2002 U.S. Nationals

Junior Dance

 
Standings
Place Couple C1 C2 OD FD
1 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell 1 1 1 2
2 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara 4 4 3 1
3 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky 2 2 2 3
4 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre 3 3 4 5
5 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger 5 5 5 4
6 Flo Steed & Augie Hill 8 6 6 6
7 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe 7 8 7 7
8 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart 6 7 8 8
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith 9 9 9 9
10 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird 11 12 10 10
11 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly 10 10 11 11
12 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough 12 11 12 12

 

Compulsory Dance
Viennese Waltz
Quickstep

 
Starting Order - Compulsory Dance
  1. Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe
  2. Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird
  3. Flo Steed & Augie Hill
  4. Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly
  5. Laura Smith & Andrew Smith
  6. Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart
  7. Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell
  8. Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre
  9. Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara
  10. Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough,
  11. Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger
  12. Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky

     Couple 1 begins the first compuslosry dance.
     Couple 7 begins the second compulosry dance.

 

Compulsory Dance Placements
Place Couple C1 C2
1 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell 1 1
2 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky 2 2
3 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre 3 3
4 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara 4 4
5 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger 5 5
6 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart 6 7
7 Flo Steed & Augie Hill 8 6
8 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe 7 8
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith 9 9
10 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly 10 10
11 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird 11 12
11 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough 12 11


By Alexandra Stevenson

VIENNESE: No couple had a majority of first places in the first compulsory, the Viennese Waltz. The top two couples each were given four firsts from the nine member judging panel. Loren Galler-Rabinowitz and David S. Mitchell, of the Skating Club of Boston, won this lilting dance on the basis that the other five judges gave them second place while only four voted to award their second places to Kendra Lynn Goodwin and Chris Obzansky of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.

Judge Number six, Shirley Sherman of Glenview, Illinois, reserved her first place for Melissa B. Ralph of the Detroit Skating Club and Ryan Shea O’Meara of the Coyotes Skating Club of Arizona and put Goodwin and Obzansky third.

Ralph and O’Meara’s other placings consisted of three third place votes, two fourths, a fifth and two sixths which meant they started this championship in fourth place. Ralph and O’Meara were disappointed with their performance. "We knew we didn’t skate our best," said Ralph.

Kirsten B. Frisch and Brent Bommentre of the Wissahickon Skating Club were third of the twelve couples. Obviously this was going to be a close and exciting battle.

QUICKSTEP: Galler-Rabinowitz and Mitchell, who were the 2000 Novice champions and were fifth in this event last year, gained five first place votes for their accurate Quickstep and so maintained their lead. Goodwin and Obzansky again gained four firsts but this time the other five judges all placed them second.

Third, fourth and fifth (Cheryl L. Russell and Kenny L. Metzger of the Peninsula Skating Club) maintained the positions they gained in the Viennese but sixth, seventh and eighth showed movement after the Quickstep.

Flo A. Steed of the Texas Gulf Coast Figure Skating Club and Augie Hill of the Loan Star Figure Skating Club were only eighth on the Quickstep but were sixth in every other section. Victoria R. Devins and Kevin B. O’Keefe of The Skating Club of Boston were seventh in the Viennese, eighth in the Quickstep and seven in the other two sections and overall.

Christine Victoria Zepeda and Nicholas R. Hart of the Dallas Figure Skating Club were sixth in the Viennese, seventh in the Quickstep and then eighth in the next two sections and overall.

Laura E. Smith and her brother Andrew from the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club were ninth throughout. Lindsay C. Evans of the Colorado Skating Club and Trevor Stanton Bird of the Dallas Figure Skating Club were eleventh in the Viennese and twelfth in the Quickstep but tenth in the original and free and finished up tenth overall.

Kate Slattery of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club and Patrick M. Connelly of the All Year Figure Skating Club were tenth in both compulsories but eleventh in the succeeding two sections and eleventh overall. Anna V. Scheumann of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club and Levi J. McDonough of the San Diego Figure Skating Club were twelfth in everything except the Quickstep where they were eleventh.

