2004 U.S. Nationals

Junior Dance

by Maggie Doyle

This 2004 US Figure Skating Championships junior dance competition began with the Viennese Waltz followed by a second compulsory dance, the Rhumba at Atlanta's Gwinnett Center.  This year the juniors will skate more competition segments than the Championship level competitors.   The junior field is only 13 teams but the compulsories rounds lasted over two and a half hours.  Placements did not vary for the top 8 teams or for the 13th place team. There is currently a tie for 9th place and 11th place.  The majority of the males wore long tail tuxes for the waltz with the ladies in elegant chiffon in various hues.  The junior level rhumbas were competently executed yet lacking in drama and emotion but perhaps an older soul is required for putting that much emotion into that dance.

Returning 2002 Junior Dance champions Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin who represent the SC of New York despite currently training in Ashburn, Virginia and just outside Moscow, Russia in Odintsoro, were the class of the field and look to be on track so far to repeat as champions.  They are particularly strong in their edgework. This duo took every first place ordinal in both dances and their marks ranged from 4.9 to 5.1 (technique) and 5.1 to 52 (timing and expression) for the waltz and from 4.8 to 5.2 (technique) and 4.7 to 5.1 (timing and expression) for the Rhumba.  They drew first to skate in the final warm-up group, skating in 9th position.    Matthews age 18 and Zavozin age 16 wanted more time to focus on their compulsories and that has paid off for them as they also improved their international ranking.  They train with Elena Garanina and Valeiry Spiridonov.  "We have just worked very hard, and we also have been skating together a little bit longer and gotten more used to the feel of each other," Matthews said, "Another year under our belts has helped us.''   Zavozin prefers the waltz but Matthews did not have a preference.

The competitors currently in second, third and fourth all came out of the 2004 Midwest Sectional Championships. Detroit SC's Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the 2003 U.S. Championship novice silver medalists, compete for the first time at the U.S. Championships as juniors.   This young team Davis, age 17 and White age 16 trains in Detroit with Seth Chafetz and won 2004 Midwestern Sectionals.  Their waltz was skated with lightness and nice style and earned them six 2nd place ordinals.   Their rhumba also was pleasantly skated and received five 2nd place ordinals, three 3rd places and one-fourth place ordinal.  Davis and White will be the final competitors for the original dance round.
They are a well-matched team and skate with good flow and nice extension.  Chafetz said,  "They might prefer dancing the original and free dances but they understand the value of the compulsories."  White described the compulsories as more confining, with no room for mistakes.  He also earned a bronze medal this week in U.S. Men's novice competition. Davis said, "Since we are all skating the same steps and same movements, the compulsories is a good way to compare what everyone can do."

Trina Pratt and Todd Giles of the Broadmoor SC had been third at the 2003 Midwestern Sectional championships but pulled ahead here to place third at this competition stage.  Their waltz took three first place ordinals, four fourth place ordinals and one fifth and one-seventh place.    Their rhumba was ranked stronger with five third place ordinals and four fourth placements.  They train in Colorado Springs with Patti Gottwein and Christopher Dean and were the 2003 U.S. Novice Champions.  These 18 year olds competitors drew an early skate of sixth, the last team of the second warm-up group for the original dance competition.  "We worked really hard since sectionals and put it all out there today.  We felt we had nothing to lose although we came here expecting to finish top 6," said Giles.

A new team this season, Kirsten Frisch of the Philadelphia SC & HS and Augie Hill of the Dallas FSC both medaled at the 2003 Nationals Junior event with other partners.  They currently sit in fourth place and train in Dallas, Texas with Norman Maxwell.
Their ordinals for the waltz were all over the map, with two second place ordinals, two third place, one fourth, one fifth, a sixth and an eighth place ordinal.  The judging panel also had a wide range for their rumba, with two-second place ordinals, two third placements, three fourth place ordinals, a fifth place and a ninth place.  Their lowest rankings came from Judge 9, Anthony Barden of Los Angeles, California.  They will be the 11th team to compete for the Original Dance round.   Frisch is the oldest of the leaders at age 20 and Hill is nineteen; both will celebrate birthdays in August.  "We found each other at last year's nationals.  Both our previous partners had a height issue," said Hill.
This team felt they had a stronger skate for the rhumba.  "This was not our best compulsories but we were pleasd with how we skated," said Frisch.

