JU V E NIL E
Kenneth Shelley and JoJo Starbuck,” their coach Perry Jewell said. “Tey get along great; they have fun with it. Tey are so teachable. I’m so proud of them.” New Jersey-based Paige Ruggeri and Steven
Rossi claimed the silver medal with 37.86 points, while Detroit Skating Club’s Dana Vulaj and Keyton Bearinger secured the bronze medal with 36.18 points. Sollazo, 12, and Yeung, 15, stalled out at
sectionals last year before enjoying their break- out season. Teir choreographer, Brianna Weiss- mann, said the concept for the “Star Wars” pro- gram came one night while watching the original epic space movie with her husband. “I thought they were perfect for it,” Weiss-
mann, who has coached Sollazo since she was 3, said. “We encouraged them to try to get a little backstory on it so they were familiar with what they are doing.” Ruggeri, 13, and Rossi, 15, who started training together last June in Princeton, New Jersey, performed well to “Je Crois Entendre En- core” from the opera Te Pearl Fishers. “Most of our elements were good, but our
jumps could have been better,” Ruggeri said. “We landed everything but just popped a couple of jumps.” Highlights from their program included a
Level 4 combination spin and a throw double loop. “I was happy that they produced what they
had been working on and they were rewarded,” coach Roland Burghart said. Vulaj, 13, and Bearinger, 15, finished on the
podium after being on the ice together for only the last seven months. Skating to “Reflections of Passion” by Yan-
ni, the team from the Detroit Skating Club de- livered a program that they and their coach were proud of. “It’s her first year doing a big qualifying competition in pairs and she held it together, and I was really pleased with him taking a leadership role,” coach Gabe Woodruff said. “He’s a little older, more experienced and I was pleased with the fight. Tey had a couple of bobbles and they continued and kept fighting until the end.” One defining moment came after Vulaj fell
on a throw Salchow. “Tey both got right up and did beautiful
side-by-side double Salchows,” Woodruff said. “In practice, sometimes they make a mistake and become discombobulated.” Bearinger, who lives in Midland, Michigan (about two hours away from Vulaj), is planning to move to Detroit soon to continue training. Jessica Sassano and Ethan Hall, of the Win- terhurst FSC in Cleveland, earned the pewter medal with 34.29 points.
ICE DANCE by MIMI WHETSTONE When 8-year-old Elizabeth Tkachenko and
9-year-old Alexei Kiliakov took the ice for their free dance, they enjoyed a cushion of more than
SKATING 49
seven points. “We wanted to get a really high score today,
so if we mess up a little bit in the free dance, we’re still in good shape,” Kiliakov said after the com- pulsory (pattern) dances. “Te compulsory score is like the backup for the free dance.” First after the pattern dances at last year’s
U.S. Championships, the Washington FSC rep- resentatives ended up in fifth place; they were de- termined to stand on the podium this year. After a fall on the footwork sequence during their free dance to Te Nutcracker that left both skaters on the ice, a mandatory two-point deduction, their comfortable lead served its purpose. “I think they’ve improved a lot since last
year,” the team’s coach and Alexei’s father, Alexei Kiliakov, said. “Tey did a wonderful job recov- ering from the fall and they should be proud of themselves, just like I’m proud of them.” Despite placing third in the free dance,
Tkachenko and Kiliakov finished with 87.50 points and the gold medal. Tird after the pattern dances, Byrdee Dar-
ling and Rebel Rodriguez Avellan, of the Memo- rial FSC of Houston, rallied with a powerful free dance to music from Pirates of the Caribbean to win the segment and take home silver with 80.69 points.
Coached by Darling’s mother, Kaia, and eight-time Israeli ice dance champion Roman
Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov
Zaretsky, the duo qualified for their first U.S. Championships this season; Rodriguez Avellan stepped on the ice for the first time just three years ago.
“Tis year we didn’t know what to expect,”
Zaretsky said. “Our mindset was that we were all just happy to have made it here. Now they’ve won a medal. We’re happy and I’m proud of them.” Darling, 14, and Rodriguez, 16, spent the
rest of their time in Greensboro cheering on their siblings, Cricket Darling and Racer Rodriguez Avellan, who placed 12th in the intermediate dance event. Son of award-winning film director Robert Rodriguez, Rebel has appeared in several films including Shorts, Te Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, and Spy Kids 2 and 3. Fifth after the pattern dances, Juliette and
Lucas Shadid of the All Year FSC placed second in the free dance to earn the bronze in their first competitive season together. “We nailed the twizzles and the spin, which was our main priority,” Lucas said. “I think that made the difference today.” Skating to music selections from Te Cotton
Club soundtrack, the siblings, aged 11 and 12, respectively, earned 77.32 points. Ten-year-olds Jordan Lin and Morgan Slet-
ten, of the Washington FSC, skated a playful free dance to music from Monsters Inc. to win pewter with 75.57 points.
PHOTO BY MELANIE HOYT
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