By Samantha
In a year of unprecedented change for down-sized ice dance, National gold is a near 100% certainty for defending US champions Meryl Davis & Charlie White.
Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, nothing should stop the 2010 Olympic and world silver medalists, Meryl Davis & Charlie White, from winning their third straight US championship title on January 29. The best the other 14 couples can hope for is silver or bronze which come with an invitation to represent their country in the world championships in Japan in March.
The world team may be the same as that sent to the Four Continents’
Championships in Taipei in February, or not. Victory in Greensboro is a prelude
for Davis & White’s goal to become world champions. Since ice dance was
incorporated into the annual International Skating Union’s world championships
in 1952, a US couple has never gained the top spot.
Davis & White’s chances at Worlds may have increased due to the bad fortune of the reigning Olympic and world champions, Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, who had to pull out of the Canadian nationals because of lack of practice due to her surgery in October. Both couples train with Igor Shpilband & Marina Zueva at the Arctic Edge rink in Canton, Michigan, in a packed stable full of other international couples and a whole flock of couples who will compete in Greensboro.
White, who is 23, explained, "Having them there is a real spur. You constantly see someone at your level improving. It helps motivate you to get out of bed in the morning, knowing you can’t afford to slacken your efforts. Nobody knows what you go through to reach this level, except someone else who also does it. But, we have ground rules. We are friends but we don’t discuss skating matters off the ice, and in competition we are fierce adversaries. We both want gold.
"We did get into a physical fight once (with the Canadian rivals)," White admitted. "But that was when we were both about 8 and big stars (at least in our minds) on the tots hockey circuit. I played for Michigan and Scott (Moir) played for Ontario, or maybe we were just imagining that part." With all that padding, neither was hurt. White’s hockey career came to an abrupt end after he suffered a leg injury in a game which meant he and Davis had to sit out most of the 2005 season, allowing Virtue & Moir to get well ahead of them on the international junior scene.
When they first teamed together, well before they entered their teens, Davis, who turned 24 on New Year’s Day, was so shy, she wouldn’t look at White’s face, which is a basic part of dancing. Their first coach got over that by plastering his face with stickers. "It worked," Davis said. "I could concentrate on the stickers without seeing him."
This season, Davis & White did have an initial setback. Their Golden Waltz in the 2010 world championship was judged second only to that of Virtue & Moir so they were not worried about this newly name Pattern Dance being incorporated into the new Short Dance. (Davis & White won the Free Dance at Worlds 2010 and finished only 1.40 points behind the champions overall.) So they were shocked to receive an unwelcome Level 1 in Nagano, Japan, for the second sequence (with the more difficult steps) of the Golden in Nagano, in the first Grand Prix event. (On a level of 1-4, while 4 is excellent, 1 is definitely not good.
Shpilband, who has widely criticized how compulsories were marked in the past, said, "We have to remember Levels for parts of a compulsory dance is a new, revolutionary procedure for the Specialists, too. Possibly, this reaction was perhaps a little too over-critical."
White explained this season has actually been quite a trying one. "Immediately after Worlds, we went on the Stars on Ice tour (performing their extremely popular Indian Original in all 40 shows to the delighting audiences) and got a late start to the season." Davis & White chose the pleasant music from the French movie Amelie for their Short Dance. When Davis & White showed off their incomplete routine in Colorado Springs at Champs’ Camp, they were advised it wasn’t powerful enough and they changed to the more extravagant, well-known waltzes from the Operas La Traviata and La Boheme. Shpilband said there was an added factor. "It didn’t have a strong ending. The end of a program is very important. You have to bring it to a close with some excitement for the audience and the judges."
Davis agreed, "We do feel our routine is much better now, but it did set us back further on our time schedule. Because we were not reachable when the decision had to be made about which Grand Prix we would enter, we were assigned the first one, in Japan, which gave us less preparation time than we would have preferred."