The Original Dance competition takes place on Thursday afternoon back at Gwinnett Center but Friday's free dance competition will be in the major competition facility, Phillips Arena.

The now twelve-team field competed today in Philips Arena and the free dance counted for fifty percent of their total score.  The top four teams remained in exactly the same placement as in previous rounds.

Morgan Matthews & Maxim Zavozin have never seen the 1984 Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean Olympic performance to "Bolero" but Matthews had seen an exhibition version from 1994.  They chose this music for their free dance this season because their coach felt they were finally ready for the challenging music.  "Once we heard "Bolero", nothing compared (to that music) and we wanted to put our own interpretation to that music and not have it be like theirs," said Matthews. 

Her partner added, "When I first started I told my mother I wanted to skate to that music but she told me to wait until I was a better skater.  Then this season she said we might be ready for it."  This team has two more years of junior international eligibility.   They were third at this year's junior grand prix final and hope to medal at world juniors.  "We plan to compete as seniors nationally and as juniors internationally next season," said Zavozin.  This team skates with a European flavor and kept up good speed throughout.

Meryl Davis & Charlie White skated their free dance to Spanish music selections, "Hasta Que te Conoci", "De Mis Manos", "Voy a Conquistarte" and "Que Viva la Alegria"
Their coach Seth Chafetz said, "We found the first piece easily while looking for music for Charlie's single programs and the hardest one to find was the last selection."   He put this team together and has been their only coach.

Although the youngest junior dance team competing here, Davis & White have been together for seven seasons and feel their partnership works well.  White said, "I don't think there is any active work involved (in making our partnership work). We get along and go with the flow. We don't get into arguments; we don't need counseling. It seems to work out really nicely."  Davis also explained, "There is nothing special we do that other couples don't. Our personalities match and we have an understanding relationship."

Both skate singles, Davis skates at the junior level and includes a triple Salchow, triple toe and a double axel in her programs.  White won a novice bronze medal here.  They have not yet made a decision on whether they will move up to the senior level. "We will think about our future tomorrow; we want to just enjoy this today," said Davis.

They took a strong leap in the standings, moving up from seventh last year and this is their second season at the junior level. "I think we have matured a lot since then and we wanted more mature music this year," His coach added, "I think they were appreciated more by the judges this year.  I thought they were under-marked last year."  They skated a spirited dance with good energy thorough out and captured the Spanish flavor effectively.  Their program highlights included deep edges, deep knees and strong twizzles.

Trina Pratt & Todd Gilles skated solidly to their program to New Age music from "Goldfrapp" that was originally used on a 1960's movie soundtrack.  Choreographer Tom Dickson created this avant-garde program.   Gilles explained," It was Tom Dickson's idea for us to skate to this type of music this year and he chose it.  He thought it would be different than the other programs out there."

"It is always a big deal to get to skate in the big people rink and this year we got to do that," added Pratt.  This was their first season of junior competition and they intend to remain junior level for next season.

Pratt is considered the comedienne of their team and according to their coach, Patti Gottwein - Britton she provides lots of laughs in practice.   Pratt concluded their portion of the press conference with the statement, "Hopefully we can get to do this again next year."  They have been training with Gottwein - Britton for the past two and a half years in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  They train regularly at high altitude.  "Yes that could have given us some advantage but we also had to get used to the "thick air" here in Atlanta and we did after the first few days," said Gilles.

Kirsten Frisch & Augie Hill skated their free dance to selections from Bizet's French opera that is based in Spain, "Carmen", remaining in fourth place for the pewter medal.

Moving up from seventh place in the free dance but sixth place overall was Carly Donowick and Leo Ungar of the Peninsula SC with a strong Spanish number.  Ungar impressed with his deep and soft knees during their performances.

The US Figure Skating Association named the 204 World Junior Championships team on Friday night for dance.  Matthews & Zavozin along with Davis & White will be their representatives.  First alternate is Pratt & Giles, second alternate is Frisch & Hill, and third alternate is Carly Donowick & Leo Ungar.

Compulsory Dance 1

Compulsory Dance 2

Original Dance

Free Dance