NOTEBOOK
Caroline and Gordon Green (juvenile dance). “Sometimes when we’re around each other all the time it gets annoying,” 11-year-old Gor- don Green admitted. “But then she’ll make this big smiley face and it helps us stop being mad. Competitions like this one make all that time worth it.”
— Mimi Whetstone
BROWN SMILES THROUGH AXEL CHALLENGE Jason Brown, the 2010 U.S. junior champi-
on, won the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2011 and World Junior bronze medal in 2012. But he and his coach, Kori Ade, knew that to make his mark in seniors, he needed a triple Axel. Brown tried, and tried, and then kept on
The crowd shows its support during the ladies free skate in Omaha. OMAHAEXPERIENCE LAUDED
U.S. Figure Skating announced the attendance total of 90,760 for the 2013 U.S. Championships. “We have heard nothing but overwhelming-
ly positive remarks from our athletes, officials and fans about the experience in Omaha,” U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith said. “Great crowds, especially during the senior events, created a backdrop for great skating. “Te city was featured throughout the
weekend on the event’s coverage on NBC, and the local figure skating clubs benefitted from the experience of the U.S. Championships coming to Omaha. We are pleased and thank the city, fans and media for their support of the event.”
VERY SUPERSTITIOUS Even though she held on to win the title
by more than two points, an obviously cautious Ashley Wagner admitted she was nervous before her performances and blamed being “crazy superstitious” for the uncharacteristic timidity. “Going out onto the ice I had all of these bad omens that I kept seeing,” Wagner said at the short program press conference. “I have this one lucky thing and that didn’t happen, and then a song came on that I hated. It started when I was 6 years old. I always find a sparkle on the ground. I can’t go looking for a sparkle; I just have to find the sparkle. Tonight, I didn’t happen to come across one. I also always find my mom in the stands but I couldn’t find her to save my life. I had an O.A.R. phase, but I grew out of it, so now I hate that song. All of that was happening and I was getting more and more nervous as time went on.” Despite her struggles with superstition,
Wagner’s maturity and exquisite program com- ponents managed to carry her through a bumpy free skate to become the first U.S. lady to win back-to-back U.S. titles since Michelle Kwan won eight straight through 2005. — Mimi Whetstone
28 MARCH 2013 A FAMILY AFFAIR
Several sets of siblings took the ice in pursuit of U.S. titles in Omaha. In the senior dance event, bronze medalists
Maia and Alex Shibutani joined twins Danielle and Alexander Gamelin as sibling teams, while Anastasia and Isabella Cannuscio and Madison and Keiffer Hubbell each competed with their respective partners. U.S. men’s champion Max Aaron was joined in the spotlight by sister Madeline, who earned the bronze medal in the junior pairs event with partner Max Settlage. Junior silver medalist Ma- riah Bell was joined by sister Morgan, who com- peted in the senior ladies event. Lauren and Logan Leonesio competed in the
novice and intermediate dance events, respective- ly, and were joined in the lower levels by Gigi and Luca Becker (novice dance); Ananya and Aditya Nandy (intermediate pairs); Joanna and William Hubbart, Greta and John Crafoord, Jasmine and Joshua Fendi, Cecilia and William Wright (juve- nile pairs) and Sophia and Christopher Elder and
trying. He traveled to Lake Arrowhead, Calif., to work with technical master Rafael Arutyunyan on the three-and-a-half revolution jump. He at- tempted it at summer competitions. He trained the jump at altitude in Colorado Springs, Colo. All the while, he endured questions from report- ers about his progress, always answering with a genuine smile. At his second Grand Prix event in Turkey this season, he tried the jump in international competition for the first time, falling on it. Ten, at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Sochi, Russia, in December, he landed it in the short program. “I landed it the Wednesday before the Final,
and I was so excited — it was literally nonstop,” the 18-year-old from Chicago said. “I was afraid to get off of the ice. I was nervous it wouldn’t be there when I got back, but the following day I landed it, and the next and the next.” In Omaha, Brown hit the jump with ease in practice. Ten he fell on it in his short pro- gram. Finally, he landed his first attempt in the free skate.
“I was just really excited to come to nation- als with the jump,” Brown said. “I feel so blessed to land them in warm-up, and to do it in the long, I’m just really happy.”
— Lynn Rutherford Ashley Wagner
PHOTOS BY JAY ADEFF
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