2008 U.S. Nationals

Junior Dance

All photos copyright 2008 by George S. Rossano

The Viennese Walt was a closely contested dance.  As expected, brother and sister Madison & Keiffer Hubbell, the 2007 National Championship silver medalist in the Junior division, gave a refined performance with good edges and control.  The dance is scored in six step sections consisting of three sections in two patterns.  The couple were scored with GoEs of plus one and two for the most part, with just a handful of zeros.

In compulsory dance the couples are also scored in four Program Components, unlike the five used in other event segments.  Here the Hubbells were scored in the low sixes, on average, the only couple of the 13 competing to receive such marks.  They were unquestionably best in both TES and PCS of all the couples.

Following the Hubbells in the standings, places two through six were hard fought, with just 2.37 points separating second and sixth place.

Piper Gilles & Timothy McKernan, the 2007 Junior pewter medalists,  were scored positive for all six step sections.  They trailed the leaders by roughly two points each in TES and PCS.  They received many ones and two for GoEs, but also a few minus ones and several zeros.  Their Program Component scores were generally in the mid fives.

Just 0.90 points behind Gilles & McKernan, Pilar Gilles & John Corona skated the dance with nice flow and a greater sense of a relation a relationship than many of the other teams.  They looked completely at ease with each other as they performed.  In TES they were scored nearly even with the second place team, just 0.22 points back, but in the Program Components they trailed by a greater 0.68 points, where they were scored in the low to mid fives.

Madison Chock & Greg Zurlein ended the night 0.15 point behind third place in a virtual tie with Gilles & McKernan.  Thus far, they are the pest placing couble among the skaters who competed last year in Novice, having been fifth at the 2007 National Championships. They were scored zero or positive for all siz step sections and received Program Componens in the low to mid fives.

Fifth in the compulsory dance, Sara Bailey & Kyle Herring trail the medal positions by 0.63 points.  They were scored with positive GoEs for the first pattern of the dance, but their marks dropped distinctly in the second pattern.  There Program Components where in the low fives, with some judges going as low as 4.0

The close scoring of the top couples leaves plenty of opportunity for movement in the Original Dance and Free Dance.  Nevertheless the Hubbells still look to be the favorites this year for the gold.

Madison & Keiffer Hubbell maintained their overall lead of just over 2 points, though they dropped to third in the Original Dance.  They skated with good expression in a nicely choreographed routine.  They scored best in PCS, but lost ground in the elements for this dance.

In their mid-line step sequence Keiffer fell costing them nearly two points between the fall and the reduced GoE.  In additional it also pulled down their mark for performance, which was the only component scored below six. Compared to the other top couples, their require spin also cost them near half a point, scored as just adequate by the judges.

Madison Chock & Greg Zuerline won the Original Dance, skating a Russian gypsy dance to great effect.  Their elements all scored in the ones and two for GoEs, with just a handful of zeros, and all of their elements were called level 4.  Their Program Components were in the upper fives, with Skating Skills and Interpretation their strongest marks.  In Interpretation and also Performance, Chock did a great job acting out her character without going over the top.  Here face was magnetic, pulling your attention around the ice as they skated the dance.

Piper Gilles & Timothy McKennan dropped back to fourth in the Original Dance, and currently hold third overall.  Skating to "Louisiana Blues" they performed a lively dance with enthusiasm.  There were no major errors in their routine, which was scored with GoEs mainly zero through two, with only two marks of minus one.  There program components were also respectable in the mid to upper fives.  Where they mainly lost ground was in the levels of their elements with one lift called level 3 and, more importantly, their serpentine step sequence called only level 2 -- a loss of 1.6 points compared to the couples performing level 4 sequences.

Second in the Original Dance and now fourth overall are brother and sister Maia & Alex Shibutani.  The 2007 National Novice Dance Champions, had placed seventh in the Compulsory Dance.  Their performance in the Original Dance was expressive and enthusiastic, pulling them up into medal territory.

Their music is listed as selections from French cinema scores, but the theme is Japanese.  Dressed in striking dark blue kimonos, their look is currently a bit mismatched.  Alex will be 17 in March and in the last year has developed a tall lean dancer's look, while Maia who is not yet 14, is shorter and still has the look of the young girl that she is.

For GoEs the Shibutani's scored mostly ones and twos, with a handful of zeros.  The elements were all called level 4, except for the opening circular step sequence that was level 3. Their Program Components were in the mid to upper fives.

