Miller and MacMillan aiming for a personal best, future international assignments at nationals

Whtiney Miller and Kyle MacMillan represent the Washington Figure Skating Club and train at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy.  In their first season together they claimed the novice silver medal in San Jose.  That earned them a trip to Junior Grand Prix Austria where they finished 10th.  After winning the pewter medal at Eastern Sectionals, they are set to make their Junior debut in Omaha.  They talked to me about becoming a team, performing hip hop for the first time and being a member of Team USA.

Tell me about yourselves outside of skating.
Kyle MacMillan: I love going to school and I like reading as well as playing video games and computer programming. I recently built my own computer. My favorite classes are physics, math, and economics.

Whitney Miller: When I am not skating, I like to draw, read and write.  Recently, I was inducted into the National Juniors Honor Society for school.  Someday I hope to pursue a career in law.

You both had success with previous partners.  How did you decide to team up and how did you find success so quickly? 
KM: My training in WISA with the same coaches since I started ensured that I had the technical skills to work with a new partner.

WM: Utilizing the services of Ice Partner Search, Kyle and I teamed up in April of 2011.  Through a combination of hard work, wonderful coaches and the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy's teamwork philosophy we were able to enjoy a successful Novice season.

What did it mean to you to win the silver medal as novices last season? 
KM: We were happy.  Our previous experiences and training had prepared us for this.  
 
WM: I think we both were very excited.  All of our hard work that season paid off! 

What is it like to train at WISA with some of the top junior dance teams in the US? 
KM: I’ve trained with the same group of kids since I started ice dancing.  No matter what level we are, we all train the same way.

WM: The Wheaton Ice Skating Academy provides a wonderful team atmosphere that promotes hard work and excellence.

You placed 10th at your JGP debut in Austria. What was that experience like? What did you take away from that competition?
KM: It was a great international experience.  We learned how things work. We really look forward to the next international assignment.

WM: Austria was a fantastic learning experience.  We were extremely proud to represent the United States on the international circuit.  We hope to do it again this season.

From your carriage on the ice it's clear you've had ballet training. Can you tell me about your off-ice training? 

KM: We have daily off ice training that includes ballet, strength training and cardio work.

WM: In addition to cardio, endurance and interval training, we attend ballet and ballroom classes twice a week. 

Hip Hop is a new rhythm for the ISU this year. What has it been like to include hip hop in your programs? 

KM: We worked with Hip Hop dancers early in the season to understand the rhythm and to learn how to incorporate these moves into ice dance.

WM: Hip Hop has been an enjoyable learning experience.  It gives us a chance to move and dance in a different style.

How did you decide to pursue ice dancing? 

KM:  I started skating at age 4.  At age 7 I switched to a new coach who happened to be an ice dancer. My grandfather did ice dancing when he was young (although not competitively), worked on building an ice rink and started a USFSA club in New Mexico - so this continues a tradition.

WM: I originally started ice skating as a freestyler but was presented with the option to skate with my previous partner in ice dance.  I decided to do it and have loved ice dance ever since.

This is only your second year together as a team and your first year as juniors. How do you think you've grown in the last year and what should we expect to be seeing different about you as a team?  

KM:  I’ve literally grown 5 inches in the last year and I’m stronger.  We gained a lot from our international experience.

WM: Over the course of the past two years we have grown as a team.   Working together on a daily basis has helped us develop our skating skills together.

What are your goals for nationals?  

KM: We’re hoping for a personal best and staying on Team USA.  

WM: Our goals for the 2013 Nationals include clean, solid programs and to qualify for the ISP selection pool.

US Nationals Junior Dance Preview

This is an extremely talented field with 12 Junior Grand Prix assignments among the teams and four medals (not including the Parsons who had to withdraw due to injury).

Aldridge and Eaton are the reigning Junior Champions.  They won the bronze medal at Junior Worlds last season and backed it up with a bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They tend to fall behind in the short dance but their Fiddler on the Roof free dance is skated so well they have overcome large deficits at some of their international assignments.  Despite being the reigning champions, there are several teams hot on their tail and they only have a few points advantage to play with.  However, they are still the overwhelming favorites and should be able to repeat and claim another ticket to Junior Worlds.

