LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Rippon off ers a Champs Camp perspective
U.S. silver medalist Adam Rippon arrived in
Colorado Springs, Colorado, in late August feel- ing passionate about his programs. Sporting a short, platinum-color haircut,
Rippon looked like he was channeling ’80s British rocker Billy Idol. A fi tting appearance, with the music of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Queen in his choreographed repertoire this season. “You really can’t go wrong with any of them
[classic bands],” he told me after performing his free skate at his eighth Champs Camp. But at Champs Camp, it’s not about how
the skater feels about his or her programs. A panel of judges and technical experts provides feedback in face-to-face monitoring sessions following both the short program and free skate/dance. The goal of this exercise is to give athletes an honest and accurate assessment of all aspects of their programs in order for them to go back to their training rinks and make the necessary ad- justments for the Grand Prix season. Naturally, this can be a stressful time for the
skater. Will they love it? Hate it? Recommend major changes? Or even suggest starting over? Those questions can swirl in the back of the mind of the athlete and his or her coach before they sit down with the panel. While the athletes and coaches say they un-
equivocally value this professional input, they do sometimes trust their gut and stay the original course. That’s what happened to Rippon last season.
Coming off a disappointing fi nish to his Olympic campaign, he decided to compete again and arrived at Champs Camp with programs he felt strongly about, especially his free skate to Franz Liszt’s “Piano Concerto No. 1.” “I think the main thing to remember is that
if you love what you’re doing, you need to stick to that,” Rippon said. “But if you love it and some- body doesn’t like it, you ask that person why they don’t like it and see what you can do to change their mind.” At last year’s Champs Camp, Rippon’s free
skate received a lukewarm reception. “I loved it and my whole goal then was that
I was going to change their minds,” he said. “The same judge who told me she didn’t like my long program gave me a 10 at the U.S. Champion- ships. So you have to just stick to your guns, and if you believe in what you are doing, continue with it.” Rippon’s passion and conviction for his free
skate indeed paid off in Greensboro, North Car- olina, home of the 2015 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Fifth after the short program, he delivered a stirring and elegant free skate that not only won the event, but set a U.S. record men’s free skate score. He secured the
4 OCTOBER 2015
silver medal and represented the country at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships. He also received the PSA’s “Best Perfor-
mance at the U.S. Championships” award for the free skate that he and Tom Dickson choreo- graphed. “I was like, ‘I will skate to this because I love it
and it doesn’t matter — it’s unwavering,’ ” he said. “This year, same thing. I love what I’m skating to. It feels like championship music.” One diff erence for Rippon and others in
recent years has been their decision to put out their programs at summer competitions and touring shows. Being able to simulate that competition feel
in a less stressful environment pays dividends, they said, and gives an athlete a bit of a head- start when he or she shows up to Champs Camp. Rippon, who competed at the Orange
County FSC Open Championships a week before Champs Camp, never used to compete until the Grand Prix season. “I really think it’s important that you kind of
get out there,” he said. “I love skating the shows, and I did a tour this year and I did both my short and long in every show. I just think you gain a lot of confi dence having performed something over and over, and you know how to deal with a certain circumstance.” Richard Dornbush, the 2011 silver medalist,
arrived in Colorado Springs already having com- peted this summer at the Glacier Falls Summer Classic, Skate Milwaukee and the U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships, which he won. “I’ve been lucky enough this season to get
a few sets of feedback,” the California skater said. “I’m able to fi ne-tune my programs accordingly, and now we’ll hear what they have to say since I’ve had a chance to work on things a bit.” Strategy within the programs is important,
he added. “These early summer competitions are real-
ly a chance for the judges to pick apart your pro- gram and see how truly strategic it is,” Dornbush said.
Two-time U.S. pairs champion Marissa Cas-
telli (with former partner Simon Shnapir) attend- ed Champs Camp with her partner, Mervin Tran. She said she felt “very chill” and not as stressed, having already competed at Skate Detroit. “We already put something out, so the judg-
es know what we are doing and it’s just a matter of showing them again,” she said. Of course, performing programs in Detroit,
about 600 feet above sea level, is a far cry from skating in Colorado Springs, which is at 6,000 feet.
“I can speak for everyone when I say that half of Champs Camp is dealing with the terrify- ing altitude,” Castelli said.
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