CHAMPS CAMP Brown feeling at home
For many of the U.S. skaters who convened in Colorado Springs for Champs Camp, the distance to travel was far and the adjustment to altitude was great. Pairs skaters Ma- rissa Castelli and Mervin Tran, and ice dancers Madi- son Hubbell and Zach Donahue, made the trek to Colorado from their training bases in Montre- al, for instance. But for some skaters, such as U.S. champi-
on Jason Brown, it was almost like another day at the office. He makes his year-round home at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, as does Max Aar- on, the 2013 U.S. champion. Pairs skater Chris Knierim is often a fixture at the OTC as well. Brown trains in Monument, Colorado, less than a half hour’s drive from the OTC, while Aaron and Knierim train at the Broadmoor Skating Club. For Champs Camp, skaters got a chance to bunk in the OTC dorms, eat among other Olympic athletes in the dining hall and train to- gether at the World Arena. Brown said it never gets old for him to catch glimpses of other Olympic athletes on campus. “You get so caught off guard,” Brown said.
“One morning I came down and I saw (Olympic champion swimmer) Ryan Lochte. It was break- fast time and I came down a little frazzled. I saw him and then I did a double-take. It’s just crazy the people who come through here. It’s insane.” — Amy Rosewater
Chock and Bates team up on social media Ice dancers
Madison Chock and Evan Bates won a silver med- al together at the World Champi- onships in March, and in August they joined Twitter and Instagram together, too.
Chock and
Bates, who until August had operated separate- ly on the two social media platforms, created @chockbates on Twitter and Instagram. While they’ll still continue to post on their
own accounts (@chockolate02/@Evan_Bates), they hope that having one account will help fans better connect with them as a team. “We are looking forward to making an- nouncements about our skating, music choices, appearances and things like that on our new ac-
10 OCTOBER 2015
count,” Bates said. “Tis way, I’m free to tweet about nonsensical pop culture like the VMAs and Kanye’s presidential run on my own account.” In just a week, the duo had more than 500
followers on Twitter and Instagram. With their new account, they have provided fans with a be- hind-the-scenes look at Champs Camp and even revealed their new free dance music. — Michael Terry
‘Bringing the house down’ U.S. silver
medalist Adam Rippon arrived at his eighth Champs Camp with short, platinum-colored hair that drew plen- ty of attention. Te rock-star
look fits nicely, he believes, with his programs to the classic music of Queen, Te Beatles and Led Zeppelin. “My parents both listen to a lot of classic
rock, but also besides that, I want to be a little more edgy this year,” Rippon said. “I want to push some boundaries with choreography that I hadn’t pushed before. I’m the oldest guy in the Grand Prix circuit of the U.S. men and I want to show my maturity and that I’m not afraid to move my hips, and just show that I’m a mature artist.”
Rippon, who will again be attempting his
signature quad Lutz, said he “loves what he’s skat- ing to” and plans to “bring the house down” this season.
“I think they have worldly appeal and you
really can’t go wrong with any of them (classic bands),” Rippon said. “Plus, I think it makes me a little bit of a bad ass.”
— Troy Schwindt Gracie Gold, McKenzie Edwards and Jason Brown
Let it flow
For fans mourn- ing the loss of Charlie White’s curly locks, en- ter Jean-Luc Baker. Baker and Kaitlin
Hawayek, 2014 World Junior and U.S. junior ice dance champions, are turning plenty of heads in their first full senior season. But each time they do, it’s hard not to notice Baker’s flowing mane.
So we asked: Whose hair takes longer? “Oh, I’d have to say mine for sure!” Ha-
wayek said. “Jean-Luc just has a natural, wind- swept flow to his luscious locks without even trying. Mine, on the other hand, requires at least an hour of curling or preparing, not to mention using a gallon of hairspray and what seems like thousands of bobby pins.” Baker agreed: “Kaitlin’s hair takes longer,
but mine is more of an art form. It’s a ‘go with the flow’ kind of scene. I’ll get out of the shower, sometimes only use my fingers, a hairdryer and a quick shake and it’ll set. Other times I use a brush and let it stay wet. It depends on what the weather is like outside and how much humidity I’m currently working with.” Let’s see what @CharliesCurls and
@2014PonyPower have to tweet about this … — Barb Reichert
Champions for a day For the third consecutive year, U.S. Figure
Skating teamed with online auction site Chari-
tyBuzz.com to offer one lucky fan and a guest the opportunity to experience Champs Camp for themselves. Tis year, 12-year-old McKenzie Edwards was awarded the prize and got to live as a member of Team USA. “It was actually McKenzie’s skating coach
PHOTO BY SHEENA HARPER
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