Hawayek and Baker may be able to pull off the upset and take the title from Aldridge and Eaton.  They are a new team this season but both were extremely strong with their previous partners.  Hawayek competed as a junior at nationals last season and Baker made a run for the junior title in 2011 but sat out last season after his partner retired due to injuries.  They had a decent showing at their first JGP outing in Turkey but won the silver medal in Germany.  They even had better short dance and total scores than Aldridge and Eaton.  However, their nationals scores were below the marks that Aldridge and Eaton are hitting internationally.  They may have the edge in the short dance but will need a big lead and a solid free dance if they want to take home the title.

McNamara and Carpenter are also in the gold medal mix.  They are one of the youngest teams in the field despite the fact that this is their third season competing as juniors and they are the reigning bronze medalists.  They earned a slot to junior worlds last season but were not old enough to go.  They competed against Hawayek and Baker in Turkey and finished two places ahead of them, putting them right in the mix.  They have great expression and a quirkiness to their skating that is evident in their short dance but are also able to show a more elegant side as well.

Pogrebinsky and Gudis train alongside McNamara and Carpenter.  They finished 8th as juniors last season but actually beat Aldridge and Eaton in the free dance at Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships over the summer.  They have nice elements but are a bit more tentative than the top teams.  While they likely won't be in contention for the gold, the podium is definitely within their reach.

Moore and Klaber are the reigning Novice Champions and have already made their junior debut internationally.  They train at the Detroit Skating Club alongside some of the top skaters in the world.  Their free dance was over the 70 point mark which keeps them on pace for the podium but they'll want to improve the levels in the short dance.

Also in the mix are Heritage and Fast who competed at JGP Lake Placid earlier this season and Miller/MacMillan who competed at JGP Austria. 

My podium predictions:
Gold: Aldridge/Eaton
Silver: Hawayek/Baker
Bronze: McNamara/Carpenter
Pewter: Pogrebinsky/Gudis

Bios of the competitors:
Aldridge/Eaton: She is 18 and he is 20.  They represent the Detroit Skating Club.  They won gold at JGP USA and gold at JGP Slovenia to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they won bronze.  They are the 2010 Novice Champions, finished 5th in Juniors in 2011 and are the reigning Junior Champions.  They have the 5th best short dance, 3rd best free dance and 4th best total scores internationally.

Biechler/Dodge: She represents the Skating Club of Wilmington and he represents the Peninsula Skating Club.  They won bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 10th best free dance and 10th best total scores nationally.

Hawayek/Baker: She represents the Detroit Skating Club and he represents the Seattle Skating Club.  They placed 5th at JGP Turkey and won silver at JGP Germany.  They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 4th best short dance, 7th best free dance and 3rd best total scores internationally.  They have the 3rd best short dance, best free dance and 3rd best total scores nationally.

Heritage/Fast: She is 18 and he is 21.  They represent the University Ice Skating Club of San Jose.  They finished 7th at JGP USA.  They are the 2008 Juvenile Champions, finished 8th in Intermediate in 2009, finished 9th in Novice in 2010, 8th in Junior in 2011 and 5th in Juniors in 2012.  They won gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 5th best short dance, 6th best free dance and 6th best total scores nationally.

McNamara/Carpenter: She is 13 and he is 16.  She represents the Peninsula Skating Club and he represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  They finished 6th at JGP France and 4th at JGP Turkey.  They are the reigning Junior bronze medalists.  They are the 2008 Juvenile pewter medalists, 2009 Intermediate pewter medalists, finished 6th in Novice in 2010 and 9th in Junior in 2011.  They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the best short dance, 3rd best free dance and best total scores nationally.

Miller/MacMillan: She is 14 and he is 15.  They represent the Washington Figure Skating Club.  They placed 10th at JGP Austria.  They are the reigning Novice silver medalists.  They won pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.   They have the 7th best short dance, 7th best free dance and 7th best total scores nationally.

Min/Ogay: She represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club and he represents the Skating Club of Novi.  They won silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 8th best short dance, 8th best free dance and 8th best total scores nationally.

Moore/Klaber: She is 17 and he is 18.  They represent the Detroit Skating Club.  They placed 8th at JGP France.  They are the reigning Novice Champions.  They finished 8th in Juvenile in 2008, 5th in Juvenile in 2009, are the 2010 Intermediate Silver Medalists and finished 8th in Novice in 2011.  They won silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 6th best short dance, 4th best free dance and 5th best total scores nationally.  

