Showing posts with label madison vinci. Show all posts
Showing posts with label madison vinci. Show all posts

Thursday, January 24, 2013

US Nationals Junior Ladies Free Skate

PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
17Polina Edmunds, Peninsula SC158.171101.70159.87
29Mariah Bell, Rocky Mountain FSC256.63396.17152.80
310Barbie Long, Illinois Valley FSC451.052101.48152.53
412Karen Chen, Peninsula SC354.34490.22144.56
55Amber Glenn, Dallas FSC745.28686.42131.70
66Madison Vinci, Washington FSC1142.82588.82131.64
73Dyllan McIntee, SC of Phoenix1043.19872.84116.03
82Brianna Laxson, Washington FSC1240.89774.40115.29
98Maria Yang, Washington FSC548.751066.25115.00
104Olivia Serafini, SC of New York844.15970.70114.85
111Amanda Gelb, Los Angeles FSC943.651163.39107.04
1211Katia Shpilband, Ann Arbor FSC646.041256.24102.28

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Consistency and emotion are Vinci's keys for success in Omaha

Madison Vinci is a 16 year old who trains at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia.  She has won a medal at both Junior Nationals and Nationals and is making the jump to juniors this season (read her pre-San Jose interview here).  She talked to me about handling pressure at competitions, increasing consistency in her programs and the success of the Washington Figure Skating Club.

Last year was your first time competing at nationals.  What did you take away from that experience and how has it prepared you to make the jump to the junior level?
My experience at Nationals last year was very different from any competition I've ever been to. Seeing the arena for the first time and realizing that I would be skating on that ice was both exciting and intimidating. This year, I feel like I now know what to expect and how to handle myself at such a prestigious event. I can't wait to go back and be able to better appreciate the whole experience.

You've won a medal at nationals the last two seasons (Intermediate Bronze in 2011 and Novice Pewter in 2012).  Do you think there is additional pressure on you to medal this season because of your previous success?
I try very hard to not put too much pressure on myself at competitions. The only thing I can worry about is just performing to the best of my abilities, and as long as I do that I will be extremely happy. If a great skate also earns me a medal, that would be icing on the cake.

You won gold at South Atlantic Regionals and silver at Eastern Sectionals.  What kind of momentum does that give you going into nationals?
I definitely have more confidence in myself coming out of Regionals and Sectionals because I feel like I'm becoming more and more consistent when I compete. I've realized what does and doesn't work for me when preparing to skate in important competitions, and I'm proud of how I have learned to deal with my nerves. I've begun to feel much more comfortable with pressure which I know will come in handy when it comes time to compete at Nationals.


The Washington Figure Skating Club qualified four junior ladies to sectionals and three junior ladies to nationals.  What do you think makes your Club so successful?
My club is very accommodating to its members and we have a dedicated group of skaters and coaches. Skating with so many other talented kids from WFSC definitely pushes us all to be the best we can be, and our club makes sure we have the necessary opportunities to do just that.

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

I've been working on adding an extra triple to both my short and free skate, but my main focus has been the consistency of my run throughs. It's extremely important to me that I'm able to deliver a program that people will enjoy watching and not just fixate on the technical part.

You had a triple salchow + double loop + double loop combination in your free skate at sectionals.  Do you think that combination gives you an advantage on the technical side?
We actually changed my three jump combination to a double axel+ double loop + double loop, which I do in the second half of my program. I do feel that doing a three jump combination late in the program will be a big factor in my technical score.

What would you consider your biggest strength as a skater?  Your biggest weakness and how have you been working to overcome it?
I think that one of my biggest strengths as a skater is that I'm pretty good at using emotion in my programs even when I'm under pressure. To me, my biggest weakness is that I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be. I've been working hard to change that this year by doing tons of run throughs of both my programs in practice, which has been great for both my mental and physical strength.

The Junior ladies event is looking to be extremely tough with several of last season's competitors returning along with the entire novice ladies podium from last year.  What do you think makes you stand out from the rest of the skaters?
You are right...this year's group of junior ladies are all very talented skaters. It's amazing to be included in this group of 12 ladies. I think one thing that makes me stand out when I skate is my ability to show feeling and emotion in my programs.

What are your goals for nationals?
My goals for Nationals are to just not hold anything back, not let my nerves affect my skating, and to deliver the best performance possible.

Friday, January 11, 2013

US Nationals: Junior Ladies Preview

The Junior Ladies event always promises to have some of the toughest competition at nationals and this year is no exception.  

