2012 U.S. Championships – Novice Recap
Novice Pattern Dance Re-Cap
by IDC Staff
The 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships kicked off today with the novice pattern dances. For the first time at nationals, a leveled version of the pattern dances was competed. Instead of just segments that receive a Grade of Execution, the dances are broken down into segments that have required elements that determine what level (1-4) is awarded to that segment. A GOE is then given, too.
This year the novice dancers opened with the leveled Argentine Tango. An added twist was that the skaters could choose their own music, as long as it matched the required number of beats. They did two full patterns — split into three leveled segments each — for a total of six required elements to receive GOEs from the judges.
1S1 (the first third of the first “lap” of the Argentine Tango) had the following values: Level 1=1.00, Level 2=1.50, Level 3=2.00, and Level 4=2.50. This would be indicated on the score sheets as 1S11, 1S12, etc.
1S2 (the second third of the first “lap” of the Argentine Tango) had the following values: Level 1=1.40, Level 2=2.10, Level 3=2.80, and Level 4=3.50. This would be indicated on the score sheets as 1S21, 1S22, etc.
1S3 (the third third of the first “lap” of the Argentine Tango) has the same values as the first. This would be indicated on the score sheets as 1S31, 1S32, etc.
For the second pattern, the levels are bumped up a bit in value.
2S1 values are: Level 1=1.2 (2S11), Level 2=1.7 (2S12), Level 3=2.3 (2S13), Level 4=2.9 (2S14).
And so on. You can view the full scale of values HERE. Achieving level 4s can boost a team’s base score significantly.
Winners of the Argentine Tango, Whitney Miller & Kyle MacMillan (pictured), had the highest base score of the 12 teams in this dance, 13.80. They had only one level 1 and one level 2. The other four segments were called level 3s. The third segment on both patterns received net negative GOE, but they netted positive GOE on the others for a Technical Element Score of 14.82. Combined with the second-highest PCS of the competition (17.89), their total segment score of 22.90 put them in first place. (The total segment score is 70% of the TES+PCS-Deductions.)
With the highest PCS in the Argentine Tango (18.15), Holly Moore & Daniel Klaber placed a close second, just 0.25 behind. They, too, had negative GOE on both third sections. Their base value was 13.40, with the levels being split three 2s and three 3s. Slightly lower overall GOE gave them a TES of 14.20 and a total segment score of 22.65.
Hannah Rosinski & Jacob Jaffe placed third in the Argentine with a score of 21.37. They had one level 3 and the rest level 2s for a base value of 12.50. Their GOE bumped their TES up to 13.57 and their PCS was 16.96.
Only one team earned a level 4 in the Argentine Tango, Madison George & Brad Kleffman, who received it on the 1S1. They finished the dance in fifth (18.63) behind Sierra Chadwick & Alexander Martin who had 18.68.
The top three teams in the Argentine earned the same spots in the second pattern dance, the Starlight Waltz. Again, the dance was “leveled,” although this time the teams could not choose their own music.
Whitney Miller & Kyle MacMillan earned four level 4s and two level 2s for the highest base value in the field, 16.60. Excellent execution of the entire dance added all positive net GOE for a TES of 19.84. They also received the highest PCS of the Starlight, 18.76, which brought their segment total to 24.86. Combined with their Argentine Tango scores, Miller & MacMillan go into the free dance in first place with 50.06.
Moore & Klaber’s total of 47.51 puts them second heading into the free dance. Although they were just 0.20 lower in PCS, Moore & Klaber managed only one level 4 (plus two 3s and three 2s) that brought in their base value at 14.40. With the GOE added, their TES was 16.76.
With no level 4s, Rosinski & Jaffe’s base value was 13.30. Their GOE brought their TES to 15.02. Their Program Components averaged almost 5.00, giving them an additional 17.91 to bring their Starlight Waltz total to 23.05. They enter the free dance in third with 44.42.
The second-highest base score in the Starlight Waltz was earned by Hannah Pfeifer & Grant Lorello, with 15.20. They finished this segment in fifth, but after a shaky Argentine, stand in 10th after both pattern dances.
Level 4s were also earned by Chloe Rose Lewis & Logan Bye (14.80 base value) and Stacey Siddon & Jared Weiss (14.70 BV). They placed fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Starlight Waltz. Lewis & Bye are fourth heading into the free dance (38.62) just ahead of Chadwick & Martin (38.19). Siddon & Weiss are sixth overall with 36.64.