Pogrebinsky/Gudis: She is 14 and he is 17.  She represents the Peninsula Figure Skating Club and he represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  They placed 6th at JGP USA and 11th at JGP Slovenia.  They are the 2010 Intermediate bronze medalists, the 2011 Novice pewter medalists and finished 8th in Juniors in 2012.  They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 4th best short dance, 5th best free dance and 4th best total scores nationally.   

Reid/Erwin: They represent the Wisconsin Figure Skating Club.  They won pewter at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Rosinski/Jaffe: She is 17 and he is 18.  They represent the Pavilion Skating Club of Cleveland Heights.  They are the reigning Novice pewter medalists.  They won bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 9th best short dance, 9th best free dance and 9th best total scores nationally.

Siddon/Weiss: She is 18 and he is 19.  She represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They finished 5th as Novices in 2012.  They won pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 10th best short dance score  nationally.

Washington Figure Skating Club Nationals Send-Off

The Washington Figure Skating Club held their nationals send-off in conjunction with the Wheaton Ice Arena Winter Ice Show.  The show opened up with Intermediate Dance competitors Gwen Sletten and Elliot Verburg.  They skated their Paso Doble themed free dance with good speed and edges, nice twizzles and an excellent straight line and rotational lift.  They both have great expression and she's a real firecracker on the ice.

McNamara and Carpenter have gorgeous transitions in their free dance and a nice combination lift with two one foot sectionals.  What you really appreciate about them when you see them perform live is that his facial expressions continue even in the lifts.  They performed their zombie themed short dance later in the show and had the audience laughing from the opening note.  They had excellent twizzles, ice coverage and nice matching leg lines in the blues section.

Gamelin and Gamelin will be competing in senior dance at nationals.  In their short dance they had nice positions in their lift and solid twizzles.  The twizzles were slightly off in their free dance but the straight line lift into a curve lift was nice.

Miller and MacMillan had nice expression throughout their short dance and a clean straight line lift.  They had good ice coverage on their blues section and a good feel for the hip hop rhythm.  Their twizzles were a little wobby in their free dance but they had a great upside down one hand hold lift.  She is very facially expressive and he has excellent carriage throughout his upper body.

Pogrebinsky and Gudis had a nice one foot straight line lift in their free dance and she had a good Biellman position in their dance spin.  They had a very nice non touching step sequence with lots of arm details in their short dance along with nice lines in the blues section.  Their music flows well between sections and there's a cool illusion spin step near the end fo rthe program.

Oleksiy Melnyk got one of the largest crowd reactions of the night for his solid free skate.  He landed a triple loop, triple salchow and triple toe + triple toe combination.  His only mistake was a popped lutz at the beginning of the program.

Eliana Gropman and Ian Somerville are the reigning Juvenile Champions and are competing as Intermediates this season.  They had a clean lift and a dance spin with a good change of direction.  They also had nice speed on their twizzles.  Their music is very catchy and they really play to the crowd during the program.

Caroline and Gordon Green will be competing as Juveniles at nationals in Omaha.  They showed nice speed and flexibility in their dance spin, good twizzles and good expression.  The comraderie of the ice dancers was evident when Ian Somerville cheered them on from the audience throughout the entire program.

Brianna Laxson skated her free skate in a gorgeous red lace dress.  She stepped out of a few of her triples early in the program.  She had good speed going into the jumps but seemed a little hesitant.  She still landed a triple lutz and a triple loop along with a three jump combination.  She had nice speed in her spins and a beautiful Ina Bauer.

Maria Yang started off her program with a triple lutz + double loop + double loop with great height throughout the combination.  She also landed a solo triple lutz, a spiral into a double axel and a spread eagle into a double axel + double toe.  There are lots of details in her program from the transitions to arm movements which give the whole program a polished feel.

A few of the young skaters left an impression and will be ones to watch in the coming years.  Morgan Sletten and Jordan Lin had good stroking and good ice coverage and he is the younger brother of Gwen Sleten.  Kaitlyn Chuang has good speed in her spins and attacks her jumps.  Maria Soldoatova and Fadey Solatov were some of the youngest performers at the show and had good matching lines.  She in particular had beautiful balletic arms.

Gigi and Luca Becker and Madison Vinci were scheduled to perform but did not.  The Parson siblings were also in attendance even though they had to withdraw from nationals due to his injury.

