2014 Broadmoor Open, June 25-28

The Broadmoor Open, a major early season club competition hosted annually by the Broadmoor Skating Club, is taking place June 25-28, 2014, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The main competition rink is the World Arena (WA).

Click here to purchase and view the live/on-demand webcast

Click here to view the PDF event schedule by day (all times are Mountain)

Click here to view the club’s event page

Click here for links to all OFFICIAL RESULTS (published July 4)

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SATURDAY UNOFFICIAL top scores from the webcast:
Novice Ladies FS/Final
Top 6: T Ellison 110.22 (71.26 FS), R Shin 91.07, R Gautsche 90.12, R Volovich 89.82, K Yum 88.71 (58.91 FS), A Demma (UGL) 88.71 (56.32 FS)
Novice Men FS/Final
1-5: M Graham (NWP) 121.79, C Johnson (UGL) 106.04, M Friess (CP) 103.87, J Curley 94.70, T Schwappach 85.42
Senior Ladies FS/Final
1. A Cain 176.76 (109.35 FS: 54.25 TES/56.24 PCS -1) – debuted Evita with lyrics. Jumps: 3Lz, 3F, 2A+3Lo(looked good), 3Lo(turn)+2T, 3F(hand)+2T, 3S(eked out), 2A(fall). She tweeted afterwards “#altitude”.
2. M Nagasu (SWP) 170.48 (117.29 1st in FS: 54.73 TES/62.56 PCS) – debuted Madame Butterfly by Puccini with lyrics, including the famous soprano aria “Un bel di vedremo.” Jumps: 3F+2T, big 2A+2T, 3Lz, 3Lo+2T, 3F, 3Lo, 2A.
3-5: M Bell 145.17 [skated last season’s Titanic], C Untalan (PHI) 126.02, M Craze 112.45
Senior Men FS/Final
J Brown 217.91 (139.61 FS), A Johnson 182.91 (122.65), J Moeller 174.53 (111.54); A Rogozine CAN 170.33 (113.55); J Wright GBR 148.31; S Payannet 120.62 (80.46)
Junior Men FS & Final
1-7: A Krasnozhon (SW via RUS) 182.85 (117.70 FS), C Belmontes 162.77 (100.67 FS), D Neudecker (NWP) 143.93, L Kirchgessner 139.83, L West 133.84, A Boucher 131.61, S Simon (UGL) 125.17
Junior Ladies FS/Final
Top 4: V Le 139.57 (88.09 FS, opened with a ‘tano 3Lz+3T), E Taylor 136.92 (87.39), P Rydberg (UGL) 134.65 (81.63), S Zhao 132.78 (93.09 won FS) – landed 2A-half loop-3S, 3F+2T, 3Lo, 3Lz+2T, 3F, 3Lz(fall), 2A. Top 2 skated to “On Golden Pond,” but not back to back.
Junior Pairs SP/FS (cancelled)
Intermediate Men FS exh.: J-H Chen 54.44
Intermediate Ladies FS/Final
Top 6: A S Rorrer Warren (CP) 90.32 (57.49 FS), K Nguyen 87.56, A Eguchi 86.11, P Zolnierek (UGL) 84.41, M Fox 83.06, A Rogers (UGL) 81.39

