2006 U.S. Nationals

Novice Dance

 

 

 
Standings
Place Couple C1 C2 FD
1 Cathy Reed & Chris Reed 2 2 1
2 Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell 1 1 2
3 Samantha Tomarchio & Nicholas Sinchak 3 3 3
4 Michelle Pennington & Brad Coulter 4 4 4
5 Shannon Wingle & Ryan Devereaux 6 7 5
6 Katie Wyble & Chad Reinhold 5 5 7
7 Piper Gilles & Timothy McKernan 7 6 6
8 Isabella Cannuscio & Zachary Varraux 8 9 8
9 Alexis Hauser & Kyle Herring 9 8 9
10 Rachel Tibbets & Eric Reinhart 10 10 10
11 Genevieve Deutch & Alexander Lorello 12 11 11
12 Anastasia Olson & Greg Zuerlein 11 12 12

 

Compulsory Dance

Blues
Starlight Waltz

 
Starting Order - Compulsory Dance

     Couple 1 begins the first compulsory dance.
     Couple 7 begins the second compulsory dance.

  1. Piper Gilles & Timothy McKernan
  2. Alexis Hauser & Kyle Herring
  3. Katie Wyble & Chad Reinhold
  4. Samantha Tomarchio & Nicholas Sinchak
  5. Genevieve Deutch & Alexander Lorello
  6. Shannon Wingle & Ryan Devereaux
  7. Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell
  8. Isabella Cannuscio & Zachary Varraux
  9. Anastasia Olson & Greg Zuerlein
  10. Cathy Reed & Chris Reed
  11. Rachel Tibbets & Eric Reinhart
  12. Michelle Pennington & Brad Coulter

 

Compulsory Dance Placements
Place Couple C1 C2
1 Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell 1 1
2 Cathy Reed & Chris Reed 2 2
3 Samantha Tomarchio & Nicholas Sinchak 3 3
4 Michelle Pennington & Brad Coulter 4 4
5 Katie Wyble & Chad Reinhold 5 5
6 Piper Gilles & Timothy McKernan 7 6
7 Shannon Wingle & Ryan Devereaux 6 7
8 Isabella Cannuscio & Zachary Varraux 8 9
9 Alexis Hauser & Kyle Herring 9 8
10 Rachel Tibbets & Eric Reinhart 10 10
10 Genevieve Deutch & Alexander Lorello 12 11
12 Anastasia Olson & Greg Zuerlein 11 12

 

 


by Martha L. Kimball

It was a good day for brother-and-sister dance teams. Madison and Keiffer Hubbell, fifth last year in the Novice event and winners of the Estonia International Dance Competition, finished the Compulsory event in first place while Cathy and Chris Reed, Eastern champions, ended second.

The Hubbells’ career path ran counter to the usual pattern: beginning as a sibling team, then switching to other partners. They began with other partners, then teamed up. Said Madison, "We have a really close relationship off the ice, so it helps on the ice, too." By their assessment, the free dance has been their strength in the past, but this season they strengthened their compulsories, and it showed in their smooth, capable executions of the Blues and the Starlight Waltz. The former Juvenile and Intermediate champions were ill last year when Nationals came around, so they were pleased to be able to put their best work on the ice in 2006.

A relatively tall duo at 5’7" and 6’0, the team from Sylvania, OH, who represent the Ann Arbor FSC, skated the Blues in deep red costumes, exhibiting soft knees and good lean. Opening the Starlight Waltz section wearing slightly unconventional costumes in graduated shades of burnt orange, they demonstrated easy grace and received comparable scores as those they had garnered in the Blues segment.

The Reeds began as singles skaters and decided five years ago to become a dance team. They attribute a large part of their current success to a switch in coaches. Working with Shae-Lynn Bourne and Nikoli Morozov has given them "new expression and confidence." They enjoy the fact that Bourne is "always happy" and even puts them through some of her patented hydroblading drills. Cathy, 18, is 5’6". Chris, 16, is 5’11". The siblings represent the SC of Morris, NJ, and train in Simsbury, CT, where the depth and breadth of talent, they say enthusiastically, serve as constant inspiration, never intimidation.

The Reeds’ scores for the two dances were comparable. They chose black and gold costumes for the Blues and white with mint trim on Cathy’s dress for the Starlight Waltz, exhibiting nice lean and command.

Samantha Tomarchio & Nicholas Sinchak, second to the Reeds at Easterns, ended the Compulsory Dance segment in third place. Choosing red and black for the Blues and pink and black for the Starlight Waltz, the duo received slightly higher scores for the former. Skating at their first Nationals, they pronounced themselves "ecstatic."

Tomarchio, 15, at 5’5", is considerably shorter than Sinchak, 18, who stands a full 6’1". The disparity seems to work to their advantage. "I think it might help with our quality," said Tomarchio, noting that she and her partner are very well matched.

