2018 U.S. Nationals: Junior Men

Links will open in a new window: [Junior Men Final standings/FS protocols]

GOLD – Camden Pulkinen, Broadmoor SC 67.88 (1) 151.41 (1) 219.29
SILVER – Dinh Tran, SC of San Francisco 67.28 (2) 132.67 (2) 199.95
BRONZE – Maxim Naumov, SC of Boston 64.07 (3) 114.93 (4) 179.00
PEWTER – Ryan Dunk, Baltimore FSC 53.43 (10) 119.25 (3) 172.68
5 Tony Lu, North Jersey FSC 62.43 (4) 104.14 (7) 166.57
6 Alex Wellman, Broadmoor SC 56.23 (8) 104.46 (6) 160.69
7 Paul Yeung, All Year FSC 53.30 (11) 105.41 (5) 158.71
8 Sasha Lunin, Fort Wayne ISC 54.86 (9) 93.81 (8) 148.67
9 Peter Liu, SC of Wilmington 58.33 (5) 85.30 (11) 143.63
10 Patrick Frohling, All Year FSC 52.22 (12) 86.21 (10) 138.43
11 Kendrick Weston, Salt Lake Figure Skating 58.10 (6) 78.73 (12) 136.83
12 Justin Wichmann, Dallas FSC 48.05 (13) 87.90 (9) 135.95
13 Luke Ferrante, SC of Huntsville 56.48 (7) 73.10 (13) 129.58

[Junior Men SP results/protocols]
Top 6 in SP:
1 Camden Pulkinen, Broadmoor SC 67.88
2 Dinh Tran, SC of San Francisco 67.28
3 Maxim Naumov, SC of Boston 64.07
4 Tony Lu, North Jersey FSC 62.43
5 Peter Liu, SC of Wilmington 58.33
6 Kendrick Weston, Salt Lake Figure Skating 58.10

EVENT ARTICLES & PHOTOS (links will open a new window):
Junior Men’s SP recap by Mimi McKinnis for IceNetwork

After capturing the junior men’s silver medal at last season’s U.S. championships, and the same honor this year at the Junior Grand Prix Final, Camden Pulkinen arrived in San Jose with one thing on his mind: winning a gold medal. Thanks to earning the top score in the short program Monday at the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California, the 17-year-old is halfway there.
“You know when you haven’t eaten for a few days, then you see an In-N-Out Burger? That’s how hungry I am. That’s how bad I want this title,” Pulkinen said.
While his 67.88 points proved enough for the top mark in the segment, Pulkinen didn’t exactly deliver the kind of performance of his “Fix You” program he was looking for. After opening with a solid triple axel — one that notched all positive Grades of Execution — his planned triple flip combination ended with a single toe loop and a fall, and his ensuing combination spin received negative GOEs across the board.
“Of course, it’s not what I wanted to do today,” Pulkinen said. “I think I was just too hyped up after the axel and the combo got away from me. I definitely know what I need to do moving forward.”
Dinh Tran, who won a bronze medal in novice at this event a year ago, finished less than a point behind Pulkinen. He landed a triple flip-triple toe, triple axel and triple lutz on his way to garnering 67.28 points.
“I focused really hard on training my programs and the triple axel,” Tran said. “I just ran programs again and again to train my endurance. The more you do it, the more consistent your jumps get. Then when you get to competition, you just do it again.”
Tran, who trains in nearby San Francisco, had the support of the crowd throughout his performance, which was set to “Exogenesis: Symphony Part I” by Muse. His program featured two Level 4 spins and the highest technical elements score of the day (37.00).
“I loved having the crowd with me,” he said. “It was really fun to hear their support, but at the end of the day, I was focused on my skating and my performance.”
Even though his charismatic “Luck Be A Lady” program began with a fall on his triple axel, reigning U.S. novice champion Maxim Naumov finished third in the segment with 64.07 points. Despite the hiccup, Naumov earned Level 3 and 4 grading on each spin and step sequence to keep himself in podium position heading into Wednesday’s free skate.
Tony Lu, who finished sixth in 2016, sits fourth with 62.43 points.

San Jose Mercury News article with update on Dinh Tran’s SP
Junior Men SP action photo gallery (top 10)
Junior Men FS action photo gallery (top 10)
The new champion being interviewed after his victory
The bronze medalist poses with his coach & father, Vadim Naumov