FRIDAY UNOFFICIAL top scores from the webcast:
Senior Ladies SP
1. A Cain 67.41 [39.05 TES/28.36 PCS; Mission Impossible; choreo by Scott Brown] *revised score officially confirmed from her protocol: 3Lz+3Lo, 3F, 2A; she skated with command! She started competing back in late April and she looks very well prepared at this point of the season!
2. M Bell 57.70 [“Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, covered by Kurt Hugo Schneider and Kevin Olusola (cello); choreo by Cindy Stuart] 3Lz+2T, 3F fell out, 2A; she got the audience clapping along to her catchy/charming program and exuded exuberance and joy! Kori Ade is coaching her now.
3. M Nagasu 53.19 [Rachmaninoff’s Variation 18 of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; choreo by Adam Rippon] She was a last-minute entry here (wore a plain black unitard) & though her jumps were a bit rough, she showed off her in-between elements well to the music as well as a new, ultra-flexible catch foot layback to Biellmann variation at the end!
4. Clare Untalan (PHI) 48.88 [Evita] 3F+2T, 3S, 2A fell out (she landed all the jumps in Thursday’s SP).
Junior Ladies SP
Top 6: P Rydberg (UGL) 53.02 [Out of Africa] 2A, 3F(hand)+2T, 3Lz [Watch her video here];
V Le 51.48 [East of Eden] great ‘tano 3Lz with speed & flow out; E Taylor 49.53 [last season’s Reverie by Debussy] 2Lz, 3T+2T, fast layback to Biellmann with head back; C Berrios (SA) 45.01 [Fever]; L Katzman (NA) 43.17; M Hedges (UGL) 42.58 [La Vie en Rose]
Novice Ladies SP Final
Top 6: T Ellison 38.96, R Shin 37.27, A Demma (UGL) 32.39, R Gautsche 32.31, B Melton 31.15, R Volovich 30.51
Senior Men SP (will edit in more details later)
1-6: J Brown (UGL) 78.30 [38.00/40.30] 3F+3T, 3A(2-ft), 3Lz; J Moeller (UGL) 62.99 [31.34/31.65] 2A, 3Lz, 3F+2T; A Johnson 60.26 [30.36/30.90 -1]; A Rogozine (CAN) 59.04 [28.24/30.80]; J Wright (GBR) 54.38; S Payannet 40.16
Junior Men SP
1-7: A Krasnozhon (SW via RUS) 65.15 [35.50 TES/29.65 PCS] 3A<?, 3F+3Lo, 3Lz; C Belmontes 62.10 [33.30/28.80] 2A, 3Lz, 3F+3T; D Neudecker (NWP) 54.91, L Kirchgessner 54.82, L West 54.30, A Boucher 50.??, S Simon (UGL) 46.83
Novice Men SP
1-5: M Graham (NWP) 43.38 (Nutrocker; landed 3Lo, 3S+2T, 2A), C Johnson (UGL) 41.32, M Friess (CP) 36.30, T Schwappach 34.20, J Curley 29.75
Intermediate Ladies SP Final
Top 6: K Nguyen 33.29, A Rorrer Warren (CP) 32.83, A Eguchi 30.90, M Fox 29.49, P Zolnierek (UGL) 29.27, A Rogers 28.91

THURSDAY UNOFFICIAL top scores from the webcast:
Senior Ladies SP Only
Top 4: A Cain 58.18, C Untalan (PHI) 53.93, M Bell 52.87, A Shin 47.33
Senior Men SP Only
Top 2: J Brown (UGL) 80.73 [39.90 TES/40.83 PCS], J Moeller (UGL) 56.82
Junior Men SP Only
Top 2: A Krasnozhon (SW via RUS) 65.90 [38.73 TES/27.17 PCS] 3A, 3F+3Lo, 3Lz; A Boucher 52.72
Junior Ladies SP Only
Top 7: P Rydberg (UGL) 48.14, S Zhao 45.77, V Le 44.98, C Berrios (SA) 44.96, E Taylor 42.53, L Katzman (NA) 41.20, M Hedges (UGL) 40.31
Novice Men SP Only
Top 3: M Graham (NWP) 45.41, C Johnson (UGL) 44.37, M Friess (CP) 40.33
Novice Ladies SP Only
Group A top 4: S Porter 42.74, R Shin 42.41, R Gautsche 33.24, E Enebak (UGL) 31.67
Group B top 3: K Horsmann (UGL) 34.88, R Volovich 33.43, I Schwob 30.49
Group C top 4: G Dixon 35.15, T Ellison 33.20, A Demma (UGL) 32.58, K Nowell 32.01