Barbie Long won the pewter medal at this level at nationals last season and is looking for her 4th consecutive nationals podium.  She is the only lady in this field to compete on the Junior Grand Prix this season and she won the silver medal in Slovenia.  She has some difficult content planned including a triple lutz + triple toe in both programs and a double axel + triple toe in her free skate.  She also has a double axel + double toe + double loop planned in her free skate.  She struggled with some of her levels at sectionals receiving Level 3s on some of her spins and steps in both programs.  She is a very solid skater and is the one to beat at this event.

Polina Edmunds is only 14 years old, but this is her third year competing at the junior level at nationals.  She gained a lot of notice after her performances at nationals last season and was strong in all of her summer events but did not receive a Junior Grand Prix assignment.  She has some of the most difficult content planned at nationals including a triple lutz + triple toe in both programs and a triple flip + triple toe in her free skate.  She also has a triple loop + double toe + double loop in her free skate and all Level 4 elements.  She only received a Level 2 step sequence in her short program at sectionals so she still has room to improve.

Mariah Bell finished just off the podium at nationals last season.  She was assigned to the Gardena Trophy last spring but did not receive an international assignment this fall.  She is much stronger in the short program as she is consistently clean in that segment.  While she has all the triples, her technical content is less than some of the other top ladies in the field.  She's only attempting a triple flip + double toe and a double axel sequence in her free skate.  She also received all Level 3s in her free skate at sectionals.  She'll need a solid short program performance to stay in contention for the podium and bring up the levels in her free skate to get all the technical points possible.

Karen Chen is the reigning Novice Champion and is looking to make a splash in her junior debut.  She is also looking for her 4th consecutive nationals medal and her third consecutive national title.  She has her programs structured to maximize points with a triple lutz + triple toe and a triple flip planned in the bonus section of her short program.  She also has a triple lutz + triple toe and a double axel + triple toe in her free skate but had several underrotation calls at sectionals.  She also had a Level 2 layback spin in her free skate at sectionals so she has room to improve her scores.

Madison Vinci won the pewter medal as a novice last season and is looking to continue her podium run as a novice.  She is a consistently clean skater and has some nice technical elements like a triple salchow + double loop + double loop in her free skate.  However, she doesn't have a triple flip which will hurt her in the short program as the flip is the required jump and all the top ladies will have a triple flip.  She also had some Level 3s in her programs at sectionals, so she has room to improve on the technical side.

Amber Glenn is the reigning Novice Silver medalist.  She had a 13 point bump from regionals to sectionals and is a real contender for the podium.  She has a triple lutz + double toe + double loop as well as a double axel + triple toe planned in her free skate.

Also in contention is Maria Yang who improved 14 points between regionals and sectionals to claim the Eastern Sectionals gold medal.  She has a triple lutz + double loop + double loop but did not attempt a triple + triple combination at sectionals.

There are three spots open for the Junior Ladies at Junior Worlds.  Historically, a junior competitor would need to win the event to be considered for a spot, and even then it is not a guarantee.  Leah Keiser, Hannah Miller and Angela Wang all competed at the Junior Grand Prix Final and will be competing in Omaha as seniors.  Vanessa Lam, Ashley Cain, Samantha Cesario and Courtney Hicks all competed on the Junior Grand Prix as well this season and will be competing at the senior level.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Polina Edmunds
Silver: Barbie Long
Bronze: Mariah Bell
Pewter: Karen Chen

Bios of the competitors:
Mariah Bell: She is 16 years old and represents the Rocky Mountain Figure Skating Club.  She is the 2011 Novice Ladies bronze medalist.  She finished 8th in Intermediate Ladies in 2010 and 5th in Junior Ladies in 2012.  She won gold at Southwestern Regionals and silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 3rd best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total scores.

Karen Chen: She is 13 years old and represents the Peninsula Skating Club.  She won pewter in Juvenile Girls in 2010, is the 2011 Intermediate Ladies Champion and the reigning Novice Ladies Champion.  She won silver at Central Pacific Regionals and silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 2nd best short program, 3rd best free skate and 2nd best total score.

Polina Edmunds: She is 14 years old and represents the Peninsula Skating Club.  She finished 6th in Novice Ladies in 2010, 7th in Junior Ladies in 2011 and 6th in Junior Ladies in 2012.  She won gold at Central Pacific Regionals and gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the top short program, free skate and total scores.

Amanda Gelb: She is 15 years old and represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.  She is the reigning Novice Ladies bronze medalist.  She won gold at Southwest Pacific Regionals and pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 9th best short program score.

