SENIOR PAIRS
we just held off.” Performing to music from La Vita E. Bel-
la (Life is Beautiful), they were nearly flawless, earning positive GOEs on 11 of 12 elements and Level 4s on three of their four lifts. “We just had fun and that’s what we wanted to do, to come out here and put on a great perfor- mance for everyone," Knierim said. "I think we accomplished that.”
“Right after I landed the second element,
the throw flip, I was on cloud nine and I just let everthing else fall into place,” Scimeca said. “It set the tone for the rest of the program.” Although they finished second with a score of 172.75 points, Scimeca and Knierim were named first alternates to the U.S. World Team as Denney and Coughlin received the international selection committee’s nod pending a monitoring session.
Tings, however, became foggy when Den- ney and Coughlin pulled themselves out of Worlds because they didn’t feel they had enough time to prepare. Scimeca and Knierim, mean- while, were forced to withdraw from the Four Continents Championships because of a right foot injury sustained by Scimeca.
Upon her return to Colorado Springs,
where the team trains, Scimeca was evaluated and cleared to train for Worlds. Zhang, 19, and Bartholomay, 23, emerged
with the bronze medal, finishing second in the short program and second in the free skate for an overall score of 172.02. Te Florida-based team, which came to-
gether in May 2011, was rock solid in Omaha. “We’ve been training and it was really refresh- ing to come out at nationals and throw down one of our better programs,” Bartholomay said. “It doesn’t matter what color the medal is, we are just so excited to have proven that we belong here.” Performing their free skate to West Side
Story, Zhang and Bartholomay received positive GOEs on 11 of 12 elements, including Level 4s on their spins and lifts. “Tere was a conversation about the com-
ponent mark, and I feel that’s where they have made their big stride,” coach Jim Peterson said. “We went to go see West Side Story in the theater. We’ve obviously studied the movie. Tey take a solid two hours of ballet a week. I feel that it’s just going to get better and better. “I think they’ve scratched the surface of sort
Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim dazzled the crowd with their big tricks and performance.
of where they are going to be and tonight was a turning point for them because they had to skate last, they had to skate last in a very strong event; they had never been second after the short and it really showed their backbone and fortitude to compete. It was the first standing ovation for them. I think they got the crowd behind them and that helped a lot.” Peterson, who has coached recent pairs champions and medalists, said the future is bright for this team. “Tere’s a lot of young, new talent right
now in pairs and I feel they are just going to de- velop,” Peterson said. “I am going to bring Judy Blumberg back many times this year and work on choreography for their programs so they will be ready for next year. I don’t know what it will bring. I think they are certainly going to advance to the next cycle after Sochi, but if things happen sooner, they happen sooner.” Davis and Ladwig, a first-year team, finished with 165.08 points and the pewter medal. After the U.S. Championships, they an- nounced that they have ended their partnership. Davis expressed interest in finding a new partner, while Ladwig is exploring his options.
Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay capture the bronze medal with a stellar performance to West Side Story.
22 MARCH 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84