 

Original Dance
Spanish Medley

 
Starting Order - Original Dance
  1. Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly
  2. Laura Smith & Andrew Smith
  3. Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough,
  4. Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird
  5. Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara
  6. Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky
  7. Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre
  8. Flo Steed & Augie Hill
  9. Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger
  10. Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart
  11. Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell
  12. Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe

 

Original Dance Placements
Place Couple
1 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell
2 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky
3 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara
4 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre
5 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger
6 Flo Steed & Augie Hill
7 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe
8 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith
10 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird
11 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly
12 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough

This season dancers were allowed to pick two or three rhythms from Flamenco, Tango, Paso and a Spanish Waltz. Galler-Rabinowitz and Mitchell, chose Flamenco and Tango, as did most of the couples. They and their coaches, Barett Brown and Tom Lescinski, consulted a top Flamenco artist, Michelle Jakalov, and were surprised at what she had to say.

Mitchell, a 5’7" 19 year old, explained, "I had thought it was all focused in the hand movements but I learned it is the eye contact. It’s seduction. You are almost challenging each other which was fun."

Galler-Rabinowitz, who was eleven days short of her sixteenth birthday, added, "It was a lot of hard work. Our coaches are good at picking out our weaknesses. Last year I was one of the youngest so my level of maturity has changed. You not only have to look at each other, you have bring the audience in as well."

Their showing was smooth and very polished. I particularly liked their solo straight line step sequence in which they kept changing sides over which added enormously to the technical difficulty.

They won this section because they were given five first places. They also received three seconds and a third from the seventh judge, Anthony Bardin of Chatsworth, California, who thought Ralph and O’Meary worthy of second place.

Goodwin, who is 19, and Obzansky, who turned 18 in December, gained the other four first places, four seconds and a third, given by the third judge Susan Keogh of Greenwich, Connecticut, who also thought Ralph and O’Meara were second best. Goodwin and Obzansky are trained by Jerry Santoferrara and Yovanny Dunango and their choreography was done by Anjelika Krylova.

"I really look up to her (Krylova)," said Goodwin. "It’s been a good experience working with her. At first it was really hard but as the season went on, we developed more and more."

"We did a lot of research to see how Flamenco dancers move," said Santoferrara. "We got all the videos we could and worked with a ballroom coach, Charles Hoefgen."

In addition to the two seconds, Ralph and O’Meara gained five thirds and two fourths. O’Meara gave a particularly exuberant performance.

 

 

 

Free Dance

 
Starting Order - Free Dance
  1. Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough,
  2. Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly
  3. Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird
  4. Laura Smith & Andrew Smith
  5. Flo Steed & Augie Hill
  6. Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart
  7. Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe
  8. Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger
  9. Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre
  10. Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara
  11. Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell
  12. Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky

 

Free Dance Placements
Place Couple
1 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara
2 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell
3 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky
4 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger
5 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre
6 Flo Steed & Augie Hill
7 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe
8 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith
10 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird
11 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly
12 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough

 


The competition continued to be excitingly close. Galler-Rabinowitz and Mitchell won the title but Ralph, who is 16, and O’Meara, who had just turned 18, won the freeskating and moved up to second pushing Goodwin and Obzanski down to third overall, which was disappointing because they had been second last year.

Six judges gave their first place in the free to Ralph and O’Meara who performed to Ukrainian folk music. Another judge thought it second best, and two believed it should be ranked third. They had fallen into the barrier during warmup but Ralph said, "It didn’t bother us. We never do that. We just put it behind us. The free is our favorite section."

They were given a story to think about as they skated. O’Meara explained, "It’s flirty. She’s trying to attract me." They have been a little disappointed with this season because they hoped to do some junior grand prixs but because of the international situation, the USFSA canceled their skaters’ participation in these foreign competitions.

Ralph and O’Meara are trained by Igor Shpilband, Marina Zoueva and Natalia Annenko. They were fourth last year in their first season together. In 2000, he also finished fourth with his previous partner, Lia Nitake. Ralph previously skated singles and pairs before deciding to focus on ice dance.

Galler-Rabinowitz and Mitchell’s free is to Prokofiev’s Cinderella. "Our coaches said, ‘You are Cinderella. You are the Prince.’", explained Galler-Rabinowitz. "We feel we did a very good performance. I think the longevity (of our partnership) has a lot to do with it. And we both feel the music."

