2006 U.S. National Championships – Novice Report

Novice Compulsory Dances

The novice compulsory dance event started a very competitive week of ice dancing at the National Championships. The level of skating during this phase was a good indication of the week of skating at all level – exciting! It was obvious from when the first team took the ice that the competitors brought their ‘A-game’.

The Starlight Waltz and Blues are two very different rhythms with the waltz being a graceful dance with a light expression and the blues, a dance of a more edgy and serious expression.

Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell (38.73) won both compulsory dances by narrow margins over Cathy Reed and Chris Reed (38.44). The Hubbell’s, who normally are stronger in the free dance segment of events, were proud of their finish in the compulsory dances as they’ve been working hard to improve on the CD’s. While some dance teams don’t seem to enjoy the compulsory dances, the Reed’s admitted that they actually love them.

Both teams were nearly 5 points ahead of Samantha Tomarchio and Nicholas Sinchak, who were third in both dances. Tomarchio and Sinchak, who have been skating together for nearly two years, really enjoyed the experience of competing at their first national championships. Their score, 33.67, was a lead of nearly 3 points, putting them solidly in 3rd.

Placements 4-7 were a tight race to build interest heading into the free dance. Michelle Pennington and Brad Coulter, who teamed up last spring, skated two expressive performances to hold a narrow lead in fourth after both dances with a score of 30.99. Katie Wyble and Chad Reinhold finished 5th in both dances (30.10) with 2005 intermediate champions Piper Gilles and Timothy McKernan (29.34) and Shannon Wingle and Ryan Devereaux (29.15) finishing 6th and 7th and vice versa in each dance.

Isabella Cannuscio and Zachary Varraux finished in 8th place with 27.70 with Alexis Hauser and Kyle Herring close behind in 9th with 27.57.

Free Dance

Deutch and Lorello skated to “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” wearing teal and black costumes. Their program included a curve lift with Deutch in a blade-to-head position and another lift where he was in a spread eagle and she was upside down grabbing her leg behind his back. Deutch and Lorello are a first year team who finished 3 rd at Pacific Coast Sectionals. (24.50+17.63=42.13, 67.38)

Hauser and Herring, another first year team, skated to Russian folk dance music. Their program included a rotational lift where she was in a blade-to-head position, and a balance lift where he was in a besti squat and she was in a horizontal position across his leg. They received a deduction of -1, possibly for an extended lift. (26.65+19.85-1.00=45.49, 73.06)

Tibbetts and Reinhart, the 2005 U.S. Intermediate silver medalists, skated to Furioso by Paul Schwartz. Highlights of their program included a curve lift with Tibbetts in a pretzel position to a rotational lift where she was in a blade-to-head position. The program was marred only by a trip by Reinhart on the twizzles. Tibbetts and Reinhart are coached by Tiffany Hyden-Dombreck. (24.95+19.88= 44.83, 71.71)

Olson and Zuerlein skated their free dance to gypsy music. The program included clever choreography and was marred only by lost unison in the twizzles. Their lifts included a rotational lift where Olson was in a biellmann position and another where she is upside down and he is on one foot. (22.05+19.42=41.47, 66.21)

Wingle and Devereaux, the Pacific Coast Sectional champions, skated an expressive performance to a celtic medley of music. Wingle and Devereaux are coached by Igor Shpilband and train in Canton, Michigan. (28.52+ 22.38=50.90, 80.05)

Wyble and Reinhold performed a lively, entertaining program to swing and blues music from “The Mask”. Highlights included a curve lift with Wyble in a pretzel position, which changed curve direction as Wyble changed her position to blade-to-head, and a rotational lift with Wyble in a split position. Wyble and Reinhold had some of the best twizzles of the evening. (27.23+ 21.21= 48.44, 78.54)

Cannuscio and Varruax skated a Spanish-themed program to music from “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”. Highlights included a curve lift with Varraux in a besti-squat and Cannuscio in a pretzel position with her blade-to-head. The lift also changed curves. Another lift was a rotational with Cannuscio in a half split transitioning to blade-to-head. The program had a deduction of -1. (26.09+ 23.31-1.00= 48.40, 76.10)

Gilles and McKernan, the 2005 intermediate champions, skated an adorable program to music from “Triplets of Belleville”. The program included a rotational lift with Gilles in a split and then transitioning to another position, a dance spin with a change of position and a curve lift with Gilles’ blade-to-head and McKernan on one foot and then transitioning to a rotational lift. (26.30+ 22.88= 49.18, 78.52)

Reed and Reed performed an innovative program to the music “Concierto de Aranjuez”. The team is coached by Shae-Lynn Bourne and Nikolai Morozov and train in Simsbury, Connecticut. Cathy Reed is quite flexible as demonstrated with several blade-to-head lifts. The Reed’s, who narrowly missed qualifying for U.S. Nationals last year, showed high levels of confidence which was apparent in their skating and expression. They are a much faster team.

Hubbell and Hubbell’s innovative tango program was marred only by a touch down on a spin, which may have cost them the gold medal. The program was skated with confident and authentic expression. The Hubbell’s train under coaches Yasa Netchaeva and Iouri Tchesnitchenko, at their Ann Arbor Dance School and are two-time national champions (juvenile and intermediate). Their program included a move the duo call “Romeo and Juliet” where they she leans on him as he curves in a circle and another where they are parallel to the ice which they call “shoot the duck”. The Hubbell’s are recent recipients of the Michael Weiss Foundation’s scholarship.

Tomarchio and Sinchak skated a dramatic interpretation to “Carmen”. The team narrowly missed qualifying for Nationals last year, and pulled out all the stops on their presentation and technical elements with this performance. The program contained several lifts that showcased Tomarchio’s flexibility with blade-to-head maneuvers. Tomarchio and Sinchak are tall for ice dancers, with Sinchak being 6’1, but their lines are a perfect match.

Pennington and Coulter, whose free dance was choreographed by Ruslan Goncharov, skated to music from Cirque Du Soleil, including “Seisuoso”. One highlight was a lift with Coulter in a besti-squat and Pennington upside down in a near back bend position. The team scrapped an earlier program to Romeo and Juliet in favor of this new program and it seems to have paid off.