2003 U.S. Nationals

Hometown favorites Sydney Schmidt, 14, and Christopher Pottenger, 15, of Dallas were popular winners. The Midwestern sectional champions skated with good speed and flow, and fine unison on their side-by-side camel spins and double Lutz jumps. They earned six first-place marks from the nine judges and a partial standing ovation from the crowd. "We have a lot of friends and family here; it’s great to have the support," said Pottenger, whose brother, Steven, will compete in the junior pairs event with partner Amy Howerton.

"Sydney and Christopher have a very sophisticated look, and nice line and style for their age," said their coach, David Kirby.

Katelyn Uhlig, 15, and Colin Loomis, 17, who placed third at Midwestern sectionals, finished second here with marks that ranged from 2^nd to 6^th place. Skating to music from "Swan Lake," they opened with a nice pair spin, followed by a solid lift and strong split double twist. Their only noticeable flaw was lack of unison on their side- by-side double Lutzes.

In third were Bridget Namiotka, 15, and Alex Merritt, 17, whose high double twist elicited gasps from the crowd. "(The twist) is all about timing. She puts her toe pick in the ice and I throw her up as hard as I can," said Loomis. "She’s hit me in the ear a few times, and I have a few scars on my chest. But no matter what, I know I have to catch her."

"I do come out of (the twist) early sometimes, but he’s never dropped me," said his partner. The youngsters are planning to try a triple twist in their free program.

In fourth were Russian-born Julia Vlassov, 12, and Drew Meekins, 17, who finished second at Eastern sectionals. Pacific Coast sectional champions Jenna Yount, 15, and Grant Marron, 18, were fifth. Samantha Skavdahl, 13, and Cole Davis, 18, who were second at Midwestern sectionals, sat in sixth place.

Dallas natives Sydney Schmidt and Christopher Pottenger, leaders after the short program, won the novice pairs title with a clean, exceptionally polished routine to "Romeo and Juliet" that captured first-place marks from all nine judges. Displaying good unison and speed throughout, they opened with a strong spiral sequence, and had solid positions and good ice coverage on all of their lifts, including a lovely platter lift that sequed into a one-arm star position. Their only major flaw was a low, weak double twist.

Although the two youngsters have been fielding local camera crews and newspaper reporters for the last several days, they didn’t let the added attention and pressure get the best of them.

"We took things one step at a time. The short program was one event, and the long program was another event," said Pottenger. "Just because we won the short, the competition wasn’t over, and we remembered that."

"The program felt really good. We skated clean and that was our goal," added Schmidt.

The youngsters’ coach, David Kirby, said no decisions have been made on whether the team will move up to compete as juniors next year. "After this week is over, we’ll sit down, have a meeting and discuss our goals," he said.

In second after the short, Katie Uhlig and Colin Loomis opened their free program with a triple twist, followed by a one-arm star lift, throw double Salchow, and side-by-side double Lutzes into double toe loops. The second half of their program included two death spirals -- the back inside and back outside -- as well as a throw double loop. This strong effort captured second-place marks from seven of the nine judges, awarding them the silver medal.

"The program felt really good. We couldn’t have skated it much better," said Loomis. "Our triple twist was the best one we have done in competition so far."

The couple said they are definitely moving up to juniors next season. "We knew we would make the move, no matter what place we finished. We skated in a few international junior events over the summer, so we are pretty used to it," said Uhlig.

Skating to music from "West Side Story," Jenna Yount and Grant Marron, who were fifth after the short, improved to third place with a clean performance that included the only triple throw of the event, a Salchow. They also executed good pair and side-by-side spins, as well as a lovely forward inside death spiral.

"Their program went really well. Yesterday’s short was very good, their best of the season, so they were a bit disappointed to be in fifth and miss the final group," said their coach, former Canadian pair champion Doug Ladret. "That put them behind the eight ball, but they handled the pressure well today. Jenna was the only girl to stand up on a throw triple, and they had great presence out there."

Russian-born Julia Vlassov and her partner, Drew Meekins, who were fourth after the short program, opened their "Pink Panther" free program with a triple twist that had good height but was landed on two feet. They followed with several strong lifts, including a one-arm star lift with several changes of position, and finished fourth overall. .

Skating to music from "Mark of Zorro," Bridget Namiotka and Alex Merritt opened with a high triple twist, with complete rotations but a rough landing. They followed with side- by-side double Lutzes into double toe loops and a throw double Salchow, as well as a throw double loop later in the program. While their only major mistake was her miss on a double flip, they lacked the polish of the top couples and dropped from third place in the short to fifth place overall. Marisa Sharma, 16, and Jonathan Keen, 24, who placed fourth at Pacific Coast sectionals, were sixth.

Short Program

Free Skating