Shpilband said, "I tried to prepare them for the letdown after the Olympics. I told them the post-Olympic season is always somewhat of a problem, especially for elite skaters who are first time Olympians and particularly if they have achieved good results. You just have to look at Mao Asada’s (disappointing, problem-filled) season to see that. After all the excitement with the anticipation of the Games, and all the extra attention and opportunities that go with that, it’s hard to get back up.
"Meryl & Charlie wanted to go in new directions, which is very good for their growth as skaters, but officials always want the athletes to stick with proven success. That way, however, can lead to stifling their development. And, this season, of course, things have been complicated by the all the new rules for the Short Dance. The number and frequency of changes has been challenging."
Davis & White continued to improve throughout last season, giving their best showing in Worlds in Italy, a month after the Games, beating the Canadians in the Free Dance and finishing only 1.40 points behind them overall. They are very discreet about what basically was a major put-down from the Technical Specialist. Shpilband, who has widely criticized how compulsories were marked in the past, said, "We have to remember Levels for parts of a compulsory dance is a new, revolutionary procedure for the Specialists, too. Possibly, this reaction was perhaps a little too over-critical."
Davis agreed, "We do feel our routine is much better now, but it did set us back further on our time schedule. Because we were not reachable when the decision had to be made about which Grand Prix we would enter, we were assigned the first one, in Japan, which gave us less preparation time than we would have preferred."
Shpilband said, "I tried to prepare for the letdown after the Olympics. I told them the post-Olympic season is always somewhat of a problem, especially for elite skaters who are first time Olympians and particularly if they have achieved good results. You just have to look at Mao Asada’s (disappointing, problem-filled) season to see that. After all the excitement with the anticipation of the Games, and all the extra attention and opportunities that go with that, it’s hard to get back up.
"Meryl & Charlie wanted to go in new directions, which is very good for their growth as skaters, but officials always want the athletes to stick with proven success. That way, however, can lead to stifling their development. And, this season, of course, things have been complicated by the all the new rules for the Short Dance. The number and frequency of changes has been challenging."
Davis & White continued to improve throughout last season, giving their best showing in Worlds in Italy, a month after the Games, beating the Canadians in the Free Dance and finishing only 1.40 points behind them overall.
For their Free Dance, Davis & White use four Tangos. The first two were picked by White from the movie Il Postino (the Postman) by Luis Bacalov. The second two, Payadora & Recuerdo, from the show Forever Tango by Lisandro Adrover, were chosen by Davis. Although they won that first competition, they discovered they had made the routine a little too complicated and they were not connecting with the audience enough. "It lacked passion," White said. So they consulted some top ballroom teachers and made some very significant changes. He added, "They made an incredible difference in how we were approaching the routine. I can’t be a kid and try to portray a guy who’s trying to be sexy and tango-ey. I have to really feel these emotions."
The last change they made just before Christmas, White explained, was to their second piece of music, "where our circular step sequence goes. It’s a little more dramatic now, a little less cheerful. It was something we had been considering because of the feedback from the judges at the GP Final."
The ISU has reacted to criticism that the rules were limiting the skaters’ creativity, by, this season, giving the dancers more choices. For instance, in the Free, couples may do four "short" lifts, OR two short and one "long" lift. They have adjusted the base value of the moves so they are the same, with the "long" earning base values for the 4 Levels of exactly double those for the "short" lifts. Davis & White have changed from the second to the first choice. The "long" lift may be more spectacular but you can get higher Grades of Execution scores with the slightly easier shorter lifts. White explained, "Having lost a bronze medal in the 2009 worlds by just 0.04 of a mark, I know how important it is to grasp every last point."
As of the beginning of January, the routine, White said, is still evolving. Davis said, "We’re lucky we have very experienced coaches. That’s really the key. A lot of figure skating is stress management. The tango doesn’t necessarily play to our strengths. It’s challenging, but we wanted to do something that was pure dance. We’ve made changes to the choreography and to the way we’re performing. We hope in Greenboro that we’ll be able to hit a level we’ve not achieved before."