The novice competition concludes tomorrow with the free dance. It begins at 10:30 a.m. San Jose time.
Novice Free Dance Recap
by IDC Staff
The first medalists at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were decided Monday morning. Novice ice dancing was the first of the 12 events to conclude in San Jose, California. Holly Moore & Daniel Klaber won the free dance and took first overall with a score of 109.53 en route to the gold medal. Leaders after the pattern dances, Whitney Miller & Kyle MacMillan, placed second in the free dance and won silver with their total 108.13. Hannah Rosinski & Jacob Jaffe, who were third after the pattern dances by almost six points, placed fourth in the free dance but had enough of a lead to capture the bronze medal. Third in the free dance, Chloe Lewis & Logan Bye, will take home the pewter medal.
Moore & Klaber drew to skate last, and it made for an exciting conclusion to the novice dance competition. Bedazzling in red (and some black) with her spiffy partner in black (and some red) Moore channeled her inner Kaitlyn Weaver+Taylor Swift-hybrid sass and made “Le Jazz Hot” just that — hot. The teen duo set the tone and attitude right from the beginning, attacking their elements without making it look like they actually had required elements. Everything flowed and was woven throughout the choreography.
With high levels (4s on everything except the footwork (3) and the twizzles (2)) and their lowest Grades of Execution being a base 0 (and only three of the 54 GOE were 0s), Moore & Klaber showed why the deserved gold. Their final element, a rotational lift, was so strong (Moore held her skate blade to her scalp!) that one of the judges awarded it a +3.
A bonus for the audience was the sheer joy and fun the team seemed to be having. Moore & Klaber skated like champions. No doubt. No hesitation. Just get in character, nail the elements, finish in character — and then hug! Sitting in the kiss and cry awaiting their scores, the skaters and their large contingency of coaches knew they could not have done better. When the announcer began to read their scores, as soon as she got out the word “sixty…” coach Natalia Deller gasped. When the announcer finished saying their free dance score (62.02) and that they were in first place, Moore let out a small shriek, clutched her partner, and then burst into tears.
“We love our free dance,” Moore told reporters after leaving the kiss and cry. “I really hope that showed and [the audience] could share in how much fun we were having. We worked hard this season and it really paid off.”
“As soon as the music came on, I forgot everything,” Klaber said. “It felt like it does every day.”
“We got a personal best score, so that was very exciting,” Moore added. “I think that over the season the program has really built, and it all just came to this and we just left it all out on the ice.”
In their first season together, Whitney Miller & Kyle MacMillan came to San Jose with four previous national medals between the two of them. Today they added a silver to their cache.
“It felt like it was one of our best skates, and we were really happy with the scores,” Miller said. The 108.13 event total blew away their previous best of 98.75.
Miller & MacMillan’s free dance to the music “Hungarian Gypsy Waltz” and “Pet Nahych Berusek” earned 58.07. The three lifts were all called level 4s and earned net positive GOE. Their footwork was only a level 2, but it was their highest scoring element (6.14) due to it receiving their highest GOE. Their spin and twizzles were level 3s, while their Program Component Scores went as high as 6.0.
“Unlike the last times we have done [the program] the second half had a lot of energy,” MacMillan said. “The first half was light, but also had energy.”
Bronze medalists Hannah Rosinski & Jacob Jaffe earned 54.71 for their James Brown medley free dance.
“We were really excited!” Rosinski said. “We feel that it was our best free dance performance that we’ve ever competed.”
Rosinski & Jaffe earned level 4s on their lifts, level 2s on their footwork and spin, and a level 3 for their opening element, the synchronized twizzles. The twizzles were a bit far apart and a little wild, but they were OK, earning GOE of 0 to +1.
“That’s what I’m most nervous about because I screwed up on them at sectionals,” Rosinski said, recalling the level 2 with negative GOE from November, “but I’m really happy that I got them today.”
“I think we just really got into it after the twizzles,” Jaffe said. “It’s just a really fun program.”
The gold and bronze medalists train together in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, but there was no sign of any bitter rivalry — just the opposite. Rosinski had nothing but kind words for Moore & Klaber.
“They were awesome!” she said. “We’re so proud of them. They’re so much fun to train with because they push us and motivate us to skate harder, and I think we do the same for them and they really deserve it. We’re very happy for them.”
Chloe Lewis and Logan Bye’s performance to “Prince Igor” was ranked third in the free dance, and received level 4s for all of their lifts and their spin.