WEDNESDAY UNOFFICIAL top scores from the webcast:
Novice Ladies (Top 5 advance to SP on Friday)
FS A top 4 scores: K Yum 60.53, A Friess (CP) 59.00, R Gautsche 56.50, R Shin? 54.61, 5th?
FS B top 6: R Volovich 62.57, E Fairbanks 61.15, S Porter 56.52, B Melton 54.22, M Manoogian (EGL) 51.11, M Peterson 51.08
FS C top 8: A Kortjohn 67.80, K Stamm 57.40, T Ellison score?, A Vongphachanh 54.89, L Zhang 54.74, A Demma (UGL) 53.62, L Ream (EGL) 50.94, J Zink (EGL) 50.48

NOTE: The Senior and Junior level singles skaters listed below are scheduled to compete, but please be aware that withdrawals from early season competitions are not uncommon. The skater’s home club region, or country, is included in parentheses if they are outside the Southwestern (SW) region; the rest (unmarked) are SW region skaters. 2014 U.S. Nationals Junior/Novice placements are included, if applicable.

* = currently listed in USFS’ 2014-15 International Selection Pool (ISP)

Senior Men
Combined Event: *Jason Brown (UGL), Alex Johnson, Lukas Kaugars, *Jordan Moeller (UGL), Sebastien Payannet, Andrei Rogozine (CAN), Jamie Wright (GBR).
SP Only: Brown, Moeller, Trevor Bergqvist (SWE).
Jumps: Bergqvist, Brown, Kaugars, Moeller, plus juniors Danny Neudecker (NWP) and Spencer Simon (UGL).

Senior Ladies
Combined Event (SP+FS): *Mariah Bell, *Ashley Cain, Christina Cleveland (EGL), Melin Craze, Rita Fehr (UGL), Anjing Fu, Alicia Hsu (EGL), Julia Liao, Lydia Menscher, Yu Miao, Sarah Seibold, *Ashley Shin J3, Brittney Shuie (NWP), Kristina Struthwolf (CP), Clare Untalan (PHI), Madison Vinci (SA).
SP Only includes: *Angela Wang (CP), Bell, Cain, Shin

Junior Ladies
Combined Event: Carly Berrios N4 (SA), Dasha Chalenko, Katie Curran, Lauren Ellison, Zoe Gong (CAN), Terri Hannig, Michelle Hedges (UGL), Julia Hussian (UGL), Lyra Katzman J11 (NA), Sarah Kim, *Vivian Le N1, Gabrielle Le (UGL), Lindsey Mize, *Paige Rydberg N2 (UGL), Karoline Shechter, Mackenzie Sill (CP), *Elena Taylor J5, Selena Zhao.

Junior Men
Combined Event: *Chase Belmontes J4, Anthony Boucher N5, Luke Kirchgessner, Alekseii Krasnozhon (RUS, based in Texas), Danny Neudecker (NWP), Spencer Simon (UGL), *Luke West N3.

Junior Pairs
Joy Weinberg (UGL)/Michael Lueck (NE) N5, Linde LaChance/Kenneth Anderson (EGL) N10.

Many thanks to the helpful person who sent in scans from the competition program booklet. If you would like to contribute Novice and below entries/groups and/or official result sheet photos via e-mail during the competition, please CLICK HERE to do so. Thank you very much in advance and GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE SKATERS this week!

1st Scoretracker/Top Ten update of the 2014 U.S. club competition season

Scoretracker (Juvenile to Senior & Pairs) and Top Ten have been updated for the first time in 2014! Please refer to the Club Comps page for the current list of competitions that have published results online to date.

At the time of this first Scoretracker update, the highest known Senior Ladies SP score of the early season is by Ashley Cain (61.81). Her Senior SP video at 2014 Skate Dallas in late April was to Mission Impossible (she landed 3Lz+3Lo, 3F, 2A) – [WATCH video here].

Thanks to those who have started sending in photos of official event scores from competitions that have yet to publish results. They will be added to the next Scoretracker update later this week.

