Coughlin. Tey went on to fin- ish a solid eighth at their first World Championships.
Te sisters admit they get ner-
vous watching each other skate. “It’s really cool having her with me on this journey,” Haven said. Despite the hours at the rink,
Haven stressed that her family al- ways balanced skating talk and “nor- mal stuff.” “Skating is what we do, but it
doesn’t make us who we are,” she said.
Frazier had a similar trajec-
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier stand atop the podium at the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
tory. His mom, Beth, began tak- ing him to the roller rink just for fun. When he was 4, he saw a roller skating competition and told his mom he wanted to compete. A few years later, the Denney and Frazier parents decided to pair their chil- dren up.
Te two placed second in an
elementary roller pairs U.S. cham- pionship before switching to the ice and competing together from 2005 to 2008.
Tat time included a scary
moment at regionals in 2006, when Frazier cut open both shins jumping benches during a work- out. Te injuries required 40
stitches. Te next day, Denney and Frazier won gold in juvenile pairs, qualifying them for the U.S. Ju- nior Championships. Separately, Brandon won pewter in the inter- mediate men’s event. In 2008, the two capped their first go-around together by earning the U.S. inter- mediate bronze medal. Soon after that triumph,
growing pains and family reloca- tions took their toll on the young pair. When Frazier was 12 or 13, he wanted a break from skating and tried playing football and oth- er sports. He stopped skating alto- gether for about 10 months before realizing he missed it.
Denney and Frazier clinched their U.S. junior title with a strong effort in the free skate.
Denney and Frazier celebrate in the kiss and cry with coach Larry Ibarra. 28 JUNE/JULY 2012
U.S. FIGURE SKATING PHOTO
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