NO TEBOOK
CESARIO SHOWS
RESILIENCE Samantha Cesario did not expect to record a U.S.
personal-best score in the short program (59.21 points) and hear the crowd boo because they thought that the marks were too low. Even after Cesario returned home from Greensboro to her training rink in Long Island, New York, she was still fi nding herself trying to explain it all. “I was really emotional after the short program,” said Cesario,
who lost key points on a triple loop-triple loop that was downgrad- ed, to place 11th. “It’s really disappointing in skating when you put out a program that you think was worth more and then wonder, ‘Why was my score so low?’” Cesario was able to turn her disappointment into fuel for the
free skate, which featured her own dramatic twist on Carmen. Even though the music from the opera has been used by many in skat- ing, Cesario’s version managed to draw in fans and it was a routine that Cesario said she will no longer perform at the season’s end. The performance, which featured six clean triples, elevated
her to fi fth place overall and helped earn her a trip to the Four Con- tinents Championships in South Korea. “I told myself before the free skate, ‘You know what, let’s give
it what we have,’” Cesario said. “I was really prepared for that pro- gram, and I knew if I skated it really well I could move up.” — Amy Rosewater
LYRICS GONNA MAKE YOU GROOVE Many skaters took advantage of
a new rule permitting vocal music in singles and pairs programs this sea- son, but no one embraced it like Dan- iel Kulenkamp (Coyotes SC of Arizo- na), who placed eighth in junior men. For his short program, Kulen-
kamp and his coaches and chore- ographers, Doug Ladret and Steven Cousins, picked Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog,” the hard rock anthem with lyr- ics describing — well, let’s just say it has lyrics. Skating fans, especially those of
a certain age, have a reputation for Daniel Kulenkamp conservatism, so we asked a few how
NAGASU ENDURES MORE ‘BATTLE SCARS’ Mirai Nagasu came to Greensboro with hopes of
reclaiming a lost opportunity a year ago. Although she fi nished third at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston, she was not selected to compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. She tried to channel her disap- pointment into newfound promise, and she appeared on her way in the short program, where she placed fourth — just .76 points out of third place. “Sometimes you get cut in life, and you bleed,” said
Nagasu, trying to put her prior disappointment into words. “My coach (Tom Zakrajsek) taught me this. But you heal over time, and they make you as a person be- cause you still have these scars. I like to think of scars as warrior wounds and battle scars. They don’t defi ne who
28 MARCH 2015
OLYMPIC SKATERS EYE FUTURE While the three 2014 Olym-
pic pairs skaters competing in
Greensboro didn’t fi nish on the podium with their new partners, all signaled that the best is yet to come. Marissa Castelli, who won two U.S. titles with former partner
Simon Shnapir, debuted with Canadian-born Mervin Tran. They skated well in the short program, fi nishing third in that segment. They didn’t fare as well in the free skate and placed sixth overall. “We got here, did the best we could have in the short and
we love the potential,” Castelli said. “It wasn’t our best today, but we’ll defi nitely be back with more.” Shnapir and his new partner, DeeDee Leng, fi nished eighth
overall but weren’t disappointed considering what they went through in the fall. Leng endured a hip injury, which prevented the pair from
practicing as they wanted to during the season. “Just the fact that we’re here competing, feeling as good as
we can be at this point in the season, we’re happy with it,” Shna- pir said. “DeeDee’s a trooper for working hard through the sea- son with this injury, and I thought she was a rock star out there. She skated great.” Nate Bartholomay, who competed at the Olympics with Fe-
licia Zhang, fi nished seventh with new partner Gretchen Donlan. Bartholomay had bone spurs and a cyst surgically removed
from his right ankle three months before the U.S. Champion- ships. The team wasn’t able to practice until a month out from the event. “We can’t wait for us to have a full year of me being pain-
free, and then with the work we have already done, bring our A-game next year,” Bartholomay said.
— Troy Schwindt
they felt about “Black Dog.” “I loved it! I thought his cho-
reography was absolutely perfect for the music, and he attacked it with the kind of energy you need to do that type of song,” Emily Ba- tista, 60, said. Well, OK. Maybe Zeppelin
conjured up memories of Batis- ta’s youth. So we turned to Jane O’Connor, 85, who wore a sweat- shirt from the 1998 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where
Michelle Kwan skated an unfor- gettable program to “Lyra Anjeli- ca” — a far cry from “Black Dog.” “I thought of Ryan Bradley. It
had a lot of energy, and he skated to the music,” O’Connor said. “It was something that was skate- able and he did a wonderful job. A steady diet of it, I don’t know.” Would O’Connor take “Black
Dog” over another Carmen? “Oh my gosh, yes,” she said. — Lynn Rutherford
you are. The way you overcome them makes you who you are.” With her warrior wounds somewhat healed, Nagasu
took the ice to perform her “Madame Butterfl y” free skate. After a strong start, however, she was doing crossovers and came too close to the boards. Her blade got caught in the base of the board and she fell on her left knee. She man- aged to complete the program, but the fall certainly took its toll. She sat in the kiss and cry with blood on her knee, which an event physician later said was hyperextended. Nagasu fi nished 10th. When contacted a week after the U.S. Championships, Zakrajsek said Nagasu had still not been able to skate.
— Amy Rosewater
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