Midwest Sectionals Senior Ladies Results

Place	Start No.	Name	Short Program		Free Skate		Total Score
			Place	Score	Place	Score
1	11	Ashley Cain, Stars FSC of Texas	1	55.83	1	105.66	161.49
2	13	Becky Bereswill, Detroit SC	2	51.69	2	97.75	149.44
3	12	Kiri Baga, FSC of Bloomington	3	51.06	3	90.36	141.42
4	9	Morgan Bell, Rocky Mountain FSC	4	49.04	4	84.02	133.06
5	10	Carly Gold, Wagon Wheel FSC	5	46.92	6	77.36	124.28
6	7	Nina Jiang, Texas Gulf Coast FSC	7	41.87	7	76.55	118.42
7	4	Chelsea Christopher, Winterhurst FSC	10	37.10	5	79.09	116.19
8	6	Lexis Verhulst, FSC of Madison	8	41.76	8	65.92	107.68
9	8	Amber Walczyk, Detroit SC	6	42.54	10	62.90	105.44
10	5	Kacie Kotnik, Lincoln Center FSC	9	38.93	9	63.11	102.04
11	2	Jessica Young, DuPage FSC	11	34.26	11	59.96	94.22
12	1	Melissa Jaggers, Oklahoma City FSC	12	33.55	12	58.34	91.89
13	3	Julia Liao, Colorado College	13	31.19	13	53.78	84.97

Jiang tackles triple combinations, senior level

Nina Jiang is a 14 year old who represents the Texas Gulf Coast Figure Skating Club.  She represented the U.S. internationally in 2010 at JGP France, placing 5th.  She has won national titles at the Juvenile and Intermediate levels and is making her senior debut in San Jose.  She won bronze at the Southwestern Regionals and gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Jiang talked to me about competing at the senior level, new jumps and her goals for nationals.

Tell me about yourself outside of skating.
I play the piano every morning before I go skate. I love to read, go shopping, and hang out with friends.

How would you describe your skating to someone who had never seen you skate before?

I would describe my skating as serious, but captivating and nice to watch.

You competed as a junior the last two seasons at nationals and are making the jump to senior this year.  What challenges do you think that brings?  What opportunities?

I think that skating senior for the first time there isn't much for me to lose and so much to gain from this season. It's just a really great year, this year, for me to grow, get stronger, and to improve on what I've got.

You are one of the youngest skaters at the senior level and aren't even old enough to compete internationally as a senior.  What made you decide to compete as a senior this season?

I think that it made me grow up a lot to be a senior. It really pushed me to be more mature in my skating and really motivated me to work harder to be competitive with the very best in the nation. It's also good experience to be a senior and have that under my belt in the years leading up to the Olympics.

Are there any new technical elements that you've added for this season or anything in particular you've been focusing on?

This season I have added a triple lutz to the mix. I have also been working on triple-triple combinations and double axel + triple toe.  I have been really focusing on the component part of my skating as well.

What are your goals for nationals?  How do you hope nationals will set you up for your short term and long term goals as a skater?

My goal for nationals this year is to be in the top ten. I hope to be chosen for more international assignments in 2012 and long-term to make the 2014 Olympic team.

Is there anything else you want people to know?

I love dogs, especially pugs and that's pretty much it!

Midwestern Sectional Championships

Thursday, November 17th
10:40 Novice Pairs Short Program
11:25 Junior Pairs Short Program
1:05 Senior Men's Short Program
2:00 Novice Pattern Dance
3:30 Junior Ladies Short Program
5:20 Novice Men's Short Program
6:50 Senior Ladies Short Program

Friday, November 18th
9:35 Novice Pairs Free Skate
10:35 Novice Free Dance
1:10 Novice Ladies Short Program
5:20 Junior Men's Short Program
6:55 Junior Short Dance
7:40 Senior Short Dance
8:25 Novice Men's Free Skate

Saturday, November 19th
9:45 Novice Ladies Free Skate
11:25 Junior Pairs Free Skate
12:00 Junior Free Dance
12:45 Senior Free Dance
1:35 Senior Ladies Free Skate
3:30 Junior Men's Free Skate
5:00 Senior Men's Free Skate
6:10 Junior Ladies Free Skate

Skaters to Watch:

Novice Ladies: Amber Glenn had the second highest total regional score.

Junior Ladies: In one of the toughest sectional events, the reigning novice medalists Hannah Miller, Barbie Long and Mariah Bell face off against Gracie Gold, who failed to qualify for nationals last season but set the 2nd highest score on the JGP earlier this season.  Hannah Miller and Gracie Gold had a bye through regionals due to their JGP assignments.  Barbie Long had the highest total regional score and Lexi Verhulst, who did not qualify for nationals last season, had the 2nd highest total regional score.  Mariah Bell's score was 4th.

Senior Ladies: Former novice medalist Kiri Baga will face Amanda Dobbs, McKinzie Daniels, Nina Jiang, Alexe Gilles, and Morgan Bell, all former nationals competitors and all with regionals scores in the top 10.  McKinzie Daniels is the only lady of this group to receive an international assignment so far this season.

Novice Men: Brian Krentz leads the field with the 4th highest total regional score.

Junior Men: Lukas Kaugars qualified as a novice last season and holds the 2nd highest total regional score at the junior level.  Troy Tomasello is also making a jump from the novice level and has the 4th highest regional score.

Senior Men: Max Aaron put up a huge score at regionals and included quads in his programs to up his technical ante as he makes the jump from junior to senior.  Grant Hochstein received a bye through regionals due to his international assignment and recently added a triple axel to his repertoire.

