De la Mora and Wilson focus on clean programs in run up to nationals

Brianna de la Mora and Taylor Wilson are no stranger to the national stage.  In their four years as a team, they have qualified for nationals every year.  They finished 8th as Juniors last season and that result earned them a trip to JGP Austria where they made their international debut (you can read their pre-season interview here).  They're looking to climb the junior ranks in Omaha with a retooled free skate and more consistent side by side jumps.  

You competed in your first JGP event this season (Austria) and placed 11th. Tell me about that experience and what you took away from International competition.

We had a great time competing in Austria and find ourselves telling each other “We want to go compete overseas again!”  We learned many things and realized that competition was just a small step in the long run.

Are there any elements in particular you’ve been focusing on for nationals?

We have been focusing on our side by side jumps and overall consistency on our elements.  Also, we have changed our free skate program quite a bit so we have been focusing on the program as a whole including new transitions and some different elements.

You have a triple twist planned in your free skate.  Do you think that gives you an advantage?

We think it does give us somewhat of an advantage because not everyone in junior pairs had a triple twist and we are hoping it will help us stand out as a top team.

One of your signature moves is your throw triple lutz which you didn't attempt at sectionals.  Will we be seeing that element at nationals?

We probably wont attempt the throw lutz.  We are trying to skate our programs as clean as possible.

What are your goals for nationals?

Our goals are to perform two great programs and to be among the top teams in junior pairs.

Going into nationals, what would you consider your biggest strength?  Your biggest weakness and how have you been working to overcome it?

A strength for us would be our lifts and the fact that it is our second year at the junior level so we feel more comfortable competing this year.  Weaknesses for us would be side by side jumps, but leading up to Nationals we are working to get them more consistent.

As a team, you're aging out of juniors internationally after this season.  What kind of international assignments are you hoping for next season?

Next season we would like to get some type of senior B assignment, although we are not sure if we want to move up to senior next season as of right now.

Are there any teams or skaters you're looking forward to seeing at nationals?

This year at Nationals Brianna and I are finally getting to stay the entire week; we are definitely looking forward to spending time with friends after we compete and watching all of the other events that we have always had to watch on TV.