If you would like to contribute official result sheet photos via e-mail, please CLICK HERE to do so. Please DO NOT submit competition scores via this blog’s “Leave a Comment” reply option – ONLY scores from official event result sheet photos/scans will be added to Scoretracker. Thank you in advance!

Next blog post: 2014 Broadmoor Open in Colorado Springs, CO – competition kicks off on Wednesday, June 25th.

2013-2014 Season Wrap-Up (& 2014 U.S. Nationals Novice Ladies/Men articles)

We’re back from our extended hiatus, finally! 🙂

Here are official results/protocols links to 2013-14 season’s major competitions, along with the two spring developmental internationals in which Team USA participated:

JGP & GP Final in Fukuoka JPN
WATCH Polina Edmunds’ fun team USA photo/video montage: Dozen on The Ice! GPF13 We Will Rock You!

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2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston MA

Click here to read Icenetwork’s Novice Ladies FS article by Lynn Rutherford

Le Lutzes her way to novice ladies gold
Tiny Vivian Le rode her big triple Lutz to victory in the novice ladies free skate, jumping from third after the short to claim gold at the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an impressive 138.06 points.
The 13-year-old dynamo from Dallas packed a wallop in the opening seconds of her “Moonlight Sonata” free skate, soaring through a triple Lutz-double toe combination and triple Lutz that gained +2 and +3 grades of execution (GOEs) from the judges while racking up 16.30 points.
Speedy Level 4 spins, including a powerful flying sit spin, helped her cause, as did two solid triple toe loops, one in combination with a double loop. Her 93.88-point free set a new standard for U.S. novice ladies and outpaced the field by some 13 points.
“My coaches say I jump really high,” Le said. “I think it’s because I’ve done a lot of jumping exercises. That’s one of the best free skates I ever did, and I’m proud of it.”
Olga Ganicheva, who with husband Alexei Letov coaches Le at the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Plano near Dallas, credits the youngster’s preparation and discipline.
“She works, she works, and she works,” Ganicheva said. “And always with a positive attitude and good sportsmanship.”
Ganicheva and Letov, who brought three novice and one junior lady to Boston, credit the competitive atmosphere in their rink with pushing their students to new heights.
“They support each other and compete against each other every day,” Ganicheva said. “We have every level, five to seven skaters.”
Paige Rydberg, who led after the short, showed grace and maturity in her free to “I’m a Doun for Lack O’Johnny,” choreographed by Mary Beth Marley and Scott Brown.
The 14-year-old from Illinois hit everything in her program, including a triple Salchow and two triple toes, but her closing layback spin gained just Level 1.
Rydberg’s 80.50 points put her third in the free, and she won silver with 125.66 overall.
“Little things were shaky, but I thought it was good enough for me to be happy,” Rydberg said. “My goal here was to skate clean, and I accomplished that.
“I am going to focus on getting the rest of my triples consistent, and hopefully compete as a junior next season.”
Rydberg’s coach, Mary Alice Antensteiner, said her pupil trains triple flip and triple Salchow-triple toe combinations.
“I’m on the cautious side,” Antensteiner said. “I want her to get the jumps really consistent before she does them in competition. That’s our strategy.”
Boston’s own Rebecca Peng skated a delicate and challenging free to Ladies in Lavender, hitting two solid triple loops, triple Lutz and triple flip. She lost ground on a shaky combination spin but placed second in the free with 80.80 points and won bronze with 125.04.
“It was a good program; I did better than I did at regionals and sectionals,” Peng said. “My spins were quite wobbly, and I had to save them, but everything else was good.”
The 14-year-old freshman at Newton North High School is thrilled that the Championships are in her hometown.
“It’s fun to be able to come out every day and cheer for your friends,” she said. “I will definitely watch the senior events.”
Peng will be rooting for her training partner at the Skating Club of Boston, Christina Gao, to book a trip to the Sochi Olympics with a top-three finish in senior ladies.
“She stays at my house because she took off a year from Harvard,” she said. “She’s been my chauffeur because my parents aren’t there all the time. She’s a great help and a really good role model to look up to.”
Carly Berrios had the most technically ambitious program of the event, one that included five different triples. Falls on the flip and toe hurt her score, but she still gained 79.46 points to place fourth with 122.49 points.
“Of course I wanted to land everything, but I’m still glad I went for all of my jumps,” the 16-year-old said.

