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Photos copyright 2008 by George S. Rossano |
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Photos copyright 2008 by George S. Rossano |
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Dressed in ornage and black, he led off with a good double Axel entered from a spread eagle transition. This was followed by clean triple toe - double toe combination. A subsequent triple Salchow received but two GoEs of minus one, the only negative GoEs for his program. His spins were all level 3 and four, and his closing change foot combination spin, a tlevel 4, was well executed with GoEs of zero through plus two. The performance was clean and well executed, but came up short somewhat in Transitions and Interpretation which were his tow lowest component scores. Overall his Program Components averaged slightly below 5.0. None of the Novice Men where standouts in presentation, however, with the top four men all within 1.2 points of each other in PCS. Alexander Zahradnicek attempted a more difficult program than O'Shea with a nice triple Lutz - double toe combination, triple flip and double Axel. All three jump elements were nice executed, receiving GoEs of zero and plus one. A level 2 sit spin was also nicely executed as was his closing level 4 change foot combination spin. His step sequence was a disaster. Zahradnicek took an awkward stumble at the start of the sequence and the remainder was then a disorganized jumble that was called level 1. He received GoEs of minus three from seven on the judges. Another gave a minus two and the ninth a zero -- probably thinking the fall was prior to the sequence. It was a costly error between the loss of levels, the GoE and the deduction, what would have been a lead of perhaps 2 points evaporated in one moment into a second place finish 0.30 points back. Skating to "Sing Sing Sing," David Wang was a jumping machine. He landed triple Salchoe - double toe, Triple toe and double Axel all with GoEs of zero and plus one, with just two minus one GoEs on the triple toe. Both of Wang's spins were level 4 and cleanly executed. His straight line step sequence, though well executed, with GoEs of zero to plus 2, was only level 1. In Program Components, Wang averaged slightly below 5.0, with Interpretation the lowest of the five. Although he skated fast and strong, he did not really capture the rhythms of the music or display the lively emotion of the piece. (A propos of nothing, Wang I discovered last week is a wiz at Rubick's Cube. I saw him solve the puzzle twice in a row in less than two minutes. The second time in perhaps 90 seconds!) Wang is currently trailed by Ross Minor who is 0.18 points back. Skating to 'Hawaii 5-0" and "Wipeout," he gave a lively, energetic performance. His opening triple Lutz - double toe combination, however was flawed by a poor landing of the Lutz and a hand down, resulting in GoEs of minus one and two. He recovered after that with a nice triple flip and a well executed sit spin, the latter level 2 with GoEs of plus 1 and 2. His closing change foot combination spin, level 3, was also well executed. For his fourth element, however, Miner proceeded to wipe out at the end of the straight line step sequence, which was called level 3. The error cost him nearly 3 points and the lead. Miner's Program Components, like the other top men, averaged close to five points, the weakest being Transitions and the strongest Skating Skills. The fifth man, Victor Travis, is currently four points back from the medals, and six points back from the lead. The men in fifth and below will have a bit of a struggle to move up. But for the top four men, things are so close and the men are so well matched anything can happen. |
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O’Shea Takes First in Novice Men’s Short ProgramBy Liz Leamy The Novice Men’s short program was a good, solid event, with the top-four finishers finishing within a little more than arm’s length among one another, which should make for an interesting free skate showdown this afternoon, to say the least. Although the overall depth and talent of the field was outstanding and the top flight of finishers was very good, there were some flaws among many of the skaters throughout the event—some popped jumps, fallouts, slips, etc. Still, these guys were stalwart and skated well and put on a high-quality National-level event. Their jump technique was exceptional, they skated with powerful edges and had some good spins. At the same time, the general creative quality of their programs was fantastic. In the final tally, Daniel O’Shea, an Irish teenager from the Chicago area (Skokie Valley SC), came out on top with his interpretation of “Spanish Caravan” by George Winston, for which he earned 46.89 points. O’Shea played the part of a Spanish matador to a tee, and emanated lots of drama, command and confidence throughout his program. He wore an orange-ombre and black button-down shirt with black pants. He nailed a triple toe-double toe, double Axel from a spread eagle entry and a triple Salchow. His program, choregraphed by Susie Wynne, was defined by great power and speed. “I came here expecting nothing, I was just trying to skate clean,” he said. Last year, he was eighth in the same event at the U.S. Championships. Alexander Zahradnicek of the Washington SC in Silver Spring, Maryland, racked up the second-best score of the night—a 46.59—with his program to “Exodus.” This skater, who had one of the highest