NOVICE ME N
yearning love ballad inspired Barrett to land four solid triple jumps, including a loop and a spread eagle into a triple Salchow combination. Te near-clean program earned 95.76 points, and he won the title with 142.48 points. “Leading up to the competition, my run-
throughs were getting more and more consistent,” Barrett said. “Honestly, I just went out on the ice, skated with feeling and took every element one at a time. I did the jumps like I do them each day in practice. I think that really helped.” Barrett moved from Delaware, to Florida,
about a year ago when his previous coach, Priscil- la Hill, retired from coaching. “I had heard all kinds of great things about
Ellenton and the skaters who came out of there, and I wound up going there and trying it out, and I loved it,” he said. Johnston thinks Barrett’s greatest asset is his
ability to focus and get the most out of every les- son and practice session. “When it comes down to it, that is what will
take you to the top,” Johnston said. “You may not be the most talented one out there, but if you put your game face on each day, you’ll come out ahead.” Next season, Barrett plans to compete in ju-
nior men and novice pairs. “Doing both disciplines is making him a
stronger skater,” Peterson said. “He has landed a (triple) flip and Lutz in practice and makes a great attempt at a triple Axel. As these become more consistent, we will put them in the programs.” Justin Ly, who led after the short program,
Jonah Barrett
Barrett feels golden – twice
by LYNN RUTHERFORD Jonah Barrett, a member of the Southwest
Florida FSC, did something no other skater did at the 2015 U.S. Championships: He brought home two gold medals. Te 17-year-old, who trains in Ellenton,
Florida, under Jim Peterson, Lyndon Johnston and Amanda Evora, won the intermediate pairs title with partner Elli Kopmar. A day later, his free skate to West Side Story’s “Maria” lifted him from third place after the short program to novice men’s gold. “When I came here, I was actually more focused on the pairs title,” Barrett said. “Tat seemed slightly more attainable. When my part- ner and I took the pairs, I really got motivated to work harder for the singles and go for that as well, because I thought that was a cool goal to set.” After Barrett placed third at Eastern Sec-
tionals, Peterson decided to scrap the skater’s free skate in favor of “Maria.” Te move paid off: Te
42 MARCH 2015
showed fine musicality in his dramatic free skate to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and also hit a triple Lutz-double toe combination. He lost ground when he fell on a triple loop, but still won the silver medal with 139.56 points. Te 17-year-old, who represents Salt Lake
Figure Skating, wasn’t too happy about skating last in the final group. “At sectionals, I drew last, too, and I kept my skates on and my feet got numb,” Ly said. “Here I had a different strategy. I took off my skates and then put them back on. Tat helped a little bit.” Ly, who is coached by Lisa Kriley, showed clean, crisp positions in his spins, both of which rated Level 4.
“I focus on spins quite a bit; they are a
strength,” he said, adding that next season, he wants to compete as a junior and add triple toe and triple flip to his programs. Another Kriley student, 14-year-old Ken-
drick Weston, of Salt Lake Figure Skating, won bronze with a solid performance to music from Te Expendables soundtrack that included two triple toes and a triple Salchow. Weston showed off a clean, uncluttered style, but lost points when he doubled an intended triple flip. He finished with 133.20 points. “I thought it went pretty well,” Weston said.
“I don’t like being super fancy. I kind of like keep- ing it simple.” Weston is undecided on whether to move up to juniors, but plans to work on his spins and
choreography next season. “He had the flip most of the season, but
then he grew, so we’re dealing with that a little bit,” Kriley said. “He also rotates the triple Lutz, and he likes the loop so we’ll start that one, too. If we capitalize on what he already has, that long line and clean look, I think he can go a long way next season.” Daniil Shamis, a 13-year-old student of
Tammy Gambill and Justin Dillon in Riverside, California, was fourth with 131.16 points. He landed three clean triples, but fell on a triple toe late in his program. “It was OK, except for the one jump I fell
on,” Shamis said. “I really like this program. It’s two years old so I feel very comfortable with it.” Shamis, who represents the All Year FSC,
was born in Moscow and moved to California with his family several years ago. According to Gambill, he idolizes the senior men skating at his rink, including 2011 U.S. silver medalist Ricky Dornbush.
“I look at them and try to do the same,” Shamis said. Kendrick Weston
Justin Ly
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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