2016 PROGRESSIVE SKATE AMERICA “I feel like it’s such a large audience and
there’s so many young girls and guys who have to worry about that when they get on the ice,” Kayne said. “I think for a lot of people it’s an added stress.” Her videos range from demonstrating how
she creates her competition looks to featuring Jason Brown, who gave viewers a step-by-step guide on how he creates his signature ponytail. She plans to feature more U.S. and international skaters in the future. Kayne also helped Gracie Gold create a new
look at Skate America and is teaching her how to re-create her makeup for future competitions. “It was fun to practice on somebody else.
She has such great features,” Kayne said. Level 4 Look lets Kayne explore her creative
side and she said it gives her something fun to do outside of training. “Every time you get on the ice you want
to have a Level 4 look as well as your Level 4 elements,” Kayne said.
— Colette House
Senior debut touches hearts
Competing at Hoffman Estates’ Sears Cen-
tre Arena was a homecoming for Alex Benoit, who grew up about 15 miles away in Winfield, Illinois. Benoit trained in nearby Naperville for a decade before teaming up with Elliana Pogrebin- sky in 2014 and moving to Novi, Michigan, to train under Igor Shpilband. “Te feeling of being out there, the lights,
the cameras and all the audience being with you — in my hometown especially — was just surre- al,” Benoit said of his senior Grand Prix debut. Pogrebinsky and Benoit took advantage
of the moment to spread some warmth to spe- cial-needs adults by asking fans to toss mittens and gloves onto the ice after their programs. Te items were donated to Touch My Heart, a local nonprofit based in Naperville that raises money to offer free outings, events and celebrations. Te organization’s outreach focuses on the special needs community; 80 percent are wards of the state and 20 percent still reside with their fami- lies.
“In the past, I’ve worked with them to col-
lect food,” Benoit said. “I visited their houses, and it really helped put things into perspective.
Anything helps.” Te skaters publicized their efforts on their
Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram, and hun- dreds of pairs were donated. “Te response warmed our hearts,” Benoit
said. “Obviously with the cold Chicago winters, we wanted to pass on as much kindness from our hearts to theirs as we could. It was really special.” — Lynn Rutherford
Morgan, ‘Frozen’ cast cheer on Mariah
While Mariah Bell had plenty of people
cheering her on to a silver medal inside the Sears Centre Arena, her biggest fan anxiously watched both of her programs on television. Bell’s sister, Morgan, was on tour with Dis-
ney on Ice during Skate America. Morgan por- trays Anna from the movie Frozen in the Dream Big tour. “She wasn’t able to be there with her busy
schedule,” but I felt her support 100 percent,” Mariah said. “We FaceTimed before and after each event and she watched both programs. She even sent me a video of her and the entire cast of her show watching my long program on TV. Her support means so much to me; she’s my best friend and always has my back.”
— Troy Schwindt
Skate America silver medalist Jason Brown stopped by the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago to visit young patients and their families. For the last few years, Brown has donated the stuffed ani- mals and toys that fans have thrown onto the ice after his performances to the Ronald McDonald House. A plaque honoring Brown for his contribution to the Ronald McDonald House is displayed in a special toy room for the kids.
SKATING 17
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