2016 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT GOLD LADIES
The championship adult gold ladies shared a photo on the podium.
Schmidt overcomes obstacles to top field
by MIMI MCKINNIS Jennifer Schmidt’s road to the title wasn’t an easy one. Just
one year before, Schmidt was days away from having a tumor surgically removed from her abdomen, bravely taking the ice to finish in sixth place. “I was having surgery about a week after the event,”
Schmidt (DuPage FSC) said. “I was physically ready to com- pete, but mentally, I was a wreck. When I got back on the ice after the surgery, I couldn’t even do crossovers, and I remember I just cried and cried. I’ve worked really hard to recover and get back on the ice, and I’m just really happy and overwhelmed.”
Showing her strength and resilience, Schmidt returned to
the event with a perfect performance to “Te Swan” from Car- nival of the Animals that included two double Salchows, one in combination with a single toe loop. She earned the gold medal and 38.93 points without a single negative GOE. Rochelle Revor’s decision to change her program prior
to this season paid off, landing her less than a point behind Schmidt to take home the silver medal. Revor, who won this event last year, chose an edgy selection, performing to Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited.” “Last year was the first year for the program I competed,
and I usually keep my programs for two years,” Revor (All Year FSC) said. “But I won basically everything I entered with that program, and since I’m repeating as a gold lady this year, I didn’t want to do the same program again. Tis year I thought, Let’s do something different. Tis song is different. It’s feminine and strong, and I just wanted to go for it. It’s a really fun program to skate.”
Revor landed two single Axels en route to 38.21 points. Rebounding from an 11th place finish last year, Heather
JENNIFER Schmidt
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
Hilgar (University of Delaware FSC) overcame a difficult year to win bronze with 36.65 points. Skating to “Tears for Alice” by David Lanz, Hilgar turned in a technically solid program that included two Axels, one as part of an Axel-toe loop-loop combination, expressing the weight of the music throughout her performance. “Te song was written for his wife, and it’s supposed to go
from sadness to hope,” Hilgar said. “I lost my father last year and my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, so this really was a sadness-to-hope story for me. Last year I had a really rough skate. Tis feels a lot better. I feel like I can put last year behind me and move forward.” Grace Stuever (Pittsburgh FSC) won the pewter medal with 35.38 points.
SKATING 33
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