2008 Pacific Coast Sectional Championships Preview

The 2008 Pacific Coast Sectional Championships are being held this weekend in San Diego, California. Fortunately, the San Diego Ice Arena is not in an area affected by this autumn’s wildfires. 

Less than five senior teams have entered Pacific Coasts and the teams have elected not to compete in this case, so there is no senior event this year. Mimi Whetstone and Chris Obzansky, tenth in the nation last year qualify to Nationals through Pacific Coasts. 

Six teams are competing at the junior level for four berths at the National Championships. Of these, the favorites are Rachel Tibbetts and Colin Brubaker, a new team that, after a strong showing at Lake Placid, competed twice on the Junior Grand Prix this year. They finished fifth in both Romania and Croatia. 

Rachel Richardson and Brad Coulter are returning to this event after placing fifth last year. In Lake Placid in August, they finish second in their free dance group, proving that they are not the same team that missed a chance to compete at Nationals last year. 

Kaylyn Patitucci and Karl Edelmann are new team. Their season was off to a great start with fifth and sixth place finishes in Lake Placid. Last year, with different partners, Kaylyn finished fifth on the novice level at Eastern Sectionals, and Karl, after winning Midwestern Sectionals on the junior level, was seventh in the nation. 

Michelle Pennington and Andrew Skillington are another new team. Their competition at Lake Placid was highlighted by a sixth place finish in their free dance group, just behind Patitucci and Edelmann. Both skaters are competing on the junior level for the first time. Last year, Michelle finished third on the novice level at Midwestern Sectionals and 12th at Nationals. Andrew finished ninth at Novice Nationals. 

Brin Adams and Daniel Donigan return to the Pacific Coast sectionals this year after placing fifth in novice last year. They finished tenth in their compulsory dance group at Lake Placid. 

Alexis Shaw and Oleg Altukhov are new to the Pacific Coast section. Last year, they were fifth on the novice level at Easterns. Their eleventh place finish in the compulsory dances at Lake Placid was just behind Adams and Donigan. 

Nine teams will compete on the novice level at this event. As with juniors, four teams will advance to Nationals. Lauren Ely and Travis Mager have already begun their season well by qualifying for the championship round in the compulsory dance at Lake Placid. It is their first season on the novice level.  Last year, they finished fourth at Intermediate Nationals. 

Two teams are returning competitors at the novice level at this event. Lauren Corry and Donald Bradner were seventh last year. They placed ninth in their free dance group in Lake Placid. 

Tracy Tom-Hoon and Christopher Tom-Hoon were tenth in novice at Pacific Coasts last year.