Amber Glenn: She is 13 years old and represents the Dallas Figure Skating Club.  She is the reigning Novice Ladies silver medalist.  She finished 10th in Intermediate Ladies in 2011 and 12th in Juvenile Girls in 2009.  She won silver at Southwestern Regionals and bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 4th best short program, 6th best free skate and 5th best total scores.

Brianna Laxson: She is 13 years old and represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  She is the 2011 Intermediate Ladies pewter medalist.She finished 20th in Juvenile Girls in 2010 and 6th in Novice Ladies in 2012.  She won pewter at South Atlantic Regionals and pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.     

Barbie Long: She is 16 years old and represents the Illinois Valley Figure Skating Club.  She won silver at JGP Slovenia.  She finished 6th in Juvenile Girls in 2009, is the 2010 Intermediate Ladies bronze medalist, the 2011 Novice Ladies silver medalist and the 2012 Junior Ladies pewter medalist.  She won gold at Upper Great Lakes Regionals and gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 5th best short program, 2nd best free skate and 3rd best total scores.

Dyllan McIntee: She is 14 years old and represents the Skating Club of Phoenix.  She is the 2010 Juvenile Girls Champion.  She finished 11th in Intermediate Ladies in 2011 and 9th in Novice Ladies in 2012.  She won pewter at Southwest Pacific Regionals and bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Olivia Serafini: She is 16 years old and represents the Skating Club of New York.  She finished 5th in Novice Ladies in 2012.  She won gold at North Atlantic Regionals and bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 10th best free skate and 10th best total scores.

Katia Shpilband: She represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club.  She is the 2009 Juvenile Girls pewter medalist and the 2010 Intermediate Ladies Champion.  She won gold at Eastern Great Lakes Regionals and pewter at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 9th best total score.

Madison Vinci: She is 16 years old and represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  She is the 2011 bronze medalist in Intermediate Ladies and the 2012 Novice Ladies pewter medalist.  She won gold at South Atlantic Regionals and silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 10th best short program, 7th best free skate and 7th best total scores of the season.  

Maria Yang: She represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  She finished 8th in Juvenile Girls in 2010.  She won bronze at South Atlantic Regionals and gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 6th best short program, 5th best free skate and 6th best total scores.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Eastern Sectionals Junior Ladies Results

PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
18Maria Yang, Washington FSC346.73194.23140.96
210Madison Vinci, Washington FSC147.30287.63134.93
311Olivia Serafini, SC of New York246.77382.72129.49
49Brianna Laxson, Washington FSC445.28480.09125.37
512Melanie Chang, Washington FSC639.75571.22110.97
67Morgan Sewall, North Atlantic FSC540.70669.94110.64
73Heidi Munger, SC Of Boston936.34767.18103.52
82Eve Agler, SC of New York1034.69863.0497.73
91Sydney Jones, SC of New York837.01959.9796.98
104Adrianna Gonera, SC of New York738.231156.2394.46
115Olivia Pastore, SC Of Boston1228.901058.0686.96
126Ainsley McGill, Charter Oak FSC1133.831247.8581.68

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Eastern Sectionals Preview

Friday, November 9th
9:20-10:40 Novice Ladies Short Program
2:35-3:40 Novice Pattern Dance
7:55-9:15 Novice Men's Short Program

Saturday, November 10th
11:45-1:05 Junior Ladies Short Program
1:20-2:10 Novice Free Dance
2:25-4:10 Junior Men's Short Program
5:55-7:15 Novice Men's Free Skate
7:30-8:50 Novice Ladies Free Skate

Sunday, November 11th
9:15-10:00 Novice Ladies Free Skate
10:15-1:45 Novice Short Dance
11:00-12:00 Junior Pairs Short Program
12:15-1:45 Senior Men's Short Program
2:00-3:45 Junior Ladies Free Skate
4:00-4:55 Senior Short Dance
5:10-6:30 Junior Men's Free Skate
6:45-7:15 Senior Pairs Short Program
7:30-9:20 Senior Ladies Short Program

Monday, November 12th
10:00-1:45 Novice Pairs Free Skate
11:00-11:35 Junior Free Dance
11:50-12:50 Junior Pairs Free Skate
1:05-2:05 Senior Free Dance
2:20-4:10 Senior Men's Free Skate
4:25-4:55 Senior Pairs Free Skate
5:10-7:00 Senior Ladies Free Skate


Senior Ladies

Fourteen ladies are competing in this event for four spots to nationals.  Yasmin Siraj is the reigning Sectional Champion and placed 15th at nationals last year.  She has the second best short program, third best free skate and second best total score from regionals.  Haley Dunne finished 16th at nationals last season and has the 7th best short program, 2nd best free skate and 4th best total score.  Joelle Forte placed 14th at nationals last season and has the 10th best short program.  Aimee Buchanan finished 19th at nationals last year.

