NOVICE LADIES
RINKMATES CHEER EACH OTHER ON TO A 1-2 FINISH
by TROY SCHWINDT Tey call themselves “Lutz
buddies.” Tyler Pierce and Amy Lin share practice ice in Riverside, Calif., under the nurturing eye of coach Tammy Gambill. Tey are naturally competitive and driven, but at the same time, each other’s biggest fans. Teir friendly rivalry was on display during the novice ladies free skate on Jan. 21 in Omaha as Pierce edged Lin by 2.39 points for the gold medal. “It’s just
sinking in now,”
Pierce, 14, said. “I’m thrilled and honored to be standing with my friend beside me.” Pierce, the 2012 intermediate
bronze medalist, led Lin by less than one point after the short program. Up first in the final group, Lin set the tone for an exciting fin- ish with her “Spirited Away” free skate. Te personal-best program featured five triple jumps, including one in combination with a double toe loop. Her three spins all earned Level
3s, while her component
mark proved to be the best of the segment.
Last year, Lin failed to advance
out of the Pacific Coast Sectionals, finishing seventh.
“I had the stomach flu at sectionals last year, but that’s not an excuse to skate bad,” said the 13-year-old from Fremont, Calif. “I’ve not only progressed on the physical side this year but also the mental side. My outlook on skating has changed. It’s more positive and I know how to focus on one jump and forget it if I make a mistake.” A strong skating environment, with the likes of Pierce, Shotaro Omori, Richard Dornbush and Vincent Zhou gliding around the rink, and good coaching, are the reasons for her improvement, she said.
“When I first came to Tammy I was an emotional disaster,” Lin said. “I’d fall apart after competi- tions if I skated bad. I really wanted to focus on that.” Performing 10th in the free skate field of 11 skaters, Pierce started shaky with a fall on her opening triple Lutz. Most of the rest of her “Korobushka” program,
though, moved strongly from ele- ment to element. Te skater from Norco, Calif., landed double Axels in sequence, as well as two triple jumps in combination. Two spins received Level 3s and her final spin was rewarded with a Level 4. She did touch a hand on the ice during her triple loop midway through the program. Pierce’s segment-best total
element score helped to lift her to the top. She finished with an over- all score of 128.96 points, with Lin right behind at 126.57 points. “I really focused on my skate
and I really tried my best to go through with all my jumps,” Pierce said.
Pierce, who had a touch of the
flu before flying out to Omaha, said she worked on her focus and con- centration following her intermedi- ate season. “I visualize my jumps a lot and that helps me, and just not getting out of the zone,” Pierce said. Gambill, who promotes cama- raderie at her rink, said Pierce and Lin have fun training together and are always trying to outdo each oth- er in practice. “It just makes for better com- petition and it pushes them to be better skaters.” Cindy Stuart choreographed
Pierce’s programs, while she and Justin Dillon collaborated on Lin’s programs.
Earning the bronze medal,
Bradie Tennell showed great im- provement over her 2012 season, in which she finished 10th in the novice ranks. Tennell, 14, who
hails from Carpenters- ville, Ill., finished third in the short program and fourth in the free skate with an overall score of 116.91 points. “I didn’t really ex- pect to [win the bronze medal] because I only have the first two tri- ples and there are kids after me that have all of them, so I was happy I recovered after the fall [on triple toe] and did
GOLD MEDALIST
TYLER PIERCE
the best that I could.” Morgan Flood of the Dal- las FSC had a disappointing short program and was 10th entering the free skate. Te 2013 Midwestern
Sectional champion, however, ral- lied with the third-best free skate to claim the pewter medal with 112.60 points.
MEDALIST BRONZE
BRADIE TENNELL
MEDALIST SILVER
AMY LIN
SKATING 41
PHOTO BY ANNA BAXTER
PHOTOS BY JAY ADEFF
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