Novice Events Kick Off 2012 U.S. Nationals

January 23, 2012:  The 2012 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships began Sunday with the Novice Pattern Dances and Short programs, followed by the Junior Men's Short Program.  The following day the Novice events completed with the Free Dance and Free Skates and the Junior Ladies Short Program.  It was two full days of skating from morning till night as the five event segments each day saw the best skaters from each section battling for the National titles.  Unlike the Senior events which include many byes for the elite skaters, The Novice and Junior skaters must all qualify through the Regional and Sectional competition structure, with the top four skaters from each Section making it to Nationals. Dance The Novice Dance events consisted of two leveled pattern dances and a free dance.  New this year, the skates can pick their won music for the pattern dances, which this year were the Argentine Tango and the Starlight Waltz.  This is an interesting change as the skaters can pick music of different emotional tone and put their own personal stamp on the required steps and tempos of the dances.  The pattern dances are also leveled this year.  The marking of the steos has also changed. Previously there was a fixed base value for each section of the pattern dances.  Now each section has several "key performance parameters" that are evaluated by the Technical Panel.  To get the levels for each step section the dancers must successfully execute the key performance parameters to the satisfaction of the Technical Panel. Previously this was handled through the judges' GoE, but apparently the ISU has decided the judges are too stupid to mark the correctness of the steps properly and took that decision away from the judges. The Dance event was won by Holly Moore & Daniel Klaber, who were second in both pattern dances, but edged out Whitney Miller & Kyle MacMillan in the Free dance by nearly three pints for a final margin of victory of 1.4 points. Skating a lively performance to "Le Jazz Hot" which captured the spirit of the music, Moore said, "We really had a lot of fun. We love our free dance and I really hope that showed and they could share in how much fun we were having. We worked hard this season and it really paid off."  Added Klaber, "As soon as the music came on, I forgot everything. It felt like it does every day." On their performance in the Free Dance Moore said, "We got a personal best score, so that was very exciting and I think that over the season the program has really built and it all just came to this and we just left it all out on the ice" Whitney Miller & Kyle MacMillan took a 2.55 point lead from the pattern dances into the Free Dance.  Skating to "Hungarian Gypsy Waltz" and "Pet Nahych Berusek"  there Slavic themed dance was well skated but there interpretation was muted in comparison to the energy of the music.  Said Miller, "It felt like it was one of our best skates and we were really happy with the scores."  MacMillan added, "Unlike the last times we have done [the program] the second half had a lot of energy and the first half was light but also had energy." For next season Miller said the couple's goal is "To increase our power and to become a stronger team together in our synchronization. We want to improve our overall skating skills."  While MacMillan pointed to  "Power. Especially so we have more flow in our programs and our dances." Hannah Rosinski & Jacob Jaffe placed third in both pattern dance and fourth in the Free Dance.  The couple was third in components in the Free Dance but a level 2 in the require spin dropped them in TES and put them 0.66 points behind Chloe Rose & Logan Bye in the free, but their higher pattern dance scored kept them in third place overall.  The couple skated to a James Brown medley in the free. "We were really excited," Rosinski said about their free dance.  "We feel that it was our best free dance performance that we’ve ever competed." "I think we just really got into it after the twizzles," said Jaffe. "It’s just a really fun program."  But on the twizzles Rosinski also said, "That’s what I’m most nervous about because I screwed up on them at sectionals. But I’m really happy that I got them today." For next season Rosinski said the couple will be working on  "probably everything.  This is our first season together, so we have a lot to improve on. Getting more used to each other and getting more in-sync."  Added Jaffe, "We’ve been really working on our edges and getting them secure." Rosinski & Jaffe train with Moore & Klaber, who took the gold medal.  "They were awesome," said Rosinski.   "We’re so proud of them. They’re so much fun to train with because they push us and motivate us to skate harder and I think we do the same for them and they really deserve it. We’re very happy for them. " Fourth place was taken by Chloe Rose & Logan Bye who placed sixth in the first pattern dance, fourth in the second, and third in the Free Dance. Ladies Karen Chen, the Pacific Coast Sectional Champion from Fremont, CA dominated the Novice Ladies event with clear victories in both the short and long programs.  She led the field by nearly 15 points.  This was Chen's first year in Novice, and was the 2011 U.S. National Intermediate Ladies Champion.  "It was difficult [going from Intermediate to Novice, " she said.  "I’ve gone through lots of hard times and I feel that I’ve done everything I’ve needed to do." Chen's music for the short was "The Chairman's Waltz" by John Williams, and in the long selections from "The Godfather" In the Short Program Chen fell on her opening triple flip, leaving off the planned double toe loop which she added to a clean triple Lutz later in the program.  Two judges gave -1s, perhaps thinking the takeoff edge on the Lutz was not clean enough.  It was an otherwise clean performance with highly scored spins, and some judges going to six in the components, remarkable marks for a Novice Competitor. In the Free Skate Chen attempted six triples, landing five, though her final triple flip was called under-rotated and had an edge call.  She fell on a solo triple Lutz.  Still, Chen was happy with her performance saying, "I feel very happy that my points were higher than last time and I know I’ve improved from my last competition and I’m very happy thinking of that."  Her components again were in the fives, and a few marks were as high as six.  On her training she said, "Kristi Yamaguchi has helped me. She told me to think about my goal and what I want to accomplish and that helps me push through those hard times." The silver medal was won by Amber Glenn who was third in the short and second in the long.  She had a 3.54 point margin over Amanda Gelb who placed third. Glenn skated to "El Tango de Roxanne" in the short and selections from "The Black Swan" in the long.  In the short both her combination (3Lz+2Lo) and solo jump (3F) were scored negative.  Both triple jumps appeared to be two footed.  She also had trouble with two jump elements in the long, with an under-rotated double loop on a 3Lz+2Lo+2Lo combination, and a solo triple flip with a poor landing. Glenn made remarkable improvement from last season, moving from tenth in Intermediate at the 2011 U.S. Junior Championships (Juvenile and Intermediate divisions).  "I had a lot of motivation from my inspiring family and coach," she said. "They pushed me and helped me through the rough times and helped me succeed when I really needed it the most and I came back, worked hard and got the rest of my jumps." Her coach, Ann Brumbaugh remarked, "I’ve always known Amber could skate the way she did today so we’ve just worked on getting the confidence to overcome her nerves and pressure of skating and really believe in herself. ... From last year to this year she got all of her triples and she was very motivated to make a comeback and show what she had. ... She got off the ice today and said, ‘I did it when it mattered’ and that was a fun thing for her to learn. She’s always had the talent, she just had to overcome her nerves." Amanda Gelb took home the bronze medal with a second place finish in the short and a third place finish in the long.  She skated to selections from "Amelie" in the Short Program, and "Romeo and Juliet" by Edvin Marton in the Free Skate. Gelb skated a clean short, except fro three judges of nine quibbling with the landing of the double Axel.  Her program had lovely spins and a nice step sequence that were all highly scored.  Her components included many marks in the fives  and a few marks were also in the sixes. In the Free Skate Gelb skated a nearly clean program, with only one minor technical error.  She opened with a nice triple Salchow, but could not get off the planned double toe loop.  On the following triple Salchow she awkwardly added a single toe loop to meet the requirement it be in combination and the elements was scored mostly with -1s.  Her components included many marks in the fives, but did not reach the sixes she received in the short program.  The program was nicely choreographed and performed, but artistically weakened in the second half. Gelb looked a little nervous at the start of the program, but she gave the stock media training answer about her performance.  "I had fun and did my best and I accomplished my goals," she said.  For the future she said, "I’m going to keep practicing and learn my other triples and just keep improving."  This was Gelb's second year as a Novice, on which she remarked, "I felt like I was a lot more prepared this year than I was last year and a lot more confident." The pewter medal in the Ladies event was won by Madison Vinci who placed fourth in the short and seventh in the long. Men Vincent Zhou absolutely crushed his competition in the Men's event racking up a 25.19 point margin of victory with first place results in both the Short Program and Free Skate.  The eleven-year old skater from Palo Alto, CA trains in southern California with Tammy Gambill.  He skated to "Nut Rocker" in the short and "Iron Monkey" and "Rising Sun" in the long. In the Short Program landed triple Lutz - double toe loop and triple flip, but his closing double Axel was called under-rotated.  His components averaged near 5.75, with many marks also in the sixes.  His performance was fast and lively In the Free Skate Zhou attempted seven triples, two of which were scored negative, a triple flip and a triple loop both called under-rotated.  His components were again in the fives to mid-sixes.  It was again a fats and lively program with the skater very into character throughout the program. "It felt great," he said about his free skate.  "It took a lot of concentration and a lot of effort. I had to really try hard and I couldn’t let anything go. I had to stay in my own circle and not let anything around me distract me. I had a couple landings where my right side was down, but it was a good effort overall I think."  He added "I was really nervous about the double Axel-triple toe because that’s the newest addition into my program and it’s the most difficult jump for me and it hasn’t really been that consistent." Next season he said, "I’ll definitely be working on triple-triples because that’s something I’ll need for next year. Tammy Gambill says that we can’t start triple Axels until I physically mature more, but it’s always good to try new things. ... "Sometimes when I’m on sessions with really great skaters I really want to try triple Axels, but I know that will be coming a couple of years. " James Schetelich placed second in the event with a fourth place finish in the Short Program and a second place finish in the Free Skate.  His Short Program was skated to "Sam Pa Ti" and "Smooth" by Carlos Santana and the Free Skate was performed to selections from "West Side Story." In the Short Program Schetelich landed triple Lutz - double toe loop, but an edge call on triple flip cost him one place, dropping him to fourth in the short, 0.15 points behind Nicholas Vrdoljak. Schetelich had six triples planned and ended up attempting five triples in the Free Skate.  He had edge calls on two triple flips, and also was score negative on a planned double Axel that ended up as a single Axel - single toe loop in an attempt to add a third combination.  He was also scored negative on a solo triple Salchow attempt.  His components were scored mostly in the mid fives with a few marks in the sixes as well.  Despite the errors, it was a nicely interpreted program with good choreography. "Just as I did in the short, I made every jump the best it could be," he said about his performance. "This was the first time I’ve actually said that to myself the entire way [through the program]. I was positive." Next year the fifteen-year old from Scotch Plains, NJ is moving up to Juniors.  "I love triple-triples, so hopefully next year I’ll be able to use them and may have some,"  he said. Earlier in the day Schetelich fell on his back in practice, and he explained, "This morning on my warm-up practice, as I was skating at full speed, I slipped off my heel and I slammed into the wall on my back. I’ve never done anything like that. But as the adrenaline kicked in, I could barely feel it. ... "It was almost like a plus for me to fall on the warm-up because it made me want to do [the program] even more and to make me want to push even more. It wasn’t even about skating a clean program. That was the long-term goal, and the medal was the long-term goal too, but the program was one jump at a time and that’s what I finally learned this season and I’m very proud of that." The bronze medal was taken by Spencer Howe who placed fifth in the short and third in the long.  He skated to "Live and Let Die" in the short and "Phantom of the Opera" in the long. Howe had a few minor rough moments in the landing both a triple Lutz (in combination with double toe) and a triple Salchow roughly on the toe.  Both jumps were scored slightly negative.  His component averaged in the upper fours.  In the Free Skate hw attempted six triples and a double Axel - double Axel combination. In the long, five of his jump elements were scored negative, including a fall on triple toe loop.  Howe departed from his planned content and attempted a triple toe loop combination instead of a Lust in element seen.  He fell, and having executed a solo triple toe loop in element 2 had the "plus sequence" penalty added on.  Howe kept his focus through it all to maintain a reasonable performance. On the fall in element seven he said, "I was going into [the jump] and originally we were planning on doing a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop, but we thought that it would be better to play it safe this time because the scores were so close in the short. So we changed it to triple toe-double toe-double loop and as I was going into it, I was a little bit nervous and I just didn’t get the reach back and timing that I usually get, so I ended up whipping it around. When I fell I said ‘oh shoot’ and I got up and I knew I had to land everything so I sucked it up and pretended like it never happened and it turned out good." On his choice of music for the Free Skate he said, "I thought it was a good choice. It was my first time doing a really classical more dramatic music. It made me a stronger skater for next year and this year. " Kevin Shum placed seventh in the Free Skate, but on the strength of his second place finish in the Short Program he finished fourth overall.  Shum popped his first three triple attempts to singles, but kept his composure and finally got his feet under him and landed three triples. Pairs Chelsea Liu & Devin Perini and Caitlin Fields & Jason Pacini had a closely fought battle for the Novice Pairs title, which Liu & Perini won with first place finishes in both the Short Program and Free Skating. Liu & Perini, from Irvine, CA and Thousand Oaks, CA skated to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in the short and a Charlie Chaplin medley in the long, and are coached by Jenni Meno & Todd Sand. The team skated a nearly clean short with two judges going to -1 on side-by-side double Lutz due to the quality of Liu's landing edge, and two also going to -1 on throw double loop for the quality of the landing.  