They both have extensive musical training and Galler-Rabinowitz and her two younger sisters could be seen in the lobby of the Biltmore Hotel practicing on their grand piano. Both are very committed to their schooling which, Mitchell explained, means that to fit everything in, "we have to maximize every minute on the ice, make every moment count."

Goodwin, who was born in Java, and Obzansky used music from the movie, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". All the top couples were excellent performers and will make great additions to the senior field when they decide to move up.

Judges

          J1:  Janice Benoit
          J2:  Holly Cole
          J3:  Susan Keogh
          J4:  Sharon Rogers
          J5:  Margaret Faulkner
          J6:  Shirley Sherman
          J7:  Anthony Barden
          J8:  Robert Horen
          J9:  Janis Engel

 

Ordinals

Compulsory Dance 1
Place Couple J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 Maj.
1 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 9/2
2 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky 1 1 2 2 2 3 1 2 1 8/2
3 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre 3 3 3 8 4 7 5 3 3 5/3
4 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara 4 4 6 3 3 1 3 5 6 6/4
5 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger 5 7 4 4 10 6 4 4 4 5/4
6 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart 6 6 5 5 9 9 6 6 9 6/6
7 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe 7 5 7 7 6 4 8 7 8 7/7
8 Flo Steed & Augie Hill 9 8 8 9 7 8 7 9 5 6/8
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith 10 11 9 6 5 5 9 8 7 5/8
10 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly 8 10 10 12 8 11 12 11 10 5/10
11 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird 12 9 12 11 11 10 11 12 11 6/11
12 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough 11 12 11 10 12 12 10 10 12 5/11

 

Compulsory Dance 2
Place Couple J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 Maj.
1 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 5/1
2 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 9/2
3 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre 3 3 3 4 3 8 4 3 3 6/3
4 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara 5 5 4 3 4 3 7 5 5 8/5
5 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger 4 4 5 5 5 7 3 6 6 6/5
6 Flo Steed & Augie Hill 9 6 6 8 7 6 6 4 4 6/6
7 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart 6 7 8 7 8 5 5 8 7 6/7
8 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe 8 8 7 6 6 4 8 7 8 5/7
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith 7 9 9 10 10 9 9 10 9 6/9
10 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly 10 10 10 9 9 10 11 9 10 8/10
11 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 11 11 9/11
12 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 9/12

 

Original Dance
Place Couple J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 Maj.
1 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell 2 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 5/1
2 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky 1 2 3 1 2 2 1 2 1 8/2
3 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara 3 4 2 4 3 3 2 3 3 7/3
4 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre 6 3 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 6/4
5 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger 4 5 5 3 5 4 5 6 5 8/5
6 Flo Steed & Augie Hill 5 6 6 7 6 8 6 5 6 7/6
7 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe 7 7 7 6 7 6 7 7 7 9/7
8 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart 10 8 8 8 8 7 9 9 9 5/8
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith 8 10 9 10 9 10 8 8 8 6/9
10 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird 9 9 10 11 10 9 10 11 11 6/10
11 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly 11 11 11 12 11 11 12 10 10 7/11
12 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough 12 12 12 9 12 12 11 12 12 9/12

 

Free Dance
Place Couple J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 Maj.
1 Melissa Ralph & Ryan O'Meara 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 3 6/1
2 Loren Galler–Rabinowitz & David Mitchell 2 2 3 2 2 1 3 2 1 7/2
3 Kendra Goodwin & Chris Obzansky 3 3 2 4 3 3 2 1 2 8/3
4 Cheryl Russell & Kenny Metzger 4 5 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 6/4
5 Kirsten Frisch & Brent Bommentre 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 9/5
6 Flo Steed & Augie Hill 7 7 7 6 6 8 7 7 6 8/7
7 Victoria Devins & Kevin O'Keefe 6 6 8 8 7 6 9 6 7 6/7
8 Christina Zepeda & Nicholas Hart 8 8 6 7 8 7 6 8 8 9/8
9 Laura Smith & Andrew Smith 10 9 9 10 9 9 8 9 10 6/9
10 Lindsay Evans & Trevor Bird 9 10 10 9 10 10 10 10 9 9/10
11 Kate Slattery & Patrick Connelly 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 9/11
12 Anna Scheumann & Levi McDonough 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 9/12

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