2014 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Coast friend could watch live on Facetime. Af- ter that, she was all business as she proceeded to open with a confident Axel directly in front of the judges. From there, she never backed down in a program that included another Axel in combina- tion, an accomplished step sequence and fast spins with perfect centers. Her layback spin was judged the only Level 3 spin in the event. She credits her coach, Dorian Valles, for improving the technical aspects of her skating. Skating in her first U.S. Adult Champi-
onships, Teresa Dentico of the Wyandotte FSC took the bronze with a powerful performance to music from Te Mummy. With two big Axels, a double Salchow in sequence and an outstanding spiral sequence that was anything but mummified, Dentico unwrapped her program one element at a time to earn her spot on the podium. Working with coaches Stephanie Senterfit and Cindi Ezzo, Dentico concentrated on creating choreography well suited to her music. “Sometimes it’s ‘Night at the Improv’ with
me,” Dentico laughed. “And I didn’t want that to happen here.” Her collaboration, as well as her concentrated efforts to stay calm, paid off with a strong skate that earned 34.91 points. Dressed in red and black, Lynsey Moore, of
the Lansing SC, turned in a dance-quality tan- go program to earn 31.85 points for the pewter medal.
CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEN
BY BARB REICHERT When he closes his eyes, Souvanthong
Muangkhoua pictures Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie gliding across the ice. Nancy, so pretty in her pink free skate dress. Paul, a fiery dynamo decked out as Elliott Ness. Tese two Olympic medalists — Te Skating Club of Boston training mates during the 1990s — are dear to Muangkhoua, whose program re- flects the strength and artistry of these unforgetta- ble American skaters.
“I wanted to pay tribute to them by putting some of their signature moves in my program,” said Muangkhoua, who rode that inspiration to victory. “I’m inspired and honored to perform this well and pay tribute to these two idols.” Muangkhoua, skating at his first U.S. Adult
(l-r) Brian Kim, Souvanthong Muangkhoua, Tam Bui, Ken Ho Souvanthong Muangkhoua
Championships, sampled pieces from Kerrigan’s 1992 Born on the Fourth of July free skate and Wy- lie’s 1993 Te Untouchables program to score 37.46 points, good for the gold medal. During the summer, Muangkhoua traveled
from the ISC of Fresno to El Segundo, Calif., to train with Wylie at the world-renown Toyota Cen- ter. During the 2014 U.S. Championships in Bos- ton, Wylie introduced him to Kerrigan, who said she was honored he performs her spiral, a turnover camel variation. Muangkhoua’s coach, Marisa Sanchez, said
choreographing such a program presented unique challenges. “Souvanthong already had a few set signature pieces in his mind that he wanted in this program, so we had to listen to the music several times to fig- ure out where they were going to go,” said Sanchez, his coach of four years. “We were really meticulous about the choreography fitting the music but not totally stripping the elements. We still had to make it his routine, make it fresh, but we took inspira- tion from Nancy and Paul.” Last year’s top three finishers — Tam Bui,
Ken Ho and Brian Kim — returned to fight for the crown, but the crowd quickly sensed there was a new challenger as Muangkhoua nailed his opening double toe loop-single toe loop combination. Still, it wasn’t until midway in the program when he hit his Axel-half loop-double Salchow combination that Muangkhoua finally smiled. “Once I landed the Axel, I knew everything
was OK,” he said. Kim, of the Escondido FSC, improved his
2013 bronze-medal score by more than four points, skating a personal best 36.73 to earn the silver medal.
16 JUNE/JULY 2014
“I knew that I skated clean and I was happy with it, but skating a personal best was a surprise,” Kim said. “I was very shocked.” Performing to Burt Bacharach’s “Alfie,” Kim’s
footwork and a Level 3 spin were the keys to his best finish in four trips to the U.S. Adult Champi- onships.
“I took my double Salchow out this year be- cause I was having trouble with it,” he said. “I just really wanted to skate clean and convey the emo- tion with the music.” Defending champion Bui, a popular inde-
pendent skater, showed the same artistry, emotion and speed of his 2013 performance, to earn the bronze medal with 35.54 points. Ho, of the Pittsburgh FSC, earned the pewter medal with 30.56 points. Ho skated in the memo- ry of his coach, Butch Ford, who died this year. “At his funeral, I gave my first championship
bronze medal to him,” Ho said. “Tis medal is par- ticularly special, because it’s like him giving it back to me.”
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT PAIRS
BY BARB REICHERT Pairs athletes, particularly the ladies, are well
known for being a bit daring. How else can you ex- plain the reason someone would soar 10 feet above the ice suspended by only two trusting arms? Carol Cooper fits the bill. Te petite blonde
and her partner, Ethan Burgess, used a variety of strong lifts to rise above the rest of the competition to win the pairs gold medal with 54.53 points. “I was a college cheerleader, so I’m comfort-
able in the air,” said Cooper, who only has been figure skating for four years. “But it’s on the ice, so it’s something I have to work hard at.” Only in their second season together, Cooper
and Burgess completed an impressive four lifts, including a Level 4 step overhead that earned a whopping 7.10 points. “We got the [hand] change, we got the grab
and we got the dismount,” Burgess beamed. “I’m pretty happy with that.” Skating to a James Bond-themed program,
the Detroit Skating Club duo looked stylish in black costumes that resembled stunning evening attire.
“I think Bond just fit our personalities,” Bur-
(l-r) Tara Cioppa and Stephen Trzaska, Carol Cooper and Ethan Burgess, Kimberly Sailer and David Garber, Jan Calnan and Mark Stanford
MIA CORSINI/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
MIA CORSINI/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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