Junior Men’s FS recap by Lynn Rutherford for IceNetwork

Take one look at Camden Pulkinen and you’ll notice instantaneously that he’s a perfectionist, from his gracious bearing to the ends of his expressive fingertips.
So when the 17-year-old from Gilbert, Arizona, won the U.S. junior men’s title Wednesday in San Jose, he didn’t initially discuss the superb triple axel-triple toe loop combination he hit at the start of his free skate to Chopin selections, or the equally strong triple axel he hit in the second half. His mind, instead, was fixated on the intended triple flip he doubled and the triple loop he turned out of.
“It’s not what I wanted,” he said, then paused and added, “But I can’t complain. I stayed present; I did two axels, got a new personal best total (219.29 points), did triple axel-triple toe for the first time in competition. There are good things I can think of, too. We’re going to go home and work on the program’s flaws.”
Since moving to Colorado Springs a few seasons ago to train with Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin and Drew Meekins, Pulkinen has been all about just those things: staying present, setting goals and figuring out ways to get better. It’s led him to ballet classes to refine his lines and to sports psychologist Dr. Alex Cohen, who helps him strategize for the pressure-packed moments.
“As soon as I got second (in juniors) last year, I told myself, ‘I’m not going to lose next year,'” Pulkinen said. “The whole season, that’s been in my mind, and everything’s just coming together.”
“Training alongside big names and people with that type of work ethic is an honor,” he said. “I look at them every day and say, ‘In a few years, I want that to be me.’ It’s good to have a model in front of you. I can say, ‘I want to try that in my training,’ but still keep Camden Pulkinen.”
Dinh Tran, who hails from nearby San Francisco, took silver with a strong free skated to “Poeta” by Vincente Amigo and choreographed by Marina Klimova. He hit seven triple jumps — including a triple axel — and, like Pulkinen, skated with style and polish. He finished with 199.95 points.
“I knew it was going to go well because I’ve been training it really hard and ran through it a lot,” said Tran, who trains in Oakland and San Francisco under Jeff Crandell, Igor Samohin and Charyl Bruschaid. “I was confident.”
Tran intended to open his program with a triple lutz-triple toe combination but only did a triple lutz. Last season, that may have thrown him off, but this is a new year.
“I’ve gone through a lot of experience when I messed up on the first jump and let that affect my program,” he said. “A lot of people have talked with me, worked with me. In practice now, I keep going through the whole program and complete it no matter how many times I mess up. That slowly develops a strong mentality.”
Maxim Naumov took the bronze medal despite a severe stomach flu that kept him from eating for 30 hours before the free skate. His triple axel was downgraded by the technical panel, but he landed five additional triples to place third in the free and finish with 179.00 points.
“I felt the sickness overcoming me, and I had to just say ‘no’ and push through,” Naumov said. “At the end, I had a big sense of relief. I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, so I’m running on a piece of toast and apple sauce. Not the best situation.”
Maxim’s father and coach, Vadim, the 1994 world pairs champion (with Maxim’s mom, Evgenia Shishkova) was proud of how his son performed.
“Things like this happen with athletes, especially at the peak of your performance cycle, when your immune system is down,” said Vadim, who trains his athletes at the Skating Club of Boston. “This morning we tried to skate, and after each jump, Maxim had to go to the boards. We weren’t sure he was going to be able to skate, but he pushed through.”
Ryan Dunk placed third in the free to climb from 10th place after the short to fourth overall with 172.68 points.

COMPETITOR PROFILES (listed from youngest to oldest)

Maxim Naumov
Age: 16; 8/1/01
Club: SC of Boston
Training Town: Boston, MA
Coach: Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova
Choreographer: Mathew Gates and his parents
SP: “Luck Be a Lady” performed by Frank Sinatra
FS: “Who Wants to Live Forever” performed by The Tenors
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 61.21 3A, 3F+3T / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 111.61/172.82 [E1]
He is the 2017 Novice champion and Novice bronze medalist in 2016. He made his JGP debut in Latvia (8th) this fall. He is the son of the 1994 World pairs champions Shishkova/Naumov.

Dinh Tran
Age: 16; 6/21/01
Club: SC of San Francisco
Training Town: San Francisco, CA
Coach: Jeff Crandell, Igor Samohin, Cheryl Brusch
Choreographer: Marina Klimova
SP: “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1” by Muse
FS: “Poeta” (flamenco) by Vincente Amigo
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 64.34 3F+3T, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 99.08/163.42 [P3]
He is the 2017 Novice bronze medalist and made his JGP debut in Poland (12th) this fall.
Feature article by San Jose Mercury News’ Elliott Almond & video: [Link to read/watch]

Peter Liu
Age: 17; 10/26/00
Club: SC of Wilmington
Training Town: Wilmington, DE
Coach: Viktor Pfeifer, Irina Romanova
Choreographer: I. Romanova
SP: Love theme from the Cinema Paradiso film soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, performed by Josh Groban
FS: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 53.26 2A, 3T+2T, 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 110.68/163.94 [E3]
He was 7th in Junior last year and the 2016 U.S. Novice silver medalist. He made his JGP debut in the fall of 2016. He had a late start to his competition season this year.