Pilar Bosley & John Corona, who were third in the Compulsory Dance, dropped to sixth in the Original Dance, but are still within range of medaling here.  Their Program Components remained competitive in this dance, in the mid fives, but they lost considerable ground in their elements compare to the other teams.  Two of their elements were called level 4 but the remainder were level 3.  Their GoEs were for the most part zeros or plus ones, with a couple of minus ones also.

by Karen Frank

In a competition where the standings had already shifted between the compulsory dance and the original dance, with less than five points separating second through fifth place, it was clear that the competitors in the junior free dance competition had very little margin for error. From the intensity of the performances, it was clear the competitors were aware of this as well. All of the top dances were beautifully skated, making it a closely fought and exciting competition.

Madison and Keiffer Hubbell, coming back from an injury that cost them their fall season, and a bout of food poisoning that required Keiffer to undergo IV fluids, got past the year’s difficulties with the first place free dance to "Hope" by Apocalyptico Cult. Last year’s junior silver medallists are a well matched team who used their arms and legs to accent the driving beat of the music. Their skating is characterized by aggressive movement and deep edges. One of the highlights of the Hubbell’s style is the way both siblings share the burden of being the "strong element" in their programs. That is, rather than a program where the male skater manipulates the female, or "presents" his partner, they Hubbells give the audience a vision of equal strength.

"We were happy with the performance," Keiffer said, "but we would have liked to skate with more expression and a little more power."

Madison added, "There’s always room to be better so hopefully we’ll get the chance to improve."

All but two of their elements were judged as level four, and they only received one negative GOE. Where they really gained points was their circular footwork, which received an extra 1.43 positive GOE. In addition, their average program component marks were all above 6.5. Their only slight mistake was a miscounting of the twizzles.

"I think I did an extra twizzle. Actually, I’m positive I did," Keiffer said.

Madison explained, "In the twizzles you are doing them so quickly that it can be really hard to count. You just have to feel how many you are doing. Every once in a while you’ll spin faster or slower than you usually do. And sometimes you aren’t ready to check out or you over rotate and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Also," Keiffer said, "maybe a little bit of anxiety makes you think the music is playing a little bit slower. We train our twizzles with accents that time with the music and we may have been rushing or doing any number of things."

Moving up from third to second place, Piper Gilles & Tim McKernan gave the audience their interpretation of "Cinderella." Using the plot line to drive the choreography of the, Gilles and McKernan integrated their dance elements to help tell the story, e.g., when Cinderella and Prince Charming waltzed through a (level four) circular step sequence. Their program was filled with difficulty: not only were all of their elements called at level four, but they also got high program component scores for transitional footwork and movement. They move very smoothly, and make all the difficulty look effortless. Like the Hubbells, they only had one negative GOE mark from one judge, and a majority of plus ones and plus twos.

McKernan said, "We felt over our feet and just felt really good today."

The team dedicated their performance to McKernan’s father, who is stationed in Iraq. "He was home in April and shipped back over in September. He is a quartermaster and a Lt. Colonel in the US Army," McKernan said. "Back in June he took command of a whole unit down in Louisiana, so he was down there for two months, then came home for two weeks and then went over to Iraq again. He has to go to icenetwork.com to watch the videos."

In third place for both the free dance and overall, were Madison Chock and Greg Zuerline. Presenting scenes from "West Side Story," this team uses a combination of dramatic facial expression and graceful movements to tell a story. They skate with a good deal of flow, moving easily on one foot for most of their midline step sequence. Although the program seemed slightly slower at the end, they never stopped projecting their energy out toward the audience. All of their elements were marked as level four and averaged positive GOE. Their unison on the footwork and twizzles was especially matched.

Maia & Alex Shibutani made it four nationals in a row, by winning the pewter medal with a sophisticated performance of piano music by Jean Marie Senia. The siblings previously won the silver medal as juveniles in 2005, and the intermediate title in 2006, the novice gold in 2007. The program uses stark simplicity to complement the spare piano pieces, and the Shibutani’s clean, precise technique is the perfect vehicle for this choreography. They performed their program with quiet elegance, each element melting into the next. While some of their elements were "only" called at level three, the Shibutani’s were also the only team in the field to receive no negative marks of GOE, and in fact, received 52 (of a possible 63) grades of at one or two.

Quietly moving up in the standings of this competition, from eighth in the compulsory dance, to sixth after the original dance, Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux reached a final placement of fifth with the fifth place free dance. They have a long, beautiful line on the ice, and their elements highlight Shannon’s flexibility. Skating to "Concierto de Aranjuez," they expressed an attitude of joy and exuberance, at times seeming to float across the ice. Wingle and Devereaux were the final team in the field of thirteen to have all of their elements called level four. Like the other top teams, they received a majority of positive GOE marks.