2006 U.S. Nationals

Junior Ladies

by Martha Kimball

Rachel Flatt, 15, last year’s "Summertime" girl, captivated again with a light, delicate interpretation of "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. The pixie-faced blonde, wearing a pink dress that faded to white at the handkerchief hem, skated first and held the lead throughout the event.

"I really didn’t have a problem with that," said the Midwestern champion of the lead-off position that is anathema to many skaters and often the kiss of death under the old scoring system. "I’ve been skating first a lot this year. I’m kind of used to it now."

The 2005 Novice Ladies champion, representing the Broadmoor, presented a perfectly clean program that included a triple flip – double toe combination; a solo triple Lutz; a flying sit spin, outside to inside edge, flowing into broken leg position, then to a tuck (a pancake variation). That was followed by spirals, a spread eagle into double Axel; circular footwork; and a final combination spin, change-edge camel to broken leg sit, to layback, to back sit, and finally into the "Rudy" (victory position), a term that Flatt and her coach have assigned the leg-up spin that Rudy Galindo made famous in winning his national title.

Flatt’s current goal is "working on polishing and detail on all my elements and getting some more levels on my spins, footwork, and spirals; and working on my component scores. That’s a big priority."

Many skaters are content to "skate their best" and leave the details to the coaches. Not so Flatt, a real detail person.

"I personally have to think of it, because when I’m out there skating, I have be sure [for example] to count for three seconds on my spirals. My coach also choreographs my programs to help me with getting levels."

Coach Tom Zakrajsek, a busy man who is overseeing seven singles skaters here and three pair teams, obviously has the details down as well.

"Rachel got really good levels today. She got a level three circle step, a level four flying sit, and a combo spin that was level four. She also had a level three on her layback and a level three on the spiral sequence. Our ballpark score was that we wanted 50 points or more, and the 31 points technically was really nice. It’s a testimony to her attention to detail as she’s competing, because it takes a lot of thought, as she was saying, that you get the three revolutions in the positions and the three-second hold on the spirals. And you can’t rest anymore on the footwork. You’ve got to do the turns and the change of direction. To get the level three, she had to get another bullet, which she’s never gotten before. We’re not sure what bullet she got, but it was either quickness between turns and steps or upper body. (That’s what the callers determine. We don’t really have that information.) So there’s no letting down."

Flatt received scores of 31.60 and 21.98 for a total of 53.58.

Ashley Wagner, 14, who placed second, said of her Short Program skate, "I felt like it went really well. It was really strong, kind of skated like I’ve been practicing it."

Born in Heidelberg and representing the Anchorage FSC, the peripatetic teen, who has moved nine times, currently trains in Alexandria, VA.

"My dad’s in the military. He just retired, so we’re very happy for him. He was [at the Pentagon] originally when we first moved to Virginia."

Asked if the nomadic lifestyle has cost her some progress in the sport, Wagner replied, "Actually I think it’s better for my whole entire experience, because I’ve gotten to train with so many great coaches."

She has been with current coach Shirley Hughes for four years. Notes Hughes, "Since that time she’s been to Junior Nationals, she’s won North American Challenge, Pacific Coasts [Junior and Novice], and Northwest Pacific Coasts twice, so she’s been very, very successful."

Hughes candidly assessed the reasons for the Henry V and Troika short program’s mathematical success. "Having the higher components, the triple Lutz and the triple flip, those were the two. The first-place skater also had the triple Lutz and the triple flip. Ashley’s got a very impressive long program with lots of difficult elements, so we’ll see how that goes…. We’re still working on the new judging system and things we need. She got a level three on the spirals. (You can get a four, but it’s almost impossible.) So I think we met the requirements. We’re still working on the ballet quality of the spirals, the spins, and the footwork, but we felt that we were justly awarded."

Wagner two-footed her double Axel but received scores of 26.17 and 19.68 for a total of 45.85.

Third place in the Short Program came as a bit of a surprise, even to the skater in question. Melissa Bulanhagui, 15, from the University of Delaware FSC, fell on the triple flip that was meant to open her combination. In bygone days, that would have doomed her chances. Skating in a rhinestone-topped dress in exquisitel fabric that faded downward from salmon to peach, the Eastern silver medalist embodied her music from the film House of Flying Daggers. She attacked -- fast, crisp, and powerful -- with positive élan, whipping off a solid triple Lutz and double Axel along with dynamic spins, spirals and footwork.

The fall did nothing to disrupt Bulanhagui’s momentum.

"I try my best. I just had to gain as many points as I could after the fall. There are so many good skaters. You have to keep moving on….Mind over matter."

Bulanhagui flowed from a star into an intricate combination spin: change-edge camel to sit, to a head-down variation, then into a layback and a back sit followed by change of edge into "needle" and finally corkscrew.

