2017 U.S. ADULT CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT ICE DANCE
Sterlace, Durango overcome injuries for fourth title
BY TROY SCHWINDT For Shay Sterlace (Liberty FSC of Phil-
adelphia) and Yovanny Durango (IceWorks SC), each of their four consecutive Champi- onship Adult Dance titles holds a special place in their hearts. “T is one is special because of the chal-
lenges we had,” Sterlace said. “We proved to each other that we together are stronger than any injury or challenge that comes our way. It was a testament to us.” Sterlace sustained a knee injury last autumn, while Durango suff ered a subsequent shoulder injury. “It’s been a trying season,” Sterlace said.
“For almost two months we couldn’t train. We were fi nally able to kick it into high gear at the end of January.” In North Carolina, the team won both pattern dances and led the second-place team by nearly four points heading into the free dance. T ey performed their free dance to a version of “Creep” by Radiohead. “It’s a lovely song and the singer’s voice is
so wonderful, so we were both very moved by it when we fi rst heard it. We knew it was for us.”
T eir score of 92.89 was about one point
(l-r) Michelle Daichman/Andrejs Sitiks, Shay Ster- lace/Yovanny Durango, Jennifer Freedman/Arkadiy Sergeev, Dianna-Lynne Wells/Douglas Stevenson
better than their winning score last year. Sterlace, 49, and Durango, 47, train pri-
marily at IceWorks SC in Aston, Pennsylvania, where Durango is an instructor. Two of his teams competed at the 2017 U.S. Champi- onships, including senior ice dancers Julia Biechler and Damian Dodge. “We are very fortunate that we get to
skate with Julia and Damian,” Sterlace, the mother of two teenagers, said. “T ey are inspirational and motivating, and they are so supportive of us.” In their fi rst U.S. Adult Championships
together, Michelle Daichman (Washington FSC) and Andrejs Sitiks (University of Del- aware FSC) collected the silver medal with a score of 80.44.
Longtime friends, Sitiks, 27, had coached
Daichman, 34, for several years. He is a two- time U.S. Championships ice dance qualifi er at the senior level. When he and his partner retired from competition, Daichman suggest- ed they form a team. For their free dance, they skated to
Postmodern Jukebox’s rip of Britney Spears’ 26 JUNE/JULY 2017
“Toxic” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” PMJ reworks popular modern music into diff erent vintage genres. “T e music just kind of fi ts our personal-
ities,” Daichman said. “It’s fun and has a lot of expression. It’s sassy.” Earning the bronze medal with a score
of 79.50, Jennifer Freedman, 50, and Arkadiy Sergeev, 31, (Essex SC of NJ) performed to music from “Game of T rones.” “It wasn’t our best, but we managed to
pull through it,” Freedman said. “It wasn’t as strong as sectionals, so it was a little disap- pointing, but that happens.” T is is the team’s second season together.
T ey placed second at the 2016 U.S. Adult Championships. Freedman is an avid horseback rider who at one time competed, while Sergeev, the 2006 World Junior ice dance silver medalist, teaches singles and dance at his home rink. Dianna-Lynne Wells (Broadmoor SC)
and Douglas Stevenson (Centennial 7K SC) secured the pewter medal with 77.83 points.
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
PHOTOB BY JAMES GODWIN
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