2013 U.S. ADULT FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
and an event-best 3.60 points. Yacomes’ flexibility turned heads. “I’ve always been flexible from years of bal-
let,” Yacomes said. Despite capturing the silver medal, the 25-year-old dermatology nurse wasn’t with her performance.
thrilled
“I popped the one jump and missed anoth- er combination, and one spin got downgraded. Tere are some things I need to work on,” she said.
Appearing at her first U.S. Adult Cham-
pionships, Brianna Jones (Burnsville-MN Valley FSC) secured the bronze medal with 52.63 points, skating a lyrical program to the soundtrack of Elizabeth:Te Golden Age. Jones experienced some minor difficulties
(l-r) Jaclyn Yacomes, Courtney Donovan, Carly Harris-Koleczko, Brianna Jones
Courtney Donovan
throughout, getting edge calls on both of her double Lutz jumps, with a fall on one. Her dou- ble flip-double toe-double loop combination, however, was a highlight of the program, worth a
whopping 5.20 points. It was the highest-scored element of the night. She also completed two Level 3 spins.
“I did unfortunately have the one fall, but
the rest of the program came together really well,” Jones said. “I was proud I was able to pull the rest of it together and do nice, clean, consis- tent jumps.” Jones, a 24-year-old registered nurse in a
cardiac intensive care unit, appreciated the adult environment in Scottsdale. “It was a really wonderful experience to meet other people who are working and have families and still have time to train and enjoy our wonderful sport,” she said. Carly Harris-Koleczko (Mount Clemens
FSC) carted home the pewter medal with 44.32 points.
Tis was also her first U.S. Adult Cham- pionships as a skater; she acted as coach for her mother, Cathy Harris, at one of the earlier U.S. Adult Championships held in Lake Placid, N.Y.
CHAMPIONSHIP MASTERS JUNIOR-SENIOR MEN
By Allison Manley Joshua Murphy (Individual Member), a
former novice pairs champion in 1998 with Christie Jaszewski, captured the gold medal with a score of 58.11. He landed a double Axel, two double-double combinations and a double Sal- chow-half loop-double Salchow pass. His speed, spins and step sequence separated him from the field.
Performing to “Tonight, Tonight” (com- plete with lyrics) by Te Smashing Pumpkins, Murphy drew in the crowd. “I heard the live version of the song on the
radio, and it really clicked for me,” Murphy said. “It stuck in my head as an emotional song that I could put a lot into.” He also drew attention for using white laces in his black boots. “It’s part style and part hockey lace,” he said. Tis was Murphy’s first appearance at the
U.S. Adult Championships, and his decision to compete wasn’t made until January. “I’m from Nebraska and the reason I started doing adult skating was because the 2013 U.S. Championships were there,” said Murphy, who volunteered for the event in Omaha. “Also, there was a huge adult contingent coming here, so we all trained together toward this goal.” Davin Grindstaff (Georgia FSC) repeated as
the silver medalist with 55.16 points. His pro- gram from the Te Lion King was well-construct- ed to maximize points, with four of his jumping
SKATING 17
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
CYNTHIA SLAWTER PHOTOGRAPHY
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