“Our goals for Skate America are to show up and make a splash,” Castelli said. “We’re at the point where we are ready to break through and we want to do it. We are ready to become the competitors and skaters we know we can be. Now it is time to show everyone else.” Castelli and Shnapir finished fifth at the last two U.S. Championships.
ICE DANCING Meryl Davis and Charlie White are the fa-
vorites as they shoot for their third consecutive Skate America crown. Te Michigan natives, winners of the 2011 World title and 2010 Olym- pic silver medal, have won nine Grand Prix med- als (seven gold and two bronze) in their career together that began in 1998. Te four-time reigning U.S. titlists are also vying for their fourth consecutive Grand Prix Final title, which gives them added incentive at Skate America.
Te Canadian team of Kaitlyn Weaver and
Andrew Poje figure to push the champs the hard- est. Partners since 2006, they won the bronze medal at the 2012 Four Continents Champi- onships and finished fourth at the 2012 World Championships. Tey placed second at all three of their Grand Prix Series events last year. Russian champions Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev and the Lithuanian team of Is-
abella Tobias and Deivi- das Stagniunas, third at Skate America in 2011, could also challenge for a medal. On the rise, the U.S. duo of Lynn Kriengkrairut and Lo- gan Giulietti-Schmitt are also part of the medal conversation, having fin- ished fourth at the 2012 U.S. Championships. “We will be com- peting among such a strong group of dancers, and our goal is to just sell our programs, have a strong skate and bring it a few notches up from the last time we were in front of a crowd,” Kriengkrairut said. “We have
selected popular,
Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt
upbeat and emotional songs for both programs, and we hope it will get the audience more involved. Tey are fun for us so we are excited to entertain.” Te Michigan-based pair has skated togeth- er since 2007 and each year has climbed the com-
petitive ranks of U.S. ice dancing. Sixth at the 2012 U.S. Championships, An- astasia Cannuscio and Colin McManus will be competing in their first Grand Prix Series event. Tey’ve skated together since 2009.