2004 Eastern Sectional Championships – Novice Report

Reports by Lindsay Higgins

Novice Dance Review
As is the norm for this level, the Novice compulsory dances featured a wide range of ordinals for most teams. Blake Rosenthal and Calvin Taylor of the Skating Club of Wilmington, who won the compulsories overall, placed second in the first dance (European Waltz) with ordinals ranging from first all the way down to eighth. Their second dance, the Paso Doble, had good speed and an impressively large pattern without sacrificing edge quality. They won the Paso easily, although one judge did place them fourth. Similarly, the second-place finishers in the compulsory event, Madeline Masten and Jared Ramsdell of the Skating Club of Boston- who, ironically, did not place as high as second in either dance- placed third in the European Waltz with ordinals from second to ninth, and fourth in the Paso with ordinals from first to seventh. This team has nice line and unison, particularly for a team that has been together only since the summer. Another new team this year, Isabelle Elliman of the Skating Club of New York and Dmitri Serebrenik of the Yale Skating Club, placed third in the compulsory event. Their European Waltz was judged only sixth-best, but a strong, fast Paso Doble that was placed second pulled them up to third overall. Both skaters are small, but they get good extension and speed.

Finishing fourth in the compulsories were Jane Summersett of the New England Figure Skating Club and Elliott Pennington of the Skating Club of Boston (at right). They have incredible power, on par with some of the junior teams. Despite some odd ordinals, including a fifth, a sixth, and a tenth, Summersett and Pennington won the European Waltz with nice speed and extension. Their Paso, however, was marred by an unfortunate fall in the crossroll section. They placed eighth in this dance- although one judge did have them in second- and would likely have been first or second without the fall. In addition to their impressive power, they have nice deep edges.

After another day of practice, the general consensus was that the top three teams after the free dance would likely be Rosenthal and Taylor, Summersett and Pennington, and Masten and Ramsdell. The fourth spot at Nationals, however, was wide open. Among the teams being mentioned as having a chance at the fourth slot were Elliman and Serebrenik, as well as Ashley Elliott and Justin Thelan, who finished fifth in both compulsory dances, and Caitlin Dail and Nicholas Sinchak, who finished ninth in the European Waltz and third in the Paso Doble for sixth place overall in the compulsories. Isabella Tobias and James Warren, who placed fourth in the European Waltz and tenth in the Paso Doble, were in a three-way tie for seventh place following the compulsories and were also considered to have an outside shot at fourth place.
Dail and Sinchak skated to “Adagio” by Tomas Albinoni (the same music Bourne and Kraatz used for their free dance last season) and “Duel” by the ever-popular string quartet Bond. To their credit, the free dance was not a rip-off of the World Champions’. They have nicely-matched line and an attractive soft style. However, their ninth-place finish in the free dance put them in ninth place overall. Caitlin’s brother Matthew, with whom she used to skate, placed seventh overall with his new partner Alexa Bradshaw-Kreimer.

Skating to “Concierto de Aranjuez” by Rodrigo Isabella Tobias and James Warren ran into costume problems toward the end of their free dance. It appeared that the fringe on her dress somehow got caught on his shirt. The interruption was long enough that their music was turned off, and once untangled the referee allowed them to start from where they had stopped. After the short break, their circular footwork was quick and powerful. This team is very small physically, but they have quick feet and good power, and because Tobias is so tiny they have excellent lifts. They placed third in the free dance, but it was not quite enough to make up for the tenth-place finish in the Paso Doble. They finished fifth overall.

Madeline Masten and Jared Ramsdell were fourth in the free dance. Wearing red, they skated to Donna Summer’s 1970’s hit “Last Dance”. Masten and Ramsdell match very well physically; both are tall and slim and together they have a more mature look than some of the other Novice teams. They too had strong, secure lifts, especially for taller skaters. Clearly having fun, especially with the fast section of the program, they earned a well-deserved spot at the National Championships by finishing third overall.

Summersett and Pennington continued to fight back from their fall in the Paso Doble by winning the free dance. Her dress was a pretty combination of muted oranges and yellows, while he wore n orange sash over his black pants and shirt. Their music was African-sounding percussion, starting with a xylophone and finishing with interesting combinations of drums. Like Masten and Ramsdell, Summersett and Pennington have a mature style and nice carriage. They also have incredible speed and power, and good unison. A medal at Nationals is not out of the question for this team.

Wearing blue and white, Blake Rosenthal and Calvin Taylor (at right) skated their free dance to a rock-and-roll medley. This team, like Tobias and Warren, is small and they take full advantage of it in their lifts. Their side-by-side twizzles had nice unison and they maintained good speed through the dance spin. The rock-and-roll style allowed them to show good expression as well. Their second-place finish in the free dance, combined with their second-place European Waltz and the win in the Paso Doble, gave them the Eastern title. This is another team that could medal at Nationals.

The fourth spot at Nationals was up for grabs, and Isabelle Elliman and Dmitri Serebrenik stepped up and took it. Their Gershwin music was a perfect choice for another young-looking team, and her pink dress, along with his tux and tails, complemented it nicely. They have nice knee bend and line, and good speed and power for smaller skaters. It will be interesting to see where they are a year from now with a bit more experience.