NATIONAL SHOWCASE Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
Hunt earns fi fth Showcase crown on home ice by BRENDA GLIDEWELL
Piercyn Hunt secured a record fi fth Nation-
al Showcase title with her dramatic entertainment performance to “Doll on a Music Box” from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. T e 22-year-old from Grand Blanc, Michi-
gan, performing last in the Parade of Champions round, wore a black dress, complete with tooling similar to that of a ballerina on a music box and tights that resembled toe shoes. She skated the pro- gram confi dently and from the heart. “T e music had special meaning to me and
I related to it personally,” Hunt said. “When we perform in skating, we are being gazed at, so it was easy to choreograph my program and allow that expression to come through.
“I wanted to skate my best and felt I did a
good job, but with so many great performances here this weekend, the competition for the title was tough,” she added. Kyle Barnes, of the Stars FSC of Texas, earned
the silver medal with his dramatic performance to “Mr. Cellophane” from the musical Chicago. Marco Berg, of the Santa Rosa FSC and last year’s Junior Parade of Champions winner, took home the bronze medal with his well-skated portrayal of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever — “You Should Be Dancing.” National Showcase 2015, held July 30–Aug.
2 at the Kensington Valley Ice House in Brighton, Michigan, featured 270 skaters. T e Ice House Skating Academy, of which Hunt is a member, hosted the competition. In addition to competing, Hunt was also a
coach and choreographer to 46 of the competitors. She teaches in Brighton with her mother, Michelle. In preparation for National Showcase 2015, Hunt choreographed more than 200 programs. “I am so proud of how everyone performed
here this week and for how the Showcase program has grown in our sport,” Hunt said. “For me, the weekend was emotional. Competing at my home rink and in front of a home crowd was simply amazing. T is was the fi rst time some of my family was able to see me compete, and that alone meant the world to me — it is so surreal when I think about it.” Hunt, who earlier this year performed on
the winning Harmony T eatre Company team at the 2015 National T eatre On Ice competition, is proud to be part of this evolving branch of skating. “Witnessing the growth of Showcase has been
nothing short of amazing,” Hunt, who has com- peted in seven Showcases, said. “I feel so blessed to be involved with this program and to be part of theatrical skating with U.S. Figure Skating. T ank you U.S. Figure Skating for allowing me to be part of this and for giving me a place to perform, coach and do what I love to do.” In addition to her overall title, Hunt also
placed third in the Parade of Duet Champions with best friend Abigail Biehl and was a member of the winning Production Ensemble team from Ice House Skating Academy.
Parade of Duet Champions Ashlyn Olson and Paige Bartholomew, also
from the Ice House Skating Academy, took a page from one of Hunt’s former programs to emerge as Parade champions. T e two 17-year-olds put their twist on Hunt’s 2011 winning routine to the song “Money” from Cabaret. “For us, it was really motivating to compete at home and skate to this piece of music in front of so many familiar faces,” Olson said. “We wanted to skate our best in an eff ort to make our coaches and families proud. Plus, knowing Piercyn skated to this music before was extra motivation for us, as we wanted to honor her in our performance as well.”
Olson and Bartholomew, who have skated together in the duet category for three years (they also won the title in 2013), wore black and red costumes and entertained with their creativity and facial expressions, said Hunt, who choreographed the program. “National Showcase has grown so much over
the years and the quality of performances this year has been outstanding,” Bartholomew said. Jamie Hathaway, of the Brazos Valley FSC, and Barnes, of the Stars FSC of Texas, performed a
hilarious program to the Monty Python’s Spamalot musical number “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” which earned this duet the silver medal. T eir personalities shone through as they were entertaining from the moment they took the ice to when they exited. Hunt and Biehl placed third, performing to “All for the Best” from the Broadway musical Godspell. Parade of Junior Champions Halle Greenwald, 14, and also a member of
the Ice House Skating Academy, transformed her- self into the character of Dr. Frahnkensteen in her winning Parade teen light entertainment program. Performing to the song “I Love the Brain”
from the musical comedy Young Frankenstein, Gre- enwald wore a white lab coat and pocket protector. She creatively demonstrated the theme of her pro- gram, comically showing that “there is nothing like the brain.” Greenwald, a high school freshman, is
coached by Hunt and her mother Michelle (who are Greenwald’s cousin and aunt). T is was her fi fth time competing at National Showcase. “I really enjoyed performing this program, because it was so much fun and knowing Piercyn chose this music to fi t my style made it that much more fun to do,” Greenwald said. Greenwald also received the Haley Gans
“Skate With All Your Heart” bronze trophy. Cora DeWyre, a clubmate of Greenwald’s, placed second in the event with her pre-juvenile light entertainment “new philosophy” program, while Rachel Dolan, of the All Year FSC, placed third with her teen dramatic program to the song “So Anyway” from the Broadway musical Next to Normal. Parade of Interpretive Champions Caitlin Lau, of the Stars FSC of Texas, arrived
at National Showcase with an assortment of props in her skate bag for the interpretive event. And as luck would have it, she hit the jackpot when “Over the Rainbow” from T e Wizard of Oz was selected. Participants in this event category hear the same selection of music for the fi rst time in a secure locker room, prior to taking the ice for a warm-up, where they can practice a routine to the music se- lection, then compete for the title. By chance, Lau brought with her a pair of
overalls, a stuff ed dog, rainbow fabric, a plaid shirt and red sequin boot covers. “I was so excited to have the opportunity to
“Mr. Debonair” Richard Dwyer performs his famed routine following National Showcase.
show the theatrical side of my skating in such a fun, lighthearted competitive environment,” Lau said. Lau is familiar with theatrical skating, having been a longtime competitor in the T eatre On Ice program as a member of the Houston Ice T eatre. Lindsay Firestone, of the SC of Florida, placed second, and Julia Hussian, of the FSC of Bloomington, claimed third place.
SKATING 15
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