2016 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
route to a segment score of 37.56 points. In fifth place after the pattern dances, Debby
Georges (Capital City FSC) and Peter Sasmore (Peninsula SC) took advantage of their height dif- ference (he stands 6 feet 4 inches, she just 4 feet 11 inches) to turn in a difficult free dance and earn the bronze with 50.75 points. Teir performance, set to music from Toroughly Modern Millie, fea- tured the second-highest-scoring element of the event — a combination curve lift worth 7.20 points. “We certainly have an advantage when it
comes to the lifts and some of the spins,” Sasmore said. “Debby is a former pairs skater and has done a lot of shows, so we put it all together to work for us in the free.” Debra and David Gaultier (Detroit SC) took
home the pewter medal with a total score of 49.91 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT SILVER LADIES
Foster wins one for the record books
by MIMI MCKINNIS With a stunning performance, Erin Foster’s
name not only appeared atop the posted results for the first-ever championship adult silver la- dies event, but will forever stand as the inaugural champion on the event’s Lori M. Fussell Trophy, to be housed at the U.S. Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame. “It’s so exciting,” Foster (Pond FSC) said.
“I’m happy to be a part of this for the very first time.”
Skating to “When You Wish Upon a Star”
by Barbra Streisand and Mary J. Blige, Foster completed two single Axels, one in combination with a single toe loop, to win the event with a 4/1 majority. “My opening Axel was a bit overrotated, but
my second one, my Axel-toe, was good,” Foster said. “I was happy just to stay on my feet, because I was very nervous for today.” Julie Allen (Orange County FSC) won the
silver medal for her performance to “Come Fly With Me” by Michael Bublé — the song she and her husband of four years, George Allen, danced to at their wedding. “It’s super special to my heart,” Allen said.
“Every time I skate it, my heart just bubbles over. Being able to perform to this song meant every- thing to me.” Landing a single Axel and her best-ever
Lutz-toe loop combination, an element she strug- gles with at practice, Allen earned a 6/3 majority. Earning the bronze medal, Mary King (SC
of Huntsville) felt a special connection to her mu- sic as well, performing to John Legend’s hit single “All of Me” for a 4/3 majority. “It’s about unconditional love — all your curves and edges, your perfect imperfections,
36 JUNE/JULY 2016
Competitors in the first-ever championship adult silver ladies event unite for an historic photo.
which I found really inspiring,” King said. “To me, the music is like warm sunshine when you’re on the ice. As soon as I heard the lyrics, I knew I wanted to skate to it. I just wanted to remember the moment.” Bonnie Goranowski (FSC of Bloomington)
collected the pewter medal with a 6/4 majority, which included a first-place ordinal for her breath- taking performance to Martina McBride’s “Any- way,” highlighted by a dramatic inside-to-outside edge spiral. “Te song is about chasing your dreams,”
Goranowski said. “You may sing a song that no one will remember, but sing it anyway. I had a couple rough seasons leading up to this year and I wanted to say that I do it for myself. I do it any- way, good, bad or otherwise, I do this because I love to skate.”
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT SILVER MEN
‘Icing on the cake’ When Mark Adams took the ice for the in-
augural championship adult silver men’s event, winning the title was the last thing on his mind. “Tis is my 19th consecutive adult champi-
Championship adult silver men’s podium (l-r) Jose Hinojos, Mark Adams, Ian McCutcheon, Ken Nguyen
Mark Adams Erin Foster
onships and I just really wanted to be part of this event,” Adams (Washington FSC) said. “It’s the first time they’ve had championship silver and I wanted to be part of that first field. To win the gold, it’s just icing on the cake.” Revising the program he originally com-
peted in Ann Arbor as a bronze skater in 2003, Adams skated an entertaining program to mu- sic from Saturday Night Fever, showcasing both showmanship and athleticism as he landed his el- ements, including a single Lutz-toe combination, with style. “Te Lutz-loop is a tricky one, but I’m so
happy I got it done today,” Adams said. “Te bot- tom line is, sometimes you have to put it on mus- cle memory. Today I was really focused on one element at a time and enjoying myself.” One element at a time, Adams became the
first-ever championship adult silver men’s cham- pion, winning gold with a 5/1 majority. Claiming the silver medal with a 5/3 major- ity, Jose Hinojos turned in a solid performance to
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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