Overall, all the skaters looked prepared for nationals and ready to contend for the podium.  Nothing was perfect, but the skaters are on the pace to peak at nationals.  It was a great show and the skaters are ready to make a splash in Omaha.

Eastern Sectionals Junior Dance Results

Place	Start No.	Name	Short Dance		Free Dance		Total Score
			Place	Score	Place	Score
1	3	Lorraine McNamara, Peninsula SC Quinn Carpenter, Washington FSC	1	57.10	2	79.27	136.37
2	4	Rachel Parsons, Washington FSC Michael Parsons, Washington FSC	2	56.34	1	79.30	135.64
3	2	Elliana Pogrebinsky, Peninsula SC Ross Gudis, Washington FSC	3	53.69	3	67.26	120.95
4	1	Whitney Miller, Washington FSC Kyle MacMillan, Washington FSC	4	43.56	4	61.25	104.81

U.S. Nationals: Novice Free Dance Results

Place	Start No.	Name	Previous		Free Dance		Total Score
			Place	Score	Place	Score
1	12	Holly Moore, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights Daniel Klaber, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights	2	47.51	1	62.02	109.53
2	9	Whitney Miller, WA FSC Kyle MacMillan, WA FSC	1	50.06	2	58.07	108.13
3	10	Hannah Rosinski, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights Jacob Jaffe, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights	3	44.42	4	54.71	99.13
4	11	Chloe Rose Lewis, All Year FSC Logan Bye, Broadmoor SC	4	38.62	3	55.37	93.99
5	5	Stacey Siddon, Ann Arbor FSC Jared Weiss, All Year FSC	6	36.64	5	52.41	89.05
6	8	Meara Lorello, University of DE FSC William Dean, University of DE FSC	7	35.38	6	47.52	82.90
7	4	Hannah Pfeifer, All Year FSC Grant Lorello, University of DE FSC	10	34.25	7	47.17	81.42
8	7	Sierra Chadwick, Detroit SC Alexander Martin, Detroit SC	5	38.19	9	42.62	80.81
9	1	Madison George, Detroit SC Brad Kleffman, Detroit SC	9	34.77	8	44.21	78.98
10	6	Rebecca Lucas, Triangle FSC Yan Kazansky, Columbia FSC (MD)	8	35.36	10	39.74	75.10
11	3	Lauren Leonesio, Los Angeles FSC Dustin Perini, Los Angeles FSC	11	29.86	11	39.27	69.13
12	2	Karen Tong, SC of NY David Cruikshank, Windy Hill SC	12	24.94	12	34.18	59.12

U.S. Nationals: Novice Pattern Dance Results

Place	Start No.	Name	Pattern Dance 1		Pattern Dance 2		Total Score
			Place	Score	Place	Score
1	7	Whitney Miller, WA FSC Kyle MacMillan, WA FSC	1	22.90	1	27.16	50.06
2	11	Holly Moore, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights Daniel Klaber, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights	2	22.65	2	24.86	47.51
3	5	Hannah Rosinski, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights Jacob Jaffe, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights	3	21.37	3	23.05	44.42
4	12	Chloe Rose Lewis, All Year FSC Logan Bye, Broadmoor SC	6	17.30	4	21.32	38.62
5	1	Sierra Chadwick, Detroit SC Alexander Martin, Detroit SC	4	18.68	7	19.51	38.19
6	6	Stacey Siddon, Ann Arbor FSC Jared Weiss, All Year FSC	8	16.90	6	19.74	36.64
7	8	Meara Lorello, University of DE FSC William Dean, University of DE FSC	7	17.01	9	18.37	35.38
8	3	Rebecca Lucas, Triangle FSC Yan Kazansky, Columbia FSC (MD)	9	16.56	8	18.80	35.36
9	9	Madison George, Detroit SC Brad Kleffman, Detroit SC	5	18.63	10	16.14	34.77
10	4	Hannah Pfeifer, All Year FSC Grant Lorello, University of DE FSC	10	14.49	5	19.76	34.25
11	10	Lauren Leonesio, Los Angeles FSC Dustin Perini, Los Angeles FSC	11	14.08	11	15.78	29.86
12	2	Karen Tong, SC of NY David Cruikshank, Windy Hill SC	12	11.10	12	13.84	24.94