2016 U.S. JUNIOR ICE DANCE CHAMPIONS COMMUNICATION IS KEY McNamara and Carpenter working to set themselves apart by KAMA KORVELA STIGALL Ice dancer Lorraine McNamara recently
attended the “Run for the Roses,” otherwise known as the Kentucky Derby. Te Derby is the first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of horse racing. It’s highly unusual for the same horse to win all three races, but in 2015, American Pharoah did just that. If figure skating had an equivalent of the
Triple Crown, McNamara and her partner Quinn Carpenter would be skating’s version of American Pharoah. During the 2015–16 season, the dance team won the Junior Grand Prix Final, the junior title at the U.S. Championships and the World Junior Championships. But it hasn’t been a race to the top of the
skating world for them. In fact, it’s been more than a decade in the making. McNamara and Carpenter became part-
ners more than 10 years ago. Tey were both training at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy in Maryland when their coaches, Alexei Kiliakov and Elena Novak, suggested the two team up. “Our coaches started pairing kids from our
group,” Carpenter said. “Tey saw who looked good together and who seemed to fit well to- gether.” Unlike many young pairs and dance teams,
McNamara and Carpenter have stuck together through the trials and tribulations of partner- ships. Te secret to their success is all about communication, McNamara said. “You really need to be able to read your
partner,” she said. “You have to learn what you need to say to them and how you need to say it.” Carpenter agreed. “It comes down to understanding each oth-
er and where the other person is coming from,” he explained. “You have to understand their point of view in order to enable and support them.” It takes years to know a person as deeply as
they know each other. Despite being relatively young, McNamara and Carpenter are connected in a way that’s far beyond their ages, which are 17 and 20, respectively. “It’s like a finely tuned instrument,” Novak
said. “Teir personalities work well together, es- pecially on the ice. Tey pretty much grew up together and care so much about each other.” Having a strong, diverse support system
has also helped a great deal. In addition to No- vak and Kiliakov, McNamara and Carpenter work with Dmytri Ilin and Ramil Sarkulov at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy. Te 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, was the exclamation point
38 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
skating favorite — selections from the opera Carmen. Tough skating fans were familiar with the music, McNamara and Carpenter were de- termined to make it their own. “We had our own vision for the program,”
Carpenter said. Te pairs’ skating style — fast, powerful
and passionate — lent itself well to the dramat- ics of Carmen. “Tey have a lot of presence on the
ice,” Kiliakov said. “Tey are able to really emotionally connect with their audience.” Tough last season was undoubtedly a success, McNamara and Carpenter aren’t content to rest on their laurels. While the skaters are still determining if they will compete on the senior level or remain in the junior ranks, they will move forward in other aspects of their skating. “We want to improve
our first impression on the ice, that first look,” McNamara said. “We want to show
Top, Lorraine McNamara and her mother, Anne, attended this year’s Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky. Bottom, Alexei Kiliakov and Elena Novak have coached McNamara and Carpenter at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy in Maryland since the team’s formation in 2006.
of an already terrific season for McNamara and Carpenter. But going into this competition, something changed for the team. “Your first Junior Grand Prix (JGP) season
is always stressful,” Carpenter said. “Tere are all these factors that make it nerve-racking. Te second JGP season is where you can go all out. Right off the bat, we did well. Once you reach a certain level, you’re trying to stay on top. Staying on top was a very different feeling for us — it was a different kind of pressure.” Te momentum the team had going into
World Juniors, coupled with an inner confi- dence, proved to be a winning combination for them.
“We said to ourselves, ‘Let’s prove to every-
one this is where we deserve to be,’” McNamara said.
For their free dance, they chose a perennial
more maturity. We want others to know that last season is not where we’re topping out at. We’ve got a lot more to show.” Competing at the highest level
will require improvement in other ar- eas as well, Novak said. “Tere are two things to gain
on: power and flow,” she said. “In order to be a truly special team on the senior level, they will need to grow emotionally as well. But they definitely have the technique and ability to compete at the senior level.”
Te skaters have many
strengths that can continue to carry them to the top of the sport.
“Tey are extremely con-
sistent in their technique as well as the emotional aspect,” Kiliakov said. “Tese two components give them the ability to win.” In addition, McNamara and Carpenter are
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