2003 U.S. Nationals

Novice Dance

by Lynn Rutherford

The dancers took to the ice first in the Novice events which kicked off the competition, with twelve couples vying for the novice title. The two compulsory dances -- which count for 50% of the total score -- were a study in contrasts. The European Waltz, an elegant but relatively simple dance emphasizing carriage and posture, was performed well by most of the competitors. The skaters had far more difficulty with the Blues, a challenging dance favoring deep edges and long lines.

In the end, it was a split decision: Eastern sectional champions Meghan McCullough, 17, and Joel Dear, 21, placed first in the Waltz and second in the Blues to finish in a tie for first place with Midwestern sectional champions Trina Pratt, 16, and Todd Gilles, 16, who won the Blues and finished second in the Waltz.

The well-matched McCullough and Dear, who are competing in their first season together, displayed good speed and close holds in the Waltz, taking first place on all nine judges’ cards. The couple was a bit tentative in the Blues and had a slight slip going into a Choctaw, although they still gained four first-place marks.

"We skated the European (waltz) very well; we tried to make it a clean and expressive dance," said Dear. "We had a bobble in the beginning of the blues, but our second and third patterns were strong."

"The waltz was solid – it was fast and close. On the Blues, Meg got ahead of Joel for a few beats, but they recovered well," said their coach, Scott Myers.

McCullough and Dear, who met at a partner search in Colorado Springs last April, have made steady progress since teaming up last June. "I moved from Michigan to the DC area," said Dear. "Things have clicked really well, and with each competition we get more solid. We’re working hard, and we’re each making a conscious effort to skate like the other person."

"They’re the first ones on the ice and the last off," agreed coach Myers.

Pratt and Gilles, who train in Colorado Springs with coaches Patti Gottwein and 1984 Olympic dance champion Christopher Dean, had an elegant waltz with fine extension, capturing second place from five of the nine judges. Their blues was even better, winning five first-place votes.

Third place was also a tie, between Samantha Cepican, 16, and Philip Lichtor, 19, who finished third at Midwestern Sectionals, and Shannon Wingle and James Warren, who were second at Midwesterns.

Cepican and Lichtor, who are coached by long-time U.S. dance competitor Ron Kravette along with Mae Davis and Karen Cullinan, skated the waltz with good ice coverage and nice matching lines, and they finished third in the dance. A stumble dropped them to fourth place in the blues. "It felt great. It was hard skating first (in the waltz) but we put on a good show," said Lichtor. "We’re absolutely happy with our place."

"The blues is actually their preference, but they had a slight bobble that caused them to take a step forward. It was a loss of body check," said Kravette.

Wingle and Warren, who train in Detroit with coach Igor Shpilband, were fourth in the waltz and third in the blues. Their waltz had good speed and fine extension, especially on his part. Exceptionally deep edges helped them earn even higher marks for the blues.

As a singles skater, Warren is a former British novice champion.

Pacific Coast sectional champions Adrienne Koob-Doddy, 15, and Robert Antonelli, 15, placed fifth. The brother-and-sister team of Caitlin Dail, 15, and Matthew Dail, 17, who finished fourth at Eastern sectionals, were sixth.

Pratt and Gilles Win Novice Dance Title

The second and final day of the 2003 U.S. Novice Figure Skating Championships began with the two-and-a-half minute free dances of the 12 teams entered in the novice dance competition. The free dance counts for 50% of the total score.

To heighten the suspense, after the two compulsory dances, two teams – Meghan McCullough and Joel Dear, and Trina Pratt and Todd Gilles – were tied for first place, with another two teams – Shannon Wingle and James Warren, and Samantha Cepican and Phillip Lichtor – tied for third place.

Skating to music from the soundtrack of the movie "Pollack," Pratt and Gilles’ free program was marked by unusual lifts, including one that transitioned into a pair spin and another with Gilles in an upside-down position. They skated closer together than the other couples and had more challenging choreography, designed by Tom Dixon and 1984 Olympic dance champion Christopher Dean. It was enough to win the 2003 U.S. Novice Dance Title.

"It went really well. We got all of our required elements in," said Gilles. "We missed a handhold and improvised for about five seconds of the program, but no one seemed to notice."

Pratt and Gilles are fortunate to even be at Nationals. A week and a half ago, Pratt had a scary accident. "I was driving to a 7:30 am practice at the arena, and I fell asleep at the wheel," she said. "My car rolled over a small cliff." In addition to receiving three stitches in her chest, Pratt’s back and neck are bruised and sore. "My body hurts, but I can still go out and do it," said the determined young skater.

Silver medallists McCullough and Dear recovered from a bad fall in the warm-up to turn in a polished, highly entertaining program, choreographed by their coach Scott Myers to a medley of tunes from Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Highlights included a nice change edge lift, as well as a lift with McCullough in an upside-down position. The couple did have some timing and unison problems, with McCullough stepping out of a twizzle, and they finished a few beats behind the music.

"(The fall in warm-up) kind of mentally broke our concentration, and we had a rough time getting it back," said Dear. "But we skated pretty cleanly and we were happy with the performance."

With their high energy, non-stop free dance, the diminutive Wingle and Warren were crowd favorites. Their quirky program, choreographed by their coach Igor Shpilband, was full of interesting lifts and footwork, although Warren appeared to be pulling the tiny, 12 year-old Wingle through many of the moves. Disaster struck when Wingle’s hair "scrungi" flew off during one such maneuver, causing the couple to pause during a footwork sequence, look for the hair ornament, and re-group.

"We skated well. There was a little mishap with her hair piece; other than that, we were happy," said Warren, who originally hails from the industrial city of Stockport in Northeastern England.

"I didn’t want to trip over it – I didn’t want to take that chance – so we kind of stopped our footwork for a few seconds," added Wingle.

The youngsters said that the difference in their ages – he is nearly five years older -- has not slowed their progress, although Wingle admits that Warren at first thought she was "too little" to skate with. "We keep what we do together on the ice. I have my own interests and hang out with friends of similar age, and it’s the same with Shannon," said Warren. Although they have skated just seven months together, they said they hope to move up to juniors next year.

Performing their free dance to Dixieland music, Cepicon and Lichtor appeared tentative during the first half of their program and had a few awkward moments during their lifts. While the second half of their program improved, the couple dropped to fourth place overall.

Adrienne Koob-Doddy and Robert Antonelli skated an exceptionally entertaining program to a medley of 40’s era big band tunes to finish fifth. Caitlin and Matthew Dail rounded out the top six.

Compulsory Dance 1

Compulsory Dance 2

Free Dance