2 0 1 7 U. S . ADU LT C HAMP IONS H I P S
CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT SILVER LADIES
Power and grace lead Espinosa to title
BY BARB REICHERT T e saying “Go big or go home” is not
lost on Jennifer Espinosa. Espinosa defi nitely brought her “A” game
to Wake Forest, and that “A” stands for Axel. Espinosa (Florida SunCoast FSC), who
recently relocated to Delaware, skated to the violin concerto “Dark Eyes.” Wearing a daz- zling fuchsia dress, she turned heads with her powerful jumps highlighted by that soaring Axel.
Espinosa, 29, earned a 4/1 majority from
the seven judges to win the gold medal. “I’ve always liked the Axel,” said Espi-
nosa, who started landing the jump in high school. “I’ve always liked taking off the front on the Axel. I thought, overall, I did as well as I could today and the other ladies really upped their games from sectionals.” It is Espinosa’s second championship
medal this year, as she and Team Delaware won the masters bronze at the U.S. Syn- chronized Skating Championships. She is an assistant professor at Rowan University where she teaches marketing.
Clara Christensen, an independent skater
from Mapleton, Utah, earned the silver medal with a 5/3 majority. Her jumps and spins were solid in practice, but she said a shaky Axel in
education teacher in Leger, Connecticut, took the bronze with a 5/4 majority. “T e beginning of my program went re-
ally well, but I was disappointed I didn’t land my last jump combination,” she said. “But things happen. T at’s the world of skating.” Jensen, the president of the Norwich FSC, also competes with the Esprit de Corps synchronized skating team. All three medalists were competing in
the warm-up shook her confi dence. “I just told myself I needed to remember
my words, like ‘low’ and ‘strong’ and things like that,” Christensen said. Skating to “Adagio” from Secret Garden, she just let go and enjoyed herself. “I don’t know anybody here, because
this is my fi rst year of being able to compete at Adults,” said the 22-year-old BYU student, “but the warmth that they give off is amazing. Somehow they all knew my name and all day they’ve been talking to me. When I was done, they were cheering so loud and threw so many tossies. It’s not like any other competition. T ere’s no one hoping their competitors won’t do as well like when you’re a kid, so it’s really cool.” It was also Haley Jensen’s fi rst time com- peting at the event. T e 25-year-old special
SKATING 27
their fi rst U.S. Adult Championships. It is the second year for the Championship Adult Silver Ladies category. Mary King (T e SC of Huntsville) won the pewter medal with a 4/4 majority.
(l-r) Clara Christensen, Jennifer Espinosa, Haley Jensen, Mary King
PHOTO BY JAMES GODWIN
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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