Their double twist lift was high and clean and was highly scored, called at level two.  The remaining leveled elements were called level four and were all well skated.  Their components covered a considerable range, from 3.75 to 5.75. In the Free Skate Liu fell on an opening double Lutz., for the only element scored negative.  The remainder of the program was cleanly skated with components for this program more consistent, averaging 5.36 Liu commented on their program by saying, "The warm-up wasn’t as good, but we just did the best [that we could]. I just tried to put [the fall] behind me." This is their second year at Novice, having placed second in 2011 Nationals.  Coach Todd Sand explained,  "Chelsea just turned 12 three weeks ago, so that’s the reason we kept them back in novice. They’re young. They’re not even junior age eligibility and I think they felt a lot of pressure even though we didn’t want to put that on them. I think that was because they exceeded expectations last year."  Jenni Meno added,  "I think the thing that was really great was that she showed that she’s a tough little competitor." Caitlin Fields & Jason Pacini, skating to "The Filk Machine" landed some strong elements in the short, including a big double twist and nice double Axel.  The only element called (slightly) negative was their pair spin which had a bit of a stumble in it at the exit.  Four of the judges went to -1, but the others were at 0 and 1.  Go figure. In the Free Skate the team performed to "Cutthroat Island."  Their opening double twist was fairly big, but was marked down by four judges , with GoEs ranging from -2 to 1.  Go figure.  Their following throw triple loop, the only triple throw attempted in the event, ended in a fall, and the 3.1 points lost was most of the point difference between the top two teams.  The team looked surprised in kiss-and-cry that they had not won.  Still, the result was an improvement from last year when they paced fourth in the Novice Championship. On the fall in the program Pacini said, "We definitely had a shaky beginning to the program, but I think we recovered nicely and got stronger at the end. It would’ve been nice to do those first few elements and set ourselves up to do well throughout the whole program." Coach Doug Ladret also remarking on the program said, "They’re the only team that tried a throw triple tonight and it was there, just a little slip on it, and they recovered really nicely with side by side double Axels that were really well in unison and covered the ice and, I might’ve liked to see a few more pluses on that, but that’s the name of the game." Alexandria Shaughnessy & James Morgan, also second year Novices, placed fifth in 2011 and this year moved up to the bronze medal.  In the short they skated to "Hymne a l'amour", and in the long selections from "Evita" The team skated a clean program except for side-by-side double Lutzes where Morgan had a poor landing edge and seven judges of nine went to -1.  Their opening throw double loop was particularly well done as was the closing forward inside death spiral. In the Free Skate Shaughnessy & Morgan had a respectable skate, but struggled with the jumps.  On double Axels both skaters put hands down on the landing, but the team miraculously escaped a fall deduction.  The throw double loop was not well executed in this program, and all nine judges went to -1s and -2s.  Two judges went to -1 on their group four lift for reasons unknown (it looked fine to us).  For both the short and the log the judges had the team's components slotted into the low fives. On their preparations for competition Shaughnessy said, "We just trained really hard and our coaches sent us in the right direction. We really love to perform, so we were excited to go out there and do our best." The team trains with several other teams in Boston, about which Morgan said, "It helps a ton to have a lot of the senior teams to look up to. We can say how they do things and model after them." Christina Zaitsev & Ernie Stevens placed fourth with a fourth place finish in the short and fifth in the long.  (Zaitsev is not related to Alexander Zaitsez.) Elise Middleton & Robert Hennings places third in the Free Skate, but after an eighth place finish in the short, their Free Skate score was not enough to pull them into the medals. Of all the Novice events, the Pairs event was by far the weakest, and left us with the unpleasant feeling that the U.S. Pairs program is doomed, and will remain so for many years to come.  It is a wonder that some of the teams in this event even passed the Novice Pairs test, no less made it out of Sectionals.  Maybe there are only 12 pairs teams in the U.S. and this is it. Sunday Unofficial Attendance:  (Nationals was scheduled this year against the NFL playoff game between San Francisco and New York.) Novice Dance PDs: 750; Novice Ladies SP: 600; Novice Men's SP: 600; Novice Pairs SP: 600 Junior Men's SP: 600 Monday Unofficial Attendance: Novice Dance FD: 500; Novice Ladies FS: 600; Novice Men's FS: 600; Novice Pairs FS: 600 Junior Men's FS: 600