Lauren Dinh is the 2011 Junior Silver Medalist but did not make it out of regionals last season.  She has the 5th best short program, 9th best free skate and 8th best total score from regionals.  Jordan Bauth did not qualify for nationals last season but was assigned to the Youth Olympic Games where she finished 7th.  Jenelle Herman finished 8th as a junior at nationals last season.  Alexandria Shaughnessy is the reigning Novice Pairs Bronze Medalist.  Jessica Hu has the 10th best free skate and total score from regionals.

Samantha Cesario won bronze medals at her last three Junior Grand Prix assignments but has struggled with injuries over the last few years and had to withdraw from nationals the last two seasons.  She withdrew from her second JGP assignment earlier this season due to injury after her short program.

Senior Men
There are twelve men competing for four spots to nationals.  Stephen Carriere finished 6th at nationals last season and finished 4th at Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this season.  Grant Hochstein finished 12 at nationals, Wesley Campbell finished 17th, Alexander Akin placed 19th and Daniel Raad placed 20th.

Timothy Dolensky is the reigning Junior Men's Silver Medalist and placed 4th at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic.  Harrison Choate is the reigning Junior Men's Pewter Medalist and won a bronze medal on the Junior Grand Prix.  Emmanuel Savary finished 12th in juniors last season.

Senior Pairs
Two teams are competing and both will qualify for nationals.  Zhang and Bartholomay finished 8th at nationals last season and 4th at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic.  Kayne and O'Shea are a new team.

Senior Dance
Seven teams are competing and four will qualify for nationals.  Cannuscio and McManus placed 6th at nationals and finished 7th at Skate America.  Hoptman and Filchenkov placed 11th at nationals.  Cannuscio and Bramante both competed at nationals last season but with different partners.  The Gamelin siblings placed 12th as juniors at nationals.

Junior Ladies
Twelve ladies are competing for four spots at nationals.  Madison Vinci is the reigning Novice Pewter Medalist.  She has the 8th best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total score from regionals.  Olivia Serafini finished 5th, Brianna Laxson finished 6th and Morgan Sewall finished 11th as a novice last season.  Serafini has the 8th best free skate; Sewall has the 7tb best free skate and 9th best total score from regionals.

Junior Men
Eleven men are competing for four slots at nationals.  Jay Yostanto finished 7th at nationals and placed 6th at his Junior Grand Prix assignments.

James Schetelich is the reigning Novice Men's Silver Medalist and has the 6th best short program score from regionals.  Jimmy Ma placed 5th at nationals last season as a novice and has the 10th best short program, 4th best free skate and 5th best total score from regionals.  Joseph Dolkiewicz placed 10th in Junior Pairs last season.

Junior Pairs
Seven teams are competing for four places at nationals.  Oltmanns and Santillan finished 9th at nationals last season and placed 12th at their JGP assignment earlier this season.  Goldberg/Dolkiewiecz placed 10th at nationals and Fujimoto/Barsi-Rhyne finished 11th.  

Shaughnessy and Morgan are the reigning Novice Bronze Medalists.  Belt and Johnson did not qualify for nationals last season but competed at the Youth Olympic Games.

Junior Dance
Four teams are competing and all four will qualify for nationals.  McNamara and Carpenter are the reigning Junior Bronze Medalists, the Parsons siblings are the reigning Junior Pewter medalists and Pogrebinksy and Gudis finished 8th at nationals.  Miller and MacMillan are the reigning Novice Silver Medalists.  McNamara/Carpenter finished 4th and 6th in their JGP assignments, the Parsons finished 3rd and 6th, Pogrebinsky/Gudis placed 6th and 11th and Miller/MacMillan placed 10th.

Novice Ladies
Twelve ladies are competing for four spots at nationals.  Dalia Rivkin is the reigning Intermediate Ladies Pewter Medalist.  She has the 10th best short program, 7th best free skate and 5th best total score from regionals.  Selin Kang finished 6th in Intermediate Ladies last season and Elise Romola finished 17th.  Kang has the 10th best free skate score from regionals.

