JUVENILE
see it every day, so it didn’t surprise us much that what happened, happened today. My expectation was that she would be in the top half.” Chouinard, a member of the Panthers FSC
in Florida, credits much of her recent upswing to her two years in Torgashev’s camp. Torgashev and his coaching team have singles entries at ev- ery level except senior, and his son, Andrew, is the 2015 U.S. junior champion. “I’ve been training with Artem for two
years,” Chouinard said. “My overall skating qual- ity has improved — my technique, jumps and choreography. Winning means a lot to me, be- cause this is what I have wanted since I started.” Twelve-year-old silver medalist Emilia Mur- dock trains alongside Samantha Cesario, often on the same ice, and brings with her a similar mind- set as the veteran Team USA member. Murdock, a member of the SC of New York, sets her daily alarm for 3:30 a.m. to make the hour-long drive to Long Island, New York, and starts her training day at 5:30. “When I get to the rink at 6, she’s already been on the ice a half hour,” coach Mary Lynn Gelderman said. “She’s already been working. It’s amazing.
“Like Samantha, she’s one with that work
ethic. Samantha had the same thing. She would appear at 5:30 after a long drive, I would walk in at 6 and Sam would have already done a run- through. Tis one has that nature. She comes in and gets the job done.” Murdock finished with 50.01 points; her
program to the song “Malagueña” included an opening double Lutz and an ending Level 4 com- bination spin. Te nerves were evident as Jacqueline Lee began her long wait after opening the girls event with 49.72 points, skating to the song “Illumina- tion.”
“I feel like I’m an international skater being
here,” Lee, 11, of the All Year FSC, said, as she peeked around the corner to see the next skater’s score. “And my goal is to become an international skater.” Isabella Miller, 12, of the Murray Silver
Blades in Murray, Utah, earned the pewter medal with 49.22 points.
Sophia Chouinard GIRLS by RENEE FELTON
Juvenile competitors arrive at the U.S. Championships, often for the first time, in awe of where they are and using buzz-words such as amazing, awesome and I guess. It’s more often the looks on their faces or their reactions when asked to give their first autographs — smiling from ear to ear and bouncing anxiously around — that tell the stories. “It feels amazing,” Sophia Chouinard said after winning the gold medal. “Tis is what I’ve worked for this entire year.” She and coach Artem Torgashev seemed almost surprised that the 12-year-old posted
the top score in her performance to music from the Black Swan soundtrack. Chouinard’s 52.81 points came as a result of her performing seven of eight elements with a positive grade of execution (and the eighth receiving a –0.04), two Level 4 spins and a double Lutz-double loop combina- tion.
“Tat was unexpected,” Torgashev said. Not because of how his pupil skated, but
more because of the field she faced and the fact that in her last competition, Eastern Sectionals, Chouinard was the fourth of four to qualify for the U.S. Championships.
“Tat was one of the best performances,”
Torgashev said. “Score-wise it was the best for her. From her training, that’s a usual performance but it was very good today in competition. We
BOYS by LYNN RUTHERFORD At 12 years old, Daniel Turchin has already
developed quite the critical eye. When asked how he felt about his winning
free skate, he didn’t pull any punches. “It wasn’t my best, it wasn’t my worst,” he said. “I think the double Axel I did really saved me. If I hadn’t done it, I don’t think I would be at the top of the podium, honestly.” Turchin, a student at Meridian Middle School and member of the Skokie Valley SC, is probably right. His program earned 47.48 points, winning the title by less than a point over silver medalist Chase Finster. He needed that double Axel, plus his double Lutz and double flip combi- nations and a couple of snappy spins.
SKATING 47
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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