2017 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHAMPIONSHIP MASTERS PAIRS
Sailer, Garber ‘rise up’ to claim title
BY TROY SCHWINDT In the days leading up to the U.S.
Adult Championships, defending champions Kimberly Sailer and David Garber (Pittsburgh FSC) were unsure they would even be able to compete. Sailer fractured her foot two months
ago after being dropped by a student while working on an off -ice move, and her period of recovery had pushed their decision to compete to virtually the last minute. But fortunately for them, doctors cleared
her to skate a week before the event. “I just got out of my cast,” Sailer said. “I
was cleared to skate on T ursday [a week be- fore the event started]. On Monday, we started trying to get through everything. T e throws didn’t start happening until we got here. You just grit your teeth a little bit, knowing you are going to have fi ve seconds of pain and that you can do it.” T e veteran team of 11 seasons together,
Sailer, 48, and Garber, 46, responded to the adversity by performing an emotional and moving program that opened with “Amazing Grace,” included an overlay of Martin Luther King’s famous speech “I’ve Been to the Moun- taintop,” and transitioned to Andra Day’s song “Rise Up.” T e performance helped lift them to the title with 50.31 points.
“It’s about overcoming oppression and
picking yourself up by your bootstraps,” Sailer said. “It’s about helping others pick themselves up by their bootstraps.” “It’s inspirational, not only in a political
environment or a social context, but in an individual environment as well,” Garber said. Added Sailer, “We love that music. It
pushes us, inspires us and it means a lot.” T ey credited their coach Elena Valova
and choreographer Doug Mattis with their contributions. Another veteran team, Tara Cioppa
(North Jersey FSC) and Stephen Trzaska (Washington FSC), placed second with 36.41 points. Together for 10 years, Cioppa and Trzas- ka make their partnership work with much sacrifi ce.
“I live in New York and I drive 31/2 hours to his house [in Boston] the night before,” Cioppa said. “I usually get there at 11:30 at night. We sleep for four or fi ve hours. We get up at 5 in the morning and we skate for four hours and then he goes to work and I drive back. We do that every week.” Cioppa, 45, and Trzaska, 41, performed
their self-choreographed program to “I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You,” which is from the movie soundtrack T e Mask of Zorro. “We like doing the duets,” Cioppa said.
SKATING 25
“It’s kind of a love story. We watched the movie a lot and in one scene she pushes him away, but eventually they realize they are in love with each other.” Trzaska competed with an injured hip, which made some of the elements even more of a challenge, especially the lifts. “He can’t bend on the lifts,” Cioppa said.
“I do elite-level obstacle course racing where you run up mountains and scale walls, which helps us on the lifts. I literally just have to crawl on top of him.” Cioppa and Trzaska have the record for being the only athletes to have competed at all 11 championship masters pairs events, though they had diff erent partners in their fi rst year.
Tara Cioppa/Stephen Trzaska, Kimberly Sailer/ David Garber
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
PHOTO BY JAMES GODWIN
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