2013 NATIONAL SOLO DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
NSDC PARTICIPANTS Pacific Coast 45 in solo pattern dance 34 in combined event Midwestern 62 in solo pattern dance 39 in combined event Eastern
49 in solo pattern dance 41 in combined event
tive feedback from skaters who now have an op- portunity to compete in dance, where they may not have before. “I love that these skaters are not only try- ing to win, but are also making new friends and having fun experiences that they would not have had otherwise. Tis is just terrific, because those things will stay with them much longer than any medal.” Yu was certainly one of those who embraced
solo dance. She completed the first six pattern dance tests by March and then jumped into the Solo Dance Series just days before the registra- tion deadline.
Another skater new to the Solo Dance Se-
ries was Sarah Zhang of the Peninsula SC in California. She’s been learning ice dance for the past three seasons as a means to improve her free skating. She emerged with gold medals for her pre-gold Killian solo pattern dance and her free dance to music from Scheherazade, which al- lowed her to garner the junior combined event title.
She was motivated to enter the Solo Dance
Series after witnessing the success of fellow skater and friend Hope Schroeder, who won the same events last year at NSDC. “I was really surprised to follow in her
(Schroeder’s) footsteps and to be able to share this special moment with my coach Sergei Ponomarkeno. Ponomarkeno, a former Olympic and World champion, also coaches Schroeder. Tara Jurgensen, 21, a college senior from the Pasadena FSC, secured the title for the newly cre-
ated senior combined event and repeated as the senior champion. “Tere were so many good skaters here and the depth of talent in my groups this season was simply amazing,” Jurgensen said. She skated her free dance to Adele’s “I
Found A Boy” and “Rumor Has It.” “I really enjoyed the challenge of the inter-
national dances in the combined event and the fact that I could really emote and perform during my Adele free dance,” she said. Tis year’s record number of participants
bodes well for the future of the event, according to organizers.
“Te energy and enthusiasm of the skaters at NSDC was just terrific,” Membership Group Coordinator Lainie DeMore said. “It is clear that every skater is having fun. Kudos to the skaters who participated in the series, congratulations to those who advanced to NSDC and hats off to the winners at the event. Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to the Broadmoor SC for hosting this competition.”
Michigan coaches sing praises of solo dance
by BRENDA GLIDEWELL Michigan-area coaches Jennifer
Heurlin-Brenne, Brandon Forsyth and Jennifer Miller (in photo) can’t say enough great things about the burgeon- ing Solo Dance Series and National Solo Dance Championships. Te trio’s efforts and support of the series paved the way for Michigan to have the most par-
ticipants in the series (58 total), with 35 of these skaters being the trio’s students. At the NSDC in Colorado Springs in late September, there were 34 entrants representing Michigan clubs, 29 of whom were coached by Heurlin-Brenne, Miller or Forsyth. Heurlin-Brenne and Miller team teach at
the Greater Kalamazoo Figure Skating Associ- ation, while Forsyth coaches about 90 minutes away at both the Iceland Competitive Edge FSC and the Ann Arbor FSC. Forsyth partners with many of the students of Heurlin-Brenne and Miller on their dance tests. “We had no idea the series would explode
into the program that it has become in such a short amount of
time,” Heurlin-Brenne and
Miller said. “Te series has truly gotten more kids involved in our sport and has even helped our club become stronger. Te skaters have found their groove in ice dance and they are loving it.” Te clubs that boasted the largest participa- tion numbers at the NSDC included the Greater Kalamazoo SA (21), SC of New York (16), Pen- insula SC (15), Washington FSC (13), Coyotes SC of Arizona (8), Lincoln Center FSC (8), Pas- adena FSC (8), Ann Arbor (7), Atlanta FSC (7), Rocky Mountain FSC (7), Skokie Valley FSC (7) and Vaca Valley FSC (7). Mira Cucci, mother of Sophie Cucci, who is
one of Heurlin-Brenne and Miller’s students, said the series has given her daughter a goal to shoot for in her skating. “Additionally, it has led to incredible growth in her as a skater and young lady,” Mira said. At the NSDC, Forsyth said he was im-
pressed with the overall skating quality. “It is amazing to see the improved quality, depth of difficulty and strength of skaters over the past three years,” Forsyth said. “Te level of talent has increased every year, so impressive. Tis improvement in skating ability has made this program and especially the NSDC competi- tive; it’s a feat to get invited to NSDC.”
SKATING 13
PHOTO BY NIKKI CZUHAJEWSKI
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