The Maryland team that trains in Laurel has the advantage of the inspiration and expertise of the great ice dancer Genrikh Sretenski. "He’s amazing," said Tomarchio, "even off the ice." The part of the year to which she most looks forward is choreography time, when Sretenski ponders soberly and then bursts forth with inspiration that flows from his very hands as he demonstrates positions. "All of his choreography is completely different," the duo noted. One program is never like another.

The top three scores going into the free dance stood at 38.73, 38.44, and 33.67.

 

Free Dance

 
Starting Order - Free Dance
  1. Genevieve Deutch & Alexander Lorello
  2. Alexis Hauser & Kyle Herring
  3. Rachel Tibbets & Eric Reinhart
  4. Anastasia Olson & Greg Zuerlein
  5. Shannon Wingle & Ryan Devereaux
  6. Katie Wyble & Chad Reinhold
  7. Isabella Cannuscio & Zachary Varraux
  8. Piper Gilles & Timothy McKernan
  9. Cathy Reed & Chris Reed
  10. Michelle Pennington & Brad Coulter
  11. Samantha Tomarchio & Nicholas Sinchak
  12. Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell

 

Free Dance Placements
Place Couple
1 Cathy Reed & Chris Reed
2 Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell
3 Samantha Tomarchio & Nicholas Sinchak
4 Michelle Pennington & Brad Coulter
5 Shannon Wingle & Ryan Devereaux
6 Piper Gilles & Timothy McKernan
7 Katie Wyble & Chad Reinhold
8 Isabella Cannuscio & Zachary Varraux
9 Alexis Hauser & Kyle Herring
10 Rachel Tibbets & Eric Reinhart
11 Genevieve Deutch & Alexander Lorello
12 Anastasia Olson & Greg Zuerlein

 

 

 


By Alexandra Stevenson

The Reeds, who, last year, were a disappointed fifth in sectionals and so, marginally, failed to make Novice Nationals, overtook another brother and sister team, the Hubbells, to grasp the gold. On Sunday, both they and the Hubbells received the same marks on the first compulsory although that tie was broken on the technical score, just as it used to be under the old system. After the Starlight Waltz they were only a fraction, 0.29 points, behind the Hubbells who led. But the Reeds had not dreamed of actually winning, because the free was their main rivals’ strong point.

"I didn’t give it any thought at all. It was all up to the judges," said Cathy, who is two years older than her 16 year old brother, Chris. He was just besides himself with delight. "This is our first nationals, and this is the best memory of my life," he said with a huge grin. They finished 1.39 ahead of the Hubbells.

The Reeds will repeat their free dance, in which they interprete Concerto de Aranjuez, for their exhibition at the Savvis Arena on Sunday. They wear intense black velvet outfits with cutouts. They are not worried about the lack of practice time leading up to that opportunity because, says Cathy, "We know we can do it. We’ve done it so many times."

The routine begins with a vocal section to which they executed a Level 3 closed circular footwork which gained a Grade of Execution of +1.43. That was followed by a straight line Level 4 lift for which they received a positive but lesser GoE of 0.43. None of their subsequent four elements got less than Level 4 and all were positive GoE’s.

Their program components scores were 0.80 less than the Hubbells but they were 2.48 points ahead on the technical scores. "We couldn’t have skated better," agreed Cathy.

They are now looking forward to the novice seminar in which they will get to trial judge the junior original. Cathy explained. "We will move into the official hotel in St. Louis (from the Novice one out in St. Charles near the airport). We will learn how to respond to the media, and be told about nutrition and exercise."

The Hubbells could not help but be disappointed. Their overnight minuscule lead had mushroomed into a 1.39 point deficit mainly because of their flubbed third move, the combination spin. They were given only a Level 1 and a negative 0.64 GoE. They received Level 4’s for four moves including their curve lift in which she is lying on her back on her brother, and their straight line lift in which both of them are in back shoot-the-duck positions with their bodies almost horizontal to the ice.

"We have done the curve lift before and people called it a Romeo & Juliet, I guess because it looks as if we’ve both died," said Madison. Also bringing their score slightly down was a Level 2 for their closed circular step sequence.

Their 2005 fifth place in Novices in Portland put pressure on the Hubbells to medal this time, and that did not help.

The blonde Madison has quite the air of a diva which definitely enhanced their Tango medley free. The routine provided them with a great opportunity to show off and reach out to the audience. But you can’t win with one element messed up out of a total of six. "The mistake cost us," Madison freely admits, "but we’re still proud of what we did and of the silver. We’ll live to fight another time."

Keiffer, her brother, who will be 16 on Sunday, said they were looking forward to being juniors next year and doing an original which does not form part of novice competition. The rhythm for next season’s original is Tango. It’s because they like this rhythm so much that they chose a Tango for the theme of their free this year.

"We won’t adapt it. That would be too hard. The original is half a minute shorter. We are looking forward to putting a new routine together and working on it. It’s a new beginning," Madison explained. She also said she particular likes "the stops" aspect of a Tango.

Tomarchio & Sinchak were third. They lay 4.77 points behind the then second placed Reeds after the compulsories and finished up a significant 6.22 marks below the Hubbells.

