I N TE R MED I AT E
ford Middle School orchestra helps his interpre- tation on the ice.
“I play the violin, so I enjoy listening to clas-
sical music,” Dunk said. “When I skate I can feel all the beats.”
PAIRS by TROY SCHWINDT Elli Kopmar and Jonah Barrett added their
names to the growing list of pairs champions at the Southwest Florida FSC in Ellenton, rallying from fourth place after the short program to claim the intermediate crown. With 97.52 points and the title, they be-
come the first team at the Southwest Florida skating school to win an intermediate title. Te school has produced champions at every level now except juvenile. Sydney Cooke and Nathaniel Dennler, members of the Colonial FSC in Massachusetts, captured the silver medal with a score of 96.29, while Tampa Bay SC’s Joanna Hubbart and Wil- liam Hubbart used the event’s second-best free skate to secure the bronze medal with 95.16 points. “We just went out there like we do every
day, had a good time, took it one element at a time and remembered what our awesome team of coaches told us,” Barrett said. Kopmar, 11, and Barrett, 17, both online
students, joined forces last summer. In Greens- boro, they put it all together while performing their free skate to “Hungarian Rhapsody.” Teir program highlights included two Level 4 lifts, a double-double combination jump, two double throws and Level 3 footwork and ending spin. When the scores were read at the end of the
event, Barrett said time seemed to stop. “I don’t think there’s been a longer five sec- onds in my life than when the scores were coming out,” said Barrett, who also won the novice men’s event the next day. “We were so excited to see how it turned out.” Teir victory was extra sweet for their coach
Amanda Evora, who has served a three-year ap- prenticeship since retiring from competition un- der Olympic coaches Jim Peterson and Lyndon Johnston. “I’ve been lucky to be mentoring under Jim
and Lyndon,” Evora, a 2010 Olympic pairs skater with Mark Ladwig, said. “Tey said this would be a good developing team for you to lead and know how it feels to be a primary coach.” Kopmar also feels lucky to have Evora in her
corner. “I looked back at some of her videos and I
try and do the same things she does on the ice,” Kopmar said.
Cooke, 12, and Dennler, 17, finished fifth at the U.S. Championships in 2014, but arrived determined to earn a spot on the podium. In their short time together, Cooke has been able to gain confidence with the throws, while Dennler has improved his jumping. Also, Denn- ler has been able to adjust his spins and rotations to match Cooke’s, which was an issue the team faced early on.
Teir coach, Fred Palascak, said he felt con- 54 MARCH 2015
Elli Kopmar and Jonah Barrett
fident in the programs that he and his wife, cho- reographer Melanie Lambert, handed their team this season. “We spent almost 15 years as professional
performers and I think that’s the one thing that allows us to be good coaches in preparing them for events like this,” Palascak said. “Tey had two great programs choreographed by my wife and I feel like they were really prepared.” Te Hubbarts, fourth at the U.S. Champi- onships last year, vaulted to the temporary lead
Sophia Elder and Christopher Elder
with their free skate to “Ice Symphony” by Edvin Marton, and finished in third place. “We came in there with the attitude that we
were fifth and had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” William, 17, said. “Everything went our way and it felt really good.” “After we landed the first double Axel, I just
knew we had the rest,” Joanna, 16, said. Te pair, juvenile titlists in 2013, are Vlassov and Laura
coached by Alexander Amelina in Tampa.
PHOTOS BY MELANIE HOYT
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