Ryan Dunk
Age 17; 10/14/00
Club: Baltimore FSC
Training Town: Abingdon, MD
Coach: Chris Conte, Priscilla Hill-Wampler, Audrey Weisiger
Choreographer: Ryan Dunk
SP: “Malagueña” performed by Stanley Black and His Orchestra
FS: Music from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky
SP score at Sectional, placement & planned jumps: 59.85 2A / 3Lo+3Lo, 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 107.24/167.09 [E2]
He is the 2017 Junior bronze medalist and made his JGP debut in Austria (9th) this fall.

Sasha Lunin
Age: 17; 9/20/00
Club: Fort Wayne ISC
Training Town: Fort Wayne, IN
Coach: Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin
Choreographer: Alena Lunin, Gary Beacom
SP: “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood
FS: “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla, performed by Neal Schon (guitar)
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 57.78 3T+3T, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 106.95/164.73 [M2]
He was 5th in Junior last year and the 7th in Novice in 2016.
Local Indiana article: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2017/12/28/figure-skating-family-heading-to-nationals/

Luke Ferrante
Age: 17; 9/1/00
Club: SC of Huntsville
Training Town: Huntsville, AL
Coach: Editha Dotson-Bowser
Choreographer: E. Dotson-Bowser and Scott Brown
SP: “Tango Por Una Cabeza” by Carlos Gardel, performed by Ithzak Perlman (from the Scent of a Woman film soundtrack
FS: Music from Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota performed by various artists
SP score at Sectionalv& planned jumps: 48.78 3F+combo, 2A / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 98.48/147.26 [M3]
He withdrew from the Novice event last year.

Kendrick Weston
Age: 17; 8/21/00
Club: Salt Lake FS
Training Town: Salt Lake City, UT
Coach: Lisa Kriley, Karen Stone
Choreographer: Olga Volozhinskaya
SP: “Still Got the Blues (For You)” by Gary Moore
FS: “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 59.77 3T+3T, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 102.44/162.21 [P4]
He was a late withdrawal from this event last year and was the U.S. 2015 Novice silver medalist.

Camden Pulkinen
Age: 17; 3/25/00
Club: Broadmoor SC
Training Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Coach: Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin
Choreographer: Drew Meekins (SP), Tom Dickson (FS)
SP: “Fix You” by Coldplay
FS: Frederic Chopin medley
SP planned jumps (JGP Final): 3A, 3F+3T / 3Lz
FS jumps landed (JGP Final): 3Lz+1Lo+3S, 3A+2T, 3F+3T / 3A, 2A, 3Lo, 2F, 2A
He won the silver medal at the 2017-18 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in December, setting 3 new ISU personal best scores (217.10 total, 70.90 SP, 146.20 FS), and is last year’s U.S. Junior silver medalist. He made his international debut at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Norway and has competed on the JGP for the past 2 seasons.

Alex Wellman
Age: 17; 1/26/00
Club: Broadmoor SC
Training Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Coach: Damon Allen
Choreographer: Catarina Lindgren, Tom Dickson
SP: “Asturias” by William Joseph
FS: “Divenire” by Ludovico Einaudi
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 65.21 3F+2T, 2A / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 124.26/189.47 [M1]
He is the 2016 U.S. Intermediate silver medalist.
He won the U.S. Junior Challenge Skate in Salt Lake City in Sept. 2017.

Paul Yeung
Age: 18; 10/1/99
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Simi Valley, CA
Coach: Brianna Weissmann, Bianca Marro
Choreographer: Brianna Weissmann
SP: Michael Jackson medley
FS: Music from The Godfather by Nino Rota
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 58.06 2A, 3F+3T / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 112.34/170.40 [P1]
He was 6th in Novice last year, 10th in Novice in 2016 and also competed in pairs at past Nationals.

Tony Lu
Age: 19; 11/24/98
Club: North Jersey FSC
Training Town: Abingdon, MD
Coach: Priscilla Hill-Wampler, Christian Conte
Choreographer: Nikolai Morozov
SP: “Clubbed to Death” (from The Matrix) by Rob Dougan
FS: Bare Island by Hans Zimmer & Escape by Craig Armstrong
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 55.71 3Lz, 3F+3T / 2A [previously has landed 3A]
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 103.30/159.01 [E4]
He was 6th in Junior at 2016 Nationals and is coming back from injury. He previously competed 3 times on the JGP from 2014-2015.

Patrick Frohling
Age: 19; 10/29/98
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Burbank, CA
Coach: Wendy Olson, Amy Evidente
Choreographer: Jamie Isley
SP: “Roundtable Rival” performed by Lindsey Stirling
FS: “Sign of the Times” performed by Harry Styles
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 55.24 3Lz, 3T+3T / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 113.85/169.09 [P2]
He was 8th in Novice last year.

Justin Wichmann
Age: 20; 8/20/97
Club: Dallas FSC
Training Town: Plano, TX
Coach: Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva
Choreographer: Olga Ganicheva
SP: “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince
FS: Music from Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 47.23 3F+combo, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 72.00/119.23 [M4]