FIDGETING IN THE AUDIENCE
If you find yourself in Greensboro sitting next to a handsome strapping blond 6’2" 21-year-old, forgive him for fidgeting. Sitting in frustration in the audience in Greensboro, itching to get back on the ice, will be Evan Bates. He & his partner, Emily Samuelson, 20, are last year’s bronze and 2009 silver national medalists, who finished 11th in the Olympics and ninth in worlds. This was to have been their fourth appearance in the US senior championship but they have been side-lined because of what they call a "freak" accident on September 29. During a routine lift in their free dance, which they have performed many times before and which they didn’t consider particularly difficult, her blade slashed his left leg.
Bates explained, "I knew there was a problem right away. The heel of Emily’s skate came down and got me on the left Achilles, and it severed. It was just above the top of the boot. It was a strange feeling. I could feel that something was wrong. Initially, I thought my blade had fallen off. I got to the barrier and there was a lot of blood. Emily drove me straight to the hospital. I started skating at four and the most time I’ve been off the ice is a month in 2009 because of a back problem. It’s been very frustrating."
In his most recent interview, Bates told icenetwork.com’s Lynn Rutherford, "Apparently, I’m right on schedule, maybe a bit ahead but there is still a bit of pain, swelling and tightness." He has progressed from a cast, to a walking boot to a specially designed heel lift which ensures his foot is not at a 90-degree angle. They have been at nationals since they won bronze at novice level in 2004. In April, they made a dramatic change of coaches moving to Canton from Ann Arbor.
Bates has been going to the rink three times a week to work with their trainer and "spy" on his partner. "I think it’s good for my motivation. It makes me feel like I’m still involved." With him unavailable, and Virtue also off the ice, Samuelson has been partnering Moir. She also stepped in to help Alex Shibutani when his sister and partner was ill. Bates said, "Things like this make you appreciate what you had and reinforce your determination. Sometimes, it is good to take a step back to reassess your reasons for doing what you do. I think it’ll end up making me stronger." It wasn’t their first major accident. In Germany, at the 2007 World Junior championships Bates skated over Samuelson’s hand cutting the tendon of her middle finger. They had been lying second but had to withdraw. They returned the following year to win that title.
WHO WILL BE SECOND?
Out, due to injury, retirement or change of partners, are nine of last year’s field of 15 couples - those who placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th & 15th. The top five from last year’s nationals earn automatic entry for the following year. But only the defending champions and Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein, who placed fifth in Spokane, are taking advantage of that clause.
Chock, 18, & Zuerlein, 22, are the 2009 US Junior, World Junior and Junior Grand Prix champions, who teamed up in 2006 with Chock agreeing to move from Redondo Beach, CA, to Canton. Last year, they made an excellent debut in the senior event, starting in sixth place after the first section and then placing fifth in the other two sections to overtake Madison & Keiffer Hubbell.
Their Short Dance is set to Edith Piaf music, Padam, Padam for the Waltz and then Milord. Their Free is to the soundtrack of Cabaret. Shpilband explained, "This year the goal is to show to the judges and the public that they can compete at a high level. They have done good so far (with two Grand Prix bronzes in Skate Canada and in the Trophee Bompard in Paris). Their programs have been well received from the judges and the public. They are doing a good job in interpreting their Free. This music has never been portrayed in this way on the ice before. The miming at the beginning is giving him an opportunity to become more outgoing to the public."
There are a lot of new faces in the rest of the field. Some are ambitious up-from-junior level, as are Maia, 16, & Alex Shibutani, 19, who train alongside Davis & White, as do Chock & Zuerlein. They are the current US Junior champions and have made quite an impression earning bronze medals in both their Senior Grand Prix assignments, in Japan and at Skate America, this season, despite an accident in Nagoya. There, Alex tripped on Maia’s skirt during the Golden Waltz section. The skirt was not only shortened, but Maia now grasps her hem as she exits from her shoot-the-duck position. Alex confirms, "She holds it long enough to make sure I don’t step on it. We have nothing to lose this year. We worked hard all summer. Getting third place at the NHK Grand Prix was a big surprise. It’s nice to see results like that, especially when you’ve made a mistake and feel a bit down.