Their Carmen, however, had an intensity that was extremely enjoyable and, although their closed circular footwork was slowish, it matched the music perfectly. None of their moves had negative GoE’s. Four moves were Level 4 and the two others, the spin and the closed circular footwork, Level 2.

"We’ve just thrilled to be here at our first Nationals," said Sinchak. The duo had choregraphed their routine before the world champions, Tatiana Navka & Roman Kostomarov, revealed to the public that they had chosen this music.

They have now seen the Russians’ rendition but aren’t intimidated by it at all. "I feel that from an interpretation point of view, from the choreography of how we tell the love story and then the fight and death, that ours is better. I learned how to die properly," said Tomarchio. They have both seen the ballet and Tomarchio has also seen a video of the opera sung in French but with English sub-titles.

When asked, how Sinchak could project the intensity of Don Jose, who kills his love because her heart has been stolen by another, Sinchak explained he’d had his car stolen, and he felt pretty violent about that.

In fourth place were Michelle Pennington, 16, & Brad Coulter, who turned 17 on January 2. They were 2.68 behind Tomarchio & Sinchak after the compulsories but a massive 7.68 behind at the event’s conclusion. Dressed in red, black and gold, they began with a Tango followed by music from Cirque du Soleil, which seemed somewhat dull and not very audience appealing. They finished 2.81 ahead of Wingle & Devereaux.

Pennington & Coulter are trained by Elena Grushina & Ruslan Goncharov along with Evgini Neveroski. They haven’t yet thought about whether they will stay at novice level or advance to juniors for next season. They were thrilled to be wearing costumes made for their instructors who are the world’s third ranked ice dancers, Ukrainians who have lived in the United States for over a decade. Quite a bit of alteration had to be made to adjust the fit.

2.81 points behind Pennington & Coulter, climbing up from seventh place after the initial round to fifth overall, were the Pacific Coast champions, Shannon Wingle, 15, & Ryan Devereaux, 16, who train with Igor Shpilband. They chose Celtic Medley, containing lively Irish fiddle music with a slow middle section. She wore a red backless dress with gold on the bodice and sleeves. He was in a white shirt and black pants. Her long, very slim legs helped create some nice lines.

Katie Wyble, who turned 16 today, & Chad Reinhold, 17, pupils of Bob Mock and Barb Gahagen, in Delmont, PA, gave a refreshing performance to a Swing & Blues number to music from the movie, The Mask. They lay fifth but dropped to sixth overall 1.51 points behind Wingle & Devereaux.

2005 U.S. intermediate champions, Piper Gilles, who will turn 14 on January 16, & Timothy McKernan, 16, who were sixth after the compulsories, finished seventh overall, an annoying 0.02 behind Wyble & Reinhold. They gave an amusing interpretation of music from the soundtrack of Triplets of Belleville. It opened with a dipperty-do start, followed by a French Blues-y middle and a drum energetic conclusion. (Yes, she’s one of Todd Gilles, the senior ice dancer’s younger twin sisters.)

Isabella Cannuscio, who was 15 on December 29, & Zachary Varraux, 17, are taught by the Ludingtons and Brian Helgenberg at the University of Delaware. They chose Once Upon a Time in Mexico. She wore a low cut, knee-length suitably Mexican looking dress. I found his matador jacket a little distracting. It was open in the front and had a split in the back. Their final frenetically fast move, a rotational lift, was impressive. They stayed eighth increasing their lead over Hauser & Herring substantially from 0.13 to 3.04.

Alexis Hauser, who turned 16 on December 27, & Kyle Herring, 16, gave a spirited performance to Russian Folk Dance, which seemed to be a tribute to Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsinnikov’s routine from the 1996 season. They are pupils of the relatively new professionals Christie Moxley and Sasha Kirsanov. They stayed ninth

Rachel Tibbetts, 14, & Eric Reinhart, 17, pupils of Tiffany Hyden-Dombeck, presented an ambitious program starting with a one-handed rotational lift and a very low pairs spin. They were dressed in deep red reflecting the somber nature of their chanting Furioso music by Paul Schwartz. They finished 10th, increasing their lead over Deutch & Lorella from 1.72 up to a significant 4.43.

Genevieve Deutch, 15, & Alexander Lorello, 18, pupils of Gennady Karponosov, got the event off to a good start performing a pleasant number to Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Their outfits had free-flowing chiffon which gave a swirling feel to their movements. They remained 11th increasing their lead slightly to 1.07 over Olson & Zuerlein.

Anastasia Olson, 13, & Greg Zuerlein, 17, who train in Canton and Bloomfield Hills in MI, presented a Russian Gypsy number in elaborate, authentic looking mostly red and purple outfits with tassels and embroidery and a knee length skirt for her. They stayed 12th.

Technical Specialist for the event was April Sargent with Hal Marron her assistant.

The beautiful, fairly new two bowl Family Arena in St. Charles facility dwarfed the small number of spectators but those who were there gave all the competitors a warm welcome.

Judges

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