JUNIOR MEN


Paolo Borromeo


and coaching back to the home. We try to find a medium comfortable zone for training.” “It’s hard to separate parents from coaches,


but we find a way to do it,” Andrew said. “It’s not always perfect, but we always communicate in the end and it always comes together.” Te two worlds collided in the kiss and cry


after Andrew performed a pristine free skate to Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.” Melnichen- ko’s role as coach and choreographer melted away. Te proud mom kissed Andrew on the cheek. Like many another teenage boy, he vigor- ously wiped the kiss away. A moment later, Andrew’s score — 149.63


points — was announced. All business, he turned to shake hands with dad, and then with mom. His total, 225.24 points, was a new U.S. junior record, eclipsing Nathan Chen’s 2014 total by about two points. Tis is his third U.S. title, after winning juvenile and intermediate crowns. “Setting a new standard is just incredible,”


Andrew Torgashev


Torgashev feels at home en route to crown


by LYNN RUTHERFORD Like most 13-year-old skaters, there are


times Andrew Torgashev would like nothing bet- ter than to go home and tell his parents about how tough his coaches are making life at his rink in Coral Springs, Florida. But Andrew can’t do that. His parents, Ilo-


na Melnichenko and Artem Torgashev, are his coaches. It’s a situation that works pretty well, most


of the time. “Tere are hard days and easy days; it de- pends on the mood,” said Artem, a two-time World Junior pairs medalist for the Soviet Union. “We try not to bring parenting to the coaching,


36 MARCH 2015


Andrew, a member of Panthers FSC, said. “I don’t even have the words to explain it. … I kind of do it every day in practice; it was nothing spe- cial. It’s what I’ve been practicing for the last four weeks.” Torgashev, who led the field by more than 10 points after the short program, hit two triple Lutzes and two triple flips in his free skate, as well as an impressive double Axel-half loop-triple Sal- chow combination. Te skater’s steps — including intricate twizzles, leaps and kicks — were smoothly done, and he earned Level 4s for his spins. All was deliv- ered swiftly and easily, belying Torgashev’s young age: born May 29, 2001, he was the youngest skater in the field. “We worked a lot on his skating skills to be


competitive with the junior boys, because he is the youngest in the group and we want him to look big,” Melnichenko, the 1987 World Junior ice dance champion, said. California Bay Area native Kevin Shum, second after the short, claimed the silver medal with a commanding free skate to music from the soundtrack of Tor: Te Dark World. Skating with good attack, Shum, a mem-


ber of the St. Moritz ISC, opened with a triple flip-triple toe combination and hit five other tri- ples, including two triple Lutzes. He ended the


Kevin Shum


event with 193.36 points. “Tere was just that one fall, on my last


double Axel, that was kind of unfortunate,” the 17-year-old said. “Tis season, I’m performing a number instead of skating through the elements. My programs are kind of a showcase for all of the things I can do.” Shum’s coach, Justin Dillon, is pleased with


the skater’s ability to tell a story on the ice. “He has learned to become a competitor and be both expressive and aggressive,” Dillon said. “Tat’s made a big difference.” Te bronze medal went to Paolo Borromeo, a member of the Los Angeles FSC, who stood third after the short. Skating to music from Don Juan, the 16-year-old landed five clean triples, including double Axel-triple toe and triple Lu- tz-double toe combinations. He earned a total score of 190.30 points. Borromeo is coached by a group including


Rafael Arutunian, Derrick Delmore and Nadia Kanaeva in Artesia, California. Tere, he shares the ice with three-time U.S. champion Ashley Wagner, two-time U.S. silver medalist Adam Rippon and two-time U.S. junior champion Na- than Chen. “It’s good motivation, watching them,” Bor-


romeo, the 2014 U.S. novice champion, said. “You can kind of compare yourself and at the same time learn from what they are doing.” “He is a consistent skater, he steps it up in


competition and I think he showed that again here,” Delmore said. “It was exciting to see that after winning the novice title, he could come back and skate so strong again.” Torgashev, Shum and Nathan Chen were named to the 2015 U.S. junior world team. Aleksei Krasnozhon, a member of the Stars


FSC of Texas, was the only skater to execute a triple Axel, and he did three: one in the short and two in his second-place free skate to music from violinist Edvin Marton. Remarkably, the first of the triple Axels in his free was done in combina- tion with a triple flip. He earned 190.22 points to win the pewter medal.


Krasnozhon, who was born in Moscow,


competed for Russia internationally in 2013. His coach, Peter Cain, said he will be released by the Russian Skating Federation on July 1, and will then be eligible to compete for the U.S.


JAY ADEFF/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  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84