2013 JGP Mexico Blog: Gracias y Adios
What a great experience JGP Mexico has been! Team USA was incredible this week and I am so proud of my teammates for a great international debut.
Thursday was the short program for ice dance and men. When Jean Luc and I got to the rink to warm up for competition, there was quite a commotion going on at Fun Central Cuautitlan – the ice was melting! Luckily, by the time we got on the ice to compete, the rink had managed to fix the melting ice although it was still pretty rough. Despite the ice conditions, short dance for Jean-Luc and I went very well and we finished first, followed by the Canadians and the Italians. After the Short Dance, Jean-Luc and I and our parents grabbed a quick bite to eat and came back to the rink to cheer on the men. Unfortunately, Tomaki (Hiwatashi) was injured on Wednesday’s practice and couldn’t compete. We wish him a quick and successful recovery! Nathan Chen skated last out of 18 men and by the time he was on the ice, there was a giant thunderstorm happening. Jean-Luc and I didn’t know how he heard his music, but he assured us later that he didn’t notice all of the crazy weather conditions when he was performing. He skated flawlessly, and all of Team USA gave him a standing-O!
Friday was a day off of competition for the ice dancers. We only had one practice in the early afternoon, but we also experienced an unexpected adventure on our way to the rink. After getting on our first bus to the rink, about five minutes into the drive our bus driver pulled off of the highway and started driving through a very, well for lack of better words, interesting part of Mexico City. We found out a few minutes later that the bus was stuck in first gear and we needed to go back to the hotel to switch transportation. The only problem was… our bus driver didn’t know how to get back to the hotel! After ten minutes of driving through the city, a police car drove by and stopped to help for directions. Not only did he tell the driver how to get back to the hotel, we also got a police escort. That was quite an experience! (See photos below, complements of our coach Massy). Despite our detour through the neighborhoods of Mexico, we still managed to make it to the rink on time for our practice (thank goodness)! Ladies and men competed their programs that afternoon and Mariah, Polina and Nathan skated great. Congrats to Nathan for his first JGP gold medal!
Saturday was the last day of competition and was also a very early morning for the ice dancers. My alarm clock rang at 4:15am and I was up to get ready for an 8am practice (it’s safe to say I was a little sleepy that morning). After practice was done, Jean-Luc and I went back to the hotel took a quick nap and headed back to the rink for the free dance. We were extremely happy with both of our performances and it was the icing on top of the cake to have earned our first JGP gold medal! I would like to congratulate all of the teams on surviving competing at altitude. 7800ft is a challenge and I have a newfound respect for the strength and conditioning that all the athletes were required to have in order to make it through their programs. I am definitely looking forward to being back to train at sea level!
After the dancers event, it was the ladies turn to skate their free programs – both girls skated great and added to the Team USA medal count by two, earning first and third. What an incredible week for US Figure Skating- GOLD medals in ALL disciplines! I am very proud of my team for a fantastic competition. You made our country proud!
After the competition was done, the LOC in Mexico City hosted an INCREDIBLE banquet with traditional Mexican dancing, music, and food! It was a great experience to meet other skaters from around the world and finish a great competition with a celebration (see photos below).
Up next is JGP Poland in a week for Jean-Luc and I. I look forward to keeping you updated as the season goes by. Buenos noches!
~ Kaitlin