longer than expected. “I kid you not, she had helpers trying to
dry the paint with hair dryers this afternoon,” Mindy said. In the end, the costume was delivered
to the arena, dry and ready to go, at the start of the ladies short program, and Aaron’s free skate commenced without a hitch. — Mimi Whetstone
Devoted fans hit the stands As the International Classic and U.S. Chal-
lenge Skate entered their third year, some fa- miliar faces were spotted among the event’s spectators. “We come back every year to see the
new up-and-coming skaters,” said Barbara Kay of Eugene, Ore., who attended the event with friend Karin Olson of Beaverton, Ore. “We like to see the faces we haven’t seen yet, but might be big names soon.” Kay and Olson have attended every In-
ternational Classic and Challenge Skate, in- cluding the inaugural year, when 2014 Olym- pian Polina Edmunds took the ice as a junior lady.
“There’s a whole new crop this year and Cheryl Davis and Jacqui White
elite athletes.” Davis and White taught several classes,
including Communication and Confl ict Res- olution; Empowering Your Skater; Balance, Perspective and Motivation; and even led a discussion especially for the parents of boys in the sport. “Cheryl and Jacqui have been exemplary
skating parents, supporting Meryl and Charlie through 17 years of their skating career, from beginning as juveniles all the way through becoming Olympic champions,”
Vogtner
said. “We felt that having the guidance and ad- vice from two people who have lived it would be more valuable than anything else we could provide.”
— Mimi Whetstone
Wardrobe malfunction Max Aaron defended his title for the sec-
ond consecutive year, making him the only man to top the International Classic podium since the event’s inaugural year in 2012. Al- though he ultimately conquered his chal- lengers by more than 30 points, the debut of Aaron’s “Gladiator” free skate was almost rele- gated to an emergency Plan B. “The seamstress delivered his costume
to the arena two hours before he skated,” Aar- on’s mother, Mindy, explained. “She’s based here in Salt Lake, but she was working on the costumes for all the pairs teams, too. Leading up to the event, Max told her to concentrate on the pairs costumes — get those taken care of, and he’d just pick his up when we got to Utah.”
But the completion of Aaron’s ensemble, which was painted completely by hand, took
SKATING 33
it’s always a surprise to see who makes it to the top,” Kay said. “We enjoy this event, be- cause we have a chance to see a lot of diff er- ent levels of skating and get excited about the next generation. “This is a great facility and we can sit
close enough to see everything so well. It’s comfortable and friendly. The people who come out to watch are so appreciative of what they’re here to see, and I love that.” “It’s so nice and homey at this event,”
echoed Paul Krogue, who attended the event with his brother James for the second time. “Everyone is just wandering around and hang- ing out in the stands with us. We get to meet a lot of people, which is why we enjoy coming back year after year.” The Krogue brothers attended the
event’s kickoff in 2012 and returned this year with an entourage — their niece-in-law Chris- tine, and her two sons, Colin and Ryan. “We came back to see Mirai (Nagasu),”
Paul said. “We’ve been following her since 2007. It’s so fun to be able to share this experi- ence and get an early-season preview of pres- ent and future greats.”
— Mimi Whetstone James Krogue, Christina Krogue, Colin and Ryan Krogue, Paul Krogue
PHOTO BY MIMI WHETSTONE
PHOTO BY MIMI WHETSTONE
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