She punctuated the last beats of her music with martial arts flourishes.

"One of my friends, Traighe Rouse, a Junior skater, is very involved in martial arts. He’s good at that. He tried helping me off ice. That was fun to do with him."

The smiling teen said, "I actually think the footwork takes the most energy. And spirals." Whatever, as they say. She did it all with energy to spare and left the ice as a crowd favorite. The judges awarded marks of 24.89 and 21.60, for a total of 45.49.

by Martha Kimball

Megan Hyatt, 15, second at Midwesterns and fourth here in the Short Program, won the Free Skate and the gold medal with scores of 95.75 for the Free and 139.96 overall.

Hyatt wore a dress with a red skirt and a black-over-red bodice to interpret "Libertango" and music from Mission Impossible 2. Performing first in the second group of six, she had to wait for five more skaters before knowing her fate.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking. We were sitting in the lounge, just watching. I thought, ‘This is taking forever.’ There were still some good skaters to come after me who had more points in the Short. I knew that there was always a chance, up until the last skater, that I could place lower."

The Illinois native didn’t let her fall on a triple Lutz in the Short Program event disrupt her concentration. "I knew I could make it up in the points in the long, so I let the Short go, and I focused on the long."

Hyatt’s program opened with a triple toe, then a triple Lutz – double toe combination, a combination spin (back camel, upright grab, sit grab, layback, change-edge upright), footwork into a triple loop, and then a nice double Axel. She then executed a triple Salchow, a spiral sequence, a flying sit spin that went to broken leg position, a triple toe – double loop combination, a footwork sequence, a triple Salchow -- double toe -- double loop combination, and a final layback spin ending in Biellmann position.

Hyatt trains at Illinois’s Wagon Wheel, which, as she well knows, holds a unique spot in skating history. "When my club feels an athlete has had a good competition year, we have a thing called a Janet Lynn award, since she came from that club, and I actually got to receive that this year for [last season’s achievements]. I actually read her biography, and I enjoyed it."

Hyatt’s training plans include work on artistry and efforts to refine level 4 elements to make them more dependable. "My triple flip comes and goes," she adds," and I’d like to get that consistent and have it in the program next year."

Rachel Flatt, the clear leader after the short program, had a difficult Free Skate yet ended in the silver medal position.

"It wasn’t my best," she said of the tentative routine that was somewhat anemic compared to her short program tour de force, "but we all make mistakes. I’m okay with that. I was pretty happy with it."

Flatt skated in a bright yellow dress trimmed in black to interpret the music she and her mother found and selected for this season’s Free Skate: themes form Carmen. The intelligent and articulate Flatt said of the musical choice, "I certainly know of the ‘battle of the Carmens,’ and I know that a lot of people have used it, but it really inspired me when I listened to it, so I thought that it would be a great piece to use."

The University of Delaware FSC member had the good fortune to work with Christopher Dean and his wife, Jill Trenary, on the choreography. "It was so exciting. They’re both very nice people, and they really helped get [the character of] Carmen across."

Flatt opened with a spread eagle to double Axel, then a triple Lutz – double toe combination. Next she intended to complete a triple toe – triple toe combination, usually dependable, but fell. A spin combination was followed by a triple flip -- single loop, then a spiral sequence, a headless layback, an Ina Bauer into a triple Salchow – double toe – double loop combination, then a triple Salchow with a dicey ending, and a final flying camel combination.

Flatt will remain a Junior for the next competition season. As her coach, Tom Zakrajsek, said, "There’s really no reason for her to move up. She just turned 13 in July. Her placement here will allow her to do Junior Grand Prix next year."

Melissa Bulanhagui, third in the Short Program, earned the bronze medal.

Wearing a red dress with red and silver rhinestones and a yellow underskirt, she performed to "Passionata," displaying somewhat less authority than in the earlier segment. She launched herself straight into a flying sit spin with variations, then attempted a triple Lutz – triple toe combination but didn’t have enough speed for the planned toe loop. Next came a solid triple flip, a layback spin, a triple Salchow, spirals, and a triple flip --single toe (planned as a double). That second omission was followed by a triple Lutz --double toe and then a triple toe -- double toe that should have had a double loop tacked on. The program concluded with footwork, a double Axel, and a final combination spin. The well-calibrated routine contained four jumps after the half-way point to accrue extra value.

Coach Ron Luddington noted humorously that his pupil came to him with her big jumps but "has a little trouble doing footwork. She thinks she’s swimming."

Bulanhagui was happy with both her effort and the result, saying, "I enjoy doing the long program better, because the short is more pressure on every single element. Then, with the Free Skate, it’s more jumps. I enjoy doing jumps more than spins and choreography."

The Short Program second-placer, Ashley Wagner, dropped to fourth place overall and won the pewter medal.