Click here to read Icenetwork’s Novice Men’s FS article by Josh Ellis

Bravo Borromeo!
Leading by less than four points after the short program, Paolo Borromeo blew away the field and set a new record in the novice men’s event at the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships with a sensational free skate. He claimed the title by nearly 30 points.
With 54.07 points after the short, Borromeo left no doubt as to who would claim gold after his skate Monday night. He landed seven triple jumps en route to gaining 114.20 points, the most ever for a novice men’s free skate at this event, and 168.27 overall points, another U.S. championships record.
“I’m really happy with my performance,” Borromeo said. “I’m relieved that all my training has paid off and that I did it when it counted.”
Borromeo opened with a double Axel-triple toe combination and backed that up with a triple Lutz-double toe. His best jump combination, earning an event-best 9.54 points, was a triple flip-double toe-double loop with a positive grade of execution.
Borromeo, who hails from Florida, credits being able to settle into his new home at the Los Angeles FSC as a big factor in his leap from seventh last year to champion this year.
“Last year I was a little messy and frantic because I had just moved,” Borromeo said. “But this year I was able to get settled and everything just got easier.”
His point total is higher than that of former novice champions Joshua Farris and Nathan Chen, among others.
Despite being the youngest competitor in the event, Eric Sjoberg, 12, earned 139.82 points and the silver medal. He was second after the short program and held on to his placement despite earning just the fourth-best free skate score.
“It just feels so cool,” Sjoberg said. “I was completely happy with my short program, and I’m happy I got second.”
Sjoberg, who said he will remain novice in hopes of earning gold next year, landed a triple Lutz and a triple flip-double toe-double loop as his highest-scoring elements. He also had three Level 4 spins.
Confidence was key for Luke West, as he put a fifth-place short program behind him en route to the third-best free skate and the bronze medal. West, who earned a total of 136.86 points, admitted he was a different skater in the free.
“I was more confident in trusting my training,” West said of his free skate. “I remained in the present more and really focused and trusted what I was doing.”
Two points off the podium after the short program, West landed five triple jumps, including an opening triple Lutz-double toe, en route to 93.64 points. The 47.03 points for his components were the second best in the event.
“I wish the short program would have gone better and I was more confident in myself,” West said. “But today my goal was to have fun and remain focused, and I accomplished that.”
In 10th place after the short program, Andrew Torgashev skated the second-best program of the day, garnering 97.78 points and finishing fourth. He landed six triple jumps and had four elements worth more than six points each.

