2002 U.S. Nationals

He said his new coach Ken Congemi had helped him change all his training habits. "I had a tendency not to train as hard as I should. If I did the short I didn’t do the long. He also made sure that as I finished one element, it didn’t matter if that element went well or not, I had to take it completely out of my mind and concentrate on the next move."

His relocation meant he competed before a hometown crowd. "I was extremely nervous skating in front of everyone I train with," LaRoche explained.

"In the short program, I did the triple lutz to triple toe but fell on the triple loop. I was helped by my artistic marks. Not being in first place after the short (he was second of the 12 competitors) meant I had to push a little harder."

His short routine, to music called Flamenco by the composer B. Tribe, was choreographed by Russ Witherby, and the long by Tom Dixon.

The 5’9" LaRoche began his free skate with a very high, flowing combination of triple lutz to triple toe loop and a steady-as-a-rock triple loop and a triple flip. Performing the three and a half minute routine to guitar music, he also included a second triple toe loop and a triple salchow. He stepped out of a second triple lutz but the judges were unanimous in their decision that he was clearly the best. They awarded him marks from one 5.1 up to one 5.5.

LaRoche, who now lives in Redondo Beach, had no plans to celebrate. Instead, he was chomping at the bit to get back on the ice to put together an exhibition program. "I hadn’t got a routine ready for next Sunday’s exhibition program because I didn’t want to be premature."

Shaun Rogers, a 5’6" 16 year old who trains with Pamela Duane-Gregory at the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, won the short program section despite "popping my triple loop" with a routine choreographed by Nathan Birch to the music "Drumbone". His combination was triple lutz to double toe.

Rogers confessed, "I had a bad warmup for the long popping all my jumps but I was happy with how I skated. I’m satisfied because I’ve had tendinitis for the past two weeks in my right foot and I bruised my tailbone two days ago."

Rogers began well to his music from "The Bolt". He soared with great height into a triple lutz combined with a double toe but fell on his triple axel. He had to struggle to hold the landing on the triple flip. He accomplished a very nice triple loop, triple salchow and triple toe but fell on the second triple lutz which was attempted after straight line footwork with two walleys. He concluded in fine style with an excellent blur spin and gained marks from 4.9 up to 5.3.

Rogers won the 2000 Novice championship but then grew six inches that summer, and then another inch later. He finished fourth in this event last year.

Benjamin E. Miller of the St. Paul Figure Skating Club was third in both sections and overall. Miller explained, "My short went well. I did the triple lutz to triple toe and the triple loop."

The 5’11" 18 year old drew to skate his long, which he performed to the ballet music Don Quixote, first of the top six and fell on his first move, the triple axel. "The triple axel felt really good going up. I landed it at Mids (the Midwestern Sectional Championship)."

Miller executed the triple flip and triple lutz to triple toe but messed up the triple salchow and only just hung on to the triple loop. He brought off a triple lutz and his natural turnout (something many skaters struggle unsuccessfully for years to obtain) allows him to get a really pleasing position on his speadeagles.

His third place was a little disappointing because he was second last year and third the year before.

Matthew W. Lind, an 18 year old from the Colonial Figure Skating Club trained by Evy and Mary Scotvold rose from sixth after the short to fourth overall with a free that was ranked fourth best.

Jordan H. Brauninger of the Northern Kentucky Skating Club, who created a sensation at Mids by presenting a clean program with seven triples, could not repeat that fine showing. Brauninger, who was just 11 days short of his fifteenth birthday, had been fourth in the short but dropped to fifth overall with a fifth ranked free.

He tried for a triple axel but slid the takeoff and couldn’t complete the jump. Although he accomplished a triple lutz to triple toe, a triple flip, a triple toe loop, and a triple salchow, he struggled with his triple loop and singled his second triple lutz.

The only competitor to land a triple axel was Jordan Wilson, who will be 21 on February 8. Wilson, a six footer from the Santa Rosa Figure Skating Club who drew to skate last, landed two triple axels, one with a double toe loop, but the rest of his routine was a disaster.