The Paso Doble compulsory dance kicked off the junior ice dancing event in Cleveland. Although the Paso Doble was a novice dance this season, it was also selected by the ISU as a junior compulsory dance for the 2008/09 season. Because it was drawn as the CD for the junior dance event at the U.S. Championships, dance fans were treated to a second round of Pasos on Monday night.

Although the pattern and steps are (or should be) the same from team to team, each couple brings their own style and interpretation of the dance. Which would the judges prefer? A large pattern? Sharp, crisp movements? Speed and flow?

Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein of the Arctic Figure Skating Club took the lead with a performance that was smooth and technically well-executed. The 2008 Junior Grand Prix Final champions skated with confidence and finesse and received nine +2 GOEs. They were one of only two teams to receive a technical score over 18 points, pulling in 18.44. Combined with the only 14+ Program Components Score of the event, Chock & Zuerlein take 32.90 into the original dance.

In second place and less than one point behind Chock & Zuerlein, Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani presented a dance with a larger pattern and sharp, precise steps and received five +2 GOEs as part of their 18.04 TES. They also had the second-highest PCS, 13.94, for a total of 31.98.

The teams in spots 3-8 are only separated by 1.92, a margin easily overcome with two phases left in the event.

Piper Gilles & Zachary Donohue occupy the third place. Donohue is skating in his first "Big Nationals," and he and Gilles continue to mesh well together. The team was dinged with negative GOEs for mistakes on the first half of the first pattern, but rebounded to finish strong on the final two laps. Gilles & Donohue are 2.48 behind the Shibutanis.

Shannon Wingle & Tim McKernan are fourth and skated a confident, powerful Paso with lots of flavor. They received negative GOEs on the first part of the second pattern, scoring 28.92 total and putting them .58 behind Gilles & Donohue.

In fifth are Rachel Tibbetts & Collin Brubaker skated a somewhat sloppy dance that dinged them with a dozen negative GOEs. The Colorado-based team took a free dance-style approach to the Paso, dressing more Spartacus than bullfighter and earning one of the four 5+ performance scores. . They sit .38 behind Wingle & McKernan.

Sixth place belongs to Katie Wyble & Justin Morrow, whose only negative GOEs came on the last part of the last pattern. Wyble & Morrow finished fifth at the 2008 U.S. Championships at the novice level and are .38 behind Tibbetts & Brubaker in their junior debut.

Only .09 separates trainingmates Chloe Wolf & Rhys Ainsworth (seventh in the CD) and Isabella Cannuscio & Ian Lorello (eighth). Cannuscio & Lorello won Eastern Sectionals while Wolf & Ainsworth finished fourth at the same event. In Cleveland, Cannuscio & Lorello were hampered by negative GOEs on the second part of the first and second patterns when repeated stumbles marred their flow. They earned 27.58, a hair above Wolf & Ainsworth's 27.67.

Sara Bailey & Kyle Herring had a freak fall near the end of their Paso that sent both of them heading dangerously close to kissing the boards. On top of the -2.36 cut from their TES, Bailey & Herring were hit with the additional -2 deduction for a double fall. Bailey & Herring will undoubtedly move up with their exceptional original dance.

No one can rest easy, as the field is too deep and too unpredictable.