2014 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
room for error. Yacomes reeled off elements as if she were punching a check- list: camel spin, Axel, double Salchow, jump combinations. “If you fall or mess up, you’ll get behind, so it’s demanding,” she said
of her first-year program. “Te music was challenging. I chose it because it’s different than the ‘slow-pretty’ [music] I used to do.” Last year, slow and pretty earned silver. Tis year, she relished taking a step higher on the podium and appreciated the crowd’s roaring support. “Tey were amazing,” she said. “Te standing ovation was really nice.” Skating last in a strong 12-woman field, Lindsey Fenton of the SC of
Amherst watched the entire competition before it was her turn to take the ice. Opening with a big double Axel followed by an array of crisp double jumps, Fenton skated a confident, clean program to earn the silver medal with 52.20 points. Her double Lutz-double toe loop earned 4.29 points, the highest element score of the night. “I added the double Axel to push past the 50-point mark,” said Fenton,
an elementary school math teacher. “I grew up doing the double Axel, but I hadn’t done it in like seven months or so. I was injured a little last year and got new skates, so to get the Axel back in time for nationals was really exciting for me.” Unlike Yacomes, who did not watch the seven ladies who skated before
her, Fenton watched the entire field for a solid hour and 20 minutes before it was her turn. She recalled her first Adult Championships (2012 in suburban Chicago) and how the audience affected her performance. “I wasn’t ready for the crowd that time,” she said. “To have that many people watching you and being excited for you is a little nerve-wracking because you want to perform for them and yourself. Today I felt I was ready for the crowd to cheer me on.” Skating to an instrumental and inspiring Beatles medley, bronze-med-
alist Carly Harris-Koleczko of the Mount Clemens FSC captured the crowd. She opened the program strong with a double flip-double toe loop and quickly followed it with an impressive double Lutz-double toe loop combination. Her choreography rewarded the sure-footed skater with 49.30 points, a full five points higher than her pewter-medal performance last sea- son.
Regan Alsup of the Detroit SC rode a late-program double Sal-
chow-single loop-double Salchow combination (3.41 points) to capture the pewter medal with 48.72 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP MASTERS JUNIOR-SENIOR MEN BY ANDY SCHELL
Turning in what was truly a heavenly performance with maturity and
grace to “Ave Maria,” Zachariah Szabo of the Detroit FSC won gold. “My mom is no longer alive but she loved this music, so I hold on to
her memory while I skate,” Szabo said. A tall and elegant skater with superb lines and sensational spins, Szabo opened with a huge double Axel that got the crowd behind him straight- away — and earned him a +1 on his grade of execution (GOE). “I went into this kind of blind,” Szabo said. “I didn’t know much about the competition, but I really did feel the love and support out there.” Skating a stunning
(l-r) Davin Grindstaff, Zachariah Szabo, Grant Chien-Hao Huang, Larry Holliday
program that consist- ed of no fewer than nine double jumps, and choreographed by Zuzanna Parchem, Szabo said he felt the pressure of the unknown even if it wasn’t noticeable his
to
audience. And while an early un- planned combination nullified his double Axel-double toe loop that came late in the program, Szabo was
SKATING 13
Jaclyn Yacomes Zachariah Szabo
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
MIA CORSINI/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68