Junior Pairs: Reigning novice champions Aaron/Settlage compete here after making their JGP debut earlier this season and will compete against Oltmanns/Santillan who also competed on the JGP.  All 4 teams competing here will qualify for nationals.

Junior Dance: Bertsch and Kaplun competed for Canada last season and are entering their first US qualifying season.  Hawayek/Bramante and Mancini/Brooks are reigning novice medalists and are competing here fresh off their JGP debuts.

Senior Dance: The new pairing of Aronow/Brubaker compete for the first time after previously qualifying for nationals with different partners.  Hubbell/Donohue also compete after their strong international showings at Nebelhorn and Skate America earlier this season along with Wingle and McKernan.  All 4 teams competing here will qualify for nationals.

Skate Detroit Results

Senior Ladies Group A
Nina Jiang: 144.76
Alexe Gilles: 131.28
Kate Charbonneau: 128.99
Vanessa Grenier: 122.29
Becky Bereswill: 120.49

Senior Ladies Group B
Beatta Papp: 121.26
Katy Jo West: 111.62
Rika Inoda: 107.46
Kitty Qian: 105.95
Madeline Koehler: 104.13
Note: Amanda Dobbs won the short program but withdrew before the free skate.

Senior Ladies Final (Free Skate Only)
Nina Jiang 93.84
Vanessa Grenier: 80.88
Becky Bereswill: 78.85
Farah Sheikh: 77.09
Kate Charbonneau: 72.16

Senior Pairs Short Program
Purdy/Marinaro: 44.63
Andrews/LeDuc: 41.23

Senior Pairs Free Skate
Purdy/Marinaro: 84.04
Andrews/LeDuc: 62.54

Senior Dance
Hubbell/Donohue: 109.50
Olson/Cowan: 108.40

Junior Ladies Group A
Barbie Long: 140.70
Mariah Bell: 130.68
Margaret Purdy: 96.60
Anna Britt Hall: 95.67
Shalayne Pulia: 87.65

Junior Ladies Group B
Gracie Gold: 155.89
Cassandra McDonnell: 112.09
Brianna Clarkson: 103.94
Kimberly Moon-Chong: 103.48
Maggie Hausmann: 102.74

Junior Ladies Group C
Hannah Miller: 148.10
Lexis Verhulst: 117.91
Carly Gold: 114.06
Madelyn Dunley: 106.20
Gabrielle Daleman: 103.99

Junior Ladies Group D
Jordan Bauth: 111.18
Roxanne Cournoyer: 106.17
Christina Yan: 102.88
Alexie Mieskoski: 96.72
Lili Malone: 96.12

Junior Ladies Final (Free Skate Only)
Gracie Gold 109.62
Barbie Long: 96.46
Hannah Miller: 91.75
Lexis Verhulst: 83.02
Mariah Bell: 81.29

Junior Pairs Short Program
Calalang/Sidhu: 42.05
Simpson/Blackmer: 39.05
Pearce/Norris: 34.02
Jurkiewicz/Arpin: 30.50
Powers/Powers: 27.42

Junior Pairs Free Skate
Simpson/Blackmer: 78.76
Pearce/Norris: 75.69
Calalang/Sidhu: 69.28
Powers/Powers: 58.04
Jurkiewicz/Arpin: 50.50

Junior Dance
Aldridge/Eaton: 114.17
Hawayek/Bramante: 99.35

More results at: http://www.sk8stuffmore.com/comps/11/r11sk8dtw_ijs1.pdf and http://unseenskaters.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/2011-skate-detroit-results-in-progress-please-contribute/

Gracie Gold Free Skate

Hannah Miller Free Skate

Mariah Bell Free Skate

U.S. Nationals: Junior Ladies Preview

Courtney Hicks finished 9 points ahead of the rest of the field at sectionals and Lauren Dinh finished 10 points ahead of the rest of the pack.  These two ladies should be able to make the podium if they skate like they did at sectionals.  Katarina Kulgeyko and Ashley Cain both won medals as novices last season and are competing for the first time as juniors.  Ashley Cain and Mary Beth Marley are juggling double duty as they compete in singles and pairs but their double training throughout the season could pay off here.  Both of them are in medal contention in their pair events so they have nothing to lose here in singles and may be able to turn in a better performance without the added pressure.  Nina Jiang is the only one in the field with international singles experience and is looking to move up after her 5th place finish at nationals last season.  With so many of the skaters that competed on the Junior Grand Prix competing at the senior level, there will likely be few spots for the junior skaters on the Junior Worlds team.  These ladies will have to really impress if they want to earn one of those spots.

Courtney Hicks: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She finished 5th at nationals last season at the novice level.

Lauren Dinh: Dinh qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

McKinzie Daniels: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 9th at nationals last year as a junior.

Katarina Kulgeyko: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She is the reigning national bronze medalist at the novice level.

Nina Jiang: She finished 5th at JGP Courchevel. Jiang qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 5th at nationals last season at the junior level.

Polina Edmunds: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She finished 6th at nationals last year as a novice.

Allison Timlen: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  She finished 11th at nationals last season as a novice.

Haley Dunne: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  She finished 13th at nationals last season at the junior level.

Ashley Cain: Cain qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She is the reigning national silver medalist at the novice level.

Mary Beth Marley: Marley qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She is the 2009 national silver medalist at the novice level.

Elise Eng: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Nicole Rajic: She qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 12th at nationals last year at the novice level.