2017 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT GOLD MEN
Conte carries ‘beautiful’ program to victory
BY BARB REICHERT
Four times a week, Antonio Conte (Los Angeles FSC) hits the ice at 5 a.m. to focus on the little things: stroking, edge work, moves in the fi eld. His commitment to and love of the craft paid off in Wake Forest, earning Conte the title. T e bronze winner in this event last
year, Conte looked stronger and more confi dent, commanding the ice with a beautiful performance to Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever.” “It seems like now, with all the extra comfort and security of my edges, that the jumps and the spins just occur very natural- ly,” Conte said. “T ey don’t feel forced, they feel secure. If I’m a little off , I can recover because I know where my edge is.” Relying on “that second mark,” Conte,
53, received all positive GOEs to earn a score of 37.36 points — an 8-point improvement
(l-r) Antonio Conte, Alan Emerick, Kenneth Yin, Serafi n Ong
“He doesn’t have the big jumps or the
spins, as you can see,” Schmitt said. “It’s what he puts out there, that beautiful program. T at second mark is so important. All the skaters think, ‘Oh, I have to have the jumps, I have to have the spins, I have to have all the variations.’ But when you put out a beautiful program like that, that’s the result you earn. Today was just superb.” In contrast to Conte’s skating style, Alan
Emerick (Body Zone FSC) opened with a strong Axel and tossed in a double Salchow and a double toe to earn the silver medal with 34.55 points. He performed to the Russian folk song “Dark Eyes.” “Sometimes, the people who have really
on last year’s performance. “I decided to reinvent myself because I
don’t have an Axel and I don’t have doubles,” he said. “I decided to just focus on the edges and the beauty of the skating. I’ve taken the time to fi nish each element.” Conte, a cardiac anesthesiologist, is
coached by Lauren Levin, and recently enlisted the help of former U.S. ice dance champion Renee Roca, who encourages him to “schmear out each element.” He did just that when he opened with a
solid Lutz and followed it with a Salchow-loop combination. Conte’s speed and fl ow across the ice were well-received by the early Satur- day morning crowd, who cheered loudly for his “Michelle Kwan spiral sequence” (forward inside, outside, back leg raise). Among those cheering was Sue Schmitt, who’s known Conte for “at least 10 years.”
24 JUNE/JULY 2017
good artistry have an advantage because it takes their mind off the jumps,” the 56-year- old art dealer said with a laugh. “I think it’s about artistry and being able to communicate to the audience. T e more you can do that, the better it is.” Kenneth Yin (Skating Club of New
York) also performed an athletic and joyful program, to Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1.” Landing two Axels (one in combina- tion) and two double Salchows, Yin earned the bronze medal with 32.09 points. “It’s a program that I love,” Yin, 49, said. “I was pleased that I did quite a bit better than I did at sectionals.” A professor at City University of New
York, Yin teaches modern languages and linguistics. “It’s always so much fun to come to adult nationals,” he said. “Once you start competing, it’s hard to stop.” Serafi n Ong (All Year FSC) secured the
pewter with 29.86 points.
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
PHOTO BY JAMES GODWIN
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