2016 PROGRESSIVE SKATE AMERICA


her foot remained planted but her body kept turning, tearing almost all the ligaments in her knee.


Denney had surgery a few days after the in-


jury, was non-weight bearing for six weeks, and then began the long process of rehabbing her knee and returning to competition. “It was tough to watch, of course. You nev-


er wish injury upon anyone — even your worst enemies,” Frazier said. “I care very much about my partner. She’s my best friend. To see someone so close to me go through something like this was devastating.” Frazier trained in Canton, Michigan, while


Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea


Denney was on crutches. Last October, they made their way to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to start the reha- bilitation process. Tey described the first time they skated after the injury with mixed feelings. Te pair said they were excited to train again, but being cleared to skate also led to feelings of frustration about how training was proceeding. “It was like our minds were telling us we


need to be doing so much more,” said Frazier of the early days of training after Denney’s injury. For a team that’s known each other for years


— Denney said she can’t remember a childhood memory without Frazier — and even competed as a juvenile pairs team in roller skating, the in- jury was frustrating, but something they could work through. Denney and Frazier feel it made them grow as athletes and as people. “We’ve learned so much and I think it’s


made us better competitors,” Denney said. “Overall, on and off the ice, we have a better perspective of everything we get to do.” Frazier said when they were new to the se-


Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran


missed their throw triple Lutz in their “Take Me to Church” routine. Tey placed third in the free skate and sixth overall with 173.50 points. U.S. bronze medalists Marissa Castelli and


Mervin Tran placed fourth in the free skate and seventh overall with 171.95 points.


Injury gives Denney, Frazier new perspective on skating


By Colette House In 2014 Haven Denney and Brandon Fra-


zier found Skate America silver medals hanging around their necks. In 2016, they again earned silver medals at Skate America, but the journey to their second silver was far from easy. In 2015, Denney and Frazier were prepar-


ing for the upcoming season after returning from the 2014 World Championships. Tey were warming up off ice, walking through an “easy” throw. Denney said when she landed the jump,


14 DECEMBER 2016


nior circuit, he and Denney were critical of their practices and events. Now, things that previously challenged them are less daunting, and they’re not as hard on themselves on tough practice days.


“As terrible as the incident was, I think Ha-


ven and I did a good job of bringing something positive out of everything,” Frazier said. “Of course I wish it was me who was injured and not her, but I think we both learned a lot through that year off, which will contribute to our future in the skating world.” And comeback they have. Tey earned per-


sonal-best scores for their short and free skate at Skate America and look forward to the rest of the season. “Being back here is pretty cool,” Denney


said. “Last night (Saturday) we skated well. Tere are things to work on and improve, but it was a good start to our Grand Prix season.”


ICE DANCE


Shibutanis push boundaries with first Skate America gold


Some skaters might consider winning a


World silver medal as confirmation they’re head- ed in the right direction artistically. Not Maia


Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani


Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. “We’re not just sitting back on our résumé,”


Alex said. “We know there is a lot of room for growth.” Te Shibutanis put the pedal to the metal


the entire off-season, working with names like Peter Tchernyshev, Jeff Buttle and Stephane Lambiel; traveling to Los Angeles to train with hip-hop dancers; and creating the music for their free skate, which they’ve christened “Evolution.” “Our coach Marina (Zoueva) has always


had a great vision for us, but as the years have gone on, we have a great vision for ourselves,” Maia said. “We know who we are as a team and that is really showing on the ice now.” Te Shibutanis took a three-point lead after


their high-energy short dance to blues and hip- hop rhythms, set to a Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z mash-up of “Tat’s Life.” Teir free dance — the first half of which is set to “Spiegel im Spie- gel” (“Mirror in the Mirror”), the second half to a composition arranged by Alex — showed off their pure lines and sterling technique, and earned a healthy 112.71 points. Tey won gold with 185.75 points. “We’re really hard workers, and we know


there is much more we can do with this pro- gram,” Alex said. “We’re just getting started.” Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue


arrived at Skate America with Donohue suffer- ing a heavy cold and flu. It didn’t show in their skating.


Te U.S. bronze medalists’ short dance to


the bluesy “Feeling Good” and a sampling of nine hip-hop hits put them third behind Rus- sia’s Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, but their emotionally connected free dance to a med- ley of love songs was rewarded with five Level 4


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