"We learned to deal with the element of surprise in the Nebelhorn Trophy when Maia fell at the beginning of the first element in the Short and we got no marks for twizzles. But we knew we had to carry on regardless, and we did. She handled that remarkably, springing back up and attacking the rest of the program." They got much higher marks in the Free. "We got some very nice comments from the officials." Spectating in Oberstdorf was Mary Parry, the British judge who officiated at the 1994 Olympic Games when Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean returned to eligible competition after an absence of ten years to earn the bronze. After watching a practice, Parry complimented the Shibutanis, saying they have that same wonderful dance presence and expression as T&D.
Alex Shibutani said, "We were ready to make the jump to seniors." They use Richard Rodgers’ Carousel Waltz for their Short Dance. Their Free begins with Charlie Chaplin’s Smile, Though Your Heart is Breaking and then goes into Irving Berlin’s Let’s Face the Music and Dance. Coach Shpilband said, "This year the ISU wanted to see uplifting, dance-y programs, and I believe their music really fits that. The accident they had with their costume in Japan was an unfortunate event, they had trained a lot of times with that costume and never had problems."
Madison Hubbell, 19, and her brother, Keiffer, who turned 22 on January 15, switched coaches and are now training in the Detroit SC, with Angelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo. Keiffer is one of the few top competitors who own a business unconnected with their sport, www.lucidcorals.com , which acqua-cultures coral for aquarium reefs. They are the 2008 US Junior champions. Their Short Dance is set to music from the Addams Family Values. Their Free uses a medley of songs by Yello and Art of Noise.
Taking part in the Finlandia Trophy at the beginning of this season, the Hubbells became the first Americans to gain two Level 4s in an international for both parts of their Golden Waltz. That was particularly impressive since none of the other competitors, including the winners, Pechalat & Bouzat, received more than Level 3 for the first half and Level 2 for the second half.
Madison said, "We are very happy we got the Levels. I think, as we mature and get more international experience, I think you will see the GoEs and the Program Components marks go up. Our goal is to be on the podium at US nationals and to make the world team. We’ve celebrated our one year anniversary of switching to new coaches. We’re having a lot of fun and we feel like our skating has shown a lot of improvement. For the SD, they performed a Tango and Waltz from The Addams Family. She explained, "We chose the music because it fit us, because we’re brother and sister. We can’t do anything romantic."
Lynn Kriengkrairut, 22, & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt, 25, have placed eighth for the past two years at nationals and were ninth in their debut in Seniors in 2008. They showed considerable development in their performances at Skate America in Portland where they finished sixth. They use Kelly Clarkson’s The Trouble with Love for their Short Dance and, for their Free, I Belong to You by Muse. They are taught by Yasa Netchaeva & Iouri Tchesnitchenko in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Shibutanis, the Hubbells, Kriengkrairut & Giulietti and Isabella Cannuscio & Ian Lorello were given byes to nationals and did not have to qualify through Sectional competitions because they were assigned an international event. Cannuscio & Lorello, who are both 20, were fourth in the US Junior championship last year. Because they made it through the Junior Grand Prix Series to the Final, they earned a high ISU ranking. On that basis, they were given two Senior Grand Prix assignments this season which are made, NOT by the skaters’ association, but on the ISU world rankings which places great emphasis on junior achievement. They were invited to compete in Cup of China, where they placed 10th, and the Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris, where they finished 7th. Their Short Dance is to Billy Joel’s Piano Man and their Free to West Side Story.
Ian’s older brother, Alexander Lorello, last year competed in the US Senior championship with Lauren Corry, finishing 14th. This season Alex is competing with Katherine Pilgrim and they qualified by placing fourth in the Eastern Sectionals. The Lorellos have another, younger brother, Grant, and a younger sister, Meara, who used to dance together, but now have other partners. They compete at the Intermediate level and Novice levels.