Click here to read Icenetwork’s Novice Ladies SP article by Lunn Rutherford

Sometimes, a clean program still wins the day.
A strong novice ladies field showed some triple Lutzes and a flip or two in their short programs at the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston on Sunday, but Paige Rydberg proved that quality, plus some smart choreography, goes a long way.
The 14-year-old from Plainfield, Ill., showed off a dancer’s grace and solid jumps in her stylish short to Latin music, stepping out to a one-point lead.
“I wanted to go out there and skate clean, and I was happy I did that,” Rydberg said. “It felt good to land everything. I’ve been doing it all season, so there is no reason I shouldn’t do it here.”
Rydberg didn’t show the most difficult jumps, but all three — including a triple Salchow, double toe loop combination and solo triple toe — were executed in the second half of her program, earning bonus points.
“It’s a little bit nerve-wracking,” she said. “You think, ‘OK, I still have two more elements before my jumps.’ It’s a stamina thing.”
Rydberg, whose first love was dance before skating took center stage, capitalized on fast, sprightly steps and Level 4 spins, which added to her 45.16 score.
“Her personality really shone through today,” said Mary Alice Antensteiner, who coaches Rydberg at Darien Sportsplex. “She’s a real spunky girl. I totally enjoy being with her in the rink every day.”
Antensteiner called Rydberg’s choreography “a team effort.”
“I lay it out, Mary Beth Marley puts in a lot of the choreography, and Scott Brown tweaks it and works with us all the time,” the coach said.
Rydberg, who still takes ballet classes, credits dedicated viewing of TV dance shows with some of her on-ice verve. Her favorite: Lifetime’s Dance Moms, where battling stage mothers often elbow their talented daughters out of the spotlight.
“Before I was kind of stiff and not so showy,” the eighth grader said. “Then I started watching the shows and thought about how my motions should go. That did help me a lot.”
Rydberg is quick to add that her mom, Theresa Koris, is nothing like the combative ladies featured on her favorite dance show.
“She’s never really at the rink,” the skater said.
“I’m a single mom; I’m too busy working,” Koris added with a laugh.
Hometown girl Rebecca Peng, who trains at the Skating Club of Boston (SCOB) under Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson, opened her Spanish-themed short with a solid triple loop, followed by a triple Lutz-double toe and superbly controlled double Axel. She sits second with 44.24 points.
“It was a solid program, even though I had to fight for a few things,” Peng said. “I’ve been working on the triple Lutz-double toe for quite a few months to get it to this level. It’s been a challenge.”
The 14-year-old freshman at Newton North High School is relishing the chance to skate in front of friends and family, plus her SCOB training partners. Christina Gao, who competes in senior ladies later this week, was one of those cheering her on.
“It’s awesome to compete near your training ground because everyone comes out and roots for you,” said Peng, who finished seventh in novice last season. “It’s very special. The other kids at the rink support me and I support them in return.”
A diminutive 13-year-old, Vivian Le, grabbed third place with her smooth and speedy short to East of Eden.
Le showed off a ‘Tano triple Lutz and lovely Ina Bauer but faltered on the landing of her triple toe and was unable to complete a combination. Superb Level 4 spins added to her 44.18 points.
“I see all the other kids; their spins are OK. I want mine to be ‘Wow!’ so I work on them a lot,” said Le, who trains in Dallas under Aleksey Letov and his wife, choreographer Olga Ganicheva. “I was comparing my scores to others and I get pluses on mine, [while] some people get base value.”
About the ‘Tano, done with one arm overhead, she said, “It’s not that hard for me because I’m used to it. It makes my jump bigger.”
Letov and Ganicheva have built a strong program in Dallas and are coaching several skaters here.
“We have two other novice girls (Riley Shin and Emily Chan) and one junior girl (Ashley Shin),” Le said. “It’s good to know people around you so you can talk to them. We’re a big team.”
Carly Berrios, who posted the highest sectionals score when she won at Easterns, hit a triple Lutz and triple flip-double toe combination but faltered on her double Axel. She is fourth with 43.03 points.
“I don’t even know what happened,” Berrios said with a sigh. “I thought I had it. I was a little close to the boards on my Lutz, but everything else worked out OK.”
Cheyenne Taylor, who trains under Frank Carroll in the Los Angeles area, is fifth with 40.17 points.