total point scores of any Novice man at a U.S. Regional event earlier this year, was solid and hit his jumps with the strength and aptitude of a seasoned competitor. He opened up with a big triple Lutz-double toe, and followed it up with a triple flip from brackets and Choctaws and a double Axel from a falling leaf and arabesque entry. “I felt great when I landed the triple Lutz-double toe, but I knew I needed to stay focused,” he said. This was a bit of a personal victory for Zahradnicek as well, who was third at Easterns with his one-two series of very good, but quite perfect routines. “My goal was to come here and skate clean,” he said. Daniel Wang of the All Year FSC in California stole the third position with his stellar short program to “Remember the Titans.” Wang, who is 13, is one of the youngest contenders in this 12-member field, but skated as if he had been at Nationals many times before, quite frankly. He wore a white shirt with a royal blue vest and bow tie and drew in the crowd with his fast, energetic skating, excellent jumps and good spins. For his performance, Wang earned a score of 45.03. He executed a triple Salchow-double toe, triple toe and a double Axel with great technical aptitude and fast entries. “My jumps have felt good ever since I’ve been here,” he said. On an interesting aside note, Wang is also a Rubik’s Cube wiz and can figure the difficult toy out within minutes if not less. He can even do this without looking, which is truly impressive. Ross Miner, the SC of Boston, clinched fourth with his entertaining program to “Hawaii Five-O” and “Wipe Out,” for which he earned a score of 44.85. Miner flew around the ice in his typical top-speed fashion and reeled off a nice triple flip from a stag jump and chowtaw turns and a double Axel that covered the ice width. He also did a triple Lutz-double toe in which he touched down on the landing of the first jump. |
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By Liz Leamy Daniel O’Shea held onto his first-place lead and clinched the gold medal in the Novice Men’s event tonite. O’Shea, who represents the Skokie Valley SC in Illinois, knocked the ball right out of the park with his stellar free skate to “JFK,” which helped to earn him a total point score of 145.92. “I just wanted to skate my program well and I told myself I could do it,” said O’Shea. O’Shea, who skates with great power and technique, reeled off a whole series of triple jumps, including a triple Lutz, triple flip with a fallout on the landing, triple Salchow-double toe-double loop, triple toe-double toe, triple Salchow-double toe and a delayed double Axel. Without a doubt, this kid has a quintessential All-American look and a classic American technique, which is characterized by high power, big jumps, long lines and a ‘controlled attack’ approach. At the conclusion of this event, the crowd, as slightly minimal as it was, went wild for O’Shea, with some of the girls screaming to him, “I love you Daniel!” To this, O’Shea responded with the fact that many of these ‘fans’ traveled from his home club to help cheer him on. “A lot of them were my friends—it’s not too far from where I skate, so it was nice to have the support,” he said. Ross Miner of the SC of Boston successfully jumped up from fourth in the short to second overall with his take on Gershwin for which he was awarded a total point score of 135.81. In his usual high-energy fashion, Miner attacked most of the jumps in his program with great speed and explosiveness. He did a big triple-triple combination, along with numerous other triples as well as some highly technical footwork and great spins. “I like to go really fast into my jumps because it makes the takeoff easier,” he said. David Wang of the All Year FSC went home with the bronze after scoring a grand total of 133.70 points. This skater, who is only 13, really stepped up to the plate at this competition. His program to “Remember the Titans” was technically apt. He performed a triple flip, triple toe-double toe, triple Salchow with a step-out on the landing, a superb double Axel with a high step up on the takeoff, a triple loop, a triple Salchow and a triple toe. Moreover, Wang impressed everyone in the mixed zone when he was asked about how his Rubik’s Cube skills and even did a demonstration for the writers. Within less than a minute and a half, he had that thing put together like it was brand new, which virtually left everyone speechless, to say the least. Alexander Zahradnicek of the Georgia FSC dropped from second to fourth overall with his strong, yet very slightly flawed free skate. His total point score was 133.24. Zahradnicek did some great stuff, including a triple Lutz-double toe, triple flip with a slightly delayed pull out on the landing, a triple Salchow, triple toe-double toe, triple toe and double Axel, which may have had a landing that was slightly two-footed. He also fell on a second triple Lutz. Still, this skater can jump, spin and move out on the ice and looks to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Alexander Aiken of the Atlanta FSC also had a very good free skate. He was sixth in the short, second in the free skate and fifth overall, just missing the fourth place spot by less than one point. His program to “South American Getaway” featured a triple Lutz-double toe, triple flip-double toe, triple loop, triple Salchow, triple toe and double Axel-double toe. He did fall however, on his second triple Lutz. |
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