QUALIFYING Four couples from each of the three Sectionals are permitted through to nationals. The Eastern Sectional champions are Ginna Hoptman & Pavel Filchenov, who train with Natalia Linichuk & Gennadi Karponosov in Aston, PA. This is their first trip to nationals.
Runners-up in the Eastern championship were Meredith Zuber, 20, & Kyle Herring, 21, who teamed up last April. He formerly skated with Sara Bailey. He has made it to nationals five times, but this is his first entry at senior level. Their Short Dance is a Waltz and a Tango. Their Free is to Roxanne’s Tango from the movie Mouline Rouge. They were 7th in both the 2008 & 2009 nationals at Junior level.
Eastern bronze medalists, Katharine Zeigler, 20, from New Jersey & Baxter Burbank, 23, from Fairbanks, partnered up in 2009. They skate in Aston, PA.
The Midwest Sectional Senior champions are Shannon Wingle, 20, & Tim McKernan, 21, who made their senior championship debut last year placing 10th. In 2009, they gained the "pewter medal" (fourth) at Junior level shortly after they teamed together.
The new partnership of Alissandra Aronow, 19, and Zachary Donohue, who turned 20 on January 8, were runners-up in Midwests. They train in the Shpilband stable. She represented Lithuania in Junior Grand Prix events with Aleksandr Pirogov. Donohue won two bronze medals in the US Junior championships in 2009 & 2010 with Piper Gilles. They were 9th of 34 couples in the 2010 World Junior championships.
Third in the Midwesterns were Kseniya Ponomaryova & Raphael Kelling. Their names appeared briefly on the national timetable for practice in Greensboro, but were removed.
The Pacific Coast Sectional Senior Dance competition was not held because there were fewer than four couples and so all the entries automatically were accepted for Greensboro. They are: Rachael Tibbetts, who turns 20 on January 23, & Collin Brubaker, who turns 21 on January 31. Brubaker is the younger brother of Rockne, 24, the twice US pair skater who is now competing with a new partner. He and Tibbetts train with Tiffany Hyden Dombeck in Colorado Springs; Alison Carey, representing the SC of Boston, & Ryan van Natten, from the Anchorage FSC, and Kristen Nardozzi, 21 & Robert Cuthbertson, 22, who formed their partnership in 2009 and represent the FSC of Texas.
JUMPING THE FENCE
Most notably absence from the competitive ranks are the most decorated ice dancers in US history, Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, who are performing with the 2011 Stars on Ice tour and delighting television audiences this winter in Skate from the Heart, Riverdance on Ice and Shall We Dance televised shows. Belbin, 26, who dates White, was a huge success on NBC’s Skating with the Stars. She was hired initially as a color commentator but quickly up-graded to co-host. She got her hopes of a career in broadcasting off to a great start commentating for Universal Sports.
Agosto plans to go into sports medicine. Their first nationals were in 2000 when they won the US Junior title and bronze at the World Junior Championship. The won the US Senior title four times and were runners-up four times. In the World (Senior) championships, they earned four silvers and four golds plus the 2006 Olympic silver. They would have gone to Salt Lake City’s Games in 2002 had she not been Canadian. As it was, she only just received a US passport, in a special decree, in time for 2006. They finished fourth in Vancouver Games.
Recently, Belbin tried curling. So, will she go into Olympic competition in that sport, which often has older competitors. "It was in the beginners’ lane," she said. I wasn’t able to knock down any penguins, so the answer is definitely, No!" In order to encourage youngsters into the sport, rink managers put up penguin "balloon" to be knocked down, instead of having to knock competitors stones out of the circle.
Also EXPLORING NEW OPTIONS are Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre, who were fourth last year. They were first reserves for Olympics. They weren’t used for the Games but did step up for the World Championship team, finishing 14th. They had also gone to Worlds in 2008, finishing 12th. They spent the summer of 2010 performing in Sun Valley and developing their adagio skills. They are now touring with Holiday on Ice in Europe
Also not competing are Jane Summersett & Todd Gilles, 7th last year ,and Trina Pratt & Chris Obansky, 9th last year. Both announced the end of their partnerships last May.
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