Click here to read Icenetwork’s Novice Men’s SP article by Lynn Rutherford

Somewhere in Boston, there’s a good Samaritan — and excellent driver — for Paolo Borromeo to thank.
To help cope with the 15-year-old skater’s severe food allergies, Borromeo’s parents rented an apartment for their stay in Boston. After his warm-up practice at the Boston Convention and Event Center Sunday morning for the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, he went home to his temporary digs. When the time came to return for his short program, the cab his mom ordered didn’t show, so she decided to count on the kindness of a stranger.
“She saw a guy coming in, so she asked him if he could drive me and my dad to the rink,” Borromeo said. “He drove kind of fast, so we got here almost on time. I panicked a little.”
Not as much as his trio of coaches, Angela Nikodinov, Ivan Dinev and Derrick Delmore.
“I wasn’t too worried about warm-up because he had just skated two hours before,” Nikodinov said. “But I did want him to be in the building.”
“We were all having heart attacks,” Delmore said.
The mad dash didn’t faze their student. Borromeo, seventh in novice last season, hit all the jumps in his Spanish-themed short — including a triple Lutz-double toe combination and triple flip — and handled Dinev’s choreography with aplomb, gaining cheers for his Level 4 spins and +2 and +3 grades of execution (GOEs) for his step sequence. (His Lutz drew an edge call from the technical panel.) His 54.07 points lead the field by 3.72.
“I’m happy and relieved, too, that it’s over,” Borromeo said. “Going into the Lutz, I thought about landing it and fighting for it. I held my spins a lot longer than usual and did them as fast as I could.”
“He’s an amazing technician; in practice every day, he’s incredibly consistent,” Nikodinov said. “It was fun to see him do it at the end of the season when it counted. Choreography and performance were not his strong points, and that’s something we’ve been working on.”
Borromeo’s family moved to California from Florida two years ago. After the 2013 U.S. Championships, the skater began working with current coaches in Torrance.
“It’s not a big rink, but I like it like that,” he said. “Everybody knows each other.”
“We have a good group of kids coming up,” Nikodinov said. “It’s not a huge training center, like Toyota or maybe East West in Artesia. It’s our little training facility, and all the kids support each other, push each other and have fun on the ice.”
Nikodinov and Dinev, married since 2008, are parents of 18-month old Audriana, who accompanied her parents to Boston. Ivan’s mother, Margarita Dinova, lives with the family.
“That’s the only way I could keep up my schedule,” Nikodinov said. “His mom has been a huge help.”
The youngest skater in the field, 12-year-old Eric Sjoberg, sits second after a solid skate including a superb combination spin and a triple Lutz-double toe in the program’s second half.
“It felt really good to put out in my program, what I have been practicing,” the youngster said. “The [triple] flip was weird, but otherwise, I skated the way I normally do in practice.”
Sjoberg, who hails from Maryland, has trained under Rafael Arutunian, his wife Vera and Nadia Kanaeva for about eight months. He shares the ice with Ashley Wagner, Adam Rippon and Nathan Chen at East West Ice Palace.
“We just tell him, ‘You are a strong boy. You have no problems with your skating; you must believe in yourself,'” Kanaeva said.
“That’s what we train for,” Arutunian said. “He used to cry before, but now he is with us and he’s a different guy. ”
Sean Conlon claimed third after gaining 45.60 points for his clean short, choreographed by Anna Zadorozhniuk to Puss and Boots Suite. The 17-year-old hit a triple flip-double toe combination and triple loop.
“It’s not the perfect short I’ve done all season, but it’s definitely a great place to be going into the long program,” Conlon said. “I could have skated a little faster, my spins could have been a bit better, but overall it was good.”
Conlon, who lives on the lower east side of Manhattan and trains at the Ice House in Hackensack, N.J., under Steven Rice, has stepped up his training since becoming homeschooled this season.
“I’ve been able to train a lot more and work harder,” he said. “It’s all working out.”
Californian Harrison Wong faltered on the landing of his opening triple flip but skated the rest of his short, including a triple loop-double toe combination, clean. He earned 45.48 points to take fourth.
“I just trusted myself and tried not to overthink,” he said.

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2014 Four Continents in Taipei City TPE

2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi RUS

2014 World Junior Championships in Sofia BUL
Jordan Moeller’s blog for IceNetwork
News posted on the official event site and Photo Gallery (links to Facebook).

2014 World Championships in Saitama JPN

2014 Challenge Cup in The Hague NED
Team USA results: SR – Douglas Razzano (silver); JR – Elena Taylor (silver), Amy Lin (7th); Chase Belmontes (4th), Kevin Shum (5th).

2014 Gardena Spring Trophy in Selva Val Gardena ITA
Team USA results: SR – Ross Miner (silver); JR – Tony Lu (gold), Paolo Borromeo (silver); Ashley Shin (silver), Bradie Tennell (bronze).