(3 February 2015) After the Starlight Waltz and Paso Doble Pattern Dances, Caroline Green, & Gordon Green of Wheaton Academy, had earned a score of 45.25 points and had run up a lead of 7.93 points over the team in second place in the Pattern Dances, Elizabeth Addas, & Jonathan Schultz. The silver and bronze medals were within the reach of six different teams entering the free dance.

The Greens had won both the Starlight Waltz, which was skated first, with a score of 21.15, even though they had only been given credit for one of the twelve key points in the dance, and the Paso Doble, with a score of 24.10. In the Paso Doble, the young team, who are eleven and thirteen years old, ticked off six of the nine key points. The duo showed the best speed, most impressive unison, and closest holds of the competition and earned the highest program component scores at the 2015 U.S. Novice Ice Dance Championships, winning the event with a score of 64.44 for the free dance, for a total score of 111.30.

During their Free Dance to "The Addams Family Values" soundtrack, choreographed by Elena Novak, the Greens displayed the same speed and fine skills that won the Pattern Dances for them. However, their technical element scores were less impressive. The team earned level 4 for their lifts and combination spin, level 3 for the twizzles, level two 2 their non-touching midline step sequence, and level 1 for their circular step, for a technical element score of 34.57, a mark that was lower than that achieved by two other teams.

The 2015 Eastern Sectional champions, coached by A. Kiliakov, E. Novak, and D. Ilin, showed a unique entry into their combination spin, where they held each other's hands while Caroline Green executed a shoot the duck into the spin. Both their level 4 lifts were phrased well with their music, and received high Grades of Execution.

The team that won the silver medal, Katherine Grosul & Cameron Colucci, trailed the Greens by 10.27 points, with a total score of 101.03. Most of the deficit was accounted for by their relatively poor performance in the Pattern Dances, where the twelve-year-old Grosul and thirteen-year- old Colucci earned fourth place and 36.59 points. The team, who is coached by Slava Uchitel and Marina Zoueva, showed a good waltz character in the Starlight Waltz, hitting three of the twelve key points, but had noticeably mismatched lines throughout. In the Paso Doble, the team’s efforts were marred by both inconsistent spacing and mismatched leg lines.

The bronze medalists at the 2015 Eastern Sectionals placed second in the Free Dance with 64.44 points. Skating to the music “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" by The Mill Dogs and "Sing Sing Sing" by Bennie Goodman from the “Swing Kids” soundtrack, the duo achieved the second highest technical score of the Free Dance. The team earned level 4 for their twizzles, which were particularly well synchronized and received +2 grades of execution. The team also achieved level 4 for their curved lift and combination spin. Colucci had an interruption in rotation in the rotational lift, causing it to lose a level to Level 3. Their other elements were a level 2 circular step and a level 2 midline step. Katharine Grosul has fabulous extension and toe point, which leads occasionally to a mismatch of leg lines with her partner, and which earns them slightly lower Program Component Scores than they might otherwise achieve.

Emma Gunter, & Caleb Wein, who are coached by A. Kiliakov, E. Novak, and D. Ilin, won the bronze medal with a combined position of third place in the pattern dances and fourth place in the Free Dance for a total score of 98.19 points. The team started well, with a second place finish in the Starlight Waltz, hitting an event-high 7 of 12 key points, despite finishing slightly behind their music. The twelve-year-old Gunter and thirteen-year old Wein could only manage sixth place in the Paso Doble, hitting only 4 of 9 key points, for a total score for the Pattern Dances of 36.96, and third place entering the Free Dance.

The fourth place finishers at the 2015 Eastern Sectionals also placed fourth in the Free Dance with a score of 61.23. The duo’s skating quality was a bit weak, and their extensions and unison not perfect. Their best skill was a rocketing set of crossing Level 4 twizzles, and a nicely controlled level 4 spin. Gunter and Wein skated carefully to get the best level they could to “Coppélia" by Léo Delibes, with choreography by Ramil Sarkulov and Elena Novak. The bronze medalists in Intermediate at the 2014 US National Championships earned level 4 for both their lifts, the twizzles, and their spin, and level 2 for both step sequences.

Rebecca Lustig & Zachary Milestone, coached by Yovanny Durango and Adrienne Doddy, finished third in the Free Dance and eighth in the Pattern Dances for fourth place overall and the pewter medal, with a score of Total 95.70.

The team’s Starlight Waltz, skated to "Larrons en foire” by Raphael Beau from the "Micmacs" soundtrack was good for fourth place. However, Lustig fell during the Paso Doble during the third repetition of the pattern. The team entered the Free Dance with a score of 33.51 points, in eighth place.

The 2015 Eastern Sectionals silver medalists’ Free Dance, for which they earned 62.19 points, to a Beatles Medley, including “Eleanor Rigby” and “Something,” did not begin well. Lustig again fell during the opening steps. However, the duo rallied to earn the highest technical element score of the event. Lustig & Milestone’s program, choreographed by their coaches, included interesting level 4 mirror twizzles, where they earned credit for a difficult feature by using a free leg position with a 45 degree angle to their skating legs, a risky choice that would have made a loss of unison very obvious. The team achieved the only level 3 circular step sequence of the event, as well as level 4 lifts, a level 4 spin, and a level 2 midline step sequence.

The highest scoring team not from the Eastern Section, Cassidy Klopstock & Logan Leonesio, the 2015 Pacific Coast Sectional champions, finished in fifth place. The team entered the free dance with a score of 35.99 in the Pattern Dances, in sixth place. That score, plus a seventh place finish in the Free Dance, left them with a score of 92.80 overall.

