just frustrating.” Madeline Aaron and Max Settlage, training mates of Scimeca and Knierim, finished fifth with a combined score of 160.04. It was their first senior Grand Prix event. “I think we’ve learned we’re ready to be in se-


niors, ready to take on the challenge,” Aaron said. “We talk about every time we go out; it’s anoth- er experience and we just try to be consistent and skate well so the U.S. can send us out more.”


Frazier gets inspired through Rocky movies, tough workouts BY TROY SCHWINDT


At the pairs press conference, the U.S. team


of Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier found themselves sitting alongside the great Hao Zhang of China and his partner Cheng Peng, and the vet- eran Russian team of Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov.


Zhang, 30, is the 2006 Olympic silver med- alist and a four-time World medalist with former partner Dan Zhang. Kavaguti, 32, and Smirnov, 30, finished fourth at the 2010 Olympics and are two-time World bronze medalists. “It’s an honor,” Frazier said. “Tese are some of the best teams in the world. To be in a press con- ference with them is a privilege. For me, I’ve looked up to these guys and it just makes me want to stay with them.” Take one glance at Zhang and Smirnov and


it’s no wonder they have been two of the top pairs skaters in the world for more than a decade. Tey are built for pairs skating, each 6 feet tall, with wide shoulders and tree trunks for legs. Tey are impres- sive-looking athletes who command attention. Frazier, although just 22, is commanding that same attention. Also 6 feet tall, Frazier has devel- oped into a finely tuned athlete who stands out on the ice with Denney.


“I actually changed a lot of my workout rou- tines a couple of months ago,” said Frazier, who trains with Denney in Coral Springs, Fla., under coach John Zimmerman and his team. “Te results have come in more stamina and the ability to get through training a lot easier. “I have a punching bag in my garage, a pull- up bar; I do some push-ups and hit the speed bag. I push it to where I feel like I can’t go any more and just keep going. It also helps with hand-eye coor- dination. I love these workouts. When I’m home and kind of bored, I’ll just go to the garage and do an hour workout. I’ll put my headphones on and, honestly, when I skate it almost makes it feel a lot easier.” Frazier said he became motivated to train this


way about five months ago when 2010 U.S. pairs champion and Olympian Jeremy Barrett (with Caydee Denney) turned him on to the Rocky mov- ies.


“I saw Sylvester Stallone in the movies and the


way he trained and I was like, ‘I know I’m a figure skater but I want to train like that. Tat’s how you get in shape.’ So I went out and bought a bunch of


ICE DANCE


Chock and Bates land first Grand Prix Series title In their


fourth season together, Madison


Chock and Evan Bates came away with ice dance gold, their first Grand Prix Series win, with a per- sonal-best 171.03 points. “We hadn’t done a Skate America togeth-


er,” Bates said in the post-event press conference. “Some of our most memorable performances to- gether have been at the U.S. Championships, and this event felt like a U.S. Championships. It felt like Christmas came early. We had a pretty good skate. I think it’s something we can definitely improve on.” Maia and Alex Shibutani also shined, claiming


the silver medal with 160.33 points. Te Russian team of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin se- cured bronze with 143.87 points. Team USA’s Anastasia Cannuscio and Colin


McManus finished fifth with 135.61 points, earn- ing the minimum technical score to qualify for the World Championships in the short dance. “We’ve been trying so hard for the last three


seasons that we’ve been senior on the international circuit to get that World qualifying score, and we finally achieved that this time,” McManus said. “Tat was a huge milestone for us and that was probably our biggest goal coming into this compe- tition.”


Davis and White lend expertise to training mates BY MIMI WHETSTONE


Skate America ushered in a new era of ice dance, with both Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada and Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White opting to sit out the 2014–15 season. Te two teams, who each own Olympic gold and sil- ver medals, have dominated ice dance over the last eight years, topping the podium at a combined 25 Grand Prix Series events. Although they were not on the ice, Davis


and White, who won the ice dance title at Skate America the last four consecutive years, were not far from the spotlight, signing autographs and doing


SKATING 17


equipment and that’s what I do. “So like today toward the end of our program,


I was breathing heavy and my legs were feeling dead, and I’m thinking about my workouts in my garage and telling myself, ‘You’re fine, this is easy, so keep it going.’ It’s a huge help mentally and physi- cally.”


Denney is also one to push her physical limits. “I am motivated to take care of myself and be in the best shape I can be,” she said. “I would have to say that Haven actually mo-


tivates me to train a lot, because on the ice she’s got this stamina that I can get through a long, maybe even two, and I never want to be the weak link of the team. She’s a rock,” Frazier said.


interviews, even lending their expertise to the next generation of American ice dancers. “Charlie has stepped in this year and we are


very thankful for that and for his mentorship,” Alex Shibutani said. “We can always depend on Meryl and Charlie for advice and things like that.” White in particular has offered his take to the


Shibutanis’ season, giving a viewpoint from some- one who has successfully made it to the top of the field.


“Te Shibs know everything they need to do


and how to get where they need to go, but it’s al- ways nice to be able to talk it through with people who have similar experiences but a different per- spective,” White said. “Tat’s where I come in.” “I think the perfect way to describe the rela- tionship is that we have the Olympic champions as a sounding board for us,” Maia said. “Tey (Meryl and Charlie) can both be so honest with us. Go- ing into this season — being able to ask them what they think about our skating, our programs and the direction that we’re going, getting their feedback — has been incredible.” Te brother-and-sister duo trained alongside


the Olympic champions in Canton, Michigan, un- der a coaching staff that includes Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein and Johnny Johns, all of whom guid- ed Davis and White to the top. While they are not competing, Davis and White still frequent the ice with the Shibutanis. “Tey have been in the rink with us,” Alex


said. “Maybe not on a regular basis like we are used to, but they are very much a part of rink activities in Canton, preparing for shows.” “Tey’re a great addition to the strong team


that we already have,” Maia added. “I think we’re just really happy with the situation we’re in and hope it will serve us well over the next four years.” While the Shibutanis have always played an


active role in their training process, they appreciate the additional guidance. “Our training is very much a collaborative ef-


fort,” Alex continued. “Now when I have an idea, I can throw it at Charlie and he can say yea or nay. It allows us to not think too much about it and focus on moving forward. He can point us in the right direction, and it’s been the right direction so far. We trust him. He and Meryl have so much experience as a team, so asking them for advice has been so helpful.”


Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Maia Shibutani, Alex Shibutani and coach Marina Zoueva at the 2014 Olympics


PHOTO COURTESY OF MAIA SHIBUTANI


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