Novice Men
There are twelve men competing for four spots at nationals.  Tony Lu placed 10th at nationals last season and Oleksiy Melnyk finished 11th.  Lu has the 6th best short program, 10th best free skate and 7th best total score from regionals.  Melnyk has the best short program, 3rd best free skate and 3rd best total score.  

Sean Conlon is the reigning Intermediate Silver Medalist.  Bennett Gottlieb finished 5th, Jonah Barrett finished 7th and Yamato Rowe finished 15th in Intermediate last season.

Novice Pairs
Five teams are competing for four spots to nationals.  Donahoe/Rappold finished 10th at nationals last season.  Knopp/Chinault finished 8th in Intermediate at nationals last season.

Novice Dance
Four teams are competing and all four will qualify for nationals.  Lucas/Kazaksny finished 10th at nationals last season.  The Becker siblings are the reigning Intermediate Champions and Wren/Shchepetov are the reigning Intermediate Bronze Medalists.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

South Atlantic Regional Results

Novice Ladies
PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
110Carly Berrios, Greenville FSC731.43174.91106.34
215Maya Carter, Washington FSC240.72365.31106.03
36Elise Romola, Washington FSC631.95268.50100.45
411Brynne McIsaac, Washington FSC434.42464.5798.99
512Franchesca Chiera, Panthers FSC141.34957.5798.91
613Kathryn Wen, Washington FSC337.601056.5294.12
714Marisa Farinella, Pines FSC533.08660.2593.33
87Briana Bennett, Washington FSC830.06859.2189.27
94Kristine Levitina, Pines FSC1325.81562.2088.01
103Jackie Jablon, Panthers FSC1225.93759.7485.67
119Lexi Nara-Yoshimura, Columbia FSC (MD)929.151351.5480.69
121Antonina Rusetskaya, Palm Beach FSC1126.701253.3580.05
135Kit Albaugh, Washington FSC1524.371154.7179.08
148Cami Burkhardt, SC of North Carolina1028.061548.4076.46
152Maya Newlin, Columbia FSC (MD)1425.661450.1775.83


Junior Ladies
PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
110Madison Vinci, Washington FSC247.45191.95139.40
28Melanie Chang, Washington FSC444.37282.80127.17
312Maria Yang, Washington FSC150.09376.25126.34
411Brianna Laxson, Washington FSC344.75469.83114.58
52Haley Mulera, Washington FSC836.85569.73106.58
67Joanna Nishimoto, Washington FSC541.83963.37105.20
74Natalie Motley, University of Delaware FSC936.60664.60101.20
85Christina Cleveland, Washington FSC1035.28863.8799.15
93Richanda Hyder, University of Delaware FSC1233.06764.1897.24
101McKenzie Lang, Triangle FSC1134.021061.8995.91
116Brittany Lee, University of Delaware FSC737.021156.8793.89
WD Irina Gonzalez-Sigler, Citrus FSC640.05 


Senior Ladies
PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
19Haley Dunne, University of Delaware FSC150.021103.51153.53
210Jessica Hu, SC of North Carolina246.05287.12133.17
313Tianna Gallinaro, Panthers FSC337.72363.76101.48
47Ann Marie Mateya, Ice World FSC731.42463.4794.89
512Erynn Komes, SC of North Carolina434.51560.3494.85
65Molly Crawford, Washington FSC632.45759.5692.01
711Danielle Fanelle, SC of Wilmington533.79856.8790.66
88Kristina Karlsson, Washington FSC928.40660.0188.41
96Emily Williams, SC of Northern Virginia830.121049.7979.91
102Kaitlyn Regan, Red Rose FSC1124.60952.3576.95
113Ashley Ferguson, Philadelphia SC & HS1024.691148.6973.38
121Kaitlin Clear, Washington FSC1323.641248.5272.16
134Rayna DeReus, Individual Member1224.271341.0865.35

Novice Men
PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
14Oleksiy Melnyk, Washington FSC149.67192.32141.99
23Tony Lu, SC of Wilmington244.44276.57121.01
32Jonah Barrett, Citrus FSC333.80357.4491.24
41Maximiliano Fernandez, Miami FSC431.72456.9488.66
WDJack Gleisberg, Tidewater FSC


Junior Men
PlaceStart No.NameShort ProgramFree SkateTotal Score
PlaceScorePlaceScore
11Patrick Rupp, Citrus FSC248.701100.74149.44
22Marcus Mimidis, SC of Wilmington150.84297.73148.57