The duo had earned a commendable third place in the Starlight Waltz, where they showed good lilting action and hit 5 of 12 key points. However, the pair, coached by Christine Fowler-Binder and Vitaly Novikov, could only manage seventh placed in the Paso Doble where they managed to hit only 3 of 9 key points and failed to show the arrogant, strutting nature of the the Paso Doble convincingly.

The duo’s seventh place Free Dance, skated to “The Addams Family” soundtrack, choreographed by Pasquale Camerlengo earned them 56.81 points. The pair showed a very impressive level 4, one-arm rotational lift with up and down motion, and had good rotational speed during their spin. However, poor synchronization and lack of unison throughout the step sequences lowered their score. The partners’ twizzles were level 3 and earned negative grades of execution.

The sixth place couple overall, Eleanor Babaev & Scott Wenner, earned a seventh place finish in the Pattern Dances with a score of 35.09, and sixth place in the Free Dance with a score of 57.57, for a total score of 92.66. Their Starlight Waltz, skated to “Masquerade Waltz” by Aram Khachaturian, seemed tight and a bit slow, but accurate, on the first circuit. Although the team was more relaxed on the second repetition, and hit 6 of 12 key points, they placed eighth for the Starlight. The duo placed fourth in the Paso Doble, and earned 7 of 9 key points.

The 2015 Midwestern Sectional champions skated their Free Dance to "Prelude", "Potter Waltz" and "The Quidditch World Cup" from the “Harry Potter” soundtrack, with choreography by their coaches, Yasa Nechaeva and Yuri Chesnichenko. The first year novices’ opening Level 4 curve lift, with Babaev in a split position with strong layback, and Wenner in a cantilever spread eagle was very nice indeed. Their twizzles judged a level 4. Their rotational lift and combination spin were also level 4. Both step sequences earned level 2.

The seventh place overall was earned by Coco Becker & Val Katsman, with a sixth place finish in the pattern dances, coupled with an eighth place finish in the Free Dance, for an overall score of 90.12. Their Free Dance, which earned 53.56 points, was choreographed by Elena Novak to “Waltz Diabolico” by Park, "Tango Amore" by Edvin Marton. The performance was awkward and rather painful. The music was really too large for the the team. There were visible stumbles in the step sequences and the rotational lift did not seem secure, earning negative Grades of Execution. Their jumps into twizzles seemed well performed, but they only received Level 2 for the twizzles, due to a stumble later in the element. The team may well have been unsettled by Becker’s fall on the twizzles during the warmup, and the fall may have negatively affected their overall performance..

Alexis Middleton & Michael Valdez finished in fifth place in the Free Dance, with a score of 58.16, but their ninth place finish in the Pattern Dances kept them in eighth place overall, with a total score of 88.75. The team was not able to check off any key points during the Starlight Waltz, and had timing problems during the Paso Doble. The duo’s Free Dance to “Express” and “Show Me How You Burlesque” by Christina Aguilera, and “Welcome to Burlesque” by Cher from the “Burlesque” soundtrack, choreographed by Vitaly Novikov, opened with a good level 4 spin, but the pair, who are coached by Christine Fowler-Binder and Vitaly Novikov, did not seem entirely comfortable with the Burlesque concept. When the music switched to "Express," the couple finished with a high energy not touching midline sequence that was the highlight of their routine.

Elizabeth Addas & Jonathan Schultz, who had entered the Free Dance in second place in the Pattern Dances with a score of 37.32 points, had a disastrous eleventh place Free Dance, which only scored 45.25 points, and left them in tenth place overall, with a combined score of 82.57 points.

The team, who is coached by Arleen Barton, Ben Agosto, and Judy Blumberg, seemed to be trying to attack too hard in their Free Dance to “Ognuno Soffre" by Paul Potts, perhaps yielding to the pressure of their opportunity to medal at the event. Small errors crept in. Addas exited a revolution early in the second of their three synchronized twizzles, resulting in a level 3. Then disaster struck during their rotational lift, resulting in a rough dismount. Shortly after, Addas fell at the very start of their Not Touching Midline Step sequence, resulting in the team receiving no points for the element. The team recovered to execute their level 2 combination spin very well, but the damage was done. They finished in eleventh place in the Free Dance, and in ninth place overall with a score of 82.57 points.

The tenth place team, Rachel Gart & Lance Stanley, coached by Mathew Gates & Svetlana Kulikova, finished in tenth place in the Pattern Dances with 29.43 points, and in ninth place in the Free Dance with 50.19, for an overall score of 79.62 points. Their Free Dance, to “Hip Hip Chin Chin" by Club Des Belugas, showed good timing and feel for the music during "Norma la de Guadalajara" by Perez Prado and but the skaters lost speed and appeared a bit tired during "Batacada Brasileira" by Samba Brazilian Batucada Band. Their best element was a fine rotational lift with Gart in a split position. They had significant trouble with their Sequential Twizzles, which were given a Level 3 by the technical panel.

Kimberly Wei & Ilias Fourati finished eleventh overall, eleventh in the Pattern Dances, and tenth in the Free Dance for an overall score of 72.93. During their Free Dance to "Pas de Deux" from "Don Quixote"by Leon Minkus, the team had difficulty with the dismount of their rotational lift, for which they received level 2. The pair showed a very nice Level 4 straight line lift with Fourati on one leg and Wei yearning forward. Wei showed a supple, flexible back in their level 4 combination spin, which was the highlight of the program.

The relatively new team of Heidi Washburn & Jeffrey Fishman finished in twelfth and last place overall with a score of 71.34 points. Fishman is a former pairs skater who competed with Sophia Dai from 2008-2013. They placed fifth at the 2013 U.S. National Championships (novice) as well as winning the silver at the 2011 U.S. Junior Championships. He had tested to the junior level in pairs before their partnership ended. Fishman shows a very nice musicality and stroking but clearly has not yet mastered dance step sequences and twizzles.